After the Seven Seals have been opened and the Seven Trumpets sounded, seven angels come forth and are each given a vial containing a plague.
The First Vial is poured out over the earth, sending “a noisome and grievous sore” that will affect only those bearing the Mark of the Beast.
The Second Vial is taken and poured into the seas of the world. Thereafter, the water “becomes as the blood of a dead man” and all living creatures in the seas perish.
The Third Vial is poured into the rivers and fountains and turns those waters into blood, as well. At this point, the “angel of waters” cries out that God is righteous and as given unto those who shed blood, blood to drink.
The Fourth Vial is taken and its contents are poured over the sun. A great plague of heat then sweeps across the planet, scorching those who bear the Mark of the Beast and blaspheme the name of God.
The Fifth Vial is poured out on “the seat of the beast” and darkness spread through his kingdom. This darkness is so oppressive that it causes physical pain in those it affects. It is unclear if this darkness will affect only the Antichrist’s capital or the entire planet.
The Sixth Vial is emptied into the Euphrates River. The water therein is dried up so “that the way of the kings of the east be prepared”. The armies are raised and brought “together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon”.
The Seventh Vial is poured out into the air and a great voice comes forth from the temple in Jerusalem and says, “It is done”. This is followed by either a multitude of earthquakes, or one worldwide quake that levels all mountains into the seas. After, there come hailstorms and massive lightning strikes.
Sources:
Holy Bible, Book of Revelation, Chapter 16: 1-21; King James Version
Thursday, May 1, 2008
History of Backmasking
In 1877, Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, a device that allowed sound to be recorded and reproduced on a rotating cylinder with a stylus attached to a diaphragm mounted at the narrow end of a horn. Emile Berliner invented the lateral-cut disc phonograph record in 1888. His design became more popular than the Edison phonograph around the 1920's, since Berliner's patent expired in 1918. This allowed others to use his invention for their own purposes.
In addition to recreating recorded sounds by placing the stylus on the cylinder or disc and rotating it in the same direction as during the recording, you can hear different sounds by merely spinning the disc in the opposite direction. In 1878 Edison noted that, when played backwards, "the song is still melodious in many cases, and some of the strains are sweet and novel, but altogether different from the song reproduced in the right way." The backwards playing of records was suggested as training for magicians by the occultist known as Aleister Crowley. His 1913 book Magick (Book 4), alluded to the fact that an adept can "train himself to think backwards by external means." This included listening to phonograph records in reverse.
The 1950's saw the development of musique concrete, an avant-garde form of electronic music which utilizes editing together fragments of natural and industrial sounds, and the coetaneous spread of the use of tape recorders in recording studios. These trends led to tape music compositions, done on tape with techniques including reverse tape effects.
The Beatles, who included the techniques of musique concrete into their recordings, were known for popularizing the idea of backmasking. Singer John Lennon and producer George Martin both claim they discovered the backward recording technique during the recording of 1966's Revolver; more specifically the songs "Tomorrow Never Knows," "I'm Only Sleeping," and the single "Rain." Lennon stated that, while under the influence of marijuana, he accidentally played the tapes for "Rain" in reverse, and enjoyed the sound. The next day he shared the results with the other members of the band, and the effect was used first in the guitar solo for "Tomorrow Never Knows," and later in the coda of "Rain." According to Martin, the band had been testing altering the speeds of and reversing the "Tomorrow Never Knows" tapes, and Martin got the idea of reversing Lennon's vocals and guitar, which he did with a clip from "Rain." Lennon liked the effect so much he decided to keep it. Regardless, "Rain" was the very first song to include a backmasked message.
Sources: Wikipedia article on Backmasking
In addition to recreating recorded sounds by placing the stylus on the cylinder or disc and rotating it in the same direction as during the recording, you can hear different sounds by merely spinning the disc in the opposite direction. In 1878 Edison noted that, when played backwards, "the song is still melodious in many cases, and some of the strains are sweet and novel, but altogether different from the song reproduced in the right way." The backwards playing of records was suggested as training for magicians by the occultist known as Aleister Crowley. His 1913 book Magick (Book 4), alluded to the fact that an adept can "train himself to think backwards by external means." This included listening to phonograph records in reverse.
The 1950's saw the development of musique concrete, an avant-garde form of electronic music which utilizes editing together fragments of natural and industrial sounds, and the coetaneous spread of the use of tape recorders in recording studios. These trends led to tape music compositions, done on tape with techniques including reverse tape effects.
The Beatles, who included the techniques of musique concrete into their recordings, were known for popularizing the idea of backmasking. Singer John Lennon and producer George Martin both claim they discovered the backward recording technique during the recording of 1966's Revolver; more specifically the songs "Tomorrow Never Knows," "I'm Only Sleeping," and the single "Rain." Lennon stated that, while under the influence of marijuana, he accidentally played the tapes for "Rain" in reverse, and enjoyed the sound. The next day he shared the results with the other members of the band, and the effect was used first in the guitar solo for "Tomorrow Never Knows," and later in the coda of "Rain." According to Martin, the band had been testing altering the speeds of and reversing the "Tomorrow Never Knows" tapes, and Martin got the idea of reversing Lennon's vocals and guitar, which he did with a clip from "Rain." Lennon liked the effect so much he decided to keep it. Regardless, "Rain" was the very first song to include a backmasked message.
Sources: Wikipedia article on Backmasking
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
The Seven Trumpets
After the half hour silence is over, the seven angels will sound their trumpets in succession.
The First Trumpet, when sounded, brings forth a storm of hail and fire "mingled with blood". In this storm, a third of the earth's tree will be consumed in the fire along with all the grass.
The Second Trumpet is sounded and "as it were a great mountain burning with fire" plummets into the sea and a third of the sea becomes as blood. A third of the life in the sea dies and a third of all ships are destroyed as a result.
The Third Trumpet causes a star to fall from the heavens "upon the third part of the rivers". The star is called Wormwood and will poison the rivers, thereby rendering the water in these rivers undrinkable.
The Fourth Trumpet causes the sun, moon and stars to be "smitten", darkening each by one third. Because of this, "the day shone not for a third of the part, and the night likewise".
Between the Fourth and Fifth Trumpets, an angel will fly through the sky and cry out, "Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!"
At the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet, a star falls from heaven and he is given a key. With the key, he opens a bottomless pit and releases a swarm of locusts, with "power, as the scorpions of the earth have power" and they fell upon all men not bearing the seal of God to protect them. At this time, many that are bitten will try to kill themselves to escape the pain but will find that "death shall flee from them". The locusts will be lead by the angel of the bottomless pit, called Apollyon in Greek and Abaddon in Hebrew.
The Sixth Trumpet sounds and is followed by four horns sound from "the golden altar which is before God". Four angels, who are bound in the Euphrates river, are released and sent forth to slaughter "the third part of men". Their army will consist of horsemen numbering "two hundred thousand thousand", or 200 million. The men will be killed by the fire, smoke and brimstone "which issued out of their mouths".
The Seventh Trumpet does not sound at this point. Following the Sixth, there comes what is referred to as the Seven Thunders. The nature of the Thunders are a mystery unto God until the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet. The Seventh Trumpet does not bring a plague, rather it sounds as glory is given to God and to announce the coming of His kingdom.
Sources:
Holy Bible, Book of Revelation, Chapter 8: 7-13, Chapter 9: 1-21, Chapter 10: 4, 7, Chapter 11: 15; King James Version
The First Trumpet, when sounded, brings forth a storm of hail and fire "mingled with blood". In this storm, a third of the earth's tree will be consumed in the fire along with all the grass.
The Second Trumpet is sounded and "as it were a great mountain burning with fire" plummets into the sea and a third of the sea becomes as blood. A third of the life in the sea dies and a third of all ships are destroyed as a result.
The Third Trumpet causes a star to fall from the heavens "upon the third part of the rivers". The star is called Wormwood and will poison the rivers, thereby rendering the water in these rivers undrinkable.
The Fourth Trumpet causes the sun, moon and stars to be "smitten", darkening each by one third. Because of this, "the day shone not for a third of the part, and the night likewise".
Between the Fourth and Fifth Trumpets, an angel will fly through the sky and cry out, "Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!"
At the sounding of the Fifth Trumpet, a star falls from heaven and he is given a key. With the key, he opens a bottomless pit and releases a swarm of locusts, with "power, as the scorpions of the earth have power" and they fell upon all men not bearing the seal of God to protect them. At this time, many that are bitten will try to kill themselves to escape the pain but will find that "death shall flee from them". The locusts will be lead by the angel of the bottomless pit, called Apollyon in Greek and Abaddon in Hebrew.
The Sixth Trumpet sounds and is followed by four horns sound from "the golden altar which is before God". Four angels, who are bound in the Euphrates river, are released and sent forth to slaughter "the third part of men". Their army will consist of horsemen numbering "two hundred thousand thousand", or 200 million. The men will be killed by the fire, smoke and brimstone "which issued out of their mouths".
The Seventh Trumpet does not sound at this point. Following the Sixth, there comes what is referred to as the Seven Thunders. The nature of the Thunders are a mystery unto God until the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet. The Seventh Trumpet does not bring a plague, rather it sounds as glory is given to God and to announce the coming of His kingdom.
Sources:
Holy Bible, Book of Revelation, Chapter 8: 7-13, Chapter 9: 1-21, Chapter 10: 4, 7, Chapter 11: 15; King James Version
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Backmasking
Backmasking, aka backward masking, is a recording technique that involves a sound or message being recorded backwards onto a song that is intended to be played forward.
This technique was originally popularized by The Beatles, who utilized it on their 1966 album Revolver. Since then, backmasking has been used on numerous digital and analog recordings for a variety of purposes. It can also be used to censor words or phrases for "clean" versions of songs.
Backmasking has been very controversial in the US since the 80's, when Christian groups claimed it was being used for Satanic purposes by well known rock musicians. This led to record-burning protests and anti-backmasking legislation by state and federal governments.
Tomorrow, we will explore the history behind backmasking.
Sources: Wikipedia entry on Backmasking.
This technique was originally popularized by The Beatles, who utilized it on their 1966 album Revolver. Since then, backmasking has been used on numerous digital and analog recordings for a variety of purposes. It can also be used to censor words or phrases for "clean" versions of songs.
Backmasking has been very controversial in the US since the 80's, when Christian groups claimed it was being used for Satanic purposes by well known rock musicians. This led to record-burning protests and anti-backmasking legislation by state and federal governments.
Tomorrow, we will explore the history behind backmasking.
Sources: Wikipedia entry on Backmasking.
The Seven Seals
During the End Times, there is said to be 21 judgements. These include the seven seals, seven trumpets and the seven vials, or bowl, judgement. The first set, the Seven Seals, refers to the 6th chapter of Revelation and the first six parts of chapter 8.
The First Seal is opened, releasing "a white horse: and he that sat on him" carries a bow and is wearing a crown. The White Horse then goes on to conquer. The White Horse is representative of the Anitchrist's rise to power.
When the Second Seal is opened, a red horse comes forth. And, "power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another". The rider is given a large sword and is called War.
At the opening of the Third Seal, a black horse appears. The rider is carrying a set of balances. A voice is heard, which says, "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou not hurt the oil and the wine". This Rider represents a famine, possibly resulting from the war caused by the previous Horseman.
The Forth Seal is opened to reveal a "pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him". The final rider is given the power to destroy one forth of the world's population with "sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth".
Once the Fifth Seal is opened, the martyrs of the world begin to die. That is to say, the Antichrist begins to persecute those left that believe in God.
The Sixth Seal. At its opening, there is a great earthquake, and "the sun [becomes] as black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon [becomes] as blood". The stars begin to fall from the heavens, the heavens are rolled back and the mountains and islands are "moved out of their places". The world's population seeks shelter in caves and dens. The population cries out, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
When the Lamb opens the Seven, and final, Seal, there will be complete silence in Heaven for "the space of half an hour" and seven angels with be given seven trumpets. Another angel is given a container for incense, which he fills with fire and casts it on the earth. The seven angels with the seven trumpets then prepare themselves to sound.
These are the Seven Seal Judgements. Tomorrow, we will examine the Seven Trumpets.
Sources:
Holy Bible, Book of Revelation, Chapter 6: 1-17, Chapter 8: 1-6; King James Version
The First Seal is opened, releasing "a white horse: and he that sat on him" carries a bow and is wearing a crown. The White Horse then goes on to conquer. The White Horse is representative of the Anitchrist's rise to power.
When the Second Seal is opened, a red horse comes forth. And, "power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another". The rider is given a large sword and is called War.
At the opening of the Third Seal, a black horse appears. The rider is carrying a set of balances. A voice is heard, which says, "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou not hurt the oil and the wine". This Rider represents a famine, possibly resulting from the war caused by the previous Horseman.
The Forth Seal is opened to reveal a "pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him". The final rider is given the power to destroy one forth of the world's population with "sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth".
Once the Fifth Seal is opened, the martyrs of the world begin to die. That is to say, the Antichrist begins to persecute those left that believe in God.
The Sixth Seal. At its opening, there is a great earthquake, and "the sun [becomes] as black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon [becomes] as blood". The stars begin to fall from the heavens, the heavens are rolled back and the mountains and islands are "moved out of their places". The world's population seeks shelter in caves and dens. The population cries out, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
When the Lamb opens the Seven, and final, Seal, there will be complete silence in Heaven for "the space of half an hour" and seven angels with be given seven trumpets. Another angel is given a container for incense, which he fills with fire and casts it on the earth. The seven angels with the seven trumpets then prepare themselves to sound.
These are the Seven Seal Judgements. Tomorrow, we will examine the Seven Trumpets.
Sources:
Holy Bible, Book of Revelation, Chapter 6: 1-17, Chapter 8: 1-6; King James Version
Monday, April 28, 2008
Familiars
How bizarre that in one culture it is perfectly acceptable for everyone to acknowledge a totem animal or a spirit guide, while in another an individual can be burned at the stake for professing a similar concept. During the same historical period when all good little European children said their prayers and beseeched 14 angels to keep watch over them while they slept, innocent men and women were being tortured to death for being suspected of calling upon other spirit entities to help them cure their neighbors of diseases.
The concept of certain spirit beings who assist a magician or a witch undoubtedly hearkens back to the totem animal guides that attended the ancient shamans, for the familiars express themselves most often in animal forms. The black cat, for instance, has become synonymous in popular folklore as the traditional companion of the witch. Attendant upon such a sorcerer as the legendary Cornelius Agrippa is the black dog or the dark-haired wolf.
The ancient Greeks called upon the predrii, spirit beings who were ever at hand to provide assistance to the physicians or magicians. In Rome, the seers and soothsayers asked their familiares or magistelli to lend a little supernatural assistance. In many lands where the Christian missionaries planted their faith, various saints provided an acceptable substitute for the ancient practice of asking favors or help from the totem animal. Interestingly, many of the saints of Christendom are identified by an animal symbol, for example, the dog with St. Bernard; the lion with St. Mark; the stag with St. Eustace; and the crow with St. Anthony. However, in those regions where the country folk and rural residents persisted in calling upon their familiars, the church decreed the spirit being to be demons sent by Satan to undermine the work of the clergy. All those accused of possessing a familiar or relying on it for guidance or assistance were forced to recant such an association or be in danger of the torture chamber and the stake.
While the wolf became the symbol for such Christian spiritual illuminaries as St. Francis of Assisi and St. Edmund of East Anglia, for the common folk, to maintain the wolf as one's personal totem was proof of their desire to be transformed into a werewolf.
Sources: Hazlitt, W. C. Dictionary of Faiths and Folklore. London: Studio Editions, 1995.
Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1960.
Steiger, Brad. Totems: The Transformative Power of Your Personal Animal Totem. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997.
The concept of certain spirit beings who assist a magician or a witch undoubtedly hearkens back to the totem animal guides that attended the ancient shamans, for the familiars express themselves most often in animal forms. The black cat, for instance, has become synonymous in popular folklore as the traditional companion of the witch. Attendant upon such a sorcerer as the legendary Cornelius Agrippa is the black dog or the dark-haired wolf.
The ancient Greeks called upon the predrii, spirit beings who were ever at hand to provide assistance to the physicians or magicians. In Rome, the seers and soothsayers asked their familiares or magistelli to lend a little supernatural assistance. In many lands where the Christian missionaries planted their faith, various saints provided an acceptable substitute for the ancient practice of asking favors or help from the totem animal. Interestingly, many of the saints of Christendom are identified by an animal symbol, for example, the dog with St. Bernard; the lion with St. Mark; the stag with St. Eustace; and the crow with St. Anthony. However, in those regions where the country folk and rural residents persisted in calling upon their familiars, the church decreed the spirit being to be demons sent by Satan to undermine the work of the clergy. All those accused of possessing a familiar or relying on it for guidance or assistance were forced to recant such an association or be in danger of the torture chamber and the stake.
While the wolf became the symbol for such Christian spiritual illuminaries as St. Francis of Assisi and St. Edmund of East Anglia, for the common folk, to maintain the wolf as one's personal totem was proof of their desire to be transformed into a werewolf.
Sources: Hazlitt, W. C. Dictionary of Faiths and Folklore. London: Studio Editions, 1995.
Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1960.
Steiger, Brad. Totems: The Transformative Power of Your Personal Animal Totem. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997.
The Akashic Records
The Akashic Records is a term from Hinduism that refers to a compilation of every all knowledge of the human experience as well as the entire history of the cosmos. The term comes from the Sanskrit word akasha, which means aether, which is a subtle substance on which the records are impressed. Akasha, in Hindu mysticism, is the primary principle of nature. Earth, fire, wind and water are each created from akasha and together the five principles are believed to represent the five senses.
Some believe that the Akashic Records are comparable to a collective consciousness. Other names attributed to the Akashic Records include the Cosmic Mind, the Universal Mind, the collective conscious, or the collective subconscious. There are some that believe that powers such as clairvoyance and psychic perception are made possible through the Akashic Records.
Viewing the Akashic Records is possible, some say, while in certain states of consciousness. These states of consciousness can be induced by various stages of sleep, weakness, illness, drug use and meditation. This implies that any person could view the Records when they wanted to, not just mystics. Yogis believe that one can view the Akashic Records while in certain psychic states.
Sources:
http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/a/akashic_records.htm - Akashic Records
Some believe that the Akashic Records are comparable to a collective consciousness. Other names attributed to the Akashic Records include the Cosmic Mind, the Universal Mind, the collective conscious, or the collective subconscious. There are some that believe that powers such as clairvoyance and psychic perception are made possible through the Akashic Records.
Viewing the Akashic Records is possible, some say, while in certain states of consciousness. These states of consciousness can be induced by various stages of sleep, weakness, illness, drug use and meditation. This implies that any person could view the Records when they wanted to, not just mystics. Yogis believe that one can view the Akashic Records while in certain psychic states.
Sources:
http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/a/akashic_records.htm - Akashic Records
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Gypsies
Considered as the traditional companions of werewolves and other creatures of the night, gypsies have not been well regarded since they began their migration to Europe around the year 1000. At best they were considered thieves, fortune tellers, and cheats. At worst they were condemned as witches who worshiped Diana, the chief nemesis of the Christian clergy in the Middle Ages. In the common mind it was believed that all gypsies were descended from the union of the first gypsy woman with Satan. In 1500, the Diet of Augsburg ruled that Christians could kill gypsies without legal penalty. The same ruling decreed that gypsies had no legal rights whatsoever.
During the Middle Ages, thousands of gypsies were burned at the stake as witches and in punishment for the popular belief that it was gypsy smiths who forged the nails that bound Christ to the cross. Gypsies fared no better in the twentieth century when the Nazis identified them as "nonhuman" and killed an estimated 400,000 of them in the death camps.
Although even today many gypsies prefer to treat their true origins with mystery, most scholars agree that they are likely of Hindu roots, rather than Egyptian, as many non gypsies suppose. Generally, gypsies believe in past lives, the concept of karma, and the triune goddess of fate. Gypsy fortune tellers are known as Vedavica, literally, a reader of the Vedas, for they seem to regard the tarot cards as their own interpretation of the sacred Hindu writings.
Sources: Walker, Barbara G. The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983.
During the Middle Ages, thousands of gypsies were burned at the stake as witches and in punishment for the popular belief that it was gypsy smiths who forged the nails that bound Christ to the cross. Gypsies fared no better in the twentieth century when the Nazis identified them as "nonhuman" and killed an estimated 400,000 of them in the death camps.
Although even today many gypsies prefer to treat their true origins with mystery, most scholars agree that they are likely of Hindu roots, rather than Egyptian, as many non gypsies suppose. Generally, gypsies believe in past lives, the concept of karma, and the triune goddess of fate. Gypsy fortune tellers are known as Vedavica, literally, a reader of the Vedas, for they seem to regard the tarot cards as their own interpretation of the sacred Hindu writings.
Sources: Walker, Barbara G. The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983.
Bloody Mary
*I have returned, dear readers.*
Bloody Mary is a ghost or witch that will appear in a mirror when someone recites her name three, thirteen or hundred times, depending on the version of the legend. Typically this is part of a game played at slumber parties. Similar tales appear in other places but use different names, such as Mary Worth, Mary Worthington, Hell Mary or Black Agnes, to name a few.
The game is usually a test of courage. This is because one variation on the legend says that upon appearing, Bloody Mary will proceed to kill the summoner in a rather violent fashion. This varies from tearing off the summoners face to scratching out the eyes, from driving the person insane to pulling them within the mirror with her.
Another variation on the legend says that upon appearing, Mary will reveal to the summoner their future, usually revolving around marriage and children. Also, if the summoner chants the name thirteen times at midnight, Mary is said to appear and allow one to speak with a deceased person until 12:01.
There are different stories on who Bloody Mary actually was. Some version, she was a child murderer. Others, she was newly married and then murdered, possibly while with child. Another version says that she is the spirit of Queen Mary I, known as "Bloody Mary". Queen Mary I's life was marked by numerous miscarriages and false pregnancies. There is speculation that the miscarriages were induced and that Mary went mad over the loss of her children, thereby fitting with the legend of Bloody Mary. It is likely, however, that she is mainly the source of the name.
Sources:
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/bloodymary.asp - Urban Legends Reference Pages: Bloody Mary
http://www.mythologyweb.com/bloodymary.html - Bloody Mary, Mary Worth and other variants of a modern legend - MythologyWeb
http://www.ghosts.org/faq/bloodymary2.html - Obiwan's UFO-Free Paranormal Page > Ghosts and Hauntings FAQ > Urban Legends > Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary is a ghost or witch that will appear in a mirror when someone recites her name three, thirteen or hundred times, depending on the version of the legend. Typically this is part of a game played at slumber parties. Similar tales appear in other places but use different names, such as Mary Worth, Mary Worthington, Hell Mary or Black Agnes, to name a few.
The game is usually a test of courage. This is because one variation on the legend says that upon appearing, Bloody Mary will proceed to kill the summoner in a rather violent fashion. This varies from tearing off the summoners face to scratching out the eyes, from driving the person insane to pulling them within the mirror with her.
Another variation on the legend says that upon appearing, Mary will reveal to the summoner their future, usually revolving around marriage and children. Also, if the summoner chants the name thirteen times at midnight, Mary is said to appear and allow one to speak with a deceased person until 12:01.
There are different stories on who Bloody Mary actually was. Some version, she was a child murderer. Others, she was newly married and then murdered, possibly while with child. Another version says that she is the spirit of Queen Mary I, known as "Bloody Mary". Queen Mary I's life was marked by numerous miscarriages and false pregnancies. There is speculation that the miscarriages were induced and that Mary went mad over the loss of her children, thereby fitting with the legend of Bloody Mary. It is likely, however, that she is mainly the source of the name.
Sources:
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/bloodymary.asp - Urban Legends Reference Pages: Bloody Mary
http://www.mythologyweb.com/bloodymary.html - Bloody Mary, Mary Worth and other variants of a modern legend - MythologyWeb
http://www.ghosts.org/faq/bloodymary2.html - Obiwan's UFO-Free Paranormal Page > Ghosts and Hauntings FAQ > Urban Legends > Bloody Mary
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Lupicinus
Among the ancient Greeks and Romans, the wolf enchanter, the wolf charmer, was called the lupicinus. Perhaps hearkening back to prehistoric times, the lupicinus may well have been an individual tribesman who had a particular affinity for communicating with wolves. As the tribes became somewhat more sophisticated and developed agriculture and small villages, it was still necessary to have a person skilled in singing with the wolves and convincing them not to attack the domesticated animals. The lupicinus had the ability to howl with the wolves and lead them away from the livestock pens. In some views, because he also wore the pelt of a wolf, the lupicinus also had the power to transform himself into a wolf if he so desired.
Sources: Eisler, Robert. Man into Wolf. London: Spring Books, n.d.
Sources: Eisler, Robert. Man into Wolf. London: Spring Books, n.d.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Sirens
The selkies, the seal people of the Orkney and Shetland Islands, may wish to live harmoniously with the humans who love the sea as much as they do, but the sirens have no interest in creating anything but death and chaos for seafarers. In Greek lore, there were at first only two sirens, large birdlike beings with the heads of beautiful women and the gift for singing so soothingly and sweetly that no sailor could resist their enchanting duets. As the popularity of the legend grew, storytellers increased the number of sirens to three. Later, with the passing of time, the sirens became an entire chorus of mesmerizing female voices. They also evolved in their appearance, from the large birdlike entities with human heads to creatures more in the style of the mermaid tradition. In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus foils the sirens by ordering his men to stuff their ears with wax so they cannot hear their fatal songs.
Sources: Larousse Dictionary of World Folklore. New York: Larousse, 1995.
Sources: Larousse Dictionary of World Folklore. New York: Larousse, 1995.
The Curse of Kaskaskia
*Due to unforseen circumtsances, I will not be posting here tomorrow, Saturday the 26th. Today, I give you a longer post to make up for that. Please, enjoy.*
Kaskaskia was the first capital of the state of Illinois. There is a legend of a curse being placed on the village around 1735. At this time, the village was a thriving community of French settlers. One of the village's inhabitants was a fur trader by the name of Bernard. He lived there with his daughter Maria.
Bernard own a trading post and hired both French and Indian employees. Though not particularly happy with the Indians, Bernard hired them because he needed the help. One of the Indians had been educated by French missionaries, a trait that the fur trader Bernard found endearing. Bernard began to take a liking to the young Indian until he found out that his daughter had as well.
The Indian was quickly fired and Bernard arranged that he could not be hired anywhere in town. The Indian eventually fled Kaskaskia, but vowed to return for Maria. He did, and the two ran off together. Bernard formed a posse and pursued the pair. Once they caught up to then, the Indian was tied to a log and set adrift on the Mississippi River.
Before he died, the Indian swore that within a year, Bernard would be dead and he and Maria would be together forever. The village of Kaskaskia was doomed to be destroyed. The altars in the churches would be demolished and the dead would be turned from their graves.
A year later, Maria died of grief and Bernard became involved in a business deal gone so bad that the other man challenged him to a duel. Bernard was shot and killed by the other man. The river channels shifted and continually flooded the peninsula until 1881 when Kaskaskia was finally cut off from the mainland. People began slowly to leave the island. The church was destroyed in a flood in 1973. One of the floods washed away the cemetery, unearthing the bodies buried there then washing them away.
Kaskaskia still exist today, barely. As of the 2000 census the population of the small town was 9. Seven women and 2 men.
Source:
http://www.prairieghosts.com/kaskaskia.html - The Curse of Kaskaskia - Illinois' Lost Capital
http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en - 2000 Census FactFinder sheet for Kaskaskia
Kaskaskia was the first capital of the state of Illinois. There is a legend of a curse being placed on the village around 1735. At this time, the village was a thriving community of French settlers. One of the village's inhabitants was a fur trader by the name of Bernard. He lived there with his daughter Maria.
Bernard own a trading post and hired both French and Indian employees. Though not particularly happy with the Indians, Bernard hired them because he needed the help. One of the Indians had been educated by French missionaries, a trait that the fur trader Bernard found endearing. Bernard began to take a liking to the young Indian until he found out that his daughter had as well.
The Indian was quickly fired and Bernard arranged that he could not be hired anywhere in town. The Indian eventually fled Kaskaskia, but vowed to return for Maria. He did, and the two ran off together. Bernard formed a posse and pursued the pair. Once they caught up to then, the Indian was tied to a log and set adrift on the Mississippi River.
Before he died, the Indian swore that within a year, Bernard would be dead and he and Maria would be together forever. The village of Kaskaskia was doomed to be destroyed. The altars in the churches would be demolished and the dead would be turned from their graves.
A year later, Maria died of grief and Bernard became involved in a business deal gone so bad that the other man challenged him to a duel. Bernard was shot and killed by the other man. The river channels shifted and continually flooded the peninsula until 1881 when Kaskaskia was finally cut off from the mainland. People began slowly to leave the island. The church was destroyed in a flood in 1973. One of the floods washed away the cemetery, unearthing the bodies buried there then washing them away.
Kaskaskia still exist today, barely. As of the 2000 census the population of the small town was 9. Seven women and 2 men.
Source:
http://www.prairieghosts.com/kaskaskia.html - The Curse of Kaskaskia - Illinois' Lost Capital
http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en - 2000 Census FactFinder sheet for Kaskaskia
Thursday, April 24, 2008
"Werewolves of London"
Singer/songwriter Warren Zevon has developed a loyal following in the world of rock music thanks to his insightful (and often quirky) lyrics and strong musicianship. His songs---such as "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Lawyers, Guns, and Money"---are often full of mayhem or violence, but the darkness is almost always offset by a wicked sense of humor. In 1978, Zevon became forever connected to the world of lycanthropy when his song "Werewolves of London" off the Excitable Boy album became a surprise radio hit. Full of humorous images ("I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic's/And his hair was perfect") and a hard-to-forget piano line, the song remains Zevon's only Top 40 hit.
The fact that the song contained any reference to werewolves was really an accident. While goofing around with a group of fellow musicians one night, Zevon came up with the song almost out of nowhere. As he tells it: "Waddy (guitarist Waddy Wachtel) walked in and said, "What are you doing?" And I said, "We're doing the Werewolves of London." And he said, "You mean, Ah-woooooo, the Werewolves of London?" And we said, "Correct." We didn't see ourselves retiring on the BMI earnings from the song. It's a novelty, but it's not a novelty the way, say, Steve Marin's "King Tut" is.
The song gained further notoriety in 1986 when it was included on the soundtrack of the film The Color of Money. The movie, which was a sequel to the classic film The Hustler, starred Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. The song was featured in a particularly memorable scene in which Cruise displayed the depths of his talents at the billiards game of 9-ball.
Sources: Steiger, Brad. The Werewolf Book.
The fact that the song contained any reference to werewolves was really an accident. While goofing around with a group of fellow musicians one night, Zevon came up with the song almost out of nowhere. As he tells it: "Waddy (guitarist Waddy Wachtel) walked in and said, "What are you doing?" And I said, "We're doing the Werewolves of London." And he said, "You mean, Ah-woooooo, the Werewolves of London?" And we said, "Correct." We didn't see ourselves retiring on the BMI earnings from the song. It's a novelty, but it's not a novelty the way, say, Steve Marin's "King Tut" is.
The song gained further notoriety in 1986 when it was included on the soundtrack of the film The Color of Money. The movie, which was a sequel to the classic film The Hustler, starred Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. The song was featured in a particularly memorable scene in which Cruise displayed the depths of his talents at the billiards game of 9-ball.
Sources: Steiger, Brad. The Werewolf Book.
Hellhounds
Hellhounds are demonic dogs that originate in Hell, who knew. They are often found in folklore and mythology, and even fiction. Features that typically distinguish hellhounds from other canids include an unnatural size, black fur, glowing eyes, sometimes yellow but varies, enhanced strength and speed, phantom-like abilities and occasionally the ability to talk.
Often, hellhounds are assigned as guardians of the entrance to the underworld within a particular mythos. They also have other abilities that relate to the afterlife or the supernatural. This might include hunting down lost souls or protecting a treasure of supernatural origin.
Hellhounds have also appeared in some works of fiction, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles and Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. In some works, the hellhound is depicted as the being sent to collect a soul that has been sold, once the deal is done.
Source:
http://www.primitivism.com/hellhounds.htm
Often, hellhounds are assigned as guardians of the entrance to the underworld within a particular mythos. They also have other abilities that relate to the afterlife or the supernatural. This might include hunting down lost souls or protecting a treasure of supernatural origin.
Hellhounds have also appeared in some works of fiction, including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles and Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. In some works, the hellhound is depicted as the being sent to collect a soul that has been sold, once the deal is done.
Source:
http://www.primitivism.com/hellhounds.htm
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Fox Strap
It was widely believed that certain sorcerers and witches possessed a strap of wolf or fox hide that could transform them into the beast of their choice. In the village of Dodow near Wittenburg, Germany, there lived a witch who owned such a strap, and through its magic she could transform herself into a fox whenever she wished and keep her larder well stocked with geese, ducks, and chickens. One day, her grandson, who knew that his grandmother was a witch and was fully aware of why it was that their table never lacked for tasty poultry---even thought they owned none of their own---sneaked the fox strap from its hiding place and brought it with him to school.
As it so happened, the schoolmaster that day happened to be discussing magic and witchcraft, and the eager child volunteered that his grandmother was a witch and that he had her fox strap with him. Amused by such childlike belief, the schoolmaster politely asked to examine the strip of animal hide. Unfortunately, as he strode back and forth in front of the class, gesturing broadly to make his points, the strap brushed against his forehead, adhered to his flesh, and instantly transformed him into a fox.
The children began to scream loudly in terror at what their young eyes had beheld, and the schoolmaster, a mild-mannered gentleman who was unaware of his transformation, became frightened at whatever it was that had so terrified his students. As they all ran screaming from the classroom, the schoolmaster's new animal nature assumed command and he found himself jumping out the open window in a single leap.
Confused and bewildered to find himself running across the countryside on all fours, the schoolmaster had no choice but to make the best of a most peculiar situation. Trusting in his newfound instincts, he found a suitable hill and made himself a den.
Several days later, a group of local sportsmen organized a hunt, and the confused schoolmaster found himself among the other animals running to escape the hunters. A bullet struck him in the heart. Another bullet had severed the fox strap and returned the schoolmaster to his human form. The stunned sportsmen found themselves staring at the meek schoolmaster lying bleeding on the ground.
Sources: Bartsch, Karl. Sagen, Marchen und Gebrauche aus Meklenburg. Translated by D. L. Ashliman. Wien: Wilhelm Braumuller, 1879.
As it so happened, the schoolmaster that day happened to be discussing magic and witchcraft, and the eager child volunteered that his grandmother was a witch and that he had her fox strap with him. Amused by such childlike belief, the schoolmaster politely asked to examine the strip of animal hide. Unfortunately, as he strode back and forth in front of the class, gesturing broadly to make his points, the strap brushed against his forehead, adhered to his flesh, and instantly transformed him into a fox.
The children began to scream loudly in terror at what their young eyes had beheld, and the schoolmaster, a mild-mannered gentleman who was unaware of his transformation, became frightened at whatever it was that had so terrified his students. As they all ran screaming from the classroom, the schoolmaster's new animal nature assumed command and he found himself jumping out the open window in a single leap.
Confused and bewildered to find himself running across the countryside on all fours, the schoolmaster had no choice but to make the best of a most peculiar situation. Trusting in his newfound instincts, he found a suitable hill and made himself a den.
Several days later, a group of local sportsmen organized a hunt, and the confused schoolmaster found himself among the other animals running to escape the hunters. A bullet struck him in the heart. Another bullet had severed the fox strap and returned the schoolmaster to his human form. The stunned sportsmen found themselves staring at the meek schoolmaster lying bleeding on the ground.
Sources: Bartsch, Karl. Sagen, Marchen und Gebrauche aus Meklenburg. Translated by D. L. Ashliman. Wien: Wilhelm Braumuller, 1879.
Paimon
Paimon is a demon discussed in the Ars Goetia section of the Lesser Key of Solomon. Paimon is listed as being a King of Hell and is said to have one to two hundred legions of demons under his command. The precise number varies from author to author. He is also said to be the most loyal to Lucifer of all the kings.
Once summoned, Paimon can teach the conjurer all kinds of things, from philosophy and science to the mysteries of the Earth. He will reveal to the conjurer anything he wishes to know and can give to them good familiars. He is also capable of making others subservient to your will.
Paimon is descirbed as a strong man with facial features more closely resembling those of a woman. He wears a crown and travels on the back of a dromedary camel. He is usually proceeded by a host of demons that appear as a sort of grotesque marching band to herald his coming.
Source:
S. L. MacGregor Mathers, A. Crowley. The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King. 1904, reprinted in 1995
Once summoned, Paimon can teach the conjurer all kinds of things, from philosophy and science to the mysteries of the Earth. He will reveal to the conjurer anything he wishes to know and can give to them good familiars. He is also capable of making others subservient to your will.
Paimon is descirbed as a strong man with facial features more closely resembling those of a woman. He wears a crown and travels on the back of a dromedary camel. He is usually proceeded by a host of demons that appear as a sort of grotesque marching band to herald his coming.
Source:
S. L. MacGregor Mathers, A. Crowley. The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King. 1904, reprinted in 1995
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Khaki besar
Tribespeople in the jungles of Malaysia burn twigs and dry leaves, bang tin cans and gongs, and perform ritual dances to drive away the Khaki besar from their villages. The creature, said to be around eight feet tall, is the Malaysian "Bigfoot," and whether natural beast or werebeast, the big brute frequently leaves behind four-toed, 18-inch-long footprints in the soft soil of the undergrowth.
In January 1995, after a number of close encounters and the discovery of footprints had been reported, a massive search for the monster was conducted by wildlife experts, army and police units, and local tribesmen. Several thousand square miles of dense jungle surrounding Tanjung Piai in Johor state were trod in an effort to find Khaki besar and to capture it alive. The Malaysian tribespeople believe the creature was created by evil forces.
Sources: Scripps Howard News Service. January 13, 1995.
In January 1995, after a number of close encounters and the discovery of footprints had been reported, a massive search for the monster was conducted by wildlife experts, army and police units, and local tribesmen. Several thousand square miles of dense jungle surrounding Tanjung Piai in Johor state were trod in an effort to find Khaki besar and to capture it alive. The Malaysian tribespeople believe the creature was created by evil forces.
Sources: Scripps Howard News Service. January 13, 1995.
Succubi and Incubi
Succubus and Incubus. Sexual predators of the demon world, basically. They are said to be the children of Lilith, who is herself sometimes first wife of Adam or the mother of all demons. Succubi are called lilith, as well. Incubi are known as lilin. Some believe that they die at a rate of one hundred per day because their mother left Adam and never came back.
They can prey on children until a certain stage in life, but also attack women by causing infertility and miscarriages. They attack men by seducing them, no surprise here.
An amulet with the initials of Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, the three Magi, inscribed on it is said to be a useful protection for children against lilin and lilith.
Source:
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls; Alex Irvine
They can prey on children until a certain stage in life, but also attack women by causing infertility and miscarriages. They attack men by seducing them, no surprise here.
An amulet with the initials of Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, the three Magi, inscribed on it is said to be a useful protection for children against lilin and lilith.
Source:
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls; Alex Irvine
Monday, April 21, 2008
The Chronicon of Denys of Tell-Mahre
For centuries now, scholars have puzzled over The Chronicon of Denys of Tell-Mahre, a leader of the Syrian Jacobite's. From what can be determined, the ancient scribe was born in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) and recorded a remarkable account of the appearance of frightening and terrifying creatures just before the reign of the Greek-Byzantine ruler Leo IV c. 774:
"They fled from no man, and, indeed, killed many people. . . . They were like wolves, but their faces were small and long . . . and they had great ears. The skin on their spine resembled that of a pig. These mysterious animals committed great ravages on the people in the Abdin Rock region, near Hoh. In some village they devoured more than 100 people; and in many other, from 20 to 40 or 50. If a man did pursue them, in no way did the monsters become frightened or flee. Instead, they turned on the man. If men loosed their weapons on a monster, it leaped on the men and tore them to bits.
These monsters entered houses and yards, and . . . climbed in the night onto terraces, stole children from their beds and went off without opposition. When they appeared, dogs were afraid to bark.
For these reasons, the country suffered a more terrible experience than it had ever known before. . . . When one of these monsters attacked a herd of goats, cattle, or a flock of sheep, they took away several at one time. . . . These monsters finally passed from the land and went into Arzanene [a district in southern Armenia along the borders of Assyria] and ravaged every village there. They also ravaged in the country of Maipherk and along Mt. Cahai and caused great damage. . . ."
At this point, several pages are missing from the ancient manuscripts. Many scholars have long maintained that Deny of Tell-Mahre was only writing a fanciful tale. Others debate whether the monsters were packs of aggressive wolves driven by hunger to invade villages or if they were herds of wild pigs who were fiercely unafraid to turn upon those men who sought to hunt them down. There are many such accounts from antiquity that contain descriptions of strange, hairy creatures with glowing eyes that leap on their victims from dark ambush.
Sources: Hurwood, Bernhardt J. Vampires, Werewolves, and Ghouls. New York: Ace Books, 1968.
"They fled from no man, and, indeed, killed many people. . . . They were like wolves, but their faces were small and long . . . and they had great ears. The skin on their spine resembled that of a pig. These mysterious animals committed great ravages on the people in the Abdin Rock region, near Hoh. In some village they devoured more than 100 people; and in many other, from 20 to 40 or 50. If a man did pursue them, in no way did the monsters become frightened or flee. Instead, they turned on the man. If men loosed their weapons on a monster, it leaped on the men and tore them to bits.
These monsters entered houses and yards, and . . . climbed in the night onto terraces, stole children from their beds and went off without opposition. When they appeared, dogs were afraid to bark.
For these reasons, the country suffered a more terrible experience than it had ever known before. . . . When one of these monsters attacked a herd of goats, cattle, or a flock of sheep, they took away several at one time. . . . These monsters finally passed from the land and went into Arzanene [a district in southern Armenia along the borders of Assyria] and ravaged every village there. They also ravaged in the country of Maipherk and along Mt. Cahai and caused great damage. . . ."
At this point, several pages are missing from the ancient manuscripts. Many scholars have long maintained that Deny of Tell-Mahre was only writing a fanciful tale. Others debate whether the monsters were packs of aggressive wolves driven by hunger to invade villages or if they were herds of wild pigs who were fiercely unafraid to turn upon those men who sought to hunt them down. There are many such accounts from antiquity that contain descriptions of strange, hairy creatures with glowing eyes that leap on their victims from dark ambush.
Sources: Hurwood, Bernhardt J. Vampires, Werewolves, and Ghouls. New York: Ace Books, 1968.
The Lesser Key of Solomon
The Lesser Key of Solomon, attributed by some to have been written by King Solomon. This is most likely incorrect as in the list of 72 demons, each is given a title of nobility, some of which did not exist in Solomon's time. The grimoire also contains prayers to Jesus and the Christian Trinity. The book first appeared in the 17th century. The Lesser Key of Solomon is divided into five parts: The Ars Goetia, Ars Theurgia Goetia, Ars Paulina, Ars Almadel and the Ars Notoria.
The Ars Goetia, the first part, contains a list of 72 demons King Solomon was believed to have summoned and sealed in bronze containers. The Ars Goetia assigns each of the 72 a title of nobility from king to knight as well as the demons' respective seals.
The Ars Theurgia Goetia gives details on 31 aerial spirits; their names, powers and seals. The section also tells how to protect against them, the names of those that serve them, ways to summon and whether they are good or evil.
The Ars Paulina, literally The Art of Paul, contains information on how to deal with angels. This includes, as above, their names, how and when to invoke them, their servants and their seals. Curiously, two of the angels seem to match up with two of the 72 demons from the Ars Geotia.
The Ars Almadel tells how one might construct an almadel, a wax tablet with protective symbols carved on it, and the candles to be placed on it. The author also tells of the rituals needed to construct the almadel and the candles.
The Ars Notoria, the final part, contains mainly prayers. This section also tells how the prayers must be said and how they relate to the understanding of science. The book maintains that this information was given directly to King Solomon by God through an angel.
Source:
S. L. MacGregor Mathers, A. Crowley. The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King. 1904, reprinted in 1995
The Ars Goetia, the first part, contains a list of 72 demons King Solomon was believed to have summoned and sealed in bronze containers. The Ars Goetia assigns each of the 72 a title of nobility from king to knight as well as the demons' respective seals.
The Ars Theurgia Goetia gives details on 31 aerial spirits; their names, powers and seals. The section also tells how to protect against them, the names of those that serve them, ways to summon and whether they are good or evil.
The Ars Paulina, literally The Art of Paul, contains information on how to deal with angels. This includes, as above, their names, how and when to invoke them, their servants and their seals. Curiously, two of the angels seem to match up with two of the 72 demons from the Ars Geotia.
The Ars Almadel tells how one might construct an almadel, a wax tablet with protective symbols carved on it, and the candles to be placed on it. The author also tells of the rituals needed to construct the almadel and the candles.
The Ars Notoria, the final part, contains mainly prayers. This section also tells how the prayers must be said and how they relate to the understanding of science. The book maintains that this information was given directly to King Solomon by God through an angel.
Source:
S. L. MacGregor Mathers, A. Crowley. The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King. 1904, reprinted in 1995
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Nakh
Shapeshifting water demons who appear most frequently as handsome men or beautiful women, the nakh, like the Greek Sirens, lure their victims into the river or sea with the sound of their sweet, seductive singing. Very often, according to old Estonian folklore, the spirits of the drowned may also become nakhs, seeking to entice the living into watery graves. Even if one should escape the enchantment of their singing, the very sighting of a nakh is a bad omen, usually a sign that either the witness or someone dear to him will die soon in river, lake, or ocean.
Sources: Larousse Dictionary of Worl Folklore. New York: Larousse, 1995.
Sources: Larousse Dictionary of Worl Folklore. New York: Larousse, 1995.
Technical Difficulties
Due to some technical difficulties, my fellow blog author, Soul Ember is unable to contribute to the blog at this time. Please bear with us while we try and correct the problem. Thank you.
A-AF
A-AF
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Shtriga
In Albanian folklore, there are tales of a vampiric witch known as a shtriga. The shtriga would come to infants in their sleep and drink their blood. The shtriga would then flee in the form of either a moth, a fly or a bee. Those that the shtriga attacked would become sick and die, if they were not cured. The only one who could cure the victim was the shtriga herself, this was usually accomplished by spitting in the victim's mouth.
Edith Durham, a British traveller, wrote down various methods of defense against the shtriga. One method is to place a cross made from the bones of pigs at the entrance to a church on Easter Sunday. This prevents the shtriga from leaving the church once inside. The witch can then be killed in the threshold as she tries in vain to escape.
Another form of protection comes from another account that says that the shtriga, after having drained blood from her victim, will go deep into the woods and regurgitate the blood. Durham tells that if one were to soak a coin of silver in this blood and then wrap it in a cloth, it would become an amulet to protect you from any and all shtrigas from there on out.
Finally, it is believed that a shtriga could be killed if it were to be shot with a round made from iron. This, unfortunately, only works if the shtriga is shot while she is feeding.
Source:
Durham, Edith. High Albania. London: Phoenix Press, 2000.
Edith Durham, a British traveller, wrote down various methods of defense against the shtriga. One method is to place a cross made from the bones of pigs at the entrance to a church on Easter Sunday. This prevents the shtriga from leaving the church once inside. The witch can then be killed in the threshold as she tries in vain to escape.
Another form of protection comes from another account that says that the shtriga, after having drained blood from her victim, will go deep into the woods and regurgitate the blood. Durham tells that if one were to soak a coin of silver in this blood and then wrap it in a cloth, it would become an amulet to protect you from any and all shtrigas from there on out.
Finally, it is believed that a shtriga could be killed if it were to be shot with a round made from iron. This, unfortunately, only works if the shtriga is shot while she is feeding.
Source:
Durham, Edith. High Albania. London: Phoenix Press, 2000.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Elementals
The elementary spirits, the so-called elementals, are the unseen intelligences who inhabit the four basic elements of the material plane. The creatures of the air are known as sylphs; of the earth, gnomes; of fire, salamanders; and of water, the nymphs or undines. According to ancient occult tradition, before the Fall from Grace, Adam had complete control over these entities. After the Fall, in the Garden of Eden, Adam lost his easy access to the elementals, but he was still able to command their obedience by means of certain incantations and spells. That same ancient tradition suggests that such communication with the unseen entities can be established by the sincere magician who seeks out the old spells. Others say that the ancient incantations are not necessary at all. All that is required to gain the support of the elementals is to recognize their presence and powers and to live openly in a manner that indicates that the magician is respectful, but unafraid, of the forces of nature.
When discerned by the human eye, the elementals appear as attractive males and beautiful females. Because they are created from the pure essences of their element, they may live for centuries; but because they were fashioned from terrestrial elements, their souls are not immortal, as are those of humans. If, however, an elemental should be joined in marriage to a human, their union can transform the creature's soul into a spirit that may enjoy eternal life. Some of the greatest figures of antiquity, such as Zoroaster, Alexander, Merlin, and Hercules, were reported to have been the children of elementary spirits.
While most traditions hold the elementals to be friendly to humans and in general benignly disposed to providing assistance to righteous endeavors, whether or not the are seen or unseen, some authorities warn that each of the four elements contains a number of mischief makers and entities that tend more toward the demonic than the angelic.
Sources: Hazlitt, W.C. Dictionary of Faiths & Folklore. London: Studio Editions, 1995.
Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1960.
When discerned by the human eye, the elementals appear as attractive males and beautiful females. Because they are created from the pure essences of their element, they may live for centuries; but because they were fashioned from terrestrial elements, their souls are not immortal, as are those of humans. If, however, an elemental should be joined in marriage to a human, their union can transform the creature's soul into a spirit that may enjoy eternal life. Some of the greatest figures of antiquity, such as Zoroaster, Alexander, Merlin, and Hercules, were reported to have been the children of elementary spirits.
While most traditions hold the elementals to be friendly to humans and in general benignly disposed to providing assistance to righteous endeavors, whether or not the are seen or unseen, some authorities warn that each of the four elements contains a number of mischief makers and entities that tend more toward the demonic than the angelic.
Sources: Hazlitt, W.C. Dictionary of Faiths & Folklore. London: Studio Editions, 1995.
Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1960.
Legion
Legion is a demon mentioned in the Bible in the books of Mark and Luke. Legion, also called the Gadarene Demon, is a group of multiple demons with the habit of possessing the same individual. Jesus Christ is said to have met a man possessed by Legion on his travels through a region known as the Gadarenes, though other names are given in other places. When Christ met the man, they conversed. The most common version of the story is below:
Being aware of the powers Jesus had, the demon begged for mercy, as none of them wished to be sent back to Hell. Jesus granted their wish and cast them out of the man then allowed them to reside in a herd of pigs. The pigs then turned and wandered into the Sea of Galilee, where they all drowned.
Sources:
Holy Bible; King James Version
And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. - Mark 5:9
Being aware of the powers Jesus had, the demon begged for mercy, as none of them wished to be sent back to Hell. Jesus granted their wish and cast them out of the man then allowed them to reside in a herd of pigs. The pigs then turned and wandered into the Sea of Galilee, where they all drowned.
Sources:
Holy Bible; King James Version
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Lupercali
The annual Lupercali festival of the Romans was a perpetuation of the ancient blooding rites of the hunter in which the novice is smeared with the blood of his first kill. The god Lupercus, represented by a wolf, inspires men to act a s wolves, to be thus as werewolves during the festival on February 15. A sacrificial slaying of a goat---representing the flocks that supported early humans in their attempts at establishing permanent or semipermanent dwelling places---is followed by the sacrifice of a dog, the watchful protector of a flock that would be the first to be killed by attacking wolves.
Once the blood of the she-goat and the dog are mixed, a bloodstained knife is dipped into the fluid, then drawn slowly across the foreheads of two noble-born children. Once the children have been "blooded," the blood is wiped off their foreheads with wool that has been dipped in milk. As they are being cleansed, they are expected to laugh, demonstrating their lack of fear of blood and their acknowledgment that they have received the magic of protection against wolves and werewolves.
Certain scholars believe this ritual of protection derived from a much earlier version of the Lupercali in which the smearing of the blood on the forehead indicated that the recipient had been "wolf-blooded" and would now forever be a solitary outlaw, a lycanthrope, a wolfman.
Sources: Eisler, Robert. Man into Wolf. London: Spring Books, n.d.
Once the blood of the she-goat and the dog are mixed, a bloodstained knife is dipped into the fluid, then drawn slowly across the foreheads of two noble-born children. Once the children have been "blooded," the blood is wiped off their foreheads with wool that has been dipped in milk. As they are being cleansed, they are expected to laugh, demonstrating their lack of fear of blood and their acknowledgment that they have received the magic of protection against wolves and werewolves.
Certain scholars believe this ritual of protection derived from a much earlier version of the Lupercali in which the smearing of the blood on the forehead indicated that the recipient had been "wolf-blooded" and would now forever be a solitary outlaw, a lycanthrope, a wolfman.
Sources: Eisler, Robert. Man into Wolf. London: Spring Books, n.d.
Tools Against the Supernatural
I have already written here about the effectiveness of using iron against spirits, but iron is not the weapon one can use. Other tools include weapons made of silver or brass, the blood of a dead man and salt.
The use of silver as a tool against the supernatural goes back to European folklore. Because of its association with the Moon and purity, it has long been believed to be useful against sicknesses and mythical creatures. Silver's use as a weapon against vampires stems from the relation to purity as well as to the fact that some of the early mirrors were polished silver. Silver can also be used against werewolves and is said to cause them great pain in the moments leading up to their deaths, like being burned up from the inside out.
A knife of pure brass is said to be the only sure way to kill a rakshasa. A rakshasa, for those who don't know, is a demon of chaos out of Hindu myth. They like to disrupt sacrifices as well as eat people. They can appear as human or bird, and have the power of invisibility. Anyway, no particulars are given as to where to stab the rakshasa, but the heart might not be a bad idea.
Dead man's blood is another weapon that be useful against vampires. The use of blood from a dead person has been part of vampire lore for a long time. It has been said that a vampire must stop drinking the blood of its victim before they die. Tricking a vampire into doing this can lead to the death of the vampire. Other strategies include injection of the blood directly into the vampire, assuming you can get that close. This aspect of vampiric lore stems from the belief that blood is the source of life, therefore the blood of a dead man would have the opposite effect as the blood of a living person.
The most widely known weapon against evil is salt. One can protect oneself from vampires or demons by either placing a barrier of salt around yourself or on window sills and at the doors. This provides protection because the lore states that the evil creature trying to pass the barrier can only do so after having counted out every single grain of salt. As this is next to impossible, the demon is prevented from passing. This also means that the thicker the line, the greater the protection.
Sources:
Silver; Wikipedia
Werewolf; Wikipedia
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls; Alex Irvine
The use of silver as a tool against the supernatural goes back to European folklore. Because of its association with the Moon and purity, it has long been believed to be useful against sicknesses and mythical creatures. Silver's use as a weapon against vampires stems from the relation to purity as well as to the fact that some of the early mirrors were polished silver. Silver can also be used against werewolves and is said to cause them great pain in the moments leading up to their deaths, like being burned up from the inside out.
A knife of pure brass is said to be the only sure way to kill a rakshasa. A rakshasa, for those who don't know, is a demon of chaos out of Hindu myth. They like to disrupt sacrifices as well as eat people. They can appear as human or bird, and have the power of invisibility. Anyway, no particulars are given as to where to stab the rakshasa, but the heart might not be a bad idea.
Dead man's blood is another weapon that be useful against vampires. The use of blood from a dead person has been part of vampire lore for a long time. It has been said that a vampire must stop drinking the blood of its victim before they die. Tricking a vampire into doing this can lead to the death of the vampire. Other strategies include injection of the blood directly into the vampire, assuming you can get that close. This aspect of vampiric lore stems from the belief that blood is the source of life, therefore the blood of a dead man would have the opposite effect as the blood of a living person.
The most widely known weapon against evil is salt. One can protect oneself from vampires or demons by either placing a barrier of salt around yourself or on window sills and at the doors. This provides protection because the lore states that the evil creature trying to pass the barrier can only do so after having counted out every single grain of salt. As this is next to impossible, the demon is prevented from passing. This also means that the thicker the line, the greater the protection.
Sources:
Silver; Wikipedia
Werewolf; Wikipedia
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls; Alex Irvine
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Vanamanushas
In 1965, the Indian village of Talah Malkoti in the district of Chamoli was invaded by the vanamanushas, the "wicked wild men" from the hills, strange apelike creatures that have become increasingly bolder over the years. Chamoli, which lies in the lower reaches of the western Himalayan range, is a mountainous region with heavy forests. For generations, for hundreds of years, the villagers have waged a series of skirmishes with the mysterious wild men. Efforts by the authorities to track the creatures down have always proved futile.
The native population of the Chamoli district describe the vanamanushas as very hairy and well-built, with arms so long that they touch their knees when they stand erect. The villagers complain that the creatures raid their crops and haunt the jungles near their communities. Although unable to speak, on occasion the vanamanushas approach the villagers, making gestures indicating they want food. There have also been many complaints of the monsters carrying off women during their midnight attacks.
Sources: Norman, Eric. The Abominable Snowmen. New York: Award Books, 1969.
The native population of the Chamoli district describe the vanamanushas as very hairy and well-built, with arms so long that they touch their knees when they stand erect. The villagers complain that the creatures raid their crops and haunt the jungles near their communities. Although unable to speak, on occasion the vanamanushas approach the villagers, making gestures indicating they want food. There have also been many complaints of the monsters carrying off women during their midnight attacks.
Sources: Norman, Eric. The Abominable Snowmen. New York: Award Books, 1969.
Black Dogs
Found primarily in folk tales of the British Isles, the black dog is a spectral being that appears mainly and night and is taken to be an omen of death. The black dog legend has no definite origin. It has been supposed that the legend was born out of mythological stories pertaining to Cerberus or Garm, both of whom where guardians of the underworld in Greek and Norse myth, respectively. Black dogs are always shown to be malevolent creatures, though the Barghest of Yorkshire is said to be directly harmful to those who see it. Though most are seen as portents of death, some can act benevolently, guiding lost travelers to safety, for instance. Examples of these would be the Gurt Dog of Somerset and the Black Dog of the Hanging Hills.
One of the most interesting stories involving the black dog legends is an account out of Bungay in Suffolk. The story is taken from "A Straunge and Terrible Wunder" by the Reverend Abraham Fleming in 1577 and transcribed here:
Not all black dogs related to superstition are spectral in nature, though. In medieval Europe, it was the belief that the first person to die and be buried in a cemetery had to protect those that followed him. Therefore, they would kill a large, black dog and buried it first so that it could provide the protection. Magician and occult writer Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa is said to have owned a black dog that served as his familiar. The blood of a black dog was looked upon as a kind of good luck charm in parts Asia. In Japan, black dogs were once sacrificed in order to bring rain.
Sources:
Black dog (ghost); Wikipedia
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls; Alex Irvine
One of the most interesting stories involving the black dog legends is an account out of Bungay in Suffolk. The story is taken from "A Straunge and Terrible Wunder" by the Reverend Abraham Fleming in 1577 and transcribed here:
"This black dog, or the divel in such a linenesse (God hee knoweth al who worketh all,) runing all along down the body of the church with great swiftnesse, and incredible haste, among the people, in a visible fourm and shape, passed between two persons, as they were kneeling uppon their knees, and occupied in prayer as it seemed, wrung the necks of them bothe at one instant clene backward, in somuch that even at a mome[n]t where they kneeled, they stra[n]gely dyed."
Not all black dogs related to superstition are spectral in nature, though. In medieval Europe, it was the belief that the first person to die and be buried in a cemetery had to protect those that followed him. Therefore, they would kill a large, black dog and buried it first so that it could provide the protection. Magician and occult writer Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa is said to have owned a black dog that served as his familiar. The blood of a black dog was looked upon as a kind of good luck charm in parts Asia. In Japan, black dogs were once sacrificed in order to bring rain.
Sources:
Black dog (ghost); Wikipedia
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls; Alex Irvine
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Mars
Mars and Saturn are the two planets in astrological tradition that are considered "malefic." Mars, like the Roman god of the same name (the god Ares to the ancient Greeks), is representative of violent energy, aggressiveness, destruction, hostility, and war. According to astrological determinations, when Mars and Saturn achieve significant relationships in the heavens, bad things are certain to occur on earth. A conjunction of Jupiter, the planet of health, with Mars and Saturn in the sign of Aquarius in 1345 heralded the onset of the Black Death that decimated Europe. The conjunction of Mars and Saturn in Pisces in 1496 marked the appearance of syphilis on the European continent.
In the Middle Ages, Christian scholars interpreting astrological symbols deemed those with Mars in their sign to be highly susceptible to demonic influences. (Yes, Soul Ember has Mars as his astrological sign. This is why I decided to do an entry about my astrological sign, to forewarn my fellow blog author Ashen). When the god Mars later became equated with the Master of Animals, the horned god of the North, he was also identified as Silvanus, a woodland god, very much like Pan. The horned god became synonymous with Satan in the eyes of the church fathers, the god of the witches, werewolves, and other shapeshifters.
Sources: Gaskell, G.A. Dictionary of All Scriptures and Myths. Avenel, NJ: Gramercy Books, 1981.
In the Middle Ages, Christian scholars interpreting astrological symbols deemed those with Mars in their sign to be highly susceptible to demonic influences. (Yes, Soul Ember has Mars as his astrological sign. This is why I decided to do an entry about my astrological sign, to forewarn my fellow blog author Ashen). When the god Mars later became equated with the Master of Animals, the horned god of the North, he was also identified as Silvanus, a woodland god, very much like Pan. The horned god became synonymous with Satan in the eyes of the church fathers, the god of the witches, werewolves, and other shapeshifters.
Sources: Gaskell, G.A. Dictionary of All Scriptures and Myths. Avenel, NJ: Gramercy Books, 1981.
Fenrir
Fenrir, sometimes Fenrisulfr, is a wolf out of Norse mythology. Fenrir is the offspring of the trickster god Loki and the giantess Angrboða. He had a brother named Jörmungandr and a sister who was called Hel. Fenrir, himself has two sons named Hati and Skoll. Hati is said to chase Máni, the god of the moon, while his brother chases the horses Árvakr and Alsviðr that pull the chariot of Sol, the Sun. The name Skoll has sometimes been used to refer directly to the wolf Fenrir and not to the son.
A prophecy informed the gods that the children of Loki and Angrboða would bring them great trouble. Jörmungandr was cast into the sea, where he grew so long that he could wrap around the world and touch the end of his tail thus earning the name the Midgard Serpent. Fenrir's sister, Hel, was sent to rule over the land of Hel, the Norse underworld. The god Odin then said that Fenrir would be raised among the Æsir, the principal gods of Morse mythology. Only the god Týr would feed the wolf.
Due to the prophecy and the wolf's own increasing strength, the gods tried to bind him. Fenrir let them chain him up twice, and broke out both times. Odin then contracted the dwarves to construct bindings that the wolf could not escape. They produced a chain made up of the sound of a cat's footfall, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, bear's sinews, fish's breath, and bird's saliva. Fenrir let the gods put this chain on him as a test to see if he could break it. As a show of good faith on the part of the gods, Týr placed his hand in the wolf's mouth with the understanding that if the gods did not release him, Fenrir would take the hand. Fenrir struggled but could not get free. The gods denied to free him and the great wolf bit off Týr's hand.
It has already been foretold, however, that Fenrir will outgrow any bounds the gods place on him and that, at the time of the Ragnarök, he will devour the god Odin and his sons will succeed in their quests, attempting to swallow the Sun and the Moon.
Source
Fenrir; Wikipedia
A prophecy informed the gods that the children of Loki and Angrboða would bring them great trouble. Jörmungandr was cast into the sea, where he grew so long that he could wrap around the world and touch the end of his tail thus earning the name the Midgard Serpent. Fenrir's sister, Hel, was sent to rule over the land of Hel, the Norse underworld. The god Odin then said that Fenrir would be raised among the Æsir, the principal gods of Morse mythology. Only the god Týr would feed the wolf.
Due to the prophecy and the wolf's own increasing strength, the gods tried to bind him. Fenrir let them chain him up twice, and broke out both times. Odin then contracted the dwarves to construct bindings that the wolf could not escape. They produced a chain made up of the sound of a cat's footfall, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, bear's sinews, fish's breath, and bird's saliva. Fenrir let the gods put this chain on him as a test to see if he could break it. As a show of good faith on the part of the gods, Týr placed his hand in the wolf's mouth with the understanding that if the gods did not release him, Fenrir would take the hand. Fenrir struggled but could not get free. The gods denied to free him and the great wolf bit off Týr's hand.
It has already been foretold, however, that Fenrir will outgrow any bounds the gods place on him and that, at the time of the Ragnarök, he will devour the god Odin and his sons will succeed in their quests, attempting to swallow the Sun and the Moon.
Source
Fenrir; Wikipedia
Monday, April 14, 2008
Enkidu
Perhaps our earliest written record of a man-beast appears on a Babylonian fragment c. 2000 B.C. that tells the story of King Gilgamesh and his werewolf-like friend, Enkidu. The Epic of Gilgamesh remains to date the oldest known literary work in the world. Although it comprises 12 cantos of about 300 verses each, ancient records indicate that the original epic was at least twice as long as its present length.
Pieced together from 30,000 fragments discovered in the library at Ninevah in 1853, the story tells of Gilgamesh, the legendary Sumerian king of Uruk, and his quest for immortality. At first perceiving the physical aspect of his quest to lie in perpetuating his seed, Gilgamesh becomes such a lustful monarch that no woman in his kingdom is safe from his advances. The goddess Aruru, assessing the situation, decides to take matters into her own hands, and she forms the man-beast Enkidu from clay and her spittle in order to create an opponent powerful enough to challenge Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh soon learns of this hairy wildman of the desert who protects the beasts from all those who would hunt in his desolate domain, and the king begins to have uncomfortable dreams of wrestling with a strong opponent whom he could not defeat. Gilgamesh sends a woman into the wilderness to seduce the wild man-beast and to tame him. She accomplishes her mission, teaching him such social graces as wearing clothing and other amenities of civilization as they wind their way to Uruk. When Enkidu eventually arrives in the city, the two giants engage in fierce hand-to-hand combat. The king manages to throw the man-beast, but instead of killing him, the two become fast friends, combining their strength to battle formidable giants and even the gods themselves. It is the jealous goddess Ishtar who causes the fatal illness that leads to Enkidu's death.
Gilgamesh finally abandons his search for immortality when the goddess Siduri Sabitu, dispenser of the wine of immortality to the gods, confides in him that his quest will forever be in vain---the cruel gods have decreed that all mortals shall die. Each day should be treasured, she advises, and one should enjoy the good things of life---a wife, family , friends, eating, and drinking.
Sources: Brown, Calvin S., ed. The Reader's Companion to World Literature. New York: New American Library, 1956.
Gordon, Stuart. The Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends. London: Headline Books, 1993.
Pieced together from 30,000 fragments discovered in the library at Ninevah in 1853, the story tells of Gilgamesh, the legendary Sumerian king of Uruk, and his quest for immortality. At first perceiving the physical aspect of his quest to lie in perpetuating his seed, Gilgamesh becomes such a lustful monarch that no woman in his kingdom is safe from his advances. The goddess Aruru, assessing the situation, decides to take matters into her own hands, and she forms the man-beast Enkidu from clay and her spittle in order to create an opponent powerful enough to challenge Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh soon learns of this hairy wildman of the desert who protects the beasts from all those who would hunt in his desolate domain, and the king begins to have uncomfortable dreams of wrestling with a strong opponent whom he could not defeat. Gilgamesh sends a woman into the wilderness to seduce the wild man-beast and to tame him. She accomplishes her mission, teaching him such social graces as wearing clothing and other amenities of civilization as they wind their way to Uruk. When Enkidu eventually arrives in the city, the two giants engage in fierce hand-to-hand combat. The king manages to throw the man-beast, but instead of killing him, the two become fast friends, combining their strength to battle formidable giants and even the gods themselves. It is the jealous goddess Ishtar who causes the fatal illness that leads to Enkidu's death.
Gilgamesh finally abandons his search for immortality when the goddess Siduri Sabitu, dispenser of the wine of immortality to the gods, confides in him that his quest will forever be in vain---the cruel gods have decreed that all mortals shall die. Each day should be treasured, she advises, and one should enjoy the good things of life---a wife, family , friends, eating, and drinking.
Sources: Brown, Calvin S., ed. The Reader's Companion to World Literature. New York: New American Library, 1956.
Gordon, Stuart. The Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends. London: Headline Books, 1993.
Psychopomp
Psychopomps, from the Greek psychopompos meaning "guide of souls". Psychopomps appear in many religions, as either a spirit, angel or deity, whose job it is to lead the souls of the deceased safely into the afterlife. They do not pass judgment on the deceased. Every belief system has its own respective psychopomp type figure, sometimes even more than one. In African mythology, the spirits of the deceased's ancestors lead them. In Celtic mythology, there are Ankou, Geyn ap Nudd and Epona, who is said to lead souls into the afterlife with her horses. Azrael is the psychopomp figure in Islamic mythology. The Norse have the Valkyries and Baldur and the Egyptians have Anubis and Horus. The Christian mythos counts the Archangel Michael, St. Peter and Jesus Christ amongst their list of psychopomps.
Psychopomps are also featured in various works of fiction. In Dante's Inferno, the character of Virgil serves as Dante's guide through Hell. Horror, fantasy author H.P. Lovecraft portrayed whipporwills as malign psychopomps in some of his works. In his Sandman comics, Neil Gaiman uses Death, who is portrayed as a Gothic teenage girl, as a guide to the souls of the dead. The character of Lucifer Morningstar also fills the role of psychopomp as times in the series. Perhaps the strangest instance of a psychopomp in fiction is the title character of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. In the novel, it is stated that "[t]here odd stories about him; as that when children died he went part of the way with them, so that they should not be frightened.”
Source:
www.psychopomps.org
Peter Pan; J.M. Barrie
Psychopomps; Wikipedia
Psychopomps are also featured in various works of fiction. In Dante's Inferno, the character of Virgil serves as Dante's guide through Hell. Horror, fantasy author H.P. Lovecraft portrayed whipporwills as malign psychopomps in some of his works. In his Sandman comics, Neil Gaiman uses Death, who is portrayed as a Gothic teenage girl, as a guide to the souls of the dead. The character of Lucifer Morningstar also fills the role of psychopomp as times in the series. Perhaps the strangest instance of a psychopomp in fiction is the title character of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. In the novel, it is stated that "[t]here odd stories about him; as that when children died he went part of the way with them, so that they should not be frightened.”
Source:
www.psychopomps.org
Peter Pan; J.M. Barrie
Psychopomps; Wikipedia
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Dientudo
El Dientudo (big teeth) is a commonly reported Bigfoot-type creature in the region around Buenos Aires, Argentina. Many people have reported seeing this half-bear, half-man beast in the wooded areas near El Gato Creek and outside the city of Toloso.
Sources: Picasso, Fabio. "South American Monsters & Mystery Animals." Strange, December 1998.
Sources: Picasso, Fabio. "South American Monsters & Mystery Animals." Strange, December 1998.
Kosmokrates, Part 6
These are the final six demons of the group known as Kosmokrates.
31) Hephesimireth; Causes lingering diseases; Throw salt, after having rubbed it in the hands, into oil and smear it on the patient, while saying: 'Seraphim, Cherubim, help me!' to vanquish him.
32) Ichthion; Inflicts paralysis and contusions on the muscles; 'Adonaêth, help!' sends him back to his true master.
33) Agchoniôn; Lies “among swaddling clothes and in the precipice”; To defeat him, write on fig-leaves 'Lycurgos,' removing one letter at a time, like so: 'Lycurgos, ycurgos, kurgos, yrgos, gos, os.'"
34) Autothith; Causes grudges and fighting; He is “frustrated by Alpha and Omega, if written down."
35) Phthenoth; Casts “evil eye on every man”; The eye “much-suffering, if it be drawn. frustrates [him]."
36) Bianakith; The Testament says that he has “a grudge against the body”, lays waste to houses, causes the flesh to decay, and “all else that is similar”; Writing: 'Mêltô, Ardu, Anaath,' on the front door of your house protects you from his evil.
Text quoted from The Testament of Solomon; online at http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
31) Hephesimireth; Causes lingering diseases; Throw salt, after having rubbed it in the hands, into oil and smear it on the patient, while saying: 'Seraphim, Cherubim, help me!' to vanquish him.
32) Ichthion; Inflicts paralysis and contusions on the muscles; 'Adonaêth, help!' sends him back to his true master.
33) Agchoniôn; Lies “among swaddling clothes and in the precipice”; To defeat him, write on fig-leaves 'Lycurgos,' removing one letter at a time, like so: 'Lycurgos, ycurgos, kurgos, yrgos, gos, os.'"
34) Autothith; Causes grudges and fighting; He is “frustrated by Alpha and Omega, if written down."
35) Phthenoth; Casts “evil eye on every man”; The eye “much-suffering, if it be drawn. frustrates [him]."
36) Bianakith; The Testament says that he has “a grudge against the body”, lays waste to houses, causes the flesh to decay, and “all else that is similar”; Writing: 'Mêltô, Ardu, Anaath,' on the front door of your house protects you from his evil.
Text quoted from The Testament of Solomon; online at http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Kung-lu
In the native Tibetan dialect Kung-lu means "great hulking thing," and the creature that merits such a title is also known as the Ggin-sung, Tok, or Dsuteh. This legendary beast is indigenous to the Tibetan plateaus and has seldom been sighted beyond the boundaries of those mountains. According tho those who have encountered the Kung-lu, the monster stands as tall as nine feet, weighs many hundred pounds, and is covered with black shaggy fur. Tibetan legends are filled with frightening claims that packs of these shaggy-haired monsters have lurked in ambush to abduct small children. Young, pretty native girls have allegedly disappeared during Kung-lu raids on native villages.
According to one account, when the famous mountain climber Huerta led the Argentinean Mountaineering Expedition in 1955, the group was stunned when one of their native porters was killed by a Kung-lu. Tales of these hairy monsters lurking in the Asian wilderness and bizarre legends of ancient Tibetan tribes battling aggressive hordes of howling Kung-lu are said to be found in ancient Asian manuscripts. Numerous venerable Chinese scholars linked these creatures to the "time of the dragon," the presumed genesis of Asian civilization. Many early Europeans to the courts of the khans were alarmed by tales of apelike creatures that raided caravans, murdered humans, and stole women and supplies during midnight ambushes.
Sources: Norman, Eric. The Abominable Snowmen. New York: Award Books, 1969.
According to one account, when the famous mountain climber Huerta led the Argentinean Mountaineering Expedition in 1955, the group was stunned when one of their native porters was killed by a Kung-lu. Tales of these hairy monsters lurking in the Asian wilderness and bizarre legends of ancient Tibetan tribes battling aggressive hordes of howling Kung-lu are said to be found in ancient Asian manuscripts. Numerous venerable Chinese scholars linked these creatures to the "time of the dragon," the presumed genesis of Asian civilization. Many early Europeans to the courts of the khans were alarmed by tales of apelike creatures that raided caravans, murdered humans, and stole women and supplies during midnight ambushes.
Sources: Norman, Eric. The Abominable Snowmen. New York: Award Books, 1969.
Kosmokrates, Part 5
25 - 30
25) Anatreth; Causes inflammation and illness in the intestines; 'Arara, Charara,' sends him away immediately.
26) Enenuth; Takes “away men's minds, and change their hearts, and make a man toothless (?)”; Write: 'Allazoôl, pursue Enenuth,' and then tie the paper around yourself and he will vanish.
27) Phêth; Induces tuberculosis and causes profuse bleeding; To vanquish: “exorcise [him] in wine, sweet-smelling and unmixed by the eleventh aeon, and say: 'I exorcise thee by the eleventh aeon to stop, I demand, Phêth (Axiôphêth),' then give it to the patient to drink".
28) Harpax; Causes sleeplessness; Write 'Kokphnêdismos,' and “bind it round the temples” to banish him back to Hell.
29) Anostêr; induces infection in the uterus and bladder. If one powder into pure oil three seeds of laurel and smear it on, saying: 'I exorcise thee, Anostêr. Stop by Marmaraô,' at once I retreat."
30) Alleborith; The nature of his abilities is not given; The Testament has this to say: “If in eating fish one has swallowed a bone, then he must take a bone from the fish and cough, and at once I retreat."
Text quoted from The Testament of Solomon; online at http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
25) Anatreth; Causes inflammation and illness in the intestines; 'Arara, Charara,' sends him away immediately.
26) Enenuth; Takes “away men's minds, and change their hearts, and make a man toothless (?)”; Write: 'Allazoôl, pursue Enenuth,' and then tie the paper around yourself and he will vanish.
27) Phêth; Induces tuberculosis and causes profuse bleeding; To vanquish: “exorcise [him] in wine, sweet-smelling and unmixed by the eleventh aeon, and say: 'I exorcise thee by the eleventh aeon to stop, I demand, Phêth (Axiôphêth),' then give it to the patient to drink".
28) Harpax; Causes sleeplessness; Write 'Kokphnêdismos,' and “bind it round the temples” to banish him back to Hell.
29) Anostêr; induces infection in the uterus and bladder. If one powder into pure oil three seeds of laurel and smear it on, saying: 'I exorcise thee, Anostêr. Stop by Marmaraô,' at once I retreat."
30) Alleborith; The nature of his abilities is not given; The Testament has this to say: “If in eating fish one has swallowed a bone, then he must take a bone from the fish and cough, and at once I retreat."
Text quoted from The Testament of Solomon; online at http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
Friday, April 11, 2008
Leopard Men
In ancient Egypt, the leopard was regarded as an aspect of divinity and associated with the god Osiris, the judge of the dead. For many African tribes, the leopard is a totem animal that is believed to guide the spirits of the dead to their rest.
A deadly cult whose members express their wereleopard lust for human blood and flesh has been in existence in West Africa for several hundred years. Particularly widespread in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, its members regularly eat human flesh in their religious ceremonies. Those who aspire to become initiates in the cult must bring back a bottle of their victim's blood and drink it in the presence of the assembled members. The cult killed as did the leopard, by slashing, gashing, and mauling their victims with steel claws and knives. They prepared a magical elixir known as borfima, brewed from their victim's intestines, which they believed gave them superhuman powers and allowed them to become leopards.
After a serious outbreak of systematic murders and human sacrifices by the cult shortly after World War I, the authorities believed that they had rounded up its leaders and broken the strength of the leopard men. In spite of the executions of numerous key cult members, the leopard men only went underground and conducted sporadic human sacrifices. The cult's principal executioner in its ritual sacrifices was known as the Bali Yeli. This grim individual wore the ritual leopard mask and a leopard skin robe, and after the selected victim had been dragged to the jungle shrine, he performed the act of ritual murder with a deadly, two-pronged steel claw.
In 1948, there were 48 instances of murder that the police knew they must attribute directly to an upsurge in the leopard cult. After two decades of lying relatively low, the leopard men had returned to work savage, full-scale carnage on the people of Sierra Leone and Nigeria. During the first seven months of 1947, there were 43 known killings that bore the bloody, unmistakable marks of the leopard men.
When the police fired upon a cult member in the act of murdering a victim and killed him with their bullets, the people of the region began to accept the reality that the leopard men were only vicious humans, not supernatural beings. Witnesses began to come forward with clues to the identity of cult members and the possible location of their secret jungle shrine.
The shrine itself was discovered deep in the jungle, cunningly hidden and protected by a huge boulder. The cult's altar was a flat stone slab that was covered with dark bloodstains. Human bones were strewn over the ground. A grotesque effigy of a wereleopard, half-man, half-beast, towered above the gore-caked altar.
During February 1948, 73 initiated members of the cult were arrested and sent to prison. Eventually, 39 of them were sentenced to death and hanged in Abak Prison, their executions witnessed by a number of local tribal chiefs.
Sources: Lefebure, Charles. The Blood Cults. New York: Ace Books, 1969.
A deadly cult whose members express their wereleopard lust for human blood and flesh has been in existence in West Africa for several hundred years. Particularly widespread in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, its members regularly eat human flesh in their religious ceremonies. Those who aspire to become initiates in the cult must bring back a bottle of their victim's blood and drink it in the presence of the assembled members. The cult killed as did the leopard, by slashing, gashing, and mauling their victims with steel claws and knives. They prepared a magical elixir known as borfima, brewed from their victim's intestines, which they believed gave them superhuman powers and allowed them to become leopards.
After a serious outbreak of systematic murders and human sacrifices by the cult shortly after World War I, the authorities believed that they had rounded up its leaders and broken the strength of the leopard men. In spite of the executions of numerous key cult members, the leopard men only went underground and conducted sporadic human sacrifices. The cult's principal executioner in its ritual sacrifices was known as the Bali Yeli. This grim individual wore the ritual leopard mask and a leopard skin robe, and after the selected victim had been dragged to the jungle shrine, he performed the act of ritual murder with a deadly, two-pronged steel claw.
In 1948, there were 48 instances of murder that the police knew they must attribute directly to an upsurge in the leopard cult. After two decades of lying relatively low, the leopard men had returned to work savage, full-scale carnage on the people of Sierra Leone and Nigeria. During the first seven months of 1947, there were 43 known killings that bore the bloody, unmistakable marks of the leopard men.
When the police fired upon a cult member in the act of murdering a victim and killed him with their bullets, the people of the region began to accept the reality that the leopard men were only vicious humans, not supernatural beings. Witnesses began to come forward with clues to the identity of cult members and the possible location of their secret jungle shrine.
The shrine itself was discovered deep in the jungle, cunningly hidden and protected by a huge boulder. The cult's altar was a flat stone slab that was covered with dark bloodstains. Human bones were strewn over the ground. A grotesque effigy of a wereleopard, half-man, half-beast, towered above the gore-caked altar.
During February 1948, 73 initiated members of the cult were arrested and sent to prison. Eventually, 39 of them were sentenced to death and hanged in Abak Prison, their executions witnessed by a number of local tribal chiefs.
Sources: Lefebure, Charles. The Blood Cults. New York: Ace Books, 1969.
Kosmokrates, Part 4
19 - 24
19) Naôth; Causes aches and pains in the knees; Write: 'Phnunoboêol, depart Nathath, and touch thou not the neck,' on paper to send him away.
20) Marderô; Sends “on men incurable fever”; Write: 'Sphênêr, Rafael, retire, drag me not about, flay me not,' “on the leaf of a book and tie it round” the neck to dispel him.
21) Alath; Causes “coughing and hard-breathing in children”. Write: 'Rorêx, do thou pursue Alath,' on paper and ties it around their neck and he will leave.
22) The twenty-second demon in the group is missing. No explanation.
23) Nefthada; Causes infection in the kidneys and bladder leading to painful discharges of urine; Writing 'Iathôth, Uruêl, Nephthada,' on a tin plate and securing it around the loins fends him off.
24) Akton; Causes pain in the ribs and lumbar muscles; Take “copper material, taken from a ship which has missed its anchorage, this: 'Marmaraôth, Sabaôth, pursue Akton,' and fasten it round the loin" and will flee and the pain will subside.
Text quoted from The Testament of Solomon; online at http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
19) Naôth; Causes aches and pains in the knees; Write: 'Phnunoboêol, depart Nathath, and touch thou not the neck,' on paper to send him away.
20) Marderô; Sends “on men incurable fever”; Write: 'Sphênêr, Rafael, retire, drag me not about, flay me not,' “on the leaf of a book and tie it round” the neck to dispel him.
21) Alath; Causes “coughing and hard-breathing in children”. Write: 'Rorêx, do thou pursue Alath,' on paper and ties it around their neck and he will leave.
22) The twenty-second demon in the group is missing. No explanation.
23) Nefthada; Causes infection in the kidneys and bladder leading to painful discharges of urine; Writing 'Iathôth, Uruêl, Nephthada,' on a tin plate and securing it around the loins fends him off.
24) Akton; Causes pain in the ribs and lumbar muscles; Take “copper material, taken from a ship which has missed its anchorage, this: 'Marmaraôth, Sabaôth, pursue Akton,' and fasten it round the loin" and will flee and the pain will subside.
Text quoted from The Testament of Solomon; online at http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
Thursday, April 10, 2008
The Greifswald Werewolves
According to old records, c. 1640 the German city of Greifswald became overrun with werewolves. The lycanthropic population had become so large that they literally took over the city, working outward from their principal hovel in Rokover Street. Any human who ventured out after dark was in certain danger of being attacked and killed by the large company of werewolves.
As the story goes, at last a group of bold students decided that they had had enough of living in fear and staying indoors at night, cowering before their hearths. One night they banded together and led a charge against the monster. Although the students put up a good fight, they were virtually helpless against the powerful werewolves.
But then a clever lad suggested that they gather all their silver buttons, goblets, belt buckles, and so forth, and melt them down into bullets for their muskets and pistols. Thus reinforced, the students set out once again to challenge the dominance of the werewolves---and this time they slaughtered the creatures and rid Greifswald of the lycanthropes.
Sources: Temme, J.D.H. Die Volkssagen von Pommern und Rugen. Translated by D.L. Ashliman. Berlin: In de Nicolaischen Buchhandlung, 1840.
As the story goes, at last a group of bold students decided that they had had enough of living in fear and staying indoors at night, cowering before their hearths. One night they banded together and led a charge against the monster. Although the students put up a good fight, they were virtually helpless against the powerful werewolves.
But then a clever lad suggested that they gather all their silver buttons, goblets, belt buckles, and so forth, and melt them down into bullets for their muskets and pistols. Thus reinforced, the students set out once again to challenge the dominance of the werewolves---and this time they slaughtered the creatures and rid Greifswald of the lycanthropes.
Sources: Temme, J.D.H. Die Volkssagen von Pommern und Rugen. Translated by D.L. Ashliman. Berlin: In de Nicolaischen Buchhandlung, 1840.
Kosmokrates, Part 3
13 - 18
13) Bobêl; Causes “nervous illness by my assaults”; 'Adonaêl, imprison Bothothêl,' turns him back
14) Kumeatêl; Induces “shivering fits and torpor”; 'Zôrôêl, imprison Kumentaêl,' exorcises him back to Hell.
15) Roêlêd; Causes “cold and frost and pain in the stomach” The words 'Iax, bide not, be not warmed, for Solomon is fairer than eleven fathers,' sends him away.
16) Atrax; Induces incurable and painful sicknesses on men; To imprison him, “chop up coriander and smear it on the lips, reciting the following charm: 'The fever which is from dirt. I exorcise thee by the throne of the most high God, retreat from dirt and retreat from the creature fashioned by God.'
17) Ieropaêl; “On the stomach of men I sit, and cause convulsions in the bath and in the road; and wherever I be found, or find a man, I throw him down”; Say the following in the right ear of the victim, three times and Ieropaêl will leave: 'Iudarizê, Sabunê, Denôê,'
18) Buldumêch; Causes strife in the household, separating “wife from husband”; On a piece of paper, write down the following: 'The God of Abram, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob commands thee -- retire from this house in peace.', place the paper in an antechamber in the house and he will flee.
Text quoted from The Testament of Solomon; online at http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
13) Bobêl; Causes “nervous illness by my assaults”; 'Adonaêl, imprison Bothothêl,' turns him back
14) Kumeatêl; Induces “shivering fits and torpor”; 'Zôrôêl, imprison Kumentaêl,' exorcises him back to Hell.
15) Roêlêd; Causes “cold and frost and pain in the stomach” The words 'Iax, bide not, be not warmed, for Solomon is fairer than eleven fathers,' sends him away.
16) Atrax; Induces incurable and painful sicknesses on men; To imprison him, “chop up coriander and smear it on the lips, reciting the following charm: 'The fever which is from dirt. I exorcise thee by the throne of the most high God, retreat from dirt and retreat from the creature fashioned by God.'
17) Ieropaêl; “On the stomach of men I sit, and cause convulsions in the bath and in the road; and wherever I be found, or find a man, I throw him down”; Say the following in the right ear of the victim, three times and Ieropaêl will leave: 'Iudarizê, Sabunê, Denôê,'
18) Buldumêch; Causes strife in the household, separating “wife from husband”; On a piece of paper, write down the following: 'The God of Abram, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob commands thee -- retire from this house in peace.', place the paper in an antechamber in the house and he will flee.
Text quoted from The Testament of Solomon; online at http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
Methods Of Becoming A Werewolf: Sorcery
In the ancient traditions, there were two basic ways by which a person became a werewolf---and they both involved sorcery. Either one deliberately sought to become a shapeshifter by employing a number of spells, invocations, and secret rituals so that he or she might have the power and strength of a lycanthrope to perform nefarious deeds, or one was cursed by a powerful sorcerer who used his magic to turn his victim into a werewolf to live the life of the damned. In other words, there were voluntary and involuntary werewolves. The notion that a victim of a werewolf attack became him- or herself a lycanthrope because of a bite or a scratch from the beast is largely the invention of motion pictures, quite probably beginning with The Wolf Man (1941). In all of the accounts of werewolf attacks throughout Europe in earlier times, we never read of the victims returning as lycanthropes. If the thousands of victims of the Beast of Le Gevaudan had returned as werewolves, all of France would have been overrun by an army of conqueror lycanthropes. In point of actual fact, the victim of a werewolf attack is almost always mangled, mutilated, and murdered---not merely bitten and "infected" with the werewolf curse.
Sorcery involves the manifestation of supernatural powers granted by spirits who have been summoned by a skillful magician or sorcerer. Many believe that such manipulation of psychic energy can only manifest evil spirits, who seize such an opportunity to enter the physical dimension in order to work evil against humankind and the true God of the universe. The French jurist Jean Bodin insisted that only Satan can change the shape of one body into that of another---and only because God grants him that power in the elemental world.
Those who voluntarily became werewolves through sorcery did so most frequently through the use of special ointments, the wearing of the magical wolf belt, and the chanting of carious spells and invocations to summon the demonic beings that would implement the shapeshifting process. Those who involuntarily became werewolves were the victims of such incantations, curses, and the sinister work of demons summoned to do the evil work of sorcerers who had given themselves to the dark side.
Sources: Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1960.
Sorcery involves the manifestation of supernatural powers granted by spirits who have been summoned by a skillful magician or sorcerer. Many believe that such manipulation of psychic energy can only manifest evil spirits, who seize such an opportunity to enter the physical dimension in order to work evil against humankind and the true God of the universe. The French jurist Jean Bodin insisted that only Satan can change the shape of one body into that of another---and only because God grants him that power in the elemental world.
Those who voluntarily became werewolves through sorcery did so most frequently through the use of special ointments, the wearing of the magical wolf belt, and the chanting of carious spells and invocations to summon the demonic beings that would implement the shapeshifting process. Those who involuntarily became werewolves were the victims of such incantations, curses, and the sinister work of demons summoned to do the evil work of sorcerers who had given themselves to the dark side.
Sources: Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1960.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Kosmokrates, Part 2
Next 6:
7) Sphandôr; "Weaken[s] the strength of the shoulders, and cause[s] them to tremble; and I paralyze the nerves of the hands, and I break and bruise the bones of the neck. And I, I suck out the marrow"; 'Araêl, imprison Sphandôr,' banishes him back to Hell.
8) Belbel; He corrupts the hearts and minds of men, turning them on each other; "If I hear the words, 'Araêl, imprison Belbel,' I at once retreat."
9) Kurtaêl; Sends "colics in the bowels" and produces pains; 'Iaôth, imprison Kurtaêl,' will send him on his way.
10) Metathiax; Causes kidney infections; 'Adônaêl, imprison Metathiax,' subdues him and sends him back to Hell.
11) Katanikotaêl; Create “strife and wrongs in men's homes, and send on them hard temper”; to vanquish him, write on seven laurel leaves the “name of the angel that frustrates” him, as well as: “Iae, Ieô, sons of Sabaôth, in the name of the great God let him shut up Katanikotaêl”. Then wash the laurel-leaves in water, and sprinkle the house with the water, from within to the outside.
12) Saphathoraél; Inspire “partisanship in men, and delight[s] in causing them to stumble”; Writing on paper the names of the angels Iacô, Iealô, Iôelet, Sabaôth, Ithoth, Bae, and then folding it and wearing it round the neck or against the ear causes Saphathoraél to flee.
Text quoted from The Testament of Solomon; online at http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
7) Sphandôr; "Weaken[s] the strength of the shoulders, and cause[s] them to tremble; and I paralyze the nerves of the hands, and I break and bruise the bones of the neck. And I, I suck out the marrow"; 'Araêl, imprison Sphandôr,' banishes him back to Hell.
8) Belbel; He corrupts the hearts and minds of men, turning them on each other; "If I hear the words, 'Araêl, imprison Belbel,' I at once retreat."
9) Kurtaêl; Sends "colics in the bowels" and produces pains; 'Iaôth, imprison Kurtaêl,' will send him on his way.
10) Metathiax; Causes kidney infections; 'Adônaêl, imprison Metathiax,' subdues him and sends him back to Hell.
11) Katanikotaêl; Create “strife and wrongs in men's homes, and send on them hard temper”; to vanquish him, write on seven laurel leaves the “name of the angel that frustrates” him, as well as: “Iae, Ieô, sons of Sabaôth, in the name of the great God let him shut up Katanikotaêl”. Then wash the laurel-leaves in water, and sprinkle the house with the water, from within to the outside.
12) Saphathoraél; Inspire “partisanship in men, and delight[s] in causing them to stumble”; Writing on paper the names of the angels Iacô, Iealô, Iôelet, Sabaôth, Ithoth, Bae, and then folding it and wearing it round the neck or against the ear causes Saphathoraél to flee.
Text quoted from The Testament of Solomon; online at http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Taigherim
The rites of Taigherim consist of a magical sacrifice of cats that originated in pagan Scotland as a ritual to appease the subterranean gods. Beginning with the Christian era in Scotland, the rite was performed by sorcerers to invoke a special shapeshifting demon which would manifest as a very large black cat. The rites themselves involved the systematic roasting of live black cats on a spit slowly turning over a fire. As each cat was dedicated to the demons of darkness, its terrible howls of pain were believed to summon a particular monster of demonic power.
After the cruel sacrificial rites had been conducted for many hours, small demons would begin to materialize in the form of black cats and match their cries with the yowls of the unfortunate true cats that were being roasted alive. As the sacrifices continued, celebrated by the screeching of the cat-demons, the sorcerer would at last behold the materialization of a frightful catlike creature of great size, much larger than a black leopard of the jungle. The appearance of the great demon signaled demonic acceptance of the sorcerer's sacrifices, and he was now permitted to make his demands of the huge black cat, whether it be the gift of prophecy, a bag of gold, or the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or black cat.
Sources: Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1960.
After the cruel sacrificial rites had been conducted for many hours, small demons would begin to materialize in the form of black cats and match their cries with the yowls of the unfortunate true cats that were being roasted alive. As the sacrifices continued, celebrated by the screeching of the cat-demons, the sorcerer would at last behold the materialization of a frightful catlike creature of great size, much larger than a black leopard of the jungle. The appearance of the great demon signaled demonic acceptance of the sorcerer's sacrifices, and he was now permitted to make his demands of the huge black cat, whether it be the gift of prophecy, a bag of gold, or the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or black cat.
Sources: Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1960.
Kosmokrates, Part 1
For the next few days, I am going to discuss a collection of demons known as a whole as Kosmokrates, or Kosmokrators. The postings here will contain the names of the 36 demons that form the group, their powers and the way to dispel them. Below are the first six.
1) Ruax; Causes "the heads of men to be idle, and [he] pillage[s] their brows"; the words, 'Michael, imprison Ruax,' forces him to flee.
2) Barsafael; Causes "those who are subject to [his] hour to feel the pain of migraine"; 'Gabriel, imprison Barsafael,' sends him back where he came.
3) Arôtosael; Does "harm to eyes, and grievously injure[s] them"; 'Uriel, imprison Aratosael' causes him to retreat.
4) The fourth demon in the group is conspicuously missing from the horde. No explanation is given.
5) Iudal; Brings "about a block in the ears and deafness of hearing"; 'Uruel Iudal,' sends him away.
6) Sphendonaêl; Cause "tumours of the parotid gland, and inflammations of the tonsils, and tetanic recurvation"; 'Sabrael, imprison Sphendonaêl' vanquishes him.
Text quoted from The Testament of Solomon; online at http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
1) Ruax; Causes "the heads of men to be idle, and [he] pillage[s] their brows"; the words, 'Michael, imprison Ruax,' forces him to flee.
2) Barsafael; Causes "those who are subject to [his] hour to feel the pain of migraine"; 'Gabriel, imprison Barsafael,' sends him back where he came.
3) Arôtosael; Does "harm to eyes, and grievously injure[s] them"; 'Uriel, imprison Aratosael' causes him to retreat.
4) The fourth demon in the group is conspicuously missing from the horde. No explanation is given.
5) Iudal; Brings "about a block in the ears and deafness of hearing"; 'Uruel Iudal,' sends him away.
6) Sphendonaêl; Cause "tumours of the parotid gland, and inflammations of the tonsils, and tetanic recurvation"; 'Sabrael, imprison Sphendonaêl' vanquishes him.
Text quoted from The Testament of Solomon; online at http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htm
Monday, April 7, 2008
Diana, the Huntress
Throughout the Middle Ages, Diana, the goddess of the wilderness and the hunt, ruled all the dark forests of Europe. Some scholars have declared that the Inquisition was instituted to stamp out all worship of Diana in Europe. In the Bible, the book of Acts is filled with the struggles of the early apostles to counteract the influence of Diana, whose temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. "Great is Diana of the Ephesians," the tradespeople of Ephesus shouted at Paul and his company, setting in motion a riot (Acts 19). To the members of the Christian clergy, Diana was the Queen of the Witches. To the infamous witch hunter and grand inquisitor Torquemada, Diana was Satan.
From ancient times Diana was the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of Creatures, the Huntress, the Destroyer. To the Greeks, she was Artemis. While the early Christian fathers felt great satisfaction when the peasantry bent their knee to worship Mary as the Queen of Heaven, in truth, the majority believed that they were really worshiping Diana, the great and powerful goddess of old.
Diana, with her pack of hunting dogs, her stature as the Mother of Animals, the Lady of Wild Creatures, was the patron goddess of those who chose the life of the outlaw werewolf and all others who defied conventional society. She has remained the goddess of the wild woodlands and hunting thoughout most of the Western world.
Sources: Hazlin, W.E. Dictionary of Faiths & Folklore. London: Studio Editions, 1995.
Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books 1960.
Walker, Barbara G. The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983.
From ancient times Diana was the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of Creatures, the Huntress, the Destroyer. To the Greeks, she was Artemis. While the early Christian fathers felt great satisfaction when the peasantry bent their knee to worship Mary as the Queen of Heaven, in truth, the majority believed that they were really worshiping Diana, the great and powerful goddess of old.
Diana, with her pack of hunting dogs, her stature as the Mother of Animals, the Lady of Wild Creatures, was the patron goddess of those who chose the life of the outlaw werewolf and all others who defied conventional society. She has remained the goddess of the wild woodlands and hunting thoughout most of the Western world.
Sources: Hazlin, W.E. Dictionary of Faiths & Folklore. London: Studio Editions, 1995.
Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books 1960.
Walker, Barbara G. The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1983.
Tulpa
The tulpa is a Tibetan thoughtform. A thoughtform is a manifestation of mental energies. A tulpa is a being or object that is created through sheer force of will alone. The term stems from the works of French spiritualist Alexandra David-Néel. She claims to have produced a tulpa in the form of a monk that resembled the Friar Tuck character from Robin Hood legends. David-Néel states that the tulpa developed of life unto itself and she was forced to destroy it.
Since a tulpa is created through thought alone, as the creator's perceptions of the tulpa change, so to does the tulpa itself. The nature of the tulpa can only be affected by the mind, or minds, of its creator, or creators. For example, if one wanted a tulpa that had wings and could fly, the manifestation would appear thus. If the creator then decided the creature had too much freedom, they need only change their thoughts so that the tulpa no longer had the ability of flight. The wings would vanish, or at least become useless, and the tulpa would be grounded.
The tulpa, or a related apparition, has been used in works of fiction by numerous authors. An example of this is the creature from Stephen King's It. The creature is a thoughtform that gains powers and changes form based on the belief of the people living in the town. An episode of the science fiction show X-Files has a character who utilizes a tulpa to enforce the neighborhood rules and kills those that do not follow those rules.
Sources:
Tulpa; Wikipedia
It; Stephen King
The X-Files - Arcadia; Ep. 13 Season 6 1999
Since a tulpa is created through thought alone, as the creator's perceptions of the tulpa change, so to does the tulpa itself. The nature of the tulpa can only be affected by the mind, or minds, of its creator, or creators. For example, if one wanted a tulpa that had wings and could fly, the manifestation would appear thus. If the creator then decided the creature had too much freedom, they need only change their thoughts so that the tulpa no longer had the ability of flight. The wings would vanish, or at least become useless, and the tulpa would be grounded.
The tulpa, or a related apparition, has been used in works of fiction by numerous authors. An example of this is the creature from Stephen King's It. The creature is a thoughtform that gains powers and changes form based on the belief of the people living in the town. An episode of the science fiction show X-Files has a character who utilizes a tulpa to enforce the neighborhood rules and kills those that do not follow those rules.
Sources:
Tulpa; Wikipedia
It; Stephen King
The X-Files - Arcadia; Ep. 13 Season 6 1999
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Jackal People
Since the days of ancient Egypt and because of their close association with Anubis, god of the souls of the dead, jackals have been regarded as entities somehow connected with the underworld. In Hebrew tradition, jackals became symbols of destruction, and throughout a good portion of Asia, a jackal represents cowardice. Indian folklore dictates that if one hears the howl of a jackal and it appears to be coming from somewhere over the person's left shoulder, he or she has been given an omen of very bad luck.
In many parts of Africa, the jackal is very often regarded as a not very brave, but very wise, trickster figure. Those who become werejackals do so by wearing a strip of its hide across the forehead or about the waist. A witch doctor who has the ability to shapeshift will often choose the form of a jackal in order to travel secretly at night.
Sources: Larousse Dictionary of World Folklore. New York: Larousse, 1995.
Steiger, Brad. Totems: The Transformative Power of Your Personal Animal Totem. San Francicso: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997.
In many parts of Africa, the jackal is very often regarded as a not very brave, but very wise, trickster figure. Those who become werejackals do so by wearing a strip of its hide across the forehead or about the waist. A witch doctor who has the ability to shapeshift will often choose the form of a jackal in order to travel secretly at night.
Sources: Larousse Dictionary of World Folklore. New York: Larousse, 1995.
Steiger, Brad. Totems: The Transformative Power of Your Personal Animal Totem. San Francicso: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997.
The Woman In White
La Llorona, Spanish for "the crying woman", is also known as the Woman in White or the Weeping Woman. In South American folklore, La Llorona is the spirit of a woman drying for her dead children. Children, which had typically been drowned by her. Her appearance is seen as an omen of death are are said to generally occur near bodies of water.
The story of the original Woman in White goes that she was a beautiful woman who married, or was seduced by, a local man with whom she had several children. Many names are given to her, including Sofia, Linda, Laura and María. The tale says that the man leave her for one of a few reasons: another woman, employment or simply to be away from La Llorona and the children. In order to spare the children a life of poverty, to free herself to find a new husband or simply to seek revenge on their father, La Lorona murders the children, usually by drowning.
Another version has the Woman in White being an Indian princess who fell in love with a handsome Mexican nobleman. She had two children by him, but he refused to marry her. He left her and married another woman. The princess went mad with rage and brutally murdered her children, stabbing them both to death. She was found later wandering the streets in a bloodstained dress and crying for her children. She was arrested and executed. It is said that her ghost still walks through the country at night in her bloody clothes, crying for her children. This version of the legend says that if she finds any children, it's likely that she would carry it away with her into the spirit world.
Sources:
La Llorona; Wikipedia
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls; Alex Irvine
The story of the original Woman in White goes that she was a beautiful woman who married, or was seduced by, a local man with whom she had several children. Many names are given to her, including Sofia, Linda, Laura and María. The tale says that the man leave her for one of a few reasons: another woman, employment or simply to be away from La Llorona and the children. In order to spare the children a life of poverty, to free herself to find a new husband or simply to seek revenge on their father, La Lorona murders the children, usually by drowning.
Another version has the Woman in White being an Indian princess who fell in love with a handsome Mexican nobleman. She had two children by him, but he refused to marry her. He left her and married another woman. The princess went mad with rage and brutally murdered her children, stabbing them both to death. She was found later wandering the streets in a bloodstained dress and crying for her children. She was arrested and executed. It is said that her ghost still walks through the country at night in her bloody clothes, crying for her children. This version of the legend says that if she finds any children, it's likely that she would carry it away with her into the spirit world.
Sources:
La Llorona; Wikipedia
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls; Alex Irvine
Saturday, April 5, 2008
The Spunkie
The spunkie is a Scottish goblin that particularly has it in for those travelers who venture out after dark. The spunkie is considered so nasty that tradition has it that he is a direct agent of Satan. It hovers about in the darkness, waiting for a traveler to become lost in the night, perhaps during a rainstorm when visibility is especially bad. The goblin manifests a light that appears to the desperate wayfarer like illumination shining through a window pane, thus signalling shelter and a dry place to spend the inclement evening. But as the traveler approaches the light, it keeps moving just a bit farther away. Since the poor, drenched pilgrim has no choice in the darkness but to keep pursuing the light source, the spunkie keeps moving it just a bit farther on---until the evil goblin has lured the unfortunate traveler over a cliff.
Sources: Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1960.
Sources: Spence, Lewis. An Encyclopedia of Occultism. New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1960.
Iron and Spirits
Something about iron makes it useful when battling spirits. Some believe that iron's magnetism plays a part in this, but no one is entirely sure. This goes back a long way. Irish mothers would put iron in their baby's crib to prevent fairies from switching the infant for a changeling. Witches can't pass over iron. The Greeks and Romans would keep iron out of their temples and cemeteries because they wanted spirits around and knew the iron would prevent that. This is also the reason for iron fences around some cemeteries, to keep the spirits in. Cold iron that is hammered without being heated works the best, but any form of iron will work.
Sources:
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls; Alex Irvine
Sources:
The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls; Alex Irvine
Friday, April 4, 2008
The Adlet
The Inuit tribespeople have a legend about the Adlet, the dog people, the offspring of a great red dog and an Inuit woman. This beast/human marriage produced five ugly weredogs and five regular dogs, and the disgusted mother set them all adrift on rafts.
The five dogs eventually reached the shores of Europe and begot among them the various white ethnic groups. The weredogs evolved into horrible, bloodthirsty monsters who still haunt the northern icelands in search of human flesh.
Sources:
Larousse Dictionary of World Folklore. New York: Larousse, 1995.
The five dogs eventually reached the shores of Europe and begot among them the various white ethnic groups. The weredogs evolved into horrible, bloodthirsty monsters who still haunt the northern icelands in search of human flesh.
Sources:
Larousse Dictionary of World Folklore. New York: Larousse, 1995.
The Seven Deadly Sins
The Roman Catholic Church divides sin into two categories. Venial, which are relatively minor sins and can be forgiven through any Sacramental. The other category is are the Capital, or Mortal, sins. These sins destroyed the life of grace, and created the threat of eternal damnation unless either absolved through the sacrament of confession, or forgiven through perfect contrition on the part of the penitent. These capital sins are Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride.
The Roman Catholic Church also recognizes seven holy virtues which correspond to each of the deadly sins. They are:
Virtue = Vice
Chastity = Lust
Temperance = Gluttony
Charity = Greed
Diligence = Sloth
Forgiveness = Wrath
Kindness = Envy
Humility = Pride
Peter Binsfield, Medieval demonologist and Jesuit priest, also paired each sin with a demon.
Demon = Sin
Asmodeus = Lust
Beelzebub = Gluttony
Mammon = Greed
Belphegor = Sloth
Satan = Wrath
Leviathan = Envy
Lucifer = Pride
Note: Here, Satan, Lucifer and Beelzebub are viewed as three separate entities while in some religions they are all merely different names for the same being.
The Roman Catholic Church also recognizes seven holy virtues which correspond to each of the deadly sins. They are:
Virtue = Vice
Chastity = Lust
Temperance = Gluttony
Charity = Greed
Diligence = Sloth
Forgiveness = Wrath
Kindness = Envy
Humility = Pride
Peter Binsfield, Medieval demonologist and Jesuit priest, also paired each sin with a demon.
Demon = Sin
Asmodeus = Lust
Beelzebub = Gluttony
Mammon = Greed
Belphegor = Sloth
Satan = Wrath
Leviathan = Envy
Lucifer = Pride
Note: Here, Satan, Lucifer and Beelzebub are viewed as three separate entities while in some religions they are all merely different names for the same being.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Werewolf Terminology
As is to be expected, werewolves are called different things around the world. Here are some examples.
Navajo: Mai-coh
Mohawk: Limikkin
Spain: Hombre Lobo
Mexico: Nahual
Czech: Vlkodlak
Scandinavia: Varulf
Central Russia: Bodark
Russia: Wawkalak
Lithuania: Vilkatas
Portugal: Lobh Omen
Sweden: Einhamir
France: Bisclavret
France: Loup-Garou
Haiti: Loup-Garou
Bulgaria: Vrkolak
Italy: Lupo Manero
Latvia: Vilkacis
Will update with some more when I find them.
Acheri
First up we have the Acheri. The acheri is a demon that disguises itself as a little girl; from Indian folk tradition. Acheri are said to inhabit the mountains and murder travelers who are taken in by its helpless guise. A protection against them is to wear a red thread around the neck. This was also said to protect small children against sorcery in some European countries.
Hello, and welcome.
You can all call me Ashen-AngelFox, or just Ashen. I've set this blog, along with my friend Soul Ember, to post some random and utterly useless trivia. The trivia will cover a variety of topics, including, but not limited to, the supernatural, movies and television, and anything that pops into our deranged little minds.
Note: We did not make up the trivia posted here. We have come across the trivia while reading books, or surfing the internet. We claim no ownership over anything talked about in this blog. Thank you.
A-AF and Soul
Note: We did not make up the trivia posted here. We have come across the trivia while reading books, or surfing the internet. We claim no ownership over anything talked about in this blog. Thank you.
A-AF and Soul
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