Ketell: The Young Man Who Could See Demons

There was a small quiet village in Yorkshire called Farnham. And among the people living there, there was a small, simple country boy named Kettle. Now we're not talking about a priest or a lord or a scholar, but instead a young, innocent teenager who worked in the field. And one ordinary day, Kettle's entire world changed. He was riding home from a long day of work in the field, sitting on his pack horse. He was traveling along the road that was completely flat and smooth. But suddenly, the animal tripped as if it had slammed right into an invisible wall. The beast collapsed through the dirt, throwing Quetzal hard to the ground. Now getting up, he brushed himself off and looked around the empty road to see what could have possibly tripped his animal on such a flat path. And that's when he saw them. Sitting right there in the middle of the road were two tiny, pitch-black figures, and they weren't hurt at all. Instead, they were pointing and laughing at him. Looking at Kettle realized a deep and unsettling truth. That these weren't animals, and they definitely were not human. They were demons. They weren't the giant, terrifying monsters from church paintings. They were low-level, petty tricksters who weren't allowed to cause major harm anymore. They were just weak, dumb spirits who sat by the road to trip travelers and their animals, absolutely thrilled to have ruined Kettle's afternoon. But in that quiet moment... something changed inside Kettle. He realized that the fall hadn't just knocked him off his horse, but it had actually knocked his spiritual eyes completely open. Because from that second onward, the invisible world became visible to him. And no matter how hard these spirits tried to hide, Kettle could see them. And his life would never be the same again. Now I want to take you back in time here, all the way back to the 12th century in England. Now, while going through the research for an episode about the green children of Woolpit, I found the book that contained one of the original accounts that documented how these two kids appeared from nowhere. They were speaking a strange language, also had green skin. It's an interesting story, and one that I'll share with you if you want to hear it. But there was this other one in here. This book called Chronicon Aglicanum by Rodolphe de Coggeshall. Now, one, I have never heard this story before. I found it really interesting. And second... I think it would be a very nice intro to the spooky season this year. So today's story is going to be one that was documented a long time ago. About the man who could see demons. My name is Edwin. And here's a horror story. Once Kettle's eyes were opened, he couldn't just turn it off. The invisible world was now everywhere. And it was crowded. Imagine walking into your own home, your favorite restaurant, down a neighborhood street, and constantly seeing these entities hovering, watching, and whispering. It would drive most people completely crazy, but Kettle didn't panic. He knew that he had been given this gift, a rare and heavy one, but he knew that he had to protect himself. So first, he chose silence. Kettle didn't go around the village bragging about his new sixth sense or trying to show it off. He kept it a strict secret. The only people he ever talked to about what he saw were his priest, under the seal of confession, his master, or a few truly wise men who came to him with his deep, sincere questions. He knew that talking about these spirits too openly would only draw their unwanted attention and probably make his neighbors think that he was losing his mind. But keeping quiet wasn't enough. Kettle needed real, everyday protection. He needed a spiritual shield to help keep those hostile forces from getting inside his head or taking over his life. So he built one out of the way that he lived. He completely changed his lifestyle, turning his back on normal comforts. He stopped eating meat entirely. He refused to wear linen clothes, choosing only the simplest, roughest garments. He also decided to never get married, embracing a completely celibate life focused entirely on keeping his soul clean. To stay grounded, he went to work as a servant for a local church clerk named Adam of Farnham, a humble job that he kept for the rest of his days. He made the local parish church his personal sanctuary. Whenever the church doors were open, Quero was there. He made it a rule to always be the first person to walk into the church for service. He was also going to be the absolute last person to walk out. Now to Quero, those sacred stone walls were a safe place in this world that was teeming with invisible shadows. But he had his armor. He had his rules. But as we're about to see, he was going to need all the preparation possible when a pack of these entities decided to walk right down his street. It was another quiet evening in Farnham. The sun was starting to slip below the horizon, painting the Yorkshire sky in deep shades of orange and purple. The day's work was done, and the villagers were heading inside, lighting their heat for the night, getting ready for bed. Kettle was standing right outside the front door of his master, Adam's house, just watching the street as the light began to fade. To anyone else, it was just a peaceful, empty road. But to Kettle, the twilight was when the shadows started to move. And then he saw them. Coming down the road, marching straight into the village, were ten figures. They weren't human. Now Kettle could see them, clear as day. Nine of them were small, dark, and twitchy, but the tenth one That one was different. He was taller, broader, and had walked with this ugly kind of authority. It was clear that he was the boss. Ketzel stood perfectly still, blending into the shadows of the doorway and watched what they did next. The ten spirits stopped right in the middle of the street. They formed this tight, whispering circle. They huddled together, kind of like thieves. They were pointing at the houses, muttering, and planning out their night. It was a cold, organized plan to slip into the homes of the sleeping villagers and make as much chaos, cause fear, and bad dreams as it could. Once they finished their huddle, the tall leader started pointing. He divided his crew up, sending them two by two to different houses down the street. Then the leader turned his head. He looked straight at the house of Adam, the clerk, and straight at the doorway where Kettle was standing. The leader and the other demons started walking right toward him. They had no idea that Kettle could see them. To them, he was just another blind mortal, an easy target. But as he reached the threshold, Kettle didn't shrink back. He didn't run inside to hide or anything. He stepped forward, blocked the doorway, and looked at the lead demon dead in the eyes. In a voice that was quiet but steady, he said, In the name of Christ. I forbid you from entering this door. And I forbid you from staying in this village. Call back your friends and get out of here right now. But the demons froze. The casual, arrogant look on the leader's face vanished, replaced by this shock and rage. They couldn't stand the sound of the name Kettle had just spoken. It was like a physical wall blocking them, a power that they couldn't fight. Even worse for them, their cover was completely blown. They were incredibly frustrated and angry that this simple country servant had spotted them and ruined their entire night. Knowing that they had lost, the lead demon had to call out the others, pulling them back out of the village's homes. Unwillingly, the whole pack gathered back together, glaring at Kettle with pure hatred as they retreated back into the dark, leaving the village in peace. Kettle had won the battle. He had saved his neighbors from an invisible nightmare. But by standing up to them, he had just put a massive target on his back. And as you're about to hear, the demons were not going to let this insult go. But you would think that after a victory like that, Kettle would be on high alert. It basically declared war on the local demon population. But the problem with being human is that we get tired. We have bad days. We get sloppy. And these entities, well, they don't sleep. They'd just wait for an opening. So one evening, Kettle came back home after a long, grueling day of working in the fields. He was completely exhausted. His body was aching, his mind was still groggy, and all he wanted to do was lie down on his bed in his usual spot and close his eyes. But in this extreme fatigue, Kettle made a mistake. A small, simple one. One that changed everything. He lay down and fell fast asleep without making the sign of the cross over his body. And for years, that simple gesture had been his log on the front door, his personal spiritual shield. Tonight, the door was left wide open. And as he slept, darkness in his room began to shift. Two huge, fierce, and terrifying demons appeared right next to his bed. They didn't just stand there. They grabbed him. They dragged him out of his sleep. And as Kettle opened his eyes, he was met with this waking nightmare. He was staring directly at these two hostile, ugly faces. They were absolutely thrilled. They looked down at him and said, Aha, Kettle, you've finally fallen into our hands. Now you're going to feel the wrath of these spirits you weren't afraid to provoke. You're going to pay for all those times you betrayed our secrets. Panic immediately set in. Kettle's natural instinct was to do what he would always do, raise his hand and make the sign of the cross and cry out the name of Jesus. But he couldn't move. He couldn't speak. The demons had completely paralyzed him. They had bound his hands and his tongue, making sure that he couldn't use his voice or his gestures to protect himself. He was trapped inside his own body, fully conscious, staring up at his enemies, completely defenseless as they began to mock him. Don't bother trying, Kettle. It's useless. We've locked down your hands and your tongue. There's absolutely nothing you can do to stop us now. Kettle was completely at their mercy. He had no weapon or shield and no way to call for help. Now, he was right there, pinned to his bed, unable to move a muscle or make a sound. He was forced to watch as these two demons gloated over his defeat. He told them that he was finally going to pay for all the times that he had betrayed their secrets to the world. It looked like the absolute end for this young country boy. But just when things seemed completely hopeless, the bedroom door swung open and a splendid, radiant young man stepped inside. He was carrying a double-headed battle axe in his hand. The shining figure didn't charge at the demons or swing the weapons. Instead, he stood there in the middle of the room, gently tapped the metal blade on the axe with his finger. The moment his finger touched the steel, the axe let out a deafening, massive sound, but not like a normal metallic clang. It was a deep, roaring vibration that shook the entire room. Terrified by this powerful sound, the demons abandoned Kettle and fled into the dark, vanishing as fast as they had appeared. The young stranger, who the medieval writer believed was Kettle's guardian angel, approached the bed and looked down at him. He gave the shaken young man a blunt warning. Kettle, your own carelessness almost cost you your life tonight. Make sure your enemies never find you unarmed again. With those words, the light faded. The room went quiet. Kettle survived that night. He spent the rest of his days living in deep simplicity and faith keeping his spiritual armor on and never forgetting the angel's warning. There is something really creepy about these old stories and also something really interesting about them. When you hear a story that's going to be, what, turning up like a thousand years old? Accounts that were documented from back then, reading in their words or translations. But I just wanted to share this one with you Again, I found it while I was looking through the research for the Green Children of Woolpit. It's a very interesting story. It's short, but it's also very interesting. So if you have any ideas, by the way, of things that you want me to talk about, if you want us to go back to the really dark mysteries, we're going to go back. So you don't need to ask or worry that we're turning the podcast into something else. But let me know what you thought of this one. This little short little legend before we go back into dark... regular content as always thank you very much for listening keep it scary everyone see you soon