Lambton worm - an indestructible monster of the Middle Ages (9 photos)

Water is the element that gave birth to life. But some forms of this life turned out to be so dangerous that they became a real threat to everyone else.





The shores of Foggy Albion are the birthplace of many eerie legends that make you feel uneasy. One of the oldest and longest-lasting British tales comes from north-east England, where you can hear the story of the Lambton Worm.



Lambton Estate

This monstrous creature, huge and dragon-like, lived in the wild lands of Northumberland, where it terrified the inhabitants.

Many claimed that they even saw the worm with their own eyes. Moreover, reports of their appearance came from different parts of northern England for a thousand (!) years. The legends associated with the Lambton Monster gradually turned into folklore. But where did they come from?

Lambton worm: the origins of the legend





The modern story of the water monster comes from a popular song written in 1867 by C. M. Lehmann. To find the first written evidence of the legend, you need to go back another century, to 1785 and William Hutchinson.

But the legends with which Lehmann and Hutchinson worked were much older. And none of the authors claimed to have invented this legend. But they both agreed on a particular site: a glacial moraine left over from the last ice age in Fatfield, Washington, about halfway between the cities of Newcastle and Sunderland.



Worm Hill, Fatfield, Washington

This area is known as Worm Hill. And this is where, according to legend, the Lambton worm once lived. This creature of the deep was considered a threat, destroying nearby fields and the estate's crops. The Lambton family had to cope with the monster on their territory. More precisely, it was done by Sir John Lambton, the man partly responsible for the appearance of the monster.

The legend of the worm says that one day young John Lambton was fishing near the River Wear near his estate. But instead of another fish, he came across a very strange creature with the body of an eel and the head of a dragon.



He threw the strange contraption into a nearby well, later called the Well of Worms. After this, young Lambton left his home for many years: he was supposed to become a knight fighting far from his homeland.

But the worm that ended up in the well did not die. But he felt quite normal and slowly grew until he reached gigantic proportions. The well no longer contained the monster. And the worm crawled away from the shelter that had become cramped, choosing a hill not far from the Lambton estate as a new home.

At first, the worm did not pose a threat to residents, but then everything changed. As he grew, so did the monster's appetite.

The worm began to attack and eat livestock and even children who approached its habitat. Soon the monster became extremely dangerous, and the inhabitants of the village and the estate realized that they could not hesitate any longer.



And then it was time for John Lambton to return home. The slob boy turned into a strong and brave knight. He understood that the worm was the same worm that he had caught many years ago. And it is his duty to put an end to the dangerous creature so that people can live in peace.

He tried repeatedly to kill the worm, but to no avail. The Creature of the Deep was too strong and tenacious. No matter how badly the man wounded him, he always escaped and always recovered. As strong as he was, Lambton needed help. To kill the worm, the knight turned, as expected, to a witch who lived not far from his estate.

Murder and damnation



A wise woman told him how to kill the worm and get rid of it forever. Lambton was warned that if he beheaded the worm, it would not die. The two severed halves can be united and he will come to life again.

Heeding the advice of a wise local resident, Lambton donned armor equipped with many spikes and went in search of the worm. Seeing the approaching knight in shining armor, the worm attacked him again: he crawled along the river bank and tried to crush the man.



However, this became a fatal mistake for the worm. The razor-sharp scales of the armor cut through the body, tearing the soft flesh. The worm recoiled, trying to escape the pain, and John Lambton was able to cut what was left into pieces that were carried away by the waves. A completely destroyed monster would never be able to recover and return to life.

When the worm died, everyone hailed John Lambton as the hero of the day. However, his task was not yet completed. The witch also ordered to kill the first person who greets the winner after he finishes off the monster.



However, the first person to greet him was his father, and Lambton could not kill him. Therefore, he did not listen to the witch's advice. The witch warned Lambton that if he did not do this, a curse would be placed on his family. And all representatives of the clan will not be able to die in their bed.

Perhaps this meant that they would die in battle or due to betrayal, and not from natural causes and old age. The curse came true, and of the representatives of at least the next three generations of Lambtons, not one died of natural causes.

The Lambton family and their estate survive to this day in the person of Edward Lambton, 7th Earl of Durham. Worm Hill hasn't gone away either. It is possible that the stories about the brave Sir John Lambton and his struggle with the monster, if not completely true, then have some kind of real basis.