| “ | Nothing of Cadmus or St George, those names Of great renown, survives them but their fames; Time was so sharp set as to make no Bones Of theirs, nor their monumental Stones. But Shonks one serpent kills, t'other defies, And in this wall, as in a fortress, lies. |
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| ~ The inscription on Shonks's tomb. |
Sir Piers Shonks is a character from English folklore who slew a dragon that was a favorite pet of the Devil himself. The Devil attempted to claim his soul after his death, but Shonks avoided this by being buried in the wall of the local church.
Story[]
As the legend goes, Piers Shonks was an English knight who was lord of the manor in the village of Brent Pelham during the Middle Ages. In the eleventh century, a dragon began terrorising the locals and destroying the crops, creating a lair in a nearby cave. The locals believed that the dragon was the pet of the Devil himself. Deciding to rid the village of the beast, Shonks set out with his sword, spear and hunting dogs to slay the dragon. He eventually tracked it to its cave and, after a long battle, killed it by ramming his spear down its throat.
The moment he slew the dragon, Shonks was confronted by the Devil. Enraged by the creature's death, as the dragon was indeed his pet, the Devil swore that he would take Shonks's soul to Hell after his death whether Shonks was buried inside or outside the church. Shonks replied that God would protect him and his body would rest wherever he chose, and the Devil vanished.
Shonks lived for many years afterwards (except in one version of the legend where he was fatally wounded by the dragon) but eventually fell ill. As he lay dying in 1086, he requested that his bow and arrow be brought to him. He then fired an arrow out of the window and declared that he wished to be buried wherever it landed before finally expiring. The arrow lodged itself in the wall of the Brent Pelham church, so it was decided to inter Shonks inside the wall. As this was neither inside nor outside the church, the Devil was unable to claim his soul and was denied his revenge.
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Folklore, Religions, and Myths Cryptids Urban Legends Possessed Objects See Also | ||