The Skriker
In Lancashire, you might hear it before you see it: a terrible shriek in the lanes at night, and heavy padding footsteps following you.
What was reported
The Skriker, named after the shrieks it makes, is a spectral black dog of Lancashire folklore. It's said to roam the lanes and woods at night, sometimes invisible, its presence known only by its shrieking cry and the heavy sound of its feet padding behind travellers.
When seen, it's a large black dog with huge, saucer-like eyes. Like other black dogs of British folklore, hearing or meeting it was taken as an omen of death.
Explanations offered
The Skriker is one of many regional black dogs in England, along with Black Shuck in East Anglia and the barghest in Yorkshire. Folklorists see them as warnings against travelling alone at night. Fox screams and owls may lie behind some of its cries.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Lancashire, England, UK
- Witnesses
- Lancashire folklore
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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