The Spriggans of Trencrom Hill
On Cornish hilltops guarded by ancient walls, small, ugly fairies keep watch over buried giants' treasure. Dig for it, and they swell to giant size.
What was reported
In Cornish folklore, spriggans are grotesque, wizened fairies who guard ancient sites such as cairns, standing stones and old hill forts. Though small, they can swell to enormous size when angered, and they're said to be the ghosts of the old giants.
On Trencrom Hill, an Iron Age hill fort near St Ives, they guarded a giant's hidden treasure. A man who dug there one night, the story goes, was surrounded by spriggans growing taller and taller, and fled with nothing.
Explanations offered
Spriggans are part of the rich fairy lore of Cornwall, alongside piskies and the knockers of the mines. Stories of guarded treasure at ancient sites may have helped protect them from being dug up.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Trencrom Hill, Cornwall, England, UK
- Witnesses
- Cornish 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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