2023-11-04 13:50:36
There are few places in the world quite like Edinburgh. The capital of Scotland It is synonymous with cold, clouds, humidity. But, despite the almost perennial rain, its overcast sky also exudes a light that cannot be compared to any other. It’s almost ghostly. Edinburgh is dark because of its climate, but also because of its legends. It is dark because of its content and its content. That mythology that sounds like bagpipes and drums, tastes like whiskey and smells like ‘haggis’ reaches its ecstasy in the city where the inhabitants coexist with a thousand cemeteries, where the culture of death flees from taboos to establish itself as just another part of life. . The ‘kelpies’, the ‘selkies’ or the ‘redcaps’ inspire fear and respect in equal measure in both locals and foreigners, but no place chills the blood in the same way as the Covenanter prison. What many consider to be the first concentration camp in history today is a cemetery with a paranormal activity runaway. So much so that entry is prohibited.
Greyfriars Churchyard is one of the most visited places in the city of the seven hills. Located in the historic center, many of its tombstones have the inscriptions almost erased by the erosion of the unforgiving Scottish climate, which does not give a truce even in summer. Others are almost contemporary, so much so that they seem to have been installed just yesterday. In recent years it has become an almost obligatory destination for staunch followers of the ‘Harry Potter’ saga because men and women of the same name as some of the characters in the story that JK Rowling conceived, in part, are buried there. those walls
Despite their mystique, the tombs of Tom Riddell or William McGonagall go almost unnoticed by lovers of the paranormal, who focus their attention on another part of the cemetery. In the highest area, next to the famous Black Mausoleum, there is a fence locked tightly with a large padlock on which rust appears. It is not unusual to see groups of tourists at the doors, many listening attentively to the explanations of historians and guides, but finding someone inside is extremely exceptional. This is the Covenanters prison, a place closely linked to the history of Scotland.
18 years burying cars, books, pianos, balls… The most unusual cemetery in the world is in a town in Salamanca
“In 1679, some 1,200 Covenanters – this is the name given to those people who fought to maintain Presbyterianism as a religion and thus rejected the king’s position at the head of the Church – were trapped in the battle of Bothwell Brigg and, in retaliation, They locked them up in this lot. “It was the only one with the capacity to accommodate so many people.” This is how Marta Sanz, tourist guide, creator of Your Guide in Scotland. They all died on the gallows, but before they went down to hell itself.
Despite the opinion of other colleagues, she rejects that this is the first concentration camp in history (“we can find many cases of people locked up in similar circumstances,” she says), but that does not mean that she fails to remember the “atrocious conditions” in which those imprisoned lived poorly. They spent months in cells without roofs, outdoors, trying to survive the freezing temperatures that occur in the country when winter sets in. “They barely ate and drank, they were subjected to torture so that they would confess and betray each other,” he points out.
SCRATCHES FROM THE BEYOND
Although not many know its origin, it is difficult to find someone in Edinburgh who does not know the unexplained events that occurred in this place. “Scotland and the paranormal go hand in hand,” recalls Marta Sanz. According to Covenanter prison managers, there have been documented 3,000 cases of visitors and curious people who had scratches or bumps after entering this location. “The story of the mysterious death of Father Collins, the priest who tried to exorcise this compound, is also often explained. It is said that the cause of his death was the spirit of George Mackenzie, also known as ‘Bloody Mackenzie’. “He was in charge of enforcing the King’s will and, therefore, responsible for what happened to the Covenanters,” he explains.
‘Bloody Mackenzie’ is another of the proper names of this cemetery. In the mausoleum in which he is buried (the Black Mausoleum, mentioned above) another of the terrifying episodes took place that, according to legends, would be the work of evil spirits. Although no one agrees on an exact date, it would have occurred between 1998 and 1999. “A homeless person sought refuge there during the night, with the bad luck that, In the middle of the night, the ground gave way and he fell to the lower floor, where he found himself surrounded by coffins. He assured that in an attempt to leave, two hands grabbed him and started pulling him. No one believed him, but it is believed that then Mackenzie’s soul woke up and she now torments everyone who passes by. Nowadays, all the tourists approach the lock of her door to try to see something in the dark interior of her, but (the luckiest ones) only receive the echo of her voices. The bravest can enter by hiring a private tour.
‘Kelpies‘: Horse-shaped beasts with the strength of ten of them, it is said that they like to attract travelers into the water to drown them.
‘Selkies‘: They are seals with the ability to become humans. Specifically, in beautiful women. Their mystique is very much like mermaids, since they also try to dazzle fishermen and sailors.
‘Redcups‘: The red cap ghosts have all fang-shaped teeth and iron boots. They crouch and wait for tourists to kill them and dye their hats with their blood.
A SPECIAL PERMIT
Whether what is told is true or whether it is mere stories that have been magnified by word of mouth, the truth is that those responsible have limited access to this area. One version is that the authorities adopted this measure because they do not want to hear about marks or wounds caused by those who dwell in the afterlife. But, as often happens, reality has a more practical explanation. “The most likely thing, according to Edinburgh City Council, is that it would be closed for prevent acts of vandalism and use it as a space for consumption of drugs or for homeless people to spend the night,” underlines Marta Sanz, but she also expresses her doubts about this explanation: “In other cemeteries in the central area there are areas that are used for these purposes and they are not closed. What’s more, they are open 24 hours a day.” The cemeteries are part of the idiosyncrasy of the city, as well as the rest of the country.
In this case, the barriers can be overcome with a few coins: paying five pounds in church Located within Greyfriars, a temple that, as a curiosity, is one of the few in the country that continues to celebrate mass in Gaelic. And the paranormal is one of the great attractions of Edinburgh and the city has taken advantage of it. The offer to hire night walks to get to know its legends and its corners with the worst reputation It is almost infinite.
“Looking at the space, you wouldn’t believe that it has such a gruesome past. The Covenanters’ prison always attracts, either for skeptics to question what the guide explains to them or for the curious, or those who do believe, to want know more about what happens here. There are even those who dare to share their own paranormal experiences,” concludes Marta Sanz. Of course, despite the fact that no guide has obtained the first-person testimony of those who were “attacked” by incorporeal forces, the majority still prefer to see the interior behind the barrier.
#COVENANT #PRISON #concentration #camp #history #Scotland #prohibited #cemetery