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It isn't over, it will never be over.
~ Sawney Bean's last words before his execution.

Sawney Bean is a legendary Scottish cannibal who (according to many stories) lived with his inbred family in an unconfirmed area of land (normally said to be in or around Ayrshire (most often the Galloway Hills)) where he would hunt down his human prey and murder them before he and his clan devoured them, although the story of Sawney Bean is highly dubious and questionable it has remained one of Scotland's most popular ghost stories and the name Sawney Bean is heavily associated with barbarism and evil.

Legends state that Sawney and his clan killed more than 1000 people throughout their lifetime, excluding the numerous bodies they also dug up and consumed via grave-robbing: if this number is correct Sawney would easily be one of the most prolific serial killers in history but many suspect the number is either entire fiction or greatly exaggerated (as noted previously).



He left home with a vicious woman who shared his inclinations. The couple ended up at a coastal cave in Bannane Head (which name, "Bannane", is an earlier form of the modern "Beane"), near Galloway (now South Ayrshire) where they lived undiscovered for some 25 years. The cave was 200 yards deep and during high tide, the entrance was blocked by water and is said to be today's Bannane Cave, located between Girvan and Ballantrae in Ayrshire.



The crimes of the family didn't spare the dead either as the family frequently raided graves and cemeteries for bodies, some of which would be discovered in various states of mutilation.






Legend of Sawney Bean and His Clan in Popular Culture

Largely due to the graphic and highly grotesque nature surrounding the cannibal clan, Sawney Bean and his lot have become a minor, yet noticeable influence in fiction, primarily in the horror genre.

    • The Hills Have Eyes reboot series, starting from 2006, draws further inspiration from the Scottish clan's legend by having two related mutant families living inside a series of underground mines. The movies' graphic novel prequel, The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning, describes the mutant clan's founder as being a descendent of the eponymous mass murderer, her name being Karen Sawney Bean.
  • The manga series Shingeki no Kyojin features two man-eating giants named Sawney and Bean, respectively. Both of them are held captive by the human research team in the hopes of communicating with the seemingly non-sentient, malformed humanoid creatures. While under captivity, both giants attempted to ambush the head scientist to devour her whole.


See also

  • Christie Cleek (another legendary cannibal of Scotland - predates Sawney Bean and may have served as inspiration for the folk tale).