"Spring Heeled Jack (also Springheel Jack, Spring-heel Jack, etc), is a character from English folklore said to have existed during the Victorian era and able to jump extraordinarily high. The first claimed sighting of Spring Heeled Jack that is known occurred in 1837. Later alleged sightings were reported all over England, from London up to Sheffield and Liverpool, but they were especially prevalent in suburban London and later in the Midlands and Scotland.

Many theories have been proposed to ascertain the nature and identity of Spring Heeled Jack. The urban legend of Spring Heeled Jack gained immense popularity in its time due to the tales of his bizarre appearance and ability to make extraordinary leaps, to the point where he became the topic of several works of fiction.

Spring Heeled Jack was described by people claiming to have seen him as having a terrifying and frightful appearance, with diabolical physiognomy that included clawed hands and eyes that "resembled red balls of fire". One report claimed that, beneath a black cloak, he wore a helmet and a tight-fitting white garment like an "oilskin". Many stories also mention a "Devil-like" aspect. Spring Heeled Jack was said to be tall and thin, with the appearance of a gentleman, and capable of making great leaps. Several reports mention that he could breathe out blue and white flames and that he wore sharp metallic claws at his fingertips. At least two people claimed that he was able to speak comprehensible English."

- Wikipedia



"It appears that some individuals (of, as the writer believes, the highest ranks of life) have laid a wager with a mischievous and foolhardy companion, that he durst not take upon himself the task of visiting many of the villages near London in three different disguises — a ghost, a bear, and a devil; and moreover, that he will not enter a gentleman's gardens for the purpose of alarming the inmates of the house. The wager has, however, been accepted, and the unmanly villain has succeeded in depriving seven ladies of their senses, two of whom are not likely to recover, but to become burdens to their families. At one house the man rang the bell, and on the servant coming to open door, this worse than brute stood in no less dreadful figure than a spectre clad most perfectly. The consequence was that the poor girl immediately swooned, and has never from that moment been in her senses. The affair has now been going on for some time, and, strange to say, the papers are still silent on the subject. The writer has reason to believe that they have the whole history at their finger-ends but, through interested motives, are induced to remain silent."

- anonymous citizen's complaint addressed to Sir John Cowan, Lord Mayor of London, dated January 9, 1838.




"My Lord,

On reading the letter in the papers of this day recieved by your Lordship, I percieve you are not inclined to give credence to the account furnished by your correspondent.

The villain mentioned in it as appearing in the guise of a ghost, bear or devil, has been within the last week or two repeatedly seen at Lewisham and Blackheath. So much, indeed, has he frightened the inhabitants of those peaceful districts that women and children durst not stir out of their houses after dark.

There ought to be a stop put to this, but the police, I am afraid, are frightened of him also. I have the honour to be your Lordship's most obedient servant

JC"

Letter to Lord Mayor, published in The Times Jan 11 1838.






"A gentleman stated to his Lordship that the servant girls about Kensington, and Hammersmith, and Ealing, told dreadful stories of a ghost, or devil, who, on one occasion, was said to have beaten a blacksmith, and torn his flesh with iron claws , and in others to tear clothes from the backs of females . Not one of the injured people had been known to tell the story; perhaps they didn't like to tell it. The Lord Major believed that one of the ladies who had lost their seven senses was his correspondent. He hoped she would do him the favour of a call, and he would have the opportunity of getting from her such a description of the demon as would enable him to catch him, in spite of the paid press and public."

- The Times, January 9, 1838





"Never has credulity or superstition been more strongly exemplified than in the ghost story alluded to by the Lord Mayor at the Mansion-house on Monday last, as having frightened the village of Peckham from its propriety, which has had a wider range of circulation than any previous tale of the kind on record. The following are some particulars of the alleged pranks of the ghost, imp or devil, who, as has been stated, is by many persons believed to be a member of a certain band of aristocrats, who, for a wager, has undertaken to personify a supernatural being. The story had its origin in the neighbourhood of Barnes, Surrey, about four months since, when it was alleged that, in the shape of a large white bull , he attacked several persons, particularly females, many of whom had suffered most severely from the fright, and no respectable female has since left home after dark without a male companion. At East Sheen, in the form of a white bear, the alleged ghost carried on similar pranks. His ghostship then extended his freaks to the salubrious regions inhabited by the celebrated 'maids of honour' , and in the course of a few days afterwards all Richmond teemed with tales of females being frightened to death and children torn to pieces by the supposed unearthly visitant, who was, in consequence, so closely searched after by the local police that he soon thought it prudent to quite the green lanes of that fashionable resort for the quiet and retired villages of Ham and Petersham, where in the image of an imp of the 'Evil One' he nightly reigned supreme, and neither man, woman, nor child durst venture beyond the threshold of their domiciles without a lantern and a thick club stick. From Petersham, Kingston was the next resort of the alleged supernatural visitant; but, as at Richmond, the police of that borough soon rendered his visit most dangerous to his own safety, and he in consequence crossed the water, when Hampton Wick, Hampton Court &c., soon rung with the mighty deeds of an unearthly warrior, clad in armour of polished brass , with spring shoes, and large claw gloves, who, whenever pursued after frightening not only children but those of an older growth, scaled the walls of Bushy Park, and instantly vanished. Teddington, Twickenham, Whitton, and Hounslow were next in succession the scene of stories of a similar description, and many and fearful were the tales of injuries inflicted by him in the Duke of Northumberland's demesne of Sion Park, and other parts of the village of Isleworth. Among other things it was stated that a carpenter named Jones, residing in that village, while returning through 'Cut-throat-lane', on his way home, about 11 o'clock at night, was seized and most unmercifully belaboured by the ghost, who was attired in polished steel armour, with red shoes, &c. Being a powerful man, Jones instantly grappled with his assailant, when two more ghosts came to the assistance of the first one , when Jones's clothes were torn into ribbons, and 'cust to the winds.' Heston, Drayton, Harlington, and the neighbourhood of the town of Uxbridge, were next the scenes of his tricks; when, returning by the Great Western Railway towards the metropolis, he in turn visited Hanwell, Brentford, Ealing, Acton, Hammersmith and Kensington. At Hanwell, Brentford, Ealing and Acton, he has been represented as clad in steel armour, and, in addition to frightening various persons , severely injured a blacksmith residing in the village of Ealing , who, it is stated, has ever since kept his bed in consequence of the fright he sustained. At Hammersmith an itinerant vendor of pies and muffins, it was reported, was attacked while returning home through Sounding-lane by 'the ghost,' and his clothes torn from his back, and one female was stated to have been frightened to death at the idea of meeting him. Even the precincts of the Royal Palace of Kensington have not escaped, children having seen the unearthly being dancing by moonlight on the Palace-green, and ever and anon scaling the walls of the royal forcing gardens , in the direction of the churchyard in Church-street."

- The Morning Chronicle, January 10 1838



"SPRING JACK. - We find by some proceedings that have taken place before the Lord Mayor, that this nonentity is supposed to have taken up his abode elsewhere then Greenwich for the present. From all that can be learnt upon the subject, we have not the least doubt, that it is a gross species of humbug. No one has seen Spring Jack, though all have heard of him; of course, as on all occasions of this kind, feats far exceeding all probability have been ascribed to him! Hopping upon one leg over the Surrey Canal, bridge and all at one hop, is amongst the number, as also is diving into the canal when the police were upon him, and staying there for an hour or two, till they went away. It is said that the wager according to which Spring John plays his pranks, runs that he is to kill six females with fright. Six hundred are nearly dead at the idea of it already."

- West Kent Guardian, January 13 1838


"Miss Jane Alsop, a young lady 18 years of age, stated that at about a quarter to nine o'clock on the preceding night she heard a violent ringing at the gate at the front of the house, and on going to the door to see what was the matter, she saw a man standing outside, of whom she enquired what was the matter, and requested he would not ring so loud. The person instantly replied that he was a policeman, and said 'For God's sake, bring me a light, for we have caught Spring-heeled Jack here in the lane.' She returned into the house and brought a candle, and handed it to the person, who appeared enveloped in a long cloak, and whom she at first really believed to be a policeman. The instant she had done so, however, he threw off his outer garment, and applying the lighted candle to his breast, presented a most hideous and frightful appearance, and vomited forth a quantity of blue and white flames from his mouth, and his eyes resembled red balls of fire. From the hasty glance which her fright enabled her to get of his person, she observed that he wore a large helmet, and his dress, which appeared to fit him very tight, seemed to her to resemble white oil skin. Without uttering a sentence, he darted at her, and catching her partly by her dress and the back part of her neck, placed her head under one of his arms, and commenced tearing her gown with his claws, which she was certain were of some metallic substance. She screamed out as loud as she could for assistance, and by considerable exertion got away from him, and ran towards the house to get in. Her assailant, however, followed her, and caught her on the steps leading to the half-door, when he again used considerable violence, tore her neck and arms with his claws, as well as a quantity of hair from her head; but she was at length rescued from his grasp by one of her sisters. Miss Alsop added, that she had suffered considerably all night from the shock she had sustained, and was then in extreme pain, both from the injury done to her arm, and the wounds and scratches inflicted by the miscreant about her shoulders and neck with his claws or hands.

Miss Mary Alsop, a younger sister, said, that on hearing the screams of her sister Jane, she went to the door, and saw a figure as above described ill-using her sister. She was so alarmed at his appearance, that she was afraid to approach or render any assistance. Mrs Harrison said, that hearing the screams of both her sisters, first of Jane, and then of Mary, she ran to the door, and found the person before described in the act of dragging her sister Jane down the stone steps from the door with considerable violence. She (Mrs Harrison) got hold of her sister, and by some means or other, which she could scarcely describe, succeeded in getting her inside the door, and closing it. At this time her sister's dress was nearly torn off her, both her combs dragged out of her head, as well as a quantity of her hair torn away. The fellow, notwithstanding the outrage he had committed, knocked loudly two or three times at the door and it was only on their calling loudly for the police from the upper windows that he left the place. Mr. Alsop, who appears very feeble, said that he and Mrs. Alsop have been laid up for several week with a rheumatic affection, so as to be scarcely able to get out of bed, but such was the alarm on the night before, that they both got out bed, and he managed to get downstairs, and found his daughter Susan with her clothes torn, and having all appearance of receiving the most serious personal violence. Mr. Alsop also said, it was perfectly clear that there was more than one ruffian connected with the outrage, as the fellow who committed the violence did not return for his cloak, but scampered across the fields, so that there must have been some person with him to pick it up. In conclusion, Mr. Alsop said, he would most willingly give a reward of 10 guineas for the apprehension of the miscreant. Mr. Hardwick expressed his surprise and abhorrence of the outrage, and said that no pains should be spared to bring its miscreant perpetrators to justice."

- The Times, February 22 1838











del.icio.us tags: spring-heeled-jack, monster

"In European folklore this is a grotesque, diminutive and generally malicious earth spirit or sprite. Goblins may be known by the alternative spellings of the name: Gobblin, Gobelin, Gobeline, Gobling, and Goblyn. Goblins are said to be about the height of a man's knee and have gray hair and beards. Like the more friendly brownie, Goblins inhabit the homes of humans, where they indulge in tricks and make noises much as poltergeist does. The Goblin does have the endearing trait of likeing children and bringing them little gifts when they are well-behaved. For the adults, however, a resident Goblin can become a nuisance with upset kitchens and furniture and horses ridden to a lather in the stables at night."

- "Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia" by Carol Rose










Tells how the drudging goblin sweat,
To earn his cream-bowl duly set,
When in one night, ere glimpse of morn,
His shadowy flail hath thresh'd the corn,
That ten day-lab'rers could not end.

- Milton








"Now in these subterranean caverns lived a strange race of beings,called by some gnomes, by some kobolds, by some goblins. There was a legend current in the country that at one time they lived above ground, and were very like other people. But for some reason or other, concerning which there were different legendary theories, the king had laid what they thought too severe taxes upon them, or had required observances of them they did not like, or had begun to treat them with more severity, in some way or other, and impose stricter laws; and the consequence was that they had all disappeared from the face of the country. According to the legend, however, instead of going to some other country, they had all taken refuge in the subterranean caverns, whence they never came out but at night, and then seldom showed themselves in any numbers, and never to many people at once. It was only in the least frequented and most difficult parts of the mountains that they were said to gather even at night in the open air. Those who had caught sight of any of them said that they had greatly altered in the course of generations; and no wonder, seeing they lived away from the sun, in cold and wet and dark places. They were now, not ordinarily ugly, but either absolutely hideous, or ludicrously grotesque both in face and form. There was no invention, they said, of the most lawless imagination expressed by pen or pencil, that could surpass the extravagance of their appearance. But I suspect those who said so had mistaken some of their animal companions for the goblins themselves - of which more by and by. The goblins themselves were not so far removed from the human as such a description would imply. And as they grew misshapen in body they had grown in knowledge and cleverness, and now were able to do things no mortal could see the possibility of. But as they grew in cunning, they grew in mischief, and their great delight was in every way they could think of to annoy the people who lived in the open-air storey above them. They had enough of affection left for each other to preserve them from being absolutely cruel for cruelty's sake to those that came in their way; but still they so heartily cherished the ancestral grudge against those who occupied their former possessions and especially against the descendants of the king who had caused their expulsion, that they sought every opportunity of tormenting them in ways that were as odd as their inventors; and although dwarfed and misshapen, they had strength equal to their cunning. In the process of time they had got a king and a government of their own, whose chief business, beyond their own simple affairs, was to devise trouble for their neighbours."

- The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald



As soon as it was night, and the shop closed, and every one in bed except the student, the goblin stepped softly into the bedroom where the huckster's wife slept, and took away her tongue, which of course, she did not then want. Whatever object in the room he placed his tongue upon immediately received voice and speech, and was able to express its thoughts and feelings as readily as the lady herself could do. It could only be used by one object at a time, which was a good thing, as a number speaking at once would have caused great confusion.

- The goblin and the huckster by Hans Christian Andersen





"Laughed every goblin
When they spied her peeping:
Came towards her hobbling,
Flying, running, leaping,
Puffing and blowing,
Chuckling, clapping, crowing,
Clucking and gobbling,
Mopping and mowing,
Full of airs and graces,
Pulling wry faces,
Demure grimaces,
Cat-like and rat-like,
Ratel- and wombat-like,
Snail-paced in a hurry,
Parrot-voiced and whistler,
Helter skelter, hurry skurry,
Chattering like magpies,
Fluttering like pigeons,
Gliding like fishes,--
Hugged her and kissed her:
Squeezed and caressed her:
Stretched up their dishes,
Panniers, and plates:
'Look at our apples
Russet and dun,
Bob at our cherries,
Bite at our peaches,
Citrons and dates,
Grapes for the asking,
Pears red with basking
Out in the sun,
Plums on their twigs;
Pluck them and suck them,
Pomegranates, figs.'--

'Good folk,' said Lizzie,
Mindful of Jeanie:
'Give me much and many:'--
Held out her apron,
Tossed them her penny.
'Nay, take a seat with us,
Honour and eat with us,'
They answered grinning:
'Our feast is but beginning.
Night yet is early,
Warm and dew-pearly,
Wakeful and starry:
Such fruits as these
No man can carry;
Half their bloom would fly,
Half their dew would dry,
Half their flavour would pass by.
Sit down and feast with us,
Be welcome guest with us,
Cheer you and rest with us.'--
'Thank you,' said Lizzie: 'But one waits
At home alone for me:
So without further parleying,
If you will not sell me any
Of your fruits though much and many,
Give me back my silver penny
I tossed you for a fee.'--
They began to scratch their pates,
No longer wagging, purring,
But visibly demurring,
Grunting and snarling.
One called her proud,
Cross-grained, uncivil;
Their tones waxed loud,
Their looks were evil.
Lashing their tails
They trod and hustled her,
Elbowed and jostled her,
Clawed with their nails,
Barking, mewing, hissing, mocking,
Tore her gown and soiled her stocking,
Twitched her hair out by the roots,
Stamped upon her tender feet,
Held her hands and squeezed their fruits
Against her mouth to make her eat."

- The Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti



Pox: [to Blix] You only got the shot in 'cause the Princess was there! Wrong! 'Twas Beauty led the Beast to bay!
Blunder: She was so sweet, I could eat her brains like jam!
Pox: I could suck her bones...
Blix: Enough! Better hurry. Dark Lord, he don't like to wait.

- Legend






"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. And the baby was a spoiled child, and wanted everything for himself, and the young girl was practically a slave. But what no one knew is that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers. So one night, when the baby had been particularly cruel to her, she called on the goblins for help!"

- Labyrinth











del.icio.us tags: goblin, monster, creepbox

"Behemoth is a biblical creature mentioned in the Book of Job, 40:15-24. The word is most likely a plural form of behemah, meaning beast or large animal. It may be an example of pluralis excellentiae, a Hebrew method of expressing greatness by pluralizing a noun; it thus indicates that Behemoth is the largest and most powerful animal ever to exist. Metaphorically, the name has come to be used for any extremely large or powerful entity."

- Wikipedia


"15 Behold now the behemoth that I have made with you; he eats grass like cattle.
16 Behold now his strength is in his loins and his power is in the navel of his belly.
17 His tail hardens like a cedar; the sinews of his tendons are knit together.
18 His limbs are as strong as copper, his bones as a load of iron.
19 His is the first of God's ways; [only] his Maker can draw His sword [against him].
20 For the mountains bear food for him, and all the beasts of the field play there.
21 Does he lie under the shadows, in the covert of the reeds and the swamp?
22 Do the shadows cover him as his shadow? Do the willows of the brook surround him?
23 Behold, he plunders the river, and [he] does not harden; he trusts that he will draw the Jordan into his mouth.
24 With His eyes He will take him; with snares He will puncture his nostrils."

- Book of Job, 40:15-24




"Then you kept in existence two living creatures; the name of one you called Behemoth and the name of the other Leviathan. And you separated one from the other, for the seventh part where the water had been gathered together could not hold them both. And you gave Behemoth one of the parts which had been dried up on the third day, to live in it, where there are a thousand mountains; but to Leviathan you have the seventh part, the watery part; and you have kept them to be eaten by whom you wish, and when you wish"

- 4Edras 6:49-52









"Each in their kind. The Earth obeyed, and straight
Opening her fertile womb teemed at a birth
Innumerous living creatures, perfect forms,
Limbed and full grown: Out of the ground up rose,
As from his lair, the wild beast where he wons
In forest wild, in thicket, brake, or den;
Among the trees in pairs they rose, they walked:
The cattle in the fields and meadows green:
Those rare and solitary, these in flocks
Pasturing at once, and in broad herds upsprung.
The grassy clods now calved; now half appeared
The tawny lion, pawing to get free
His hinder parts, then springs as broke from bonds,
And rampant shakes his brinded mane; the ounce,
The libbard, and the tiger, as the mole
Rising, the crumbled earth above them threw
In hillocks: The swift stag from under ground
Bore up his branching head: Scarce from his mould
Behemoth biggest born of earth upheaved
His vastness: Fleeced the flocks and bleating rose,
As plants: Ambiguous between sea and land
The river-horse, and scaly crocodile."

- Paradise Lost - Book VII 453-474







"XVI. Behemoth, heavy and stupid demon, in spite of his stateliness. His strength is in his loins; his domains are gluttony and the pleasures of the belly. Several devil worshipers say that in hell he is butler and high cupbearer. Bodin believes that Behemoth is none other than the Egyptian Pharoah who persecuted the Hebrews. Behemoth is spoken of in Job as a monsterous creature. Some commentators say that he is a whale, and others that he is an elephant; but there have been other monstrous species which have disappeared. One sees in the works of Urbain Grandier that Behemoth is surely a demon. Delancre says that one sees his as a monstrous animal, because he gives himself the form of all the grossest beasts. He swears that Behemoth can also disguise himself to perfection as a dog, an elephant, a fox, or a wolf.
If Wierus, our oracle on all that concerns demons, does not admit Behemoth to his inventory of the infernal monarchy, he says, in his first book, des Prestiges des demons, ch. XXI, that Behemoth or the elephant could well be Satan himself, of whom one also grants vast power.



Finally, because one reads, in Ch. 40 of Job, that Behemoth eats as much hay as a beef, the rabbis will make of him a marvelous roast reserved for the festival of their Messiah. This beef is so enormous, they say, that he gobbles up every day the hay of a thousand huge mountains, which he has grazed since the beginning of the world. He never leaves his thousand mountains, or the grass that he had eaten that day would push back the night into the next day. They swear that God killed the female of the species in the beginning; since one could not let such a race multiply. The Jews promise well of the joy at the festival where he will be the piece de resistance. They swear on their side by the flesh of Behemoth."

- Dictionnaire Infernal by Collin de Plancy (1863)











del.icio.us tags: behemoth, monster, creepbox

"A zombie is a reanimated human corpse. Stories of zombies originated in the Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system of Vodou, which told of the people being controlled as workers by a powerful sorcerer. Zombies became a popular device in modern horror fiction, largely because of the success of George A. Romero's 1968 film Night of the Living Dead.



There are several possible etymologies of the word zombie. One possible origin is jumbie, the West Indian term for "ghost". Another is nzambi, the Kongo word meaning "spirit of a dead person." According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the etymology is from the Louisiana Creole or Haitian Creole zonbi, of Bantu origin. A zonbi is a person who is believed to have died and been brought back to life without speech or free will. It is akin to the Kimbundu nzúmbe ghost. These words are approximately from 1871."

- Wikipedia



"I will knock down the Gates of the Netherworld,
I will smash the door posts, and leave the doors flat down,
And will let the dead go up to eat the living!
And the dead will outnumber the living!"

- Epic of Gilgamesh


"It was West who first noticed the falling plaster on that part of the wall where the ancient tomb masonry had been covered up. I was going to run, but he stopped me. Then I saw a small black aperture, felt a ghoulish wind of ice, and smelled the charnel bowels of a putrescent earth. There was no sound, but just then the electric lights went out and I saw outlined against some phosphorescence of the nether world a horde of silent toiling things which only insanity -- or worse -- could create. Their outlines were human, semi-human, fractionally human, and not human at all -- the horde was grotesquely heterogeneous. They were removing the stones quietly, one by one, from the centuried wall. And then, as the breach became large enough, they came out into the laboratory in single file; led by a talking thing with a beautiful head made of wax. A sort of mad-eyed monstrosity behind the leader seized on Herbert West. West did not resist or utter a sound. Then they all sprang at him and tore him to pieces before my eyes, bearing the fragments away into that subterranean vault of fabulous abominations. West’s head was carried off by the wax-headed leader, who wore a Canadian officer’s uniform. As it disappeared I saw that the blue eyes behind the spectacles were hideously blazing with their first touch of frantic, visible emotion. "

- "Herbert West: Reanimator" by H.P. Lovecraft




"The dead walk among us. Zombies, ghouls-no matter what their label-these somnambulists are the greatest threat to humanity, other than humanity itself. To call them predators and us prey would he inaccurate. They are a plague, and the human race their host. The lucky victims are devoured, their bones scraped clean, their flesh consumed. Those not so fortunate join the ranks of their attackers, transformed into putrid, carnivorous monsters. Conventional warfare is useless against these creatures, as is conventional thought. The science of ending life, developed and perfected since the beginning of our existence, cannot protect us from an enemy that has no "life" to end. Does this mean the living dead are invincible? No. Can these creatures be stopped? Yes. Ignorance is the undead's strongest ally, knowledge their deadliest enemy. That is why this book was written: to provide the knowledge necessary for survival against these subhuman beasts. Survival is the key word to remember-not victory, not conquest, just survival."

- The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks




"The Vaudoux priests gave out, that although the deity would permit the execution, he would only do it to prove to his votaries his power by raising them all again from the dead. To prevent their bodies being arried away during the night (they had been buried near the place of execution), picquets of troops were placed round the spot; but in the morning three of the graves were found empty, and the bodies of the two priests and the priestess had disappeared. Superstitious fear had probably prevented the soldiers from staying where they had been posted, and as most [206] of the troops belonged to the sect of the Vaudoux, they probably connived at, rather than prevented, the exhumation."

- The Black Republic by Sir Spenser St John (1884)









"Now he beheld a Departed One, of terrible appearance, humpbacked and fleshless, with hair erect, dirty, and with senses discomposed by hunger and thirst."

- Garuda Purana




"...the resurrection of dead game may have its inconveniences, and accordingly some hunters take steps to prevent it by hamstringing the animal so as to prevent it or its ghost from getting up and running away. This is the motive alleged for the practice by Koui hunters in Laos; they think that the spells which they utter in the chase may lose their magical virtue, and that the slaughtered animal may consequently come to life again and escape. To prevent that catastrophe they therefore hamstring the beast as soon as they have butchered it. When an Esquimau of Alaska has killed a fox, he carefully cuts the tendons of all the animal's legs in order to prevent the ghost from reanimating the body and walking about."

- The Golden Bough, by Sir James George Frazer








"A man of the better and more well-to-do working class in Port-au-Prince fell ill. He had at intervals a high fever, which the physician who attended him could not reduce. The man had some months before joined the congregation of one of the foreign churches, and the head of this mission visited him. On the occasion of his second visit this clergyman saw the patient die, and at the invitation of the man's wife and of his physician, he helped to dress the dead man in his grave-clothes, which, after the Haytian custom, is quite a ceremony. The next day this foreigner, and at least a dozen other men, all natives and of good standing, assisted at the funeral, closed the coffin lid upon the face of their dead friend, accompanied the funeral cortege to the cemetery, and there saw the dead man buried four feet under ground.

The malady of which he died, according to the attending physician, a man of good intentions and of undoubted probity, at least, was not an unusual one, and it ran a normal course. There was, indeed, not a suggestion or even thought of foul play, until two days later, when the bereaved widow went to the cemetery only to find that the grave had been opened, and to see the empty coffin lying beside it. The stricken woman rushed to the nearest police office and there was promised a thorough investigation. In return for this promise and the apparent activity of the police in her behalf, the unfortunate woman acquiesced in the policy of secrecy and silence which they imposed upon her.



As it subsequently transpired, this was the only step which the authorities took in the matter, and it was well in accord with the invariable governmental attitude of suppression or denial in the presence of all Voodoo crimes. This, however, was to be one of the comparatively few instances which, owing to a fortunate accident, escaped the systematic stifling process. On the day after the widow's discovery the mail rider between Jacmel and the capital arrived several hours late, but with a story which could not be otherwise than accepted as a valid excuse. His was indeed an astonishing tale, and it is not remarkable that at first many were disinclined to believe it.


He reported, however, and subsequently substantiated every detail of his story as follows: On the night in question he was not pursuing his usual mail route. The waters of the Grande River were so swollen by recent rains that he had been compelled to leave the beaten trail and, in some places, to travel across country. While doing so, and while doubtless drowsy from his long night's ride and vigil, he suddenly rode into a great clearing lit up by a huge wood fire. A dozen men and women who were gathered around the fire rushed angrily at him, and the mail rider, not unnaturally concluding that he had fallen upon thieves, opened fire with his revolver. The strange woodland mob fled wildly shrieking into the darkest recesses of the wood, leaving the astonished traveller standing alone, as he thought, by the mysterious fire in the clearing.



The mail rider took a swig of rum to steady his nerves, and was about to beat a hasty retreat back to the flooded trail, which now contained for him nothing so fearful as the mysteriously populated forest, when suddenly, despite the rum, his blood ran cold. A long moan, as of some one in mortal agony, fell upon his ear. Twice, according to his own story, the mail rider fled the ghostly place, and twice something which he could not define or overcome brought him back.

At last, snatching up a burning cedar branch from the fire, he looked all about him, and the mystery of the moans at last was quickly explained. Not twenty feet from the fire and facing it, he saw a man dressed in the garments of the grave, who, though tied to a tree and gagged, was still faintly moaning and still weakly struggling to be free. The mail rider, after a moment's hesitation, getting the better of his fears, freed the poor wretch, who soon recovered his speech but not his mind. He could give no coherent account of how he had come into this strange plight, and finally the mail rider mounted him on his horse, tied him to the saddle, and led the way to the nearest military post on the road.

Here he turned the strange waif of the forest, who was still incoherent in his speech, over to the soldiers of the guard, and hurried on himself to the capital with his mail-bags. Once there, he not only reported the matter to the authorities, which might have been forgiven, but he not unnaturally talked about it to all his friends, an indiscretion which ultimately cost him his place. Port-au-Prince was wild with excitement, and the next day the unfortunate man was brought into town. Pie was lodged in jail, for want of a better place, and here he was immediately identified by his wife and by the physician who, a few days before, had pronounced him dead, and by the clergyman who had read the service over his body. The recognition was not mutual, however. The unfortunate victim of Voodoo barbarity recognised no one, and his days and nights were spent in moaning and groaning and in uttering inarticulate words which no one could understand."

- THE American Mediterranean by Stephen Bonsal (1912)





Zombie

* 1 oz light rum
* 1/2 oz creme de noyaux
* 1/2 oz triple sec
* 1 1/2 oz sour mix
* 1 1/2 oz orange juice
* 1/2 oz 151 proof rum


Directions

* Fill mixing glass with ice
* Add light rum, creme de noyaux, triple sec, sour mix and orange juice
* Strain into a collins glass filled with ice
* Top with 151 proof rum
* Garnish with a cherry

- The Bartenders Database








del.icio.us tags: creepbox, monster, zombie

"In Greek mythology, a harpy was any one of the mainly winged death-spirits best known for constantly stealing all food from Phineas. The literal meaning of the word seems to be "that which snatches" as it comes from the ancient Greek word harpazein, which means "to snatch".

The harpy could also bring life. A harpy was the mother by the West Wind Zephyros of the horses of Achilles (Iliad xvi. 150). In this context Jane Harrison adduced the notion in Virgil's Georgics that mares became gravid by the wind alone, marvelous to say (iii.274).

Though Hesiod (Theogony) calls them two "lovely-haired" creatures, harpies as beautiful winged bird-women are a late development, in parallel with the transformation of the siren, a "creature malign though seductive in Homer, but gradually softened by the Athenian imagination into a sorrowful death angel". On a vase in the Berlin Museum, a harpy has a small figure of a hero in each claw, but her head is recognizably a Gorgon, with goggling eyes, protruding tongue, and tusks."

- Wikipedia





"And Thaumas wedded Electra the daughter of deep- flowing Ocean, and she bare him swift Iris and the long-haired Harpies, Aello (Storm-swift) and Ocypetes (Swift-flier) who on their swift wings keep pace with the blasts of the winds and the birds; for quick as time they dart along."

- The Theogony of Hesiod






"There Phineus, son of Agenor, had his home by the sea, Phineus who above all men endured most bitter woes because of the gift of prophecy which Leto's son had granted him aforetime. And he reverenced not a whit even Zeus himself, for he foretold unerringly to men his sacred will. Wherefore Zeus sent upon him a lingering old age, and took from his eyes the pleasant light, and suffered him not to have joy of the dainties untold that the dwellers around ever brought to his house, when they came to enquire the will of heaven. But on a sudden, swooping through the clouds, the Harpies with their crooked beaks incessantly snatched the food away from his mouth and hands. And at times not a morsel of food was left, at others but a little, in order that he might live and be tormented. And they poured forth over all a loathsome stench; and no one dared not merely to carry food to his mouth but even to stand at a distance; so foully reeked the remnants of the meal."

- THE Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius (3rd Century B.C.)



 



- Dante's Inferno; Canto XIII




"Harpies resemble a cross between a night elf female and a hunting bird, with long talons for feet, and large graceful wings for arms. Harpies originally hail from the Stonetalon Mountains, but have since spread out across Kalimdor. Harpy legends claim that they are descend from a group of female night elves who betrayed Queen Azshara, and were cursed as punishment. No males have been reported, so (rumor has it) harpies breed with captive males of many species, though they prefer elves, orcs and humans to either smaller or larger species. The males of another species to fill the role for a time, after which they become food for the nest. In lean times, harpies can lay unfertilized eggs that become female copies of the mother.



Vicious and predatory by nature, harpies are the bane of all other life in the areas were they take root. They have been raiding tauren settlements since time out of mind, and it can only be assumed that they are as much a plague on the quilboars and others. The only race rumored to have any peaceful relationship with the harpies are kobolds, who trade them scavenged tools and weapons for information and protection. Harpies are an extremely unclean race. Their nests are obvious by the stench on the wind. They are immune to infection and other diseases that stem from rot or contamination. This immunity does not extend to the toxins of plants, animals, or any magical effects."

- World of Warcraft




At length I land upon the Strophades,
Safe from the danger of the stormy seas.
Those isles are compassed by the Ionian main,
The dire abode where the foul Harpies reign,
Forced by the winged warriors to repair
To their old homes, and leave their costly fare.
Monsters more fierce offended Heaven ne'er sent
From hell's abyss, for human punishment:
With virgin faces, but with wombs obscene,
Foul paunches, and with ordure still unclean;
With claws for hands, and looks for ever lean.
"We landed at the port, and soon beheld
Fat herds of oxen graze the flowery field,
And wanton goats without a keeper strayed.
With weapons we the welcome prey invade,
Then call the gods for partners of our feast,
And Jove himself, the chief invited guest.
We spread the tables on the greensward ground;
We feed with hunger, and the bowls go round;
When from the mountain-tops, with hideous cry,
And clattering wings, the hungry Harpies fly;
They snatch the meat, defiling all they find,
And, parting, leave a loathsome stench behind.
Close by a hollow rock, again we sit,
New dress the dinner, and the beds refit,
Secure from sight, beneath a pleasing shade,
Where tufted trees a native arbor made.
Again the holy fires on altars burn;
And once again the ravenous birds return,
Or from the dark recesses where they lie,
Or from another quarter of the sky;
With filthy claws their odious meal repeat,
And mix their loathsome ordures with their meat.
I bid my friends for vengeance then prepare,
And with the hellish nation wage the war.
They, as commanded, for the fight provide,
And in the grass their glittering weapons hide;
Then, when along the crooked shore we hear
Their clattering wings, and saw the foes appear,
Misenus sounds a charge: we take the alarm,
And our strong hands with swords and bucklers arm.
In this new kind of combat all employ
Their utmost force, the monsters to destroy.
In vain- the fated skin is proof to wounds;
And from their plumes the shining sword rebounds.
At length rebuffed, they leave their mangled prey,
And their stretched pinions to the skies display.
Yet one remained- the messenger of Fate:
High on a craggy cliff Celaeno sate,
And thus her dismal errand did relate:
'What! not contented with our oxen slain,
Dare you with Heaven an impious war maintain,
And drive the Harpies from their native reign?
Heed therefore what I say; and keep in mind
What Jove decrees, what Phoebus has designed,
And I, the Furies' queen, from both relate-
You seek the Italian shores, foredoomed by fate:
The Italian shores are granted you to find,
And a safe passage to the port assigned.
But know, that ere your promised walls you build,
My curses shall severely be fulfilled.
Fierce famine is your lot for this misdeed,
Reduced to grind the plates on which you feed.'
She said, and to the neighbering forest flew.
Our courage fails us, and our fears renew.
Hopeless to win by war, to prayers we fall,
And on the offended Harpies humbly call,
And whether gods or birds obscene they were,
Our vows for pardon and for peace prefer.

- The Aeneid by Virgil





"Like the Sphinx, the Gorgon, and the Sirens, who also have bird attributes, the Harpies bring death and destruction. They are psychopomps who carry off the soul to the underworld, the personification of human guilt and fundamental fears. At the same time, like Medusa and even Demeter herself, they give birth to horses, and this equine association points clearly to their extraordinary sexual potency. But while these creatures embody a double conception, being the givers of life as well as of death, their destructive capacity is emphasized and they represent the most terrifying aspects of Mother Goddess."

- Beryl Rowland












del.icio.us tags: harpy, creepbox, monster