Sussex may be a county of great views and stunning landscape, but it’s also a county that is packed to bursting with tales of Sussex giants, dragons, the Devil and other mythical beasts.
Sussex giants
One of the most famous Sussex giants has to be the Long Man at Wilmington. But he is by no means the only Sussex giant. The Long Man is a chalk figure carved into the South Downs. He is 72 metres high and his origins are unknown. However, legend has it that he is a representation of the Wilmington Giant who fought with and was killed by the Firle Giant. They may or may not have been brothers and their fight may or may not have been witnessed by Gil, the bad tempered giant of Mount Caburn near Lewes.
West Sussex didn’t escape from giants either, with Bevis of Hampton, an Arundel giant who guarded the gates for the Earls of Arundel and lived in Bevis Tower. Obviously.
Sussex dragons
When it comes to Sussex dragons, West Sussex is the place to be. St Leonard’s Forest near Horsham is famed for its dragon that was slayed by the hermit St Leonard in the 6th century. It’s said that St Leonard may also have been responsible for ridding the forest of pesky and unwanted snakes that brought bad luck. And if the St Leonard’s dragon wasn’t bad enough, another dragon used to have its lair on Bignor Hill and could be seen sleeping from the villages below. If you look carefully, you may be able to see the outline of its body cut into the hillside.
Knuckers
A knucker is a water dragon and these beasts have made quite a nuisance of themselves in Sussex. The most famous of the Sussex knuckers is the Lyminster knucker, killed by one Jim Puttock, who then died himself. The Lyminster knucker had been flying about eating local maids. If you look carefully, perhaps you’ll find other knuckers at Binsted, Lancing, Shoreham or Worthing.
The Devil in Sussex
The Devil has also made a proper nuisance of himself in Sussex and pops up all over the place. In the west, you might want to visit the Devil’s Jumps and the Devil’s Humps. The Devil’s Jumps are on the South Downs at Treyford. Apparently, the god Thor used to sit here until one day the Devil disturbed him by bouncing from one barrow to the next. An angry Thor saw off the Devil by throwing a stone at him. Not far away, you’ll find the Devil’s Humps at Stoughton. They are linked to the ghosts of great Viking warriors who were defeated in battle here and may haunt the ancient yew forest below. The older trees of the forest are known as the Ancient Watchers.
Devil’s Dyke is named after the legend that the Devil dug this great valley in order to drown local residents who were converting to Christianity. His plan was foiled by St Cuthman and his gang of nuns and the Devil and his wife are also said to be buried here. Not far from Devil’s Dyke, you come to the famous clump of trees on the South Downs known as Chanctonbury Ring and it is said you can summon the Devil here by running around the trees a certain amount of times. Indeed, he might even give you a bowl of soup once summoned!
And if you’re hell bent on summoning the Devil, you might have luck at Miller’s Tomb on Highdown Hill or at the tomb of Mad Jack Fuller in Brightling.
Over in Mayfield, the Devil gave St Dunstan a hard time. St Dunstan was a blacksmith and whilst working away, the Devil tried to tempt him whilst disguised as a woman. But St Dunstan spotted the Devil’s cloven hooves peeping out from under his gown and squeezed the Devil’s nose with red hot tongs! The Devil ran to Tunbridge Wells and thrust his burning nose into the spring there.
Fairies of Sussex
In Sussex dialect, fairies were known as pharisees and they could often be spotted at places like Harrow Hill (north of Patching), Cissbury Ring, or Selmeston where they inflicted mischief on a poor carter’s horse.
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