Creatures, Myths & Legends

Does the 'Leaf Man' haunt the Sussex woods?

By T.K. Randall
May 17, 2015

Image: Leaf Forest
Credit: Den Vish / CC BY-SA 4.0 (adapted) When it comes to stories of strange creatures lurking in the woods the UK doesn't tend to be the first place you think of, yet down in the historic English county of Sussex there exists the little-known legend of a creature known as 'Leaf Man'.

One particularly intriguing encounter occurred back in the mid 80s when a group of youths had been camping in Folkington Wood. It had been around dusk and they had started building a fire when they became aware of something skulking in the trees nearby."Out from the shadows came a tall, spindly figure but which seemed to be covered in hair which in turn was matted with leaves," one of the witnesses later told a local journalist. "The creature gave off a horrid stench and through its entangled hair we could see two burning eyes."

The group turned and fled the scene, not even stopping to see if the creature was pursuing. In later years they would often get together and reminisce about the mysterious figure but have never been able to fully explain what it was that they encountered in the woods that day.

"People often ask were we the victims of a hoax," said the witness. "Memories can be hazy, but this thing seemed real and more than just a man in a suit."

Source: The District Post

Tags: Leaf Man, Sussex