For generations the people occupying the area around Hedley on the Hill, near Stocksfield in Northumberland, reported being tormented by a mischievous “bogie”, or sprite. The Kow apparently took delight in frightening people by shapeshifting and creating chaos before laughing and retreating.
In the fairy tale collected by Australian folklorist Joseph Jacobs, the Kow toys with an old woman who finds a pot of gold by the side of the road. Each time the woman looks into the pot its contents have changed, first from gold to silver, then to iron, and finally to a rock. The woman, of a positive persuasion, is not upset, reasoning that silver is less likely to be stolen, iron is easier to sell and a rock will make a good doorstop. When the Kow reveals itself and trots away laughing the woman reflects on her luck at seeing such a spectacle.
Other recorded tales make the Kow seem less whimsical and more frightening. In a variation of the fairy tale the Kow disguises itself as a pile of kindling, becoming heavier and heavier once collected by the old woman Goody Blake. When Goody sets the bundle down it springs to life and shuffles along the road after her, laughing and dancing before vanishing.
The Kow would impersonate lovers, beckoning men to secluded spots before giving chase or imitating boyfriends’ voices to lure ladies outdoors so that it could interfere with objects in the home or workplace while its sport was distracted.
While never playing with recently bereaved people the Kow was seemingly fond of attending births, mocking expectant mothers in labour pain and needing to be chased from the dwelling. One midwife’s messenger was a regular target, the Kow enjoying spooking his horse.
The entity often appeared in animal form and this is presumably why it became known as the “Kow”. It would adopt the form of a milkmaid’s favourite cow and lead her on a chase around the fields, allow itself to be caught and then thrashing and kicking throughout milking before upsetting the bucket and running away.
The Kow is not the only such apparition in Northumberland. Various “Brags” have been written about although they were usually less considerate of mourners and their pranks sometimes bordered on the macabre.
