The story of Hulac and Hedessa is an ancient and enigmatic Derbyshire tale. It takes place along the River Wye and the steep, rocky hillsides of Monsal Dale, below the mysterious remains of Fin Cop. There have been a number of excellent retellings of this tale, so much so that it is unclear which may be most related to the ‘original’, if, indeed, such a thing exists. As I have said before, it is the nature of stories to change and evolve with each retelling, though. At the end of my retelling, I have included a little about the story’s history and some speculation about its origins. Whilst this tale is usually named ‘the Legend of Hulac Warren and Hedessa’, I have changed its name, in favour of its heroine.
Here then is …
THE TRAGEDY OF HEDESSA THE SHEPHERDESS
The sun shone down upon Monsal Dale and a light shone up, as if in reflection. This, though, was not the light of an earthbound star, but the light that shone from the face of Hedessa the shepherdess; the most beautiful and most pure of souls that ever trod the soft green grasses of the dale. Her light was not just that of her beauty, though that was without parallel, but of her warmth of heart and kindness of her gentle soul. Her voice was the melody of Monsal Dale. She would sing as she shepherded, needing neither crook nor hound to draw her sheep to her, as well as many other creatures that lived in the dale or flew above it.
But, if Hedessa were the light of Monsal Dale then Hulac Warren was the darkest of its shadows. Hulac, a great giant of a man, with a heart as cold as and a temper as unyielding as the grey stones of the dale itself. Hulac was the keeper of the landlord’s game and revelled in the bloody chase between predator and prey. If Hulac could be said to have anything resembling affection in his heart, then it was towards Hedessa; though it was more akin to the wolf’s desire for the lamb. For many moons he had tried to woo Hedessa, but to no avail, even though she denied him with as much courtesy and compassion as her pure heart possibly could. This, of course, was no kind of compensation to a man like Hulac and he decided that a more direct approach would be needed.
One fine summer’s morn, Hedessa was walking along the top of the cliffs, above the green and pleasant slopes of Dymynsdale. Unbeknownst to her, Hulac was following; ducking and diving behind the grey rocks of the dale and the boles of the mighty trees that grew in profusion there. At the most remote part of the dale, out of eyeshot or earshot, Hulac pounced upon the unsuspecting maiden! Grabbing her with his great, brawny arms, he forced himself upon her; smothering her with slobbering kisses and intent upon taking her virtue. Hedessa fought back, trying to push him away, but her strength was nothing compared to this giant of a man. In desperation she called out to the gods and spirits of the place to save her and with a great surge of supernatural strength she pushed Hulac away, but, in doing so, she toppled off the edge of the dale, plummeting down to the rushing waters and cold grey rocks of the River Wye, far, far below. Her broken body lay in the waters of the Wye and from her tears there burst forth the purest of springs, which became known as the Hedess Spring and feeds the Wye to this day.
What of Hulac though? Was he to get away with murder? In his fury, Hulac raced down the steep hillside, towards the broken body of Hedessa, below. He roared in fury, beating his arms against his massive chest, like some kind of gorilla. He crashed through the trees, curing the gods and spirits of the place, where Hedessa had asked for their help. In return for his crimes, the spirits of the place arose against Hulac. The waters of the Wye rose up, grabbing Hulac into their icy embrace. They dragged him into their depths, where the stones of the river pummeled him and petrified him in place, for all eternity, turning him into what was to become the Warren Stone; a rocky outcrop in the Wye that is now endlessly pounded by the fast flowing waters of the river. And, even today, travellers along the Wye’s banks, between Ashford and Taddington will cross the road, giving the Warren Stone a wide berth, even if they know not its tragic origins.
THE END
Monsal Head, the viaduct and Monsal Dale. https://visitpeakdistrict.com/business-directory/monsal-head-and-monsal-dale
The first recorded mention of this story appears in an 1865 edition of the journal "The Reliquary"; a quarterly publication that focused on local history and folklore. In this, a poem called Monsal Dale, by John Howe - aka the Poet of the Peak - is reproduced, which recounts this legend in rhyming form. The larger article was written by one Thomas Brushfield JP, who published it as a tribute to Howe and his works. Brushfield also includes his own retelling of the story, directly after Howe’s poem. As a native of Ashford-in-the-Water, John Howe was undoubtedly turning a well-known local story into poetic form. Sadly, this is a relatively short poem and, by its very nature, does not go into the kind of detail that a story might.
This story, though, is quite unique. I have no doubt that it is very probably ancient in origin, but has taken on different elements, as the times have changed. We can start by looking at the names of our main characters; Hulac Warren and Hedessa. The forename ‘Hulac’, does not have any documented etymological origin, so it is likely a corruption of something else, dialectical or simply made up for the story. In some versions of the story, Hulac is, instead, named Hector. However, the surname Warren is well documented. It is a Norman surname and either comes from the de Warenne family, who came to England with William the Conqueror or it is an occupational surname, denoting an enclosure used for breeding game - a ‘warenne’ - from which we get the modern ‘rabbit warren’. As the de Warennes had no holdings in Derbyshire, then the latter explanation is more likely.
The name Hedessa, though, may be easier to track. It seems most likely that Hedessa is a variation of Hadassah; the original Hebrew name of Queen Esther; a central figure in the biblical Book of Esther. In Hadassah's story, she was an orphan who rose to become queen of Persia. It was common practice in folk tales to adapt names from other cultures and, as Hadassah’s story is one where a woman is famed for her beauty and sacrifice, then it meshes very well with Hedessa’s tragic tale.
There are, however, some very interesting points that suggest an ancient origin to this tale. Firstly, both Hedessa and Hulac call upon ‘gods and spirits’. This is highly unusual for a tale that has survived throughout the Christian era right up into our now more religiously tolerant times. In the overwhelming majority of folk tales, when divine intervention is required then it is almost always ‘God’ or angels that are called upon, not gods or spirits, which strongly suggests a pagan origin. Secondly, Hulac is described as a giant of a man and, in some version, an actual giant. As I have mentioned before, most tales that had giants in them, inevitably had this character changed over time into the folkloric Devil of the Christian pantheon; though a less terrifying and clumsy version than is found in the bible. Again, this suggests a pagan origin. Also, the motif of a giant being transformed into stone is common in legend and mythology.
Finally, this story is set - almost literally - in the shadow of two significant ancient sites; Fin Cop, a large Iron Age hillfort and Hob’s Hurst House, a large rock formation with a rich folkloric history. Fin Cop was a large settlement and would indicate a healthy Celtic population in this particular area, which was atypical of much of the upper areas of Derbyshire and the Peak. Fin Cop met a tragic and violent end, but not during the transition to the Anglo Saxon period, suggesting that a Celtic influence would still remain in the area. The Celts were also well-known for their veneration of springs, which were almost always attached to female spirits or guardians; this tradition continued with well-dressings, something synonymous with Derbyshire.
Close to Fin Cop is Hob’s Hurst House, also known as Hob Thirst Hole. This is not the only Hob’s Hurst in Derbyshire, nor, indeed, in England; other local occurrences being very nearby on the Chatsworth Estate and, just a couple of miles up the road, at Deep Dale, west of Taddington - confusingly, there is also a Deep Dale east of Taddington. This name is generally taken to mean a giant’s house. Hob’s Hurst House on Monsal Dale, whilst entirely natural, does have the look of something that could have been erected by a giant, with a flavour of a tumbled down castle. It is a natural rock shelter and can still be accessed. Local legend has it that it was the home of a giant called Hob. This Hob seems to have been a generally benevolent being, but his legend later became entwined with that of Hulac Warren, but, for me, the two characters seem to be completely different. I shall write more about Hob’s Hurst House, in a later article.