'Occult Symbols' Found on Sheep Fatally Stabbed in England's New Forest

Warning: This article contains graphic images that some readers might find disturbing.

Three cows have been non-fatally stabbed, and two sheep killed, in a series of attacks between the 12th and 20th of November that also included the desecration of a church in England’s New Forest—a 219 square mile national park in southern England that is available for use by the public as pasture land..

Both dead sheep were found with various “occult” symbols painted on them.

The sheep belonged to Colin Barnes, 76, and his partner Heather Miles, 68, of Bramshaw, who said they found the first victim, an ewe they had named Fluffy, in mid-November following the full moon.

An inverted cross and pentagram were drawn on this sheep’s face, and the number 666 scrawled on one ear. (Solent News) — An inverted cross and pentagram were drawn on this sheep’s face, and the number 666 scrawled on one ear. *(Solent News)*

"I thought maybe it was a case of road rage—that the sheep had damaged someone’s car when they hit her, so they’d drawn all over her," Miles said in an interview with the Daily Mail. "I don’t know anything about witchcraft or Devil-worship. It was only later, when I started thinking about the weird markings, that I became suspicious. Now I reckon it might not have been coincidence that it happened on the night of a full moon. Those witches like that, don’t they?"

"Whether it’s Devil-worship or some nutcase with a big knife, it’s bloody worrying because where will it stop? It could be a dog-walker or a cyclist next. And what might they do if someone catches them at it?" added Barnes.

A pentacle painted on the back of one of the dead sheep. (Solent News) — A pentacle painted on the back of one of the dead sheep. *(Solent News)*

The morning following Fluffy's death, a 250-pound heifer belonging to Kay Harrison returned home with a deep gash in its neck. Eight miles away in Linwood, on the same day, Mark Deacon discovered that two of his young male cattle had deep wounds that, according to a veterinarian, could have been caused by a knife.

"I was born on this farm and I’ve been running it since 1982," Deacon said. "You just don’t get two animals with vertical cuts like that in one night. They were clean, precise cuts and it’s not easy to cut through a cow’s hide. But I’m keeping an open mind. Either the person who attacked those sheep has become more ambitious, or the injury is nothing to do with that."

Then, on the morning of November 19th, Bramshaw resident Judy Rudd was out walking her dog when she came across another dead sheep, killed and decorated similarly to the first.

St. Peter’s Church in Brimshaw was also desecrated during the same time period as the attacks.

The church's caretaker, verger John Nash, said that he found nearby road signs and a churchyard noticeboard had been defaced before discovering that the 13th-century church itself had also been marked.

More “occult” symbols matching what was found on the sheep were found painted on the affected objects, including an inverted cross and the number 666 sprayed onto the church's door.

“People are concerned. I’ve been here 15 years and seen a lot of stuff, but nothing like this," Reverend David Bacon told The Independent. “It could just be kids, but I don’t think it is, given the context."

“There’s been witchcraft round here for hundreds of years—the New Forest is well known for witchcraft and black magic happening, and this has obviously gone up a level," said the vicar.

Gerald Gardner, an early 20th century author, occultist, and early practitioner of Wicca, claimed that a coven of witches to which he belonged had once met in the New Forest.

However, contrary to their depiction in medieval and early modern literature, modern witches and other neopagans are not generally associated with any satanic practices—many of them do not even believe in the traditional Christian duality.

Singular Fortean Society lead investigator Tobias Wayland doubts that the perpetrator of these attacks is a serious occultist at all.

“Pentacles traditionally ward against evil spirits, inverted crosses are the symbol of St. Peter, and the number 666 has more to do with the Roman emperor Nero than it does the Antichrist,” he said. “These symbols have been conflated with satanism in the modern era, but I would expect anybody with actual occult knowledge to know better. More likely, this is the work of a very sick individual—or small group of individuals—who is obsessed with the pop culture depiction of satanic practice.”

A similar incident occurred in New Zealand in 2017, when six pregnant sheep were slaughtered by an unknown assailant. No seemingly occult imagery was involved in that incident.

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