Category: Creatures

Article by Rebecca
Image by Will Hobbs (www.sirwilliamwesley.com)

A beautiful young maiden, forlorn, jumps into the Rhine to meet her death. Now a beautiful women lures men to their deaths in that location. It is the stuff of urban legends, it’s the stuff of fairy tales, it’s Lorelei.

As the stories say, once a beautiful maiden had given her heart to a sailor, or a knight depending on who is telling the tale. The maiden’s name was Lorelei and she was beautiful in only the way maidens of folk tales can be. Lorelei dutifully awaited her love’s return, sitting on this giant rock along the Rhine weeping and praying for his safety. However, he did not return and in utter despair, Lorelei leapt into the Rhine.

Now there is a creature that lures men to their deaths at that exact rock. A beautiful woman sits atop that rock and brushes her hair and singing bewitching songs, much the way of the Sirens of Greek legend. Is it Lorelei?

There is a tale of an attempt to kill Lorelei, you know now that she’s dead and making with the vengeful spirit kind of thing. Once, the son of a Prince’s boat was destroyed and he drowned due to Lorelei. The Prince, distraught, looked for men brave enough to face Lorelei. One man was. He gathered a small group of loyal men and they set out to destroy Lorelei in retribution for their Prince.

The band of men surrounded the Lorelei rock in such a way to prevent her from fleeing along the land. As they closed in, they saw the beautiful Lorelei sitting binding her wet hair. The man explained they were there to kill her and cast her into the Rhine. Lorelei explained she was not at fault for the death of the Prince’s son, and that she would not go to the Rhine, but that it would come to her. Entranced by her beauty, the men paused. Lorelei used that opportunity to call forth the Rhine. It came up to her in a whirlwind and swept her off to safety. The men, realizing how fortunate they were that she fled decided to never again attempt to capture or kill Lorelei.

Cool legend right? Is Lorelei a ghost, a woman, a creature? How about a rock? That’s right folks; let me introduce you to another side of Lorelei.

Lorelei, or sometimes called Loreley, is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine. This soaring rock is at the narrowest point of the river where there are very strong currents. Thanks to that and rocks below the water line many boats have accidents there. The strong currents and a small waterfall area create a murmuring sound. People say that the name Loreley comes from the German words lureln and ley, which roughly means murmuring rock or murmur rock.

Now you have a chicken or the egg kind of thing happening. Which came first, the maiden or the rock? The rock is definitely there now, but no one knows for sure if Lorelei inhabits the rock or not. Those of you who know me, know that I tend to like to believe these creatures are out there, somewhere, but in this particular instance, not so much. I hope Lorelei is just a dangerous rock, and that the legendary maiden so closely associated it with isn’t there. I hope she’s at peace.

Article by Rebecca
Image by Will Hobbs (www.sirwilliamwesley.com)

The swamps of Africa can easily be described as inaccessible. The ground is soft, and people sink trying walk. The area is layered with vines and brush, adding more difficulty to movement. There are disease-harboring insects, and the locals do not welcome strangers. Why would any man travel there? To answer the siren’s call of the kongamato.

The kongamato is sometimes referred to as “overwhelmer of boats.” It is a giant bird or bat-like thing that terrorizes the locals of the sub-Saharan continent of Africa. It is described as a sort of flying lizard, with a wingspan of 3-3 ½ feet. The kongamato is black or red, with a pointed snout, or beak, filled with sharp teeth. It’s frequently described as looking like a pterodactyl. This description occurs so often that some people toy with the idea that it is actually a surviving pterosaur, a class of prehistoric animals that includes the pterodactyl. Other people say that perhaps it’s a giant bat. Yet, more people suggest that the kongamato is actually a stork of some kind. Since many sightings occur at dusk, the light obviously effects how they perceive the creature. No matter what you say the kongamato is, it is safe to say “big flying thing.”

Now you may be asking, okay Rebecca, who answered the call of the kongamato? Not all of these people went out specifically looking for the creature, but once presented with the kongamato, it became what their trip was about.

The kongamato made its debut in Frank H. Melland’s 1923 book “Witchbound Africa”. He presented locals with a picture of a pterodactyl, which they immediately identified as the kongamato. In 1925 British journalist G. Ward Price and the future Duke of Windsor traveled to Southern Rhodesia. While there, they heard about local attacks made by the kongamato, stories that they shared upon their return to Britain. Captain Charles Pitman wrote in his 1942 book “A Game Warden Takes Stock” about a large pterodactyl-like creature that existed in the swamps. Dr. J.L.B. Smith investigated the kongamato in the 1950’s to include them in his book “Old Fourlegs” which was about flying dragons. In 1956 J.P.F. Brown, an engineer, reported that two prehistoric looking creatures were flying over head while he was in Northern Rhodesia. This was well publicized in the papers of the time. Obviously there have been more sightings and stories in and amongst all these times. That’s all history Rebecca, old news.

Well is 1988 recent enough for you? University of Chicago biologist Roy Mackal was so intrigued by the history of the kongamato that he packed up and headed to Nambia in the summer of ’88 to investigate. He collected many stories while he was there, but unfortunately left without seeing one. One member of his group stayed behind, and he did report that he saw a giant black glider.

After everything is said and done, there is no proof of the kongamato. No photos or specimens. Perhaps the kongamato is just a folk tale, something tribesmen tell each other about to keep them from wandering too close to the water at night. The African equivalent of the urban legend. It could be that it is, in fact, the lone surviving pterosaur. Will we ever know? Probably not. Will people keep looking? Yes, they will, and that, for me is the real story.

by Rebecca

Many creatures of folklore embody a balance of good and evil. For instance, the Domovoi that we discussed in issue one would help around the house, but if you ticked him off, he might kill you while you slept. See, good and evil, I am not going to give you the percentages  (30% good, 70% evil). It is why I’m fascinated with the Nuckelavee; it’s bad to the bone! Moreover, since it’s skinless you can really tell!

The Nuckelavee hails from Scottish lore. It is a member of the Fuath family, the Fuath are water spirits. Let me tell you, this thing is evil through and through.  We’ll start from the outside in.

You could describe the Nuckelavee as an aquatic centaur, but that does not really do it justice. It is generally described as a mix of horse and man, like a centaur, but unlike the traditional centaur, its legs are part fin. The Nuckelavee’s head is human shaped, like the centaur’s, but larger with a wide mouth that sticks out like a pig’s snout. Instead of two eyes, the Nuckelavee only has one that is huge and bloodshot. Sometimes the eye is described as flaming. It is muscular and strong, just like a centaur. Nasty, right? Well get this, it is skinless. That’s right, it is hairless and skinless. You can see the Nuckelavee’s black blood as it courses through the yellowed veins of its muscles. To quote Cleveland from The Family Guy, “That’s just nasty.”

All right, it’s ugly as sin, but I’m sure it’s not all bad. Guess again. The Nuckelavee’s breath is deadly. If it breathes on an animal, it could very well die immediately, the same with plants. The Nuckelavee is blamed for crops that fail from sea winds, and for livestock that would fall over high rocks near the shore.  At no point have I read of a Nuckelavee doing anything that did not result in destruction, disease, or death. See, bad to the bone!

What now? How do I avoid this bad boy? For starters, do not burn seaweed to make kelp. The pungent smell this creates drives the Nuckelavee to utter vengeful madness. You know, all that killing crops and such is it on a good day! Important tip, the Nuckelavee cannot cross running water. It also cannot abide fresh water. The well informed traveler in the Scottish Isles carries a bottle of spring water on their person, just in case. Also, since the Nukelavee is a member of the Fuath family, cold steel will kill it.

See kids, sometimes you can judge a book by its cover! Ugly on the outside, ugly on the inside; that’s the Nuckelavee.

by Rebecca

I like Scooby Doo.  I enjoy all the flavors of Scooby Doo except for ones that involve Scrappy Doo.  That little runt bothers me.  Now that you know that you’ll understand how it came to be that late one evening I was snuggled in bed watching an episode of “What’s New Scooby Doo?” the latest “hip” version of the Scooby Doo animated franchise.  This particular episode was entitled “The Fast and the Wormious”.  It was set in the southwest where Scooby and the gang had entered into a big deal off road desert race.  Of course, an episode of Scooby Doo is not complete without it’s monster and in this case, it was a giant earthworm.  Obviously by the end of the episode it’s revealed that worm is in fact a piece of high end technology that one of the geek racers developed in an elaborate plot to impress Velma.  I told you this was the hip version.  Thus, is the land of cartoons.

Now what would you say if I told you that there may in fact BE a giant earthworm?  Real enough to have been in the “American Journal of Science”!  In “Nature” too!  Of course this was in the mid to late 1800s.  To those of you curious seekers I give to you the Minhocao.

The Minhocao had been sighted in South America from the 1840s up to the late 1800s.  Generally, it is described as, well, a giant earthworm.  A giant earthworm about 80 feet long with two stalks coming from its top end covered in black scales.  Put THAT on your fishing hook and see what you catch!  The name Minhocao comes from the Portuguese word minhocar, which means earthworm.

Now some theorized that it was actually a Glyptodont…a now extinct giant armadillo.  That is what the writer for “Nature” thought!  Others suggest that it is a giant Caecilian, a worm like amphibian native to South America.

Writers tell me that it cannot be a giant earthworm.  Earthworms just do not get that big.  Although they can get up to 12 feet long in Australia!  In addition, earthworms are not traditionally described as an aggressive creature, and the Minhocao had been considered the culprit behind attacks on people and property.

Me, I believe in Minhocao on principle.  Out there, alone in the magical depths of the South American rainforest the Minhocao reigns supreme, another example of the wonders and mysteries that can exist in lands still untouched by the modern Western world.  A proud symbol of that which cannot be tamed.  That’s it…a noble giant earthworm.

by Rebecca

Want a little help around the house?  Why not try attracting one of these little guys?  The worst that could happen is only death!  Seriously, this month we are discussing the Domovoi, the helpful little house spirits found primarily in Slavic folklore.

The Domovoi are house spirits.  They are viewed as protectors of the home and sometimes even help with chores (ala the shoemaker’s elves).  The Russians acknowledge its guardian aspect so much that they call their Domovoi “Grandfather” behind its back.

Domovoi are rarely seen.  Most often when seen they are mistaken as a family pet skittering from one spot to another.  Some stories speak of the Domovoi as a shapeshifter that can change its appearance to mimic that of the master of the house.  Frequently in Russian folktales they are described as elderly men with beards, the Slavic tradition has them as small friendly old men sometimes covered in hair, and most impressively the Polish say they resemble the male head of family living or dead.

The favorite place for these guys to live is either the threshold under the door or under the stove.  When a new house is constructed, homeowners can attract Domovoi by placing a piece of bread down before the stove is put in.

So, you have a Domovoi…now what?  Proper respect must be paid to your little household helper.  They enjoy salted bread wrapped in white cloth (sodium and carbs, they’re smart little guys), laying out white linen to invite him to eat with the family, and old shoes in the yard are all things that help keep your new friend happy.  In addition, great care should be taken when choosing live stock or household pets.  Animals they like they treat with great care (traditionally caring for livestock) but if they take a dislike to any animal they will take great glee in tormenting the animal.

A properly run house keeps your Domovoi happy, which is good because the Domovoi can act as an oracle for your home and family.  If your Domovoi is playing music on a comb there very well could be a wedding in the near future.  A warm friendly touch always signals good fortune.  If he shows himself, it’s a warning of death, and if he is weeping then it will be a death in the family.  A cold touch at night from him might be a warning of your own impending death.

Now before you go, these guys are great why wouldn’t every home want to attract one keep this Russian folktale in mind:

The Domovoi are well known for braiding the manes of horses.  Well one Domovoi took to braiding a maiden’s hair each night.  Her hair always looked lovely despite the fact that she didn’t even own a comb!  He told her to never unbraid her hair and to never get married.  However, like all lovely maiden’s of folklore she decided to marry and to comb out her long hair.  On the morning of her wedding the bride was found dead.

Although helpful bear in mind that Domovoi are known to cause death in those they feel have wronged them by choking them with their hands or sitting on their chest until they suffocate.  No wonder why some tales speak of the Domovoi as if they are fallen angels!

Holy crap!  I have a Domovoi but now that I have read that I don’t want him!  What do I do?  Well my friend, you may be stuck.  You are better off seeking his goodwill and protection but you can try to disarm him with offerings of kasha, juniper, and tobacco.  If you have one and are moving, do the next guy a favor and formally invite your Domovoi to move with you and your family.  If you do not he will avenge himself on the departed family as well as the new one.

Overall Domovoi are pretty good guys to have around.  They are helpful members of the household, just be sure to treat them as such or else…