04/01/2024
Worm's Head, located on the Gower Peninsula in Wales, is steeped in mythology and local folklore, with various tales and legends documented in literature. The headland known as Worm's Head was thought to resemble a sleeping dragon, which has led to many legends in the northeast of Britain relating to gigantic 'worms' that terrorized the area. These include the Lambton Worm, Sockburn Worm, and Worm of Linton. The Vikings, who raided and occupied parts of Britain during the Dark Ages, personified these as monstrous Viking worm dragons. The Durham historian Hutchinson believed that the legend of the Sockburn worm referred to a Viking raider who plundered the Tees valley before being repulsed. The name Worm's Head is derived from the Norse word 'Wurme', meaning dragon or serpent. The Vikings believed the island to be a sleeping dragon because of its shape, and in stormy weather, a blow-hole in the outer tip of the island makes loud booming and hissing noises, which likely contributed to this belief.
References:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fictional_depictions_of_worms
[2] https://spookyscotland.net/stoor-worm/
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sockburn_Worm
[4] https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/rhosili-and-south-gower-coast/history-of-rhosili-and-south-gower-coast
[5] https://www.icysedgwick.com/dragons-in-folklore/
[6] https://ksbarton.com/norse-dragons-worms-of-the-north/
[7] https://www.allaboutworms.com/the-fictional-worms-of-british-legend
[8] http://www.pittoncross.co.uk/gower-camp-site/rhossili-village-legends-and-history
[9] https://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/legends/the-dragon-in-folklore-legend/
[10] https://reed-ne.webspace.durham.ac.uk/the-plays/the-durham-dragon/the-rival-worms-of-county-durham/
[11] https://www.welshtreasure.com/en-us/blogs/news/welsh-dragon
[12] https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/britishdragons.html
[13] https://www.historicmysteries.com/lambton-worm/
[14] https://twentypercenttrue.blogspot.com/2019/10/more-about-worms.html
[15] https://www.spookyisles.com/cryptid-worms/
Swansea University Swansea University - School of Culture and Communication
