The Alp

Johann August Ernst K�hler, Germany The alp is a demonic being which presses upon sleeping people so �that they cannot utter a sound. These attacks are called Alpdr�cke (nightmares).

A girl told how the alp came to her through a keyhole. She was not able to call for help. Later, she therefore asked her sister to call out her name in the night, and then the alp would go back out through the keyhole. In Zwickau they claim that the alp will go away if one invites him for coffee the following morning. It is alsobelieved that the alp crushes animals to death. For example, if young geese, are placed in a pig pen and then die it is said that the alp crushed them to death. If rabbits die, and it appears that they have been crushed, a broom is placed in their pen, which protects them against the alp.
The word "alp" is etymologically related to the word "elf."


Barghest

A monstrous dog with huge teeth and claws. It only appears at night in North England, where it roams in the area around Yorkshire. People believe that anyone who sees the dog clearly would die soon after. In Wales, they have the red-eyed Gwyllgi, the Dog of Darkness. On the Isle of Man it is called Mauthe Doog.


Beelzebub


Beelzebub is the patron god of the Philistines in ancient Palestine. He is also identified with the god of Ekron, Baal-Zebub. The term is a deliberate mocking perversion of the Canaanite Baal-Zebul ("Prince Baal"), one of the standard titles of the god Baal. In the Bible, Beelzebub is the prince of evil spirits and in Milton's 'Paradise Lost' he is Satan's chief lieutenant. He is also called 'Lord of the Flies', derived from the Hebrew "Baal-Zevuv".


Bean Nighe

The Bean Nighe, the Washer at the Fords, is the Scottish version of the Irish Bean Sidhe (Banshee). She wanders near deserted streams where she washes the blood from the grave-clothes of those who are about to die. It is said that the Bean Nighe are the spirits of �women who died giving birth, and are doomed to do this work until the day their lives would have normally ended.

A Bean Nighe is thought to have one nostril, one big protruding tooth, webbed feet and long hanging breasts. A mortal who is bold enough to sneak up to her while she is washing and suck her breast can claim to be her foster-child. He can then gain a wish from her.


Bean Sidhe

In Irish folklore, the Bean Sidhe ("woman of the hills") is a spirit or fairy who presage a death by wailing. She is popularly known as the Banshee. She visits a household and by wailing she warns them that a member of their family is about to die. When a Banshee is caught, she is obliged to tell the name of the doomed.

The Bean Sidhe has long streaming hair and is dressed in a gray cloak over a green dress. Her eyes are fiery red from the constant weeping. When multiple Banshees wail together, it will herald the death of someone very great or holy. The Scottish version of the Banshee is the Bean Nighe.


Black Dog

The black dogs are found all over the English isles, especially on deserted roads. They are roughly the size of a calf and they move in utter silence, except of the clicking of their claws. The chill despondency and despair these dogs cause is the reason why there are no detailed descriptions of their appearance. While a companion is no guarantee for safety, since one might see the dog and the other not, it offers a better protection than walking alone. It is said that the best companion is a descendant of Ean MacEndroe of Loch Ewe. He rescued a fairy once and in return he and his descendants were given perpetual immunity from the power of the black dogs.