Dun Cow
Encyclopedia
The dun cow is a common motif in English folklore
. "Dun" is a dull shade of brownish grey.
near Rugby in Warwickshire, England) was a savage beast slain by Guy of Warwick
. A huge tusk, probably that of an elephant
, is still shown at Warwick
Castle as one of the horns of the Dun Cow.
The fable is that this cow belonged to a giant
, and was kept on Mitchell's Fold
(middle fold), Shropshire
. Its milk
was inexhaustible; but one day an old woman who had filled her pail, wanted to fill her sieve as well. This so enraged the cow, that she broke loose from the fold and wandered to Dunsmore Heath, where she was slain by Guy of Warwick.
Isaac Taylor
, in his Words and Places (p. 269), says the dun cow is a corruption of the Dena Gau (Danish
region) in the neighbourhood of Warwick
. Gau, in German
, means region, country. If this explanation is correct, the great achievement of Guy of Warwick was a victory over the Danes, and taking from them their settlement near Warwick
.
, just outside the town of Longridge
. Embedded in its wall a large rib, supposedly from a giant dun cow that gave milk freely to all comers, but died of shock when an old witch asked it to fill a riddle (sieve) instead of a pail. An alternative legend claims that the giant cow's milk saved the local inhabitants from the Plague
, and it was buried at nearby Cow Hill, near Grimsargh
. In reality, the rib is probably from a whale or Bronze Age
aurochs
.
Local legend states that the city of Durham was founded in 995 AD by divine intervention. The 12th century chronicler Symeon of Durham
recounts in his Libellus de exordio atque procurso istius, hoc est Dunhelmensis that after wandering in the north, Saint Cuthbert’s bier
came to a miraculous halt at the hill of Warden Law
and, despite the effort of the congregation, would not move. Aldhun, Bishop of Chester-le-Street
and leader of the order decreed an holy fast
of three days, accompanied by prayers to the saint. Saint Bede recounts that during this fast Saint Cuthbert appeared to the monk Eadmer
with instructions that the coffin should be taken to Dun Holm.
After Eadmer’s revelation, Aldhun found that he was able to move the bier, but did not know where Dun Holm was. By chance later that day the monks came across a milkmaid
at Mount Joy
who stated that she was seeking her lost dun cow
which she had last seen at Dun Holm. The monks, realising that this was a sign from the saint, followed her. They settled at a: "wooded hill-island formed by a tight gorge-like meander of the River Wear" When they arrived at the destination they erected the vestiges of Durham Cathedral, a "modest building" none of which survives today having been supplanted by the Norman
structure. Symeon states that this was the first building in the city.
A pub called The Dun Cow in Sedgefield
, County Durham
was visited jointly by British
Prime Minister
Tony Blair
and American
President
George W. Bush
in 2003.
The Dun Cow, Shrewsbury is one of the oldest public houses in the UK, built by Rodger De Montgomery, first Earl of Shrewsbury circa 1085 as a hostel for the highly skilled masons and master builders brought in to oversee the construction of St. Peter and St. Pauls, (later known as the Abbey).
It continues to be a public house and claims to have accommodated many famous people.
English folklore
English folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in England over a number of centuries. Some stories can be traced back to their roots, while the origin of others is uncertain or disputed...
. "Dun" is a dull shade of brownish grey.
Dunsmore Heath
The Dun Cow of Dunsmore Heath (an area west of DunchurchDunchurch
Dunchurch is a civil parish and village on the south-western outskirts of Rugby in Warwickshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of 2,842 in the village.- History :...
near Rugby in Warwickshire, England) was a savage beast slain by Guy of Warwick
Guy of Warwick
Guy of Warwick is a legendary English hero of Romance popular in England and France from the 13th to the 17th century. The story of Sir Guy is considered by scholars to be part of the Matter of England.-Plot:...
. A huge tusk, probably that of an elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, is still shown at Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
Castle as one of the horns of the Dun Cow.
The fable is that this cow belonged to a giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
, and was kept on Mitchell's Fold
Mitchell's Fold
Mitchell's Fold is a Bronze Age stone circle in South-West Shropshire, located in the village of White Grit on dry heathland at the south-west end of Stapeley Hill in the civil parish of Chirbury with Brompton, at a height of 1083 ft o.d.It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument in the...
(middle fold), Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. Its milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
was inexhaustible; but one day an old woman who had filled her pail, wanted to fill her sieve as well. This so enraged the cow, that she broke loose from the fold and wandered to Dunsmore Heath, where she was slain by Guy of Warwick.
Isaac Taylor
Isaac Taylor (canon)
Isaac Taylor , son of Isaac Taylor, was a philologist, toponymist, and Anglican canon of York .- Life :...
, in his Words and Places (p. 269), says the dun cow is a corruption of the Dena Gau (Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
region) in the neighbourhood of Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
. Gau, in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, means region, country. If this explanation is correct, the great achievement of Guy of Warwick was a victory over the Danes, and taking from them their settlement near Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
.
- (From the 1898 edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and FableBrewer's Dictionary of Phrase and FableBrewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, sometimes referred to simply as Brewer's, is a reference work containing definitions and explanations of many famous phrases, allusions and figures, whether historical or mythical.-History:...
).
Whittingham
A similar legend applies to Dun Cow Rib Farm in Halfpenny Lane, Whittingham, LancashireWhittingham, Lancashire
Whittingham is a civil parish in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England. The parish measures east-to-west, from the outskirts of Longridge to the outskirts of Broughton, but only 1 mile north-to-south. Its population was 2,189 in 2001...
, just outside the town of Longridge
Longridge
Longridge is a small town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley in Lancashire, England. It is situated north-east of the city of Preston, at the western end of Longridge Fell, a long ridge above the River Ribble. Its nearest neighbours are Grimsargh and the Roman town of Ribchester , ...
. Embedded in its wall a large rib, supposedly from a giant dun cow that gave milk freely to all comers, but died of shock when an old witch asked it to fill a riddle (sieve) instead of a pail. An alternative legend claims that the giant cow's milk saved the local inhabitants from the Plague
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
, and it was buried at nearby Cow Hill, near Grimsargh
Grimsargh
Grimsargh is a village and civil parish in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 2,164. The parish is part of the electoral ward of Preston Rural East.-Geography:...
. In reality, the rib is probably from a whale or Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
aurochs
Aurochs
The aurochs , the ancestor of domestic cattle, were a type of large wild cattle which inhabited Europe, Asia and North Africa, but is now extinct; it survived in Europe until 1627....
.
Durham
Symeon of Durham
Symeon of Durham was an English chronicler and a monk of Durham Priory. When William of Saint-Calais returned from his Norman exile in 1091, Symeon was probably in his company...
recounts in his Libellus de exordio atque procurso istius, hoc est Dunhelmensis that after wandering in the north, Saint Cuthbert’s bier
Bier
A bier is a stand on which a corpse, coffin or casket containing a corpse, is placed to lie in state or to be carried to the grave.In Christian burial, the bier is often placed in the centre of the nave with candles surrounding it, and remains in place during the funeral.The bier is a flat frame,...
came to a miraculous halt at the hill of Warden Law
Warden Law
Warden Law is a village and civil parish in the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. It is south-west of Sunderland city centre. It has a population of 33.It is home to a karting track called and the Warden Law Kart Club...
and, despite the effort of the congregation, would not move. Aldhun, Bishop of Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street is a town in County Durham, England. It has a history going back to Roman times when it was called Concangis. The town is located south of Newcastle upon Tyne and west of Sunderland on the River Wear...
and leader of the order decreed an holy fast
FAST
-Primary meanings:Fast may refer to:* Fast as in high speed or velocity, may be used with anything that has a speed.* Fasting, abstaining from foodSlang:* Fast, a slang term for someone who is sexually promiscuous-Sports:...
of three days, accompanied by prayers to the saint. Saint Bede recounts that during this fast Saint Cuthbert appeared to the monk Eadmer
Eadmer
Eadmer, or Edmer , was an English historian, theologian, and ecclesiastic. He is known for being a contemporary biographer of his contemporary archbishop and companion, Saint Anselm, in his Vita Anselmi, and for his Historia novorum in Anglia, which presents the public face of Anselm...
with instructions that the coffin should be taken to Dun Holm.
After Eadmer’s revelation, Aldhun found that he was able to move the bier, but did not know where Dun Holm was. By chance later that day the monks came across a milkmaid
Milkmaid
A milkmaid is a girl or woman employed to milk dairy cows. She also used the milk to prepare dairy products such as cream, butter, and cheese...
at Mount Joy
Mount Joy
Mount Joy can refer to:* Mount Joy Township, Adams County, Pennsylvania* Mount Joy Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania** Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, a borough of Lancaster County*** Mount Joy , a station in this borough...
who stated that she was seeking her lost dun cow
Dun Cow
The dun cow is a common motif in English folklore. "Dun" is a dull shade of brownish grey.-Dunsmore Heath:The Dun Cow of Dunsmore Heath was a savage beast slain by Guy of Warwick...
which she had last seen at Dun Holm. The monks, realising that this was a sign from the saint, followed her. They settled at a: "wooded hill-island formed by a tight gorge-like meander of the River Wear" When they arrived at the destination they erected the vestiges of Durham Cathedral, a "modest building" none of which survives today having been supplanted by the Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
structure. Symeon states that this was the first building in the city.
Pubs
There are many public houses in the United Kingdom called The Dun Cow.A pub called The Dun Cow in Sedgefield
Sedgefield
Sedgefield is a small town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It has a population of 4,534.Sedgefield has attracted particular attention as the Member of Parliament for the wider Sedgefield constituency was the former Prime Minister Tony Blair; he was the area's MP from 1983 to 2008,...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
was visited jointly by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in 2003.
The Dun Cow, Shrewsbury is one of the oldest public houses in the UK, built by Rodger De Montgomery, first Earl of Shrewsbury circa 1085 as a hostel for the highly skilled masons and master builders brought in to oversee the construction of St. Peter and St. Pauls, (later known as the Abbey).
It continues to be a public house and claims to have accommodated many famous people.
See also
- AuðumblaAuðumblaAuðumbla is the primeval cow of Norse mythology. She is attested in Gylfaginning, a part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, in association with Ginnungagap and Ymir....
- AkabekoAkabekois a traditional toy from the Aizu region of Japan. The toy is made from two pieces of papier-mâché-covered wood, shaped and painted to look like a red cow or ox. One piece represents the cow's head and neck and the other its body. The head and neck hangs from a string and fits into the hollow body...
- Buwch Frech
- The Book of the Dun CowThe Book of the Dun Cow (novel)The Book of the Dun Cow is a 1978 novel by Walter Wangerin, Jr.. It is loosely based upon the beast fable of Chanticleer and the Fox adapted from the story of "The Nun's Priest's Tale" from Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales....
- Griggstown CowGriggstown cowThe Griggstown Cow was a "ghost cow" that was reported to inhabit the Millstone River floodplain and the Griggstown Lock of the Delaware and Raritan Canal in Griggstown, in central New Jersey...
- Lebor na hUidreLebor na hUidreLebor na hUidre or the Book of the Dun Cow is an Irish vellum manuscript dating to the 12th century. It is the oldest extant manuscript in Irish. It is held in the Royal Irish Academy and is badly damaged: only 67 leaves remain and many of the texts are incomplete...
, The Book of the Dun Cow - QuinotaurQuinotaurThe Quinotaur is a mythical sea creature mentioned in the 7th century Frankish Chronicle of Fredegar. Referred to as "bestea Neptuni Quinotauri similis", it was held to have fathered Meroveus by attacking the wife of the Frankish king Chlodio and thus to have sired the line of Merovingian...