A Brit has been left scratching their head after discovering an animal skull built into their house.
A Reddit user uploaded a photograph to the site, asking fellow users if they had any idea what the long-toothed creature might be, and why it would be cemented into a wall.
The large skull, which appears to be that of a dog, is seen fixed into the wall amongst massive stones.
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"Any ideas? This is in the wall of a friends house, south west England. Not sure which animal and not sure why it’s in the wall, any info appreciated," the person wrote, on behalf of a pal.
"Builders seem to be a bit superstitious," one person said, adding that during construction it is customary to hide items – sometimes animals – within the walls.
They said that they found coins inside the kitchen walls during renovation, and added: "There used to be the tradition of hiding a mummified cat in the walls as a good luck charm."
The European tradition of putting a mummified cat within a structure was believed to ward off evil spirits.
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Marion Gibson, a witchcraft and folklore expert, said in 2009 after a cat was found in a funeral director's walls that it may even have been a good luck charm.
She told the Telegram: "Cats were often put into walls as some kind of good luck charm. It seems to have been quite a widespread practice across the European continent.
"They seem to have been designed to keep away witches, the evil eye, bad luck, vermin, or anything that can be seen as a threat to the house."
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