"Beware the wicked Redcap, he'd love to see you dead. He'll take all of your blood and wear it on his head" ~ traditional rhyme about the Redcap
Redcaps, also known as Redcombs or Bloody Caps, are a type of evil, bloodthirsty goblin or gnome whose origins lie in the folklore of southern Scotland and northern England.
Description[]
Diminutive, stocky humanoids possessed of incredible strength and durability, Redcaps have sharp teeth and claws, long, lank hair, and glowing red eyes. They carry a tall pikestaff with them wherever they go, and sport a pair of heavy iron boots. Redcaps take their name from the crimson bonnets they like to wear.
Behaviour[]
Believed to inhabit the many abandoned castles which dot the Borders area lying between Scotland and England (and in particular the ones which have been the site of atrocities) Redcaps lie in wait for unwary travellers to seek refuge in their lairs. When one happens along, the resident Redcap will then proceed to throw enormous boulders at his prey. If he succeeds in killing the poor unfortunate, he will then soak his cap in the blood of his victim, this act apparently sustaining the long life of the Redcap.
The only ways to ward off one of these supernatural predators is to either quote from religious scripture, or to confront the Redcap with the image of a holy cross. Doing so will cause the creature to let out a mournful howl before vanishing in a puff of smoke and flame. The only evidence of his presence will be a single large tooth left at the site of his disappearance.
Origins[]
Although commonly believed to be fey folk, a former school of thought held that Redcaps were in the vengeful spirits of men and women who were sacrificed by the Pictish builders of the Borders castles which they inhabit. This theory stated that the Picts would use the blood of these sacrifices to bless the foundations of their fortresses, and caused the souls to remain there in torment for all eternity.
This theory, however, has been debunked as the Picts were not as bloodthirsty as people believed and didn't engage in regular human sacrifice, plus a majority of the castles date from periods long after the Picts had ceased to be a major power in the region.
The most common origin of Redcaps in more modern thought is that they are the unhappy souls of former humans who inhabited the Scottish Borders, an area that was rife with murder and war for many years and whose abandoned ruins would become the resting ground of such unhappy creatures, who over time would evolve into malicious fey or goblins.