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Ab-Esh-Imy-Duat/Ab-Sha-Am-Tuat
Ab-Esh-Imy-Duat is a beast from Egyptian mythology. This creature’s name means “to split” or “to wear out the eyes” and is sometimes referred to as “Osiris the Eye Of Ra.” It is a massive crocodile that guards the seventh hour of the river of the night and the tomb of Ra. It stands on a funeral mound that has a bearded mans’, presumably Osiris’s, head sticking out of it. Ra mesmerizes it with magic. Since this is the domain of Osiris, this distraction allows Osiris and his followers to see Ra and become alive again. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States,…
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Aarvak
The Aarvak is a notable horse from Norse mythology. This horse’s name means “early waker”. He pulls the sun chariot of Sol across the sky along with the horse Alsvid. He and Alsvid were both born in Muspelheim. He has runes carved in his ears and is protected by the shield Svalin against the sun. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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A Bao A Qu
The A Bao A Qu is a creature from Malaysian mythology. It is benign and sits at the bottom of a tower called Vijaya Stambha. It has tentacles and its skin is similar to a peach. When a pilgrim enters and begins going up the tower, the A Bao A Qu follows it up. It starts out nearly invisible, then slowly gains more coloration and eventually begins to glow blue. It is said that it can only reach its full form if it follows someone all the way to the top of the tower, but no one has ever gotten there before turning back. When the pilgrim turns around, the…
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Parenting Tips With Nursery Bogeys And Other Bogeyman Figures
There are a bunch of different reasons that stories of strange and terrifying creatures come about. Most often these origins require some history or psychology to properly dissect, but the Nursery Bogeys aren’t that complex. In most circumstances, the Nursery Bogey isn’t real, and was never supposed to be. Kids can be stupid, and sometimes that stupidity puts them in danger. Kids can also be stubborn and oppose authority just because they feel like it. These two things put together is what gives birth to a Nursery Bogey, a thinly veiled threat in the form of a traumatically terrifying creature that deals heavy punishments for misbehavior. Due to the varied…
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The D.U.M.B.E.S.T. Rule
This is my own personal philosophy, formerly called the Bloody Mary Rule. The anagram means Don’t Use Magic Bulls*** Especially Satanic Things, but an equivalent term would be “common sense.” Ouija boards, Bloody Mary, Charlie Charlie, and any other kind of “fun” supernatural things are all subject to this rule. Another equivalent term would be “better safe than sorry” or “don’t tempt fate” because the principle simply means that if there are ways to interact with the supernatural, then you need to be careful. If it fails, nothing happens, but if it succeeds then you could find yourself in a world of trouble. Though I believe some strange things have…
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I NEED A HERO!!!
There is always a point where myth meets reality in some way or another. One point where monsters meet humanity is the archetypal hero. Interestingly, our way of thinking of hero’s really hasn’t changed much even over thousands of years. Heroes of myth often have some remarkable birth, or occasionally are a normal person who is affected by some remarkable occurrence. This hero has some unique power or skill, often a destiny, a tragic flaw, and so often a tragic backstory. Almost always, despite their remarkable traits, the hero is still distinctly human for better or worse. Unfortunately though, most ancient heroes have rather tragic endings, which is still more…
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Urban Legends: The Spookiest “I Dunno…”
When it comes to stories of the strange and supernatural, it can be incredibly difficult to find reliable sources. With urban legends, well that becomes even trickier. At its core, an urban legend is just some spooky story, but there is a bit more to it. While urban legends often have some amount of truth to them, a lot of it them are admittedly made up. In fact, some defining features of what takes something from a general rumor to an urban legend is a lot of variation between retellings, unclear or uncertain origins, and the fact that some people actually believe it to be true. My personal note is…
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Be Sure You Know Your ABCs of Cryptozoology
People often think that cryptids are basically just mythical creatures but scientifically backed. While that is sometimes the case, sometimes however it is much simpler. One example of a simpler form of cryptid are the ABCs, an acronym for Alien Big Cats. As much as I’d like to say they’re a bunch of awesome looking space lions, they’re actually just a species of big cat that have been sighted in locations where they aren’t supposed to be. In essence, the ABCs are just a fairly specific type of unconfirmed invasive species. A very common explanation, or possible explanation, is they are really just an exotic pet that got away from…
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“An Impostor Among U…” Nope that’s copyrighted, “It’s Shapeshifting Aliens”
Aliens have fascinated people for years, and stories of them almost seem like modern day myths affected by our modern understanding of science. Because of this new understanding, and also the massive lack of understanding due to the sheer size of the universe, aliens have become a frequent topic of horror. In many situations, hypothetical aliens will be given powers often seen as supernatural or magical, though related to their biology rather than any magic. A very common trope when representing fictional aliens is the “Alien Impostor”, some alien creature that can take the shape of a human and hide among u…, alongside people. While this is far more common…
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Cannibal Giants; The Monsters You’ve Kinda Heard of
There are many stories and myths that were created to serve as cautionary tales to keep someone from doing something dangerous or immoral. Some of these warnings are subtle but stories of the Cannibal Giants are not known for subtly. Since the prevalent reason people turn into these creatures is they ate other humans, the moral lesson is obviously don’t eat people. This is very much not a subtle story of consequences, but in fairness, if you need to be taught to not cannibalize, it’s fair to assume subtly might be lost on you. They also serve as a Bogeyman figure in many situations, usually just personifying dangers in the…
