Old Stinker - The Werewolf of Hull
Everyone loves a good monster story. Local legends thrive on the conjuring of ghosts and bogles. Having something mysterious and ominous lurking in your area is a great way to build social cohesion.
Werewolves are a fairly common legend throughout Europe. The exception being the island nation of the UK. Wolves, you see, were exterminated by the Anglo-Saxon kings, and have thus ceased to be a threat.
One town in England stands out. Hull has long reported the presence of a massive Wolfman they call Old Stinker. Not only that, but there have been sightings of the 8-foot monster as recently as 2016.
Yorkshire's Own Werewolf
One cold evening in East Yorkshire, a truck driver was driving near Barmston Drain. He noticed a pair of red lights coming from the side of the road. The trucker, being a good guy, stopped to check on what he assumed was a stranded commuter.
As the truck slowed, he quickly realized that what he had at first taken for the taillights of a parked vehicle, were in fact a pair of glowing red eyes. Shock was quickly overtaken by panic, as the owner of those eyes lurched into the truck's headlights.
It stood roughly 8 feet tall, and was covered in shaggy fur. Before the trucker could react, the beast attacked. It slammed into his truck with great force, trying to smash through his windshield.
He described the beast of "wolf-like". Soon after his report was made public, the citizens of Hull began reporting more sightings of the beast. Their descriptions reminded a local historian of a legend from the 10th century - Old Stinker.
The old legends describe the werewolf of hull as a tall, wolf-like monster, that walks on its hind legs. It got its name from the terrible odor coming from its mouth. The recent sightings have added that the beast has a disturbingly human face.
Old Stinker has been seen feasting on missing pets. One witness even claimed to have seen it transform in the night. The scene was obviously backlit and foggy, very cinematic.
OMG Werewolves are Real
Unfortunately for werewolf enthusiasts everywhere, the legend of Old Stinker may not be as old as it seems. Brian Dunning of the Skeptoid podcast did a fair bit of research into the tale of Yorkshire's werewolf.
According to Brian, he was unable to find any evidence of reports from the 10th century. In fact, it seemed that the tale's first occurrence was closer to 2015. He contacted three of the four historians who have written about Old Stinker, and found that none of them were able to point him in the direction of the original documentation. Their only evidence being the tabloid articles, and the books they had themselves written on the subject.
His search was incredibly thorough, and he remains open to the possibility of some ancient source existing. But all that means is that Old Stinker may not be an ancient tale.
Could the Beast of Barmston Drain be a new phenomenon? Some kind of cursed individual, an unknown man beast, or something else? These are all equally possible.
The most likely explanation is that the people of Hull needed something to give their town more appeal. Local monsters are a great way to drum up tourism. People love monsters, and the Werewolf of Hull certainly captured the internet's attention.
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