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{{short description|Goblin found in folklore}}

[[Image:Redcap_(Mythological_creature).gif|right|Artist's conception of a redcap]]

{{other uses}}

A '''Redcap,''' also known as a "powrie," is a type of malevolent murderous [[Goblin]], [[Elf]] or [[Fairy]] found in [[British folklore]]. They inhabit ruined castles found along the border between England and Scotland. Redcaps are said to murder travelers who stray into their homes, staining their hats with their victim's blood. Redcaps are very fast inspite of the heavy iron pikes they weild and the iron shod boots they wear. Outrunning the buck toothed little daemons is quite impossible. The only way to escape one is to quote a passage from the [[Bible]].

The '''redcap''' (or '''powrie''') is a type of malevolent, murderous [[goblin]] found in folklore of the [[Anglo-Scottish border]] region. The redcap is said to inhabit ruined castles along the Anglo-Scottish border, especially those that were the scenes of tyranny or wicked deeds, and is known for soaking his cap in the blood of his victims.<ref name=Henderson>Henderson, William (1879). ''Folklore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders'' (2nd ed.) W. Satchell, Peyton & Co. p. 253.</ref><ref name=Briggs>Briggs, Katharine (1976). ''An Encyclopedia of Fairies''. Pantheon Books. p. 339. {{ISBN|0394409183}}.</ref> He is also known as '''Redcomb''' and '''Bloody Cap'''.<ref name=Henderson/>

The most infamous redcap of all was Robin Redcap. As the familiar of the Bad Lord Soulis, Robin wrecked much harm and ruin in the lands of his masters dwelling, Hermitage Castle. Men were murdered. Women cruelly abused. Dark arts were practiced. So much infamy and blasphemy was to have been committed at Hermitage Castle that the great stone keep was thought to be sinking from under a great weight of sin, as though the very ground wanted to hide it from the sight of God.

==Description and behaviour==

Yet Lord Soulis for all the evil he wrought met a very horrible end. Lord Soulis were taken to the Nine Stane Rigg, a circle of stones hard by the castle, there he be wrapped in lead and boiled to death in a great cauldron. Such was the end of Bad Lord Soulis. An end rememberd in ancient ballad.

Redcap is depicted as "a short, thickset old elf with long prominent teeth, skinny fingers armed with talons like eagles, large eyes of a fiery red colour, grisly hair streaming down his shoulders, [[sabaton|iron boots]], a [[pikestaff]] in his left hand, and a red cap on his head".<ref name=Henderson/><ref name=Briggs/> When travellers take refuge in his lair, he flings huge stones at them and if he kills them, he soaks his cap in their blood, giving it a crimson hue. He is unaffected by human strength,<ref name="Briggs" /> but can be driven away by words of [[Scripture]] or by the brandishing of a [[crucifix]], which cause him to utter a dismal yell and vanish in flames, leaving behind a large tooth.<ref name=Henderson/><ref name=Briggs/>

==Variants==

'''Redcap''' is also a British Army nickname for a [[military police]]man.

The tale of a redcap in [[Perthshire]] depicts him as a more benign little man living in a room high up in Grantully Castle. He bestows good fortune on those who see or hear him.<ref name=Briggs/>

The {{lang|nl|[[kabouter]]}} ({{lang|nl|kaboutermannekins}}) or redcaps of [[Dutch folklore]] are also very different and more akin to [[Brownie (folklore)|brownies]]. The word is usually translated "gnome".<ref>Henderson 1879, pp. 250, 253.</ref><ref>Briggs 1976, pp. 247, 339.</ref>

'''Redcap''' were also a popular BBC show in the eighties.

The ruin of Blackett Tower, a border fortress that was owned by the Bell family in the [[Civil parishes in Scotland|parish]] of [[Kirkpatrick-Fleming]] in [[Dumfriesshire]], was said to be haunted by a more traditional [[ghost]] known as "Old Red Cap" or "Bloody Bell". A description of the tower and ghost was given by William Scott Irving in the poem "Fair Helen" in which the "ghastly phantom" holds a bloody dagger beneath a red eastern moon.<ref>Wood, J. Maxwell (1911). ''Witchcraft and Superstitious Record in the South-Western District of Scotland''. Dumfries: J. Maxwell & Son. pp. 294–95.</ref><ref>Westwood, Jennifer and Kingshill, Sophia (2009). ''The Lore of Scotland: A Guide to Scottish Legends''. Random House. p. 126. {{ISBN|9781905211623}}.</ref>

==External link==

The term redcap is also used in a more general sense. For example, in the village of [[Zennor]] in [[Cornwall]] fairies were often referred to as "red-caps" (including the more benevolent [[trooping fairies]]) because of their fondness for wearing green clothing and scarlet caps.<ref>[[William Bottrell|Bottrell, William]] (1880). ''Stories and Folk-Lore of West Cornwall, Third Series''. Penzance: F. Rodda. p. 93.</ref> This characteristic is demonstrated by an excerpt from the poem "The Fairies" by the Irish poet [[William Allingham]]: "Wee folk, good folk/trooping all together/Green jacket, red cap/and white owl's feather".<ref>Allingham, William (1862). ''Nightingale Valley: A Collection of Choice Lyrics and Short Poems.'' London: Bell and Daldy. pp. 42–3.</ref>

[http://webhome.idirect.com/~donlong/monsters/Html/Redcap.htm Redcap Picture]

==Robin Redcap and William de Soulis==

{{myth-stub}}

[[File:Hermitagecastle1.jpg|thumb|Hermitage Castle, home of Robin Redcap]]

[[Category:English folklore]]

[[Category:Scottish folklore]]

Scottish nobleman [[William de Soulis]] was said in folklore to have a redcap [[familiar]] called "Robin Redcap". This entity was said to have wrought much harm and ruin in the lands of his master's dwelling, [[Hermitage Castle]]. Ultimately, William was (according to legend) taken to the [[Ninestane Rig]], a [[stone circle]] near the castle, then wrapped in lead and boiled to death.<ref name="Mack146">Mack, James Logan (1926). ''The Border Line''. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd. p. 146.</ref> In reality, William de Soulis was imprisoned in [[Dumbarton Castle]] and died there, following his confessed complicity in the conspiracy against [[Robert the Bruce]] in 1320.

[[Sir Walter Scott]] in ''[[Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border]]'' (1802) records a [[ballad]] written by [[John Leyden]] entitled "Lord Soulis" in which Redcap has granted his master safety against weapons and lives in a chest secured by three strong padlocks.<ref>Scott, Walter (1849). ''Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border'' (Vol. 4). Edinburgh: Robert Cadell. pp. 235–257.</ref> Scott states that the redcap is a class of spirits that haunts old castles, and that every ruined tower in the south of Scotland was supposed to have one of these spirits residing within.<ref>Scott 1849, p. 243.</ref> Robin Redcap should not be confused with the mischievous [[hobgoblin]] known as Robin Roundcap of [[East Yorkshire]] folklore.<ref>[[Eliza Gutch|Gutch, Eliza]] (1912). ''County Folklore'', vol. 6. David Nutt. p. 54.</ref><ref>Nicholson, John (1890). ''Folk Lore of East Yorkshire''. London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Co. pp. 80–81.</ref>

==See also==

* [[Bluecap]]

* [[Far darrig]]

* [[Kobold]]

* {{lang|rgn|[[Mazapégul]]}}

* [[Nain Rouge]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{Fairies}}

[[Category:English folklorelegendary creatures]]

[[Category:Goblins]]

[[Category:Northumbrian folkloric beings]]

[[Category:Scottish folklorelegendary creatures]]