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Janet Russell Alien Encounter
This encounter comes from a woman named Janet Russell, who recounted this to Brad and Sherry Hansen Steiger in the book Real Aliens, Space Beings, and Creatures from Other Worlds. Janet Russell is a public figure, considered to be one of the best physics in the US, having been on tv and radio multiple times. The incident occurred on March 27, 1962. She was 22 and pregnant with her fourth child and going to the doctor. She saw a ship when she was on route 112. The spacecraft was described as looking like a moon that continuously changed colors and sparkled like sequins. She got out of her car to…
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Jaguareté/Cougar Noire
The Jaguareté is a cryptid from Brazil and Guyana that commonly live on the seashore. Its name comes from the Guaraní word meaning “great beast” which is also the linguistic origin of the term jaguar. They resemble jaguars with black fur on their heads, backs, sides, and tails, as well as largely white fur on the undersides, lower jaws, and paws. They are known to eat lizards, alligators, fish, turtle eggs, and the buds and leaves from the prickly pear cactus. Citations: Eberhart, George M.. Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. United Kingdom, ABC-CLIO, 2002.
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Lobizón/Lobisón/Lobis-Homen
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Jago-Nini
The Jago-Nini is a cryptid from Gabon. It strongly resembling a dinosaur, and is thought to be similar to the Mokele-Mbembe. They are believed to be amphibious creatures living in swamps and rivers. It’s name may come from the Punu or Sira language, and may possibly mean “great diver.” It attacks and consumes humans and West African manatees. Citations: Eberhart, George M.. Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. United Kingdom, ABC-CLIO, 2002.
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Ittan-Momen
The Ittan-Momen is a Yokai from Japan classified as a Tsukumogami. They look harmless, resembling a long strip of cloth, sometimes over 30 feet in length. They fly through the sky at night to search for sleeping victims. They wrap around their victims heads, crushing the skull and smothering the victim. If the trust of the Ittan-Momen is gained however, it enjoys being worn as a turban. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Isithfuntela
The Isithfuntela is from West Africa. They are created when witches enter the bodies of those who have committed suicide. The witch will cut out the corpse’s tongue and drive a wooden peg into its skull to bind it. They can also control them separately to themselves. They lack physical strength and cannot fight a healthy person one on one, but can shapeshift, often turning into bats and rats, and can hypnotize people. They can also raise the dead which turn to dust once the sun rises. They must feed on human blood to survive. They hypnotize their victims and drive wooden pegs into their brains to kill them, then…
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Isis
Isis is the Egyptian goddess of wisdom and magic, as well as the wife to Osiris. She is one of the daughters of Geb and Nut. She is seen as the mother to kings and is depicted as a human with a crown that has cow horns and a sun disk, though she may be depicted with the features of a hawk or just fully as a hawk. She has a symbol attributed to her known as the Tyet, or the Isis Knot. It is thought this symbol represents life and well-being, and some believe it to be a depiction of an ancient tampon. She saved Osiris when Set threw…
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Isholugo
The Isholugo are dangerous creatures of South African myth. They are thought to be Impundulu who have escaped magical binding and are no longer forced to serve any magic user. They have a wild bloodlust and are incredibly difficult to track. They can only be killed if they are contained and burned to remove their supernatural strength. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006.
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Irimu/Rimu/Izimu
The Irimu is from Wachaga myth. A man would become an Irimu by breaking some taboo. Descriptions of what it looks like varies. Sometimes it is a man who has brambles growing out of his body until he’s just a walking bush, and then he eats everyone. This form is cured by burning the bushes growing out of him. One story tells of one that got swept away in a river and got turned into a banana tree on the shore. A child took a banana and lost a finger in a type of sympathetic magic thing. Sometimes it is seen as an ogre-like creature. It is also sometimes in…
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Intulo
The Intulo is a creature from Zulu mythology in South Africa. It’s thought to be a cross between a human, and a lizard or alligator. Originally in the Zulu creation myth, everything was immortal before it was decided everything should die. Intulo became the messenger of death and has since become a bogeyman figure. It has also occasionally been sighted in rural areas. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006.
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Intaka Yezulu
The Intaka Yezulu is a creature from South Africa, and a variation of the Impundulu. It’s name translates to “bird of the sky”, and it appears as a big white bird with a red beak and red legs. It may sometimes take the form of a handsome man to seduce women, and then drain them of their blood. The flapping of their wings makes thunder, and their droppings become lightning. Their very presence can cause miscarriages and hemorrhages. They possess the ability to control eagles, owls, and hammerhead sharks and use them to find prey. Sometimes people bitten by the Intaka Yezulu turn into witches. They can be destroyed by…
