Skip to main content

TOP 1O HISTORICAL MONSTERS AND THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN!!

With Halloween just around the corner, enjoy this short list of traditional monsters. If you are unsure of a halloween costume this year… here is your guide!



10. Oni /Japanese


Oni



   Depictions of oni vary widely but they are usually portrayed as hideous, gigantic creatures with sharp claws, wild hair, and two long horns growing from their heads. They are humanoid for the most part, but occasionally, they are shown with unnatural features such as odd number of eyes or extra fingers and toes. Their skin may be any number of colors, but red and blue are particularly common. Their fierce appearance is only enhanced by the tiger loincloths they tend to wear and the iron club they favor. There is also a very obvious similarity here to devils in Judeo-Christian tradition.



9. Ogre/ French


Ogre


   An ogre is a large, mean and hideous humanoid monster. Ogres are often depicted in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many classic works of literature. Ogres are often portrayed with a large head, abundant hair and beard, a huge belly, and a strong body.



8. Vampire/ Slavic


Vampire



   Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings that are renowned for subsisting on human blood or life-force, but in some cases may prey on animals. Although vampires have different characteristics depending on which lore one reads, in most cases, they are described as reanimated corpses who feed by draining and consuming the blood of living beings. The term was popularized in the early 18th century and arose from the folklore of southeastern Europe, particularly the Balkans and Greece. Folkloric vampires were depicted as undead beings who visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighborhoods they inhabited while living. They wore shrouds, did not bear fangs and were often described as bloated and of ruddy or darkened countenance.


7. Mummy /Egyptian


Mummy


   A mummy is a corpse whose skin and dried flesh have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air. There are popular tales (largely tall) of curses which are associated with the violation of the tombs of mummified corpses or of the mummies themselves. These tales of curses eventually lead to the modern fictional view of walking mummies.



6. Werewolf /Germanic


Werewolf2



   Werewolves are mythological or folkloric people with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or wolf like creature, either purposely by magic, or after being placed under a curse. The medieval chronicler Gervase of Tilbury associated the transformation with the appearance of the full moon; however, there is evidence that the association existed among the Ancient Greeks, appearing in the writings of Petronius. Some modern speculation has suggested that the belief in werewolves (and vampires) may stem from real medical cases of people suffering from porphyria.



5. Goblin/ Anglo-Saxon


2-Goblin-A



   A goblin is an evil, crabby, or mischievous creature of folklore, often described as a grotesquely disfigured or gnome-like phantom. Goblins may range in height from that of a dwarf to that of a human. They are attributed with various (sometimes conflicting) abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as a constant annoying little creature somewhat related to the celtic brownie.



4. Ghoul/ Middle Eastern


Ghoul



   A ghoul is a monster from ancient Arabian folklore that dwells in the burial grounds and other uninhabited places. In ancient Arabic folklore, ghouls belonged to a diabolic class of jinn (spirits – from whence the genie comes) and were said to be the offspring of Iblis, the Muslim prince of darkness (Satan). They were capable of constantly changing form, but their presence was always recognizable by their unalterable sign: ass’s hooves. It would lure unwary travelers into the desert wastes to slay and devour them. The creature also preyed on young children, robbed graves and ate the dead. Yum yum!




3. Banshee /Celtic


Banshee




   According to legend, a banshee wails around a house if someone in the house is about to die. When several banshees appeared at once, it indicated the death of someone great or holy. The tales sometimes recount that the woman, though called a fairy, was a ghost, often of a specific murdered woman, or woman who died in childbirth. Banshees are frequently described as dressed in white or grey, and often having long, fair hair which they brush with a silver comb. Other stories portray banshees as dressed in green, red or black with a grey cloak.




2. Gorgon/ Greek


Medusa



   In Greek mythology, the Gorgon was a vicious female monster with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes. Gorgons are sometimes depicted as having wings of gold, brazen claws, and the tusks of boars. According to the myths, seeing the face of a Gorgon turned the viewer to stone. Homer speaks of only one Gorgon, whose head is represented in the Iliad as fixed in the center of the aegis of Zeus. Hesiod increases the number of Gorgons to three: Stheno (the mighty), Euryale (the far-springer), and Medusa (the queen), and makes them the daughters of the sea-god Phorcys and of Keto. Their home is on the farthest side of the western ocean; according to later authorities, in Libya. Of the three Gorgons, only Medusa is mortal.



1. Zombie/ Latin American


Zombie



   A zombie is a reanimated human body devoid of consciousness. In contemporary versions these are generally undead corpses. Stories of zombies originated in the Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system of Voodoo. Other more macabre versions of the zombies have become a staple of modern horror fiction, where they are brought back from the dead by supernatural or scientific means, and eat the flesh or brains of the living. They have very limited intelligence, and may not be under anyone’s direct control.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

VANILLA PEACH COFFEE CAKE!!

Did you know that the fruit this summer is supposed to be the best it has been in years? Apparently, fruit loves hot weather. I personally have eaten more peaches and cherries this summer than I have in about five years just for that reason.  As I have been a little overzealous lately buying peaches and cherries I found myself with a few peaches that were going to be too ripe for me to eat on the same day. That is unless I wanted to have them for every meal plus a few snacks. So I decided to make this recipe for Vanilla Peach Coffee Cake.  Vanilla Peach Coffee Cake Adapted from  Allrecipes.com Batter: 2 eggs 1 C milk 1/2 C oil 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 C  sour cream 3 C flour 1 C sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking soda Topping: 5 or 6 large peaches, diced. 3 Tbsp. butter, melted 11/4 C brown sugar 1Tbsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. nutmeg 4 Tbsp. flour Vanilla Icing: 1 Tbsp. butter 1 tsp

PRESENT TOPIARY TO DECORATE YOUR PORCH AND FRONT DOOR!

   This comes from www.thatvillagehouse.blogspot.com .  I made something similar a couple years ago, without the pots.  It was about 6 feet high.  I got the inspiration from a Chirstmas dectoration that we bought at Target. This is a very good idea and make a great enterance to your home.  So here's a little something to thing about for next year.  Before you know it December will be here again.  You could also do something like this for an Easter theme.   Enjoy! A Merry Welcome! So here is my first Christmas project for the year!! I saw something similar at our church's Advent celebration & pretty much straight up copied it. I couldn't help it. It was love at first sight! I plan to make a 2nd stack to go on the other side of my door, so I'm not completely done, but I thought I would share it with you anyway. I started with 3 different sized boxes...9, 12 & 14 inch cubes. I used an ice pick to punch holes in each of them so that I could run

SAPPORO SNOW FESTIVAL FROM JAPAN!!!

     The Sapporo Snow Festival is a famous festival held annually in Sapporo, Japan, over 7 days in February.  Currently, Odori Park, Susukino, and Tsudome are the main sites of the festival.  The 2011 Yuki-matsuri dates are February 7th to the 13th.    The festival is one of Japan's largest and most distinctive winter events.  In 2007, about 2 million people visited Sapporo to see the hundreds of snow statues and ice sculptures at the Odori Park and Suskino sites, in central Sapporo, and the Satoland site.  The festival is thought to be an opportunity for promoting international relations. The International Snow Sculpture Contest has been held at the Odori Park sit since 1974, and teams from various regions of the world participate.      The subject of the statues varies and often features as event, famous building or person from the previous yer.  For example, in 2004, there were statues of Hideki Matsui, the famous baseball player who at that time pl