Ghosts of Edinburgh Castle
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Edinburgh Castle, widely regarded as the most haunted building in the most haunted city in Europe, seems to have at least one ghost for every conceivable historical period and given the number of years the site has been linked to human history, this is hardly surprising.
Archaeological evidence makes it clear that the solid peak of volcanic rock on which the castle now rests has been a base of human activity since at least 850 BC and a defensive position since the Iron Age, when it developed into a hill fort.
The site has retained its role as a stronghold in battle ever since, defended by the Celtic-speaking natives when Germanic tribes invaded and took over in 638 AD, changing its name from Din Eidyn to Edinburgh for the first time, and then again by the Scots in 1296 when Edward I invaded and was eventually ousted again by Robert the Bruce, who called for its immediate destruction.
It was rebuilt, and became home to Mary, Queen of Scots until her exile in England, after which the English laid siege to the castle and partially destroyed it, though much of it was rebuilt again in 1574. William of Orange took the throne in place of James VII of Scotland in 1688 and aside from the Jacobite uprisings in the first half of the 18 th century, it has survived since then almost undamaged, its sprawling, varied nature bearing testament to a bloody, tumultuous history.
Hundreds of people claim to have been subject to visitations from beyond the grave at Edinburgh Castle. Most of them involved being touched or pulled at by an unseen person, a sensation of being watched, the presence of shadowy figures, mists and green lights, cold patches or sudden, inexplicable emotional disturbances.
However, there are a number of 'official' ghosts, many of which have apparently been seen by independent individuals who have corroborated each others' stories. These include an unidentified man in a leather apron, a ghostly piper who was lost in the tunnels beneath the castle, a mysterious headless drummer boy who appears on the eve of an attack, a nameless dungeon poltergeist (perceived by some to be a long-dead torture victim) and a collection of ghost dogs associated with the castle's dog cemetery, most notably 'Greyfriars Bobby'.
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Review by editor ‘Explaining the Unexplained: Paranormal Encounters’Spirit and paranormal encounters could be experiences with people's residual energy. There has to be some way to explain ghosts and the unexplained! (Travel article) Read more » Have you been here? Why not add your own review or report an error. |
Photo by flickr user wili_hybrid
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