Sockburn Worm

Sockburn Worm

In the folklore of Northumbria, the "Sockburn Worm" was a ferocious wyvern that laid waste to the village of Sockburn in Durham. It was said that the beast was finally slain by John Conyers.

Each year the newly consecrated Bishop-Prince of Durham, while entering the Bishopric for the first time was presented with the falchion that John Conyers used on the worm. The Lord of Sockburn traditionally reads a speech while presenting the blade:

"My Lord Bishop. I hereby present you with the falchion wherewith the champion Conyers slew the worm, dragon or fiery flying serpent which destroyed man, woman and child; in memory of which the king then reigning gave him the manor of Sockburn, to hold by this tenure, that upon the first entrance of every bishop into the county the falchion should be presented."

The tale is said by many to be the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky" which he wrote while in Croft on Tees and Whitburn [ [http://www.northeastengland.talktalk.net/Darlington%20and%20the%20Tees%20Vale.htm#JABBERWOCKY%20-%20THE%20SOCKBURN%20WORM Darlington History ] ] .

The tale of the worm may be inspired the longships of marauding Vikings, who carved the heads of Worms ("Ormr") on the bow [ [http://bjorn.foxtail.nu/h_conyers_eng.htm The Conyers Falchion ] ] however this does not take into account the commonness of dragons in Germanic folklore including that of Northumbria (see the Laidly and Lambton Worms as well as the Worm of Linton).

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sockburn Hall — is privately owned 19th century country house at Sockburn, near Darlington. Co Durham. It is a Grade II* listed building. As at 2008, both the Hall and adjoining Grade II coach house are listed by English Heritage on the Buildings at Risk… …   Wikipedia

  • Sockburn — infobox UK place country = England static static image caption = latitude = 54.46173 longitude = 1.46397 official name = Sockburn population = shire district= Darlington shire county = County Durham region = North East England constituency… …   Wikipedia

  • worm — A Geordie Dictionary A dragon such as the Lambton Worm or Sockburn Worm. It is a Scandinavian word …   English dialects glossary

  • Lambton Worm — and song formats.The legendThe story revolves around John Lambton, an heir of the Lambton Estate, County Durham, and his battle with a giant worm which had been terrorising the local villages. As with most myths, details of the story change with… …   Wikipedia

  • Fictional worms — Although more usually used to describe the common earthworm the word worm derives from Old Norse orm and Anglo Saxon wyrm , meaning serpent or dragon . Such legends have persisted for over a millennium and form the basis of a host of modern… …   Wikipedia

  • Samuel Taylor Coleridge — For the late 19th century classical composer, see Samuel Coleridge Taylor. Samuel Taylor Coleridge Coleridge in 1795. Born 21 October 1772(1772 10 21) Ottery St. Mary, Devon, England …   Wikipedia

  • Ламбтонский червь — Джон Лэмбтон сражается со змеем. Описание бескрылый дракон с девятью отверстиями по бокам головы наподобие саламандры. Страна …   Википедия

  • Liste von Drachenorten — Drache im Außenbereich der Nibelungenhalle am Aufweg zum Gipfel des Drachenfels. Statue von Franz Josef Krings, 1933 Die Liste von Drachenorten nimmt Orte auf, an denen ein Drache (bzw. Lindwurm) gelebt haben und / oder besiegt worden sein soll.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”