Classification: Legendary & Supernatural Humanoids

Temporal Range: 18th Century to present

Geographic Range: Dane Hills, Leicester, England

Diet: Children and lambs

Horde: Urban Legends

Living in a dark cave marked by an old tree in the Dane Hills, Black Annis is hungry. This figure of fear is a blue-faced, iron-clawed old witch who preys on lambs and children. We have heard that children are her favorite but throwing a poor sacrificial lamb her way may give you some time to escape her sharp fingers.

Locals in Leicester have been incredibly helpful with ways of looking out for this horrifying menace. The most notable thing is the sheer amount of noise she makes. Some reports detail the shiver-inducing grinding of her teeth, which can be heard from miles away. Others describe her monstrous howl, which is another good early warning system to ensure you can get away on time.

Black Annis is known for reaching into windows and snatching children. As a precautionary measure, many homes in the area were fitted with narrow windows and shutters in order to keep Annis at bay. If she can only get one arm in the window, she certainly can’t drag a child out. Bolts and sashes were also fitted so that people could secure their homes when they heard the howling or the gnashing of Black Annis’ teeth.

So if you’re seeing the child-eating witch of Leicestershire, listen closely for her signature sounds and make sure you don’t bring any junior monster hunters anywhere near her.