Animal spirits: The "church grim"

Animal spirits: The "church grim"
By erika



A black dog that protects church grounds
English and Scandinavian folklore is rich in tales of animal spirits, both benevolent and evil. One specific type of spirit is called the "church grim."

The church grim is a spirit which haunts the grounds of a church, protecting the property at night. Some of them occasionally perform mischief, like ringing the church bells. But their overall disposition is protective, guarding "their" church through the darkness.

As legend has it in Europe, the first person buried in a new church yard would be doomed to haunt that yard at night for eternity to guard it against Satan. Since no one wanted their own deceased loved ones to be saddled with such an eternal chore, the church-goers would bury a black dog alive on the north side of the church yard. That dog's spirit would then become the church grim, and the humans could go on to be planted in the ground without harm.

In Scandinavia, the church grims are sometimes said to be the spirits of animals which were sacrificed by early Christians during the building process. Other Scandinavian church grims were thought to be the spirits of lambs which were buried under the altar by early Christians. (The Scandinavians seem to think their early Christians were very bloodthirsty folk.)

The church grim is distinct from the "black dog," although their appearance is similar. The black dog is a legend of the United Kingdom, where the apparition of a large black dog with glowing eyes is often seen at night, particularly at crossroads, and often associated with electrical storms. The black dog may have any of a number of agendas, most of them unpleasant, but they are not associated with a church the way that the church grim may be.

As fantastic as a church grim may sound, this legend has a practical basis. Churchyards and churches themselves are often a target of thieves and vandals. Graverobbers planning to dig up the dead and steal the jewelry they were buried with, and thieves wanting to break into the church to steal the gold artifacts, might be given pause by the legend of a menacing black spirit roaming the grounds.

To add to the legend of the church grim, it was thought to be a harbinger of death. If you spot a church grim, it means you will die soon. Even more incentive to stay away from the church property after dark!

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Image courtesy Flickr/informatique

Story Taken From weirdanimalreport