Scottish myths, folklore and legends

The police were called but couldn’t move the children, it took a local Head Teacher to finally disperse the crowd.

Local historians believe the mass panic stemmed from the legend of “Jenny wi’ the Iron Teeth”, a murderous ghost said to haunt Glasgow Green. There was also an American comic book at that time entitled: “The Vampire with the Iron Teeth”.

After the story appeared in the local press, it gained worldwide coverage. An unlikely alliance of Christians, communists and the National Union of Teachers blamed imported American horror comic books for the mass hysteria.

The campaign ultimately reached Parliament, resulting in the 1955 Children and Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act which still stands today.

A stage play, and a graphic novel have told the story of the Gorbals Vampire, and a large mural of the beast guards a local railway arch.

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