Ghosts Around the World: Castle Fever

Quick! When I say haunting, what comes to mind? An old house? A cemetery? How about a chilling location of murder and mayhem? Okay, sure, all of that and more. But what if I said…castle? Uh huh, that’s what I thought. What is more spooky than a 13th or 14th century castle?

Unfortunately for us Americans, we are sadly lacking in the castle department. Oh sure, we can kill ‘em with haunted roads and crime scenes and ancient Victorians. But castles? Not so much.

Never fear, ladies and gents! I am here to share with you some of the most haunted castles around the world. And some day, if you are able, put these babies on your ‘must see’ list when arranging your tourist destinations. I bet you won’t be disappointed!

First up, Leap Castle, located in a place that is close to my heart… my beloved Ireland. The castle was built somewhere between the 13th and 15th century for a wealthy Irish clan by the name of O’Carroll. It is said that one of the O’Carroll brothers, in a play for power, plunged a sword into his brother, a priest who was in the middle of saying Mass.

Pretty risky move, slaying a man who has God’s ear, am I right?

The castle also had, of course, a dungeon where all manner of dastardly, evil deeds occurred. Legend has it that, in the early 1900s, renovation workers discovered dozens of bones, said to be prisoners of the castle. They would fall through a trap door, landing on wooden spikes strategically placed in the dungeon below, that would gore their chests and collapse their lungs. Death took some time, and the members of the household undoubtedly heard the pleas and dying screams of many a man as they suffered a horrific end. It is purported to be one of the— if not THE— most haunted places in the world. Of course it is…it had dungeons and stuff!

But truthfully, is there a self-respecting castle anywhere that doesn’t have a dungeon? I mean, seriously, if you didn’t have a dank, creepy, hidden cave that rivaled the pits of hell, you were a poser, a joker, a wanna-be just playing at being a powerful Lord who held life and death in his hands.

And don’t get me started on the jeweled crowns on their heads or the lush robes on their backs. Sick.

But, once again, I digress. In Chillingham Castle (I swear, I’m not making that name up) in England, the dungeons and torture chambers were commonplace. Thumbscrews, beds of nails, the stretching rack— all manner of gruesome instruments of torture. (As an aside, I think I just found another blog topic 😉) Today, people experience whispers, light touches, camera and video equipment malfunctions. And the Lady of the Pantry, a woman in white (it’s always white, isn’t it?) who is longing for— water. I kid you not. Lore says that she comes to the pantry begging for a drink of water. Some say it’s a pretty good indication that, in life, she was poisoned and thus, extraordinarily thirsty.

And this is why Kings and such had royal tasters😬

How ‘bout that bonny building in Scotland, Castle Fraser? Full disclosure here…there is a wee bit of a Scottish back story in my next book, so I just had to give this one a nod. Castle Fraser is said to be haunted by a lovely princess who was murdered in her sleep. The killer or killers dragged her bleeding body down the tower stairs, leaving blood stains so embedded, they would not come off. Eventually, the blood stains on the steps were hidden using wood paneling that remains in place to this day. Visitors have reported hearing whispers, feeling phantom breaths on their bodies, even seeing the princess herself.

And last, but certainly not least, is Houska Castle. Located in the Czech Republic, this is probably the only castle that I would shy away from, the only one I’d say ‘Hell, no, I won’t go!’ Oh, I hear ya…Why? you ask. Why, Quinn, since you live for this stuff? True, all true. But this castle has something the others do not.

… An enormous hole in the ground. A hole said to be the gateway to Hell.

Hot damn! ( no pun intended.)😈

So the deal was, someone skipping around town found this gigantic hole in the ground and decided it must be a portal; a doorway for demons and the like. Seems like a pretty big leap to judgement for me but, hey, different strokes and all that. Anyhoo, rather than risk these pesky nasties entering our world, they built the house OVER the hole. Now, some believe that the demons trying to gain entry here are trapped in the lower level of the house. But, if that isn’t enough to curl your hair…

Eventually, someone decided sealing it off would be a capital idea. But, before they did, they really wanted to get a gander of what was down that hole. You know, for posterity. After all, no one had ventured inside, as it was said to be bottomless. (Although, seriously, the bottom has to be somewhere, right? I could never wrap my head around the ‘bottomless’ concept.) Anyway, they had a plan. They would grant prisoners sentenced to death a pardon if they would agree to be lowered via rope into the opening and report back what they saw. When they lowered the first inmate down, he immediately began screaming, and they pulled him back.

The poor bastard had aged about thirty years— white hair, wrinkled skin, the works. They don’t say whether any other prisoners were lowered down that hole, or if any of them reported back what they saw.

And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Do you have a topic you want to learn more about? Something you’ve heard about and want to know more? Drop me a note at quinnnoll@gmail. com or in the comment section below.

Til next time!

—Q