Tradition: English Mythology
Alternative Names: Knucker, Knucker Dragon
Category: Dragon
The Myth
The Knucker is a winged water dragon said to live in deep pools known as knuckerholes in Sussex, England. It is sometimes described as a sea serpent, with a gigantic slithering body, cold sea-serpent-like eyes, and a deadly hissing mouth.
The most famous Knucker lived at Lyminster. It caused great trouble by devouring local livestock and even villagers, so the people decided that the monster had to be killed.
In one legend, the King of Sussex offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to whoever could slay the dragon. A knight-errant accepted the challenge and killed the beast. He married the princess and settled at Lyminster. His gravestone, known as the Slayer’s Slab, was said to remain at Lyminster Church.
Another legend tells that the Knucker was defeated by a local farmer’s boy named Jim Pulk, or Jim Puttock, who was said in some versions to have come from Wick. The Mayor of Arundel had offered a reward for killing the dragon. The boy prepared a gigantic poisoned pie and transported it to the Knuckerhole on a horse and cart.
The Knucker devoured the entire offering, including the horse and cart, and eventually died from the poison. Jim returned and cut off its head. In some versions, however, Jim himself later died from the poison he had used against the dragon. This death may have been added to explain the Slayer’s Slab.
Knuckers were believed to inhabit knuckerholes in several places across Sussex, including Binsted, Lyminster, Lancing, Shoreham, and Worthing. A knuckerhole was believed to be an extraordinarily deep, round pool, sometimes considered to be bottomless.
The Lyminster knuckerhole was actually only about thirty feet deep, but local legend claimed that the villagers once tied together all six bell ropes from the church tower and lowered them into the pool without reaching its bottom.
Sources
“Knucker.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed September 19, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knucker