The Lincoln Imp, a demonic carving inside a medieval cathedral that was one of Satan’s minions

4 min read

Lincoln, a city in the English East Midlands, is best known for its striking cathedral, which surpassed the Great Pyramid of Giza to become the tallest building in the world in 1311 and remained so for over two centuries.
However its height isn’t its only peculiarity, as the magnificent structure is also home of a curious resident who is the subject of legend.

The interior of the cathedral is full of ornate carvings, including one above a support pillar staring at the people below.
It appears as a grotesque of a creature known as an imp, with his legs crossed and an evil grin.
There are several legends surrounding the creature, and the most credited is that Satan himself sent a group of imps to cause havoc and vandalize the cathedral.
After breaking windows, damaging the choir, and assaulting a priest, an angel supposedly appeared and ordered them to stop. One of the brave imps fought back against the angel and was promptly turned to stone, thus becoming immortalized as the Lincoln Imp.

This is the most popular story, as well as the most commonly told version, even if there are other versions, and the next one is practically the same just with more details.
We are in the 14th Century, when Satan sent two Imps down to earth to do evil work.
Firstly the two went to Chesterfield and sat on the church spire twisting it (interestingly, that is why in Chesterfield you will still see the crooked spire).
After vandalising the spire, they headed to Lincoln Cathedral and, when they arrived, the devil himself instructed them to cause as much mayhem as possible.
The Imps started by smashing up tables and chairs and tripping up the Bishop and then they started destroying the Angel Choir.
An angel appeared and told them to stop, but one of the imps was brave and started throwing rocks at the angel, while the other cowered under the broken tables and chairs.
The angel turned the first imp to stone, gaving the second imp a chance to escape.

Another story is that the imp was blown into the cathedral by strong winds and, because he was one of the devil’s creatures, he began causing mischief annoying those in the Angel Choir until they could take no more and turned him into stone.
Not by chance, he sits at the top of a column near the Angel Choir with a mischievous grin on his face.

Again, in another version, two imps is that they were sent by the devil to cause trouble in the cathedral and they soon started to annoy the angels. If the first imp was turned to stone, the second is said to have escaped with the help of a witch.
The imp went off with the witch on her broomstick but the witch was so fond of the imp she turned the imp into a black cat.

Another story is that the imp travelled around the country blown by the wind looking for places to cause mischief and then he came to Lincoln cathedral and started destroying the angel choir. He then went up to the top of the nearest pillar to admire his work, where an angel turned him into stone.
And this is why the imp is sat cross-legged and has a evil grin on his face.
All of the stories do seem to have the same basic details, probably due to fact that the legend has been around for hundreds of years.
No matter what stories people hear, as thousands of people come to see the imp, now recognised as a triumph of good over evil.

And today you don’t even have to visit the cathedral to see him, as he has become a symbol of the city.
The imp’s image appears on postcards, key rings, and every other type of tacky tourist merchandise.
Also the local football team features him on its logo, and there is even a replica outside Lincoln College, Oxford, named after a former Bishop of Lincoln.