Black Horse

The Moving Coffins of the Chase Vault

In short: Why does a sealed door matter in a legend from Barbados and its Estonian parallel?

The Moving Coffins of the Chase Vault · Coffins shift in a sealed vault FAIRY TALE ATLAS · № 218 The Moving Coffins of the Chase Vault Why does a sealed door matter in a legend from Barbados and its Estonian parallel? Origin A legend tied to the Chase family vault in Oistins, Barbados. In 1907 Andrew Lang compared it with a similar story associated with Saaremaa, Estonia. Atlas record 1848 First appearance Exact date unknown SIGNATURE MOTIF Coffins shift in a sealed vault Reach¹ 2/10 Suggested age² 8+ Member rating No votes yet 2 records · 2 countries or regions blackhorsestories.com

¹ Based on the number of Atlas countries, capped at 10. ² Editorial suggestion for reading this page. Discover Black Horse’s question

Origin and tradition

A legend tied to the Chase family vault in Oistins, Barbados. In 1907 Andrew Lang compared it with a similar story associated with Saaremaa, Estonia.

In the Oistins legend, the coffins are said to have shifted when the Chase vault was opened. Andrew Lang shows that a similar account was attached to Saaremaa. Both stories make the reader wonder what could happen while the door was closed. The Atlas dates identify the publications that record the stories.

Dated records and sources

  1. 1848 · Oistins, Barbados
    Robert H. Schomburgk · The History of Barbados · pp. 220–221
  2. 1907 · Kuressaare, Saaremaa
    Andrew Lang · Death’s Deeds: A Bi-located Story · Folk-Lore 18(4), pp. 376–390

Country pages

Origin
Black Horse. The Moving Coffins of the Chase Vault. https://blackhorsestories.com/en/atlas-tale-chase-vault-coffins/