Tales from English Folklore #2: The Dancers of Stanton Drew 

Did the piper have a cloven hoof? This story reminds me of an old Swedish folk tale, called Hårgadansen (in English "the Hårga dance). It goes something like this: It was Saturday evening, and the youth of Hårga were having a party; when suddenly a new fiddler arrived, with burning eyes and a big, dark hat. He lifted his violin and bow, and started playing. He played a song no one had heard before, and no one could resist the music. They danced, and were unable to stop. They danced until their legs were aching and their feet bled. They danced until they wore out their shoes, and still the mysterious fiddler played. As the dawn approached, he led them up Hårga mountain, and still they danced. Once on the top, they continued to dance, now in a ring. They danced until their feet were pulp, and they danced until their shins were no more. Their thighs became shorter and shorter, and still they danced. They danced until nothing but grinning skulls were left, still moving in the circle, moving in a parody of dance. You can still see the circle that was made by the dancers, and if you go there at the right time you might see the skulls in their dance, and/or hear the ghostly strains of a lonely violin. If you do, be careful, lest you join in the dance yourself. The fiddler? Dissapeared to never be seen again, although people say he had a cloven hoof.

The stones are so distant from each others that the couple and the guests probably started playing frisbee at some point

Thank you for another wonderful story. I must say that had Mrs. Crocombe been in attendance, the festivities would have ended in a timely manner, and this tragedy would have been prevented.

The sound effects and quality of the narration reminds me of a wonderful audiobook of Dickens ghost stories that I have. Nicely done!

I know this story told by my great grandmother that they were turned by the fay not by the devil. For dancing there after midnight when the fay wanted to dance on the night of midsummer.

Folktales are so creative, imagine such wild imagination in today's people that would create more such interesting stories that we miss reading and getting chills over!

Is this why Stonehenge is called a "dance"? I've heard of that...or at least dreamed it, and I can't find it called that anywhere now.

I've read this on a book and its really hard to imagine because I'm in asia. I only see is a blurry picture in my mind 😂. Thanks to English heritage. I love this channel

I like to know about folklore. This story is fascinating.

Thank you, Dr Hutton; it’s always a pleasure!

I’m an American but I find these videos so interesting

Cute. I love old folktales.

I love English heritage!! Greats history! More please!

Enjoyed this one quite a lot. Thanks!

Anyone else reminded of the trailer for midsomar? 😱😱

What a great story!

Im from indonesian Im love this channel😍😍😘 Siapa disini dari indonesia?

I loved that legend. I didn't know her. I love your videos, are just wonderful. Thank you very much. I'm an unconditional fan. Gabriel

I luv ya Professor!👏

Great history lesson and legend. Thanks!

Loved that little story. Thank you.

Wonderful. Thank you.

Thanks guys!🇬🇧😍🤘

Thank you for another wonderful folktale. So enjoy all of the things you post on your channel.

How did I not find this series sooner!

“Sing and dance and make a joyful noise unto the Lord.”

It reminds me a lot of one of Québec's folklore tale called "Le violon magique", people celebrating mardi gras, the devil showing up and danced. At midnight everything and everyone went underground and disappeared. The next day there was a tree with everybody's hat in it and the remains of a burnt violin on the ground. I think it's either a common trope or the story came over and stemmed from this one and got deformed over the years.

This is so cool!

Interesting legend. Also awesome eyebrows on that historian! haha

How to make a video the victorian way? For this Recipe you will need. Mrs crocombe

Thank you

Great channel! I am Hongkonger and I would like to know more different culture and stories in different countries…About the legend of stone and love story , it was a story in my place … It was a ancient story a woman get marry with a man but the man join the war later on… The woman very love him and take after her son , also wait for him long long time and wish him came back … but many years they become a rock

Isn't folklore beautiful?

What does Mrs. Crocombe think of the standing stones? She doesn't put up with such nonsense xD

This is a similar theme with stone circles with people turning into stone. Very nicely produced video. I can only dream and aspire to make content like this.

"They were encouraged by a mysterious musician who arrive from nowhere"...nowhere aka New Ash Green rugby club! Skoot ho!!!!

This reminds me of a kind of legends that are known as Hårgadansen in Sweden (there is a song about it here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--zopUsiiuZE.html). Usually, the youths of a place dance on a Sunday or on a Churchyard during High Mass. The Devil comes and plays for them and they cannot stop dancing until feet, bones, torsos, and, finally, sculls have been torn down so that, in the end, merely the sculls are dancing, making a deep ring in the rocky ground. Several versions of this legend were known in Germany in the 11th and 12th century.

Now want to try that hahahha so sad is completely in english, I wanted to share this with my little brother.

How Spooky........

Or, maybe they pulled a prank on the harper and put one of their clothing on some rocks to mark their anniversary there..

So the lesson is don't partie to hard

Is it me or is it a stern warning against pagan rituals by the competing Christian Church?. Cheers.

ooooohhhh! was this story that Children of the Stones lifted?

Of course stones can dance. England is a land of high magic and mysticism. Close your eyes and imagine.

Moral of the story: Don't party til the eves of morning, because you'll be too exhausted to worship, and the heavens will turn you into stone, the fate of Lot's disobedient wife. Me: Too bad. Rather be a free ghost dancing forever in a meadow, than a slave of the medieval church, subject to be accused of sorcery or heresy.

*SPOILER* Professor RON!!

The Harper, they. Thank you. 😘

Wait so like the Hurlers of Bodmin Moor?

Medieval lessons: don't get too crunk or you'll make God jealous and you'll turn into stone.

It's hard to spot Mrs. Crocombe.

Never ruin a good story with the truth 😄😉

When he said they were built for a religion about which nothing is known... Why do they think they were for religion at all then?maybe sport, commerce or something to honor or communicate with the dead?

Don't burn the midnight oil...

Mrs Crocombe would never have allowed such dancing nonsense, out there, in the dark. That said, the harper has a remarkable middle-eastern look for XVIII century England.

If these stones "represent a "religion" we know absolutely nothing about." what makes you so sure they have anything to do with a religion at all? Either you know absolutely nothing about them, or you know that they have to do with an ancient religion. Those two premisses are mutually exclusive. If you know they have to do with a religion, then you DO know something about them. Or, if you know nothing at all about them, then you don't know WHAT they were for. They could be remnants of an ancient dwelling, school, market, or sports field. An ancient compass or sundial, or headstones on an ancient burial sight. They may simply be features from some ancient formal garden, a type of sculpture or other artwork. They could be fenceposts, for an animal pen or for around a garden, meant to keep animals either in or out. Maybe they once had paintings, or drawings on them like some sort of map or billboard, or maybe an art gallery, or hall of records. I find it humorous that scientists deny the existence of God, or even demons, but are SO quick to assign all ancient enigmas to be about the worship thereof.

Did you hear Harper or Harpers? I hear Harper throughout the entire video.

Aren't the English tales so resemble to brothers Grimm fairy tales? That's probably because both of them are Germanic in origin

This just shows how human legends and myths originate. Usually as Some sort of part explanation from their limited knowledge or understanding/ part morality tale. It’s quite boring, unfortunately I bet this also explains many of the “stories” of the bible - Adam and Eve, Johan and the whale, sodom and Gomorrah etc. Amazing they’re taught around the world as truths from the mouth of god. When they fit the mould as from the minds of men. The real story of these stones is far more interesting and glorious. Obviously unknown to those Christians in the past, who did the equivalent of explaining crop circles as alien caused in modern times. .

the deity of the inglishmen seems no fun at all (glad my deity is actually fun fun)