SCOTTISH RED CAPS (DUNTERS / POWRIES)

The Red Cap is one of the most dangerous supernatural creatures and is said to haunt the castles and watchtowers of the border regions.

In appearance they are short and wiry, with ragged pointed teeth and sharp claws like steel. They wear a red bonnet on their heads, and are generally bearded with wrinkled aged faces.

The Red Caps are murderous, and kill by rolling boulders or tearing at people with their sharp claws. They then proceed to drink the blood of their victims and dip their hats in the blood, giving rise to the name of Red Caps.

In particular they haunt castles with a reputation for evil events in the past. In the folklore and legend of Hermitage Castle in Roxburghshire, Bad Lord Soulis, a man with an evil reputation, is said to have had a Red Cap as a familiar.