Home › Glossary › Letter R

Redcap

Folklore
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Malevolent dwarf in Anglo-Scottish border folklore who dyes his cap in blood

Detailed Definition
Redcaps inhabit ruined castles and kill travelers. In poetry, they symbolize historical violence, the haunting of war, and the persistence of blood guilt, often used in gothic or regional verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Redcap, the murderous Scottish goblin, haunts border poetry: "Redcap dyes his hat in blood—dwells in ruins where men died"; Poets use him to explore historical violence: "His tower soaked in clan wars’ gore—Redcap’s curse is endless night"; In cautionary verse, he punishes trespass: "Step on his stones, and Redcap strikes—his club is swift, his eyes are red"; His name becomes metaphor for brutality: "Not ghost, but memory—Redcap stains the land with old revenge"
Additional Notes
Redcap: A malevolent dwarf-like spirit in Anglo-Scottish border folklore, dwelling in ruined castles, staining his cap with blood by murdering travelers. Must constantly kill to keep his cap red or perish. In poetry, he symbolizes inherited violence, territorial haunting, and the cyclical nature of bloodshed. Related to goblins but more localized and ritualistic; effective in gothic or historical verse exploring borderland trauma and the weight of place-memory.
Also Known As
Red Cap Bloody Cap
Skip to main content