Buzz
For most, the exact moment of death is a mystery. You may live to a ripe old age, or fate may strike suddenly, leaving no warning. Unfortunately, the uncertainty of life means there's no definitive way to foresee the end.
Yet, a select few individuals have experienced inexplicable warnings of their imminent death—though 'lucky' may not be the best word to describe such a chilling experience. These ominous signs are sometimes passed down through families, carrying a long history, while others are isolated events. Regardless, none are ever welcomed.
10. Eglinton’s Prophetic Sight
Archibald William Montgomerie, the 13th Earl of Eglinton and 1st Earl of Winton (1812–1861), was a beloved figure among his peers. He is best known for attempting to revive the ancient tradition of jousting tournaments in 1839. Unfortunately, a downpour sent the 10,000-strong crowd scattering, and when the event was rescheduled the following day, most did not return.
A lesser-known story tells of October 4, 1861, when Lord Eglinton was playing golf on the famous links of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland. During the game, he suddenly halted and told his companion, "I cannot continue. There is the Bodach Glas. I have seen it for the third time; something dreadful is about to happen to me."
The Bodach Glas, or the 'dark gray man' of Scotland, was said to haunt certain families. That very night, Eglinton passed away from sudden internal bleeding, possibly due to a stroke, as he was handing a candlestick to a lady who was retiring for the night.
9. Death's Embrace
In 1924, Mrs. Bliss Coleman and her husband were renting a room in a house in Oakland, California. Each day, she would return to her room during her 4:00 PM break from work.
One day, as Mrs. Coleman came back at 4:00, she entered the house and saw a woman from the third floor speaking to the landlady in the hallway... and standing beside them was a tall, 183-centimeter (6′) skeleton, its bony arm wrapped around the tenant’s waist. Neither the tenant nor the landlady seemed to notice the ghostly figure. Terrified and unable to explain what she saw, Coleman hurried past them and sought refuge in her room down the hall.
Three weeks later, the third-floor tenant passed away, leaving her children without a mother.
8. Uninvited Guest
During the English Civil War, which spanned from 1642 to 1651, Sir Richard Fanshawe and his wife, Ann, the Lady Fanshawe, found their lives upended in 1649. Forced to flee their home in Cork, Ireland, to escape the wrath of their neighbors, they journeyed to Spain, taking refuge in the homes of several friends. One of their stops was at the castle of Lady Honara O’Brien. After dinner and cordial conversation, the Fanshawes retired to their room for the night.
Around 1:00 AM, Lady Fanshawe was awakened by a strange voice outside her window. She pulled back the curtain to see a woman standing there, leaning in from outside. The woman, dressed in white with fiery red hair and a 'ghastly complexion,' cried out the ancient Irish lament, "ochon, ochon, ochon!" before vanishing like mist. Terrified, Lady Fanshawe immediately woke her husband to recount the eerie encounter.
The next morning, before the Fanshawes could explain the bizarre incident to Lady O’Brien, she revealed that she had not slept well that night either. In a distant part of the castle, she had been attending to an ailing cousin, who passed away around 2:00 AM. She then expressed her hope that the Fanshawes had rested comfortably, as she had given them the best room in the castle... forgetting to mention that a spectral woman would appear at the window of that very room whenever a family member was about to die.
The Fanshawes didn’t dare to spend another night there!
7. The Mysterious Hand
In 1934, author Elliott O’Donnell chronicled a strange incident involving a young woman from the MacKenzie family in Scotland. One morning, the woman went upstairs to retrieve something from her bedroom. As she was leaving, she heard a noise behind her. Irritated, she turned to investigate and discovered an old-fashioned silver candlestick had fallen near her dresser. As she approached to pick it up, she realized what had caused the candlestick to topple in the first place.
A hand was emerging from the wall!
Only the arm from the elbow down was visible. The skin was ghostly white, the fingers long and the nails well-maintained, suggesting it belonged to a woman—yet the rest of the body was nowhere to be seen. As the young woman stood frozen in shock, the arm gradually faded from sight.
The young woman was immediately struck with fear for her mother, as she had been told that a phantom hand was an omen of death in her family. At the time, her mother was gravely ill. Thankfully, her mother made a full recovery. However, a few days after the apparition of the arm, a letter arrived bearing the news of the untimely death of one of her cousins.
6. The Curse of the Family
The trouble began with the greed of young Ewen MacClaine. In 1538, Ewen was the heir to the MacClaines of Lochbuie, but he was impatient to inherit his father's wealth. Harsh words soon escalated into an argument, which then turned into a full-fledged fight. Eventually, father and son led opposing factions of the clan into battle. During the clash, an ally of Ewen's father decapitated him with a single stroke of his weapon… but Ewen's body did not fall from his horse.
Instead, the decapitated body began lashing out, striking nearby clansmen before the horse bolted from the battlefield, heading back home. Upon arrival at Ewen's castle, the servants were horrified to find their master still upright in the saddle, his head missing, twitching uncontrollably. Believing that only the Devil could be behind such an occurrence, they decapitated the horse before burying what remained of Ewen.
Since that horrific battle, the MacClaine clan of Lochbuie has lived in constant fear of encountering the headless ghost of Ewen MacClaine. He is said to ride his favorite horse, wearing the green cape from his final battle. To see his ghost is said to have one meaning: the unfortunate witness will soon meet their own death.
5. Gwrach Y Rhibyn, The Mist-Hag
In Wales, legends tell of the Gwrach y Rhibyn, a terrifying, winged hag who appears in the dead of night. She flaps her wings against the windows of a house where death is imminent, calling out the name of the doomed soul. To say her visits are feared and her ominous warning unwelcome is an understatement. But, it's just a Welsh tale, a peculiar bit of folklore. Or, at least, that’s what Wirt Sikes thought before he began collecting stories from Welsh farmers for his 1880 book, *British Goblins*.
One of the farmers Sikes spoke to recounted a bizarre experience from November 14, 1878. The farmer was staying with an old friend in Llandaff when, around midnight, he was startled by "a frightful screeching and a shaking of [his] window." Driven by curiosity, he rushed to the window and opened it. He saw a figure flying away, looking back at him, and instantly knew it was the Gwrach y Rhibyn. The hag had wild red hair, chalky skin, wings, and tusk-like teeth. She wore a long black gown that flowed on the ground, but it seemed as though her body disappeared below her arms, hidden by the billowing fabric.
The hag screeched again at the window of a house nearby before vanishing into the night. The farmer, still watching in the dark, saw her once more as she entered the front door of the Cow and Snuffers Inn. He waited, but no further sounds or sightings occurred. The following day, the farmer learned that the innkeeper had passed away that night.
4. The Abused Cat
Sometime in the early 1800s, Mrs. Hartnoll and her family were staying at a vast manor house, so large that they only occupied one wing, leaving the rest of the house locked and unused. One part of the abandoned manor was a hallway that felt unnervingly sinister. Despite the eerie atmosphere, Mrs. Hartnoll, in her youthful curiosity, decided to investigate it on several occasions. In that hallway, she witnessed many strange things, but none were as unsettling as the apparition of a mutilated black cat—its body scarred, with one eye and one paw missing, its ears torn, moving slowly and cautiously. She encountered this peculiar creature three times.
The first time she saw the cat, it emerged from a doorway, slowly attempting to rub against her leg. But instead of touching her, it sank into the floor. That evening, her brother passed away. Two years later, she found herself once again in the hallway. This time, something struck her in the lower back. She spun around, only to see the same cat, as bloody and broken as before, twitching and convulsing as though on the brink of death. Mrs. Hartnoll fled in terror. That night, her mother died.
Four years later, she was once again in the hallway—though this time, not by choice. Her father had sent her on an errand that required passing through that very corridor. She had likely kept her previous experiences to herself, as she wasn’t supposed to be in that part of the house. She rushed to complete the task, eager to leave, when a shadow appeared in the doorway ahead of her. It was the cat once more. Shortly after, her father dropped dead.
After losing her father, Mrs. Hartnoll and her remaining siblings were forced to leave the manor and navigate life on their own. They never returned to the house.
3. A Friendly Visit
It was a warm and pleasant summer day in 1974, and Dr. Julian Kirchick was enjoying the tranquility, reclining on a chaise lounge beside his pool as the day slowly transitioned into evening. A gentle breeze and the soft chirping of birds added to his relaxation. Suddenly, a noise came from the bushes near his house, prompting him to stand up and investigate. However, just two steps into his movement, he froze.
There, standing before him, was a skeletal figure draped in a monk's hood and robes. Despite its hollow eyes—mere dark voids—Kirchick could feel the figure’s gaze upon him. The skin was pulled so tightly across the skull that its bony structure was eerily apparent, and its open mouth revealed partially exposed teeth in what seemed to be an unsettling attempt at a smile. The strange apparition gestured toward him with a bony hand, but Kirchick was paralyzed by fear. After what felt like an eternity, the vision slowly faded.
Had Kirchick wondered about the purpose of this bizarre encounter at the time, he found the answer months later when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
2. The Castle’s Curse
Dr. Walter Farquhar (1738–1819), who was knighted as a baronet in 1796, had a peculiar experience during his early years as a physician before moving to London in 1769. While visiting the area around Devon, he was called to assist the wife of the steward at Berry Pomeroy Castle. Upon his arrival, he was led to an outer chamber and told to wait while preparations were made for the patient to be seen.
While waiting, a well-dressed young woman, who Dr. Farquhar assumed was a member of the family, entered the room. He greeted her politely, but she paid him no attention. She appeared deeply troubled, continuously wringing her hands as she crossed the room toward a stairwell. She paused briefly before beginning to ascend the stairs. As she climbed, a shaft of sunlight illuminated her face, and Farquhar was struck not only by her beauty but also by the overwhelming sadness and despair that seemed to radiate from her. Within moments, she disappeared from view, and Farquhar was called to tend to the ill wife, whose condition required his urgent care.
The next morning, Farquhar returned to check on his patient, who was visibly improved. With the crisis now behind them, Farquhar inquired about the young woman he had seen the night before. The steward's response was unexpected. 'My poor wife! My poor wife!' he began, his voice filled with distress. When pressed, the steward explained that the daughter of a former baron of Berry Pomeroy had tragically given birth to her own father's child. Devastated by her actions, the young woman had later strangled the infant to death in the very room above the one where Farquhar had been waiting.
The woman Farquhar had seen was no ordinary visitor—she was a ghost, a spectral figure who appeared only to signal a coming death within the castle. The steward revealed that she had appeared before his son drowned, and he now feared her presence meant the death of his wife. Despite Farquhar's assurances that his wife was recovering and that his concerns were unfounded, the steward's wife passed away that very afternoon, just as the apparition had foretold.
1. The Oxenhams' Mysterious Omen
In 1641, a pamphlet titled *A True Relation of an Apparition in the Likeness of a Bird, with a White Breast, that Appeared Hovering Over the Deathbeds of Some of the Children of Mr. James Oxenham of Sale Monachorum, Gent* was published in London. This pamphlet described how five of James Oxenham's relatives were each visited by a white-breasted bird, which appeared and vanished mysteriously before their deaths in 1618 and 1635.
The tale quickly gained popularity, becoming a widely known family legend, a supposed omen of death. However, the truth was quite different. The original pamphlet had been nothing more than a fictional creation meant to sell copies. Three of the supposed victims never existed, one died on a completely different date than claimed, and the Oxenham family never resided in 'Sale Monachorum,' as stated in the title. Even the witnesses named in the pamphlet appear to have been invented. The entire story was a fabrication, which only makes the events that followed its publication even more bizarre.
In 1743, more than a century after the deceptive pamphlet was released, William Oxenham was in his chambers with a few friends when, for no apparent reason, a white bird flew through the room. Knowing the family’s supposed death omen, Oxenham jokingly remarked that he wasn’t ill enough to die and that he would 'cheat the bird.' This surely caused some amusement among those present. Two days later, Oxenham passed away after a brief and sudden illness.
