A collection of intriguing topics and fascinating stories

about the rare, the paranormal, and the strange

Volume 13




Journey into the mysterious realm of cryptids.
Uncover mysterious cases of psychic phenomena, ghosts and UFOs.






Pablo C. Agsalud Jr.
Revision 6







Foreword

In the past, things like television, and words and
ideas like advertising, capitalism, microwave and
cancer all seemed too strange for the ordinary
man.

As man walks towards the future, overloaded with
information, more mysteries have been solved
through the wonders of science. Although some
things remained too odd for science to reproduce
or disprove, man had placed them in the gray
areas between truth and skepticism and labeled
them with terminologies fit for the modern age.

But the truth is, as long as the strange and
unexplainable cases keep piling up, the more likely
it would seem normal or natural. Answers are
always elusive and far too fewer than questions.
And yet, behind all the wonderful and frightening
phenomena around us, it is possible that what we
call mysterious today wont be too strange
tomorrow.

This book might encourage you to believe or refute
what lies beyond your own understanding.
Nonetheless, I hope it will keep you entertained
and astonished.

The content of this book remains believable for as
long as the sources and/or the references from the
specified sources exist and that the validity of the
information remains unchallenged.









Creepy Cryptids


These are the most common mythical creatures known to man.




































A cryptid is an animal whose existence is not confirmed by science. The study of
these creatures is known as cryptozoology. Those that study the existence of
cryptids are called cryptozoologists. Cryptids have been sighted and documented
for centuries. There are hundreds of creatures thought to be in existence today.

Aswang
Wikipedia.org

An Aswang (or Asuwang) is a mythical creature in Filipino folklore. The aswang is an
inherently evil vampire-like creature and is the subject of a wide variety of myths and stories.
Spanish colonists noted that the Aswang was the most feared among the mythical creatures of
the Philippines, even in the 16th century.

The myth of the aswang is well known throughout the Philippines, except in the Ilocos region,
which is the only region that does not have an equivalent myth. It is especially popular in the
Western Visayan regions such as Capiz, Iloilo, Negros, Bohol, Masbate, Aklan, Antique. Other
regional names for the aswang include "tik-tik", "wak-wak" and "soc-soc".

Definition
"Aswang" is a generic term applied to all types of witches, vampires, manananggals,
shapeshifters, werebeasts and monsters. The original definition is an eater of the dead, also
called the bal-bal (maninilong in Catanauan, Quezon), which replaces the cadaver with
banana trunks after consumption. Aswang stories and definitions vary greatly from region to
region and person to person, and no particular set of characteristics can be ascribed to the
term. However, the term is mostly used interchangeably with manananggal and are also
usually depicted as female.

Superstitions
Before modern medicine and science, aswangs served to explain miscarriages and other
maladies. Today, aside from entertainment value, Filipino mothers often tell their children
aswang stories to keep them off the streets and keep them home at night.

Like UFO stories, aswang stories are one of the favorites of sensationalist tabloids, especially
when there are grave robberies, kidnapped children, strange noises, people with eccentric or
peculiar habits, and other bizarre incidents that can somehow be attributed to them.

Stories of the aswang are popular in the Visayan region of the Philippines, especially in the
western provinces of Capiz (a province on Panay Island), Iloilo and Antique. Capiz, in
particular, is singled out by tabloids as an area of high supernatural activity: a home to
aswangs, manananggals, giant half-horse men (tikbalang) and other mythological creatures.
Many of those who live in Capiz are superstitiously inclined, and adorn their homes with garlic
bulbs, holy water and other objects believed to repel aswang. Since the stories recount
aswang eating unborn children, pregnancy is a time of great fear for superstitious Filipinos.

In Southern Luzon, the city of Antipolo is rumoured by locals to be a popular place for Aswang
sightings, especially during the Holy Week, where legend says that paranormal activities are at
their peak during the three days that Christ was dead.

Some have contended that the aswang is the progenitor of many classified cryptozoological
species.


Appearance and activities
The wide variety of descriptions in the aswang stories make it difficult to settle upon a fixed
definition of aswang appearances or activities. However, several common themes that
differentiate aswangs from other mythological creatures do emerge: Aswangs are
shapeshifters. Stories recount aswangs living as regular townspeople. As regular townspeople,
they are quiet, shy and elusive. At night, they transform into creatures such as a cat, pig,
bird, or most often, a dog. They enjoy eating unborn fetuses and small children, favoring
livers and hearts. Some have long proboscises, which they use to suck the children out of their
mothers' wombs or their homes. Some are so thin that they can hide themselves behind a
bamboo post. They are fast and silent. Some also make noises, like the Tik-Tik, (the name
was derived from the sound it produces) which are louder the further away the aswang is, to
confuse its potential victim; and the Bubuu, an aggressive kind of aswang that makes a sound
of a laying hen at midnight. They may also replace their live victims or stolen cadavers with
doppelgangers made from tree trunks or other plant materials. This facsimile will return to the
victim's home, only to become sick and die. An aswang will also have bloodshot eyes, the
result of staying up all night searching for houses where wakes are held to steal the bodies.


Alleged Cases

2013 TV Documentary

Aswang in the City in Hiwaga
http://www.atcontent.com/

On Friday (Feb 22) in "Pinoy True Stories: Hiwaga," news anchor, Atom Araullo enters the
world of the paranormal and meets with a mother of eight who has had encounters with an
aswang for three times and it has put her and her children's lives in danger.

It all started in Samar when Annie was pregnant with her sixth child. The incidents with the
aswang, who are notorious for preying on pregnant women and eating their unborn children,
have followed her ever since.

The first encounter was with a seemingly innocent grandmother who lived beside them but
had "eyes" for Annie's big tummy.

The second was in Makati where a strange woman with long-hair appeared out of the blue
whom Annie believes turned into a huge snake to follow them when she tried to run.

But the third incident nearly cost Annie and her soon-to-be-born child's lives and it was in the
form of an innocent black cat that was out for blood.

Can science explain what happened to her or could aswang exist? Is it really possible for an
aswang to roam the busy streets of Makati and Taguig?

2012 Kidapawan City Incident

Residents say 'aswang' killed livestock in Kidapawan
June 30, 2008 2:53pm
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines Villagers here panicked when they learned that another group
of livestock were killed by what they believed was an "aswang," a ghoul in Philippine
mythology, which appears to be human by day and turns into a blood-sucking monster as
darkness falls.

Three goats owned by Cielo Alonzo were seen dead without inner organs, including hearts and
livers, in a vacant lot owned by Danny Guerero in Purok 2A in Barangay Lower Manongol here,
about 2:30 p.m., Sunday.

The incident was the second since May, according to Edgar de Jesus, Purok president of Purok
2A in Lower Manongol village.

Last May, a flock of sheep, was also attacked by the "mysterious killer." The animals were
owned by a state university here.

Their internal organs were also feasted on by the killer," de Jesus said.

Glenda Canete, caretaker of Alonzos goats, said she does not believe a stray dog could have
killed the animals.

Something that is bigger than the dog, or a wolf maybe, or something that has supernatural
powers could be behind the killing," said Canete.

Both Canete and de Jesus pointed to the "aswang" as the culprit.

"After our animals, they might kill our children or those weak individuals. The killing must be
stopped," de Jesus said.

An "aswang," according to beliefs, can transform into animals, usually taking the form of a
black dog, pig or bull.

They prey on weaker victims like children and old people, but will also attack timid,
defenseless, and usually easily-preyed animals, like goat, sheep," the residents said.

But police dismissed those beliefs as baseless.

We cannot say that one hundred percent, an 'aswang' could be behind the killing. Were in a
modern world now. Yang aswang, sa mga pelikula lang yan (That aswang thing is only in the
movies)," said a police officer.

Chief Inspector Leo Ajero, city police director, has already ordered a thorough investigation on
the killing.

We will find out who did the killing and make those responsible for it accountable," he said.

- Malu Cadelina Manar, GMANews.TV

2012 Lambunao Incident

'Aswang' attacks poultry in Iloilo?
ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 04/22/2012 1:40 PM | Updated as of 04/23/2012 7:02 AM

MANILA, Philippines Residents of Barangay Pasig in Lambunao, Iloilo were startled when
they found 17 dead chickens owned by pastor Vincent Franciso early Saturday morning.

Some residents suspect the attack was done by an evil spirit (aswang) because the dead
chickens had their blood sucked and no internal organs were left.

Even barangay captain Rogelio Lebero believes it was done by an "aswang" because of the
finger prints found in the kitchen near the place where the chickens were killed.

Hindi ko masasabing hayop ang gumawa dahil hindi kaya ito ng hayop. Tao ang gumawa nito
na sinaniban ng masamang espiritu," he said.

What made the suspicions stronger was when the same "evil spirit" allegedly lunged towards
20-year-old Jeffrey Divino around 3 a.m. on the same day while he was on his way to the
field.

Mataas at malaki. May mga bilog-bilog sa mukha at may kahabang kadena," Divino said.

Francisco, however, refuses to believe that a supernatural creature has done such a thing.

Naniniwala akong tao ang gumawa na kontrolado siguro ng droga o ano mang bagay. Hindi
ako naniniwalang aswang," he said.

This was the first time that such attack happened in Barangay Pasig that is why some
residents cannot help but be worried.

Local government officials are planning to heighten the security in the area especially at night
to capture whos behind this incident.

from a report by Kenneth Ladigohon, ABS-CBN News Iloilo




Big Foot
Wikipedia.org

Bigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests,
mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a
large, hairy, bipedal humanoid. The term "sasquatch" is an anglicized derivative of the word
"ssquac" which means "wild man" in a Salish Native American language.

Scientists discount the existence of bigfoot and consider it to be a combination of folklore,
misidentification, and hoax, rather than a living animal, in part because of the large numbers
thought necessary to maintain a breeding population. A few scientists, such as Jane Goodall
and Jeffrey Meldrum, have expressed interest and belief in the creature, with Meldrum
expressing the opinion that evidence collected of alleged Bigfoot encounters warrants further
evaluation and testing. Bigfoot remains one of the more famous examples of a cryptid within
cryptozoology, and an enduring legend.

Description

Bigfoot is described in reports as a large hairy ape-like creature, ranging between 610 feet
(23 m) tall, weighing in excess of 500 pounds (230 kg), and covered in dark brown or dark
reddish hair. Alleged witnesses have described large eyes, a pronounced brow ridge, and a
large, low-set forehead; the top of the head has been described as rounded and crested,
similar to the sagittal crest of the male gorilla. Bigfoot is commonly reported to have a strong,
unpleasant smell by those who claim to have encountered it. The enormous footprints for
which it is named have been as large as 24 inches (60 cm) long and 8 inches (20 cm) wide.
While most casts have five toeslike all known apessome casts of alleged bigfoot tracks
have had numbers ranging from two to six. Some have also contained claw marks, making it
likely that a portion came from known animals such as bears, which have five toes and claws.
Some proponents have also claimed that bigfoot is omnivorous and mainly nocturnal.

History

Before 1958

Wildmen stories are found among the indigenous population of the Pacific Northwest. The
legends existed prior to a single name for the creature. They differed in their details both
regionally and between families in the same community. Similar stories of wildmen are found
on every continent except Antarctica. Ecologist Robert Michael Pyle argues that most cultures
have human-like giants in their folk history: "We have this need for some larger-than-life
creature."

Members of the Lummi tell tales about Ts'emekwes, the local version of bigfoot. The stories
are similar to each other in terms of the general descriptions of Ts'emekwes, but details about
the creature's diet and activities differed between the stories of different families.

Some regional versions contained more nefarious creatures. The stiyaha or kwi-kwiyai were a
nocturnal race that children were told not to say the names of lest the monsters hear and
come to carry off a personsometimes to be killed. In 1847, Paul Kane reported stories by the
native people about skoocooms: a race of cannibalistic wild men living on the peak of Mount
St. Helens. The skoocooms appear to have been regarded as supernatural, rather than
natural.

Less menacing versions such as the one recorded by Reverend Elkanah Walker exist. In 1840,
Walker, a Protestant missionary, recorded stories of giants among the Native Americans living
in Spokane, Washington. The Indians claimed that these giants lived on and around the peaks
of nearby mountains and stole salmon from the fishermen's nets.

The local legends were combined together by J. W. Burns in a series of Canadian newspaper
articles in the 1920s. Each language had its own name for the local version. Many names
meant something along the lines of "wild man" or "hairy man" although other names described
common actions it was said to perform (e.g. eating clams). Burns coined the term Sasquatch,
which is from the Halkomelem ssqets, and used it in his articles to describe a hypothetical
single type of creature reflected in these various stories. Burns's articles popularized both the
legend and its new name, making it well known in western Canada before it gained popularity
in the United States.

After 1958

In 1951, Eric Shipton had photographed what he described as a Yeti footprint. This photograph
generated considerable attention and the story of the Yeti entered into popular consciousness.
The notoriety of ape-men grew over the decade, culminating in 1958 when large footprints
were found in Del Norte County, California, by bulldozer operator Gerald Crew. Sets of large
tracks appeared multiple times around a road-construction site in Bluff Creek. After not being
taken seriously about what he was seeing, Crew brought in his friend, Bob Titmus, to cast the
prints in plaster. The story was published in the Humboldt Times along with a photo of Crew
holding one of the casts. Locals had been calling the unseen track-maker "Big Foot" since the
late summer, which Humboldt Times columnist Andrew Genzoli shortened to "Bigfoot" in his
article. Bigfoot gained international attention when the story was picked up by the Associated
Press. Following the death of Ray Wallace a local logger his family attributed the creation
of the footprints to him. The wife of Scoop Beal, the editor of the Humboldt Standard, which
later combined with the Humboldt Times, in which Genzoli's story had appeared, has stated
that her husband was in on the hoax with Wallace.

1958 was a watershed year for not just the bigfoot story itself but also the culture that
surrounds it. The first bigfoot hunters began following the discovery of footprints at Bluff
Creek, California. Within a year, Tom Slick, who had funded searches for Yeti in the Himalayas
earlier in the decade, organized searches for bigfoot in the area around Bluff Creek.

As Bigfoot has become better known and a phenomenon in popular culture, sightings have
spread throughout North America. In addition to the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes region
and the Southeastern United States have had many reports of Bigfoot sightings.


Prominent reported sightings

Left: Distribution of reported Bigfoot sightings in North
America.

About a third of all reports of Bigfoot sightings are
concentrated in the Pacific Northwest, with most of the
remaining reports spread throughout the rest of North
America.


Some Bigfoot advocates, such as cryptozoologist John Willison Green, have postulated that
Bigfoot is a worldwide phenomenon. The most notable reports include:

1924: Prospector Albert Ostman claimed to have been abducted by Sasquatch and
held captive by the creatures in British Columbia.
1924: Fred Beck claimed that he and four other miners were attacked one night in July
1924, by several "apemen" throwing rocks at their cabin in an area later called Ape
Canyon, Washington. Beck said the miners shot and possibly killed at least one of the
creatures, precipitating an attack on their cabin, during which the creatures
bombarded the cabin with rocks and tried to break in. The supposed incident was
widely reported at the time. Beck wrote a book about the alleged event in 1967, in
which he argued that the creatures were mystical beings from another dimension,
claiming that he had experienced psychic premonitions and visions his entire life of
which the apemen were only one component. Speleologist William Halliday argued in
1983 that the story arose from an incident in which hikers from a nearby camp had
thrown rocks into the canyon. There are also local rumors that pranksters harassed
the men and planted faked footprints.
1941: Jeannie Chapman and her children said they had escaped their home when a
7.5 feet (2.3 m) tall Sasquatch approached their residence in Ruby Creek, British
Columbia.
1958: Bulldozer operator Jerry Crew took to a newspaper office a cast of one of the
enormous footprints he and other workers had seen at an isolated work site at Bluff
Creek, California. The crew was overseen by Wilbur L. Wallace, brother of Raymond L.
Wallace. After Ray Wallace's death, his children came forward with a pair of 16-inch
(41 cm) wooden feet, which they said their father had used to fake the Bigfoot tracks
in 1958. Wallace is poorly regarded by many Bigfoot proponents. John Napier wrote, "I
do not feel impressed with Mr. Wallace's story" regarding having over 15,000 feet
(4,600 m) of film showing Bigfoot.
1967: Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin reported that on October 20 they had
captured a purported Sasquatch on film at Bluff Creek, California. This came to be
known as the Patterson-Gimlin film. Many years later, Bob Heironimus, an
acquaintance of Patterson's, said that he had worn an ape costume for the making of
the film.
2007: On September 16, 2007, hunter Rick Jacobs captured an image of a supposed
Sasquatch by using an automatically triggered camera attached to a tree, prompting a
spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Game Commission to say that it was likely an
image of "a bear with a severe case of mange." The photo was taken near the town of
Ridgway, Pennsylvania, in the Allegheny National Forest.

Proposed explanations for sightings

Various types of creatures have been suggested to explain both the sightings and what type of
creature Bigfoot would be if it existed. The scientific community typically attributes sightings
to either hoaxes or misidentification of known animals and their tracks. While cryptozoologists
generally explain Bigfoot as an unknown ape, some believers in Bigfoot attribute the
phenomenon to UFOs or other paranormal causes. A minority of proponents of a natural
explanation have attributed Bigfoot to animals that are not apes such as the giant ground
sloth.
Misidentification

Left: Photo of an unidentified animal the Bigfoot
Research Organization claims is a "juvenile
Sasquatch"

In 2007, the Pennsylvania Game Commission said
that photos the Bigfoot Field Researchers
Organization claimed showed a juvenile Bigfoot
were most likely of a bear with mange. Jeffrey
Meldrum, on the other hand, said the limb
proportions of the suspected juvenile in question
were not bear-like, and stated that he felt they
were "more like a chimpanzee."


Hoaxes

Both scientists and Bigfoot believers agree that many of the sightings are hoaxes or
misidentified animals. Cryptozoologists Loren Coleman and Diane Stocking have estimated
that as many as 70 to 80 percent of sightings are not real.

Bigfoot sightings or footprints are often demonstrably hoaxes. Author Jerome Clark argues
that the Jacko Affair, involving an 1884 newspaper report of an apelike creature captured in
British Columbia, was a hoax. Citing research by John Green, who found that several
contemporary British Columbia newspapers regarded the alleged capture as very dubious,
Clark notes that the Mainland Guardian of New Westminster, British Columbia, wrote,
"Absurdity is written on the face of it."

On July 14, 2005, Tom Biscardi, a long-time Bigfoot enthusiast and CEO of Searching for
Bigfoot Inc., appeared on the Coast to Coast AM paranormal radio show and announced that
he was "98% sure that his group will be able to capture a Bigfoot which they have been
tracking in the Happy Camp, California area." A month later, Biscardi announced on the same
radio show that he had access to a captured Bigfoot and was arranging a pay-per-view event
for people to see it. Biscardi appeared on Coast to Coast AM again a few days later to
announce that there was no captive Bigfoot. Biscardi blamed an unnamed woman for
misleading him, and the show's audience for being gullible.

On July 9, 2008, Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton posted a video to YouTube claiming that they
had discovered the body of a dead Sasquatch in a forest in northern Georgia. Tom Biscardi
was contacted to investigate. Dyer and Whitton received $50,000 from Searching for Bigfoot,
Inc., as a good faith gesture. The story of the men's claims was covered by many major news
networks, including BBC, CNN, ABC News, and Fox News. Soon after a press conference, the
alleged Bigfoot body arrived in a block of ice in a freezer with the Searching for Bigfoot team.
When the contents were thawed, it was discovered that the hair was not real, the head was
hollow, and the feet were rubber. Dyer and Whitton subsequently admitted it was a hoax after
being confronted by Steve Kulls, executive director of Squatchdetective.com.

Gigantopithecus

Left: Fossil jaw of Gigantopithecus blacki, an
extinct primate

Bigfoot proponents Grover Krantz and Geoffrey
Bourne believe that Bigfoot could be a relict
population of Gigantopithecus. Bourne contends
that as most Gigantopithecus fossils are found
in China, and as many species of animals
migrated across the Bering land bridge, it is not
unreasonable to assume that Gigantopithecus
might have as well.

The Gigantopithecus hypothesis is generally
considered entirely speculative. Gigantopithecus
fossils are not found in the Americas. As the
only recovered fossils are of mandibles and
teeth, there is some uncertainty about
Gigantopithecus's locomotion. Krantz has argued, based on his extrapolation of the shape of
its mandible, that Gigantopithecus blacki could have been bipedal. However, the relevant part
of mandible is not present in any fossils. The mainstream view is that Gigantopithecus was
quadrupedal, and it has been argued that Gigantopithecus's enormous mass would have made
it difficult for it to adopt a bipedal gait.

Matt Cartmill presents another problem with the Gigantopithecus hypothesis: "The trouble
with this account is that Gigantopithecus was not a hominin and maybe not even a crown-
group hominoid; yet the physical evidence implies that Bigfoot is an upright biped with
buttocks and a long, stout, permanently adducted hallux. These are hominin autapomorphies,
not found in other mammals or other bipeds. It seems unlikely that Gigantopithecus would
have evolved these uniquely hominin traits in parallel."

Bernard G. Campbellin wrote: "That Gigantopithecus is in fact extinct has been questioned by
those who believe it survives as the Yeti of the Himalayas and the Sasquatch of the north-west
American coast. But the evidence for these creatures is not convincing."
Extinct hominidae

A species of Paranthropus, such as Paranthropus robustus, with its crested skull and bipedal
gait, was suggested by primatologist John Napier and anthropologist Gordon Strasenburg as a
possible candidate for Bigfoot's identity, despite the fact that fossils of Paranthropus are found
only in Africa.

Michael Rugg, of the Bigfoot Discovery Museum, presented a comparison between human,
Gigantopithecus and Meganthropus skulls (reconstructions made by Grover Krantz) in
episodes 131 and 132 of the Bigfoot Discovery Museum Show. He favorably compares a
modern tooth suspected of coming from a bigfoot to the Meganthropus fossil teeth, noting the
worn enamel on the occlusal surface. The Meganthropus fossils originated from Asia, the tooth
was found in the Pacific Northwest.

Some suggest Neanderthal, Homo erectus, or Homo heidelbergensis to be the creature, but no
remains of any of those species have been found in the Americas.

Scientific view

Bigfoot is more than just a silly slice of history. The beast's appearance on the national
scene marked an important milestone: the first widely popularized example of
pseudoscience in American culture. The debate over its legitimacy reached a zenith in
the 1970s, with a slew of high-profile magazine stories and TV specials that gave
prominent coverage to theories supporting the creature's existence, concocted by self-
styled Bigfoot "experts" spouting factoids cherry-picked from bona fide scientific
research. The controversy led anthropologists and other scientists to run for cover to
avoid being tarred by association with such specious ideas. As a result, the "evidence"
in Bigfoot's favor was presented essentially unchallenged, effectively legitimizing the
pseudoscientific claims. Because the existence of the beast could not be disproved,
many readers and viewers were left feeling that its existence was quite probable. By
absenting themselves from the debate, the scientific community appeared out of touch
and elitist. In the three intervening decades, the increasingly common use of
pseudosciencejunk science, voodoo science, pathological science, or whatever you
choose to call ithas transformed public debate.

-Anatomy of a beast: obsession and myth on the trail of Bigfoot (2009).

The scientific community discounts the existence of Bigfoot, as there is no evidence supporting
the survival of such a large, prehistoric ape-like creature. The evidence that does exist points
more towards a hoax or delusion than to sightings of a genuine creature. In a 1996 USA Today
article titled "Bigfoot Merely Amuses Most Scientists", Washington State zoologist John Crane
says, "There is no such thing as Bigfoot. No data other than material that's clearly been
fabricated has ever been presented." In addition to the lack of evidence, scientists cite the fact
that Bigfoot is alleged to live in regions unusual for a large, nonhuman primate, i.e.,
temperate latitudes in the northern hemisphere; all recognized nonhuman apes are found in
the tropics of Africa and Asia (although some smaller primates, such as Japanese macaques,
are found in Asia up to the latitude of Northern California, and can cope with air temperatures
to -20 C (-4 F)). Thus, as with other proposed megafauna cryptids, climate and food supply
issues would make such a creature's survival in reported habitats unlikely. Furthermore, great
apes are not found in the fossil record in the Americas, and no Bigfoot remains have ever been
found. Indeed, scientific consensus is that the breeding population of such an animal would be
so large that it would account for many more purported sightings than currently occur, making
the existence of such an animal an almost certain impossibility.

A few scientists have been less skeptical about the claims of the existence of sasquatch.
Jeffrey Meldrum characterizes the search for Sasquatch as "a valid scientific endeavor". and
says that the fossil remains of an ancient giant ape called Gigantopithecus could turn out to be
ancestors of todays commonly known Bigfoot. John Napier asserts that the scientific
community's attitude towards Bigfoot stems primarily from insufficient evidence. Other
scientists who have shown varying degrees of interest in the legend are anthropologist David
Daegling, field biologist George Shaller, Russell Mittermeier, Daris Swindler, Esteban
Sarmiento, and discredited racial anthropologist Carleton S. Coon. Jane Goodall, in a
September 27, 2002, interview on National Public Radio's "Science Friday", expressed her
ideas about the existence of Bigfoot. First stating "I'm sure they exist", she later went on to
say, chuckling, "Well, I'm a romantic, so I always wanted them to exist", and finally: "You
know, why isn't there a body? I can't answer that, and maybe they don't exist, but I want
them to." However, the vast majority of evolutionary biologists, anthropologists and
paleontologists completely dismiss the possibility of the existence of sasquatch.
Chupacabra
http://paranormal.about.com/


Even though some sightings
date back to the 1970s, El
Chupacabra - "the goat
sucker" - is primarily a
phenomenon of the 1990s, and
its fame has largely been
spread by the Internet. The
sightings started in earnest in
1995 with reports coming out
of Puerto Rico of a strange
creature that was killing
farmers' livestock - chickens,
ducks, turkeys, rabbits and, of
course, goats - sometimes
hundreds of animals in one
evening. The farmers, who
were familiar with the killing
practices of wild dogs and
other predators, claimed that
the methods of this unknown
beast were different. It didn't
try to eat the animals it killed, for example; nor did it drag them away to be devoured
elsewhere. Instead, the creature killed by draining its victims of blood, usually through small
incisions.

Then came the bizarre eyewitness descriptions:

about the size of a chimpanzee
hops about like a kangaroo
large glowing red eyes
grayish skin and hairy arms
long snake-like tongue
sharp fangs
quills running along its spine that seem to open and close like a fan
some believe it may even have wings

Toward the end of the '90s, the sightings of Chupacabra began to spread. The creature was
blamed for animal killings in Mexico, southern Texas and several South American countries. In
May and June of 2000, a rash of incidents took place in Chile, according to certain newspapers
there. In fact, some of the most incredible claims yet came out of those sightings: that at
least one of the creatures was caught alive by local authorities, then handed over to official
agencies of the US government.

What is it? Theories abound, including: an unknown but natural species of predator;
misidentified known predators; the result of genetic experimentation; an alien. Most serious
researchers consider Chupacabra merely folklore, perpetuated by over-enthusiastic locals
immersed in superstition or a penchant for telling tall, exaggerated tales.


Texas Incident
Texas Woman Claims to Have Found Mythical 'Chupacabra'
Published September 01, 2007
http://www.foxnews.com/

Phylis Canion lived in Africa for four
years. She's been a hunter all her
life and has the mounted heads of a
zebra and other exotic animals in
her house to prove it. But the
roadkill she found last month
outside her ranch was a new one
even for her, worth putting in a
freezer hidden from curious
onlookers: Canion believes she may
have the head of the mythical,
bloodsucking chupacabra.

"It is one ugly creature," Canion
said, holding the head of the
mammal, which has big ears, large
fanged teeth and grayish-blue,
mostly hairless skin.

Canion and some of her neighbors
discovered the 40-pound bodies of
three of the animals over four days
in July outside her ranch in Cuero,
80 miles southeast of San Antonio.
Canion said she saved the head of
the one she found so she can get to
get to the bottom of its ancestry
through DNA testing and then
mount it for posterity.

She suspects, as have many rural
denizens over the years, that a chupacabra may have killed as many as 26 of her chickens in
the past couple of years.

"I've seen a lot of nasty stuff. I've
never seen anything like this," she
said.

What tipped Canion to the
possibility that this was no ugly
coyote, but perhaps the vampire-
like beast, is that the chickens
weren't eaten or carried off all
the blood was drained from them,
she said.

Chupacabra means "goat sucker"
in Spanish, and it is said to have
originated in Latin America,
specifically Puerto Rico and
Mexico.



Canion thinks recent heavy rains ran them right out of their dens.

"I think it could have wolf in it," Canion said. "It has to be a cross between two or three
different things."

She said the finding has captured the imagination of locals, just like purported sightings of
Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster have elsewhere.

But what folks are calling a chupacabra is probably just a strange breed of dog, said
veterinarian Travis Schaar of the Main Street Animal Hospital in nearby Victoria.



"I'm not going to tell you that's not a chupacabra. I just think in my opinion a chupacabra is a
dog," said Schaar, who has seen Canion's find.

The "chupacabras" could have all been part of a mutated litter of dogs, or they may be a new
kind of mutt, he said.

As for the bloodsucking, Schaar said that this particular canine may simply have a preference
for blood, letting its prey bleed out and licking it up.

Chupacabra or not, the discovery has spawned a local and international craze. Canion has
started selling T-shirts that read: "2007, The Summer of the Chupacabra, Cuero, Texas,"
accompanied by a caricature of the creature. The $5 shirts have gone all over the world,
including Japan, Australia and Brunei. Schaar also said he has one.

"If everyone has a fun time with it, we'll keep doing it," she said. "It's good for Cuero."

Dover Demon
http://paranormal.about.com/

Dover, Massachusetts was the location of the sighting of a bizarre creature for a few days
beginning on April 21, 1977. Although the creature, which became known as "the Dover
Demon," was only seen by a few people in this short period of time, it is considered one of the
most mysterious creatures of modern times.

The first sighting was made by 17-year-old Bill Bartlett as he and three friends were driving
north near the small New England town at around 10:30 at night. Through the darkness,
Bartlett claimed to have seen an unusual creature creeping along a low stone wall on the side
of the road - something he had never seen before and could not identify. The other boys did
not see it, but it was obvious to them that Bartlett was shaken by the experience. When he
arrived home, he told his father about his experience and sketched a drawing of the creature.

Just a few hours after Bartlett's sighting, at 12:30 a.m., John Baxter swore that he saw the
same creature while walking home from his girlfriend's house. The 15-year-old boy saw it with
its arms wrapped around the trunk of a tree, and his description of the thing matched
Bartlett's exactly.

The final sighting was reported the next day by another 15-year-old, Abby Brabham, a friend
of one of Bill Bartlett's friends, who said it appeared briefly in the car's headlights while she
and her friend were driving. Again, the description was consistent. This is the creature they
allegedly saw:

about four feet tall on two legs
hairless body with rough-textured skin
long, spindly peach-colored limbs
a large watermelon-shaped head, nearly as big as its body large glowing orange eyes

Subsequent investigations into this unusual case turned up no hard evidence for the reality of
the creature, but neither was there evidence of a hoax nor a motive for perpetrating one.
Skeptics suggested that what the teenagers saw was a young moose, while UFOlogists who
looked into the case wondered if there was an extraterrestrial connection.

Elf
http://paranormal.about.com/

On a summer night in 1919, 13-year-old Harry Anderson claimed to have seen a column of 20
little men marching in single file, made visible by the bright moonlight. He noted they were
dressed in leather knee pants with suspenders. The men were shirtless, bald and had pale
white skin. They ignored young Harry as they passed, mumbling something unintelligible all
the while.



Fairies
Wikipedia.org

A fairy (also faery, faerie, fay, fae; euphemistically wee
folk, good folk, people of peace, fair folk, etc.) is a type
of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit,
often described as metaphysical, supernatural or
preternatural.

Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies,
though even folklore that uses the term fairy offers
many definitions. Sometimes the term describes any
magical creature, including goblins or gnomes: at other
times, the term only describes a specific type of more
ethereal creature.



Etymology

The word fairy derives from Middle English faierie (also fayerye, feirie, fairie), a direct
borrowing from Old French faerie (Modern French ferie) meaning the land, realm, or
characteristic activity (i.e. enchantment) of the legendary people of folklore and romance
called (in Old French) faie or fee (Modern French fe). This derived ultimately from Late Latin
fata (one of the personified Fates, hence a guardian or tutelary spirit, hence a spirit in
general); cf. Italian fata, Portuguese fada, Spanish hada of the same origin.

Fata, although it became a feminine noun in the Romance languages, was originally the neuter
plural ("the Fates") of fatum, past participle of the verb fari to speak, hence "thing spoken,
decision, decree" or "prophetic declaration, prediction", hence "destiny, fate". It was used as
the equivalent of the Greek Moirai, the personified Fates who determined the course
and ending of human life.

To the word faie was added the suffix -erie (Modern English -(e)ry), used to express either a
place where something is found (fishery, heronry, nunnery) or a trade or typical activity
engaged in by a person (cookery, midwifery, thievery). In later usage it generally applied to
any kind of quality or activity associated with a particular sort of person, as in English
knavery, roguery, witchery, wizardry.

Faie became Modern English fay "a fairy"; the word is, however, rarely used, although it is
well known as part of the name of the legendary sorceress Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend.
Faierie became fairy, but with that spelling now almost exclusively referring to one of the
legendary people, with the same meaning as fay. In the sense "land where fairies dwell", the
distinctive and archaic spellings Faery and Faerie are often used. Faery is also used in the
sense of "a fairy", and the back-formation fae, as an equivalent or substitute for fay is now
sometimes seen.

The word fey, originally meaning "fated to die" or "having forebodings of death" (hence
"visionary", "mad", and various other derived meanings) is completely unrelated, being from
Old English fge, Proto-Germanic *faigja- and Proto-Indo-European *poikyo-, whereas Latin
fata comes from the Indo-European root *bh- "speak". Due to the identical pronunciation of
the two words, "fay" is sometimes misspelled "fey".

Characteristics

Fairies are generally described as human in appearance and having magical powers. Their
origins are less clear in the folklore, being variously dead, or some form of demon, or a
species completely independent of humans or angels.[3] Folklorists have suggested that their
actual origin lies in a conquered race living in hiding,[4] or in religious beliefs that lost
currency with the advent of Christianity.[5] These explanations are not necessarily
incompatible, and they may be traceable to multiple sources.

Much of the folklore about fairies revolves around protection from their malice, by such means
as cold iron (iron is like poison to fairies, and they will not go near it) or charms of rowan and
herbs, or avoiding offense by shunning locations known to be theirs.[6] In particular, folklore
describes how to prevent the fairies from stealing babies and substituting changelings, and
abducting older people as well.[7] Many folktales are told of fairies, and they appear as
characters in stories from medieval tales of chivalry, to Victorian fairy tales, and up to the
present day in modern literature.

In his manuscript, The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns and Fairies, Reverend Robert
Kirk, minister of the Parish of Aberfoyle, Stirling, Scotland, wrote in 1691:

These Siths or Fairies they call Sleagh Maith or the Good People...are said to be of
middle nature between Man and Angel, as were Daemons thought to be of old; of
intelligent fluidous Spirits, and light changeable bodies (lyke those called Astral)
somewhat of the nature of a condensed cloud, and best seen in twilight. These bodies
be so pliable through the sublety of Spirits that agitate them, that they can make
them appear or disappear at pleasure[8]

Although in modern culture they are often depicted as young, sometimes winged, humanoids
of small stature, they originally were depicted much differently: tall, radiant, angelic beings or
short, wizened trolls being two of the commonly mentioned forms. Diminutive fairies of one
kind or another have been recorded for centuries, but occur alongside the human-sized
beings; these have been depicted as ranging in size from very tiny up to the size of a human
child.[9] Even with these small fairies, however, their small size may be magically assumed
rather than constant.[10]

Wings, while common in Victorian and later artwork of fairies, are very rare in the folklore;
even very small fairies flew with magic, sometimes flying on ragwort stems or the backs of
birds.[11] Nowadays, fairies are often depicted with ordinary insect wings or butterfly wings.

Various animals have also been described as fairies. Sometimes this is the result of shape
shifting on part of the fairy, as in the case of the selkie (seal people); others, like the kelpie
and various black dogs, appear to stay more constant in form.[12]

In some folklore fairies have green eyes and often bite. Though they can confuse one with
their words, fairies cannot lie. They hate being told 'thank you', as they see it as a sign of one
forgetting the good deed done, and want something that'll guarantee remembrance.

Origin of fairies
Folk beliefs

Dead

One popular belief was that they were the dead, or some subclass of the dead.[13] The Irish
banshee (Irish Gaelic bean s or Scottish Gaelic bean shth, which both mean "fairy woman") is
sometimes described as a ghost.[14] The northern English Cauld Lad of Hylton, though
described as a murdered boy, is also described as a household sprite like a brownie,[15] much
of the time a Barghest or Elf.[16] One tale recounted a man caught by the fairies, who found
that whenever he looked steadily at one, the fairy was a dead neighbor of his.[17] This was
among the most common views expressed by those who believed in fairies, although many of
the informants would express the view with some doubts.[18]
Elementals

Another view held that the fairies were an intelligent species, distinct from humans and
angels.[19] In alchemy in particular they were regarded as elementals, such as gnomes and
sylphs, as described by Paracelsus.[20] This is uncommon in folklore, but accounts describing
the fairies as "spirits of the air" have been found popularly.[21]

Demoted angels

A third belief held that they were a class of "demoted" angels.[22] One popular story held that
when the angels revolted, God ordered the gates shut; those still in heaven remained angels,
those in hell became devils, and those caught in between became fairies.[23] Others held that
they had been thrown out of heaven, not being good enough, but they were not evil enough
for hell.[24] This may explain the tradition that they had to pay a "teind" or tithe to Hell. As
fallen angels, though not quite devils, they could be seen as subject of the Devil.[25] For a
similar concept in Persian mythology, see Peri.

Demons

A fourth belief was the fairies were demons entirely.[26] This belief became much more
popular with the growth of Puritanism.[27] The hobgoblin, once a friendly household spirit,
became a wicked goblin.[28] Dealing with fairies was in some cases considered a form of
witchcraft and punished as such in this era.[29] Disassociating himself from such evils may be
why Oberon, in A Midsummer Night's Dream, carefully observed that neither he nor his court
feared the church bells.[30]

The belief in their angelic nature was less common than that they were the dead, but still
found popularity, especially in Theosophist circles.[31][32] Informants who described their
nature sometimes held aspects of both the third and the fourth view, or observed that the
matter was disputed.[31]

Humans

A less-common belief was that the fairies were actually humans; one folktale recounts how a
woman had hidden some of her children from God, and then looked for them in vain, because
they had become the hidden people, the fairies. This is parallel to a more developed tale, of
the origin of the Scandinavian huldra.[31]

Babies' laughs

A story of the origin of fairies appears in a chapter about Peter Pan in J. M. Barrie's 1902 novel
The Little White Bird, and was incorporated into his later works about the character. Barrie
wrote, "When the first baby laughed for the first time, his laugh broke into a million pieces,
and they all went skipping about. That was the beginning of fairies."[33]

Pagan deities

Many of the Irish tales of the Tuatha D Danann refer to these beings as fairies, though in
more ancient times they were regarded as Goddesses and Gods. The Tuatha D Danann were
spoken of as having come from Islands in the north of the world, or, in other sources, from
the sky. After being defeated in a series of battles with other Otherworldly beings, and then by
the ancestors of the current Irish people, they were said to have withdrawn to the sdhe (fairy
mounds), where they lived on in popular imagination as "fairies."

Sources of beliefs

A hidden people

One common theme found among the Celtic nations describes a race of diminutive people who
had been driven into hiding by invading humans. They came to be seen as another race, or
possibly spirits, and were believed to live in an Otherworld that was variously described as
existing underground, in hidden hills (many of which were ancient burial mounds), or across
the Western Sea.[4]

In old Celtic fairy lore the sidhe (fairy folk) are immortals living in the ancient barrows and
cairns. The Tuatha de Danaan are associated with several Otherworld realms including Mag
Mell (the Pleasant Plain), Emain Ablach (the Fortress of Apples or the Land of Promise or the
Isle of Women), and the Tir na ng (the Land of Youth).[34]

The concept of the Otherworld is also associated with the Isle of Apples, known as Avalon in
the Arthurian mythos (often equated with Ablach Emain). Here we find the Silver Bough that
allowed a living mortal to enter and withdraw from the Otherworld or Land of the Gods.
According to legend, the Fairy Queen sometimes offered the branch to worthy mortals,
granting them safe passage and food during their stay.

Some 19th century archaeologists thought they had found underground rooms in the Orkney
islands resembling the Elfland in Childe Rowland.[35] In popular folklore, flint arrowheads
from the Stone Age were attributed to the fairies as "elf-shot".[36] The fairies' fear of iron was
attributed to the invaders having iron weapons, whereas the inhabitants had only flint and
were therefore easily defeated in physical battle. Their green clothing and underground homes
were credited to their need to hide and camouflage themselves from hostile humans, and their
use of magic a necessary skill for combating those with superior weaponry.[4] In Victorian
beliefs of evolution, cannibalism among "ogres" was attributed to memories of more savage
races, still practicing it alongside "superior" races that had abandoned it.[37] Selkies,
described in fairy tales as shapeshifting seal people, were attributed to memories of skin-clad
"primitive" people traveling in kayaks.[4] African pygmies were put forth as an example of a
race that had previously existed over larger stretches of territory, but come to be scarce and
semi-mythical with the passage of time and prominence of other tribes and races.[38]

Christianised pagan deities

Another theory is that the fairies were originally worshiped as gods, but with the coming of
Christianity, they lived on, in a dwindled state of power, in folk belief. In this particular time,
fairies were reputed by the church as being 'evil' beings. Many beings who are described as
deities in older tales are described as "fairies" in more recent writings.[5] Victorian
explanations of mythology, which accounted for all gods as metaphors for natural events that
had come to be taken literally, explained them as metaphors for the night sky and stars.[39]
According to this theory, fairies are personified aspects of nature and deified abstract concepts
such as love and victory in the pantheon of the particular form of animistic nature worship
reconstructed as the religion of Ancient Western Europe.[40]

Spirits of the dead

A third theory was that the fairies were a folkloric belief concerning the dead. This noted many
common points of belief, such as the same legends being told of ghosts and fairies, the sdhe
in actuality being burial mounds, it being dangerous to eat food in both Fairyland and Hades,
and both the dead and fairies living underground.[41]

As components of the human psyche

Faeries are the inner thoughts and feelings we have that seem to have a life of their own. You
might say a human being is the king of an inner fey kingdom, because life happens within his
psyche without his full attention. Concepts are faeries, and to live within you, they have
needs, such as periodic regeneration through the focus of human concentration, and also, they
must co-vibrate with their owners to remain active. Jesus said an unclean spirit returns to it's
home with even more of it's own kind - when we are angry, a lot of other angry thoughts can
activate and also cloud the consciousness. It is also said that these inner faeries also go
outward from their human owners and look for new homes, in physical objects and living
animals and humans. Faeries enter a human being from all kinds of sources - from heavenly
sources, creative sources, and environmental ones. Also, hellish concepts can be energized by
an individual against himself, the result is torture for him and his/her loved ones.

-Russell Ackerman, rabbit-hole expert.

Fairies in literature and legend

The question as to the essential nature of fairies has been the topic of myths, stories, and
scholarly papers for a very long time.[42]
Practical beliefs and protection

When considered as beings that a person might actually encounter, fairies were noted for their
mischief and malice. Some pranks ascribed to them, such as tangling the hair of sleepers into
"Elf-locks", stealing small items or leading a traveler astray, are generally harmless. But far
more dangerous behaviors were also attributed to fairies. Any form of sudden death might
stem from a fairy kidnapping, with the apparent corpse being a wooden stand-in with the
appearance of the kidnapped person.[7] Consumption (tuberculosis) was sometimes blamed
on the fairies forcing young men and women to dance at revels every night, causing them to
waste away from lack of rest.[43] Fairies riding domestic animals, such as cows or pigs or
ducks, could cause paralysis or mysterious illnesses.

As a consequence, practical considerations of fairies have normally been advice on averting
them. In terms of protective charms, cold iron is the most familiar, but other things are
regarded as detrimental to the fairies: wearing clothing inside out, running water, bells
(especially church bells), St. John's wort, and four-leaf clovers, among others. Some lore is
contradictory, such as rowan trees in some tales being sacred to the fairies, and in other tales
being protection against them. In Newfoundland folklore, the most popular type of fairy
protection is bread, varying from stale bread to hard tack or a slice of fresh home-made
bread. The belief that bread has some sort of special power is an ancient one. Bread is
associated with the home and the hearth, as well as with industry and the taming of nature,
and as such, seems to be disliked by some types of fairies. On the other hand, in much of the
Celtic folklore, baked goods are a traditional offering to the folk, as are cream and butter.[32]

The prototype of food, and therefore a symbol of life, bread was one of the
commonest protections against fairies. Before going out into a fairy-haunted place, it
was customary to put a piece of dry bread in ones pocket.[44]

Bells also have an ambiguous role; while they protect against fairies, the fairies riding on
horseback such as the fairy queen often have bells on their harness. This may be a
distinguishing trait between the Seelie Court from the Unseelie Court, such that fairies use
them to protect themselves from more wicked members of their race.[45] Another ambiguous
piece of folklore revolves about poultry: a cock's crow drove away fairies, but other tales
recount fairies keeping poultry.[46]

In County Wexford, Ireland, in 1882, it was reported that if an infant is carried out after dark
a piece of bread is wrapped in its bib or dress, and this protects it from any witchcraft or
evil.[47]

While many fairies will confuse travelers on the path, the will o' the wisp can be avoided by
not following it. Certain locations, known to be haunts of fairies, are to be avoided; C. S. Lewis
reported hearing of a cottage more feared for its reported fairies than its reported ghost.[48]
In particular, digging in fairy hills was unwise. Paths that the fairies travel are also wise to
avoid. Home-owners have knocked corners from houses because the corner blocked the fairy
path,[49] and cottages have been built with the front and back doors in line, so that the
owners could, in need, leave them both open and let the fairies troop through all night.[50]
Locations such as fairy forts were left undisturbed; even cutting brush on fairy forts was
reputed to be the death of those who performed the act.[51] Fairy trees, such as thorn trees,
were dangerous to chop down; one such tree was left alone in Scotland, though it prevented a
road being widened for seventy years.[52] Good house-keeping could keep brownies from
spiteful actions, because if they did not think the house is clean enough, they pinched people
in their sleep. Such water hags as Peg Powler and Jenny Greenteeth, prone to drowning
people, could be avoided by avoiding the bodies of water they inhabit.[36]

Other actions were believed to offend fairies. Brownies were known to be driven off by being
given clothing, though some folktales recounted that they were offended by inferior quality of
the garments given, and others merely stated it, some even recounting that the brownie was
delighted with the gift and left with it.[53] Other brownies left households or farms because
they heard a complaint, or a compliment.[54] People who saw the fairies were advised not to
look closely, because they resented infringements on their privacy.[55] The need to not offend
them could lead to problems: one farmer found that fairies threshed his corn, but the
threshing continued after all his corn was gone, and he concluded that they were stealing from
his neighbors, leaving him the choice between offending them, dangerous in itself, and
profiting by the theft.[56]

Millers were thought by the Scots to be "no canny", owing to their ability to control the forces
of nature, such as fire in the kiln, water in the burn, and for being able to set machinery a-
whirring. Superstitious communities sometimes believed that the miller must be in league with
the fairies. In Scotland fairies were often mischievous and to be feared. No one dared to set
foot in the mill or kiln at night as it was known that the fairies brought their corn to be milled
after dark. So long as the locals believed this then the miller could sleep secure in the
knowledge that his stores were not being robbed. John Fraser, the miller of Whitehill claimed
to have hidden and watched the fairies trying unsuccessfully to work the mill. He said he
decided to come out of hiding and help them, upon which one of the fairy women gave him a
gowpen (double handful of meal) and told him to put it in his empty girnal (store), saying that
the store would remain full for a long time, no matter how much he took out.[57]

It is also believed that to know the name of a particular fairy could summon it to you and force
it to do your bidding. The name could be used as an insult towards the fairy in question, but it
could also rather contradictorily be used to grant powers and gifts to the user.

Changelings

A considerable amount of lore about fairies revolves around changelings, fairy children left in
the place of stolen human babies.[4] Older people could also be abducted; a woman who had
just given birth and had yet to be churched was considered to be in particular danger.[58] A
common thread in folklore is that eating the fairy food would trap the captive, as Persephone
in Hades; this warning is often given to captives who escape by other people in the fairies'
power, who are often described as captives who had eaten and so could not be freed.[59]
Folklore differed about the state of the captives: some held that they lived a merry life, others
that they always pined for their old friends.[60]

Classifications

In Scottish folklore, fairies are divided into the Seelie Court, the more beneficently inclined
(but still dangerous) fairies, and the Unseelie Court, the malicious fairies. While the fairies
from the Seelie court enjoyed playing pranks on humans they were usually harmless pranks,
compared to the Unseelie court that enjoyed bringing harm to humans as entertainment.[36]

Trooping fairies refer to fairies who appear in groups and might form settlements. In this
definition, fairy is usually understood in a wider sense, as the term can also include various
kinds of mythical creatures mainly of Celtic origin[citation needed]; however, the term might
also be used for similar beings such as dwarves or elves from Germanic folklore. These are
opposed to solitary fairies, who do not live or associate with others of their kind.[61]

Legends

In many legends, the fairies are prone to kidnapping humans, either as babies, leaving
changelings in their place, or as young men and women. This can be for a time or forever, and
may be more or less dangerous to the kidnapped. In the 19th Century Child Ballad, "Lady
Isabel and the Elf-Knight", the elf-knight is a Bluebeard figure, and Isabel must trick and kill
him to preserve her life.[62] Child Ballad "Tam Lin" reveals that the title character, though
living among the fairies and having fairy powers, was in fact an "earthly knight" and, though
his life was pleasant now, he feared that the fairies would pay him as their teind (tithe) to
hell.[62] Sir Orfeo tells how Sir Orfeo's wife was kidnapped by the King of Faerie and only by
trickery and excellent harping ability was he able to win her back. Sir Degare narrates the tale
of a woman overcome by her fairy lover, who in later versions of the story is unmasked as a
mortal. Thomas the Rhymer shows Thomas escaping with less difficulty, but he spends seven
years in Elfland.[63] Oisn is harmed not by his stay in Faerie but by his return; when he
dismounts, the three centuries that have passed catch up with him, reducing him to an aged
man.[64] King Herla (O.E. "Herla cyning"), originally a guise of Woden but later Christianised
as a king in a tale by Walter Map, was said, by Map, to have visited a dwarf's underground
mansion and returned three centuries later; although only some of his men crumbled to dust
on dismounting, Herla and his men who did not dismount were trapped on horseback, this
being one account of the origin of the Wild Hunt of European folklore.[65][66]

A common feature of the fairies is the use of magic to disguise appearance. Fairy gold is
notoriously unreliable, appearing as gold when paid, but soon thereafter revealing itself to be
leaves, gorse blossoms, gingerbread cakes, or a variety of other useless things.[67]

These illusions are also implicit in the tales of fairy ointment. Many tales from Northern
Europe[68][69] tell of a mortal woman summoned to attend a fairy birth sometimes
attending a mortal, kidnapped woman's childbed. Invariably, the woman is given something
for the child's eyes, usually an ointment; through mischance, or sometimes curiosity, she uses
it on one or both of her own eyes. At that point, she sees where she is; one midwife realizes
that she was not attending a great lady in a fine house but her own runaway maid-servant in a
wretched cave. She escapes without making her ability known, but sooner or later betrays
that she can see the fairies. She is invariably blinded in that eye, or in both if she used the
ointment on both.[70]

Fairy Funerals : There have been claims by people in the past, like William Blake, to have seen
fairy funerals. Allan Cunningham in his Lives of Eminent British Painters records that William
Blake claimed to have seen a fairy funeral. 'Did you ever see a fairy's funeral, madam? said
Blake to a lady who happened to sit next to him. 'Never, Sir!' said the lady. 'I have,' said
Blake, 'but not before last night.' And he went on to tell how, in his garden, he had seen 'a
procession of creatures of the size and colour of green and grey grasshoppers, bearing a body
laid out on a rose-leaf, which they buried with songs, and then disappeared'. They are
believed to be an omen of death.

Literature

Fairies appeared in medieval romances as one of the beings that a knight errant might
encounter. A fairy lady appeared to Sir Launfal and demanded his love; like the fairy bride of
ordinary folklore, she imposed a prohibition on him that in time he violated. Sir Orfeo's wife
was carried off by the King of Faerie. Huon of Bordeaux is aided by King Oberon.[71] These
fairy characters dwindled in number as the medieval era progressed; the figures became
wizards and enchantresses.[72] Morgan le Fay, whose connection to the realm of Faerie is
implied in her name, in Le Morte d'Arthur is a woman whose magic powers stem from
study.[73] While somewhat diminished with time, fairies never completely vanished from the
tradition. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late tale, but the Green Knight himself is an
otherworldly being.[72] Edmund Spenser featured fairies in The Faerie Queene.[74] In many
works of fiction, fairies are freely mixed with the nymphs and satyrs of classical tradition;[75]
while in others (e.g. Lamia), they were seen as displacing the Classical beings. 15th century
poet and monk John Lydgate wrote that King Arthur was crowned in "the land of the fairy",
and taken in his death by four fairy queens, to Avalon where he lies under a "fairy hill", until
he is needed again.[76]

Fairies appear as significant characters in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream,
which is set simultaneously in the woodland, and in the realm of Fairyland, under the light of
the moon.[77] and in which a disturbance of Nature caused by a fairy dispute creates tension
underlying the plot and informing the actions of the characters. According to Maurice Hunt,
Chair of the English Department at Baylor University, the blurring of the identities of fantasy
and reality makes possible that pleasing, narcotic dreaminess associated with the fairies of
the play.[78]

Shakespeare's contemporary, Michael Drayton features fairies in his Nimphidia; from these
stem Alexander Pope's sylphs of The Rape of the Lock, and in the mid 17th century,
prcieuses took up the oral tradition of such tales to write fairy tales; Madame d'Aulnoy
invented the term contes de fe ("fairy tale").[79] While the tales told by the prcieuses
included many fairies, they were less common in other countries' tales; indeed, the Brothers
Grimm included fairies in their first edition, but decided this was not authentically German and
altered the language in later editions, changing each "Fee" (fairy) to an enchantress or wise
woman.[80] J. R. R. Tolkien described these tales as taking place in the land of Faerie.[81]
Additionally, not all folktales that feature fairies are generally categorized as fairy tales.

Fairies in literature took on new life with Romanticism. Writers such as Sir Walter Scott and
James Hogg were inspired by folklore which featured fairies, such as the Border ballads. This
era saw an increase in the popularity of collecting of fairy folklore, and an increase in the
creation of original works with fairy characters.[82] In Rudyard Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill,
Puck holds to scorn the moralizing fairies of other Victorian works.[83] The period also saw a
revival of older themes in fantasy literature, such as C.S. Lewis's Narnia books which, while
featuring many such classical beings as fauns and dryads, mingles them freely with hags,
giants, and other creatures of the folkloric fairy tradition.[84] Victorian flower fairies were
popularized in part by Queen Marys keen interest in fairy art, and by British illustrator and
poet Cicely Mary Barker's series of eight books published in 1923 through 1948. Imagery of
fairies in literature became prettier and smaller as time progressed.[85] Andrew Lang,
complaining of "the fairies of polyanthuses and gardenias and apple blossoms" in the
introduction to The Lilac Fairy Book, observed that "These fairies try to be funny, and fail; or
they try to preach, and succeed."[86]

Fairies are seen in Neverland, in Peter and Wendy, the novel version of J. M. Barrie's famous
Peter Pan stories, published in 1911, and its character Tinker Bell has become a pop culture
icon. When Peter Pan is guarding Wendy from pirates, the story says: "After a time he fell
asleep, and some unsteady fairies had to climb over him on their way home from an orgy. Any
of the other boys obstructing the fairy path at night they would have mischiefed, but they just
tweaked Peter's nose and passed on."[87]

Fairies in art

Images of fairies have appeared as illustrations, often in books of fairy tales, as well as in
photographic-based media and sculpture. Some artists known for their depictions of fairies
include Cicely Mary Barker, Arthur Rackham, Brian Froud, Alan Lee, Amy Brown, David
Delamare, Meredith Dillman, Jasmine Becket-Griffith, Warwick Goble, Kylie InGold, Ida
Rentoul Outhwaite, Myrea Pettit, Florence Harrison, Suza Scalora,[88] Nene Thomas, Gustave
Dor, Rebecca Guay and Greta James. The Fairy Doors of Ann Arbor, MI are small doors
installed into local buildings. Local children believe these are the front doors of fairy houses,
and in some cases, small furniture, dishes, and various other things can be seen beyond the
doors.

The Victorian era was particularly noted for fairy paintings. The Victorian painter Richard Dadd
created paintings of fairy-folk with a sinister and malign tone. Other Victorian artists who
depicted fairies include John Atkinson Grimshaw, Joseph Noel Paton, John Anster Fitzgerald
and Daniel Maclise.[89] Interest in fairy-themed art enjoyed a brief renaissance following the
publication of the Cottingley Fairies photographs in 1917 and a number of artists turned to
painting fairy themes.

Fairies in religion
Theosophy

In the teachings of Theosophy, Devas, the equivalent of angels, are regarded as living either
in the atmospheres of the planets of the solar system (Planetary Angels) or inside the Sun
(Solar Angels) (presumably other planetary systems and stars have their own angels). They
are believed to help to guide the operation of the processes of nature such as the process of
evolution and the growth of plants. Their appearance is reputedly like colored flames about the
size of a human being. Some (but not most) devas originally incarnated as human beings.
Smaller, less important, evolutionarily undeveloped minor angels are called nature spirits,
elementals, and fairies.[90]

The Cottingley Fairies photographs in 1917 (revealed by the "photographers" in 1981 to have
been faked) were originally publicized by Theosophists, many of whom believed them to be
real. C.W. Leadbeater and other Theosophists wrote many books on supernatural creatures,
emphasizing that any sufficiently enlightened human should be able to see devas, nature
spirits, elementals (gnomes, ondines, sylphs, and salamanders), and fairies when the third
eye is activated.[91][92] They are said to have etheric bodies that are composed of etheric
matter, a type of matter finer and more pure that is composed of smaller particles than
ordinary physical plane matter.[93]

Theosophists believe that these less evolutionarily developed beings have never been
previously incarnated as human beings; they are regarded as being on a separate line of
spiritual evolution called the deva evolution or "angel evolution path"; eventually, as their
souls advance as they reincarnate, it is believed they will incarnate as devas.


Fairies
The Encyclopedia of Angels
By Rosemary Ellen Guiley

Supernatural beings both helpful and harmful who are attached to the earth, and who
sometimes are associated with angels. Fairy beliefs are universal and strikingly similar; they
attempt to explain the reasons for illnesses, deformities, and untimely deaths among children;
epidemics among livestock; and various disasters of weather. The term fairy comes from the
Latin fata, or fate, which refers to the Fates of mythology, three women who spin, twist, and
cut the threads of life.

Contemporary popular Western beliefs about angels link fairies to angels as a subordinate
class of beings, in accordance with the idea of MINISTERING ANGELSeverything in nature
has its guiding angel. In folklore tradition, fairies are not a type of heavenly angel, but a
separate class of being; conceivably an angel might be invoked to protect against the tricks
and malice of fairies.

Folklore traditions give various origins of fairies. They are:

souls of the pagan dead, caught between heaven and earth because they were not baptized;
guardians of the dead;
ghosts of venerated ancestors;
FALLEN ANGELS, cast out of heaven with Lucifer but condemned by God to remain in the
elements of the earth;
NATURE SPIRITS who are attached to particular places or elements;
Small-statured human beings.

Fairies are especially known for their roles in enchantments and bewitchments; in witch lore
they are sometimes said to be the FAMILIARS of witches. Fairies have many names and
descriptions; most are diminutive or even tiny. They may be beautiful or ugly, may resemble
humans, or have wings and carry wands and pipes. Wings are small and not feathered as in
depictions of angels, but more resemble butterfly or gossamer dragonfly wings. They usually
are invisible save to those with clairvoyant sight; they can make themselves visible to humans
if they so desire. Some are morally ambivalent, whereas others are always benevolent, and
still others are always malevolent. Some live as a fairy race or nation; the Land of Fairy, also
called Elfland, has characteristics of the land of the dead: it exists underground and is
accessed through barrows and mounds; time ceases there. The fairies come out at night to
dance, sing, travel about, make merry, and make mischief. They steal human women for
wives, and also steal unprotected human children, leaving their own children (changelings) in
exchange. In order to stay in the good graces of the little people, the good people and the
good neighbors, as they are called, humans are to keep clean houses and leave out food and
drink. In return, fairies bestow gifts and money and help humans with their chores. Fairies
also are propitiated with offerings and rites at sacred wells, fountains, lakes, and tree groves
so that humans may ward off illness and misfortune.

Encounter with Fairies
http://paranormal.about.com/

In Stowmarket, England in 1842, a man claimed this encounter with "fairies" when walking
through a meadow on his journey home: "There might be a dozen of them, the biggest about
three feet high, and small ones like dolls. They were moving around hand in hand in a ring; no
noise came from them. They seemed light and shadowy, not like solid bodies. I... could see
them as plain as I do you. I ran home and called three women to come back with me and see
them. But when we got to the place, they were all gone. I was quite sober at the time."


Other cryptids related to Fairies

European Folklore

Dwarf
Elf
Goblin
Gnome
Gremlin
Hobgoblin
Imp
Mermaid
Sprite/Water sprite
Sylph
Tooth fairy
Wight

African Folklore

Abatwa
Asanbosam
Aziza
Bultungin
Jengu
Kishi
Mami Wata
Obayifo
Rompo
Tikoloshe
Yumboes

Australasian Folklore

Bunyip
Manaia
Muldjewangk
Patupaiarehe
Taniwha
Tipua
Wondjina
Yara-ma-yha-who
Yowie

American Folklore

Alux
Curupira
Encantado
Ishigaq
Jogah
Menehune
Nawao
Nimerigar
Pukwudgie
Saci
Squonk


Asian Folklore

Diwata
Kitsune
Kappa
Kijimuna
Orang Bunian
Tengu
Yaksha
Ykai
Peri
Tanuki
Tennin
Yosei

Greek Folklore

Dryad
Hamadryad
Kallikantzaros
Lampad
Maenad
Naiad
Nereid
Nymph
Oceanid
Pan
Satyr
Silenus

Romantic Folklore

Cpcun
Faun
Iele
Lares
Penates
Snzian
Spiridu
Squasc
Vlv
Vntoase
Xana
Zn
Zmeu

Germanic Folklore

Haltija
Heinzelmnnchen
Hdekin
Huldra
Klabautermann
Kobold
Radande
Tomte
Lorelei
Undine

Slavic Folklore

Bagiennik/Bannik
Berehynia
Domovoi
Karzeek
Kikimora
Likho
Polevik
Psotnik
Rusalka
Vila
Vodyanoy



*Golem
Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia

The Hebrew word golem means "unformed mass." It appears once in the Bible (Psalm 139:16)
to refer to a human as an incomplete substance. The golem of medieval legend was a clay
robot activated by magical words. In the famous tale of Rabbi Loew of Prague, the golem was
a servant made of clay and brought to life by placing a piece of paper inscribed with the name
of God under its tongue. Fearing that the creature, which had run amok, would desecrate the
Sabbath, the rabbi destroyed it.

Goblin
Wikipedia.org

A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like
phantom.

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 constantly annoying little creatures somewhat related to the brownie and gnome.
They are usually depicted as small, sometimes only a few inches tall, sometimes the size of a
dwarf. They also often are said to possess various magical abilities.

Name

English goblin continues Anglo-Norman gobelin, rendered as Middle Latin gobelinus, itself a
loan from a Germanic term cognate to German kobold.

Alternative spellings include gobblin, gobeline, gobling, and goblyn.

Hiisi, folletto, duende, tengu, Menninkinen and kallikantzaroi are often translated into English
as 'goblins'. The Erlking and Billy Blind are sometimes called goblins. 'Goblin' is often used as
a general term to mean any small mischievous being.

Origins in Hinduism

They are originally mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana as servants and attendants of God
Hara-Bhava, lord of the sub-region Vitala, one of the seven sub-regions of Patala (underworld
and netherworld) in Hindu cosmology.

Origins in folklore

In "The Goblin Field" (Moldova), Goblins were described as 23 feet tall, thin, and brown. Most
were bald and "if there were females among the group they could not be distinguished from
the males". They seemed to exist in two realms, one physical and one spirit. They were
fiercely loyal and allied with particular sorcerer or witch tribes, whom they protected and
served as an equally allied tribe rather than servants or slaves. "This perception might seem a
bit strange to any not accustomed to the goblin outlook" because the goblins often did what
might be considered slave work for very little reward.

They could be called by an allied individual or group, summoned by spell, or called to bargain
at particular places by individuals or groups not known to them. Because of their power they
were much sought after, but because of the corruption of mankind, rarely found. Crossing
them was a thing to avoid as they had refined a grudge to a fine art. They could be fierce and
mind-numbingly frightening, and only the hardiest of souls were sent to strike a bargain with
them. However they had a side which few ever saw, which was their great love for those who
were able to create an understanding and friendship with them. At the passing of such a
person, they would treat the body with proper respect and then quietly weep.

The Benevolent Goblin, from Gesta Romanorum (England)
The Boy Who Drew Cats (Japanese fairy tale)
Chinese Ghouls and Goblins (England 1928)
Erlking is a malevolent goblin from German legend.
The Goblin of Adachigahara (Japanese fairy tale)
The Goblin Pony, from The Grey Fairy Book (French fairy tale)
The Goblins at the Bath House (Estonia), from A Book of Ghosts and Goblins (1969)
The Goblins Turned to Stone (Dutch fairy tale)
Gwyn ap Nudd was ruler over the goblin tribe. (Welsh folklore)
Shiva has a cohort of goblins and ghouls (India).
Twenty-Two Goblins (Indian fairy tale)
King Gobb (Moldovan Gypsy folktale)

Goblin-related place names

'The Gap of Goeblin', a hole and underground tunnel in Mortain, France.
Goblin Combe, in north Somerset, UK
Goblin Valley State Park, Utah, U.S.
Goblin Crescent, Bryndwr, Christchurch, NZ
Yester Castle (aka 'Goblin Hall') East Lothian, Scotland
Goblin Bay, Beausoleil Island, Ontario, Canada
Harrison High School, Harrison Golden Goblins, Harrison, AR

Other cryptids related to Goblins

Fairy
Ghoul
Gremlin
Hobgoblin
Imp
Kypelinvuori
Nilbog
Oni
Orc
Pca
Pukwudgie
Redcap
Sprite (creature)
Tengu
Troll
Uruk-hai
Vinayakas
Wight
Wirry-cow

Imp
Wikipedia.org

An imp is a mythological being similar to a fairy
or demon, frequently described in folklore and
superstition. The word may perhaps derive from
the term ympe, used to denote a young grafted
tree.

Folklore

Originating from Germanic folklore, the imp was
a small lesser demon. It should also be noted
that demons in Germanic legends were not
necessarily always evil. Imps were often
mischievous rather than evil or harmful, and in
some regions they were portrayed as attendants
of the gods.

Imps are often shown as small and not very
attractive creatures. Their behavior is described as being wild and uncontrollable, much the
same as fairies, and in some cultures they were considered the same beings, both sharing the
same sense of free spirit and enjoyment of all things fun. It was later in history that people
began to associate fairies with being good and imps with being malicious and evil. However,
both creatures were fond of pranks and misleading people. Most of the time, the pranks were
harmless fun, but some could be upsetting and harmful, such as switching babies or leading
travellers astray in places with which they were not familiar. Though imps are often thought of
as being immortal, many cultures believed that they could be damaged or harmed by certain
weapons and enchantments, or be kept out of people's homes by the use of wards.

Imps were often portrayed as lonely little creatures always in search of human attention. They
often used jokes and pranks as a means of attracting human friendship, which often backfired
when people became tired or annoyed of the imp's endeavors, usually driving it away.

Even if the imp was successful in getting the friendship it sought, it often still played pranks
and jokes on its friend, either out of boredom or simply because this was the nature of the
imp. This trait gave way to using the term impish for someone who loves pranks and
practical jokes. Being associated with hell and fire, imps take a particular pleasure from
playing with temperatures.

To this end it came to be believed that imps were the familiar spirit servants of witches and
warlocks, where the little demons served as spies and informants. During the time of the witch
hunts, supernatural creatures such as imps were sought out as proof of witchcraft, though
often the so called imp was typically a black cat, lizard, toad or some other form of
uncommon pet.

Imps have also been described as being bound or contained in some sort of object, such as
a sword or crystal ball. In other cases imps were simply kept in a certain object and
summoned only when their masters had need of them. Some even had the ability to grant
their owners wishes, much like a genie. This was the object of the 1891 story The Bottle Imp
by Robert Louis Stevenson, which told of an imp contained in a bottle that would grant the
owner their every wish, the catch being that the owners soul would be sent to hell if they
didn't sell the bottle to a new owner before their death.
Incubus
Wikipedia.org

An incubus (nominal form constructed from the Latin verb, incubo, incubare, or "to lie upon")
is a demon in male form who, according to a number of mythological and legendary
traditions, lies upon sleepers, especially women, in order to have intercourse with them. Its
female counterpart is the succubus. An incubus may pursue sexual relations with a woman in
order to father a child, as in
the legend of Merlin.
Religious tradition holds
that repeated intercourse
with an incubus or
succubus may result in the
deterioration of health, or
even death.

Medieval legend claims that
demons, both male and
female, sexually prey on
human beings - generally
during the night when the
victim is sleeping.

Origins

Victims may have been
experiencing waking
dreams or sleep paralysis.
Nocturnal arousal or nocturnal emission could be explained away by creatures causing
otherwise guilt-producing behavior. Then again, victims of incubi could well have been the
victims of real sexual assault. Rapists may have attributed the rapes of sleeping women to
demons in order to escape punishment. A friend or relative is at the top of the list in such
cases and would be kept secret by the intervention of 'spirits.' The victims and, in some cases,
the magistrates, may have found it easier to explain the attack as supernatural rather than
confront the idea that the attack came from someone in a position of trust.

Ancient and religious descriptions

One of the earliest mentions of an incubus comes from Mesopotamia on the Sumerian King
List, ca. 2400 BC, where the hero Gilgamesh's father is listed as Lilu. It is said that Lilu
disturbs and seduces women in their sleep, while Lilitu, a female demon, appears to men in
their erotic dreams. Two other corresponding demons appear as well: Ardat lili, who visits men
by night and begets ghostly children from them, and Irdu lili, who is known as a male
counterpart to Ardat lili and visits women by night and begets from them. These demons were
originally storm demons, but they eventually became regarded as night demons due to
mistaken etymology.

Debate about the demons began early in the Christian tradition. St. Augustine touched on the
topic in De Civitate Dei, The City of God. There were too many attacks by incubi to deny them.
He stated, "There is also a very general rumor. Many have verified it by their own experience
and trustworthy persons have corroborated the experience others told, that sylvans and fauns,
commonly called incubi, have often made wicked assaults upon women." Questions about the
reproductive capabilities of the demons continued. 800 years later, Thomas Aquinas lend
himself to the ongoing discussion, stating, "Still, if some are occasionally begotten from
demons, it is not from the seed of such demons, nor from their assumed bodies, but from the
seed of men, taken for the purpose; as when the demon assumes first the form of a woman,
and afterwards of a man; just so they take the seed of other things for other generating
purposes." It became generally accepted that incubi and succubi were the same demon, able
to switch between male and female forms. A succubus would be able to sleep with a man and
collect his sperm, and then transform into an incubus and use that seed on women. Even
though sperm and egg came from humans originally, the spirits offspring were often thought
of as supernatural.

Though many tales claim that the incubus is bisexual, others indicate that it is strictly
heterosexual and finds attacking a male victim either unpleasant or detrimental. There are
also numerous stories involving the attempted exorcism of incubi or succubi who have taken
refuge in, respectively, the bodies of men or women.

Incubi are sometimes said to be able to conceive children. The half-human offspring of such a
union is sometimes referred to as a cambion. The most famous legend of such a case
includes that of Merlin, the famous wizard from Arthurian legend.

According to the Malleus Maleficarum, exorcism is one of the five ways to overcome the
attacks of incubi, the others being Sacramental Confession, the Sign of the Cross (or recital of
the Angelic Salutation), moving the afflicted to another location, and by excommunication of
the attacking entity, "which is perhaps the same as exorcism." On the other hand, the
Franciscan friar Ludovico Maria Sinistrari stated that incubi "do not obey exorcists, have no
dread of exorcisms, show no reverence for holy things, at the approach of which they are not
in the least overawed."

Regional variations

There are a number of variations on the incubus theme around the world. The alp of Teutonic
or German folklore is one of the better known. In Zanzibar, Popo Bawa primarily attacks men
and generally behind closed doors. "The Trauco," according to the traditional mythology of
the Chilo Province of Chile, is a hideous deformed dwarf who lulls nubile young women and
seduces them. The Trauco is said to be responsible for unwanted pregnancies, especially in
unmarried women. Perhaps another variation of this conception is the "Tintn" in Ecuador, a
dwarf who is fond of abundant haired women and seduces them at night by playing the guitar
outside their windows; a myth that researchers believe was created during the Colonial period
of time to explain pregnancies in women who never left their houses without a chaperone,
very likely covering incest or sexual abuse by one of the family's friends. In Hungary, a lidrc
can be a Satanic lover that flies at night and appears as a fiery light (an ignis fatuus or will
o' the wisp) or, in its more benign form as a featherless chicken.

In Brazil and the rainforests of the Amazon Basin, the Boto is a combination of siren and
incubus, a very charming and beautiful man who seduces young women and takes them into
the river. It is said to be responsible for disappearances and unwanted pregnancies, and it can
never be seen by daylight, because it metamorphoses into a kind of river dolphin during those
hours. According to legend the boto always wears a hat to disguise the breathing hole at the
top of its head.

The Southern African incubus demon is the Tokolosh. Chaste women place their beds upon
bricks to deter the rather short fellows from attaining their sleeping forms. They also share the
hole in the head detail and water dwelling habits of the Boto.


Jersey Devil
http://paranormal.about.com/

There is a terrifying creature,
they say, that haunts the dense
pine barrens of New Jersey, and
its frightening appearance
earned it the name of The Jersey
Devil. The legend of the Jersey
Devil dates back to about the
mid-1700s when it was
considered an omen of disaster
or war, but multiple sightings did
not begin until the early 1900s.
Some researchers claim that
more than 2,000 witnesses have
reported seeing the creature
over the centuries. Although
rare, sightings continue up to the
present day.

Descriptions vary, but these are the most commonly cited attributes:

about three-and-a-half feet high
a head like a collie dog and a face like a horse
a long neck
wings about two feet long
back legs like those of a crane
horse's hooves
walks on its back legs and holds up two short front legs with paws on them

It's interesting to note the similarities to the chupacabra.

Unexplained animal deaths and mutilations have been blamed on The Jersey Devil. Dozens of
eyewitnesses claim to have been frightened out of their wits by it. What could this creature
possibly be? The theories are similar to those cited for Chupacabra, but something scary
definitely seems to be out there in the New Jersey woods.



Skull of the Jersey Devil by Jason McKittrick.

Asbury Park
The Jersey Devil makes an appearance in Asbury Park
Monday, 30 November 2009 16:06
http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/


One doesn't have to venture to Amityville or Salem or
a famous haunted house if you are interested in
phenomena lying outside the range of normal
scientific investigations.

Try Asbury Park.

The Paranormal Museum, on 627 Cookman Avenue,
features books and curiosities and even boosts a
Jersey Devil exhibit.

Owner Kathy Kelly wants to stir your imagination.
Before your very eyes, she will point out a partial
skeleton of the infamous Jersey Devil and assorted
artifacts and relics.

Whether you are a believer or not, everyone is invited
to come and enjoy a positive, fresh perspective on the
Jersey Devil legend.

The Jersey Devil, sometimes called the Leeds Devil,
is a legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens in southern New Jersey.

The most accepted origin of the story, as far as New Jerseyans are concerned, started with
Mother Leeds and is as follows:

"It was said that Mother Leeds had 12 children and, after giving birth to her 12th child, stated
that if she had another, it would be the Devil. In 1735, Mother Leeds was in labor on a stormy
night. Gathered around her were her friends. Mother Leeds was supposedly a witch and the
child's father was the Devil himself. The child was born normal, but then changed form. It
changed from a normal baby to a creature with hooves, a horse's head, bat wings and a
forked tail.''

Reportedly in 1778, Commodore Stephen Decatur visited the Hanover Iron Works in the
Barrens to test cannonballs at a firing range, where he allegedly witnessed a strange, pale
white creature winging overhead. Using cannon fire, Decatur purportedly punctured the wing
membrane of the creature, which continued flying apparently unfazed to the amazement
of onlookers.

Additional legend puts this encounter at 1819 and at the behest of President James Monroe.
Work on Decatur's House in D.C. from 2007-2008 has led to speculation that his Jersey Devil
sighting was more than mere chance. Decatur was definitely in New Jersey testing the quality
of cannonballs produced by Batsto and Hanover. Included in his entourage was Dr. James
Killian, famed paranormalist and cryptid hunter from the 19th century. Legends throughout
New Jersey and Southeastern Pennsylvania have these two men in scientific pursuit of the
animal.

Joseph Bonaparte (eldest brother of Emperor Napoleon) is said to have witnessed the Jersey
Devil while hunting on his Bordentown, New Jersey estate around 1820.

The Paranormal Museum documents it all ... and creates a museum of super Natural History
when it comes to the Jersey Devil.

Leave your skepticism at the door.

For additional information about the Paranormal Museum, go to www.paranormalbooksnj.com/
or call (732) 455-3188.

*Kapre



Karabu
The Encyclopedia of Angels
By Rosemary Ellen Guiley

Winged Assyrian deity of protection. The term
karabu is Assyrian and means bless, consecrate.

The term cherubim is derived from it.

LEFT: Kari-bu guarding a temple, from a 19th-
century Bible

The male kari-bu is a blessed/consecrated one
and the female kuribi is a protector goddess. The
karibu have the bodies of sphinxes or bulls and the
heads of humans, and they guarded entrances to
temples, homes, and buildings.

Related words:
caribou, a large deer
carabao, a water buffalo


Loveland Lizard
http://paranormal.about.com/

This remarkable creature has earned its place in the annals of the unknown primarily because
of the credibility of the involved witnesses: two police officers on two separate occasions.

The scene is the early hours of March 3, 1972. A police officer is cruising on Riverside Ave.,
which runs for a few blocks along the Little Miami River in Loveland, Ohio. On the side of the
road he sees what he at first thinks is a dog lying there. He slows his vehicle on the icy road to
avoid hitting the animal should it get up and run in front of him. He nears the animal and
stops his patrol car, at which point the creature quickly stands on two legs to a crouching
position. Illuminating the creature with his headlights, the officer can now clearly see that it is
not a dog at all, but something he cannot explain:

three to four feet tall
50 to 75 pounds
leathery skin
possibly wet, matted hair on its body that made it look textured possibly a short tail
a head and face like a frog or lizard

Whatever this creature was, it looked at the officer briefly, then leapt over the road's guard
rail toward the river.

The officer reported the odd sighting to the police dispatcher, then later returned to the scene
of the incident with another officer. All they found was evidence that something had scraped
the hillside as it made its way down to the river.

The creature may have been completely forgotten had not a second police officer seen it again
two weeks later. The second officer also at first thought the thing lying in the middle of the
road was a dog or roadkill. When he got out of his car to haul it to the side of the road, it got
up, climbed over the guard rail this time, all the while keeping its eyes on the officer, and
disappeared toward the river. His description of the creature pointed out the same frog-like
characteristics. A subsequent investigation uncovered only one other possible sighting around
the same time; a farmer claimed to have seen some kind of large, lizard-like creature. It
thereafter became known as the Loveland Lizard or Loveland Frog.

What was it? Good question. If is was a frog or similar amphibian, it's the largest one ever
recorded - and the only one known to get up and walk away on its hind legs.


Man-eating Tree
Wikipedia.org

Man-eating tree can refer to any of various legendary or cryptid carnivorous plants that are
large enough to kill and consume a person or other large animal. In actuality, the carnivorous
plant with the largest known traps is probably Nepenthes rajah, which produces pitchers up to
38 cm (15 in) tall with a volume of up to 3.5 litres (0.77 imp gal; 0.92 US gal). This species
may rarely trap small mammals.

The Madagascar tree

The earliest well known report of a man-eating tree originated as a hoax. In 1881 German
explorer "Carl Liche" wrote an account in the South Australian Register of encountering a
sacrifice performed by the "Mkodo" tribe of Madagascar:

"The slender delicate palpi, with the fury of starved serpents, quivered a moment
over her head, then as if instinct with demoniac intelligence fastened upon her in
sudden coils round and round her neck and arms; then while her awful screams and
yet more awful laughter rose wildly to be instantly strangled down again into a
gurgling moan, the tendrils one after another, like great green serpents, with brutal
energy and infernal rapidity, rose, retracted themselves, and wrapped her about in
fold after fold, ever tightening with cruel swiftness and savage tenacity of anacondas
fastening upon their prey."

The tree was given further publicity by the 1924 book by former Governor of Michigan Chase
Osborn, Madagascar, Land of the Man-eating Tree. Osborn claimed that both the tribes and
missionaries on Madagascar knew about the hideous tree, and also repeated the above Liche
account.

In his 1955 book, Salamanders and other Wonders, science author Willy Ley determined that
the Mkodo tribe, Carl Liche, and the Madagascar man-eating tree itself all appeared to be
fabrications.



The Ya-te-veo

LEFT: Depiction of a native being consumed by a
Ya-te-veo ("I see you") carnivorous tree of Central
America, from Land and Sea by J. W. Buel, 1887.

In J. W. Buel's Land and Sea (1887), the Ya-te-veo
("I-see-you") plant is said to catch and consume
large insects, but also attempts to consume
humans.

It is said to be a carnivorous plant that grows in
parts of Central and South America with cousins in
Africa and on the shores of the Indian Ocean.

There are many different descriptions of the plant,
but most reports say it has a short, thick trunk and
long tendrils of some sort which are used to catch
prey.

Mok'ele-mbembe
http://paranormal.about.com/


For over 200 years, rare but fascinating
reports have filtered out of the dense isolated
rain forests of Africa and South America that
native tribes - some of which live very much
as they have for thousands of years - were
familiar with large creatures that can only be
described as resembling sauropods, like the
apatosaurus.

The tribes had names for them, such as jago-
nini ("giant diver"), dingonek, ol-umaina, and
chipekwe. In 1913, Captain Freiheer von
Stein zu Lausnitz, a German explorer, was
told by Pygmies of a fearsome creature they
called mok'ele-mbembe ("stopper of
rivers").

This is the description of mok'ele-mbembe provided by the natives:

smooth brownish gray skin
approximately the size of an elephant; at least that of a hippopotamus; possibly about
30 feet long
a long, flexible neck
a vegetarian diet, but would kill humans if they came too close

During an expedition to search for mok'ele-mbembe in 1980, cryptozoologist Roy Mackel and
herpetologist James Powell allegedly showed pictures of local animals to the natives, all of
which they correctly identified. When they showed them an illustration of a large sauropod,
they identified it as mok'ele-mbembe.

Aside from the testimony of these tribespeople (which some skeptics have written off as
making fools of the white man), the evidence for living dinosaurs is scant. Supposedly, a few
explorers have found extraordinarily large footprints (as large as a Frisbee), and in 1992, a
Japanese expedition is said to have about 15 seconds of film footage taken from an airplane
that shows some large shape moving in water, leaving a V-shaped wake. Unfortunately, it
could not be identified.

Recent expeditions in search of mok'ele-mbembe have taken place. They explored the Likoula
region of the Congo for four weeks with the official mission objective of a "scientific
investigation and analysis of reports of a living dinosaur." Unfortunately, again, they returned
empty-handed. New expeditions will undoubtedly continue to search for living dinosaurs. The
prospect of actually documenting a find is just too tempting.

Mothman
Wikipedia.org

Mothman is a legendary creature reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area of West Virginia
from 15 November 1966 to 15 December 1967. The first newspaper report was published in
the Point Pleasant Register dated 16 November 1966, entitled "Couples See Man-Sized
Bird...Creature...Something".

Mothman was introduced to a wider audience by Gray Barker in 1970, later popularized by
John Keel in his 1975 book The Mothman Prophecies, claiming that Mothman was related to a
wide array of supernatural events in the area and the collapse of the Silver Bridge. The 2002
film The Mothman Prophecies, starring Richard Gere, was based on Keel's book.

History

On Nov. 15, 1966, two young couples from Point Pleasant, Roger and Linda Scarberry, and
Steve and Mary Mallette told police they saw a large white creature whose eyes "glowed red"
when the car headlights picked it up. They described it as a "flying man with ten foot wings'
following their car while they were driving in an area of town known as 'the TNT area', the site
of a former World War II munitions plant.

During the next few days, other people reported similar sightings. Two volunteer firemen who
sighted it said it was a "large bird with red eyes". Mason County Sheriff George Johnson
commented that he believed the sightings were due to an unusually large heron he termed a
"shitepoke". Contractor Newell Partridge told Johnson that when he aimed a flashlight at a
creature in a nearby field its eyes glowed "like bicycle reflectors", and blamed buzzing noises
from his television set and the disappearance of his German Shepherd dog on the creature.
Wildlife biologist Dr. Robert L. Smith at West Virginia University told reporters that
descriptions and sightings all fit the Sandhill Crane, a large American crane almost as high as
a man with a seven foot wingspan featuring circles of reddish coloring around the eyes, and
that the bird may have wandered out of its migration route.

There were no Mothman reports in the immediate aftermath of the December 15, 1967
collapse of the Silver Bridge and the death of 46 people, giving rise to legends that the
Mothman sightings and the bridge collapse were connected.

Claims of later sightings

UFOlogist Jerome Clark writes that many years after the initial events, members of the Ohio
UFO Investigators League re-interviewed several people who claimed to have seen Mothman,
all of whom insisted their stories were accurate. Linda Scarberry claimed that she and her
husband had seen Mothman "hundreds of times, " sometimes at close range, commenting, "It
seems like it doesnt want to hurt you. It just wants to communicate with you. "

Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman claims that sightings of Mothman continue, and told USA
Today he re-interviewed witnesses described in Keel's book who said Mothman was "a huge
creature about 7 feet tall with huge wings and red eyes" and that "they could see the creature
flapping right behind them" as they fled from it.


Explanations

Paranormal

Some UFologists, paranormal authors, and cryptozoologists believe that Mothman was an
alien, a supernatural manifestation, or an unknown cryptid. In his 1975 book The Mothman
Prophecies, author John Keel claimed that the Point Pleasant residents experienced
precognitions including premonitions of the collapse of the Silver Bridge, unidentified flying
object sightings, visits from mysterious or threatening men in black, and other bizarre
phenomena. However, Keel has been criticized for distorting established data, and for
gullibility.

Skeptical

Skeptic Joe Nickell says that a number of hoaxes followed the publicity generated by the
original reports, such as a group of construction workers who tied red flashlights to helium
balloons. Nickell attributes the Mothman reports to pranks, misidentified planes, and sightings
of a barred owl, an albino owl, suggesting that the Mothman's "glowing eyes" were actually
red-eye effect caused from the reflection of light from flashlights or other bright light sources.
The area lies outside the snowy owl's usual range and locals, unfamiliar with such a large owl,
could have misidentified the bird.

Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand notes that Mothman has been widely covered in the popular
press, some claiming sightings connected with UFOs, and others claiming that a military
storage site was Mothman's "home". Brunvand notes that recountings of the 1966-67
Mothman reports usually state that at least 100 people saw Mothman with many more "afraid
to report their sightings", but observed that written sources for such stories consisted of
children's books or sensationalized or undocumented accounts that fail to quote identifiable
persons. Brunvand found elements in common among many Mothman reports and much older
folk tales, suggesting that something real may have triggered the scares and became woven
with existing folklore. He also records anecdotal tales of Mothman supposedly attacking the
roofs of parked cars inhabited by teenagers in lovers lanes.
Festivals and statue

Point Pleasant held its first Annual Mothman Festival in 2002 and a 12-foot-tall metallic statue
of the creature, created by artist and sculptor Bob Roach, was unveiled in 2003. The Mothman
Museum and Research Center opened in 2005 and is run by Jeff Wamsley. The Festival is a
weekend-long event held on the 3rd weekend of every September. There are a variety of
events that go on during the festival such as guest speakers, vendor exhibits, and hayride
tours focusing on the notable areas of Point Pleasant.

Film

The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
Mothman (2010), a Syfy Channel original movie
Eyes of the Mothman (2011), a documentary about the Mothman sightings
"Mothman Country" (2011), a documentary about Pt. Pleasant's contemporary
relationship with the Mothman


Books

Barker, Gray The Silver Bridge (Saucerian Books, 1970). Reprinted in 2008 entitled
The Silver Bridge: The Classic Mothman Tale (BookSurge Publishing). ISBN 1-4392-
0427-6
Coleman, L. Mothman and Other Curious Encounters. (2002). ISBN 978-1-931044-34-
9 (or ISBN 1-931044-34-1)
Colvin, Andrew The Mothman's Photographer: The Work of an Artist Touched by the
Prophecies of the Infamous Mothman (2007). ISBN 978-1-4196-5265-3
Colvin, Andrew The Mothman's Photographer II: Meetings With Remarkable Witnesses
Touched by Paranormal Phenomena, UFOs, and the Prophecies of West Virginia's
Infamous Mothman (2007). ISBN 978-1-4196-5266-4
Sergent, Jr., Donnie Mothman: The Facts Behind the Legend (2001) ISBN 978-0-
9667246-7-7
Fear, Brad A Macabre Myth of a Moth-Man (2008) ISBN 978-1-4389-0263-0
Keel, John A. The Mothman Prophecies (2007). ISBN 0-7653-4197-2 (Originally
published in 1975 by Saturday Review Press)
Keel, John A. The Eighth Tower (1977). ISBN 978-0-451-07460-7
Myers, Bill. Angel of Wrath: A Novel (2009). ISBN 978-0-446-69800-9
Ressel, Steve. Perverted Communion (2010). ISBN 978-0-9787483-5-7
Rust, John J. Dark Wings (2011) ISBN 978-1-4658-4541-2

Sighting
Mothman
http://paranormal.about.com/

For about 13 months beginning in
November, 1966, a series of
bizarre sightings took place
around the area of Point
Pleasant, West Virginia. Aside
from a spate of UFO reports and
claimed poltergeist activity,
several witnesses came forward
with descriptions of an
astonishing creature that may
have been the focal point of all
the weird goings-on. As detailed
in John Keel's classic book, The
Mothman Prophecies, hundreds of
witnesses allegedly saw a large,
winged humanoid being.



Here is how they described it:

approximately seven feet tall
a wingspan over 10 feet wide
gray, scaly skin
large, red, glowing and hypnotic eyes
able to take off straight up in flight, traveling up to 100 miles an hour
liked to mutilate or eat large dogs
screeched or squealed like a rodent or electric motor
caused radio and television interference
had some mind control powers

Dubbed Mothman by a local newspaperman, the creature seemed to have a peculiar affect on
those with whom it came into contact: they began to "channel" information from what Keel
called "ultra-terrestrial" entities. Keel himself was affected in this way, receiving "prophecies"
from some unknown origin that were, more often than not, oddly less than accurate.


Point Pleasant

On November 12, 1966, five workers
were preparing a grave at the cemetery
near Clendenin, West Virginia. As they
were digging, they spotted something
flying over their heads. They described it
as manlike with wings.

Just three days later, two married
couples driving near an abandoned TNT
plant in Point Pleasant, West Virginia had
an encounter with a winged man creature
with glowing red eyes. They described
the creature as being tall, 6 or 7 feet. Its
red bright eyes were hypnotic. The
witnesses panicked and sped away, only
to see this thing again on a hillside. They
watched it rise into the air and follow them. Their car was traveling at over 100 mph and That
bird kept right up with us, said one of them to Deputy Sheriff Millard Halstead. The creature
easily followed them down Highway 62 right up to the Point Pleasant city limits.

That same night, several other Point
Pleasant residents nervously spoke
with local authorities about seeing this
strange creature. What made it even
more weird was the other phenomena
that coincided with this winged
monster. Televisions went out,
electricity and motors stopped,
strange and wild high-pitched screams
accompanied sightings. One dog,
Bandit, went missing as his owner
slept with his rifle in his bed.

On November 16, Deputy Halstead held a press conference at the courthouse. So many law
abiding and normally reliable witnesses came forward with their experiences. Deputy Halstead
had grown up with these people, and he believed them. Reporters worldwide came to Point
Pleasant and dubbed the creature The Mothman.

For 13 months, there were extraordinary sightings and scary incidents. The Mothman was
making his presence known to the people of Point Pleasant. John Keel, a New York writer,
chronicled the testimonies. He interviewed over 100 individuals that had witnessed The
Mothman from November 1966 to November 1967. People also reported stories about strange
lights in the sky and the infamous Men in Black visiting Point Pleasant residents. Keels book,
The Mothman Prophecies, became the basis for the movie.


Since 1967, there have been worldwide
reports of this Mothman appearing prior to
major disasters:

People reported seeing the Mothman just
days before the Mexico City earthquake in
1985.

There have been many interviews in
Chernobyl from those that said they saw a
winged man-creature, right before the
nuclear reactor disaster in 1986.

Minutes after the Twin Towers destruction
on September 11th, 2001, observers
reported seeing winged, flying men
flying near both towers. The picture (at
left and right) shows that the flying
creature is much too big to be any kind of
bird.

Newspapers in Tbilissi, Georgia wrote
about how some guy said he got
information from a winged phantom
concerning the Church of St. David being
in danger. Soon thereafter, there was a
major earthquake striking Tbilissi on April
25, 2002. The church suffered massive
damage.

Months after the Tbilissi quake, Chinese
citizens reported seeing The Mothman. Shortly after reporters published their stories, a
Chinese MD-82 in the northeastern part of China. There were further reports from people
saying they knew the plane was going to crash because of information given to them by a
man that looked like a moth.

There were also reports all over the world, even in Afghanistan and Iraq.


Deaths and tragedies attributed to the Mothman
1967 Silver Bridge Victims
In 1975, John Keel wrote in The Mothman Prophecies that there would be many changes in
the lives of those touched by Mothman, and a few would even commit suicide. Those people
remain unidentified, but we have gathered information on the following souls who seem linked
to the events radiating out of Point Pleasant.

#1 46: The Silver Bridge Victims
At 5:04 PM, on December 15, 1967, the Silver Bridge collapsed during rush hour.

Forty-six lives were lost, and forty-four bodies were recovered.
These are the names of those whose bodies were recovered:

Albert A. Adler, Jr, Gallipolis, OH
J. O. Bennnett, Walnut Cove, NC
Leo Blackman, Richmond, VA
Kristye Boggs, Vinton, OH
Margaret Boggs, Vinton, OH
Hilda Byus, Point Pleasant, WV
Kimberly Byus, Point Pleasant, WV
Melvin Cantrell, Gallipolis Ferry, WV
Thomas A. Cantrell, Gallipolis, OH
Donna Jean Casey, Gallipolis, OH
Cecil Counts, Gallipolis Ferry, WV
Horace Cremeans, Route 1, Gallipolis, OH
Harold Cundiff, Winston-Salem, NC
Alonzo Luther Darst, Cheshire, OH
Alma Duff, Point Pleasant, WV
James Hawkins, Westerville, OH
Bobby L. Head, Gallipolis, OH
Forrest Raymond Higley, Bidwell, OH
Alva B. Lane, Route 1, Gallipolis, OH
Thomas Bus Howard Lee, Gallipolis, OH
G. H. Mabe, Jamestown, NC
Darlene Mayes, Kanauga, OH
Gerald McMannus, South Point, OH
James Richard Maxwell, Gallipolis, OH
James F. Meadows, Point Pleasant, WV
Timothy Meadows, Point Pleasant, WV
Frederick D. Miller, Gallipolis, OH
Ronnie G. Moore, Gallipolis, OH
Nora Isabelle Nibert, Gallipolis Ferry, WV
Darius E. Northup, Gallipolis Ferry, WV
James O. Pullen, Middleport, OH
Leo Doc Sanders, Point Pleasant, WV
Ronald Sims, Gallipolis, OH
Charles T. Smith, Bidwell, OH
Oma Mae Smith, Bidwell, OH
Maxine Sturgeon, Kanauga, OH
Denzil Taylor, Point Pleasant, WV
Glenna Mae Taylor, Point Pleasant, WV
Robert Eugene Towe, Cana, VA
Victor William Turner, Point Pleasant, WV
Marvin Wamsley, Point Pleasant, WV
Lillian Eleanor Wedge, Point Pleasant, WV
Paul D. Wedge, Point Pleasant, WV
James Alfred White, Point Pleasant, WV


The two whose bodies were never recovered are:

Kathy Byus, Point Pleasant, WV
Maxine Turner, Point Pleasant, WV

Mary Hyre
The date (or Mothman math) game played a role in the next death. The first sighting
(acknowledged by the media and first filed by reporter Mary Hyre) occurred when the
Scarberrys and Mallettes saw Mothman on November 15, 1966, in the TNT area, Point
Pleasant, West Virginia. Then exactly thirteen months later, the Silver Bridge collapsed on
December 15, 1967. Twenty-six months later (13 x 2) exactly, Mary Hyre died on February
15, 1970, at the age of 54, after a four-week illness. Hyre was the Point Pleasant
correspondent for the Athens, Ohio newspaper The Messenger, and during the 1960s
investigations, became a close friend of John A. Keel. (Her husband Scotty had died on
December 1, 1968.)

Ivan T. Sanderson
Naturalist, cryptozoologist, and television animal man Ivan Sanderson served as John A. Keels
main consultant on the natural history behind the reports of Mothman. Keel was on the phone
often with Sanderson, who was a well-known writer and at the time of the Mothman sightings,
also the director of the Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in New Jersey.
Sanderson was one of the first researchers on the scene, to report on the Flatwoods Monster
seen in West Virginia in 1952. He was more involved with the Mothman situation that is often
remembered. Sanderson, 62, died on February 19, 1973, of a rapidly spreading cancer.

Fred Freed
Mary Hyre and Ivan Sanderson were named in John A. Keels book as having died before the
tenth anniversary of his Mothman investigations. He also mentioned Fred Freed, who is little
known today. In television histories, however, Freeds documentaries, the NBC White Paper,
which began in 1960, are acclaimed as groundbreaking. The series would be successful until
they ended with Freeds death. In September 1973, Keel and Freed began meeting regularly
to discuss a White Paper that would concentrate on the Ohio Valley UFO flaps and other
activity (Mothman) in the area. This documentary would never be made. In March 1974, Freed
died swiftly and suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 53.

Gray Barker
Besides John Keel, no other person was as on scene in Mason County, during 1966-1967, as
often as West Virginian Gary Barker. Barker was a theatrical film booker and educational-
materials distributor based in Clarksburg, West Virginia, who became interested in UFOs after
he investigated the Flatwoods Monster in 1952. In 1956, Barker was the first person to write a
book (They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers, Clarksburg, WV: Saucerian Books, 1956).on
the Men in Black (which Keel would later call MIBs). Barker and Keel interviewed Woodrow
Derenberger, the contactee who was visited by Indrid Cold. Barker noted in Spacecraft News
#3, in 1966, that when he was investigating Mothman near Point Pleasant, he found a note on
his door with this ungrammatic message, ABANDON YOUR RESEARCH OR YOU WILL BE
REGRET. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Over Labor Day, 1968, Barker held a Mothman
Convention in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. This displeased Keel, and after Keel wrote to
Barker about it on March 15, 1969, a rift developed between them that would never heal.

UFO humorist and researcher James Moseley, Gray Barkers closest friend, noted in his recent
book, Shockingly Close to the Truth, that Barker died on December 6, 1984, after a long
series of illnesses in a Charleston, West Virginia, hospital. But the cause was somewhat
mysterious and the diagnosis was always unclear. Moseley wrote that the more or less
simultaneous failure of various organs, due most probably to AIDS (though it was not
diagnosed as such in those days) killed Barker. In filmmaker Ralph Coons documentary
about Barker, Whispers from Space, the Clarksburg investigator is depicted as a closeted gay
man. Barker was only 59 when he died.

D. Scott Rogo
Parapsychologist and author D. Scott Rogo, 40, was found stabbed to death on August 18,
1990, after a neighbor in the 18100 block of Schoenborn Street, Northridge, California, noted
that Rogos backyard sprinklers had been on for two days. Police arrived to discover Rogo
dead on the floor. The home had not been ransacked. While most of Rogos early work
focussed on parapsychology, he also had written about this theories on Mothman in The
Haunted Universe (NY: Signet, 1977) and Earths Secret Inhabitants (NY: Tempo Books,
1979), the latter book written with his friend Jerome Clark.

Donald North
Donald I. North, a Point Pleasant native who saw Mothman in the TNT area in the 1990s, died
in an automobile crash in 1997.

Jim Keith
Conspiracy author Jim Keith, at the age of 50, died mysteriously, on September 7, 1999,
during routine knee surgery, after falling off the stage at the annual Burning Man pagan arts
festival in Nevada. Jim Keith was responsible for first writing about a CIA-Men-in-Black
connection to the initial Mothman events in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. He held the notion
that Point Pleasant was being used as a test tube.

Gene Andrusco
Born in Ontario, Canada on April 6, 1961, Gene Andrusco relocated to Southern California
when he was young, then soon became a actor on television programs such as Bewitched
and Cannon. In the mid-1980s, under the pen name Gene Eugene, he started a second
career as a Christian alternative rock producer, engineer, and musician as a member of Adam
Again, the Lost Dogs, and the Swirling Eddies. It was as a musician that his life crossed paths
with Mothman, in the late 1990s. Andrusco, 38, was found dead in The Green Room, his
production studio in Huntington Beach, California, during the early morning of March 30, 2000,
of a brain aneurysm or heart attack.

The only movie Gene Andrusco ever worked on was Douglas TenNapels elusive independent
film, Mothman (2000). Andrusco was the music editor, and performed some of the music, as a
member of the Lost Dogs. The film was the first feature directed by Douglas TenNapel,
produced by Mark Russell and Jay Holben, and executive produced by Martin Cohen of
DreamWorks SKG. It was shot on location in Orange County, California, and Point Pleasant,
West Virginia, on 35 mm in fifteen days throughout the month of December 1997. Jay Holben,
the films head cinematographer, would go on to do Minority Report; Mark Russell would
produce Minority Report. A sneak preview of TenNapels Mothman was held at San Diego
Comic-Con on August 12, 1999, but, although the date of final release is listed as 2000, no
one really knows whatever happened to the film, and TenNapel refuses to discuss it to this
day.

Ron Bonds
The publisher of most of Jim Keiths books and of John Keels 1991 reprint of The Mothman
Prophecies, Ron Bonds of IllumiNet Press, died under strange circumstances, at 48, on April
8, 2001. He was being rushed to the hospital for food poisoning, apparently contracted at the
Mexican restaurant, El Azteca, Ponce de Leon, Atlanta. (Before becoming a publisher, Bonds
had been a rock promoter and producer. Intriguingly, April 8th is also associated with the date
that Kurt Cobain, grunge rock star, was found dead from suicide in Seattle.)

Robin Chaney Pilkington
On October 24, 2001, Marcella Bennett who was an eyewitness to Mothman on November 16,
1966, the oft-noted second sighting, lost her daughter, Robin Pilkington, 44. Marcella
Bennetts remark about Mothmans terrible, glowing, red eyes is a frequently quoted
description. Her daughters death would signal the start of a wave of witness-relatives
deaths during the time leading up to and during The Mothman Prophecies movies release.
Pilkington died after a long illness at Bridgton (Maine) Hospital. Born January 26, 1957, in
Point Pleasant, West Virginia, to Robert and Marcella Wamsley Bennett, Robin Pilkington,
graduated from nursing school, and then moved to Denmark, Maine. Besides her parents,
Robin was survived by her husband Ross, son Robert Chaney and daughter Kristen Chaney,
both of Connecticut, and a sister Kristina Bennett of Naples, Florida. Robins younger sister,
Kristina (also known as Tina or Teena) was the child in Marcellas arms when Marcella had her
sighting on November 16, 1966. Robin Pilkington is buried at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in
West Denmark, Maine.

Agatha Bennett
On January 12, 2002, at the Pleasant Valley Nursing and Rehab. Center, Agatha Eileen
Bennett, 93, Point Pleasant, died. While her age would indicate a long and rich life, the timing
of her death is noteworthy, coming just as the publicity for the new Mothman movie is
beginning. Her son Robert Bennett, who along with his wife Marcella Bennett (the often-
interviewed witness), saw Mothman on the second night of the beginning of the 1966 flap.
Mrs. Bennett was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Sr.; a daughter, Geraldine
Bennett; a son, James Bennett; two sisters; three brothers; and a granddaughter. We are
uncertain if any of her brothers were named Julius. An individual named Julius Oliver Bennett
perished when the Silver Bridge collapsed in 1967.

Ted Demme
The up and coming rock video filmmaker and movie director Ted Demme (Blow, 2001)
suddenly died on January 13, 2002 at age 38, while playing in a celebrity charity basketball
game at the private Crossroads School in Santa Monica, CA. A few years earlier, when Ted
Demme was the director of Yo! MTV Raps and Mark Pellington was one of the shows
producers, they became friends. Mark Pellington, of course, would go on from his MTV award
winning days, to become the director of Arlington Road (1999) and The Mothman Prophecies
(2002). Demmes uncle is Jonathan Demme, director of Silence of the Lambs (1991) and The
Manchurian Candidate (2004).

John A. Keel (not yet)
On January 14, 2002, a story rapidly circulated via the Internet communities that John A. Keel
had just died. Loren Coleman quickly put the rumor to rest by calling Keel, and confirming that
Keel was, indeed, still alive, although Keel quipped that everyone should be told, his funeral
is on Saturday and he will be wearing black. Keel noted that this happened to him at least
once before, in 1967.


Charles Mallette
As the movie began screening on January 25, 2002, the original witnesses, the Mallettes were
attending a funeral in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Stephen Mallette, who was one of the first
four witnesses, was mourning the passing of his brother, Charlie, due to a brain tumor.
Charles Putnam Charlie Mallette, 43 of Point Pleasant, died Thursday, January 22, 2002, at
his home.

Mason County road deaths

The last week in January 2002, during that same initial movie release time period, there were
five fatalities in and near Point Pleasant, in two crashes involving four automobiles on January
26, and three other fatal wrecks in the next five days. For rural Mason County, the eight road
deaths in six days was the most in 40 years, according to the State of West Virginia. In one
major crash, two tractor-trailer rigs and a Volvo resulted in the death of truck driver Richard
Clement, 61, of Mukwonga, Wisconsin.

Gary Ury
On February 15, 2002, soon after the town was coming alive with all the Mothman promotions
and attention, one of Point Pleasants better-known Mothman eyewitnesses, Tom Ury suddenly
lost his 52-year-old brother Gary.

Ted Tannebaum
Ted Tannebaum, 68, the Executive Producer of The Mothman Prophecies, died of cancer, on
March 7, 2002, in Chicago, Illinois. He founded the Lakeshore Entertainment Group (which
produced the Mothman motion picture) with partner Tom Rosenberg in the early 1990s. The
Mothman Prophecies would be Tannebaums last movie.

Aaron Rebsamen
Aaron Stephen Rebsamen, 14, unexpectedly died by suicide on Thursday, May 23, 2002, in
his Fort Smith, Arkansas home. He was the beloved son of the well-known cryptozoology
artist, William Rebsamen, who did the cover illustration of Mothman for the book, Mothman
and Other Curious Encounters. Under a tight deadline after the publisher rejected earlier
images from another source, Bill Rebsamen created the Mothman painting, overnight, in one
creative inspiration. Witnesses, such as Linda Scarberry, upon seeing the Rebsamen full-
length, colored illustration of Mothman, said it is the best drawing, which most matches what
was first seen on November 15, 1966.

Webber Falls Bridge collapse (14 died)

While no direct link to Mothman has been made to this tragic accident, after years of no major
bridge collapses in the USA, the timing seemed spooky to some. Details are included here,
although the victims are not counted in the Mothman Death List total, yet.

Near Webbers Falls, fourteen people died after a barge collided into an Interstate 40 bridge,
sending cars, trucks and trailers into the Arkansas River early Sunday morning, May 26, 2002.
The bridge crossed the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River waterway in eastern Oklahoma. Seven
women, seven men and at least 10 vehicles were pulled from the river after one of two barges
pushed by a tugboat struck a pillar, collapsing a 500 to 600-foot section of the bridge.

Among those lost were Andrew Clements, 35, who was traveling from California to
Woodbridge, Virginia; Jeanine Cawley, 48, of Lebanon, Oregon; Margaret Green, 45, of
Stockdale, Texas; Gail Shanahan, 49, of Corpus Christi, Texas; Misty Johnson, 28, of Lavaca,
Arkansas; James Johnson, 30, of Lavaca, Arkansas; Paul Tailele Jr., 39, of Magna, Utah;
Wayne Martin, 49, of Norman, Oklahoma; Susan Martin, 49, of Norman, Oklahoma; Jerry
Gillion, 58, of Spiro, Oklahoma; Patricia Gillion, 57, of Spiro, Oklahoma; David Mueggenborg,
52, of Okarche, Oklahoma; and Jean Mueggenborg, 51, also of Okarche, Oklahoma; The
Johnsons three-year-old daughter, Shea Nicole, was found floating approximately one-half
mile south of the bridge. She was one of the 14 victims pronounced dead. The Johnsons were
on the way to the Tulsa Zoo.

The medical examiner ruled the manner of death an accident on all 14 victims. Drowning was
the cause of death on 13 of the casualties. The medical examiner ruled Clements cause of
death blunt trauma to the head.

Joe Dedmon, 62, Conway, Arkansas; Rodney Tidwell, 37, Ripley, Mississippi; Max Alley, 67,
Stroud, Oklahoma; and Goldie Alley, 68, Stroud, Oklahoma, were all rescued from the murky
water. Dedmon, captain of the tugboat, said he apparently blacked out minutes before the
barge crashed into the bridge.


Sherry Yearsley
Along eastbound I-80 at Sparks, Nevada, near the railroad tracks, the partially clad body of
Sherry Marie Yearsley, 47, was found on June 21, 2002. Passengers on a passing Amtrak train
spotted the body and notified authorities. Police said Yearsley was a murder victim and her
body had been dumped the previous day, June 20, 2002. At the time of her death, Yearsley
was living with her mother in Reno. County records indicated Yearsley was issued a license in
1996 to marry Alfred Alsvary, who was incarcerated at the Northern Nevada Correctional
Center in May 2002, on a 1- to 4-year sentence on drug charges. It was unclear if the two
ever had married.

Yearsley and author Jim Keith were partners for several years in the 1980s, and parented two
daughters, Verity and Aerica. They separated around 1990, and engaged in a disruptive
custody battle over their girls. Yearsley lost the custody case when Judge Mills Lane (later to
become famous due to his court television show), discovered Yearsley had been lying to him.
Today, the children live with their aunt Kathy, Jims sister, in Oregon.

Julia Harrison
Julie Harrison, 29, an associate and good friend of the members of the Portland, Oregon-based
high-tech grunge band, King Black Acid, died from the complications of an operation, on
November 17, 2002. King Black Acid did most of the songs for disc 1 of the soundtrack CD for
the movie The Mothman Prophecies.

Susan Wilcox
Susan J. Minga Wilcox, 53, of Columbus, died of an extremely rare form of brain tumor,
ependymoma, which mostly strikes children under 12, at Mt. Carmel East Hospital, December
8, 2002. Wilcox had only been diagnosed with the condition two months before. Wilcox saw a
black bat-like bedroom invader in her Columbus, Ohio, home in February 2001, went on to
be a Mothman investigator, traveled to Point Pleasant several times in 2001 and 2002, and
created a personal website: Mothman: A Life Changed Forever. She left behind a large
envelope of her investigative logs for her son, Brent Fair (also a researcher on such matters),
on which she had penned a note to him that read: B.R. Do not open until December 2002.
He found the date chilling and prophetic, in light of when she passed away.

Robert Stack
Known for his portrayal of Eliot Ness of The Untouchables, and as the host of Unsolved
Mysteries, Robert Stack, 84, died at his home, on Wednesday, May 14, 2003. Robust and
relatively healthy, his death came as a surprise to many. Stacks wife Rosemarie, who had just
returned from a charity function, found him slumped over in the couples Los Angeles home at
about 5 p.m. on that day. The actor underwent radiation treatment for prostate cancer in
October 2002, but his wife said he died of heart failure. Unsolved Mysteries was the only
regularly scheduled reality program to devote a serious segment to Mothman, which they first
broadcast on July 29, 2002.

Jessica Kaplan
Jessica Kaplan, a crewmember on The Mothman Prophecies, died in the well publicized nose-
dive plane crash into LAs Fairfax neighborhood apartment building on June 6, 2003. The Los
Angeles Times identified the pilot as Jeffrey T. Siegel, the owner of a Santa Monica
construction firm Siegels family said that Siegel and his niece, Jessica Kaplan, 24, were flying
to the familys second home in Sun Valley, Idaho. Kaplans family described her as a
screenwriter who had written for New Line Cinema. Jessica Kaplan is officially credited as one
of the production crew for The Mothman Prophecies. As part of the Art Department working on
that film about Mothman-linked disasters, Kaplan is listed as a scenic artist. Kaplan is also
known as the genius teen that sold a script to Hollywood for $150,000, when she was 17. In
2004, that script will be released as the movie Havoc, directed by well-known documentary
filmmaker Barbara Kopple and starring Mandy Moore. The Los Angeles crash occurred on
Friday 6/6/2003 (note 2 x 3 = 6, thus Fridays date can be read as 666), but then, thats
probably only a coincidence.

Daniel Lee Carter II
On July 15, 2003, Daniel Carter, 34, died in Gallipolis, Ohio. Carter, born April 20, 1969, had a
short but creative life, and died suddenly from a massive heart attack. He was involved with
the group of artists, musicians, and photographers, all active people in the Gallipolis-Point
Pleasant area who gave the Mothman investigations new life. His photographs of the old
buildings of the TNT area were featured in Donnie Sergents and Jeff Wamsleys Mothman: The
Facts Behind the Legend (2002).

Robert Sanders
On August 26, 2003, Robert Sanders, 44, was one of four deaths that happened in and around
Point Pleasant during the last week of August 2003, and he reportedly died by suicide. The
Point Pleasant, W.V. Daily Register noted: Robert Sanders, 44, of Point Pleasant, West
Virginia, was dead on arrival Tuesday, August 26, 2003, at Pleasant Valley Hospital in Point
Pleasant. He was born February 28, 1959, in Mason County, West Virginia, son of the late
Leon Allen Sanders, and Carol Louise See Parsons. He was self-employed as a dry-waller. In
addition to his father, he was preceded in death by a half-brother, Leon Alton Saunders.

Sanders gained membership on this list because he reportedly is related to Leo Doc
Sanders, who was killed when the Silver Bridge collapsed on December 15, 1967, and
perhaps a survivor, Donovan Sanders.

During this unusual death flap, the other people dying included Ricky J. Doss, 37, of
Greenup, Kentucky, who drowned in a Mason County pond on August 27, 2003, and a couple
who were killed in an auto accident on Highway 35, near the site of the old Silver Bridge. The
paper reported: Charles W. Black, 84, of Henderson, W.V., a former resident and business
owner of Jackson County, Ohio, and Ella Fletcher, his close friend and companion for several
years, died in an automobile accident on Tuesday afternoon [August 26] near Point
Pleasant.Charles, a World War II veteran of the Army Air Corps and former mayor of the
town of Hartford, W.V., and also the owner of a farm equipment dealership in Jackson, was a
1937 graduate of Oak Hill High School.Ella Mae Bechtle Fletcher, 75, of Henderson, W.V.,
was a retired employee of Holzer Hospital in Gallipolis, Ohio. She was born September 28,
1927 in Pennsylvania, the daughter of the late James T. and Evelyn (Earnest) Bechtle.

Daman Bridge collapse (27+ died)
Just as with the Oklahoma bridge collapse, while no direct link to Mothman has been made to
this tragic accident, the timing of such major bridge collapses seems intriguing. Details are
included here, although the victims are not counted in the Mothman Death List total.

On August 28, 2003, 27 people, including 23 school children (who were all in a mini-bus), died
in the collapse of a bridge in Daman, India. Daman is about 120 miles/200 kilometers north of
Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India, and is a former Portuguese colony that was liberated in
1960. The 1105 foot (335 meter) long bridge suddenly collapsed when both ends crumpled
inwards. Seven other individuals were missing and presumed dead. The majority of the
children were from Our Lady of Fatima Convent High School. (The Mothman Prophecies had
premiered in India earlier in August 2003.)

Alan Bates
British actor Sir Alan Bates, 69, died the night of December 27, 2003, at a hospital in London
after a long battle with cancer. Bates played Alexander Leek in the 2002s The Mothman
Prophecies. The characters Leek was a name game based on author-investigator John A.
Keels moniker. The activities and intellectualization portrayed by Richard Geres John Klein
and Alan Bates Alexander Leek in The Mothman Prophecies were fashioned after the real-life
John A. Keel. Bates was best known for his performances on screen in films like Women In
Love and The Fixer, and more recently in The Mothman Prophecies. Bates very close friend,
John Schlesinger died July 25, 2003, at age 77, at Palm Springs, California. In 2002, Bates
accepted the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinemas Artistic Achievement Award for Direction
on behalf of John Schlesinger. Bates gained notice through appearing in Schlesingers films,
especially these three: A Kind of Loving, An Englishman Abroad, and Far from the Madding
Crowd. Schlesinger had also helped introduce Richard Gere, in the 1979 film Yanks to film
audiences. Bates was born on February 17, 1934, in Allestree, Derbyshire, England, UK. Bates
married actress Victoria Ward in 1970. Their twin sons, Benedick and Tristan, were born in
1971. Tristan died during an asthma attack in 1990; Ward died in 1992.

December 30, 2003
At Kittaning, Pennsylvania (population 4,787), a near suicide took place. In The Mothman
Prophecies, the bridge collapses outdoor scenes were filmed on the Kittaning Citizens Bridge.
The site was used as a stand-in for the Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant, which collapsed on
December 15, 1967. On the evening of December 30, 2003, Christopher Shaffer, 30, of
Kittaning, while walking home, discovered a man was preparing to jump into the frigid waters
of the Allegheny River, off the Kittaning Citizens Bridge. After several minutes of conversation,
the would-be jumper allowed Shaffer to help him back onto the bridges walkway. Shaffer
suggested they go somewhere they could talk. As they walked off the bridge at the corner of
Water Street, they were met by Kittaning police chief Ed Cassesse, who was off duty, but
happened to be at Armstrong 911 (local rescue) when several phone calls concerning the
incident came in. A life saved.

Betty Jane Mulligan
On March 8, 2004, Betty Mulligan, 82, of Pine Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, an
engineer, gardener and actress, died. Her daughter, Judy Brant, also of Pine Township, noted
her mother appeared as an extra in at least fifteen movies, including Lorenzos Oil, The Silence
of the Lambs, and The Mothman Prophecies.

Jennifer Barrett-Pellington
On July 30, 2004, Jennifer Barrett-Pellington, 42, wife of The Mothman Prophecies director
Mark Pellington, died, in Los Angeles, and was buried at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. Ms.
Barrett-Pellington was born December 18, 1961. The LA Times reported on August 3, 2004:
Costume designer Jennifer Barrett-Pellington died after an ongoing illness. Ms. Barrett-
Pellington was born December 18, 1961. The LA Times reported on August 3, 2004: Costume
designer Jennifer Barrett-Pellington died after an ongoing illness at age 42. Ms. Barrett-
Pellington began her career as a model, but switched to costume design. Her credits include
Arlington Road and the short Jon Bon Jovi film Destination Anywhere. Ms. Barrett-Pellington
was the wife of director Mark Pellington who directed Arlington Road. Her husband included a
Special Thanks credit in his film The Mothman Prophecies to his wife for her support of him
on that film. Prayers of comfort for her family and friends, especially her young daughter.

Then late in August 2004, Variety announced that Mark Pellington who had joined as the
director of a new Harrison Ford movie in July, was bowing out. The reason was Pellingtons
wifes death after what was called a brief illness by Variety. I am unfortunately stepping
down from the job of directing the film The Wrong Element due to the recent tragic loss of my
beloved wife Jennifer, Pellington said in a statement to Variety. It is a difficult time, and
having suffered the loss of my life partner and mother to my child, I would not be able to
commit the time and energy and focus at this point needed to truly successfully helm the
film.

Martin Becker
On August 13, 2004, Martin Becker, 49, a special-effects coordinator and the co-owner of Reel
Efx, an innovative North Hollywood company, died of pancreatic cancer at his Glendale,
California, home. Like Jennifer Barrett-Pellington, Becker received a special Thank You from
director Mark Pellington for his assistance during the filming of The Mothman Prophecies. The
LA Times detailed some of Beckers accomplishments in its August 21, 2004 issue: Reel Efx,
which Becker co-owned with Jim Gill, specializes in creating mechanical effects for national
commercial campaigns. The company, begun in Beckers garage 20 years ago, was a pioneer
in frozen moment multi-camera technology. It created a photographable man-made tornado
that has been used in TV shows and commercials and is used on the Twister attraction at
Universal Studios Florida. The company also created a man-made fire tornado (used by
magician David Copperfield), as well as a high-speed wind machine and industry-standard
diffusion hazers. A Glendale native, Becker launched his film career as a carpenter at Universal
Studios. Among his special-effects film credits are Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982),
Bachelor Party (1984), How to Make an American Quilt (1995) and four of the Friday the 13th
films.

Mark E. Chorvinsky
On July 16, 2005, Mark Chorvinsky of Rockville, Maryland , died after his relatively quiet battle
with cancer. Chorvinsky was born in Philadelphia, on March 4, 1954. A magician from the age
of seven, Chorvinsky acquired an interest in mysteries, and a desire to explain them. He
founded and edited Strange Magazine from 1987 until his death. Three investigations of his
overlapped with Mothman mysteries his interest in the missing Thunderbird photograph, his
debunking of the Owlman reports of Tony Doc Shiels, and his interviews with people who
sighted what Chorvinsky called the Potomac Mothman.

The Potomac Mothman involved a sighting on July 27, 1944, at 8:30 p.m., by Father J. M.
Johnson, pastor of St. Johns Church in Hollywood, Maryland. Johnson, who was outside
watching an approaching storm, and saw in the sky, the outspread form of a huge man with
wings. Chorvinsky learned of this in January 1990, then ten months later, in October, he
interviewed actor Mike Judge (apparently *not* the actor-creator of Beavis and Butthead, and
King of the Hill), a resident of Potomac, Maryland. Judge recalled that in 1968 or 1969, when
Judge was eight or nine years old, a big Mothman flap took place in the area. These two cases
became the foundation for Chorvinskys Return of the Mothman inquiries, which we recalled
anew with the release of The Mothman Prophecies in 2002.

Chorvinskys death at the early age of 51 was a shock to the Fortean and cryptozoological
communities, few of whom knew he was ill.

Loren Coleman
On August 10, 2005, the Travel Channel visited Loren Coleman at his museum, interviewing
for almost three hours for their program, Weird Travels. A major concentration was the
many questions about Mothman. At the end of the interview, as the camera crew were
beginning to do B-roll taping, they asked Coleman to raise a window. A cracked pane of glass
split and sliced the palm of Colemans hand, resulting in three hours in the hospital and
stitches.


News Clippings
http://www.mothmen.us
The Herald Dispatch


Other Clippings






Other clippings








Other clippings








Timeline
1970
Two novels were published on events linked to the 1967 collapse of the bridge at Point
Pleasant. One was a novel, Beyond the Bridge (NY: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1970) by
Jack Matthews, about a man that had survived the disaster and began life anew. The other, a
book with heavy doses of fiction and fact, was The Silver Bridge (Clarksburg, WV: Saucerian
Books, 1970) by Gary Barker. Mothman figures in Barkers book, but not specifically in
Matthews.

1974
Keel wrote in his 1975 book: Only one subsequent report [of Mothman] is known, from Elma,
New York, in October of 1974. (Of course, we know today this is no longer true.)
1984
New reports of Mothman are recorded for West Virginia, including a close encounter by
witnesses Brenda and James DeVore.
October 1, 1991
IllumiNet Press published the first reprint of The Mothman Prophecies in decades. It is this
edition that screenwriter Richard Hatem discovered in an old book store, and decided to get
someone interested in producing a movie from the book.
Spring 1997
Struck by insomnia one night during the Spring of 1997, Richard Hatem drifted into a
Pasadena bookstore. He saw and grabbed a used copy of The Mothman Prophecies from a
shelf, and soon was engaged in reading it through the night. The next day, he contacted John
Keel, and immediately began work on the screenplay that Lakeshore Entertainment bought in
1998.
January 1, 2002
Paraview Press published Mothman and Other Curious Encounters.
January 23, 2002
North Americas FX cable channel screened the documentary, Search for the Mothman.

January 25, 2002
The Mothman Prophecies opened across America. The music soundtrack CD is released on the
same date.
February 15, 2002
Tor reprinted John Keels 1975 The Mothman Prophecies in paperback.
May 23, 2002
The Mothman Prophecies opened in Australia.
June 6, 2002
The Mothman Prophecies simple DVD (theatrical version only) released in North America.
July 29, 2002
Lifetime Channel aired the first showing of the Mothman segment on Unsolved Mysteries.

November 15-17, 2002
Point Pleasant, West Virginia, celebrated its first annual Mothman Festival.

January 15, 2003
The Mothman Prophecies premiered on Cinemax cable television in the USA.

April 19, 2003
The Mothman Prophecies premiered on HBO cable television in the USA.

May 6, 2003
The Mothman Prophecies VHS released.
May 27, 2003
The Mothman Prophecies: DVD Special Edition released. It contains the David Grabias
documentary, Search for the Mothman. This DVD: SE began hitting stores a week later.
August 25, 2003
The Mothman Prophecies premiered on British cable television network Sky Movies.
September 14, 2003
The Second Annual Mothman Festival was held at Point Pleasant, and an extremely large
stainless steel sculpture of a butterfly-like Mothman created by Bob Roach of New Haven was
unveiled. Hayrides and tours of the TNT area were given during the early evening, after a day
of local speakers and a visit from Bill Geist of CBS Sunday Morning. The Geist report was
originally broadcast on September 28, 2003, and then repeated on August 29, 2004.

December 15, 2003
The 36th anniversary of the collapse of the Silver Bridge is acknowledged in the Gallipolis-
Kanauga, Ohio, and Point Pleasant, West Virginia, area, with a remembrance in honor of the
victims of the accident.

December 26, 2003
A request by the Mason County Commission to place signs at both ends of the Silver Memorial
Bridge identifying it as such is reasonable, the West Virginia Department of Transportation
communicated in a letter announced on this date. The bridge has been unofficially known as
the Silver Memorial Bridge for many years. The span was opened in 1969, less than two years
after the collapse of the nearly 40-year-old Silver Bridge that previously linked downtown
Point Pleasant with Kanauga, Ohio, and State Route 7.

July 19, 2004
The August 2004 issue of Fortean Times went on sale in London, with distribution to the USA,
late in July. It contains the first publication of The Mothman Death Curse by Loren Coleman.
August 20, 2004
The Mothman Prophecies premieres on the cable network TNT. The irony, of course, is that the
first media-acknowledged sightings of Mothman occurred in the TNT area.
August 29, 2004: The CBS News Sunday Morning re-broadcast Bill Geists report on the
Mothman Festival from 2003, in which John A. Keel is shown in one of his rare appearances,
all dressed in a white suit.

December 24-30, 2004
The LA Weekly column, The List 2004: Mike Davis 6 Remarkable Ways to Die, picked this
Mothman Curse as his #3.

Nature Spirits
The Encyclopedia of Angels
By Rosemary Ellen Guiley

A type of being who dwells in the nature kingdom. Nature spirits are to earth what angels are
to heaven and humans. They possess supernatural powers and watch over the well-being of
all things in natureanimal, plant, and mineral.

Nature spirits come in countless types, shapes, sizes, and dispositions. Some are regarded as
being benevolent toward humans, whereas others are mischievous or malevolent. Some are
humanlike in appearance, whereas others assume the shapes of animals, half-human half-
animals, or fabulous-looking beings.

Nature spirits tend to stay in one spot: They remain attached to a thing or place in nature,
such as trees, rivers, plants, bogs, mountains, lakes, and so forth.

Kabbalists assigned four angelic PRINCES to rule over the four winds and over the four
quarters of the world. MICHAEL rules the east wind, RAPHAEL the west wind, GABRIEL the
north wind, and ARIEL the south wind. According to FRANCIS BARRETT, a 19th-century
English occultist, every one of these spirits is a great prince, and has much power and
freedom in the dominion of his own planets and signs, and in their times, years, months, days
and hours; and in their elements, and parts of the world, and winds.

Barrett also observed that, in counterbalance to the heavenly angels, there are evil spirits who
also rule the four winds and four quarters like kings: Urieus over the east, Anaymon over the
south, Paymon over the west, and Egin over the north. (The Hebrew names are, respectively,
Samael, Azazel, Azael, and Mahazuel.)


Putti

Secular child figures with wings. Putti appeared in early
Renaissance Christian art along with winged adult
angels. Putti also are called cherubs, a term not to be
confused with the mighty CHERUBIM named in
Scripture.

Putti became popular in idyllic scenes from the New
Testament, especially the Nativity and the childhood of
Christ. Essentially they represent innocence and purity.
Usually they are depicted in pairs, or in happy flocks
that form an entourage for Christ. Like the Italian
amorini, they often are shown dancing and making
music.

Putti were inspired both by EROS, the god of love, and
by the Roman EROTES, funerary winged boys. Although
putti are not angels, their use in Christian art
increasingly identified them with angels, and they
contributed to the overall decline in the importance of
the angel in theological thought.





FURTHER READING

Berefelt, Gunnar. A Study on the Winged Angel: The Origin of a Motif. Stockholm: Almquist
and Wiksell, 1968.

*Phoenix
[source]


[text]

Rainbow People
The Encyclopedia of Angels
By Rosemary Ellen Guiley

Beings who exist in the high ethereal realms of timelessness and spacelessness.

Members of the Rainbow People revealed themselves in the 1980s in INSTRUMENTAL
TRANSCOMMUNICATION (ITC), which is two-way communication with the dead and beings in
higher planes via high technology. According to the Rainbow People, their existence of Light is
beyond the comprehension of humans. They are like angels in that they are close to God.
They have great wisdom and goodness, and their entire being is illuminated by understanding
and forgiveness. When they move down to the lower planes, such as the astral plane, the
Rainbow People have the appearance of brilliant gold-white light or a shimmering rainbow.

Shadow People
Wikipedia.org

Shadow people (also known as shadow ghosts, shadow figures, shadow beings, shadow
men, or shadow folk) are supernatural shadow-like humanoid figures that, according to
believers, are seen mostly in peripheral vision and move quickly. They are sometimes known
in modern folklore and paranormal popular culture as dark entities with malevolent intentions.
Scientific explanations
Several scientific principles can be used to explain reports of shadow people, including optical
illusions or hallucinations brought on by physiological/psychological circumstances, drug use
or side effects of medication, and the interaction of external agents on the human body.

An illusion of a shadow person can be created when the left temporoparietal junction, a
specific region of the brain, is stimulated. This sensation (the illusion of seeing a shadow
person) may be heightened in people who have a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia or
paranoia. The brain uses sensory information such as figuring out where certain body parts
are in relation to objects around the body. The temporoparietal junction deals with these cues
too and when the function is disrupted, it is possible for the brain to perceive two bodies
instead of one.

Pareidolia can sometimes explain why figures are seen peripheral areas of vision. Pareidolia
is a phenomenon in which the brain incorrectly interprets random patterns of light/shadow or
texture as familiar patterns such as faces and human forms.

Hypnagogia (also known as "waking-sleep"), a physiological condition in which one is
partially between sleep and full consciousness, could also account for such perceptions. During
hypnagogia, one can be conscious and aware of their environment, but also in a dream-like
state where they can perceive images from their subconscious. People experiencing
hypnagogia commonly report seeing or sensing lights or shadows moving around them, as
well as other visual hallucinations and even a (subtle or powerful) feeling of dread.
Hypnagogia is sometimes known as 'the faces-in-the-dark phenomenon' because these people
commonly report seeing faces while experiencing hypnagogia. Hypnagogia hallucinations are
more common in people who already experience symptoms of insomnia, extreme daytime
sleepiness, or mental disorders. However, these hallucinations are most common in people
who are experiencing narcolepsy.

Another reason that could be behind the illusion of seeing a shadow person is the symptoms
sleep deprivation. Hallucinations have been connected with the deprivation of sleep. With
lack of sleep, the neurons in the brain are unable to work efficiently and effectively. Therefore,
the brain may create a picture dissimilar to reality and cause the person to believe in
something that isn't there.

Schizophrenia can provide another explanation for Shadow People. People who are often
associated with this mental disorder can have delusions and believe theyre seeing one thing
when they are actually not seeing anything. Delusions can occur in the nonappearance of
abnormal perceptions and different beliefs can be present in various people with abnormal
perceptions. Schizophrenic people may have delusions that rise out of tendencies to attribute
to the causes of outside forces.

*Shaitans
(mazikeen, shedeem, shedim, sheytans)

In Hebrew and Arabic mythology, evil spirits who have cocks feet.

spirit guides

Nonphysical beings who function as guides and protectors, and who provide inspiration. Spirit
guides include angels, the dead, semidivine entities, and animal totems.

It is widely believed that one or more primary spirit guides appear at birth. These remain close
during a persons life, and they assist in the transition at death (compare to GUARDIAN
ANGELS and GUARDIAN SPIRITS). In addition to primary spirit guides, secondary
spirit guides may appear on the scene for temporary
periods.

Spirit guides also can appear at any time in life, especially if mediumistic abilities open
suddenly. Such spirit guides, usually souls of the dead, communicate with the medium to relay
information to others. The primary spirit guide to a medium is called a control, who monitors
the access of other entities to the medium.

Like angels, spirit guides can manifest in physical form, appear in dreams, and communicate
via the inner voice.


FURTHER READING

Myers, Frederic W. H. Human Personality and Its Survival of Bodily Death, Vols. 1 and 2. New
ed. New York: Longmans, Green, 1954. First published 1903.


Spring-Heeled Jack
http://paranormal.about.com/

He appeared out of the shadows of 19th century London nights, attacked his victims with
dreadful scratches, then bounded away with superhuman ability before he could be
apprehended.

The case of Spring-Heeled Jack, as this creature
came to be known, is one of the most baffling to
come out of Victorian England, and one that has
never been solved or fully explained. According to
most accounts of the story, the attacks began in
1837 in southwest London. Polly Adams, a pub
worker, was one of three women accosted by
Spring-Heeled Jack in September of that year. He
allegedly tore her blouse off and scratched at her
stomach with iron-like fingernails or claws.

His victims painted a bizarre portrait of the ghoul:

man-like, but with a hideous face
sharp iron-like fingernails or claws
tall, thin and powerful
glowing eyes
the ability to spit blue flames from his
mouth
wore a dark cloak over a tight-fitting white
oilskin suit
some claimed he wore a helmet of some
kind
the ability to jump incredible heights and
distances

The attacks continued into early 1838, prompting official action by the Lord Mayor of London
who declared him a public nuisance, and resulting in at least one vigilante group that
systematically tried to capture the creature, all without success.

Rumors of sightings persisted into the 1850s, '60s and '70s. In these cases, he is said to have
frightened people with his appearance, slapped army sentries, and in each case leapt away to
the astonishment and frustration of those who tied to catch him. Interestingly, Spring-Heeled
Jack never killed or seriously hurt anyone, except 18-year-old Lucy Scales who was reportedly
blinded temporarily by the searing blue flames Jack vomited into her face.

Succubus
Wikipedia.org


In folklore traced back to medieval legend, a
succubus (plural succubi) is a female demon
appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human
woman in order to seduce men, usually through
sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the
incubus. Religious traditions hold that repeated
intercourse with a succubus may result in the
deterioration of health or even death.

In modern fictional representations, a succubus may
or may not appear in dreams and is often depicted
as a highly attractive seductress or enchantress, in
contrast to the past where succubi were generally
depicted as frightening and demonic.

Etymology

The word is derived from Late Latin succuba
"strumpet" (from succubare "to lie under", from sub-
"under" and cubare "to lie"), used to describe the
supernatural being as well. It is first attested from
1387.


In folklore

According to Zohar and the Alphabet of Ben Sira, Lilith was Adam's first wife who later
became a succubus. She left Adam and refused to return to the Garden of Eden after she
mated with archangel Samael. In Zoharistic Kabbalah, there were four succubi who mated
with archangel Samael. They were four original queens of the demons Lilith, Agrat Bat Mahlat,
Naamah, and Eisheth Zenunim. In later folklore, a succubus took the form of a siren.

Throughout history, priests and rabbis including Hanina Ben Dosa and Abaye, tried to curb the
power of succubi over humans.

Not all succubi were malevolent. According to Walter Mapes in De Nugis Curialium (Trifles of
Courtiers), Pope Sylvester II (9991003) was involved with a succubus named Meridiana, who
helped him achieve his high rank in the Catholic Church. Before his death, he confessed of his
sins and died repentant.


Ability to reproduce

According to the Kabbalah and the school of Rashba, the original three queens of the demons,
Agrat Bat Mahlat, Naamah, and Eisheth Zenunim and all their cohorts give birth to children,
except Lilith. According to other legends, the children of Lilith are called Lilin.

According to the Malleus Maleficarum, or "Witches' Hammer", written by Heinrich Kramer
(Insitoris) in 1486, a succubus collects semen from the men she seduces. The incubi or male
demons then use the semen to impregnate human females, thus explaining how demons could
apparently sire children despite the traditional belief that they were incapable of reproduction.
Children so begotten cambions were supposed to be those that were born deformed, or
more susceptible to supernatural influences. The book does not address why a human female
impregnated with the semen of a human male would not produce a regular human offspring.

Possible explanation for alleged encounters with succubi

In the field of medicine, there is some belief that the stories relating to encounters with
succubi bear similar resemblance to the contemporary phenomenon of people reporting alien
abductions, which has been ascribed to the condition known as sleep paralysis. It is
therefore suggested that historical accounts of people experiencing encounters with succubi
may have been in fact symptoms of sleep paralysis, with the hallucination of the said
creatures coming from their contemporary culture.

Qarinah

In Arabic superstition, the qarnah () is a spirit similar to the succubus, with origins
possibly in ancient Egyptian religion or in the animistic beliefs of pre-Islamic Arabia. A qarnah
"sleeps with the person and has relations during sleep as is known by the dreams." They are
said to be invisible, but a person with "second sight" can see them, often in the form of a cat,
dog, or other household pet. "In Omdurman it is a spirit which possesses. ... Only certain
people are possessed and such people cannot marry or the qarina will harm them.
*Unicorn


*Vampire


*Werewolf





Sea Monsters


These are the most common mythical sea creatures known to man.



Aspidochelone
Wikipedia.org

According to the tradition of the Physiologus and medieval bestiaries, the aspidochelone is a
fabled sea creature, variously described as a large whale or sea turtle, that is as large as an
island. The name aspidochelone appears to be a compound word combining Greek aspis
(which means either "asp" or "shield"), and chelone, the turtle. It rises to the surface from the
depths of the sea, and entices unwitting sailors to make landfall on its huge shell. In the
moralistic allegory of the Physiologus and bestiary tradition, the aspidochelone represents
Satan, who deceives those whom he seeks to devour.

Accounts of seafarers' encounters with gigantic fish appear in various other works, including
the Book of Jonah and the 19th century books Pinocchio and The Adventures of Baron
Munchhausen.


In the Physiologus

One version of the Latin text of the Physiologus reads:

"There is a monster in the sea which in Greek is called aspidochelone, in Latin "asp-
turtle"; it is a great whale, that has what appear to be beaches on its hide, like those
from the sea-shore. This creature raises its back above the waves of the sea, so that
sailors believe that it is just an island, so that when they see it, it appears to them to
be a sandy beach such as is common along the sea-shore. Believing it to be an island,
they beach their ship alongside it, and disembarking, they plant stakes and tie up the
ships. Then, in order to cook a meal after this work, they make fires on the sand as if
on land. But when the monster feels the heat of these fires, it immediately submerges
into the water, and pulls the ship into the depths of the sea.

Such is the fate of all who pay no heed to the Devil and his wiles, and place their
hopes in him: tied to him by their works, they are submerged into the burning fire of
Gehenna: for such is his guile."


In The Whale

A similar tale is told by the Old English poem The Whale, where the monster appears under
the name Fastitocalon. This is apparently a variant of Aspidochelone, and the name given to
the Devil. The poem has an unknown author, and is one of three poems in the Exeter Book
that are allegorical in nature, the other two being The Phoenix and The Panther.

Nu ic fitte gen ymb fisca cynn
wille wocrfte wordum cyan
urh modgemynd bi am miclan hwale.
Se bi unwillum oft gemeted,
frecne ond fergrim, farelacendum,
nia gehwylcum; am is noma cenned,
fyrnstreama geflotan, Fastitocalon.

Is s hiw gelic hreofum stane,
swylce worie bi wdes ofre,
sondbeorgum ymbseald, sryrica mst,
swa t wena wgliende
t hy on ealond sum eagum wliten,
ond onne gehyda heahstefn scipu
to am unlonde oncyrrapum . . .

"This time I will with poetic art rehearse, by means of words and wit, a poem
about a kind of fish, the great sea-monster which is often unwillingly met, terrible and
cruel-hearted to seafarers, yea, to every man; this swimmer of the ocean-streams is
known as the asp-turtle.

His appearance is like that of a rough boulder, as if there were tossing by the
shore a great ocean-reedbank begirt with sand-dunes, so that seamen imagine they
are gazing upon an island, and moor their high-prowed ships with cables to that false
land, make fast the ocean-coursers at the sea's end, and, bold of heart, climb up."

The moral of the story remains the same:

Swa bi scinna eaw,
deofla wise, t hi drohtende
urh dyrne meaht dugue beswica,
ond on teosu tyhta tilra dda. . .

"Such is the way of demons, the wont of devils: they spend their lives in
outwitting men by their secret power, inciting them to the corruption of good deeds,
misguiding . . ."

In The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, J. R. R. Tolkien made a little verse that claimed the name
"Fastitocalon" from The Whale, and told a similar story:

Look, there is Fastitocalon!
An island good to land upon,
Although 'tis rather bare.
Come, leave the sea! And let us run,
Or dance, or lie down in the sun!
See, gulls are sitting there!
Beware!

As such, Tolkien imported the traditional tale of the aspidochelone into the lore of his Middle-
earth.



Sources of the story

Pliny the Elder's Natural History tells the story of a giant fish, which he names pristis, of
immense size; he also relates the tale of sailors landing on its back, only to discover that it
was not in fact land when it submerged.

The allegory of the Aspidochelone borrows from the account of whales in Saint Isidore of
Seville's Etymologiae. Isidore likens the whale to the Devil, and as authority cites the prophet
Jonah; the Vulgate translation of the Book of Jonah translates Jonah 2:2 as Exaudivit me de
ventre inferni: "He (the Lord) heard me from the belly of Hell". On this authority, Isidore
equates whales with the Devil.

Jasconius
Brendan and his monks' ship is carried by a giant fish in
a German manuscript.

A similar monster appears in the Legend of Saint
Brendan, where it was called Jasconius. Because of its
size, Brendan and his fellow voyagers mistake it for an
island and land to make camp. They celebrate Easter on
the sleeping giant's back, but awaken it when they light
their campfire. They race to their ship, and Brendan
explains that the moving island is really Jasconius, who
labors unsuccessfully to put his tail in its mouth.

The same tale of a sea monster that is mistaken for an
island is told in the first voyage of Sinbad the Sailor in
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights.

The name Jasconius is also used for the whale in the
children's book The Adventures of Louey and Frank by
Carolyn White. She attributes the name to having grown
up with the legend of Brendan.

Milton

John Milton also alludes to the tale of the aspidochelone in his account of the Leviathan in
Paradise Lost. Milton again uses the monster as a metaphor for Satan:

. . . or that sea-beast
Leviathan, which God of all his works
Created hugest that swim th' ocean-stream.
Him, haply slumbering on the Norway foam,
The pilot of some small night-foundered skiff,
Deeming some island, oft, as seamen tell,
With fixed anchor in his scaly rind,
Moors by his side under the lee, while night
Invests the sea, and wished morn delays.

Ayia Napa sea monster
Wikipedia.org

The Ayia Napa Sea Monster is a cryptid,
claimed to inhabit the coast off of Ayia
Napa in Cyprus, a popular tourist resort
on the Mediterranean. Most sightings
occur around Cape Greco (Cavo Greko).
It is known by the local fishermen as
"To Filiko Teras", which translates as
"The Friendly Monster". There have
been no reports of it causing any harm,
although it has been reported at times
to rip and drag away fishing nets. There
have been countless sightings of the
"Creature from the Depths", with some
local newspapers calling the mystery
the "Cyprus Loch Ness". It has been speculated to be something like a crocodile or serpent.

There is no evidence that the monster actually exists, except in folklore and through various
sightings by tourists and locals alike. There exists little photographic evidence, except
unverified short-films and pictures. A search for the monster was recently featured in a
Destination Truth episode on the Sy Fy (formerly Sci Fi) channel series in Series 04 (episode
13).

Many believers of the myth of the Ayia Napa Sea Monster like to link it with the common
mythical sea monster of Greek mythology called Scylla, which is depicted in the mosaics that
remain in the House of Dionysus, a Roman villa from the 3rd century AD in Paphos, Cyprus.
Many ancient authorities describe it as a monstrous form of a giant maiden in torso, with a
serpent for its lower body, having six snarling dog-heads issuing from its midriff, including
their twelve forelimbs. This is the form described by Hyginus, Apollodorus and the Suda,
among so many others, and it is this form most often depicted on vase paintings. According to
a description from Gaius Julius Hyginus, a Latin author, actually it possessed more heads
than the vase-painters could paint, and whoever encountered it was killed almost
instantaneously.

Government officials have started a search for the monster and its existence. The hope of
spotting the Ayia Napa Sea Monster remains a highlight for many tourists on boating day-
trips. Many hotels boast to being in close proximity of sightings.

There is no possible link to any such sea monster and any monster said to be living in Kouris
Dam, which according to reports are more likley to be crocodile type creatures that had been
kept as pets but unlawfully released.
Cadborosaurus willsi: Caddy
Wikipedia.org


"Cadborosaurus willsi", nicknamed Caddy, is an
alleged sea serpent reported to be living on the
Pacific Coast of North America. Its name is derived
from Cadboro Bay in Victoria, British Columbia, and
the Greek root word "saurus" meaning lizard or
reptile. Reports describe it as being similar in form
and behavior to various popularly named lake
monsters such as "Ogopogo" of Okanagan Lake in
British Columbia and to the Loch Ness Monster of
Scotland.

There have been more than 300 claimed sightings
during the past 200 years, including Deep Cove in
Saanich Inlet, and Island View Beach, both like
Cadboro Bay also on the Saanich Peninsula, also
British Columbia, and also at San Francisco Bay,
California. A purported Cadborosaurus carcass was
retrieved from the stomach of a sperm whale in Naden Harbour and photographed in October
1937. A sample of this carcass was sent to the BC Provincial Museum, where it was identified
as a fetal baleen whale by museum director Francis Kermode.

Cadborosaurus willsi is said by witnesses to resemble a serpent with vertical coils or humps in
tandem behind the horse-like head and long neck, with a pair of small elevating front flippers,
and either a pair of hind flippers, or a pair of large webbed hind flippers fused to form a large
fan-like tail region that provides powerful forward propulsion.


A native image that fits Caddy's description has
been traditionally used throughout Alaska. The
image indicates that Caddy or a Caddy-like
creature moves north to Vancouver when the
waters warm. The Inuit of Alaska have even put
the picture on their canoes to keep the creature
away. The Cadborosaurus is called "hiyitl'iik" by
the Manhousat people who live on Sydney Inlet,
"T'chain-ko" in Sechelt mythology, and "Numkse
lee Kwala" by the Comox band of Vancouver
Island.

There have been suggestions that Caddy could be
an example of the King of herrings or giant
oarfish (Regalecus glesne). This species can reach
17 m in length and weigh up to 300 kg; some think the red mane on the head and back of the
giant oarfish resembles a horse head with mane. However, Caddy and his ilk are described as
exhibiting vertical humps or coils; the giant oarfish would be incapable of this as it is
essentially a flat fish that is only capable of moving its body from side to side, not up and
down.



The Naden Harbour "Cadborosaurus"
carcass, retrieved from the stomach
of a sperm whale and photographed
in October, 1937. It was identified as
a fetal baleen whale.


The Effingham Carcass, Vancouver
Island, 1947; supposed remains of
'Caddy'
In 2009, fisherman Kelly Nash purportedly filmed several minutes of footage featuring ten to
fifteen (including young) creatures in Nushagak Bay, Alaska. When the head surfaced, a spray
came out behind the neck. Nash allegedly accepted $75,000 from the Discovery Channel
television network for exclusive rights to the footage, which has as yet never been aired in
complete form. In 2011, a very short segment of the footage was shown on the Discovery TV
show Hilstranded, where the Hilstrand brothers (from Deadliest Catch) apparently saw Nash's
footage and unsuccessfully attempted to catch one of the creatures.

Cadborosaurus has also been featured on the television documentary series Northern
Mysteries.

Chessie
Wikipedia.org


Chessie is a legendary sea monster said to live in the midst of the Chesapeake Bay. Over the
years there have been many alleged sightings of a serpent-like creature with flippers as part
of its body.

According to Matt Lake in Weird Maryland, two perch fishermen, Francis Klarrman and Edward
J. Ward, in 1943 spotted something in the water near Baltimore.

This thing was about 75 yards (69 m) away, at right angles from our boat. At first it
looked like something floating on the water. It was black and the part of it that was
out of the water seemed about 12 feet (3.7 m) long. It has a head about as big as a
football and shaped somewhat like a horses head. It turned its head around several
timesalmost all the way around.

In 1982 Robert and Karen Frew supposedly videotaped Chessie near Kent Island. Their video
does show a brownish something moving side to side like an aquatic snake.

Most sighting reports of this sea monster describe it as a long, snake-like creature. The
reported length of the monster varies from 25 to 40 feet (12 m) long. It is said to swim using
its body as a sine curve moving through the water. There were a rash of sightings in 1977 and
more in the mid 1980s. Although there are alleged photographs of Chessie, there is no
genuine evidence of its existence.

The last notable sighting of the beast was in 1997, off the shore of Fort Smallwood State Park,
very close to shore. The legend of "Chessie" is very similar to, and was likely inspired by, that
of "Nessie", the Loch Ness Monster.

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. Its surface and major
tributaries cover more than 4,479 square miles (11,600 km2) and in places it is 175 feet (53
m) deep.

A photograph of an unknown sea creature taken by Trudy Guthrie in 1980 was later identified
as a manatee from Florida. Manatees are unusual this far from Florida. A manatee nicknamed
Chessie was rescued from the Chesapeake's chilly water in October 1994 and returned to
Florida, but has revisited the Chesapeake several times since then. It was photographed in the
Patapsco River in 2010 (unconfirmed) and near the shore of Calvert County on July 12, 2011.
The more recent photograph was confirmed by U.S. Geological Survey biologists. Unlike the
reports of a serpentine creature, manatees do not swim undulating from side to side.

Other speculations to explain sightings have included a mutant eel theory, large river otters,
prehistoric zeuglodons, and South American anacondas escaping from 18th and 19th century
sailing ships.

Flying Dutchman
Wikipedia.org

The legend of the Flying Dutchman concerns a ghost ship that can never make port, doomed
to sail the oceans forever. It probably originates from 17th-century nautical folklore. The
oldest extant version dates to the late 18th century.

Sightings in the 19th and 20th centuries report the ship to be glowing with ghostly light. If
hailed by another ship the crew of the Flying Dutchman will try to send messages to land, or
to people long dead. In ocean lore, the sight of this phantom ship is a portent of doom.

Origins

The first reference in print to the ship appears in Chapter VI of A Voyage to Botany Bay (1795)
(also known as A Voyage to New South Wales) attributed to George Barrington (17551804):

I had often heard of the superstition of sailors respecting apparitions, but had never given
much credit to the report; it seems that some years since a Dutch man of war was lost off the
Cape of Good Hope, and every soul on board perished; her consort weathered the gale, and
arrived soon after at the Cape. Having refitted, and returning to Europe, they were assailed by
a violent tempest nearly in the same latitude. In the night watch some of the people saw, or
imagined they saw, a vessel standing for them under a press of sail, as though she would run
them down: one in particular affirmed it was the ship that had foundered in the former gale,
and that it must certainly be her, or the apparition of her; but on its clearing up, the object, a
dark thick cloud, disappeared. Nothing could do away the idea of this phenomenon on the
minds of the sailors; and, on their relating the circumstances when they arrived in port, the
story spread like wild-fire, and the supposed phantom was called the Flying Dutchman. From
the Dutch the English seamen got the infatuation, and there are very few Indiamen, but what
has some one on board, who pretends to have seen the apparition.

The next literary reference, which introduces the motif of punishment for a crime, was in John
Leyden (17751811): Scenes of Infancy (Edinburgh, 1803):

It is a common superstition of mariners, that, in the high southern latitudes on the
coast of Africa, hurricanes are frequently ushered in by the appearance of a spectre-
ship, denominated the Flying Dutchman... The crew of this vessel are supposed to
have been guilty of some dreadful crime, in the infancy of navigation; and to have
been stricken with pestilence ... and are ordained still to traverse the ocean on which
they perished, till the period of their penance expire.

Thomas Moore (17791852) in his poem Written on passing Dead-man's Island in the Gulf of
St. Lawrence, Late in the Evening, September, 1804 places the vessel in the north Atlantic:
"Fast gliding along, a gloomy bark / Her sails are full, though the wind is still, / And there
blows not a breath her sails to fill." A footnote adds: "The above lines were suggested by a
superstition very common among sailors, who call this ghost-ship, I think, 'the flying Dutch-
man'."

Sir Walter Scott (17711832), a friend of John Leyden's, was the first to refer to the vessel as
a pirate ship, writing in the notes to Rokeby; a poem (first published December 1812) that the
ship was "originally a vessel loaded with great wealth, on board of which some horrid act of
murder and piracy had been committed" and that the apparition of the ship "is considered by
the mariners as the worst of all possible omens."

According to some sources, the 17th-century Dutch captain Bernard Fokke is the model for the
captain of the ghost ship. Fokke was renowned for the speed of his trips from Holland to Java
and was suspected of being in league with the Devil. The first version of the legend as a story
was printed, in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine for May 1821, which puts the scene as the
Cape of Good Hope. This story introduces the name Vanderdecken for the captain and the
motifs (elaborated by later writers) of letters addressed to people long dead being offered to
other ships for delivery, but if accepted will bring misfortune; and the captain having sworn to
round the Cape of Good Hope though it should take until the day of judgment.

She was an Amsterdam vessel and sailed from port seventy years ago. Her masters name
was Van der Decken. He was a staunch seaman, and would have his own way in spite of the
devil. For all that, never a sailor under him had reason to complain; though how it is on board
with them nobody knows. The story is this: that in doubling the Cape they were a long day
trying to weather the Table Bay. However, the wind headed them, and went against them
more and more, and Van der Decken walked the deck, swearing at the wind. Just after sunset
a vessel spoke him, asking him if he did not mean to go into the bay that night. Van der
Decken replied: May I be eternally damned if I do, though I should beat about here till the
day of judgment. And to be sure, he never did go into that bay, for it is believed that he
continues to beat about in these seas still, and will do so long enough. This vessel is never
seen but with foul weather along with her.

There have been many reported sightings in the 19th and 20th centuries. One was by Prince
George of Wales, the future King George V. During his late adolescence, in 1880, with his
elder brother Prince Albert Victor of Wales, he was on a three-year voyage with their tutor
Dalton aboard the 4,000-tonne corvette Bacchante. Off the coast of Australia, between
Melbourne and Sydney, Dalton records:

At 4 a.m. the Flying Dutchman crossed our bows. A strange red light as of a
phantom ship all aglow, in the midst of which light the masts, spars, and sails of a brig
200 yards distant stood out in strong relief as she came up on the port bow, where
also the officer of the watch from the bridge clearly saw her, as did the quarterdeck
midshipman, who was sent forward at once to the forecastle; but on arriving there
was no vestige nor any sign whatever of any material ship was to be seen either near
or right away to the horizon, the night being clear and the sea calm. Thirteen persons
altogether saw her ... At 10.45 a.m. the ordinary seaman who had this morning
reported the Flying Dutchman fell from the foretopmast crosstrees on to the topgallant
forecastle and was smashed to atoms.


Explanations as an optical illusion

Probably the most credible explanation is a superior mirage or Fata Morgana seen at sea.

Book illustration showing superior mirages of two boats

The news soon spread through the
vessel that a phantom-ship with a ghostly
crew was sailing in the air over a phantom-
ocean, and that it was a bad omen, and
meant that not one of them should ever
see land again. The captain was told the
wonderful tale, and coming on deck, he
explained to the sailors that this strange
appearance was caused by the reflection of
some ship that was sailing on the water
below this image, but at such a distance
they could not see it. There were certain
conditions of the atmosphere, he said, when the sun's rays could form a perfect
picture in the air of objects on the earth, like the images one sees in glass or water,
but they were not generally upright, as in the case of this ship, but reversedturned
bottom upwards. This appearance in the air is called a mirage. He told a sailor to go
up to the foretop and look beyond the phantom-ship.The man obeyed, and reported
that he could see on the water, below the ship in the air, one precisely like it. Just
then another ship was seen in the air, only this one was a steamship, and was bottom-
upwards, as the captain had said these mirages generally appeared. Soon after, the
steamship itself came in sight. The sailors were now convinced, and never afterwards
believed in phantom-ships.

Another optical effect, known as looming, occurs when rays of light are bent across different
refractive indices. This could make a ship just off the horizon appear hoisted in the air.

Adaptations

The contemporary 179798 poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner, contains a similar account of a ghost ship, which may have been influenced by the
tale of the Flying Dutchman.

This story was adapted in the English melodrama The Flying Dutchman; or the Phantom Ship:
a Nautical Drama, in three acts (1826)[nb 3] by Edward Fitzball (17921873) and the novel
The Phantom Ship (1839) by Frederick Marryat. This in turn was later adapted as Het Vliegend
Schip (The Flying Ship) by the Dutch clergyman, A. H. C. Rmer. In Marryat's version,
Terneuzen, in the Netherlands, is described as the home of the captain, who is called Van der
Decken (of the decks).

Richard Wagner's opera, The Flying Dutchman (1843) is adapted from an episode in Heinrich
Heine's satirical novel The Memoirs of Mister von Schnabelewopski (Aus den Memoiren des
Herrn von Schnabelewopski) (1833) in which a character attends a theatrical performance of
The Flying Dutchman in Amsterdam. Heine had first briefly used the legend in his Reisebilder:
Die Nordsee (Pictures of Travel: the North Sea) (1826) which simply repeats from Blackwood's
Magazine the features of the vessel being seen in a storm and sending letters addressed to
persons long since dead. In his 1833 elaboration, it was once thought that it may have been
based on Fitzball's play, which was playing at the Adelphi Theatre in London, but the run had
ended on 7 April 1827 and Heine did not arrive in London until the 14th.[nb 5] Heine was the
first author to introduce the chance of salvation through a woman's devotion and the
opportunity to set foot on land every seven years to seek a faithful wife. This imaginary play,
unlike Fitzball's play, which has the Cape of Good Hope location, in Heine's account is
transferred to the North Sea off Scotland. Wagner's opera was similarly planned to take place
off the coast of Scotland, although during the final rehearsals he transferred the action to
another part of the North Sea, off Norway.

Another adaptation was The Flying Dutchman on Tappan Sea by Washington Irving (1855), in
which the captain is named Ramhout van Dam. He had already used the story (based on
Moore's poem) in his Bracebridge Hall (1822).

The Flying Dutchman has been captured in paintings by Albert Ryder, now in the Smithsonian
American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., and by Howard Pyle, an artist famous for
illustrations of pirates.

The story was dramatised in the 1951 film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, starring James
Mason (who plays the Dutch Captain Hendrick van der Zee) and Ava Gardner. In this version,
the Flying Dutchman is a man, not a ship. This two-hour long film, scripted by its director
Albert Lewin, sets the main action on the Mediterranean coast of Spain in the summer of
1930. Centuries earlier the Dutchman had killed his wife, wrongly believing her to be
unfaithful. Providence condemned him to roam the seas until he finds the true meaning of
love. In the only plot device taken from previous versions, once every seven years the
Dutchman is allowed ashore for half a year to search for a woman who will love him enough to
die for him, releasing him from his curse, and he finds her in Pandora, played by Gardner.

In Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, the ship made its first appearance in Dead Man's Chest
(2006) under the command of the fictional captain, Davy Jones. The story and attributes of
the ship were inspired by the actual Flying Dutchman of nautical lore. During filming, Johnny
Depp referred to it as "the Davy Jones Crocodile Machine" after forgetting its actual name.

Famous witnesses of the Flying Dutchman

King George V
Nicholas Monsarrat


Gigantic Octopus
Wikipedia.org

An unknown species of gigantic octopus has been hypothesised as a source of reports of sea
monsters such as the lusca and the kraken as well as the source of some of the carcasses of
unidentified origin known as globsters like the St. Augustine Monster. The species that the
St. Augustine carcass
supposedly represented has
been assigned the binomial
names "Octopus giganteus"
(Latin: giant octopus) and
"Otoctopus giganteus" (Greek
prefix: oton = ear; giant-eared
octopus), although these are
not valid under the rules of the
ICZN.

They are not to be confused
with the known giant octopus,
which is a member of the
scientifically defined genus,
Enteroctopus, which can
supposedly grow to an arm
spread length of almost thirty
feet, or 9 metres. The gigantic
octopus is assumed to be much larger. It is possible that some deep water cirrate octopodes
such as Haliphron atlanticus reach sizes such that they might be considered gigantic.

History

In 1802, the French malacologist Pierre Denys de Montfort in Histoire Naturelle Gnrale et
Particulire des Mollusques, an encyclopedic description of mollusks, recognized the existence
of two kinds of giant octopus. One being the kraken octopus, which Denys de Montfort
believed had been described not only by Norwegian sailors and American whalers, but also by
ancient writers such as Pliny the Elder. The second one being the much larger colossal octopus
(the one actually depicted by the image) which reportedly attacked a sailing vessel from Saint-
Malo off the coast of Angola.

A gigantic octopus has been proposed as an identity for the large carcass, known as the St.
Augustine Monster, that washed up in St Augustine, Florida in 1896. However, samples of this
specimen subjected to electron microscopy and biochemical analysis were found to be "masses
of virtually pure collagen" and not to have the "biochemical characteristics of invertebrate
collagen, nor the collagen fiber arrangement of octopus mantle". The results suggest the
samples are "large pieces of vertebrate skin ... from a huge homeotherm".

Kraken
Wikipedia.org

Kraken (/krekn/ or /kr:kn/) are legendary sea
monsters of giant proportions said to have dwelt
off the coasts of Norway and Iceland.

Left: The colossal octopus: a drawing by
malacologist Pierre Dnys de Montfort (1801)
(based on descriptions by French sailors).

In modern German, Krake (plural and declined
singular: Kraken) means octopus but can also refer
to the legendary Kraken. In Norwegian, Kraken is
the definite form of krake, a word that can refer to
the legendary creature (can also mean "frail, poor
being", or "crooked, withered tree").

Although fictional and the subject of myth, the
legend of the Kraken continues to present day,,
with numerous references existing in popular
culture, including film, literature, television, video
games and other miscellaneous examples (e.g.
postage stamps, a rollercoaster ride and a rum
product).
History

The Old Icelandic saga rvar-Odds saga referenced the massive heather-backed sea-monsters
of the Greenland Sea named Hafgufa and Lyngbakr that fed on whales, ships and men. After
returning from Iceland, the anonymous author of the Old Norwegian scientific work Konungs
skuggsj (c. 1250) described in detail the physical characteristics and feeding behavior of
these two beasts and suggested the pair may possibly be the same animal, regarded by the
Norse as the Kraken. The narrator proposed there must only be two krakens in existence,
stemming from the observation that the beasts have always been sighted in the same parts of
the Greenland Sea, and that each seemed incapable of reproduction as there was no increase
in their numbers. Carolus Linnaeus classified Kraken as cephalopods (designating the scientific
name Microcosmus) in the first edition of his Systema Naturae (1735), a taxonomic
classification of living organisms. The creature was excluded from later editions.

Kraken were also extensively described by Erik Pontoppidan, bishop of Bergen, in his "Natural
History of Norway" (Copenhagen, 17523). Pontoppidan made several claims regarding
Kraken, including the notion that the creature was sometimes mistaken for an island and the
real danger to sailors was not the creature itself but rather the whirlpool left in its wake.
Fishermen apparently also risked fishing "over Kraken", since the catch was plentiful (hence
the saying "You must have fished on Kraken") and that a specimen of the monster, "perhaps a
young and careless one", was washed ashore and died at Alstahaug in 1680. Pontoppidan
described the destructive potential of the giant beast: "It is said that if [the creature's arms]
were to lay hold of the largest man-of-war, they would pull it down to the bottom".

Swede Jacob Wallenberg described the Kraken in the 1781 work Min son p galejan ("My son
on the galley"):

... Kraken, also called the Crab-fish, which [according to the pilots of Norway] is not
that huge, for heads and tails counted, he is no larger than our land is wide [i.e., less
than 16 km] ... He stays at the sea floor, constantly surrounded by innumerable small
fishes, who serve as his food and are fed by him in return: for his meal, (if I
remember correctly what E. Pontoppidan writes,) lasts no longer than three months,
and another three are then needed to digest it. His excrements nurture in the
following an army of lesser fish, and for this reason, fishermen plumb after his resting
place ... Gradually, Kraken ascends to the surface, and when he is at ten to twelve
fathoms, the boats had better move out of his vicinity, as he will shortly thereafter
burst up, like a floating island, spurting water from his dreadful nostrils and making
ring waves around him, which can reach many miles. Could one doubt that this is the
Leviathan of Job?


Left: Pierre Dnys de Montfort's "Poulpe
Colossal" attacks a merchant ship (1810).

In 1803, the French malacologist Pierre
Dnys de Montfort wrote the Histoire
Naturelle Gnrale et Particulire des
Mollusques, an encyclopedic description of
mollusks. Montfort speculated that there
were in fact two types of creatures: the
first the kraken octopus as described by
Norwegian sailors and American whalers,
and a second larger version, the colossal
octopus, that was reported to have
attacked a sailing vessel from Saint-Malo,
off the coast of Angola. Montfort disgraced himself when he proposed that ten British warships
(including the captured French ship of the line Ville de Paris), that disappeared in 1782 must
have been destroyed by a group of giant octopuses. The British, however, knew - courtesy of
a survivor from the Ville de Paris - that the ships had been lost in a hurricane off the coast of
Newfoundland in September, 1782.

Fact

Later versions of the legend may have originated from sightings of real giant squid, which are
variously estimated to grow to 1315 m (4050 ft) in length (including tentacles). These
creatures normally live at great depths, but have been sighted at the surface and have
reportedly attacked ships.

Leviathan
Wikipedia.org

Leviathan (Hebrew: , Modern Livyatan
Tiberian Liwyn ; "twisted, coiled"), is a
sea monster referred to in the Bible.

In Demonology, Leviathan is one of the seven
princes of Hell and its gatekeeper. The word
has become synonymous with any large sea
monster or creature.

In literature (e.g., Herman Melville's Moby-
Dick) it refers to great whales, and in Modern
Hebrew, it means simply "whale." It is
described extensively in Job 41.

Left: Destruction of Leviathan. 1865
engraving by Gustave Dor

Hebrew Bible

The Leviathan is mentioned six times in the Hebrew Bible, with Job 41:1-41:34 being
dedicated to describing him in detail:

1 Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook?
3 Will he keep begging you for mercy? Will he speak to you with gentle words?
4 Will he make an agreement with you for you to take him as your slave for life?
5 Can you make a pet of him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls?
6 Will traders barter for him? Will they divide him up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?
8 If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
9 Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering.
10 No-one is fierce enough to rouse him. Who then is able to stand against me?
11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to
me.
12 I will not fail to speak of his limbs, his strength and his graceful form.
13 Who can strip off his outer coat? Who would approach him with a bridle?
14 Who dares open the doors of his mouth, ringed about with his fearsome teeth?
15 His back has rows of shields tightly sealed together;
16 each is so close to the next that no air can pass between.
17 They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted.
18 His snorting throws out flashes of light; his eyes are like the rays of dawn.
19 Firebrands stream from his mouth; sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over a fire of reeds.
21 His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from his mouth.
22 Strength resides in his neck; dismay goes before him.
23 The folds of his flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable.
24 His chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone.
25 When he rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before his thrashing.
26 The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the
javelin.
27 Iron he treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood.
28 Arrows do not make him flee, slingstones are like chaff to him.
29 A club seems to him but a piece of straw, he laughs at the rattling of the lance.
30 His undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing-
sledge.
31 He makes the depths churn like a boiling cauldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of
ointment.
32 Behind him he leaves a glistening wake; one would think the deep had white hair.
33 Nothing on earth is his equal a creature without fear.
34 He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud.

In Psalm 74 Yahweh is said to "break the heads of Leviathan in pieces" before giving his flesh
to the people of the wilderness; in Psalm 104 Yahweh is praised for having made all things,
including Leviathan; and in Isaiah 27:1 he is called the "wriggling serpent" who will be killed at
the end of time.


Ancient Middle Eastern origins

Sea serpents feature prominently in the mythology of the Ancient Near East, attested as early
as the 3rd millennium BCE in Sumerian iconography depicting the myth of the god Ninurta
overcoming the seven-headed serpent. Examples of the storm god vs. sea serpent trope in the
Ancient Near East can be seen with Ba al vs. Yam (Canaanite), Marduk vs. Tiamat
(Babylonian), and Atum vs. Nehebkau (Egyptian) among others, with attestations as early as
the 2nd millennium as seen on Syrian seals.

In the Ugaritic texts Lotan, or possibly another of Yam's helpers, is given the epithets
"wriggling serpent" and "mighty one with the seven heads." Isaiah 27:1 uses the first of these
phrases to describe Leviathan (although in this case the name "Leviathan" apparently refers to
an unnamed historical/political enemy of Israel rather than the original serpent-monster). In
Psalm 104, Leviathan is not described as harmful in any way, but simply as a creature of the
ocean, part of God's creation. It is possible that the authors of the Job 41:2-26, on the other
hand, based the Leviathan on descriptions of Egyptian animal mythology where the crocodile
is the enemy of the sun-god and a crocodile monster to be feared. This is in contrast to typical
descriptions of the sea monster trope in terms of mythological combat.

In later Jewish literature

Left: Leviathan the sea-monster,
with Behemoth the land-monster
and Ziz the air-monster. "And on
that day were two monsters parted,
a female monster named Leviathan,
to dwell in the abysses of the ocean
over the fountains of the waters. But
the male is named Behemoth, who
occupied with his breast a waste
wilderness named Duidain." (1
Enoch 60:7-8)

Later Jewish sources describe
Leviathan as a dragon who lives
over the Sources of the Deep and
who, along with the male land-
monster Behemoth, will be served up to the righteous at the end of time. When the Jewish
midrash (explanations of the bible) were being composed, it was held that God originally
produced a male and a female leviathan, but lest in multiplying the species should destroy the
world, he slew the female, reserving her flesh for the banquet that will be given to the
righteous on the advent of the Messiah (B. B. 74b). Rashi's commentary on Genesis 1:21
repeats the tradition: "God created the great sea monsters - taninim. According to legend this
refers to the Leviathan and its mate. God created a male and female Leviathan, then killed the
female and salted it for the righteous, for if the Leviathans were to procreate the world could
not stand before them." In the Talmud Baba Bathra 74b it is told that the Leviathan will be
slain and its flesh served as a feast to the righteous in [the] Time to Come, and its skin used
to cover the tent where the banquet will take place. The festival of Sukkot (Festival of Booths)
therefore concludes with a prayer recited upon leaving the sukkah (booth): "May it be your
will, Lord our God and God of our forefathers, that just as I have fulfilled and dwelt in this
sukkah, so may I merit in the coming year to dwell in the sukkah of the skin of Leviathan.
Next year in Jerusalem." The enormous size of the Leviathan is described by R. Johanan, from
whom proceeded nearly all the aggadot concerning this monster: "Once we went in a ship and
saw a fish which put his head out of the water. He had horns upon which was written: 'I am
one of the meanest creatures that inhabit the sea. I am three hundred miles in length, and
enter this day into the jaws of the Leviathan'" (B. B. l.c.). When the Leviathan is hungry,
reports R. Dimi in the name of R. Johanan, he sends forth from his mouth a heat so great as
to make all the waters of the deep boil, and if he would put his head into paradise no living
creature could endure the odor of him (ib.). His abode is the Mediterranean Sea; and the
waters of the Jordan fall into his mouth (Bek. 55b; B. B. l.c.). In a legend recorded in the
Midrash called Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer it is stated that the fish which swallowed Jonah narrowly
avoided being eaten by the Leviathan, which eats one whale each day.

The body of the Leviathan, especially his eyes, possesses great illuminating power. This was
the opinion of R. Eliezer, who, in the course of a voyage in company with R. Joshua, explained
to the latter, when frightened by the sudden appearance of a brilliant light, that it probably
proceeded from the eyes of the Leviathan. He referred his companion to the words of Job xli.
18: "By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning" (B. B.
l.c.). However, in spite of his supernatural strength, the leviathan is afraid of a small worm
called "kilbit", which clings to the gills of large fish and kills them (Shab. 77b).

In the eleventh century piyyut (religious poem), Akdamut, recited on Shavuot (Pentecost), it
is envisioned that, ultimately, God will slaughter the Leviathan, which is described as having
"mighty fins" (and, therefore, a kosher fish, not an inedible snake or crocodile), and it will be
served as a sumptuous banquet for all the righteous in Heaven.

Christianity

Left: Hellmouth or the Mouth of Hell, by Simon Marmion, from the Getty Tondal, detail.

The Leviathan of the Middle Ages was used as an
image of Satan, endangering both God's
creaturesby attempting to eat themand God's
creationby threatening it with upheaval in the
waters of Chaos. St. Thomas Aquinas described
Leviathan as the demon of envy, first in punishing
the corresponding sinners. Leviathan became
associated with, and may originally have referred
to, the visual motif of the Hellmouth, a monstrous
animal into whose mouth the damned disappear
at the Last Judgement, found in Anglo-Saxon art
from about 800, and later all over Europe.

The Young Earth Creationist opinion is that
Leviathan and Behemoth are names given to
dinosaurs.

Leviathan in Satanism

In Satanism, according to the author of The Satanic Bible, Anton Szandor LaVey, Leviathan
represents the element of Water and the direction of West. The element of Water in Satanism
is associated with life and creation, and may be represented by a Chalice during ritual. In The
Satanic Bible, Leviathan is listed as one of the Four Crown Princes of Hell. This association was
inspired by the demonic hierarchy from The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin the Mage.
The Church of Satan uses the Hebrew letters at each of the points of the Sigil of Baphomet to
represent Leviathan. Starting from the lowest point of the pentagram, and reading counter-
clockwise, the word reads " ". Translated, this is (LVIThN) Leviathan.


Loch Nes Monster: Nessie
http://paranormal.about.com/

The Loch Ness Monster (Scottish Gaelic: Niseag) is
a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the
Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed
lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though
its description varies from one account to the next.

Popular interest and belief in the animal has varied
since it was brought to the world's attention in
1933. Evidence of its existence is anecdotal, with
minimal and much-disputed photographic material
and sonar readings. The most common speculation
among believers is that the creature represents a
line of long-surviving plesiosaurs. The scientific
community regards the Loch Ness Monster as a
modern-day myth, and explains sightings as a mix
of hoaxes and wishful thinking. Despite this, it
remains one of the most famous examples of
cryptozoology. The legendary monster has been
affectionately referred to by the nickname Nessie
(Scottish Gaelic: Niseag) since the 1950s.

Origins

Loch Ness

The term "monster" was reportedly applied for
the first time to the creature on 2 May 1933 by
Alex Campbell, the water bailiff for Loch Ness
and a part-time journalist, in a report in the
Inverness Courier. On 4 August 1933, the
Courier published as a full news item the claim
of a London man, George Spicer, that a few
weeks earlier while motoring around the Loch,
he and his wife had seen "the nearest approach to a dragon or pre-historic animal that I have
ever seen in my life", trundling across the road toward the Loch carrying "an animal" in its
mouth. Other letters began appearing in the Courier, often anonymously, with claims of land
or water sightings, either on the writer's part or on the parts of family, acquaintances or
stories they remembered being told. These stories soon reached the national (and later the
international) press, which described a "monster fish", "sea serpent", or "dragon", eventually
settling on "Loch Ness Monster". On 6 December 1933 the first purported photograph of the
monster, taken by Hugh Gray, was published in The Daily Express, and shortly after the
creature received official notice when the Secretary of State for Scotland ordered the police to
prevent any attacks on it. In 1934, interest was further sparked by what is known as The
Surgeon's Photograph. In the same year R. T. Gould published a book, the first of many that
describe the author's personal investigation and collected record of additional reports pre-
dating the summer of 1933. Other authors have claimed that sightings of the monster go as
far back as the 6th century.

History

Saint Columba (6th century)

The earliest report of a monster associated with the vicinity of Loch Ness appears in the Life of
St. Columba by Adomnn, written in the 7th century. According to Adomnn, writing about a
century after the events he described, the Irish monk Saint Columba was staying in the land
of the Picts with his companions when he came across the locals burying a man by the River
Ness. They explained that the man had been swimming the river when he was attacked by a
"water beast" that had mauled him and dragged him under. They tried to rescue him in a
boat, but were able only to drag up his corpse. Hearing this, Columba stunned the Picts by
sending his follower Luigne moccu Min to swim across the river. The beast came after him, but
Columba made the sign of the cross and commanded: "Go no further. Do not touch the man.
Go back at once." The beast immediately halted as if it had been "pulled back with ropes" and
fled in terror, and both Columba's men and the pagan Picts praised God for the miracle.

Believers in the Loch Ness Monster often point to this story, which notably takes place on the
River Ness rather than the loch itself, as evidence for the creature's existence as early as the
6th century. However, sceptics question the narrative's reliability, noting that water-beast
stories were extremely common in medieval saints' Lives; as such, Adomnn's tale is likely a
recycling of a common motif attached to a local landmark. According to the sceptics,
Adomnn's story may be independent of the modern Loch Ness Monster legend entirely, only
becoming attached to it in retrospect by believers seeking to bolster their claims. Additionally,
in an article for Cryptozoology, A. C. Thomas notes that even if there were some truth to the
story, it could be explained rationally as an encounter with a walrus or similar creature that
had swum up the river. R. Binns acknowledges that this account is the most serious of various
alleged early sighting of the monster, but argues that all other claims of monster sightings
prior to 1933 are highly dubious and do not prove that there was a tradition of the monster
before this date.

Spicers (1933)

Modern interest in the monster was sparked by the July 22, 1933 sighting, when George
Spicer and his wife saw 'a most extraordinary form of animal' cross the road in front of their
car. They described the creature as having a large body (about 4 feet (1 m) high and 25 feet
(8 m) long), and long, narrow neck, slightly thicker than an elephant's trunk and as long as
the 1012-foot (34 m) width of the road; the neck had a number of undulations in it. They
saw no limbs, possibly because of a dip in the road obscuring the animal's lower portion. It
lurched across the road towards the loch 20 yards (20 m) away, leaving only a trail of broken
undergrowth in its wake.

In August 1933 a motorcyclist named Arthur Grant claimed to have nearly hit the creature
while approaching Abriachan on the north-eastern shore, at about 1 am on a moonlit night.
Grant claimed that he saw a small head attached to a long neck, and that the creature saw
him and crossed the road back into the loch. A veterinary student, he described it as a hybrid
between a seal and a plesiosaur. Grant said he dismounted and followed it to the loch, but
only saw ripples. However some believe this story was intended as a humorous explanation of
a motorcycle accident.

Sporadic land sightings continued until 1963, when film of the creature was shot in the loch
from a distance of 4 Kilometers. Because of the distance it was shot at it has been described
as poor quality.

Chief Constable William Fraser (1938)

In 1938, Inverness Shire Chief Constable William Fraser penned a letter stating that it was
beyond doubt the monster existed. His letter expressed concern regarding a hunting party
that had arrived armed with a specially-made harpoon gun and were determined to catch the
monster "dead or alive". He believed his power to protect the monster from the hunters was
"very doubtful". The letter was released by the National Archives of Scotland on 27 April 2010.

C.B. Farrel (1943)

In May 1943, C. B. Farrel of the Royal Observer Corps was supposedly distracted from his
duties by a Nessie sighting. He claimed to have been about 250 yards (230 m) away from a
large-eyed, 'finned' creature, which had a 20-to-30-foot (6 to 9 m) long body, and a neck that
protruded about 45 feet (1.21.5 m) out of the water.

Sonar contact (1954)

In December 1954 a strange sonar contact was made by the fishing boat Rival III. The
vessel's crew observed sonar readings of a large object keeping pace with the boat at a depth
of 480 feet (146 m). It was detected travelling for half a mile (800 m) in this manner, before
contact was lost, but then found again later. Many sonar attempts had been made previously,
but most were either inconclusive or negative.

Photographs and films

"Surgeon's Photograph" (1934)

One of the most iconic images of Nessie is known
as the "Surgeon's Photograph". Its importance
lies in the fact that it was the first photo and only
photographic evidence of a head and neck all
the others are humps or disturbances. Dr. Wilson
claimed he was looking at the loch when he saw
the monster, so grabbed his camera and snapped
five photos. After the film was developed, only
two exposures were clear. The first photo (the
more publicised one) shows what was claimed to
be a small head and back. The second one, a
blurry image, attracted little publicity because it
was difficult to interpret what was depicted. The
image was originally revealed as a fake in The
Sunday Telegraph dated 7 December 1975.
Supposedly taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson, a
London gynaecologist, it was published in the
Daily Mail on 21 April 1934. Wilson's refusal to have his name associated with the photograph
led to it being called "Surgeon's Photograph". The strangely small ripples on the photo fit the
size and of circular pattern of small ripples as opposed to large waves when photographed up
close. Analysis of the original uncropped image fostered further doubt. A year before the hoax
was revealed, the makers of Discovery Communications's documentary Loch Ness Discovered
analysed the uncropped image and found a white object was visible in every version of the
photo, implying it was on the negative. "It seems to be the source of ripples in the water,
almost as if the object was towed by something", the narrator said. "But science cannot rule
out it was just a blemish on the negative", he continued. Additionally, analysis of the full
photograph revealed the object was quite small, only about 60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 ft) long.

In 1979 it was claimed to be a picture of an elephant. Other sceptics in the 1980s argued the
photo was that of an otter or a diving bird, but after Christian Spurling's confession most
agree it was what Spurling claimed a toy submarine with a sculpted head attached. Details
of how the photo was accomplished were published in the 1999 book, Nessie the Surgeons
Photograph Exposed, that contains a facsimile of the 1975 article in The Sunday Telegraph.
Essentially, it was a toy submarine bought from Woolworths with a head and neck made of
plastic wood, built by Christian Spurling, the son-in-law of Marmaduke Wetherell, a big game
hunter who had been publicly ridiculed in the Daily Mail, the newspaper that employed him.
Spurling claimed that to get revenge, Marmaduke Wetherell committed the hoax, with the help
of Chris Spurling (a sculpture specialist), his son Ian Marmaduke, who bought the material for
the fake Nessie, and Maurice Chambers (an insurance agent), who would call to ask surgeon
Robert Kenneth Wilson to offer the pictures to the Daily Mail. The hoax story is disputed by
Henry Bauer, who claims this debunking is evidence of bias, and asks why the perpetrators did
not reveal their plot earlier to embarrass the newspaper. He also claimed that plastic wood did
not exist in 1934 (when actually it was a popular DIY and modelling material in the early
1930s).

Tim Dinsdale also disputes the claim of this photograph as a hoax in his book Loch Ness
Monster. He claims that he studied the photograph so often and from many different angles
that he was able to discern objects that prove the photograph is not a hoax. He states "upon
really close examination, there are certain rather obscure features in the picture which have a
profound significance." Two of the obscure features are: a solid object breaking the surface to
the right of the neck, and to the left and behind the neck there is another mark of some sort,
Dinsdale states. After making this claim Dinsdale discusses that these objects are too hard to
tell what they are, but that just proves that they could be part of the monster. According to
Dinsdale either the objects are part of a very subtle fake or genuinely part of the monster.
Another object that he points out to prove the photograph is not a fake is the vague smaller
ripples that are behind the neck, which seem to have been caused after the neck broke the
surface. Dinsdale emphatically states that this is a part of the animal underwater behind the
neck. All of his facts prove that it is possible that this photograph is not a fake, at least
according to Tim Dinsdale.

Alastair Boyd, one of the researchers who uncovered the hoax, argues the Loch Ness Monster
is real, and that although the famous photo was hoaxed, that does not mean that all the
photos, eyewitness reports, and footage of the monster were as well. He asserts that he too
had a sighting and also argues that the hoaxed photo is not a good reason to dismiss
eyewitness reports and other evidence.

Taylor film (1938)

In 1938, G.E. Taylor, a South African tourist, filmed something in the loch for three minutes
on 16 mm colour film, which was in the possession of Maurice Burton. However, Burton
refused to show the film to Loch Ness investigators (such as Peter Costello or the Loch Ness
Investigation Bureau). A single frame was published in his book The Elusive Monster; before
he retired. Roy P. Mackal, a biologist and cryptozoologist, declared the frame was "positive
evidence". Later, it was shown also to the National Institute of Oceanography, now known as
the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton.

Dinsdale film (1960)

In 1960, aeronautical engineer Tim Dinsdale filmed a hump crossing the water in a powerful
wake unlike that of a boat. JARIC declared that the object was "probably animate". Others
were sceptical, saying that the "hump" cannot be ruled out as being a boat, and claimed that
when the contrast is increased a man can be clearly seen in a boat.

In 1993 Discovery Communications made a documentary called Loch Ness Discovered that
featured a digital enhancement of the Dinsdale film. A computer expert who enhanced the film
noticed a shadow in the negative that was not very obvious in the positive. By enhancing and
overlaying frames, he found what appeared to be the rear body, the rear flippers, and 12
additional humps of a plesiosaur-like body. He said that: "Before I saw the film, I thought the
Loch Ness Monster was a load of rubbish. Having done the enhancement, I'm not so sure".
Some have countered this finding by saying that the angle of the film from the horizontal
along with sun's angle on that day made shadows underwater unlikely. Believers (and some
non-believers) claim the shape could have been undisturbed water that was only coincidentally
shaped like a plesiosaur's rear end. But the same source also says that there might be a
smaller object (hump or head) in front of the hump causing this. Nonetheless, the
enhancement did show a smaller second hump and possibly a third hump.

Holmes video (2007)

On 26 May 2007, Gordon Holmes, a 55-year-old lab technician, captured video of what he said
was "this jet black thing, about 45 feet (14 m) long, moving fairly fast in the water." Adrian
Shine, a marine biologist at the Loch Ness 2000 centre in Drumnadrochit, has watched the
video and plans to analyse it. Shine also described the footage as among "the best footage [he
has] ever seen." BBC Scotland broadcast the video on 29 May 2007. STV News' North Tonight
aired the footage on 28 May 2007 and interviewed Holmes. In this feature, Adrian Shine of the
Loch Ness Centre was also interviewed and suggested that the footage in fact showed an
otter, seal or water bird.

Holmes's credibility has been doubted by an article on the Cryptomundo website, which states
that he has a history of reporting sightings of cryptozoological creatures, and sells a self-
published book and DVD claiming evidence for fairies. His video also has no other objects for
size comparison. The Monster Quest team investigated this video as well in their TV episode
"Death of Loch Ness", where they examine evidence that Nessie has died, as well as other
photos. In this documentary, Holmes asserts he spotted two creatures. A CNN news report
showed the footage and an interview with Gordon Holmes.

Searches for the monster

Sir Edward Mountain Expedition (1934)

Having read the book by Gould, Edward Mountain decided to finance a proper watch. Twenty
men with binoculars and cameras positioned themselves around the Loch from 9 a.m. to 6
p.m., for five weeks starting 13 July 1934. Some 21 photographs were taken, though none
was considered conclusive. Captain James Fraser was employed as a supervisor, and remained
by the Loch afterwards, taking cine film (which is now lost) on 15 September 1934. When
viewed by zoologists and professors of natural history it was concluded that it showed a seal,
possibly a grey seal.

Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau (19621972)

The Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau (LNPIB) was a UK-based society formed in
1962 by Norman Collins, R. S. R. Fitter, David James, MP, Peter Scott and Constance Whyte
"to study Loch Ness to identify the creature known as the Loch Ness Monster or determine the
causes of reports of it." It later shortened the name to Loch Ness Investigation Bureau
(LNIB). It closed in 1972. The society had an annual subscription charge, which covered
administration. Its main activity was for groups of self-funded volunteers to watch the loch
from various vantage points, equipped with cine cameras with telescopic lenses. From 1965 to
1972 it had a caravan camp and main watching platform at Achnahannet, and sent observers
to other locations up and down the loch. According to the 1969 Annual Report of the Bureau, it
had 1,030 members, of whom 588 were from the UK.

LNPIB sonar study (19671968)

Professor D. Gordon Tucker, chairman of the Department of Electronic and Electrical
Engineering at the University of Birmingham, England, volunteered his services as a sonar
developer and expert at Loch Ness in 1968. The gesture was part of a larger effort helmed by
the LNPIB from 19671968 and involved collaboration between volunteers and professionals in
various fields. Tucker had chosen Loch Ness as the test site for a prototype sonar transducer
with a maximum range of 800 m (2,600 ft). The device was fixed underwater at Temple Pier
in Urquhart Bay and directed towards the opposite shore, effectively drawing an acoustic 'net'
across the width of Ness through which no moving object could pass undetected. During the
two-week trial in August, multiple animate targets 6 m (20 ft) in length were identified
ascending from and diving to the loch bottom. Analysis of diving profiles ruled out air-
breathers because the targets never surfaced or moved shallower than midwater. A brief press
release by LNPIB and associates touched on the sonar data and drew to a close the 1968
effort:

The answer to the question of whether or not unusual phenomena exist in Loch Ness,
Scotland, and if so, what their nature might be, was advanced a step forward during
1968, as a result of sonar experiments conducted by a team of scientists under the
direction of D. Gordon Tucker... Professor Tucker reported that his fixed beam sonar
made contact with large moving objects sometimes reaching speeds of at least 10
knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). He concluded that the objects are clearly animals and ruled
out the possibility that they could be ordinary fish. He stated: "The high rate of ascent
and descent makes it seem very unlikely that they could be fish, and fishery biologists
we have consulted cannot suggest what fish they might be. It is a temptation to
suppose they might be the fabulous Loch Ness monsters, now observed for the first
time in their underwater activities!"

Andrew Carroll's sonar study (1969)

In 1969 Andrew Carroll, field researcher for the New York Aquarium in New York City,
proposed a mobile sonar scan operation at Loch Ness. The project was funded by the Griffis
foundation (named for Nixon Griffis, then a director of the aquarium). This was the tail-end
(and most successful portion) of the LNPIB's 1969 effort involving submersibles with biopsy
harpoons. The trawling scan, in Carroll's research launch Rangitea, took place in October. One
sweep of the loch made contact with a strong, animate echo for nearly three minutes just
north of Foyers. The identity of the contact remains a mystery. Later analysis determined that
the intensity of the returning echo was twice as great as that expected from a 10-foot (3 m)
pilot whale. On returning to the University of Chicago, biologist Roy Mackal and colleagues
subjected the sonar data to greater scrutiny and confirmed dimensions of 20 feet (6 m).

Submersible investigations

Earlier submersible work had yielded dismal results. Under the sponsorship of World Book
Encyclopedia, pilot Dan Taylor deployed the Viperfish at Loch Ness on 1 June 1969. His dives
were plagued by technical problems and produced no new data. The Deep Star III built by
General Dynamics and an unnamed two-man submersible built by Westinghouse were
scheduled to sail but never did. It was only when the Pisces arrived at Ness that the LNPIB
obtained new data. Owned by Vickers, Ltd., the submersible had been rented out to produce
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, a film featuring a dummy Loch Ness Monster. When the
dummy monster broke loose from the Pisces during filming and sank to the bottom of the
loch, Vickers executives capitalised on the loss and 'monster fever' by allowing the sub to do a
bit of exploring. During one of these excursions, the Pisces picked up a large moving object on
sonar 200 feet (60 m) ahead and 50 feet (15 m) above the bottom of the loch. Slowly the pilot
closed to half that distance but the echo moved rapidly out of sonar range and disappeared.

"Big Expedition" of 1970
During the so-called "Big Expedition" of 1970, Roy Mackal, a biologist who taught for 20 years
at the University of Chicago, devised a system of hydrophones (underwater microphones) and
deployed them at intervals throughout the loch. In early August a hydrophone assembly was
lowered into Urquhart Bay and anchored in 700 feet (210 m) of water. Two hydrophones were
secured at depths of 300 and 600 feet (180 m). After two nights of recording, the tape (sealed
inside a 44 gallon drum along with the system's other sensitive components) was retrieved
and played before an excited LNPIB. "Bird-like chirps" had been recorded, and the intensity of
the chirps on the deep hydrophone suggested they had been produced at greater depth. In
October "knocks" and "clicks" were recorded by another hydrophone in Urquhart Bay,
indicative of echolocation. These sounds were followed by a "turbulent swishing" suggestive of
the tail locomotion of a large aquatic animal. The knocks, clicks and resultant swishing were
believed were the sounds of an animal echo-locating prey before moving in for the kill. The
noises stopped whenever craft passed along the surface of the loch near the hydrophone, and
resumed once the craft reached a safe distance. In previous experiments, it was observed that
call intensities were greatest at depths less than 100 feet (30 m). Members of the LNPIB
decided to attempt communication with the animals producing the calls by playing back
previously recorded calls into the water and listening via hydrophone for results, which varied
greatly. At times the calling patterns or intensities changed, but sometimes there was no
change at all. Mackal noted that there was no similarity between the recordings and the
hundreds of known sounds produced by aquatic animals.

Robert Rines's studies (1972, 1975, 2001 and 2008)

In the early 1970s, a group of people led by Robert H. Rines obtained some underwater
photographs. Two were rather vague images, perhaps of a rhomboid flipper (though others
have dismissed the image as air bubbles or a fish fin). The alleged flipper was photographed in
different positions, indicating movement. One of the flipper photos is available here. On the
basis of these photographs, British naturalist Peter Scott announced in 1975 that the scientific
name of the monster would henceforth be Nessiteras rhombopteryx (Greek for "The Ness
monster with diamond-shaped fin"). Scott intended that this would enable Nessie to be added
to a British register of officially protected wildlife. Scottish politician Nicholas Fairbairn pointed
out that the name was an anagram for "Monster hoax by Sir Peter S".

The underwater photos were reportedly obtained by painstakingly examining the loch depths
with sonar for unusual underwater activity. Rines knew the water was murky and filled with
floating wood and peat, so he made precautions to avoid it. A submersible camera with an
affixed, high-powered flood light (necessary for penetrating Loch Ness's notorious murk) was
deployed to record images below the surface. If he detected anything on the sonar, he would
turn the lights on and take some pictures. Several of the photographs, despite their obviously
murky quality, did indeed seem to show an animal resembling a plesiosaur in various positions
and lightings. One photograph appeared to show the head, neck and upper torso of a
plesiosaur-like animal. The body photo can be seen here. A rarely publicised photograph
depicted two white lumps, suggesting animals living in the loch. Another photo seemed to
depict a horned "gargoyle head", consistent to that of several sightings of the monster. The
head photo can be seen here. Skeptics point out that a log was later filmed underwater which
bore a striking resemblance to the gargoyle head.

A few close-ups of what would be the creature's diamond-shaped fin were taken in different
positions, as though the creature was moving. But the "flipper photograph" has been highly
retouched from the original image. The Museum of Hoaxes shows the original unenhanced
photo. Team member Charles Wyckoff claimed that someone retouched the photo to
superimpose the flipper, and that the original enhancement showed a much smaller flipper. No
one is sure how the original came to be enhanced.

On 8 August 1972, Rines' Raytheon DE-725C sonar unit, operating at a frequency of 200 kHz
and anchored in Ness at a depth of 35 feet (11 m), identified a moving target (or targets)
estimated by echo strength to be 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 m) in length. Specialists from
Raytheon, Simrad (now Kongsberg Maritime), and Hydroacoustics, Inc.; Marty Klein of MIT
and Klein Associates (a producer of side scan sonar); and Dr. Ira Dyer of MIT's Department of
Ocean Engineering were all on hand to examine the data and come to this conclusion. Further,
P. Skitzki of Raytheon suggested that the data showed a protuberance, 10 feet (3 m) in
length, projecting from one of the echoes. Mackal proposed that the shape was a "highly
flexible laterally flattened tail" or the misinterpreted return from two animals swimming
together.

In 2001, the Robert Rines' Academy of Applied Science videoed a powerful V-shaped wake
traversing the still water on a calm day. The AAS also videotaped an object on the floor of the
loch resembling a carcass, found marine clam-shells and a fungus not normally found in fresh
water lochs, which they suggest gives some connection to the sea and a possible entry for
Nessie.

In 2008, Rines theorised that the monster may have become extinct, citing the lack of
significant sonar readings and a decline in eyewitness accounts. Rines undertook one last
expedition to look for remains of the monster, using sonar and underwater camera in an
attempt to find a carcass. Rines believes that the creature may have failed to adapt to
temperature changes as a result of global warming.

Operation Deep Scan (1987)

In 1987, Operation Deepscan took place. Twenty-four boats equipped with echosounder
equipment were deployed across the whole width of the loch and they simultaneously sent out
acoustic waves. BBC News reported that the scientists had made sonar contact with a large
unidentified object of unusual size and strength. The researchers decided to return to the
same spot and re-scan the area. After analysing the echosounder images, it seemed to point
to debris at the bottom of the loch, although three of the pictures were of moving debris.
Shine speculates that they could be seals that got into the loch, since they would be of about
the same magnitude as the objects detected.

Darrell Lowrance, sonar expert and founder of Lowrance Electronics, donated a number of
echosounder units used during Operation Deepscan. After examining the echogram data,
specifically a sonar return revealing a large moving object near Urquhart Bay at a depth of
600 feet (180 m), Lowrance said: "There's something here that we don't understand, and
there's something here that's larger than a fish, maybe some species that hasn't been
detected before. I don't know."

Discovery Loch Ness (1993)

In 1993 Discovery Communications began to research the ecology of the loch. The study did
not focus entirely on the monster, but on the loch's nematodes (of which a new species was
discovered) and fish. Expecting to find a small fish population, the researchers caught twenty
fish in one catch, increasing previous estimates of the loch's fish population about ninefold.

Using sonar, the team encountered a kind of underwater disturbance (called a seiche) due to
stored energy (such as from a wind) causing an imbalance between the loch's warmer and
colder layers (known as the thermocline). While reviewing printouts of the event the next day,
they found what appeared to be three sonar contacts, each followed by a powerful wake.
These events were later shown on a program called Loch Ness Discovered, in conjunction with
analyses and enhancements of the 1960 Dinsdale Film, the Surgeon's Photo, and the Rines
Flipper Photo.

Searching for the Loch Ness Monster BBC (2003)

In 2003, the BBC sponsored a full search of the Loch using 600 separate sonar beams and
satellite tracking. The search had enough resolution to pick up a small buoy. No animal of any
substantial size was found whatsoever and despite high hopes, the scientists involved in the
expedition admitted that this essentially proved the Loch Ness monster was only a myth.

Explanations

A variety of explanations have been postulated over the years to account for sightings of the
Loch Ness Monster. These may be categorised as: misidentifications of common animals;
misidentifications of inanimate objects or effects; reinterpretations of traditional Scottish
folklore; hoaxes; and exotic species of large animals.

Misidentification of common animals

Bird wakes

There are wake sightings that occur when the loch is dead calm with no boat nearby. A
bartender named David Munro claims to have witnessed a wake he believed was a creature
zigzagging, diving, and reappearing. (There were 26 other witnesses from a nearby car park.)
Some sightings describe the onset of a V-shaped wake, as if there were something
underwater. Moreover, many wake sightings describe something not conforming to the shape
of a boat. Under dead calm conditions, a creature too small to be visible to the naked eye can
leave a clear v-shaped wake. In particular, a group of swimming birds can give a wake and
the appearance of an object. A group of birds can leave the water and then land again, giving
a sequence of wakes like an object breaking the surface, which Dick Raynor says is a possible
explanation for his film.

Eels

A giant eel was actually one of the first suggestions made. Eels are found in Loch Ness, and an
unusually large eel would fit many sightings. This has been described as a conservative
explanation. Eels are not known to protrude swanlike from the water and thus would not
account for the head and neck sightings. Dinsdale dismissed the proposal because eels move
in a side-to-side undulation.

On 2 May 2001, two conger eels were found on the shore of the loch; however, as conger eels
are saltwater animals and Loch Ness is a freshwater body of water, it is believed that they
were put there to be seen as "Mini-Nessies".

Elephant

In a 1979 article, California biologist Dennis Power and geographer Donald Johnson claimed
that the Surgeon's Photograph was in fact the top of the head, extended trunk and flared
nostrils of a swimming elephant, probably photographed elsewhere and claimed to be from
Loch Ness. In 2006, palaeontologist and artist Neil Clark similarly suggested that travelling
circuses might have allowed elephants to refresh themselves in the loch and that the trunk
could therefore be the head and neck, with the elephant's head and back providing the humps.
In support of this he provided a painting.

Resident animals

When viewed through a telescope or binoculars with no outside reference, it is difficult to
judge the size of an object in the water. Loch Ness has resident otters and pictures of them
are given by Binns, which could be misinterpreted. Likewise he gives pictures of deer
swimming in Loch Ness, and birds that could be taken as a "head and neck" sighting.

Seals

A number of photographs and a video have confirmed the presence of seals in the loch, for up
to months at a time. In 1934 the Sir Edward Mountain expedition analysed film taken the
same year and concluded that the monster was a species of seal, which was reported in a
national newspaper as "Loch Ness Riddle Solved Official". A long-necked seal was advocated
by Peter Costello for Nessie and for other reputed lake-monsters. R.T. Gould wrote "A grey
seal has a long and surprisingly extensible neck; it swims with a paddling action; its colour fits
the bill; and there is nothing surprising in its being seen on the shore of the loch, or crossing a
road." This explanation would cover sightings of lake-monsters on land, during which the
creature supposedly waddled into the loch upon being startled, in the manner of seals. Seals
could also account for sonar traces that act as animate objects. Against this, it has been
argued that all known species of pinnipeds are usually visible on land during daylight hours to
sunbathe, something that Nessie is not known to do. However seals have been observed and
photographed in Loch Ness and the sightings are sufficiently infrequent to allow for occasional
visiting animals rather than a permanent colony.

Misidentifications of inanimate objects or effects

Trees

In 1933 the Daily Mirror showed a picture with the following caption 'This queerly-shaped tree-
trunk, washed ashore at Foyers may, it is thought, be responsible for the reported appearance
of a "Monster"'. (Foyers is on Loch Ness.)

In a 1982 series of articles for New Scientist, Dr Maurice Burton proposed that sightings of
Nessie and similar creatures could actually be fermenting logs of Scots pine rising to the
surface of the loch's cold waters. Initially, a rotting log could not release gases caused by
decay, because of high levels of resin sealing in the gas. Eventually, the gas pressure would
rupture a resin seal at one end of the log, propelling it through the waterand sometimes to
the surface. Burton claimed that the shape of tree logs with their attendant branch stumps
closely resemble various descriptions of the monster.

Four Scottish lochs are very deep, including Morar, Ness and Lomond. Only the lochs with
pinewoods on their shores have monster legends; Loch Lomondwith no pinewoodsdoes
not. Gaseous emissions and surfactants resulting from the decay of the logs can cause the
foamy wake reported in some sightings. Indeed, beached pine logs showing evidence of deep-
water fermentation have been found. On the other hand, there are believers who assert that
some lakes do have reports of monsters, despite an absence of pinewoods; a notable example
would be the Irish lough monsters.

Seiches and wakes

Loch Ness, because of its long, straight shape, is subject to some unusual ripples affecting its
surface. A seiche is a large, regular oscillation of a lake, caused by water reverting to its
natural level after being blown to one end of the lake. The impetus from this reversion
continues to the lake's windward end and then reverts back. In Loch Ness, the process occurs
every 31.5 minutes.

Boat wakes can also produce strange effects in the loch. As a wake spreads and divides from a
boat passing the centre of the loch, it hits both sides almost simultaneously and deflects back
to meet again in the middle. The movements interact to produce standing waves that are
much larger than the original wake, and can have a humped appearance. By the time this
occurs, the boat has passed and the unusual waves are all that can be seen.

Optical effects

Wind conditions can give a slightly choppy and thus matte appearance to the water, with
occasional calm patches appearing as dark ovals (reflecting the mountains) from the shore,
which can appear as humps to visitors unfamiliar with the loch. In 1979, Lehn showed that
atmospheric refraction could distort the shape and size of objects and animals, and later
showed a photograph of a rock mirage on Lake Winnipeg that looked like a head and neck.

Seismic gas

The Italian geologist Luigi Piccardi has proposed geological explanations for some ancient
legends and myths. He pointed out that in the earliest recorded sighting of a creature, the Life
of St. Columba, the creature's emergence was accompanied "cum ingenti fremitu" (with very
loud roaring). The Loch Ness is located along the Great Glen Fault, and this could be a
description of an earthquake. Furthermore, in many sightings, the report consists of nothing
more than a large disturbance on the surface of the water. This could be caused by a release
of gas from through the fault, although it could easily be mistaken for a large animal
swimming just below the surface.

Binns concludes that it would be unwise to put forward a single explanation of the monster,
and probably a wide range of natural phenomena have been mistaken for the monster at
times: otters, swimming deer, unusual waves. However, he adds that this also touches on
some issues of human psychology, and the ability of the eye to see what it wants to see.

Folklore

According to the Swedish naturalist and author Bengt Sjgren (1980), present day beliefs in
lake monsters such as the Loch Ness Monster are associated with the old legends of kelpies.
He claims that the accounts of loch monsters have changed over the ages, originally
describing creatures with a horse-like appearance; they claimed that the "kelpie" would come
out of the lake and turn into a horse. When a tired traveller would get on the back of the
kelpie, it would gallop into the loch and devour its prey. This myth successfully kept children
away from the loch, as was its purpose. Sjgren concludes that the kelpie legends have
developed into current descriptions of lake-monsters, reflecting modern awareness of
plesiosaurs. In other words, the kelpie of folklore has been transformed into a more realistic
and contemporary notion of the creature. Believers counter that long-dead witnesses could
only compare the creature to that with which they were familiar, and they were not familiar
with plesiosaurs.

Specific mention of the kelpie as a water horse in Loch Ness was given in a Scottish
newspaper in 1879, and was commemorated in the title of a book Project Water Horse by Tim
Dinsdale.

A study of the Highland folklore literature prior to 1933 with specific references to Kelpies,
Water Horses and Water Bulls suggested that Loch Ness was the most mentioned loch by a
large margin.

Hoaxes

The Loch Ness monster phenomenon has seen several attempts to hoax the public, some of
which were very successful. Other hoaxes were revealed rather quickly by the perpetrators, or
exposed after diligent research. A few examples are mentioned below.


In August 1933, Italian journalist Francesco Gasparini submitted what he claims was the first
news article on the Loch Ness monster. In 1959, he confessed to taking a sighting of a
"strange fish" and expanding on it by fabricating eye witness accounts. "I had the inspiration
to get hold of the item about the strange fish. The idea of the monster had never dawned on
me, but then I noted that the strange fish would not yield a long article, and I decided to
promote the imaginary being to the rank of monster without further ado."

In the 1930s, a big game hunter named Marmaduke Wetherell went to Loch Ness to look for
the Loch Ness Monster. He claimed to have found some footprints but when the footprints
were sent to scientists for analysis, they turned out to be hippopotamus footprints. A
prankster had used a hippopotamus foot umbrella stand to make the footprints.

In 1972 a team of zoologists from Yorkshire's Flamingo Park Zoo had gone out in search of the
legendary monster and soon discovered a large body floating in the water. The corpse, was
1618 feet long and weighed up to 1.5 tonnes, described by the Press Association as having
"a bear's head and a brown scaly body with clawlike fins." The creature was put in a van to be
taken away for testing, whereupon police chased them down and took the cadaver under an
act of parliament which prohibits the removal of "unidentified creatures" from Loch Ness. But
it was later revealed that Flamingo Park's education officer John Shields had shaved the
whiskers and otherwise disfigured a bull elephant seal which had died the week before, and
dumped it in Loch Ness to dupe his colleagues.

On 2 July 2003, Gerald McSorely found a fossil supposedly belonging to Nessie when he
tripped and fell into the loch. After examination, it became clear that the fossil wasn't from
Loch Ness and that it had been planted there.


Left: Cryptoclidus model used in the Channel Five TV
programme "Loch Ness Monster: The Ultimate
Experiment"

In 2004, a documentary team for television Channel
Five, using special effects experts from movies, tried to
make people believe there was something in the loch.
They constructed an animatronic model of a plesiosaur,
and dubbed it "Lucy". Despite setbacks, such as Lucy
falling to the bottom of the loch, about 600 sightings
were reported in the places they conducted the hoaxes.

In 2005, two students claimed to have found a huge tooth embedded in the body of a deer on
the loch shore. They publicised the find widely, even setting up a website, but expert analysis
soon revealed that the "tooth" was the antler of a muntjac. The Loch Ness tooth was a
publicity stunt to promote a horror novel by Steve Alten titled The Loch.

In 2007, a video purported to show Nessie jumping high into the air showed up on YouTube.
This was revealed by the online amateur sceptic's community eSkeptic to be a viral ad
promoting the then-upcoming Sony Pictures film The Water Horse. The release of the film
confirmed the eSkeptic analysis: the viral video comprises footage from The Water Horse.

Exotic species of large animals

Plesiosaur

Left: Reconstruction of Nessie as a plesiosaur outside
Museum of Nessie

In 1933 the suggestion was made that the monster
"bears a striking resemblance to the supposedly extinct
plesiosaur", a long-necked aquatic reptile that went
extinct during the CretaceousTertiary extinction event.
At the time this was a popular explanation.

The following arguments have been put against it:

Plesiosaurs were probably cold-blooded reptiles requiring warm tropical waters, while
the average temperature of Loch Ness is only about 5.5 C (42 F). Even if the
plesiosaurs were warm-blooded, they would require a food supply beyond that of Loch
Ness to maintain the level of activity necessary for warm-blooded animals.
In October 2006, the New Scientist headlined an article "Why the Loch Ness Monster is
no plesiosaur" because Leslie No of the Sedgwick Museum in Cambridge reported,
"The osteology of the neck makes it absolutely certain that the plesiosaur could not lift
its head up swan-like out of the water".
The loch is only about 10,000 years old, dating to the end of the last ice age. Prior to
that date, the loch was frozen solid for about 20,000 years.
If creatures similar to plesiosaurs lived in the waters of the Loch Ness, they would be
seen very frequently as they would have to surface several times a day to breathe.

In response to these criticisms, proponents such as Tim Dinsdale, Peter Scott and Roy Mackal
postulate a trapped marine creature that evolved either from a plesiosaur or to the shape of a
plesiosaur by convergent evolution.

Amphibian

R. T. Gould suggested something like a long-necked newt and Roy Mackal discussed this
possibility, giving it the highest score (88%) in his list of possible candidates.

Invertebrate

In 1968 Frank Holiday proposed that Nessie and other lake-monsters such as Morag could be
explained by a giant invertebrate such as a bristleworm, and cited the extinct Tullimonstrum
as an example of the shape. He says this provides an explanation for land sightings and for
the variable back shape, and relates it to the medieval description of dragons as "worms".
Mackal considered this, but found it less convincing than eel, amphibian or plesiosaur types of
animal.
Lusca
Wikipedia.org


The lusca is a name given to a sea monster reported
from the Caribbean. It has been suggested by
cryptozoologists that the lusca is a gigantic octopus, far
larger than the known giant octopuses of the genus
Enteroctopus.

Carcass that washed ashore in St. Augustine in 1896.

Sightings

Many reports of the creature are from the blue holes, off Andros, an island in the Bahamas.
The St. Augustine Monster (an example of a globster), which washed up in 1896 on the Florida
coast, is considered one of the better candidates for a possible lusca specimen. Recent
evidence suggests the St. Augustine Monster, like many globsters, was simply a large mass of
decomposing adipose tissue from Sperm Whale. Scientists dismiss the lusca as at most a large
example of the giant squid.

On January 18, 2011, the body of what appeared to witnesses to be a giant octopus washed
ashore on Grand Bahama Island in the Bahamas. According to eyewitness reports, the remains
seemed to represent only a portion of the head and mouthparts of the original creature. Based
on their knowledge of octopus morphology, local fishermen estimated the total size of the
creature when living to be some 20 to 30 feet.

Description

The lusca is said to grow over 75 ft (23 m) long, or even 200 ft (60 m) long, however there
are no proven cases of other octopus species growing up to even half these lengths. To attack
properly on the surface, the octopus would have to have one tentacle on the sea floor to
balance itself; this would mean that such accounts, if real, would have to take place in
relatively shallow water. Other descriptions also mention that it can change color, a
characteristic commonly found in smaller octopuses. The supposed habitat is rugged
underwater terrain, large undersea caves, the edge of the continental shelf, or other areas
where large crustaceans are found, which is supposedly what they feed on. Although the
general identification of the lusca is with the colossal octopus, it has also been described as
either a multi-headed monster, a dragon-like creature, or some kind of evil spirit.

Mermaids
Wikipedia.org


A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a
female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of
a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a
"merman" and in general both males and females
are known as "merfolk". Mermaids are represented
in the folklore, literature and popular culture of many
countries worldwide.

Overview and etymology

"Mermaid" is a compound of mer, the French word
for "sea", and maid, a girl or young woman. The
male equivalent is a merman.

Much like sirens, mermaids will sing to people or to
gods to enchant them, distracting them from their
work and causing people to walk off a ship's deck or
to run their ship aground. Other stories depict
mermaids squeezing the life out of drowning men
while attempting to rescue them. They are also said
to carry humans down to their underwater kingdoms.
In Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, it is
said that mermaids forget that humans cannot breathe underwater, while other stories say
they drown men out of spite, while still other fables portray mermaids as benevolent toward
men.This singing chant is probably a curse to the mermaid as well.

The sirens of Greek mythology are sometimes portrayed in later folklore as mermaid-like; in
fact, some languages use the same word for both bird and fish creatures, such as the Maltese
word 'sirena'. Other related types of mythical or legendary creatures are water fairies (e.g.,
various water nymphs) and selkies, animals that can transform themselves from seals to
humans.

In modern times, the mermaid is used as an official animal/mascot of many mythical stories
involving pirates and the sea. It is also associated with "sea cows" that are called manatees.
Sailors would see the animals and categorize them as mythical mermaids.

Traditionally, mermaids have been depicted unclothed. When censorship is an issue, most
prominent in movies, effort is made to have the mermaids long hair cover their breasts. In
areas with strong censorship, notably in some U.S. family movies, mermaids have been
wearing different variants of tops or swimsuits.

History

Ancient Near East

The first known mermaid stories appeared in Assyria, ca. 1000 BC. The goddess Atargatis,
mother of Assyrian queen Semiramis, loved a mortal shepherd and unintentionally killed him.
Ashamed, she jumped into a lake to take the form of a fish, but the waters would not conceal
her divine beauty. Thereafter, she took the form of a mermaidhuman above the waist, fish
belowthough the earliest representations of Atargatis showed her as a fish with a human
head and legs, similar to the Babylonian Ea. The Greeks recognized Atargatis under the name
Derketo. Prior to 546 BC, the Milesian philosopher Anaximander proposed that mankind had
sprung from an aquatic species of animal. He thought that humans, with their extended
infancy, could not have survived otherwise.

A popular Greek legend turns Alexander the Great's sister, Thessalonike, into a mermaid after
she died. She lived, it was said, in the Aegean and when she encountered a ship, she asked its
sailors only one question: "Is King Alexander alive?" (Greek: " ;"), to
which the correct answer was: "He lives and reigns and conquers the world" (Greek: "
"). This answer pleased her so she calmed the waters and
wished the ship farewell. Any other answer would spur her into a rage. She would raise a
terrible storm, with certain doom for the ship and every sailor on board.

Lucian of Samosata in Syria (2nd century AD) in De Dea Syria ("Concerning the Syrian
Goddess") wrote of the Syrian temples he had visited:

"Among them - Now that is the traditional story among them concerning the
temple. But other men swear that Semiramis of Babylonia, whose deeds are many in
Asia, also founded this site, and not for Hera Atargatis but for her own Mother, whose
name was Derketo"
"I saw the likeness of Derketo in Phoenicia, a strange marvel. It is woman for half
its length, but the other half, from thighs to feet, stretched out in a fish's tail. But the
image in the Holy City is entirely a woman, and the grounds for their account are not
very clear. They consider fish to be sacred, and they never eat them; and though they
eat all other fowls, they do not eat the dove, for she is holy so they believe. And these
things are done, they believe, because of Derketo and Semiramis, the first because
Derketo has the shape of a fish, and the other because ultimately Semiramis turned
into a dove. Well, I may grant that the temple was a work of Semiramis perhaps; but
that it belongs to Derketo I do not believe in any way. For among the Egyptians, some
people do not eat fish, and that is not done to honor Derketo."

Arabian Nights

The One Thousand and One Nights includes several tales featuring "Sea People", such as
Djullanar the Sea-girl. Unlike the depiction in other mythologies, these are anatomically
identical to land-bound humans, differing only in their ability to breathe and live underwater.
They can (and do) interbreed with land humans, the children of such unions sharing in the
ability to live underwater.

In another Arabian Nights tale,r "Abdullah the Fisherman and Abdullah the Merman", the
protagonist Abdullah the Fisherman gains the ability to breathe underwater and discovers an
underwater submarine society that is portrayed as an inverted reflection of society on land, in
that the underwater society follows a form of primitive communism where concepts like money
and clothing do not exist. Other Arabian Nights tales deal with lost ancient technologies,
advanced ancient civilizations that went astray, and catastrophes which overwhelmed them.

In "The Adventures of Bulukiya", the protagonist Bulukiya's quest for the herb of immortality
leads him to explore the seas, where he encounters societies of mermaids. "Julnar the Sea-
Born and Her Son King Badr Basim of Persia" is yet another Arabian Nights tale about
mermaids.

When sailors come the mermaids sing, and some men are led straight to their doom. If they
follow the mermaids' lovely and beautiful voices, they do not know what they are doing or
where they're going.

Left: The Fisherman and the Syren, by Frederic
Leighton, c. 18561858

British Isles

The Norman Chapel in Durham Castle, built
around 1078 by Saxon stonemasons has what is
reputed to be one of the earliest artistic
depictions of a Mermaid in England. It can be
seen on a south-facing capital above one of the
original Norman stone pillars.

Mermaids were noted in British folklore as
unlucky omens both foretelling disaster and
provoking it. Several variants of the ballad Sir
Patrick Spens depict a mermaid speaking to the
doomed ships; in some, she tells them they will
never see land again, and in others, she claims
they are near shore, which they are wise enough
to know means the same thing. Mermaids can
also be a sign of approaching rough weather.

Some mermaids were described as monstrous in
size, up to 2,000 feet (610 m).

Mermaids have also been described as being able to swim up rivers to freshwater lakes. One
day, in a lake near his house, the Laird of Lorntie went to aid a woman he thought drowning;
a servant of his pulled him back, warning that it was a mermaid, and the mermaid screamed
after that she would have killed him if it were not for his servant.

On occasion, mermaids could be more beneficent, teaching humans cures for disease.

Some tales raised the question of whether mermaids had immortal souls, answering in the
negative. The figure of L Ban appears as a sanctified mermaid, but she was a human being
transformed into a mermaid; after three centuries, when Christianity had come to Ireland, she
was baptized.

Mermen were noted as wilder and uglier than mermaids, and they were described as having
little interest in humans.

In Scottish mythology, there is a mermaid called the ceasg or "maid of the wave".

China

In some ancient fairy tales of China, the mermaid was a special creature whose tears could
turn into priceless pearls. Mermaids could also weave an extremely valuable material,
translucent and beautiful. Because of this, fishermen longed to catch them, but the mermaids'
splendid singing could simply drag them down into a coma.

In other Chinese legends, the mermaid is wondrous, but brainless and easy to trap. The
legend said that mermaids were born with purple tails that smelled of happiness, but if
sadness or death occurred during the mermaids' lifetimes their tails would turn red, and smell
like sadness. So fishermen longed to catch mermaids in order to sniff their purple or red tails.

Warsaw mermaid

The mermaid, or syrenka, is the symbol of Warsaw.
Images of a mermaid symbolized Warsaw on its crest
since the middle of the 14th century. Several legends
associate Triton of mythology with the city, which may
have been the mermaid association's origin.

Left: 1659, Coat of arms of Old Warsaw on the cover of
an accounting book of the city.
Other

Among the Neo-Tano nations of the Caribbean the
mermaid is called Aycayia. Her attributes relate to the
goddess Jagua, and the hibiscus flower of the majagua
tree Hibiscus tiliaceus. In modern Caribbean culture,
the mermaid is found as Haitian Vodou Lwa La Sirene
(literally, 'the mermaid') who is lwa of wealth and
beauty and the orisha Yemaya.

Examples from other cultures are the Mami Wata of West and Central Africa, the Jengu of
Cameroon, the Merrow of Ireland and Scotland, the Rusalkas of Russia and Ukraine, the
Iara from Brazil and the Greek Oceanids, Nereids, and Naiads. One freshwater mermaid-
like creature from European folklore is Melusine, who is sometimes depicted with two fish
tails, and other times with the lower body of a serpent. It is said in Japan that eating the flesh
of a ningyo can grant unaging immortality. In some European legends mermaids are said to
be unlucky.

Mermaids and mermen are also characters of Philippine folklore, where they are locally known
as sirena and siyokoy, respectively. The Javanese people believe that the southern beach in
Java is a home of Javanese mermaid queen Nyi Roro Kidul.

In "Sadko" (Russian: ), a Russian medieval epic, the title character - an adventurer,
merchant and gusli musician from Novgorod - lives for some time in the underwater court of
the "Sea Tsar" and marries his daughter before finally returning home. The tale inspired such
works as the poem "Sadko" by Alexei Tolstoy (18711872), the opera Sadko composed by
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and the painting by Ilya Repin.
Claimed sightings

Claimed sightings of dead or living mermaids have come from places as diverse as Java and
British Columbia. There are two Canadian reports from the area of Vancouver and Victoria,
one from sometime between 1870 and 1890, the other from 1967. In some of the earliest
accounts of Blackbeard's sail logs in the BBC documentary Pirates, he instructed his crew on
several voyages to steer away from charted waters which he called "enchanted" for fear of
Merfolk or mermaids, which Blackbeard and many members of the crew reported seeing and
documenting. These sighting were often recounted and shared by many sailors and pirates
who believed the mermaids were bad luck and would bewitch them into giving up their gold
and dragging them to the bottom of the seas.

In August 2009, the town of Kiryat Yam in Israel offered a prize of $1 million for anyone who
could prove the existence of a mermaid off its coast, after dozens of people reported seeing a
mermaid leaping out of the water like a dolphin and doing aerial tricks before returning to the
depths. The prize has not yet been awarded.

Symbolism

According to Dorothy Dinnersteins book, The Mermaid and the Minotaur, human-animal
hybrids such as the minotaur and the mermaid convey the emergent understanding of the
ancients that human beings were both one with and different from animals:

"[Human] nature is internally inconsistent, that our continuities with, and our
differences from, the earth's other animals are mysterious and profound; and in these
continuities, and these differences, lie both a sense of strangeness on earth and the
possible key to a way of feeling at home here."

Human divers

For centuries, in Japan and other Pacific island countries, female Ama divers would swim nude
searching for shellfish. These divers slowly developed the ability to hold their breath for long
periods of time and to survive in cold water that would kill most people from hypothermia.
Women make better divers than men because of their physiological advantages in tolerating
cold. After surfacing they would hyperventilate to restore their oxygen levels which would
make a loud sighing sound referred to as the isobue or "sea whistle" or in Japanese as the
"song of the sea". They needed to rest periodically and so after diving, as aid to maintaining
lung capacity, these women frequently would sing loud songs and this may have been the
origin of the Siren myth.

It is plausable that ancient sailors might have encountered these divers and assumed they
were not human because of their ability to withstand the cold water and to submerge for
several minutes at a time. There were laws restricting poaching in the sea so local village
people would have had an interest in propagating and reinforcing the Siren and Mermaid
myths to protect the divers and their wealth.

The tradition of women divers has been documented in many other countries outside of Asia.
In fact, many of the early artistic depictions of mermaids showed normal human women with
legs rather than the typical fish-tail of the modern mythical image.

Hoaxes

During the Renaissance and Baroque eras, dugongs, frauds and victims of sirenomelia were
exhibited in wunderkammers as mermaids.

In the 19th century, P. T. Barnum displayed in his museum a taxidermal hoax called the Fiji
mermaid. Others have perpetrated similar hoaxes, which are usually papier-mch
fabrications or parts of deceased creatures, usually monkeys and fish, stitched together for the
appearance of a grotesque mermaid. In the wake of the 2004 tsunami, pictures of Fiji
"mermaids" circulated on the Internet as supposed examples of items that had washed up
amid the devastation, though they were no more real than Barnum's exhibit.
Sirenia

Sirenia is an order of fully aquatic, herbivorous mammals that inhabit rivers, estuaries, coastal
marine waters, swamps, and marine wetlands. Sirenians, including manatees and the dugong,
have major aquatic adaptations: arms used for steering, a paddle used for propulsion, hind
limbs (legs) are two small bones floating deep in the muscle. They appear fat, but are
fusiform, hydrodynamic, and highly muscular. Prior to the mid 19th century, mariners referred
to these animals as mermaids.
Sirenomelia

Sirenomelia, also called "mermaid syndrome", is a rare congenital disorder in which a child is
born with his or her legs fused together and reduced genitalia. This condition is about as rare
as conjoined twins, affecting one out of every 100,000 live births and is usually fatal within a
day or two of birth because of kidney and bladder complications. Four survivors were known to
be alive as of July 2003.


Morgawr
Wikipedia.org


Morgawr (meaning sea giant in Cornish), is a plesiosaur-like cryptid purported to live in the
sea near Falmouth Bay, Cornwall. It has been photographed and even caught on tape.

First sighted in 1906, various theories have been proposed for as to the identity of this sea
serpent, ranging from a hoax or mistaken identity, to the suggestion that the creature is a
surviving species of Plesiosaur or that it is a previously undiscovered species of long necked
seal. In the absence of a carcass or a living specimen, identity explanations depend only on
eyewitness accounts and low-quality photographs.

Chronology/Timeline

1876: A sea serpent is allegedly captured by fishers at Gerran's Bay.

Allegedly sighted in 1906 off Land's End.

Pendennis Point, September 1975. Two witnesses claim to have seen a humped figure
with 'stumpy horns' and bristles on its long neck, catching a conger eel in its mouth.

Rosemullion Head, Falmouth, February 1976. 'Mary F' sent two photographs,
apparently of Morgawr, to the Falmouth Packet, along with a covering letter. She said
"it looked like an elephant waving its trunk, but the trunk was a long neck with a small
head at the end, like a snake's head. It had humps on its back which moved in a funny
way... the animal frightened me. I would not like to see it any closer. I do not like the
way it moved when swimming." Neither Mary F or the negatives have ever been
traced. Noted mystery writers and photographers Janet and Colin Bord have examined
first-generation copy prints, and "feel that these photographs could well be genuine."

25 miles south of Lizard Point, July 1976. Fishers John Cock and George Vinnicombe
claim to sight a creature whose neck "reared 4 feet up in the water". They estimated
the animal's length at 22 feet.

Parson's Beach, Mawnan, November 1976. Tony 'Doc' Shiels claims to photograph the
creature lying low in the water. He mentions "little stumpy horns" on its head, and he
describes the body of the animal as 15 feet long. (hoax)

Gerran's Bay, August 1985. Christopher and Susan Waldron of King's Stanley,
Gloucestershire report on having seen the creature whilst on holiday. It was noted that
Mrs Waldron was watching her husband swimming in the sea, when she noticed a
large silhouette under the surface behind him. The shape was described to be that of a
large, long necked creature.

Devil's Point, off Plymouth, 1987. An experienced diver sees a dog-like head on a neck
rising 1 metre out of the sea. He notes that it is in a spot favoured by conger eels.

Gerran's Bay, 1999. John Holmes videotapes what is claimed to be an unidentified
creature in the sea.

Sea Monk
Wikipedia.org

The sea monk, or sometimes monk-fish, was the name
given to a sea animal found off the eastern coast of the
Danish island of Zealand almost certainly in 1546. It
was described as a "fish" that looked superficially like a
monk. It was mentioned and pictured in the fourth
volume of Conrad Gesner's famous Historia Animalium.
Gesner also referenced a similar monster found in the
Firth of Forth, according to Boethius, and a sighting off
the coast of Poland in 1531.

Illustration from The Book of Days, published in 1869



The sea monk was subsequently popularised in Guillaume du Bartas's epic poem La Sepmaine;
ou, Creation du monde, where the poet speaks of correspondences between land and sea
(emphasis added):

"Seas have (as well as skies) Sun, Moon, and Stars;
(As well as ayre) Swallows, and Rooks, and Stares;
(As well as earth) Vines, Roses, Nettles, Millions,
Pinks, Gilliflowers, Mushrooms, and many millions
of other Plants lants (more rare and strange than these)
As very fishes living in the Seas.
And also Rams, Calfs, Horses, Hares, and Hogs,
Wolves, Lions, Urchins, Elephants and Dogs,
Yea, Men and Mayds; and (which I more admire)
The mytred Bishopand the cowled Fryer;
Whereof, examples, (but a few years since)
Were shew'n the Norways, and Polonian Prince."

Steenstrup's comparison of a squid with two drawings of
the sea monk from the sixteenth century

In the early 1850s, Danish zoologist Japetus Steenstrup
suggested that the sea-monk was a giant squid, a
theory more recently popularised by writer Richard Ellis.
Cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans believed the report
was based on the discovery of an errant walrus. More
recently, it has been suggested that it was an angel
shark Squatina squatina, which is commonly called
monkfish in English or munk in Norwegian. Other suggested suspects for the sea monk include
a grey seal, a hooded seal, a monk seal, or a hoax such as a Jenny Haniver.


Sea Serpents
Wikipedia.org

A sea serpent or sea dragon is a type of sea monster either wholly or partly serpentine.

Sightings of sea serpents have been reported for hundreds of years, and continue to be
claimed today. Cryptozoologist Bruce Champagne identified more than 1,200 purported sea
serpent sightings. It is currently believed that the sightings can be best explained as known
animals such as oarfish and whales. Some cryptozoologists have suggested that the sea
serpents are relict plesiosaurs, mosasaurs or other Mesozoic marine reptiles, an idea often
associated with lake monsters such as the Loch Ness Monster.
In mythology

The first American sea serpent, reported from Cape Ann,
Massachusetts, in 1639.

In Norse mythology, Jrmungandr, or "Midgarsormr" was
a sea serpent so long that it encircled the entire world,
Midgard. Some stories report of sailors mistaking its back
for a chain of islands. Sea serpents also appear frequently
in later Scandinavian folklore, particularly in that of
Norway.

In 1028 AD, Saint Olaf killed and threw onto the mountain Syltefjellet in Valldal, Norway a sea
serpent, the marks of which are still visible. In Swedish ecclesiastic and writer Olaus Magnus's
Carta marina, many marine monsters of varied form, including an immense sea serpent,
appear. Moreover, in his 1555 work History of the Northern Peoples, Magnus gives the
following description of a Norwegian sea serpent:

Those who sail up along the coast of Norway to trade or to fish, all tell the remarkable
story of how a serpent of fearsome size, 200 feet long and 20 feet wide, resides in rifts
and caves outside Bergen. On bright summer nights this serpent leaves the caves to
eat calves, lambs and pigs, or it fares out to the sea and feeds on sea nettles, crabs
and similar marine animals. It has ell-long hair hanging from its neck, sharp black
scales and flaming red eyes. It attacks vessels, grabs and swallows people, as it lifts
itself up like a column from the water.

Sea serpents were known to sea-faring cultures in the Mediterranean and Near East,
appearing in both mythology (the Babylonian Labbu) and in apparent eye-witness accounts
(Aristotle's Historia Animalium). In the Aeneid, a pair of sea serpents killed Laocon and his
sons when Laocon argued against bringing the Trojan Horse into Troy.




A sea serpent from Olaus Magnus's book
History of the Northern Peoples (1555).

.

Olaus Magnus's Sea Orm, 1555


In the Bible

The Bible refers to Leviathan and Rahab, from the Hebrew Tanakh, although 'great creatures
of the sea' (NIV) are also mentioned in Book of Genesis 1:21. In the Book of Amos 9:3 speaks
of a serpent to bite the people who try to hide in the sea from God.

Notable cases



Sea serpent reported by Hans Egede, Bishop of Greenland, in
1734. Henry Lee suggested the giant squid as an explanation.



The "Great Sea Serpent" according to Hans Egede.


Hans Egede, the national saint of Greenland, gives an 18th century descriptions of a sea
serpent. On 6 July 1734 his ship sailed past the coast of Greenland when suddenly those on
board

"saw a most terrible creature, resembling nothing they saw before. The monster lifted
its head so high that it seemed to be higher than the crow's nest on the mainmast.
The head was small and the body short and wrinkled. The unknown creature was using
giant fins which propelled it through the water. Later the sailors saw its tail as well.
The monster was longer than our whole ship", wrote Egede. (Mare, 1997)





Maned sea serpent from Bishop Erik Pontoppidan's 1755 work.
(Natural History of Norway)



The Gloucester sea serpent of 1817.



Sea serpent sightings on the coast of New England are documented beginning in 1638. An
incident in August 1817 spawned a rather silly mix-up when a committee of the New England
Linnaean Society went so far as to give a deformed terrestrial snake the name Scoliophis
atlanticus, believing it was the juvenile form of a sea serpent that had recently been reported
in Gloucester Harbor. The Gloucester Harbor serpent was claimed to have been seen by
hundreds of New England residents, including the crews of four whaling boats that reportedly
sought out the serpent in the harbor. Rife with political undertones, the serpent was known in
the harbor region as "Embargo." Sworn statements made before a local Justice of the Peace
and first published in 1818 were never recanted. After the Linnaean Society's misidentification
was discovered, it was frequently cited by debunkers as evidence that the creature did not
exist.





The sea serpent spotted by the crew of HMS Daedalus in 1848.



Another of the original illustrations of the HMS Daedalus
encounter.


A particularly famous sea serpent sighting was made by the men and officers of HMS Daedalus
in August, 1848 during a voyage to Saint Helena in the South Atlantic; the creature they saw,
some 60 feet (18 m) long, held a peculiar maned head above the water. The sighting caused
quite a stir in the London papers, and Sir Richard Owen, the famous English biologist,
proclaimed the beast an elephant seal. Other explanations for the sighting proposed that it
was actually an upside-down canoe, or a posing giant squid.

Another sighting took place in 1905 off the coast of Brazil. The crew of the Valhalla and two
naturalists, Michael J. Nicoll and E. G. B. Meade-Waldo, saw a long-necked, turtle headed
creature, with a large dorsal fin. Based on its dorsal fin and the shape of its head, some (such
as Heuvelmans) have suggested that the animal was some sort of marine mammal. A
skeptical suggestion is that the sighting was of a posing giant squid, but this is hard to accept
given that squids do not swim with their fins or arms protruding from the water.

On April 25, 1977, the Japanese trawler Zuiyo Maru, sailing east of Christchurch, New
Zealand, caught a strange, unknown creature in the trawl. Photographs and tissue specimens
were taken. While initially identified as a prehistoric plesiosaur, analysis later indicated that
the body was the carcass of a basking shark.




Albert Koch's 114-foot long "Hydrarchos" fossil skeleton from
1845. It was found to be an assembled collection of bones from
at least five fossil specimens of Basilosaurus.



Supposed Appearance of The Great Sea-Serpent, From H.M.S.
Plumper, Sketched By An Officer On Board, Illustrated London
News, 14 April 1849.




Misidentifications

Left: Oarfish that washed
ashore on a Bermuda beach
in 1860. The animal was 16
feet long and was originally
described as a sea serpent.



Skeptics and debunkers have questioned the interpretation of sea serpent sightings,
suggesting that reports of serpents are misidentifications of things such as cetaceans (whales
and dolphins), sea snakes, eels, basking sharks, baleen whales, oarfish, large pinnipeds,
seaweed, driftwood, flocks of birds, and giant squid.

While most cryptozoologists recognize that at least some reports are simple misidentifications,
they claim that many of the creatures described by those who have seen them look nothing
like the known species put forward by skeptics and claim that certain reports stick out. For
their part, the skeptics remain unconvinced, pointing out that even in the absence of out-right
hoaxes, imagination has a way of twisting and inflating the slightly out-of-the-ordinary until it
becomes extraordinary.

A recent posting on the Centre of Fortean Zoology blog by Cryptozoologist Dale Drinnon notes
his check of the categories in Heuvelmans' In The Wake of the Sea-Serpents, in which he
extracted the mistaken observation categories as a control to check the Sea-serpent
categories by using the reports he created identikits for the mistaken observations and
enlarged them to possibly 126 of Heuvelmans' sightings, making the mistaken observations
the largest section of Heuvelmans' reports. His identikits include oarfish, basking sharks,
toothed whales, baleen whales, lines of large whales for the largest Sea-serpent "hump"
sightings and trains of smaller cetaceans for the "Many-finned,elephant seals and manta rays.
Each of these categories was given a percentage of the whole body of reports, ranging
between 1% and 5% with the whales at an average 2.5%, figures which he considers
comparable to the regular Sea-serpent categories of Super-eel and Marine Saurian (each of
which he breaks into a larger and a smaller sized series following Heuvelmans' suggestion in
In the Wake of the Sea-Serpents) Drinnon has also published in the 2010 CFZ yearbook in
which he modifies Coleman's categories (below), adding a possible Giant otter category to the
Giant Beavers and modifying several others, bringing the total to 17 categories to broaden the
coverage. The broadened coverage allows more instances of conventional fishes such as
sturgeons and catfishes, left off Coleman's list. In a separate and earlier CFZ blog, Drinnon
reviewed Bruce Champagne's sea-serpent categories and identified several of them as known
animals, and several whales in particular. Drinnon basically recognises the Longneck, Marine
Saurian and Super-eel categories in this blog as well, with the modification that the Marine
Saurian as spoken of by Champagne is more likely a large crocodile akin to C. porosis and that
there has been a suggestion that an eel-like animal is involved in certain "Many-finned"
observations. The whale categories he identifies are: BC 2A-Possible Odobenocetops, BC2B,
Atlantic gray whale or Scrag Whale, BC 4B, as being similar to an unidentified large-finned
beaked whale otherwise reported in the Pacific, and BC 5, the large Father-of-All-the-Turtles,
as a humpback whale turned turtle.

Classification systems

Cryptozoologists have argued for the existence of sea serpents by claiming that people report
seeing similar things, and further arguing that it is possible to classify sightings into different
"types". There have been different classification attempts with different results, although they
share some common characteristics.

Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans

Megophias megophias : A large sea lion-like creature with a long neck and long tail.
Over 200 feet (61 m) long. Only the male has a mane. It is cosmopolitan.

Bernard Heuvelmans

Long Necked or Megalotaria longicollis: A 60-foot (18 m), long necked, short tailed
sea lion. Hair and whiskers reported. Cosmopolitan.
Merhorse or Halshippus olai-magni: A 60-foot (18 m), medium necked, large eyed,
horse-headed pinniped. Often has whiskers. It is also cosmopolitan.
Many-Humped or Plurigibbosus novae-angliae: A 60100-foot (1830 m), medium
necked, long bodied archaeocete. It has a series of humps or a crest on the spine like
a sperm whale's or grey whale's. It only lives in the North Atlantic.
Super Otter or Hyperhydra egedei: A 65100-foot (2030 m), medium necked, long
bodied archeocete that resembles an otter. It moves in numerous vertical undulations
(6-7). Lived near Norway and Greenland, and presumed to be extinct by Heuvelmans.
Many Finned or Cetioscolopendra aeliani: A 6070-foot (1821 m), short necked
archeocete. It has a number of lateral projections that look like dorsal fins, but turned
the incorrect way. Compare to the armor on Desmatosuchus, but much more
prominent.
Super Eels: A group of large and possibly unrelated eels. Partially based on the
Leptocephalus giganteus larvae, later shown to be normal sized. [This is a
controversial identification of a larval specimen made without benefit of actually
examining the specimen. This "identification" was done by the paperwork and the
actual specimen was missing by then.] Heuvelmans theorized eel, synbranchid, and
elasmobranch identities as being possible. Cosmopolitan.
Marine Saurian: A 5060-foot (1518 m) crocodile, or crocodile-like animal
(Mosasaur, Pliosaur, etc.)
Yellow Belly: A very large, 100200-foot (3061 m) yellow and black striped
tadpole-shaped creature. Dropped.
Father-of-all-the-turtles: A giant turtle. Dropped.
Giant Invertebrates: Giant Venus's girdle and salp colonies. Added. It is not clear if
Heuvelmans intended them to be unknown species or extreme forms of known
species.

Loren Coleman and Patrick Huyghe

Classic Sea Serpent: A quadrupedal, elongated animal with the appearance of many
humps when swimming. Essentially a composite of the many humped, super otter,
and super eels types. The authors suggest Basilosaurus as a candidate, or possibly
Remingtoncetids.
Waterhorse: A large pinniped, similar to the long necked and merhorse. Only the
males are maned, but females appear to have snorkels. Both of their eyes are rather
small. They are noteworthy for being behind both salt and fresh water sightings.
Mystery Cetacean: A category of unknown whale species including double finned
whales and dolphins, dorsal finned sperm whales, unknown beaked whales, an
unknown orca, and others.
Giant Shark: A surviving megalodon.
Mystery Manta: A small manta ray with dorsal markings.
Great Sea Centipede: Same as the many finned. The authors suggest the flippers
may either be retractile, and the "scaly" appearance could be caused by parasites.
Mystery Saurian: Same as the marine saurian.
Cryptic Chelonian: A resurrection of the father-of-all-turtles.
Mystery Sirenian: Late surviving Steller's Sea Cow.
Giant Octopus, Octopus giganteus or Otoctopus giganteus: A large cephalopod living
in the tropical Atlantic.

Bruce Champagne

1A Long Necked: A 30-foot (9.1 m) sea lion with a long neck and long tail. The neck
is the same thickness or smaller than the head. Hair reported. It is capable of travel
on land. Cosmopolitan.
1B Long Necked: Similar to the above type but over 55 feet (17 m) long and far
more robust. The neck is of lesser thickness than the head. Only inhabits water near
Great Britain and Denmark.
2A Eel-Like: A 2030-foot (6.19.1 m) long heavily scaled or armored reptile. It is
distinguished by a small square head with prominent tusks. "Motorboating" behavior
on surface. Inhabits only the North Atlantic.
2B Eel-Like: A 2530-foot (7.69.1 m) beaked whale. It is distinguished by a
tapering head and a dorsal crest. "Motorboating" behavior engaged in. Inhabits the
Atlantic and Pacific. Possibly extinct.
2C Eel-Like: A 6070-foot (1821 m), elongated reptile with no appendages. The
head is very large and cow-like or reptilian with teeth similar to a crabeater seal's.
Also shares the "motorboating" behavior. Inhabits the Atlantic, Pacific, and South
China Sea. Possibly extinct.
3 Multi-Humped: 3060 feet (9.118 m) long. A possible reptile with a dorsal crest
and the ability to move in several undulations. The head has a distinctive "cameloid"
appearance. Identical with Cadborosaurus willsi.
4A Sailfin: A 3070-foot (9.121 m) beaked whale. It is distinguished by a very small
head and a very large dorsal fin. Only found in the North West Atlantic. Possibly
extinct.
4B Sailfin: An elongated animal of possible mammalian or reptilian identity reported
to be 1285 feet (3.726 m) long. It has a long neck with a turtle-like head and a long
continuous dorsal fin. Cosmopolitan.
5 Carapaced: A large turtle or turtle-like creature (mammal?) reported to be 1045
feet (3.014 m) long. Carapace is described as jointed, segmented, and plated. May
exhibit a dorsal crest of "quills" and a type of oily hair. Cosmopolitan.
6 Saurian: A large and occasionally spotted crocodile or crocodile-like creature up to
65 feet (20 m) long. Found in the Northern Atlantic and Mediterranean.
7 Segmented/Multi limbed: An elongated mammalian creature up to 65 feet (20 m)
long with the appearance of segmentation and many fins. Found in the Western
Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific.

Sea Monsters
Wikipedia.org

Sea monsters are sea-dwelling mythical or
legendary creatures, often believed to be of
immense size.

Picture taken from a Hetzel copy of Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

Marine monsters can take many forms, including
sea dragons, Sea Serpents, or multi-armed
beasts. They can be slimy or scaly and are often
pictured threatening ships or spouting jets of
water. The definition of a "monster" is subjective,
and some sea monsters may have been
exaggerations of scientifically accepted creatures
such as whales and types of giant and colossal
squid.

Sightings and legends

Historically, decorative drawings of heraldic
dolphins and sea monsters were frequently used to
illustrate maps, such as the Carta marina. This
practice died away with the advent of modern
cartography. Nevertheless, stories of sea monsters and eyewitness accounts which claim to
have seen these beasts persist to this day. Such sightings are often cataloged and studied by
folklorists and cryptozoologists.

Sea monster accounts are found in virtually all cultures that have contact with the sea. For
example, Avienus relates of Carthaginian explorer Himilco's voyage "...there monsters of the
deep, and beasts swim amid the slow and sluggishly crawling ships." (lines 117-29 of Ora
Maritima).

Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed to have encountered a lion-like monster with "glaring eyes" on
his return voyage after formally claiming St. John's, Newfoundland (1583) for England.

Another account of an encounter with a sea monster comes from July 1734. Hans Egede, a
Danish/Norwegian missionary, reported that on a voyage to Gothaab/Nuuk on the western
coast of Greenland he observed:

a most terrible creature, resembling nothing they saw before. The monster lifted its
head so high that it seemed to be higher than the crow's nest on the mainmast. The
head was small and the body short and wrinkled. The unknown creature was using
giant fins which propelled it through the water. Later the sailors saw its tail as well.
The monster was longer than our whole ship.

Other reports are known from the Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans (e.g. see Heuvelmans
1968).

There is a Tlingit legend about a sea monster named Gunakadeit (Goo-na'-ka-date) who
brought prosperity and good luck to a village in crisis, people starving in the home they made
for themselves on the southeastern coast of Alaska.

A more recent development has been the two mysterious noises "Bloop" and "Slow Down"
picked up by hydrophonic equipment in 1997 and not heard since. While matching the audio
characteristics of an animal, they were deemed too large to be a whale. Investigations thus far
have been inconclusive.

It is debatable what these modern "monsters" might be. Possibilities include the frilled shark,
basking shark, oarfish, giant squid, seiches, or whales. For example Ellis (1999) suggested the
Egede monster might have been a giant squid. Other hypotheses are that modern-day
monsters are surviving specimens of giant marine reptiles, such as an ichthyosaur or
plesiosaur, from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods, or extinct whales like Basilosaurus.
Tropical cyclones such as hurricanes or typhoons may also be another possible origin of sea
monsters, mainly through ship damage accounts.

In 1892, Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans, then director of the Royal Zoological Gardens at The
Hague saw the publication of his The Great Sea Serpent, which suggested that many sea
serpent reports were best accounted for as a previously unknown giant, long-necked pinniped.

It is likely that many other reports of sea monsters are misinterpreted sightings of shark and
whale carcasses (see below), floating kelp, logs or other flotsam such as abandoned rafts,
canoes and fishing nets.

Alleged sea monster carcasses

Left: The St. Augustine Monster was a
carcass that washed ashore near St.
Augustine, Florida in 1896. It was initially
postulated to be a gigantic octopus.

Sea monster corpses have been reported
since recent antiquity (Heuvelmans 1968).
Unidentified carcasses are often called
globsters. The alleged plesiosaur netted by
the Japanese trawler Zuiy Maru off New
Zealand caused a sensation in 1977 and was
immortalized on a Brazilian postage stamp
before it was suggested by the FBI to be the
decomposing carcass of a basking shark. Likewise, DNA testing confirmed that an alleged sea
monster washed up on Fortune Bay, Newfoundland in August, 2001, was a sperm whale.

Another modern example of a "sea monster" was the strange creature washed up in Los
Muermos on the Chilean sea shore in July, 2003. It was first described as a "mammoth
jellyfish as long as a bus" but was later determined to be another corpse of a sperm whale.
Cases of boneless, amorphic globsters are sometimes believed to be gigantic octopuses, but it
has now been determined that sperm whales dying at sea decompose in such a way that the
blubber detaches from the body, forming featureless whitish masses that sometimes exhibit a
hairy texture due to exposed strands of collagen fibers. The analysis of the Zuiy Maru carcass
revealed a comparable phenomenon in decomposing basking shark carcasses, which lose most
of the lower head area and the dorsal and caudal fins first, making them resemble a
plesiosaur.


Legendary sea monsters

The Aspidochelone, a giant turtle or whale that appeared to be an island, and lured
sailors to their doom
Capricorn, Babylonian Water-Goat, in the Zodiac
Charybdis of Homer, a monstrous whirlpool that sucked any ship nearby
Cirein-crin
Coinchenn, from whose bone the Gae Bulg is made in Celtic mythology
Curruid, the sea monster who killed the Coinchenn
Hydra, Greece
Iku-Turso
Jrmungandr, the Norse Midgard Serpent.
Kraken
Leviathan
Loch Ness Monster
Proteus
Scylla of Homer, a six-headed serpentine that devoured six men from each ship that
passed by
Sirens of Homer
Taniwha
The Rainbow Fish
Tiamat
The constellation Cetus
Umibzu
Yacumama, South America