"Count Magnus" is a

ghost story A ghost story is any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them."Ghost Stories" in Margaret Drabble (ed.), ''Oxford Companion to English Literature''. ...

by British writer

M. R. James Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English medievalist scholar and author who served as provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936) as well as Vice-Chancellor of the Univers ...

, first published in 1904. It was included in his first collection ''

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary ''Ghost Stories of an Antiquary'' is a collection of ghost stories by British writer M. R. James, published in 1904 (some had previously appeared in magazines). Some later editions under this title contain both the original collection and its su ...

''.

Plot

A traveller in Sweden stumbles upon the history of a mysterious and ominous figure,

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Magnus. Mr. Wraxall is an author of several travelogues, having previously published one about

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. During his travels in Sweden, he comes across an ancient manor house (herrgård) in Vestergothland and decides to do some research there. He is offered to lodge there, but declines and stays at the local village inn. The local church has an attached

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

, built by Count Magnus for himself and his family,

de la Gardie The De la Gardie family (; ; also de la Gardie) is the name of a distinguished Swedish nobility, Swedish noble family of French people, French origin, whose members held significant political and military positions throughout the history of the Ki ...

. Wraxall inquires of his landlord about local traditions surrounding Count Magnus. The Count is known locally for being a harsh landowner, who severely punished his tenants if they were late with their rent. Houses built too near his lands often burned down, with their occupants inside. He had also been on the "Black Pilgrimage" and brought something "otherworldy" back. Later, in doing research among the family papers, Wraxall discovers an explanation for the Pilgrimage in a book of alchemical tracts, entitled . The pilgrimage is to

Chorazin Chorazin ( ; also Chorazain) or Korazim (; also Chorizim) was an ancient village in the Roman and Byzantine periods, best known from the Christian Gospels. It stood on the Korazim Plateau in the Upper Galilee on a hill above the northern shore ...

and involves a salute to the Prince of the Air. Walking home, Wraxall finds himself at the mausoleum and expresses a desire to see Count Magnus. Later on, he meets with the

Deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

and queries him about Chorazin. However, he is evasive towards Wraxall's subject. He presses the landlord of the inn about what Count Magnus brought back from Chorazin and is told a tale about two men who went

poaching Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the huntin ...

one night on the Count's lands following the latter's death. One of the men was found

catatonic Catatonia is a complex syndrome most commonly seen in people with underlying mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder, or psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. People with catatonia exhibit abnormal movement and behaviors, wh ...

, while the other was dead; his face having been pulled off his skull. The next day, along with the Deacon, Wraxall visits the mausoleum. The Count's copper

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

is ornate and bears carvings of scenes from his life, as well as a depiction of the Count on its top. One of the scenes shows a man being pursued by a cloaked and hooded figure with tentacles, while the Count watches from a hill. The lid is secured with three padlocks, one of which is already unlocked. Later, on his way back to the mausoleum, Wraxall's mind wanders and he finds himself

chant A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of no ...

ing. Soon, he realizes that a second padlock is now unfastened. The following day, Wraxall makes preparation to finish his researches and return to England. He stops at the mausoleum to bid farewell to Count Magnus and for a third time expresses a desire to see him. As he does so, the third padlock detaches and the lid begins to rise. Quickly, he leaves, but is unable to lock the mausoleum behind him. He returns to England safely by canal boat, but feels that among his fellow passengers are two strange figures who fail to appear at mealtimes. He arrives at

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-o ...

and takes a carriage to Belchamp St. Paul. Along the way, he sees the two strange figures once more. He finds lodgings there and spends the next day awaiting the two figures' arrival. The next day, he is found dead in a terrible condition and a jury rules it to be a visitation by God. The house where he died is abandoned and eventually acquired by the narrator, who has it torn down since nobody will stay there.

Publication

"Count Magnus" was first published in ''

'' in 1904. In 1931, it was collected in James' book '' The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James''. It has since been collected many times, including in '' Sleep No More'' in 1944.

Adaptations

The story was not included in the original 1970s run of ''

A Ghost Story for Christmas ''A Ghost Story for Christmas'' is a Anthology series, strand of annual British short television films originally broadcast on BBC One between 1971 and 1978, and revived sporadically by the BBC since 2005. With one exception, the original instal ...

'' for budgetary reasons. Director

Lawrence Gordon Clark Lawrence Gordon Clark is an English television director and producer, screenwriter, and author, best known for creating the supernatural anthology series ''A Ghost Story for Christmas'', which originally aired on BBC One from 1971–1978, wit ...

wanted to make the story in 1978, later acknowledging; "I wanted to make Count Magnus by M.R. James but they wouldn’t put up the money for it, which I felt was pretty shortsighted considering the success we'd had with the series." On 22 December 2000, a dramatisation of "Count Magnus" by

Robin Brooks Robin Brooks (born 1961) is a British radio dramatist, actor, and author. Selected credits Adaptations * 2000 – '' The Art of Love'', a comedy, emphasizing Ovid's role as lover, with Bill Nighy and Anne-Marie Duff * 2004 – '' Mort'' by T ...

aired on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

's programme ''The Red Room''. Directed by Clive Brill, it starred Charlie Simpson as Wraxall and Alan Cox as Nielsen. In 2022, "Count Magnus" was adapted by the BBC as ''

Count Magnus "Count Magnus" is a ghost story by British writer M. R. James, first published in 1904. It was included in his first collection ''Ghost Stories of an Antiquary''. Plot A traveller in Sweden stumbles upon the history of a mysterious and ominous ...

''. It was written and directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark's successor

Mark Gatiss Mark Gatiss (; born 17 October 1966) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, director, producer and novelist. Best known for his acting work on stage and screen as well as for co-creating television shows with Steven Moffat, he has received ...

Influence

Horror podcast ''

The Magnus Archives ''The Magnus Archives'' is a supernatural horror Podcast#Fiction_podcast, fiction podcast written by Jonathan Sims, directed by Alexander J. Newall, and distributed by Rusty Quill. Sims starred as the Head Archivist for the fictional Magnus Ins ...

'' derived its name from James' "Count Magnus".

References

External links

* *
Full text of "Count Magnus"
* *
A Podcast to the Curious
Episode 6 - Count Magnus
Count Magnus
- Audio narration on video {{Works of M.R. James Short stories by M. R. James 1904 short stories Chorazin Horror short stories Västra Götaland County in fiction