Editorial #283

The Ghosts of St Andrews and the St Andrews Spooky

Welcome to Issue 283 — ‘tis the season of the witch. 

In this week’s 32 pages, our staff attacks the spooky with a vengeance. From vampire bacteria to superstitions to the history of Halloween, The Saint has brought the spirit of All Hallows’ Eve to your hands. However, in a town such as this one, it is hard to deny that the essence of Halloween is never far out of reach all-year round. Gravestones are present in abundance, a cursed and charred PH glares from the cobblestones, and the cathedral remains cast a ghastly shadow over the town. You don’t have to go far to find someone with a ghost story from the Bubble. Even my flatmates and I have recently surmised that our flat is haunted — whether it is a good or bad ghost is yet to be determined, but hopefully including  him in Secret Santa will help the politics. 

It is logical for St Andrews to be haunted. Though Bill Murray could’ve taken the time to confirm during his visit recently, I feel it is too old a hovel to avoid having a few haunts. St Andrews is thousands of years old. Countless heaps of individuals have come here in search of something or another and have been changed by what they found. At this, I find myself wondering what it means to be haunted. What is a ghost? What is a ghost in St Andrews?

Sure, one can argue it is the mysterious sounds from the attic in Old Wing at Uni Hall, or the way the wind doesn’t sound quite right down The Pends some nights. But we can also be haunted by old memories, things we said, bad assignments, or exes. Perhaps this Gothic is what makes St Andrews the scariest; the present and realness of all our ‘ghosts’ that reside so close to home. It is hard to hide from the past in a town like this, especially when it is easy for the past to mentally haunt you through constant reminders — places are haunted by memories, and I feel that is especially true when many of your recent memories have happened within two miles of where you’re standing. 

I find it impossible to accept that just because St Andrews has these ghostly memories, it is a place to be afraid of the past. According to popular culture, ghosts stick around when they have something to tell us or give us. Walking home from the library in the cold dark night, it is not the thin jacket that keeps me warm — it is the shadow of our favourite table for The Saint socials at The Central; it is the sight of Freshers having family events in flats I had family events in; it is the corner my friends and I took photos on before Welly Ball. 

David and I sincerely hope you enjoy this week’s issue. We feel we’ve brewed you something special. Good luck with the wickedness  this week — be it an old face from Freshers wearing a prison jumpsuit in 601 or an impending deadline. Here’s to facing what lingers in the dark. Riley.