Redcap

Whatever their origins are, generally they're cast in a place where there's some sort of friction that occurs between their world and our world where these two worlds meet.

All right, given what we're going to be discussing here in this episode, I think it'd probably be helpful to start with a sort of predecessor, and that is the tradition of the Red Caps and the Blue Caps, both supernatural entities from the British Isles and to a certain degree elsewhere, given the sort of the basic nature of these names.

Now, these are not necessarily always or even often, in the case of the Red Cap, I understand, associated with mines, but they have important tie-ins, I guess, especially the Blue Cap, right?

Right, right.

Yeah, this one is definitely more malicious than a lot of the more sort of neutral fear folk entities you'll encounter.

Like this one is actively nasty.

And I mentioned English traditions because there are also things called red caps in other traditions.

Like there's a Dutch tradition of the red cap where the red cap is simply a helpful household spirit, not sopping up blood.

I thought you might.

So let's start with two Red Caps.

They each have a scythe, which you are all very familiar with, which are worth two gold.

So four gold, you can divvy that up how you see, unless anybody wants to actually keep the scythe, let me know and I will drop it onto your token.

[laughs] Right?

Right.

There's a pair of iron boots that are worth zero gold, and each of these Red Caps had a red cap, worth zero gold.

Well, that's fun.

...

Red Caps, and they're wearing-

That's cool

...

Minstrelsy of the Scottish border, consisting of historical and romantic ballads collected in the southern counties of Scotland, with a few of modern date founded upon local tradition.

Now, the section on Lord Soulless and his familiar Robin Redcap... appears in Volume 3, which was a volume which was added later to the work.

Now, the book had first been published in 1802, but it was expanded and revised over the next 30 years or so, with the final edition, published in 1830, now running to four volumes, whereas the original only appeared in two.

Now Sir Walter has what appears to be the original source for the story, which was an old 18th century ballad, written by one John Leyden.

Now, unfortunately, Lord Desulis took a fancy to the fairest maid in the land and spirited her away to Hermitage Castle, where he was intent on making her his bride.

However, Ringan Red was having none of this, and raises a group of armed men, and goes to Hermitage Castle, intent on storming it and rescuing the maid fair.

Lord Sulis, seeing his castle besieged, goes to the chest and asks counsel of Robin Redcap, and at first sees no reply.

but then eventually gets the advice, shut fast the door and forevermore and commit to me the key.

Yeah.

Like, uh, up north, we've got, um, I'm sure I've talked to you about it before, like the Red Caps, where it's just like you get, you get travelers.

If you go off the beaten path and you, if you walk in the hills, there's creatures out there who will-

Yeah

... who will just kill you.

Um, and they have got red caps because they dip their caps in your blood afterwards.

In blood, yeah.

And, and they're all like ogre people or there's the, the black cat of the marshes.

Where fairy knights rode on the Lees after dark and challenged men to battle.

Every castle had its tale of Red Cap, the sly spirit, or of the woman of the hairy hand.

Every old mound was thought to cover hidden gold.

And all was so lonely, the green hills rolling between river and river with no men on them, nothing but sheep and grouse and plover.

A supernatural servant that supposedly protected him from his enemies.

Its name was Old Redcap Sly.

This Redcap was very different from the creature Henderson described.

Instead of hiding in ruined towers waiting for travellers, it acted more like a familiar, a supernatural servant that advises Sulis and helps protect him.

In the ballad, Sulis asks old Redcap Sly how long he will live.

Then Redcap replies, No ordinary weapon can harm him.

No normal rope can hold him.

And according to the story, only a rope made of sifted sand could bind him.

I guess.

Redcap.

He put you up to this?

It's over there.