Wonderful Strange: Ghosts, Fairies, and Fabulous Beasties

R. Gordon Moyles is professor emeritus of English at the University of
Alberta. He is co-author of Imperial Dreams and Colonial Realities:
British Views of Canada, 1880–1914, author of The Salvation Army and
the Public, and editor of “Improved by Cult

In his rather whimsical introduction, Dale Jarvis suggests that “[a]s
a place, Newfoundland and Labrador is blessed (or cursed, depending on
your mood) with more phantom ships, fairies, witches, goblins, devils,
giant squid, old hags, ghostly sea monsters, one-legged beasts, and
other fabulous and frightening creatures, than any other spot in
Canada.” Though we might wonder why the giant squid, that
well-documented natural creature, is mixed in with the mythical ones.
Jarvis’s claim is one that no Newfoundlander would care to dispute. He
supports it admirably by offering more than 75 ghostly stories,
collected from various sources and retold by him.

The whole is divided into the following classes: “Mystical Places,”
“Fairy Lore,” “Ghostly Figures,” “Fabulous Beasties,”
“Haunted Highways and Sinister Streets,” “Ships of Mystery,” and
“Wonderful Strange.” So if it’s the Dunville poltergeist that
interests you, or the ship of slaves, or the vanishing hitchhiker, or
the devil on wings, or any of a number of other frightening (but
fascinating) mysteries, this is the book for you. But remember,
Newfoundlanders are not only very superstitious people, they also know
how to pull your leg.