NEIL ARNOLD: Phantom Insects and Others Part One

The realm of the paranormal has no boundaries. Apparitions appear in all shapes and guises, and supernatural activity can centre upon a multitude of forms. It’s not unusual for there to be ghostly vehicles, and buildings, let alone people. The animal kingdom is also not excluded when it comes to phantoms. Sightings of unusual insects in places they shouldn’t be are not uncommon, but reports of phantasmal creepy crawlies are another thing entirely. One of the most intriguing and known cases concerned the Borley ‘bug’, a hideous form observed in one of Britain’s most haunted buildings, Borley Rectory which sat on the Essex/Suffolk border until it was destroyed by a fire in 1939. Artist Margaret Wilson encountered the critter on 22nd August 1938 whilst she was painting and stated:

"Looking up I saw the queerest object with impelling eyes advancing toward me at about eye level. It seemed to be coming out of a mist. It was accompanied by a wasp on its left..."

Margaret struck at the creature but when it hit the floor it disappeared. After the incident she claimed it was around three-inches long, entirely black with huge eyes and resembled no other British insect. Of course, this could simply have been an alien species making its home in the UK, or larvae she did not recognise but the Awd Goggie, a ghostly insect, echoes the Borley creature. It is said to resemble an over-sized caterpillar and haunts orchards as a ‘nursery bogie’, used to warn children away from areas where fruit is ready to fall. Most of us have an inner dread of insects and the thought that such bugs and beetles may be scurrying through our clothes, or drinking our blood as we sleep is a chilling thought. The Murony of Wallachain folklore is believed to be a sinister supernatural insect. This is a blood-drinker said to also take the form of a hag-like figure, and is perceived as a bad omen. In Samoa the ghastly Nifoloa is said to be a devious spirit said to hunt lonely travellers and kill with one nip from a single tooth which projects from its mouth. Although the Nifoloa is only small, its tooth measures around three-inches.

In Japanese lore a phantom insect resembling a tadpole is known as the Ashimagari. It is a trickster spirit in that it often appears to weary travellers as they stroll on remote lanes of a night. It is said that should a rambler step on one of these insects then their feet would become entangled in a thick, cotton-like material. However, this is not harmful but seems to take place only to way-lay those eager to get home.

During the tenth century a giant, spectral centipede was said to have terrorised the community of Lake Biwa, Japan. The multi-legged monster was slain by General Fujiwara Hidesato. For his heroics, Hidesato was bestowed a self-replenishing bag of rice which would feed many generations to come. In Japan there also exists the ‘earthquake beetle’, or Jinshin-Mushi, a bad omen if ever there was one, for should this ten-legged insect appear, then destruction is imminent. Many such foreboding insect spirits are considered omens of misfortune.