Folklore & legend

Old Ben, the devil's dragon of Putsham Hill

Also known as: Blue Ben

Putsham Hill, near Kilve

Undated legend

Kilve, on the Bristol Channel coast below the Quantocks, has a dragon story with an unusual ending. A fire-breathing dragon called Old Ben, or Blue Ben, lived on Putsham Hill and was supposedly the steed of the devil, used to pull Satan's chariot around Hell.

Unlike most British dragons he was not killed by a champion. He went to cool down in the sea, fell from a causeway of rocks and drowned in the mudflats.

The skull said to be his is actually the fossil of an ichthyosaur, according to the guide used for this entry, and it is described as on display in the Taunton museum. Kilve's shore is a well-known source of Jurassic fossils, which is the likely seed of the tale. I did not check the current museum display, so treat that detail as reported.

Evidence
Long-standing local tradition
Access
Open ground
Location
51.189, -3.221 (Sited to the village)

Sources: Ken Forsyth, "Dragons and 'Hunky Punks' in and around Somerset churches" (Bishop's Palace, Wells) [other]

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