Manx Mythology

Jimmy Squarefoot

by

Tradition: Manx Mythology
Alternative Names: Jimmy Square-Foot, Pig-Headed Man
Category: Pig

The Myth

Jimmy Squarefoot is a legendary creature from the folklore of the Isle of Man, described as a bipedal being with the head of a pig. He possesses two large tusks like those of a wild boar, giving him a fearsome appearance. Despite his unusual and intimidating features, Jimmy Squarefoot is generally considered a peaceful wanderer rather than an aggressive monster.

One of his most distinctive characteristics is his large, square-shaped feet, which are wrapped in bands of calico cloth. His strange appearance sets him apart from ordinary animals and other supernatural beings in Manx tradition.

According to one account, Jimmy Squarefoot may once have served as a mount for one of the Foawr, a race of giants known for throwing stones. This association connects the creature to the giants of Manx mythology, although the circumstances of his relationship with them remain unclear.

Sources

Von Günther, Amalia, Countess. Tales and Legends of the Tyrol. London: Chapman and Hall, 1874.

Foawr

by

Tradition: Manx Mythology
Alternative Names: The Foawr, Manx Giant
Category: Giant

The Myth

The Foawr is a giant from the folklore of the Isle of Man, known for striding across the island while carefully avoiding the houses beneath his enormous feet. According to the tale A Moon of Gobbags, a Foawr lived on Cronk-ny-Iree-Laa, meaning the Hill of the Rising Sun, where he slept among the rocks before wandering across the countryside during the day.

One day, the giant visited the farm of Colcheragh, a notoriously lazy farmer who neglected his fields until they became overgrown with thistles and other weeds. When the Foawr stepped into the thistles, they scratched the soles of his best shoes. Mistaking the weeds for an unusual crop, he asked Colcheragh what they were. Rather than admit that his land was neglected, the farmer claimed that the thistles belonged to the Little Fellows, supernatural beings, and that their down could be used to make a wonderfully soft bed.

The Foawr, whose rocky sleeping place was uncomfortable, offered Colcheragh a pocketful of lead and copper from the old mines and caves near Bradda in exchange for seven bags of thistledown. The farmer avoided immediate trouble by claiming that the down could only be gathered during a mythical event called a moon of gobbags. He insisted that the giant knew what this meant, although no such moon existed. When the Foawr eventually discovered the deception, he threatened to blow Colcheragh’s house into the sea unless the thistledown was ready the following night.

Colcheragh’s wife devised a solution. She advised him to plough the entire field and then claim that the Little Fellows had collected the thistledown and cleared the land while he slept. Colcheragh followed her instructions, leaving no thistles behind. When the Foawr returned with his sacks, the farmer blamed the imaginary Little Fellows and suggested that they had carried the thistledown toward Brearey Mountain. The giant hurried away in pursuit, but naturally found nothing.

The deception saved Colcheragh from the Foawr’s anger, but it also taught him a lesson. From that day onward, he became one of the tidiest farmers on the island, keeping his land free of weeds so that the giant would have no reason to return. The tale combines the formidable size and strength of the Foawr with a humorous story about laziness, clever deception, and the consequences of neglecting one’s responsibilities.

Sources

Broome, Dora. Fairy Tales from the Isle of Man. Isle of Man: Norris Modern Press Limited, 1951 (reprinted 1980).

Mooinjer Veggey

by

Tradition: Manx Mythology
Alternative Names: Little People, Mooinjer Veggey
Category: Fairy

The Myth

The Mooinjer Veggey, meaning “little people,” were small fairy beings of Manx folklore, usually standing between two and three feet tall and otherwise resembling human beings. They were commonly described wearing red caps and green jackets and were often seen riding horses accompanied by packs of little hounds of many different colors. They lived in the green hills of the Isle of Man, particularly around ancient burial mounds and other old earthworks. On pleasant summer evenings, people wandering near these places might hear beautiful fairy music. The fairies could make themselves visible or invisible as they wished, and anyone who heard their music was warned not to remain too long, particularly musicians, who were especially vulnerable to being entrapped by them.

The Mooinjer Veggey were not uniformly benevolent. Some were helpful spirits who could cure illness and rescue people from misfortune, while others were spiteful and dangerous, stealing children, abducting adults, and bringing bad luck upon those who offended them. Because the fairies were believed to visit human homes, Manx households maintained customs intended to keep them satisfied. A fire was traditionally left burning through the night so that the fairies could warm themselves by the embers, especially during dark and stormy weather. Bread was left for them, fresh water was placed in the household water crocks, and after baking and churning, a small piece of dough and butter was left on the wall for them to eat.

The Mooinjer Veggey were also believed to take offense at certain kinds of household work. Manx women traditionally avoided spinning on Saturday evenings because it was thought to displease the fairies. Clean water left for them was never used for ordinary purposes and was thrown away the following morning. Against their more harmful magic, salt and iron were regarded as effective protections. Thus the Mooinjer Veggey occupied an important place in Manx folklore as a hidden fairy population living alongside human communities, capable of rewarding kindness and hospitality but equally capable of bringing misfortune when neglected or offended.

Sources

“Mooinjer veggey.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mooinjer_veggey

Fenodyree

by

Tradition: Manx Mythology
Alternative Names: Phynodderee, Phynnodderee, Fynnoderee, Fenoderee
Category: Fairy

The Myth

The Fenodyree was a hairy supernatural being of the Isle of Man, resembling a small, shaggy man covered almost entirely in thick body hair and usually appearing without clothing. He was considered one of the ferrishyn, the fairy folk of Manx tradition, and was renowned for his extraordinary strength and speed. Although some accounts describe him as a large and powerful creature, other traditions give him a height of only about two feet, making him enormous only by the standards of the tiny fairy people. His great strength allowed him to perform work far beyond human ability, while his astonishing speed earned him the name Yn Foldyr Gastey, “the Nimble Mower.” Geplakte markdown

The Fenodyree was generally helpful to farmers and fishermen, carrying out difficult work during the night while humans slept. He could reap and thresh fields, gather sheep before storms, herd animals through snow, repair fishing nets and boats, and perform other exhausting tasks with remarkable speed. He was particularly famous for cutting meadow grass, sometimes completing the work so quickly that people could scarcely believe it had been done by hand. In one tale, however, a farmer complained that the Fenodyree had not cut the grass close enough to the ground. Angered by the criticism, the hairy spirit abandoned the mowing and began tearing up the roots instead, pursuing the farmer so fiercely that the man barely escaped having his legs cut off. The meadow could no longer be properly mown until a knight discovered that the grass had to be cut beginning from the centre and worked outward in a circle. Geplakte markdown

Another famous tale tells how the Fenodyree gathered a farmer’s sheep from Snaefell and brought them safely into their pen, but accidentally mistook a large hare for one of the sheep and brought it along with the flock. He was also said to possess tremendous strength, once transporting enormous blocks of stone in a single night for a man building a house near Snaefell. Yet the Fenodyree had one peculiar weakness: he could not accept clothing. When the grateful builder left him a complete set of clothes as payment, the hairy creature lamented that the gift had taken away his freedom and departed sadly into the mountains, declaring that his voice would thereafter be heard in the whistling mountain winds. In this way, the Fenodyree remained a powerful but elusive helper, willing to labour for humans but unable to remain once they tried to reward him with human clothing. Geplakte markdown

Sources

“Yallery Brown.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed October 4, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yallery_Brown

Dooinney-Oie

by

Tradition / Region: Manx Folklore
Alternative names: The Night-Man
Category: Cave dweller

The Myth

The Dooinney-Oie, or Night-Man, is a supernatural being who lives in a lonely cave on the side of Cronk-y-Thonna overlooking Glen Roy. He is associated with the mountains and valleys around Laxey and is known for carrying a horn whose sound can be heard across the surrounding countryside. He is also said to help the local people and to perform work for them while they sleep.

No one willingly approached the Night-Man’s cave. Boys who ventured too close sometimes suffered sudden pains or sprained their wrists and ankles, while children gathering blackberries or hazelnuts were warned to keep away from the place.

Despite this, the Dooinney-Oie was considered useful to the people of Laxey. He warned fishermen when storms were approaching, helping them protect their lines, nets, and fishing pots and sometimes saving their lives. Farmers and crofters also benefited from his warnings, as they could bring their flocks down from the hills before dangerous weather arrived. Like the Fynoderee, he would sometimes perform work for people while they were asleep.

The Night-Man eventually devised a way to reach the breast of Lhergy Grawe so that his warnings could be heard across a larger area. After a month of planning, he built a strange chariot with two small wheels on one side and two large wheels on the other. The seat was suspended from the frame by strips of hide so that he would not be thrown about on the rough mountain paths. By moving the horses from one end of the chariot to the other, he could travel safely along the steep slopes.

From his position on Lhergy Grawe, the Dooinney-Oie would blow his horn to warn the people of Glen Roy, Granane, Glen Drink, and Laxey of approaching storms.

One September night, a young man named Joe Steveson was returning home beneath the bright moon when he heard the Night-Man’s horn. He saw something shining in the ling on the mountain and climbed up Lhergy Grawe to investigate. There he discovered the Dooinney-Oie’s horn lying on the ground. Although he was too frightened to take it away, he hid the horn before leaving.

When the Dooinney-Oie returned and discovered that his horn was missing, he became furious. His cries echoed through the valleys like thunder, and the people said that he was so enraged that fire flew from his mouth. Joe Steveson was terrified and never recovered from the fright.

On another night, a man from Baldhoon who had often mocked the Night-Man was returning home after drinking. When he heard the horn, he shouted insults across the valley. The Dooinney-Oie ignored him at first, but after hearing another insult, he leapt from his seat and rushed down Lhergy Grawe, shouting and stamping so violently that the ground seemed to shake.

The man ran for his life. When the Dooinney-Oie reached the river, however, the stepping-stones were covered by the water. He retreated slightly, took a run, gave a great shout, and leapt across.

The frightened man managed to reach the house of a religious man just as the Dooinney-Oie arrived. One enormous shout at the door shook the turfs on the rafters and rattled the thatch, but the Night-Man could do no more. The man remained inside for the night and never again shouted after the Dooinney-Oie.

Years later, when the sound of the Night-Man’s horn had become rare, a man from Grawe decided that the trees growing around his old position were preventing him from returning. He made a new road through the trees from the Chibbyry-Pherick road, but the Dooinney-Oie did not return.

The man then supposed that the Night-Man had died. Believing that such a faithful friend of the people deserved a monument, he hired quarrymen and masons to build a large round tower at the place where the Dooinney-Oie had once stood.

Before the tower was finished, the Night-Man came to see it. He did not like what he saw. He seized the tower, gave one enormous shout, and tore the entire structure down.

From that day onward, the Dooinney-Oie was never seen again. Yet on quiet evenings, when the sun sinks red behind the clouds over the grey sea, farmers still say that they can hear his horn sounding far away on Lhergy Grawe.

Sources

“Alux.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed July 28, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alux

Beisht Kione Dhoo

by

Tradition / Region: Manx Mythology
Alternative names: Beast of Black Head
Category: Horse, Sea dweller

The Myth

The Beisht Kione Dhoo, or the Beast of Black Head, is one of the most feared sea creatures in Manx folklore. It is said to dwell within the sea caves of Black Head, near Spanish Head at the southern tip of the Isle of Man.

Those who claim to have encountered the creature describe it as having the head of a large horse. Fishermen sailing near Spanish Head have reported hearing its terrifying roars echoing across the sea, and the beast is regarded as a dangerous presence capable of bringing disaster upon fishing vessels.

According to one tradition, the Beisht Kione Dhoo is the restless soul of a man murdered by pirates to guard a hidden treasure concealed within the caves of Black Head. Because of the fear surrounding the creature, no one is said to have attempted to recover the treasure.

To appease the beast and secure good fortune, offerings of rum were left in the caves at Spanish Head. Fishermen also threw a glass of rum into the sea before beginning their voyage, hoping the Beisht Kione Dhoo would spare them from harm and reward them with a plentiful catch.

Sources

A Book of Creatures. (2017, July 10). Beisht Kione Dhoo. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://abookofcreatures.com/2017/07/10/beisht-kione-dhoo/

Moddey Dhoo

by

Tradition / Region: Manx Mythology
Alternate Names: Mauthe Doog
Category: Dog, Ghost

The Myth

In the Isle of Man there was once said to haunt Peel Castle a great black spectral dog known as the Moddey Dhoo.

It appeared as a large shaggy hound, often described as resembling a black spaniel. The creature was seen moving through the rooms of the castle, but most often it lay in the guardroom beside the fire, visible to the soldiers stationed there. Over time, they grew accustomed to its presence, though it never ceased to disturb them.

The dog was said to enter and leave through a certain passage in the castle each evening and return to it again at dawn.

One night, a guard, emboldened by drink, ignored the custom that the castle gates should be locked by two men together. He took the keys alone and went down the haunted passage to deliver them. Soon afterward, he returned pale and shaken, unable or unwilling to say what he had seen.

Within a few days he died.

After this, the passage was sealed and never used again. From that time onward, the black dog was no longer seen.

Thus the Moddey Dhoo was remembered as the silent hound of Peel Castle — a spirit that walked the halls, appeared before soldiers, and vanished after leaving one final warning behind.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Moddey Dhoo. In Wikipedia, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moddey_Dhoo

Buggane

by

Tradition / Region: Manx Mythology
Alternate Names: Boagane; Buggan ny Hushtey
Category: Mountain dweller

The Myth

On the Isle of Man there once roamed a terrible being known as the Buggane—a great, hulking creature of malice and brute strength.

The Buggane was a shapeshifter. At times it appeared as a monstrous black calf, at others as a towering man with horse’s ears or hooves. In its truest and most dreadful shape it was covered in coarse black hair, with blazing eyes like torches and sharp tusks gleaming in its mouth. Some said it bore bull’s horns. It was so immense that it could tear the roof from a church as easily as a man might lift a hat.

Though powerful, the Buggane had its limits. It could not cross running water, nor could it stand upon ground made holy.

One tale tells of a Buggane that found itself accidentally carried away on a ship bound for Ireland. Furious at being taken from its island home, it whipped up a savage storm, driving the vessel toward the jagged rocks of Contrary Head. The terrified captain prayed to St. Trinian, promising to build him a chapel if they were spared. The saint guided the ship safely into Peel Harbour. Enraged, the Buggane roared, “St. Trinian shall never have a whole church in Ellan Vannin!”

True to its word, when a chapel was built in the saint’s honor, the Buggane tore its roof off—once, twice, three times—so that St. Trinian’s Church was never left complete.

Bugganes were not only destroyers of churches. They plagued farms and villages. One from Glen Maye nearly hurled a lazy housewife into a waterfall for neglecting her baking. She escaped only by slipping free of her apron strings. Another, at Gob-na-Scuit, ripped thatch from haystacks, blew smoke back down chimneys, and shoved sheep from steep grassy cliffs.

Some Bugganes lived by the sea in dark caves. The Buggan ny Hushtey was known for despising idleness, punishing those who shirked their work.

Most famous of all is the battle between the Buggane of Barrule and the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill.

When Fionn came to the Isle of Man, the Buggane sought him out for combat. Fionn wished to avoid the fight, so his clever wife disguised him as a baby and laid him in a cradle. When the Buggane saw the size of the “child,” he thought, “If this is the baby, what size must the father be?” and withdrew—for a time.

But they did meet at last, near Kirk Christ Rushen. From sunrise to sunset they fought. Fionn planted one foot in the Big Sound and the other in the Little Sound, shaping the channels between the Calf of Man, Kitterland, and the main island as he struggled. The Buggane stood firm at Port Erin. In the end, the Buggane wounded Fionn so grievously that he fled toward Ireland.

The Buggane could not follow across the sea. Instead, it tore out one of its own teeth and hurled it after him. The tooth struck Fionn and fell into the water, becoming the jagged rock known today as Chicken Rock. Fionn turned and laid a mighty curse upon it, condemning it to remain there as a hazard for sailors as long as water runs and grass grows.

And so the Bugganes remain in Manx memory—wild, shape-shifting giants of fury and strength, feared for their violence and remembered in the land itself.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Buggane. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 14, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buggane

Little Fellows

by

Tradition / Region: Manx mythology
Alternate Names: Themselves, Little People, Little Ones, Lil’ Boys
Category: Gnome

The Myth

On the Isle of Man, the Little Fellows still walk the land—though never, ever should they be called fairies. To name them so is careless, even dangerous. They are spoken of politely, as Themselves or the Little People, for they may be listening.

The Little Fellows are not tiny, winged creatures, but small folk, two to three feet tall, shaped much like humans. They dress in red caps and green jackets, and they love the hunt above all things. Many have seen them riding out on horseback, followed by packs of little hounds shimmering in every color of the rainbow. Their hunting parties pass swiftly through fields and hills, vanishing as suddenly as they appear.

They are clever, willful, and easily offended. Mischief comes naturally to them, and spite is never far away. A careless word, a disrespectful glance, or a failure to show courtesy may earn their anger. That is why the people of the island speak of them kindly and indirectly, giving them flattering names so as not to draw ill luck.

Though troublesome, the Little Fellows are not wholly evil. They live alongside the human world, slipping in and out of sight, riding the hills, running their hounds, and watching how people behave. Those who respect them may pass unharmed. Those who forget themselves may learn—too late—that the Little People have long memories, sharp tempers, and ways of reminding humans that Ellan Vannin is not theirs alone.

Sources

ManxLiterature.com contributors. (n.d.). Manx fairy tales. In ManxLiterature.com, from https://manxliterature.com/sort-by-genre/other/manx-fairy-tales/