All that remains of Melrose Abbey in Scotland are ruins, but it was once home to a colony of Cistercian monks and was one of the most prosperous. Residing there in the late 1100s was a man of dubious pursuits, who was given the name ‘Hunderprest’, or Dog Priest, because he loved to hunt with his pack of dogs. It is not clear how he eventually met his end, but suffice it to say that his soul could find no rest because of the burden of his sins. He was forced to walk the earth, seeking subsistence from the blood of others.
In some accounts he even attempted to enter the Abbey by taking the form of a bat, but was repulsed by the efforts of the monks. An elder monk was summoned to investigate to goings on and, together with a few other men, laid watch at the priest’s grave all night. They saw him rise from the grave, but were able to force him back in. At daybreak, they opened his coffin and found him lying there with blood on his lips. The elder priest ordered that his body be burnt and the ashes scattered. That was supposedly the end of him, although there are those who still swear that screams can be heard coming from the ruins of the Abbey.
