Liverpool – the white stag myths

The shooting of a white stag running loose in a suburb of Liverpool by police against the advice of the RSPCA has brought a chorus of criticism. There are portents of doom as well from the old myths about ill luck following such a killing.  The Celts considered white stags to be messengers from the “other world” and their appearance was said to herald some profound change in the lives of those who encountered them. Their unnatural white colour has led to them being considered su