‘Mythical creature’ at medieval castle after a bodiless woman was spotted on Google Maps

Google Street View users have seemingly spotted a bodiless woman described as a ‘mythical creature’ at a medieval castle behind a fort wall in Ludlow, Shropshire

The unusual looking woman – who was all boots and no body on Google Street View – was spotted crouched down behind one of Ludlow Castle’s stone walls.

Street View is a feature on Google Maps that provides interactive panoramas from positions along the world’s roads and pathways.

However, the site’s latest blunder seemingly chops the head off a mystery woman’s body, leaving just her head on top of her calves.

Despite her bizarre new look, the woman is grinning from ear-to-ear for the Google Maps camera.

The snap was taken at Ludlow Castle in Shropshire, which once played a part in both the 12th and 13th-century civil wars.

The castle, which was initially firstly a Norman Fortress, is known as one of the finest medieval ruins in England where visitors can walk through the grounds and see the ancient home of royalty.

Keen Google Maps users spotted the blunder and were quick to ask if the mystery woman was in fact a mythical creature who lurks in the castle’s grounds.

Kyle Eaton laughed: “Keeping the medieval spirit alive by becoming a mythical Gryllus.”

The Gryllus is a mythical creature with origins in Greek and Roman mythology with no other body parts than feet with a head on top.

Mark Wilson quipped, “They do say it’s haunted,” while Elise Haig added, “She would be safe from arrows and flying projections.”

Others thought her look was reminiscent of a Hieronymus Bosch painting.

Bosch was a well-known Dutch painter famed for his fantastic illustrations of religious bodies, narratives and concepts.

Rick Williams joked: “My name is Heironymus Bosch, and yes, I do recognise her.

“She sat as a model for me once.”

James Steer added: “I think I recognise her from a Hieronymous Bosch painting.”

Those who featured in Bosch’s paintings were often bodiless, legless or totally non-human shaped.

Though Bosch only created about 25 paintings during his lifetime, the nightmarish iconography in his art is instantly recognisable as “Boschian” and has become a staple of the genre of the grotesque.

The Google Maps snap dates back to March 2016 and although the tech giant has since uploaded newer street view shots of the castle, people can still look back on previous versions.

In previous years, there have been other unusual sightings on the web mapping platform, including a sighting of a ‘mythical sea creature’ near Antarctica in 2021.

One user claimed they found a ‘Kraken’ in the ocean and took to Reddit to share their findings.

According to the Daily Star, the Google Maps user added an image of the sighting to the subreddit ‘Google Maps Shennanigans’.

The image showed a light brown figure surrounded by crashing waves.

“I’m sure I’m not the first to find this, but it seems to be some sort of Kraken,” the Reddit user wrote.

The legendary sea beast is a giant squid-like creature that is typically found in sagas from Norway and Sweden.

However, some Reddit users were sceptical and claimed that the sighting was actually a rock aptly named ‘Deception Island.’