EXHIBITS
St. Anne's Retreat: Student Collection: Saint Anne's Retreat [Haunting Dog]
Saint Anne's Retreat [Haunting Dog]
A long time ago there used to be a nunnery at Saint Anne’s. One of the nuns got pregnant by a young priest. She hid the fact that she was pregnant for a long time. When she had the baby she was told she had to leave the nunnery. She was grieved at what had happened and went out and drowned her baby in the swimming pool, then hung herself. Her spirit haunts the place in the form of a dog. Sometimes people can hear dogs howling at Saint Anne’s. Nobody has ever seen the dogs (Fife Folklore Archives, Folk Coll 8a: Group 7: Box 8, Folder 9: L2.1.12.1.37).
Analysis:
The above narrative represents a common theme: the nun gets pregnant by a priest, has a baby and drowns it in the legendary swimming pool located at St. Anne’s; the nun commits suicide but remains as a ghost and haunts the place (as a dog); and there are sounds of dogs howling.