A-Z Blogging Challenge: M is for Manticore

Manticore

- Origin: The Manticore is a creature originating in Persian mythology, known as the Martyaxwar (man-eater). The name was taken from early Middle Persian and mistranscribed / adapted into a Greek and then English pronunciation (mantichora and manticore respectively). Due to the behaviour and locality in which Manticores originated, some believe that they were actually borne from over-exaggerated tales of tigers, of which the local people of the time were terrified.

- Descrption: Manticores have the body of lion, face of a man, and a voice that sounds similar to a trumpet. They also have the tail of a scorpian or dragon, which they use to shoot spines, like arrows, long range, and can also throw the spines, like javelins, at close range. As if that wasn't deadly enough, Manticores also have three rows of shark-like teeth in their mouths. Sometimes Manticores have the body of a dragon, in addition to wings and / or horns as well.

An illustration of Geryon the Manticore, by Gustave Doré, from The Divine Comedy.

- Behaviour: Manticores hide in long grass, showing only their human faces to those who approach. They then take those who come too close by surprise and devour them whole. They leave nothing of the person they have eaten, not even clothing and possessions; it is as though their prey has simply disappeared.

More about Manticores:

• Manticore Mythology at Gods and Monsters 
• Manticore at The Medieval Bestiary
• Manticore on Wikipedia

 
 This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge, 2013.

A-Z Blogging Challenge: L is for La Llorona

A still from KM 31: Kilometre 31 (2006), featuring a La Llorona-like character

La Llorona, "The Weeping Woman", originates from Mexican mythology and folklore. She is said to be the spirit of a woman, dressed in white, with long, flowing hair, who roams the Earth mourning for her children, while wailing and crying. 

One version of the tale of La Llorona tells of a beautiful woman called Maria, who falls deeply in love with a man who doesn't want her. She thinks that without her children, the man may accept her and so she drowns them, in order to make her more desirable to him. However, he once again rejects her and so she drowns herself in despair. 

When she reaches the gates of Heaven, she is not permitted because of the murders of her children and, trapped on Earth as a ghost, she searches for them, crying "Oh! My children!" in sorrow. In some stories, La Llorona will also kidnap any children she finds in an attempt to replace her own children. It is also said that anyone who hears her wails will die soon after.

Other versions of the story:

• La Llorona - A Hispanic Legend
• La Llorona: One Woman, Many Stories

Some history behind the legend:

• La Llorona: A five century-old lamentation

This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge, 2013.

A-Z Blogging Challenge: J is for Jack o' Lanterns

Jack o' Lantern by Madame Luciel

With their hollowed-out, glowing orange faces and distinctive silhouettes, Jack o' Lanterns are an instantly recognisable symbol of modern Halloween celebrations. Originally carved from turnips, beets, and other root vegetables, Jack o' Lanterns represented faries, spirits and the Will o' the Wisp phenomenon (lights / orbs that floated above marshland etc.) in Gaelic folklore and were part of the Samhain celebrations. 

Will o' the Wisp / Stingy Jack Folklore

One of the tales associated with Jack o' Lanterns is that of Stingy Jack, which comes from Ireland and Scotland and is similar to the story of Will o' the Wisp. Although there are many different variations, one version tells of a thief called Jack who is running from villagers from whom he has stolen. He meets the Devil,  who wants to take his soul, but Jack comes up with a plan in order to prolong his life for a little longer. 

Jack o' Lanterns by myself & Madame Luciel

He tells the Devil - who can take any form he pleases - to turn himself into a coin and allow himself to be found by the villagers. Then, when he makes himself disappear the villagers would begin to fight and their souls would be more susceptible to the Devil's trickery. The Devil agrees to the plan and jumps into Jack's wallet; however, he finds himself next to a cross, which has also been put there by Jack. The cross strips the Devil of his powers and he is trapped there. 

Before Jack releases the Devil, he forces him to promise never to take his soul, to which he agrees. When Jack eventually dies, his Earthly deeds mean that he is not allowed into Heaven, but because of the Devil's promise, he's not allowed into Hell either and so has nowhere to go. Jack asked how he would find his way in the dark without light and so the Devil mocked him by throwing him an ember from the fires of Hell, which would never extinguish. Jack then carved out a turnip, in which to put the light and endlessly roams the Earth, looking for a place to rest; thus he became known as Jack o' Lantern.

Modern Jack o' Lanterns

Jack o' Lanterns by Madame Luciel

Although pumpkins were never traditionally carved for Halloween, in the 19th century US, where pumpkins were harvested close to the Harvest Festival / Samhain / Halloween celebrations, they began to use these orange gourds. Their skin was much easier to carve and their size made it much easier to put candles inside of, and so the pumpkin became much more popular and synonymous with modern Halloween celebrations. 

Pumpkin Crafting

Death Jack o' Lantern by Kei of Unfortunately Oh!

Traditionally, pumpkin carving was limited to faces, but now there are a vast array of designs used by crafters; it really is an artform!

Witch Jack o' Lantern by Madame Luciel

Frankenstein's Monster Jack o' Lantern by Kei of Unfortunately Oh!

This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge, 2013.

A-Z Blogging Challenge: G is for Grendel

G is for Grendel

Grendel was a monster of the fen (marshland) featured in the epic Anglo Saxon poem Beowulf, which was written sometime between the 8th and 11th centuries A.D and set in Denmark and Sweden. Although Beowulf was a great hero from Danish mythology, Grendel appears to be an original character created within the poem only, rather than an adaptation of a creature from other Beowulf tales.

Illustration by Mary French, from A Dictionary of Monsters and
Mysterious Beasts by Carey Miller

Grendel lived with his mother in either a cave underneath the marsh or actually within the marsh, which was close to the settlement of Herot. The settlement was the stronghold of the Danish king, Hrothgar and Grendel was enraged by the noise and singing coming from its people. 

One night, Grendel left his dwelling and ventured to Herot, in order to see for himself what was causing the disruption. He arrived and found a hall full of drunken guards, who had fallen asleep after a lavish banquet. The sight apparently enraged the monster further and he pounced on the guards, devouring thirty of them. The experience was a pleasant one for him and Grendel continued to return to feast on the people of Herot for the next twelve years; King Hrothgar could not find anyone strong enough to defeat him.

Crispin Glover as Grendel in Robert Zemeckis' 2007 motion-capture film Beowulf

However, after the years passed, Beowulf's ship arrived on the shores of King Hrothgar's land and the warrior and his men agreed to help the people of Herot. He formed a plan to ambush Grendel the next time he came to the town, consisting of he and his men pretending to be asleep in the banquet hall, when in fact they would be prepared for battle. 

When the creature arrived the next night, he found the doors open and the guards seemingly asleep. Once again, the sight of them infuriated him and he ate one of them men by the door. Next he tried to consume Beowulf, but instead was engaged in a battle with the warrior, someone whose strength he had not encountered the like of before. After wounding Grendel fatally in the shoulder, Beowulf allowed him to return to his cave to die. Although this marks the end of Grendel in the poem, his mother and then the dragon that eventually kills Beowulf, also battle him later. 

This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge, 2013.

And Monster Monday!

A-Z Blogging Challenge: B is for Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga

Within the realms of Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is a supernatural being, usually portrayed as an old, crone-like witch, who can control the elements and has also been known to eat people. Despite this appetite, Baba Yaga is as thin as a skeleton and, due to this, the phrase "bony legs" is often used after her name. Her nose is extremely long, and she seems to use it to smell out people. In some tales she also has teeth made of iron, which she will sharpen when preparing to consume someone.

She travels around in an over-sized mortar - either by flying or dragging herself along the ground - and carries a pestle, broom and/or mop around with her. The hut in which Baba Yaga lives, deep in the forest, seems to be 'alive', can move about using the giant chicken legs on which it's perched, and sometimes uses its windows as eyes.

Sometimes, there are three Baba Yagas who are sisters, very similar in appearance, but they are often described as being different ages or have somewhat differing personalities and temperaments. However, even when there is only one Baba Yaga, her role is extremely varied, ranging from a cannibalistic witch, to a helpful and wise "earth mother", and everything in between.

For more in-depth information about Baba Yaga (a version of her, anyway) Old Russia's Baba Yaga page is quite useful. You can also read a Baba Yaga story from Folk Tales From the Russian, by Verra Xenophontovna Kalamatiano de Blumenthal, [1903], at Internet Sacred Text Archive.

This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge, 2013.

Full list of A-Z blogs after the cut below!

A-Z Challenge: R is for...Rokurokubi

R is for...Rokurokubi
Stills from 'Yôkai hyaku monogatari' (1968)

Rokurokubi are a type of demon in Japanese mythology belonging to the same group as futakuchi onna. They are former humans (usually women) who, either by way of a curse or due to their desires / lifestyles, grow their necks to an extremely long length at night. They are often tricksters who revel in the fear they instill in others. They can kill humans by either scaring them to death or tightly winding their necks around the victim and crushing them. 

Stills from 'Yôkai hyaku monogatari' (1968)

However, some rokurokubi aren't intentionally malevolent, being unaware of their affliction and assuming that they have simply experienced strange dreams, in which they view the world from unusual angles. The experiences of this type of rokurokubi are similar to descriptions of out of body experiences.

This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge

A-Z Challenge: G is for...Grim Reaper

G is for...Grim Reaper
Excuse my random drawing C.C;

The Grim Reaper, or Death, is a mythological, supernatural being that collects the souls of the recently deceased and aids their transition to "the other side". Due to this role, he is classified as a psychopomp - beings in various cultures that guide those near death safely to their next destination. He is often depicted as a skeleton in a long, black hooded robe that carries a scythe, which he uses to reap the souls of the dead.

This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge.

A-Z Challenge: F is for...Futakuchi-onna

F is for...Futakuchi-onna
Image by Laura Plansker

Futakuchi-onna (two-mouthed woman) are yōkai - a type of supernatural being / monster from Japanese mythology. They are starving women, or women who eat very small portions, who develop a second mouth at the back of their heads, under their hair. The mouth is fully functional and ravenous, making up for the woman's meager portions by eating twice as much as she needs. If the woman refuses to feed the second mouth, it shrieks insults and obscenities at her until she complies, but can also use the unfortunate victim's hair as tentacles to grab the food for itself.

There are multiple variations on the story of how futakuchi-onna come into being, but many versions feature a young, beautiful woman that marries a miserly man who bullies her into not eating, as he doesn't want to pay for the food. As the starvation sets in, the woman begins to grow a second mouth, often due to some kind of demonic spirit taking hold, and it begins to gorge itself frequently. The new mouth also shouts terrible insults at her husband when he berates the woman for eating again, and he no longer bullies her. However, the mouth continues to scream at her if it is unfed.

Another, less common version of the tale features a woman that lets her step-child die of starvation, while feeding herself and her own children well. The child's spirit possesses the woman, creating the second mouth, and carries out its revenge by eating huge amounts and screeching spiteful insults at her when not fed. 

This post is part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge.

Movies: Marianne

'Marianne' is an upcoming Swedish language horror film, from director Filip Tegstedt and starring Peter Stormare ('Constantine', 'Prison Break', 'Fargo'), Thomas Hedengran and Tintin Anderzon. The plot revolves around Krister (Hendengran), who has to cope with raising his two children alone, after the death of his wife. His mental state is increasingly fragile and, after experiencing horrific nightmares, he becomes convinced that he is haunted by a malevolent spirit known as a "mare".

The film's concept is inspired by the tales of "mares" (the origin of the word "nightmare" and its equivalents in several languages) in folklore, who were said to "ride" on people's chests at night and cause them to have terrifying dreams. This legend has since become associated with the phenomenon of sleep paralysis, which occurs when waking or falling asleep. During the experience, the effected parties cannot move, feel a great weight upon their chests and often have strange visions or hallucinations.

The legends about mares are really interesting and, if it is executed well, this movie seems as though it will be too! It premieres this year at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Canada, which runs between July 14th - August 11th. 

Marianne Official Website