Back غريم الكنيسة Arabic Kirkonväki Finnish Grim Portuguese Церковный грим Russian Kyrkogrim Swedish
The church grim is a guardian spirit in English and Nordic folklore that oversees the welfare of a particular Christian church, and protects the churchyard from those who would profane and commit sacrilege against it.[1] It often appears as a black dog but is known to take the form of other animals.[2][3] In modern times, when black dogs are kept as pets in churches and their attached parsonages, they are sometimes referred to as church grims despite not necessarily serving as guard dogs.[4]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Dyerwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Henderson, William (1879). Notes on the Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders London: W. Satchell, Peyton, and Co. p. 274. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ^ Briggs, Katharine (1976). An Encyclopedia of Fairies. Pantheon Books. pp. 74–5. ISBN 0394409183.
- ^ Menjivar, Mark. (2005) The Luck Archive: Exploring Belief, Superstition, and Tradition. Trinity University Press.