While exploring caves on the Ayrshire coast, TikToker Emily (@emilyinscotland) gave her viewers a history lesson straight out of a horror movie. The Scottish caves she filmed were not the actual Sawney Bean caves, but they definitely helped set the mood.
According to her, the film The Hills Have Eyes was inspired by the legend of Sawney Bean. It is believed that he was born in East Lothian in the late 15th century.
His father was an ordinary ditch digger, but Bean quickly realized he was not cut out for that kind of work.
Together with his partner, Black Agnes Douglas, they fled society to live a life of horror and depravity during the 16th century. The couple settled in a secluded cave on the Ayrshire coast between Girvan and Ballantrae.
The cave was very deep, and water blocked the entrance during high tide, so they were able to remain hidden from the world for years. Their lifestyle could only be described as unhinged.
“They became ruthless predators, ambushing unsuspecting travelers along the nearby roads,” said Emily. “Over the years, they not only grew in notoriety, but also in numbers. They raised children, and later, grandchildren, all indoctrinated into the same gruesome way of life.”
Eventually, their clan reached up to 48 members. They spent more than 25 years murdering and cannibalizing over 1,000 people. To keep from getting caught, their strategy was to dismember the corpses.
When the discarded body parts would wash up on nearby beaches, people believed that animals were responsible.
Finally, King James VI put a stop to them after one of their intended victims managed to escape. The Beans had ambushed a man on the way home from the fair one night.
Luckily, he was trained in combat and fought the clan off with his sword and pistol. He informed the authorities, who then alerted the king. The king sent armed forces and a large number of bloodhounds to hunt down the clan.
“The search led to their hideout, where soldiers uncovered a scene of unimaginable horror,” said Emily. “Piles of bones, body parts, and evidence of the countless grisly feasts.”
The entire clan was captured and taken to Edinburgh. They were executed without trial for their heinous crimes. Apparently, authorities decided that the evidence spoke for itself. To this day, it is one of the darkest and most infamous folktales of Scotland.
There is debate over the validity of the Sawney Bean legend. Some think that he was a real person, while others consider him a fictional character.
Whether the eerie tale is true or not, it certainly makes for some creepy entertainment that still sends shivers down your spine. It just goes to show how powerful folklore can be.
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By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
