Monsters Facts

Deadites

2013-12-28T13:06:00.000-08:00

Deadites are creatures, most commonly people, that have become possessed by evil spirits (demons) in the Evil Dead universe. However, monsters and creatures released by The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis can be referred to as Deadites as well.

Human beings that have been possessed by a Deadite will exhibit white, pupil-less eyes, dark grey skin, and will also appear to decay rapidly. In The Evil Dead & The Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn, when people became possessed, they continued to decay indefinitely. It can be assumed that eventually the host body will decay completely from the demon's corruption. In The Evil Dead, Professor Knowby warned via his tape recordings that he feared the only way to stop those possessed by the demons (Deadites) was through the act of bodily dismemberment. Also in the same film, he warned that the
book said that these enduring creatures may lie dormant but were never truly dead.

When a human becomes a Deadite, it is assumable that they have no control over their physical body. Their souls are apparently taken to Hell and tortured, although this might just be the demons' threat to scare those not possessed. In the films, only two people that become a deadite was ever released or returned to normal, the most notable being Ash or Mia from the remake.

The Deadites also apparently have complete recall of the lives of their vessels, their memories, their emotions, and their relationships, and are able to temporarily appear as fully human again to communicate with those not possessed. This has only been used to escape from certain death or indefinite confinement. Through this trickery, the Deadites provoke an irrational and emotional response in their captors or would-be killers to allow them an opportunity either for escape or to catch them off-guard.

The Deadites ascreatures appear as beings of pure debauchery, lust, and insanity. They enjoy self-mutilation, swearing, and relishing the fear of their prey. In Evil Dead (2013), the Deadites inflict terrible bodily damage to themselves before they even begin attacking others. It is unknown if they do this as a scare tactic or simply because they enjoy the pain. Oddly enough, after being a Deadite for several hours, suffering various injuries (mostly self-inflicted) including forking her tongue with a box-cutter, and being buried alive, Mia was completely unharmed after release from her possesion. This may imply that while possesing a human any harm on the body is inflicted on the demon rather than the possesed.

Mutant:Etymology

2013-02-27T12:18:00.000-08:00

Although not all mutations have a noticeable phenotypic effect, the common usage of the word mutant is generally a pejorative term only used for noticeable mutations.Previously, people used the word sport (related to spurt) to refer to abnormal specimens. The scientific usage is broader, referring to any organism differing from the wild type.

Mutants should not be confused with organisms born with developmental abnormalities, which are caused by errors during morphogenesis. In a developmental abnormality, the DNA of the organism is unchanged and the abnormality cannot be passed on to progeny. Conjoined twins are the result of developmental abnormalities.
Chemicals that cause developmental abnormalities are called teratogens; these may also cause mutations, but their effect on development is not related to mutations. Chemicals that induce mutations are called mutagens. Most mutagens are also considered to be carcinogens

Mutants

2013-02-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

In biology and especially genetics, a mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character, arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not found in the wild type. The natural occurrence of genetic mutations is integral to the process of evolution. The study of mutants is an integral part of biology; by understanding the effect that a mutation in a gene has, it is possible to establish the normal function of that gene.

In some organisms mutants can be created by gene targeting to assess the function of any given gene. This experimental approach is called reverse genetics. For example, a collection of knockout-moss mutants can be used to identify genes with so far unknown functions.

The Black Eyed People

2012-05-16T11:11:00.000-07:00

Modern mythology is riddled with unexplained phenomenon, but to this day I haven't run into anything quite as unexplainable as the Black Eyed People.

They're often called Black Eyed Kids or Black Eyed Beings, but what they really are is a complete and total mystery.

Most accounts of encounters follow a lot of the same patterns, though slight changes in each scenario only make the mystery of the Black Eyed People that much greater.

In most cases, a human-looking being with pure black eyes (including the normally white parts) will approach a person at their home or car, asking to be let in. They usually have a very dry personality, almost no personality at all, unless they are told that they can't come in, to which they get very agitated. Most people describe a feeling of intense dread and fear when in the presence of these Black Eyed Beings, but they can't say exactly why.

Usually, the Black Eyed Being has very pale or sickly-looking skin, and very dark hair. They are usually men, but not always, and often wear all black or very dark clothes.

Not all cases go this way, though. Some people have been approached in public by these beings. One woman reported running into a female Black Eyed Being in a gas station restroom who just stood there and stared her down.

The term "Black Eyed Kids" is used very often as a generalization for this phenomenon because of the high number of cases involving children with black eyes. In almost every case, it will be one or two children around ten years of age that ask either for a ride home if someone is in a car, or ask to be let in to a home. They often wear no shoes, and look dirty and disheveled. They are just as devoid of personality as their elder counterparts, until risen to anger when being told no.

I've spent quite some time doing some intensive research on the topic and a couple of key things strike me as important. I'm not sure exactly what these beings are or where they come from, but in this case, I'm going with my gut to provide some answers.

In every case, the Black Eyed People must get permission to enter a home or a car. They cannot come in without an invitation, even if they want to. In one case, a young man reported a girl trying to get in through a doorway but was stopped by some invisible force when he wouldn't give her permission to enter. Anyone who is familiar with vampire mythology will recognize that the invitation to come in is a classic trait of the vampire.

In a couple of the cases, one involving a man and one involving a young boy, the person encountering the Black Eyed Person drove away in their car, only to see the same person on the street two or three different times on the way home. There is no physical way that the Black Eyed Being could have traveled that far that quickly.

One of the Black Eyed People was caught on security tapes in an elevator. When the man riding the elevator with him watched the tapes back, he appeared alone in the elevator - no Black Eyed Person to be seen.

Almost every story of an encounter with Black Eyed People ends with the person feeling great fear and running away. In a couple of stories, people have had very intense instinctive reactions telling them to not let the being know that it is affecting you. In a sense, these people sense the 'danger', but have a 'fight' reaction, rather than a 'flight' reaction. Either way, it seems best to trust your instincts in these situations.

Those who have spoken to them say that they often make reference to not having a home. They seem to be wandering around, looking for... something. I have an eerie feeling that their idea of "home" isn't a house - it's a body to live in.

I only know of one story where someone actually did let one of these Black Eyed Beings in. It was actually the first time I heard about them. A visitor to this site named Carol who has had, and continues to have, experiences with a certain Black Eyed Person from which she senses no fear. You can read her story here. All I ask is that if you have any insight into Carol's situation, you leave a comment on that page.

So what are these Black Eyed People? Some think they are demons taking the form of humans in order to steal someone's soul. Others think they are vampires, looking to take someone's blood or energy. Another explanation is that they are alien life forms, trying to fit into society, and possibly find a place to live.

All are as 'reasonable' an explanation as the other. There are demonic traits, vampiric traits, and even alien traits to all of the stories, but not a lot of direct evidence to support any of them.

Cerberus in Greek Mythology

2012-03-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

Cerberus (Greek mythology) is best known as the guardian to the gates of Hades (the Underworld).
In Greek mythology Cerberus is depicted as a dog with three ferocious heads and the tail of a snake. He is one of the great Greek monsters born unto Typhon and Echidna.
His sole task is essentially be the "bouncer" of Hades. As the rules go, only the dead may enter the Underworld, and none may leave.

There are only a couple of myths in Greek mythology where a hero gets the better of Cerberus. The first is when Orpheus (Greek mythology), the famed musician, sneaks into Hades by lulling the usually unstoppable Cerberus to sleep with his beautiful music.

The second myth is when Hercules (Greek mythology), with the approval of Hades (Greek mythology), the god of the Underworld, gets Cerberus in a choke hold, knocks him out, and kidnaps him. He is eventually returned to his post where he remains to this day.Other than these myths, the three-headed hound of Hell is an unmatched force for anyone trying to get in or out of Hades without express permission.

In vampire mythology, it is said that the souls of all vampires are held in a container (a coffin, appropriately), somewhere in Hades. According to the Vampire Origin Story, because of a deal made by the first vampire, if any vampire should ever return to Hades they can get in (because technically they are dead), but they can never leave again.

Some believe that due to his unmatched dedication to the gods of ancient Greece, Cerberus was eventually released by Hades and was able to join the gods in a more human immortal form, thereafter being known by the name Naberius.

New Monsters

2012-03-12T14:08:00.002-07:00

New Monsters Facts Coming Soon

Sorry 4 The Wait

The Mythology of Manticore

2012-01-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

The manticore is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the face of a human. It has three rows of sharp teeth, like a shark, and a tail with poisonous spiked barbs that it can throw like javelins at its enemies.
The mythology behind this strange creature began in Persia, where it was first known as the Martyaxwar which literally translates to “man-eater”. As the legend moved west, the name shifted to a more Greek pronunciation, and this creature became most famously known in Greek mythology as “Manticore”.

Though it had the head of a human, it was considerably more monster than man. It could not speak any languages, and had a voice that was described as sounding like a trumpet. That’s not to say the manticore wasn’t clever. It’s favorite way to lure prey was to hide its red lion body in the tall grass so from a distance humans would see only the head of a man. Those who were fooled into coming too close were never seen again. And I mean never. In Greek mythology this beast would devour a human whole, including all of their clothes and all of their possessions, leaving nothing left for family or friends to find. Often people who had gone missing were assumed to have been eaten by one of these rarely seen monsters.
Manticore mythology held strong over several centuries. Eventually tales of this mythical monster had spread to India as well, where it became a popular legend, as well as an omen of bad luck and misfortune.

Savvy monster followers will notice that the manticore is very similar in shape to the famous Egyptian Sphinx, whose legend actually originates from the Greek. Despite the physical similarity (body of a lion with the head of a man), the Sphinx is actually a completely different creature. Unlike it’s Persian predecessor, the Sphinx was quite brilliant and spoke eloquently, offering humans a chance to save their lives by answering a riddle. If they failed, the Sphinx would typically eat them. So maybe the two aren’t so different after all...

The Sirens Mythology

2011-12-26T19:04:00.000-08:00

With the Sirens, mythology has created a physical personification of the danger of falling for a beautiful woman.
As any man knows, beautiful women can be dangerous. In Greek mythology, some beautiful women can be straight up deadly.
The Sirens of Greek mythology began specifically as a group of creatures who looked like beautiful women, but were really man-eating beasts. They sat on the shore and sang with voices so seductive and compelling that anyone who heard their song became absolutely mesmerized with them. So mesmerized, in fact, that they became obsessed with reaching the shore to get closer to the sound.
And then the Sirens would eat them.

The term "siren" is used both in ancient and modern mythology, as well as in modern language in general, to describe something that is simultaneously dangerous and compelling. In later myths and legends, any creature that lured a man in only to cause harm might be considered "a siren" in the general context of the term.

When I say "a man", this is usually because in myths the siren was usually a female who lured a man in with their beauty. As with any general use of a term, this could apply to females as well. In modern stories, one might consider the male vampire to be a creature who uses its seductive abilities to lure in women in order to consume their blood.

With the original Greek Sirens, mythology depicts these creatures as beautiful women with angelic wings who play there lutes and sing. They were aloof and didn't make eye-contact with their victims, which made them seem all the more innocent and mysterious.

Different versions of siren mythology have them as having mostly bird-like bodies with the heads of women, or sometimes they had the torso of a woman and the tail of a fish. Both of these versions are likely confusing the sirens with harpies and mermaids, respectively.

The Sirens appeared most famously in Homer's classic "The Odyssey", where Odysseus had his men tie him to the ship and plug their ears so he could hear the legendary song of the Sirens and not rush to his death in a fit of insanity. As expected, as soon as Odysseus heard the song he begged his men to untie him, but he wisely had warned them not to do so. It was said that no one every got to hear the sirens song and live, though, as usual, certain heroes of ancient myth found a way.

The New Jersey Devil

2011-12-16T06:43:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite modern American myths, the Jersey Devil has been seen by several people over the course of many years all along the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
The Jersey Devil is described as having a face shaped like a horse, with a small goat-like body and bat-wings. It has a high-pitched scream and is said to have eaten hundreds of farm animals in the South New Jersey region over the years. The image below is an artist's rendering featured in the Philadelphia Post in 1909. As you can see, it's a rather impractical creature that doesn't seem that it would be able to get off the ground, let alone move with the speed it is described as having.

In a way this impracticality only makes this myth all the more interesting. Several unrelated witnesses reported seeing the same creature in a short period of time. For them to all describe a creature that doesn't seem to make much physical sense only makes me wonder why, if it were all a hoax, the witnesses would choose to describe a creature that sounds too illogical and fantastic to be real?
The Jersey Devil myth differs from those of other cryptids in that this particular creature seems to have a dark backstory that several long-time residents of the area seem to believe.

As with many myths that become popularized as urban legends, there are many variations on this myth that revolve around similar details. Rather than list them all, I have put together what appears to be the most likely scenario based on historical data and evidence.
While she is commonly known as "Mother Leeds", the alleged mother of the Jersey Devil was most likely named Mrs. Shourds (not "Shrouds" as is commonly misspelled) and lived in Leeds Point, New Jersey (USA). She was a solitary woman who had 12 children with her husband, believed to be named Samuel Shourds. In 1735 the Shourds moved to New Jersey from an unknown place of origin. Mrs. Shourds was pregnant and ready to give birth to the 13th and final child. It is thought that the 13th Shourds child was not fathered by Samuel but the Devil himself. (The number 13 is widely considered an unlucky number in many regions around the world. Even to this day some hotel floors and airline seating rows even skip directly from 12 to 14.) Many believe Mrs. Shourds to have been involved in witchcraft or demonic worship and intentionally hoped that this 13th child would bear the mark and power of his true father. Almost all variations of the legend have her stating aloud "I hope it is a devil". She got her wish. The deformed child that she bore became none other than the Jersey Devil, the beast that haunts the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

Regardless of the legend behind the beast, it is hard to ignore the number of sightings of the creature in the Southern New Jersey area in the 1800's and early 1900's. Even the brother of French Emperor Napolean Bonaparte reported seeing this creature while hunting in the Pine Barrens in the 1820's. By 1904 the Jersey Devil was thought to be extinct. Most residents of the area believed it to be a local myth and no more sightings were reported for the next few years. In 1909, however, all of that changed.
In January of 1909, over one thousand residents of Southern New Jersey reported seeing a flying creature with a horse's head. This was by far the boldest outing that the Devil had ever had. For one week beginning Sunday, January 16th, 1909 several people reported seeing a strange creature in towns in Pennsylvania and New Jersey along the Delaware River. Was this the infamous Jersey Devil or was there some other explanation?
While each sighting may individually be criticized by skeptics, it is hard to deny over one thousand people who claim to have seen, heard, and even encountered the same strange creature. Why did the Jersey Devil choose this time to come out in public? No one knows. But soon after, the sightings went back to being rare.
One question that naturally arises over these timelines is how long does this creature live? If this was merely one creature, then it must have a lifespan of hundreds of years, at minimum. Is it possible that the creature was able to reproduce? Is there just one Devil or are there many? Can the creature even die, or is it of supernatural origin?
These days most people assume that the Jersey Devil is nothing more than a local legend. The thought of such a fantastic creature seems nonsensical and silly to the masses. Still, residents of the New Jersey Pine Barrens have an interesting tendency to stay in after dark.

Doppelganger

2011-12-12T02:30:00.000-08:00

The term "doppelganger" is used often to describe someone that looks just like (or at least very similar to) another person, but there are more mysterious and sinister roots than the word suggests.
Literally meaning "double-goer", a real Doppelganger is an apparition that appears in place of a person in a location or situation that would not otherwise be possible. Many people have seen this image of themselves, both in life and in visions. Other times, a person may be seen walking through a room when they are, in actuality, several miles away at the time. The third most common sightings occur when the image of a person appears to walk past an area twice in a row - moving in the same direction - to where it would be impossible for the person to have returned there fast enough.
So what are Doppelgangers? No one is certain. Many scientists believe the phenomenon to occur based on injuries or stimulation to certain parts of the brain which cause errors in spatial reasoning. The stories of these encounters are so varied that it's difficult to even classify this phenomenon as a "creature", except for the fact that most often the sightings seem to be intensely spiritual yet disconnected to the original person.

Doppelgangers are often seen as bad omens. In many circumstances, the Doppelganger shows up during or soon after tragic events, such as in the case of Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon of Victorian-era London. He was seen by multiple guests at a party at his home, simply standing and staring ahead silently, on the same night that he died at sea.
Other bad omens may come in the form of a warning, such as in the case of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who saw his twin apparition on several occasions standing in a mirror while he was lying down across the room. What he saw each time was an image of himself displaced by a paler second image of himself. His wife at the time pondered if it meant that he would be elected to a second term but not live through the end of it. She was right.

This leads me to believe that there are likely spirits that mimic the appearance of a person. Many people believe that these spirits have ill intentions and wish to do harm to the person they are mimicking, be it physically, emotionally, or by ruining their reputation. If this were the case, the offending spirit would likely be some form of demon.
In any case, this particular phenomenon does not represent the actual person or their actual spirit. The apparition is of another origin entirely. It merely looks like the person it is copying, it is not actually that person in a different space or time, nor is it a sign of an out-of-body experience.
We may never end up knowing exactly what these apparitions are, where they come from, or what they want, but there are too many sightings to disregard them. Whatever this creature or spirit is, its appearance is rarely good news.

Satyr: In Roman mythology and art

2011-12-02T13:37:00.001-08:00

Roman satyrs were conflated in the popular and poetic imagination with Latin spirits of woodland and with the rustic Greek god Pan. Roman satyrs were described as goat-like from the haunches to the hooves, and were often pictured with larger horns, even ram's horns. Roman poets often conflated them with the fauns.
Roman satire is a literary form, a poetic essay that was a vehicle for biting, subversive social and personal criticism. Though Roman satire is sometimes linked to the Greek satyr plays, satire's only connection to the satyric drama is through the subversive nature of the satyrs themselves, as forces in opposition to urbanity, decorum, and civilization itself.

Satyr:In Greek mythology and art

2011-12-02T09:46:00.001-08:00

In earlier Greek art, satyrs appear as old and ugly, but in later art, especially in works of the Attic school, this savage characteristic is softened into a more youthful and graceful aspect.
This transformation or humanization of the Satyr appears throughout late Greek art. Another example of this shift occurs in the portrayal of Medusa and in that of the Amazon, characters who are traditionally depicted as barbaric and uncivilized. A very humanized Satyr is depicted in a work of Praxiteles known as the "Resting Satyr".
Older satyrs were known as sileni, the younger as satyrisci. The hare was the symbol of the shy and timid satyr. Greek spirits known as Calicantsars have a noticeable resemblance to the ancient satyrs; they have goats' ears and the feet of donkeys or goats, are covered with hair, and love women and the dance.
Although they are not mentioned by Homer, in a fragment of Hesiod's works they are called brothers of the mountain nymphs and Kuretes, strongly connected with the cult of Dionysus. In the Dionysus cult, male followers are known as satyrs and female followers as maenads or bacchants.
In Attica there was a species of drama known as the legends of gods and heroes, and the chorus was composed of satyrs and sileni. In the Athenian satyr plays of the 5th century BC, the chorus commented on the action. This "satyric drama" burlesqued the serious events of the mythic past with lewd pantomime and subversive mockery. One complete satyr play from the 5th century survives, the Cyclops of Euripides.
A papyrus bearing a long fragment of a satyr play by Sophocles, given the title 'Tracking Satyrs' (Ichneutae), was found at Oxyrhynchus in Egypt, 1907.

Satyr

2011-12-02T09:41:00.001-08:00

In Greek mythology, satyrs (UK /ˈsætər/, US /ˈseɪtər/)are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus — "satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing.
The satyrs' chief was Silenus, a minor deity associated (like Hermes and Priapus) with fertility. These characters can be found in the only complete remaining satyr play, Cyclops, by Euripides, and the fragments of Sophocles' Ichneutae (Tracking Satyrs). The satyr play was a short, lighthearted tailpiece performed after each trilogy of tragedies in Athenian festivals honoring Dionysus. There is not enough evidence to determine whether the satyr play regularly drew on the same myths as those dramatized in the tragedies that preceded. The groundbreaking tragic playwright Aeschylus is said to have been especially loved for his satyr plays, but none of them have survived.

Attic painted vases depict mature satyrs as being strongly built with flat noses, large pointed ears, long curly hair, and full beards, with wreaths of vine or ivy circling their balding heads. Satyrs often carry the thyrsus: the rod of Dionysus tipped with a pine cone.
Satyrs acquired their goat-like aspect through later Roman conflation with Faunus, a carefree Italic nature spirit of similar characteristics and identified with the Greek god Pan. Hence satyrs are most commonly described in Latin literature as having the upper half of a man and the lower half of a goat, with a goat's tail in place of the Greek tradition of horse-tailed satyrs; therefore, satyrs became nearly identical with fauns. Mature satyrs are often depicted in Roman art with goat's horns, while juveniles are often shown with bony nubs on their foreheads.
Satyrs are described as roguish but faint-hearted folk — subversive and dangerous, yet shy and cowardly. As Dionysiac creatures they are lovers of wine and women, and they are ready for every physical pleasure. They roam to the music of pipes (auloi), cymbals, castanets, and bagpipes, and they love to dance with the nymphs (with whom they are obsessed, and whom they often pursue), and have a special form of dance called sikinnis. Because of their love of wine, they are often represented holding wine cups, and they appear often in the decorations on wine cups.

Grim Reaper: Indo-European folklore / mythology

2011-11-28T20:23:00.001-08:00

Hellenic

Ancient Greece found Death to be inevitable, and, therefore, he is not represented as purely evil. He is often portrayed as a bearded and winged man, but has also been portrayed as a young boy. Death, or Thanatos, is the counterpart of life, death being represented as male, and life as female. He is the twin brother of Hypnos, the god of sleep. He is typically shown with his brother and is represented as being just and gentle. His job is to escort the deceased to the underworld, Hades. He then hands the dead over to Charon, who mans the boat that carries them over the river Acheron, which separates the land of the living from the land of the dead. It was believed that if the ferryman did not receive some sort of payment, the soul would not be delivered to the underworld and would be left by the riverside for a hundred years. Thanatos' sisters, the Keres, were the spirits of violent death. They were associated with deaths from battle, disease, accident, and murder. They were portrayed as evil, often feeding on the blood of the body after the soul had been escorted to Hades. They had fangs and talons, and would be dressed in bloody garments.

Celtic
Breton folklore shows us a spectral figure portending death, the Ankou. Usually the Ankou is the spirit of the last person that died within the community and appears as a tall, haggard figure with a wide hat and long white hair or a skeleton with a revolving head who sees everybody everywhere. The Ankou drives a deathly wagon or cart with a creaking axle. The cart or wagon is piled high with corpses and a stop at a cabin means instant death for those inside.

Poland
In Poland, Death, or Śmierć, has an appearance similar to the traditional Grim Reaper, but instead of a black robe, Death has a white robe.

Nordic
In Norway, Death is an old woman known by the name of Pesta, meaning "plague hag". She wore a black hood. She would go into a town carrying either a rake or a broom. If she brought the rake, some people would survive the plague, if she brought the broom however, everyone would die.

Baltic
Lithuanians named Death Giltinė, deriving from word gelti ("to sting"). Giltinė was viewed as an old, ugly woman with a long blue nose and a deadly poisonous tongue. The legend tells that Giltinė was young, pretty and communicative until she was trapped in a coffin for seven years. The goddess of death was a sister of the goddess of life and destiny, Laima, symbolizing the relationship between beginning and end.
Later, Lithuanians adopted the classic Grim Reaper with a scythe and black robe.

Hindu Scriptures
In Hindu scriptures, the lord of death is called Yama, or Yamaraj (literally "the lord of death"). Yamaraj rides a black buffalo and carries a rope lasso to carry the soul back to his abode, called "Yamalok"(the world of Yama - or the Underworld of the dead). There are many forms of reapers, although some say there is only one who disguises himself as a small child. His agents, the Yamaduts, carry souls back to Yamalok. There, all the accounts of a person's good and bad deeds are stored and maintained by Chitragupta. The balance of these deeds allows Yamaraj to decide where the soul has to reside in its next life, following the theory of reincarnation. Yama is also mentioned in the Mahabharata as a great philosopher and devotee of Supreme Brahman.
Yama is also known as Dharmaraj, or king of Dharma or justice. One interpretation is that justice is served equally to all whether they are alive or dead, based on their karma or fate. This is further strengthened by the idea that Yudhishtra, the eldest of the pandavas and considered as the personification of justice, was born due to Kunti's prayers to Yamaraj.
Buddhist scriptures also mention Yama or Yamaraj, much in the similar way.

Grim Reaper

2011-11-28T20:17:00.001-08:00

The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood. It is also given the name of the Angel of Death or Devil of Death or the angel of dark and light (Malach HaMavet) stemming from the Bible. The Bible itself does not refer to "The Angel of Death;" there is, however, a reference to "Abaddon" (The Destroyer), an Angel whose true identity is a mystery, as is the identity of "The Angel of the Abyss".
In some cases, the Grim Reaper is able to actually cause the victim's death,leading to tales that he can be bribed, tricked, or outwitted in order to retain one's life, such as in the case of Sisyphus. Other beliefs hold that the Spectre of Death is only a psychopomp, serving to sever the last ties between the soul and the body and to guide the deceased to the next world without having any control over the fact of the victim's death. In many languages (including English), Death is personified in male form, while in others, it is perceived as a female character

Basilisk Mythology

2011-11-28T20:02:00.000-08:00

Basilisk mythology describes this "king of serpents" as a reptilian creature with sometimes rooster-like qualities who is famous for its ability to kill with a single glance. Like its bird-lizard cousin, the Cockatrice, basilisks are said to be born from a union of serpents and roosters. Pliny the Elder pretty much creates basilisk mythology altogether in his work "Natural History" from 79 A.D. He describes a "serpent called the basilisk" of which "all who behold its eyes, fall dead upon the spot".

The basilisk] is produced in the province of Cyrene, being not more than twelve fingers in length. It has a white spot on the head, strongly resembling a sort of a diadem. When it hisses, all the other serpents fly from it: and it does not advance its body, like the others, by a succession of folds, but moves along upright and erect upon the middle. It destroys all shrubs, not only by its contact, but those even that it has breathed upon; it burns up all the grass too, and breaks the stones, so tremendous is its noxious influence. It was formerly a general belief that if a man on horseback killed one of these animals with a spear, the poison would run up the weapon and kill, not only the rider, but the horse as well. To this dreadful monster the effluvium of the weasel is fatal, a thing that has been tried with success, for kings have often desired to see its body when killed; so true is it that it has pleased Nature that there should be nothing without its antidote. The animal is thrown into the hole of the basilisk, which is easily known from the soil around it being infected. The weasel destroys the basilisk by its odour, but dies itself in this struggle of nature against its own self.

Not A Werewolf !!!!

2011-11-24T02:19:00.001-08:00

<--------------- NOT A WEREWOLF

Numerous books, articles, documentaries and even a film have been made about real werewolves – people who have what has become known as Human Werewolf Syndrome.

Excessive amounts of hair cover the entire body, most notably the face, causing the sufferer to take on a werewolf-like appearance BE NOT A WEREWOLF SO NO SILVER BULLETS ( OK )

2011-11-24T01:24:00.001-08:00

There are a few different ways to become a werewolf.
Becoming a werewolf, though, is a decision that must be thought out well ahead of time, if at all possible. Some methods of becoming a werewolf are more dangerous than others, and life after transformation may not be what you expect.
If you haven't yet, please read the primer on Becoming A Werewolf. It will give you all of the information you need to make an educated decision on whether or not lycanthropy is right for you.
That said, let's get to it. There are three ways to become a werewolf:

Be born to parents with werewolf genetics

Be bitten by a werewolf

Be "cursed"

Growing Up Werewolf

I suppose it's a bit of a misnomer putting this in "Ways to Become a Werewolf", since if you aren't already born this way you can't do anything about it. Technically, though, it is a valid option, so I guess it stays.
In order to be born with the genetic ability to become a werewolf (known formally as "Genetic Lycanthropy"), both parents have to have the werewolf gene to pass on to their child, though neither parent necessarily has to be a werewolf themselves.

For a better understanding of how this works, I've prepared a Primer on Werewolf Genetics that will give you a detailed, scientific explanation of how exactly a child can be born a werewolf.
Those born with genetic lycanthropy are not werewolves right out of the womb. A human with the genetic structure will not begin the werewolf transformation until sometime in late puberty. This can be greatly beneficial to the child, as it has a better chance of survival in society in its human form. Of course, if the human doesn't know they will become a werewolf, this can understandably come as quite a shock.
When genetic werewolves begin to transform, they do so in a very similar way to bitten werewolves or cursed werewolves. They begin as more man beast, then over time reach the form of a pure wolf after transformation.

Being Bitten

A human that was born without genetic lycanthropy isn't yet out of the werewolf game. There are still two other ways to become a werewolf, the most common being through a werewolf bite.
Much like vampires, werewolves carry a bacteria in their bodies that is toxic to humans. It is this bacteria that can cause the human body to be capable of werewolf transformation.
Unlike vampires, werewolves don't carry a significant amount of this bacteria in their bloodstream. At least not the strains that can infect a human. Werewolves almost exclusively carry the infectious bacteria in their saliva. Thus, when a human is bitten by a werewolf, there is a good chance that the saliva will enter the human's blood stream where the bacteria can do its work.
If you are bitten and don't want to become a werewolf, it is best to begin an antibiotic treatment as soon as possible. Success rates are not great with antibiotics, but they are the only known way to possibly kill the bacteria.
Following a bite, the bacteria strain will begin duplicating itself immediately in the human bloodstream. The process takes roughly six to nine weeks to fully integrate the human cells. During this time the human may experience insomnia, headaches, and flu-like symptoms, but will not show any external signs of werewolfism.
Once the bacteria has fully integrated with the cells, the human will become a werewolf, and as such will experience transformation each night from that point forward.

The Werewolf Curse

Of the three ways to become a werewolf, the curse is by far the most rare. In fact, we know very little about it other than that it exists.

The first werewolf was created by this curse, so we know that the original deity that created the curse has the ability to give it to others.

Some later tribal legends suggest that the original werewolf, Matchitehew, was able to bestow this curse onto others, and though it is clear that he did so without biting people, it is not totally clear if he could "cast" the werewolf curse onto them directly.
There are myths of black magic spells to transform people into werewolves, but again, the only one I have seen that works with the rest of werewolf mythology is the story of the original curse.

How To Become A Werewolf

2011-11-24T01:15:00.001-08:00

I'll give a quick recap. What many people today think of as a "werewolf" is actually a "shapeshifter". Some shapeshifters turn exclusively into wolves from human form, but these are not actual werewolves. These shapeshifter-wolves have become popularly known as "werewolves" because of the Twilight book series. If it's this kind of creature you want to become, I'm afraid you are probably out of luck. Most shapeshifters (wolves included) are born that way genetically. You either have it or you don't, and most of us don't. A bite from a shapeshifter won't make you a shapeshifter, it will just be a bite.

There is a single exception, though. Navajo mythology discusses a being known as a "Skinwalker", who in most cases is a human who has learned how to magically transform themself into an animal by wearing the animal's skin. Skinwalkers are typically considered to be evil, and becoming one takes a great deal of sacrifice and a deep knowledge of ancient mystical arts.
Real werewolfism is a curse. Those afflicted have little to no control over their actions when in wolf form and little to no control over their transformations. Of course, there is an exception to this rule as well in rare cases of Human Werewolf Syndrome, wherein werewolves in wolf form maintain their human consciousness. This rare condition is believed, though, to only occur in cases where a werewolf child is born to werewolf parents.

What Are Werewolves?

2011-11-21T07:45:00.001-08:00

There is a bit of a disagreement among mythologists as to what really constitutes a werewolf. I'll break it down into the three distinct creatures that are all known by this name.

1. The Shapeshifter Wolf

Fans of the Twilight series will recognize this type of "werewolf". Like the character Jacob Black and certain other members of the Quileute tribe, the shapeshifter wolf has the ability to change form at any time. This is believed to have been the original power of the first werewolf before it was taken away. The shapeshifter wolf can transform from human form to wolf form at will, though aggressive energy or anger may increase the likelihood of causing an unintentional transformation. The shapeshifter wolves considered "werewolves" can only change from human to wolf form, though "pure" shapeshifters can transform from human form to any other animal form, including a wolf. It is believed that all shapeshifters are born into this ability, and one cannot be transformed into a shapeshifter by the bite from the creature. The exception to this is the Navajo Skinwalker, which is not a true shapeshifter, but a witch using an animal hide to transform.

2. The Wolfman

Many "werewolf" stories, including sightings of the legendary Bray Road Beast, describe a creature that is physically a combination of a wolf and a man. This mutant wolf-man typically has a mostly human-shaped body, stands on two legs, but is covered in wolf hair and has claws and fangs. The Wolfman is often called a "werewolf" because in many legends this creature is believed to share many of the traits of the werewolf "curse". Depending on the legend, some wolfmen are humans by day and wolf-men by night while others are in their duel human/wolf form at all times. I believe the generally accepted theory is that one begins by transforming from human to wolfman on full moons only, then over time it increases to every night, and eventually the body settles into a pure wolfman form at all times. The degree to which a wolfman can control his mind and emotions also degrades as these transformations become more permanent.

3. The True Werewolf

A true "werewolf", according to most legends, is a human being that uncontrollably transforms into a wolf during a full moon. The original werewolf curse transformed a Shapeshifter Wolf into a Werewolf, effectively taking away the ability to control the shift but also taking away the ability to think as a human while in wolf form. Werewolves, when in wolf form, have uncontrollable rage and hunger. They are driven to kill everyone and everything they encounter, regardless of their relationship as humans. The curse causes these wolves to lose all control of their minds, and when they wake up in human form in the morning, they don't remember anything (though they may revisit certain memories in dreams). It is this form of werewolf that can transfer their condition through a bite, assuming of course that the human being bitten survives the attack.

Werewolves

2011-11-21T07:39:00.001-08:00

Werewolves are one of legend's most fearsome creatures. Part man and part wolf, the werewolf is large, mean, and often out of control.
As only a few mythical creatures can claim, werewolves have been described throughout different parts of the world for centuries. Stories of men going on murderous rampages in the form of an evil wolf were recorded as early as the late 1500s in France and Germany.
We've been able to trace the history of the werewolf back to early Native American legends, yet the werewolf appears in legends all over the world.In the last century, several werewolf sightings have been recorded. Many of them have taken place in Wisconsin, where the origins of werewolves are believed to have begun.
As myth's greatest monsters are able to do, the werewolf legend has spread across borders, even across seas and oceans. Vicious animal attacks have been reported for centuries, yet during the day no one can find a trace of the creatures responsible. Those who study mythology have long known that few creatures have the power, speed, and mindless slaughtering propensity the way that werewolves do.
Before we delve into the details of these fearsome and powerful creatures, it is important that we first clear up the confusion about what a "werewolf" actually is.

Vlad III Dracula

2011-11-17T08:13:00.001-08:00

<---------- His name Vlad III Dracula he lived Sighișoara, Transylvania people call him the 1st vampir to live. The Monster
Fact is NO he was a man that take keeping his peopl save to a new place to say a little on that but Vlad the 3rd Dracula was never a vampir. MORE ON HIM COMING SOON ON MONSTERS FACTS RADIO
GO TO BLOGTALKRADIO.COM AND SEARCH MONSTERS FACTS

Collective noun-Vampires

2011-11-17T08:09:00.001-08:00

Coven' has been used as a collective noun for vampires, possibly based on the Wiccan usage. An alternative collective noun is a 'house' of vampires. David Malki, author of Wondermark, suggests in Wondermark #566 the use of the collective noun 'basement', as in "A basement of vampires."Origins of vampire beliefs

Le Vampire, lithograph by R. de Moraine in Féval (1851–1852).
Commentators have offered many theories for the origins of vampire beliefs, trying to explain the superstition - and sometimes mass hysteria - caused by vampires. Everything ranging from premature burial to the early ignorance of the body's decomposition cycle after death has been cited as the cause for the belief in vampires.
Slavic spiritualism
Although many cultures possess revenant superstitions comparable to the Eastern European vampire, the Slavic vampire is the revenant superstition that pervades popular culture's concept of vampire. The roots of vampire belief in Slavic culture are based to a large extent in the spiritual beliefs and practices of pre-Christianized Slavic peoples and their understanding of life after death. Despite a lack of pre-Christian Slavic writings describing the details of the "Old Religion", many pagan spiritual beliefs and rituals have been sustained by Slavic peoples even after their lands were Christianized. Examples of such beliefs and practices include ancestor worship, household spirits, and beliefs about the soul after death. The origins of vampire beliefs in Slavic regions can be traced to the complex structure of Slavic spiritualism.

Demons and spirits served important functions in pre-industrial Slavic societies and were considered to be very interactive in the lives and domains of humans. Some spirits were benevolent and could be helpful in human tasks, others were harmful and often destructive. Examples of such spirits are Domovoi, Rusalka, Vila, Kikimora, Poludnitsa, and Vodyanoy. These spirits were also considered to be derived from ancestors or certain deceased humans. Such spirits could appear at will in various forms including that of different animals or human form. Some of these spirits could also participate in malevolent activity to harm humans, such as drowning humans, obstructing the harvest, or sucking the blood of livestock and sometimes humans. Hence, the Slavs were obliged to appease these spirits to prevent the spirits from their potential for erratic and destructive behaviour.

Common Slavic belief indicates a stark distinction between soul and body. The soul is not considered to be perishable. The Slavs believed that upon death the soul would go out of the body and wander about its neighbourhood and workplace for 40 days before moving on to an eternal afterlife.

Because of this, it was considered necessary to leave a window or door open in the house for the soul to pass through at its leisure. During this time the soul was believed to have the capability of re-entering the corpse of the deceased. Much like the spirits mentioned earlier, the passing soul could either bless or wreak havoc on its family and neighbours during its 40 days of passing. Upon an individual's death, much stress was placed on proper burial rites to ensure the soul's purity and peace as it separated from the body. The death of an unbaptized child, a violent or an untimely death, or the death of a grievous sinner (such as a sorcerer or murderer) were all grounds for a soul to become unclean after death. A soul could also be made unclean if its body were not given a proper burial. Alternatively, a body not given a proper burial could be susceptible to possession by other unclean souls and spirits. Slavs feared unclean souls because of their potential for taking vengeance.

From these deeply implicated beliefs pertaining to death and the soul derives the invention of the Slavic concept of vampir. A vampire is the manifestation of an unclean spirit possessing a decomposing body. This undead creature is considered to be vengeful and jealous towards the living and needing the blood of the living to sustain its body's existence.
Although this concept of vampire exists in slightly deviating forms throughout Slavic countries and some of their non-Slavic neighbours, it is possible to trace the development of vampire belief to Slavic spiritualism pre-existing Christianity in Slavic regions.

Modern vampire beliefs

2011-11-17T08:04:00.001-08:00

In modern fiction, the vampire tends to be depicted as a suave, charismatic villain. Despite the general disbelief in vampiric entities, occasional sightings of vampires are reported. Indeed, vampire hunting societies still exist, although they are largely formed for social reasons. Allegations of vampire attacks swept through the African country of Malawi during late 2002 and early 2003, with mobs stoning one individual to death and attacking at least four others, including Governor Eric Chiwaya, based on the belief that the government was colluding with vampires.
In early 1970 local press spread rumours that a vampire haunted Highgate Cemetery in London. Amateur vampire hunters flocked in large numbers to the cemetery. Several books have been written about the case, notably by Sean Manchester, a local man who was among the first to suggest the existence of the "Highgate Vampire" and who later claimed to have exorcised and destroyed a whole nest of vampires in the area. In January 2005, rumours circulated that an attacker had bitten a number of people in Birmingham, England, fuelling concerns about a vampire roaming the streets. However, local police stated that no such crime had been reported and that the case appears to be an urban legend.

In 2006, a physics professor at the University of Central Florida wrote a paper arguing that it is mathematically impossible for vampires to exist, based on geometric progression. According to the paper, if the first vampire had appeared on January 1, 1600, and it fed once a month (which is less often than what is depicted in films and folklore), and every victim turned into a vampire, then within two and a half years the entire human population of the time would have become vampires. The paper made no attempt to address the credibility of the assumption that every vampire victim would turn into a vampire.

In one of the more notable cases of vampiric entities in the modern age, the chupacabra ("goat-sucker") of Puerto Rico and Mexico is said to be a creature that feeds upon the flesh or drinks the blood of domesticated animals, leading some to consider it a kind of vampire. The "chupacabra hysteria" was frequently associated with deep economic and political crises, particularly during the mid-1990s.

In Europe, where much of the vampire folklore originates, the vampire is considered a fictitious being, although many communities have embraced the revenant for economic purposes. In some cases, especially in small localities, vampire superstition is still rampant and sightings or claims of vampire attacks occur frequently. In Romania during February 2004, several relatives of Toma Petre feared that he had become a vampire. They dug up his corpse, tore out his heart, burned it, and mixed the ashes with water in order to drink it.

Vampirism and the Vampire lifestyle also represent a relevant part of modern day's occultist movements. The mythos of the vampire, his magickal qualities, allure, and predatory archetype express a strong symbolism that can be used in ritual, energy work, and magick, and can even be adopted as a spiritual system. The vampire has been part of the occult society in Europe for centuries and has spread into the American sub-culture as well for more than a decade, being strongly influenced by and mixed with the neo gothic aesthetics.

Asia-Vampires

2011-11-17T07:57:00.001-08:00

Rooted in older folklore, the modern belief in vampires spread throughout Asia with tales of ghoulish entities from the mainland, to vampiric beings from the islands of Southeast Asia.South Asia also developed other vampiric legends. The Bhūta or Prét is the soul of a man who died an untimely death. It wanders around animating dead bodies at night, attacking the living much like a ghoul. In northern India, there is the BrahmarākŞhasa, a vampire-like creature with a head encircled by intestines and a skull from which it drank blood. The figure of the Vetāla who appears in South Asian legend and story may sometimes be rendered as "Vampire" (see the section on "Ancient Beliefs" above).

Although vampires have appeared in Japanese cinema since the late 1950s, the folklore behind it is western in origin. However, the Nukekubi is a being whose head and neck detach from its body to fly about seeking human prey at night.

Legends of female vampire-like beings who can detach parts of their upper body also occur in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. There are two main vampire-like creatures in the Philippines: the Tagalog mandurugo ("blood-sucker") and the Visayan manananggal ("self-segmenter"). The mandurugo is a variety of the aswang that takes the form of an attractive girl by day, and develops wings and a long, hollow, thread-like tongue by night. The tongue is used to suck up blood from a sleeping victim. The manananggal is described as being an older, beautiful woman capable of severing its upper torso in order to fly into the night with huge bat-like wings and prey on unsuspecting, sleeping pregnant women in their homes. They use an elongated proboscis-like tongue to suck fetuses from these pregnant women. They also prefer to eat entrails (specifically the heart and the liver) and the phlegm of sick people.

The Malaysian Penanggalan may be either a beautiful old or young woman who obtained her beauty through the active use of black magic or other unnatural means, and is most commonly described in local folklore to be dark or demonic in nature. She is able to detach her fanged head which flies around in the night looking for blood, typically from pregnant women. Malaysians would hang jeruju (thistles) around the doors and windows of houses, hoping the Penanggalan would not enter for fear of catching its intestines on the thorns. The Leyak is a similar being from Balinese folklore. A Kuntilanak or Matianak in Indonesia, or Pontianak or Langsuir in Malaysia, is a woman who died during childbirth and became undead, seeking revenge and terrorizing villages. She appeared as an attractive woman with long black hair that covered a hole in the back of her neck, with which she sucked the blood of children. Filling the hole with her hair would drive her off. Corpses had their mouths filled with glass beads, eggs under each armpit, and needles in their palms to prevent them from becoming langsuir.

Jiang Shi (simplified Chinese: 僵尸; traditional Chinese: 僵屍 or 殭屍; pinyin: jiāngshī; literally "stiff corpse"), sometimes called "Chinese vampires" by Westerners, are reanimated corpses that hop around, killing living creatures to absorb life essence (qì) from their victims. They are said to be created when a person's soul (魄 pò) fails to leave the deceased's body. However, some have disputed the comparison of jiang shi with vampires, as jiang shi are usually mindless creatures with no independent thought. One unusual feature of this monster is its greenish-white furry skin, perhaps derived from fungus or mould growing on corpses.
Modern beliefs