The Tommyknocker Legend, The Fear of All Miners

1st October 2016

Mining is one the oldest professions out there as well as being one of the most dangerous. No doubt that countless miners have died and been buried in the mines. But with such a practice that is 1000s of years old comes its superstitions. The Tommyknockers have been seen and held responsible for both the deaths and near death experiences. These Impish little creatures have been seen in the deepest parts of mines all over the world for a long time. With the Ghost Adventures crew investigating the Colorado Gold Mine recently and possibly capturing the first ever documented evidence of tommyknockers, this has brought up alot of questions about these devious little things and if they really can or do exist.

What are TommyKnockers ?

TommyKnockers, so folklore tells us are little imp like creatures that inhabit old mining shafts, the further back you dig the more chance you have of waking up a Tommyknocker. They where given there names as the miners for many thousands of years back have heard suspicious knocking the the back of mines and often following this knocking there would be a cave in.

The Cornish believed these wee little men were the souls of the Jews who crucified Christ and were sent by the Romans to work as slaves in the tin mines. This belief was so strong that the Tommyknockers were allegedly never heard on Saturdays, nor at times of Jewish festivals. Ranging in size from 2ft tall to just inches from the ground, and most often seen as tiny little men wearing miners clothing, kind of like grizzly little Gnomes.

The Nature of TommyKnockers , Good or Evil ?

There is alot of theory around these little guys, some say they are the spirits of dead miners. These former workmates are said to tap and knock on the walls of the mines as a warning of danger, telling them to get out. You dont ignore a Tommyknocker, not if you want to live. However nowhere else in the paranormal world have we heard of standard spirits turning into anything after death. So it makes more sense that these things where never human to begin with.

The one thing everyone seems to agree on is that Tommyknockers are mischievous. Experiences of miners in old shafts report that they eat your lunch, hide you tools, knock off your hard hat, pinch you and they can appear as the spirit of dead miner. They are said to first manifest as little glowing lights and then a strange mist will take the form of a fallen miner. Funny enough this is exactly what happens in the most recent episode of ghost adventures. If you are a experienced in the paranormal you will know that inhuman entities can mimic or copy the appearance of people in order to gain the trust of those affected.

A depiction of Tommyknockers, described by former miners.

Miners for generations have been leaving out food for the Tommyknockers in order to gain there favor, however there are those who have mocked them as well. A written story from miners in the hills of Smokeshire almost 200 years ago a group of seven miners where at work when they heard tapping from deep back in the mine. 3 of the 7 laughed and joked, claiming the Tommyknockers did not exist and provoking them. The remaining 4 miners fled. They see they actually saw the impish like creatures running ahead of them whilst the mine collapsed. The three who mocked the superstition died.

Another theory is that they little monsters lure people deep into the shafts, you can sometimes hear them calling you by name. Also that the knocking sounds are the Tommyknockers chipping away at the support beams.

What do you guys think? Comment Below

Links

http://www.abctales.com/story/annette-bromley/beware-tommyknockers-ancient-legend