Popular Legendary Creatures of Middleton

Folktales have long played a role in shaping Middleton culture, and have given rise to many legendary creatures unique to the Middleton region. Typical of the Middleton folk tradition, these creatures are often linked to the "Middleton Disappeared" phenomenon, though there are many exceptions.

## Lucky Rabbit

The Lucky Rabbit is a figure in Middletonian folklore whose origins date back to the colonial era.

A popular story regarding the founding of “Olde Myddletowne” involves Jane Myddle and the early settlers being led from the wilderness into fertile land by a small white rabbit. Due to this story, rabbits are commonly thought to be the emblematic animal of the Middleton community (the Middleton High School mascot, for instance, is a rabbit).

The first references to the Lucky Rabbit emerged at roughly the same time as the popular “rabbit origin” tale, and as such, it is believed to be a corollary of this tale and its themes of animal deification (with a possible Christian influence in Tinner’s Rabbits).

The Lucky Rabbit is alleged to appear in the dreams of fortuitous children. A vision of a Lucky Rabbit is considered an omen of good fortune and prosperity.

## Demon(s) in the Wood

The Demon(s) in the Wood describes a folk figure/figures alleged to have caused the first spate of child kidnappings in colonial Myddletowne.

Conjecture about the existence of the Demon(s) in the Wood corresponded with escalating paranoia in Olde Myddletowne when several students at the Myddletowne High School began to disappear. Rumours of demonic presences grew as certain townspeople came forward and alleged to have seen strange creatures lurking on the periphery of the forest.

Fears of the Demon(s) reached their highest point at the onset of the Myddletowne Cheerleader Trials, when the Unknown Cheerleader famously pled guilty to being an agent of the Demon and confessed to doing its bidding by feeding it the corpses of the missing students.

Popular conceptions of the Demon(s) feature androgynous appearances, white, inhuman faces, and hair of unnatural color. Though occasionally still referenced in fiction and folklore, the end of the Cheerleader Trials brought a stigma against the belief in the Demon(s), and it is mostly thought of in a modern context as being an impolite superstition.

## Black Permelia (Whispering Woman)

“Black Permelia” is the nickname given to a vengeful ghost figure believed to be based on a real murder victim from Middleton’s Victorian era. Like many Middletonian Folk Monsters, Black Permelia is often vaguely associated with the “Middleton Disappeared”, although some variations of her story do not connect her with the fate/cause of Middleton’s missing students.

Black Permelia is described as having a sunken, green face with hollow eyes, green hair, and a black cloak. She is often evoked as the central character in cautionary children’s tales, due to her vengeful nature.

The “Black Permelia” figure is thought to have its roots in the real-life murder of Permelia the Cheerleader, a popular Middleton High School student who was poisoned only a few weeks before the annual Winter Ball. Her death caused a scandal throughout the community, with many placing the blame on one individual who was thought to have organized the murder in order to steal Permelia’s lover. Despite these widespread suspicions, there were no documented arrests made in relation to this crime. The enduring mystery of Permelia’s killer led to the creation of the “Black Permelia” myth, which describes Permelia’s ghost as unfit to rest until her justice is delivered upon the world.