The Witness

Summary

Terrified survivors claim to have seen a man as pale as a ghost wearing little else but tattered breaches, a hood over his head, and his neck fitted with noose that writhes in the air as if it were a snake. They call him the Witness, a normal man who was hung unjustly for his crime of witnessing a foul deed. On nights were the moon is missing the Witness can be found leading a horde of angry spirits against those who have committed some heinous crime only the innocent are left to tell his tale. Most of these stories are morality tales to keep children from straying too far off the path but some whisper there is a true spirit that walks the land.

Historical Basis

There have been historical events of criminals who had suffered mysterious deaths where no one claimed credit. While no evidence exists there are several accounts of victims claiming to have seen a hanging man before dying within a week though none have been able to corroborate spotting the Witness or any evidence of a hanged man.

Spread

Originating in Gedic the story has spread to several other countries. While the majority of stories come from Gedic there is at least one story set in almost every country as the criminal attempted to cross oceans to escape only to find the Witness waiting for them.

Variations & Mutation

The original myth held no name for the hanged man though later telling would give the Witness his nickname. Most other variations are dependent on the victim and the location as each story begins with a criminal boasting of getting away with a crime only to see a seemingly lifeless corpse drifting back and forth regardless of the wind. The criminal may or may not be frightened at first but as they learn they are the only one able to see the corpse they become paranoid and plot a defense or retreat. But no matter what the criminal does the Witness draws closer each night until the night where the moon is obscured either naturally or astrologically. Then depending on the story the victim suffers a death that is either poetic or gruesome and only the innocent are able to bare witness.

Cultural Reception

Tales of the witness has kept many a child in bed as they worry their antics might be seen by the witness. But even beyond children's tales there is a current of fear that has run it's way through various criminal enterprises and has made the more superstitious crooks hesitant to commit gross violence on innocents.

In Literature

A collection of stories featuring the Witness have been gathered into a tome by the travelling bard C. Stuttgart though due to the more graphic nature of some of these stories many copies of the book were burned for obscenity.

In Art

A trend has been growing in some of the more macabre artists to add the Witness to paintings that feature scenes of great tragedy or to painting that feature criminals.