MONSTERS: Dearg Due

Made in AI Generator

There is a  tragic tale in Celtic folklore that ends in revenge. The woman of this tale's name is long gone, but she is now known as Dearg Due. It's a tale of "Hell Hath no fury like a woman scorned". 

In life, Dearg Due was a woman who was born and raised in Ireland. She was said to be kind and sweet. She even fell in love with a local peasant who was similar as he was kind and handsome. Her father was cruel and greedy. He was lucky his daughter was so beautiful, and that a rich man wanted her. This was a time when arranged marriages were commonplace. 

She would then be sold into marriage and separated from her love and her father got richer. Her husband was a cruel older man who would place his hands on her and verbally berate her. Her husband seemed to love doing this to her. 

Knowing that she had a lover waiting for her outside he would lock her up in a tower. She was isolated as those she used to know would never see her again after the wedding. She would wait and pray for her love to come and save her, but he never was able to. She would begin to waste away as she refused to eat and drink. This would eventually die from this.She is buried in a small churchyard, near “Strongbow’s Tree,” in the County of Waterford in Southeast Ireland

Her husband and father did not grieve her death. Everyone else grieved her, especially her lover. He would visit the grave every night crying and talking to her. Her husband was said to have remarried quickly after. Her lover was filled with regret and rage at how her life had been ruined. 

Dearg Due was also filled with rage. She craved retribution so much that she was able to crawl out of her grave. The first person she visited was in the home she grew up in. She would stand next to her father and watch as he slept. The cruel man would sleep as if his daughter did not have a cruel fate. She would place her lips on his and suck the life out of him. 

She would then go to the home she would die in. She would find her husband surrounded by women. He also did not care about what he put her through. The women were fulfilling his lustful desires and she would stand there watching. Rage would fill her and she would throw herself at her husband and draw his life. Her fury was so harsh that not only did she take his last breath but all his blood. 

She would meet her love again. Even though his love and rage brought her back to life she did not feel love anymore. She would also make the man a victim of hers. 

It said that she only hunts on the night of her death. She then kills men on that night. 

SOURCES:

Irish Central

Got Ireland

Myth and Folklore Wiki

Irish Road Trip

CRYPTIDS: Boroboroton

 

Boroboroton as depicted in Toriyama Sekien's Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro

The Boroboroton belongs is a specific kind of Japanese Yokai called Tsukumogami or artifact spirit. These kinds of spirits are from manmade objects either possessed by ghosts or spirits or they form their own spirit from constant use for at least 90 to 100 years. If They form their own spirit they often look brand new or pristine despite their old age.

The Boroboroton is a tattered futon or a Japanese sleeping mat. They come alive at night and will come to life at night especially if it feels ignored or needless. In revenge, they will rise up in the air and kill any sleeping person they make contact with. It will wrap around the head and neck of the sleeper with the intent of strangling them to death. 

Sometimes they will meet with other Tsukumogami and throw noisy parties or leave the gome search for other beings. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Yokai Wiki

MONSTERS: Kit Swamp Monster

 

On Thursday, August 18, 1875, Asa Grundy thought it was going to be a normal day in Kits Swamp, North Carolina. His five-year-old daughter was playing with a neighbor child in a corn crib while he was stripping fodder in the field. Then he heard the children screaming, the dogs barking, and his wife screaming. Asa stopped what he was doing and ran towards the edge of the cornfield where all the screaming was coming from. 

In front of him stood a monster that was carrying the children with one in each paw. The monster was heading towards the woods. When Asa appeared it surprised the monster making him pause for a second.

The father did what he thought fit as with all his strength he swung towards the monster. With a solid hit on the forehead, the monster fell to the ground and dropped both children. Before Asa could capture the thing it suddenly got up and ran into the woods with no trace of it being found.

Asa said that the beast had the face of a wanderoo, the body of a baboon and the arms and legs of a human. He claims that for the last few weeks a strange being had been preying upon poultry, garden vegetables and green corn in an alarming amount. 

The inhabitants of  Kits Swamp was now on edge as they kept an eye on the beast who was possibly after their children. Two particular residents were keeping a real close eye for the monster. The story goes that Eli Sparrow and Frank Hanson kept their eyes out for it determined to get it when they spot it.

The monster was lurking on the outside of a small clearing owned by Maria Harkley.  At this time Maria and her two young children were picking blackberries. The three men were sitting on a pine tree log watching as the Monster started approaching the young Maria's young boy who was 50 yards away from his mother. 

When the intruder was spotted the three men hid behind the log and kept an eye on the monster. They wanted to see what it was up to. The boy was now within range for the men to shoot if the monster came towards him. The men did not automatically shoot as they wanted to see the monsters intention, because they wanted to get it alive. But it became apparent that the monster wanted to kidnap the boy.  

When the monster came 10 feet of the boy and seemed to want to lunge at him they shot him towards his lower half. The monster fell, but the before the men could get to him it ran into the woods. It outran its hunters, but the blood trail helped them find it.

They pursued the monster for two hours before happening upon chaparral that was too thick to go through. They then saw an opening and Story volunteered to go through. It was small and dark for Story. He had eventually run into a plank that he had to remove and it let the light come in. This was when he made eye contact with the monster. 

The others followed after him. The monster seemed to have felt scared and trapped. It tried to defend itself sprung at Story and during the struggle, his gun went off. Which caused the creature to lose its life.

The three men brought it to town and many people had awwed at the monster. The skin of the monster was sent to Baltimore to be stuffed and put into an exhibit. It is unknown if it was really stuffed.

I only happened upon these articles and could not find out more about it. The story had to of been somewhat big at the time as a newspaper from London had an article about it. It is not known how much truth there is to the story.

If this story has any truth of this. Then it would mean that  Kits Swamp North Carolina had a Bigfoot-like creature terrorizing the town, and they had caught it. 

SOURCES:

Newbern Weekly Journal of Commerce August 21, 1875

Newbern Weekly Journal of Commerce September 11, 1875

The Times October 1, 1875

MONSTERS: Nasnas

 

This folio from Walters manuscript W.659 

In Arab folklore, a Nasnas is a monstrous creature believed to have been born between a jinn called a Shiqq and a human. These creatures is basically and literally half a human being. They have half a head, half a body, one arm, and one leg. It hops with much agility. 

SOURCES:

Myths and Folklore

Wikipedia

MONSTERs: Futakuchi-Onna

 

Futakuchi-Onna is a Japanese Yokai characterized by the two functioning mouths on her head. She has one in the front and one in the back that her hair covers. It’s said that the second mouth forms on the back of the head of a woman who typically eats very little. It's described as hurting and split happens in the back of the head where lips, teeth, tongue, and hunger form. The mouth in the back begins to mutter awful things to her and it begins controlling her hair at its will to feed itself.

In one tale the Futakuchi-Onna is married to a miser who noticed she never ate anything. Even though she never ate but food in the home disappeared. One day he pretends to leave the home to catch her sleeping and undid her hair tie to see a second mouth. Her hair began to scoop rice and placed it inside the hideous mouth. He planned to divorce her, but she found out. She tried to trap him in a bathtub and carry him to the mountains. He would then successfully escape her through a lily marsh.

Another tale with the Futakuchi-Onna is a woman who allowed her stepdaughter to starve to death. 49 days after the stepdaughter's death the woman felt a pain in the back of her head and a mouth former. the stepdaughter's voice could be heard and beg for food. The other mouth would scream if not fed and the stepmother had to live in constant hunger because of this. 

SOURCES:

Cryptid Wiki

Yokai

Wikipedia

MONSTERS: Mbwiri

 The Mbwiri is a Central African demon that possesses people. The person who is possessed is usually the only one who knows that they are possessed. It's said that they target those who aren't living well. People who are possessed by the Mbwiri are usually diagnosed with epilepsy by a doctor.

In order to get rid of the Mbwiri a shaman is called. A hut is built and the afflicted, the shaman, and their assistants will live here till they are cured. For ten days or a fortnight, these people will eat, drink, and dance to the music of flute and drum at the expense of the patient's family. The patient would then dance until the epileptic fits come on. It's said the Mbwiri would hate the good living their victim was having and flee the body. When cured they would then build a fetish house and then avoids certain foods and performs certain duties. Sometimes they don't get cured and are engulfed in madness or runs away to the bush.

SOURCES: 

Wikipedia

Monster Wiki

MONSTERS: Black Annis

 

In the countryside of Leicestershire, England there is a cannibalistic witch living in a dark cave in the Dane Hills. She's known as Black Annis' Bower by the locals. She is very tall and horrible, with blue skin, long sharp teeth, claw-like fingers, and glowing eyes. The entrance of the cave is an old oak tree which she often hides at night and waits for her next meal. 

She only leaves the cave to find tasty children with the tastiest being those who misbehave. If no children could be found then she would feed on livestock like sheep and lambs. It was most common to see her pull the children with her long arms through windows (no glass at the time). The children would be warned of her visit as her howl could be heard from miles away. Sometimes you can even hear her teeth grinding.

She would suck her preys dry of blood, and then the skins are hung on the oak tree to dry. 

Her cave was filled with dirt into the late 1800s, possibly burying Black Annis in her home. It's unknown as it's believed that she was an immortal being able to adapt to the modern world. It's said that she adopted the name Cat Anna at the end of the 1800s and was said to be living in cellars under Leicester Castle where a supposed subterranean passage connect to Dane Hills. 

It's unknown where Black Annis would reside now. Her territory is entirely lost now as the hillside is now a large housing estate. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Monsters Wiki

MONSTERS: Hidebehind

 

The hidebehind as illustrated by Margaret Ramsay Tryon for "Fearsome Critters" by Henry Harrington Tryon

A Hidebehind is a nocturnal fearsome critter from American folklore. It is a large and powerful creature that preys on humans that wander the woods at night. The creature will follow the human and conceals itself behind an object or the observer if there is an attempt to look at it directly. The creature will eventually attack the human and drag them to its home where it would devour the human, especially their intestines. They hate alcohol and avoid those who smell/drank it. It was said that they were to blame for many disappearances of early loggers. 

Maybe the noises heard in the forest is not just forest noises, but the hidebehind hunting for dinner.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Cryptid Wiki

MONSTERS: Cheval Mallet

 

Photo by Janosch Diggelmann

A Cheval Mallet (meaning Mallet Horse) is evil but fabulous horse in French folklore. It's seen around Vendée, Poitou, and Pays de Retz, near Lac de Grand Lieu. It's described as a beautiful white or black horse saddled and bridled. It tempts exhausted travelers and the unwary who choose to ride the horse are said to never be seen again. The only thing to protect the traveler from the horse is a protection spell as a medal of St. Benedict or have them n the price of traveling.


SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Monsters Wiki

Myths and Folklore Wiki

MONSTERS: Yama-Uba

 

Yama-Uba (Mountain Hag) is a female yokai who are considered old hags or witches in the Japanese Forests and Mountains. The Yama-Uba were born human but turn into monsters. They typically appear as kind old ladies, but sometimes they sport horn or fangs. They don't give sign to their evil nature.

Yama-Uba will live alone in huts by the road. They will offer shelter, food, and a place to sleep for travlers. Unbeknowist to the travlers she would wait for them to sleep before turning to their true form an old, ugly, demonic witch. She would then catch and feast on them using her magic. 

Stories of the Yama-Uba would spread and keep travlers to be safer. It's also told as bedisde stories to disobediant children. Sometimes these stories were told when young wome were accused of crimes or wicked deeds and they had to flee to the forest/mountain. They would live in exile becomeing an "old hag".

Sometimes during famines or economic hardship families would make hard choices to get rid a family member so the rest would survive. Often this was a newborn or an elderly family member would be removed. It's believed that some of the Yama-Uba may have been elderly senile women abandoned by family members in the forest or mountains. It's said that these women would either out of rage or desperation tranformaed into the Yama-Uba practicing black magic. 

SOURCES:

Yokai Wiki

Wikipedia

Yokai

MONSTERS: Tano Giant

 

In the Upper parts of the Boin Tano Forest in Ghana, Africa, a tale is told by the natives of the area of the Tano Giant. It seems to be a bigfoot-like creature described as a white ape of extraordinary structure and human instinct. They are described as larger than a man with arms as thick as a man's body. His skin is white, but black hair grows on it. They only have four fingers and no thumbs, the head is flat and small for its size, but the same size as a large monkey's head. His facial features are similar to monkeys, their mouth is the same, and has large teeth. It's said that they carry the skin of a bush cow and during the when cold. The creature is also dangerous.

A hunter once tried to shoot the Tano Giant, but the creature broke the gun and the hunter's arms. There are other similar stories. It attacked two women gathering plantains and kidnapped one and the other woman left screaming. This woman was never found again. It's said that several children were kidnapped by it and their bodies were later found mutilated with their bowels devoured. 

To help keep the Tano Giant away doors are barricaded at night and broiled plantains and cassava are left on the jungle paths to the village. This is to help appease his hunger and hope he does not find his next meal in the village. But if they do appear in the village he only runs away when a fire is thrown at them.

SOURCES:

Cryptid Wiki

Kook Science

Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology Volume 2 page 535

MONSTERS: Hone-Onna

 

From the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki by Sekien Toriyama

Hone-onna (bone woman) is a yokai in Japanese lore and as the name implies she is in a form of bones. She's a woman who has died but has an undying love that brings her back to life. She is seen as beautiful as she was alive, but some will see her as a rotting corpse. Those people are either not blinded by love or strong religious faith.

This undying love allows her to be with whoever she was in love with alive. She seemingly seems normal to them and herself unknown to both that she's a rotting body. The man would more than likely know that she is in fact dead, but is blinded by love when seeing her. 

She would visit them at night and they would have a sexual relationship. This could last up to weeks and unbeknownst to their lover, she is sucking the life force from him. He will eventually die and the two will be together in death.

If she is seen in her rotting form the person and informs the man what was happening. Her lover may be thrown off though and use magic charms on the home to keep her away. This only works if he truly wants that though. She may continue to visit at night as she is still unknown to her own condition. 

Within the collection of writings called "Otogi Bōko" (1666) by Asai Ryōi (this collection is the moral-free version of "Jiandeng Xinhua" (1378) by Qu You) the story "Botan Dōrō" or the Peony Lantern is about a Hone-onna. A man named Ogiwara Shinnojo would meet Yako, a beautiful woman, and they would have a sexual relationship every night. An elderly neighbor would witness the two, but instead of seeing Yako, they would see Shinnojo embracing a skeleton.

One story of Hone-onna is explained in the text "Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki" by Toriyama Sekien (may be referenced to the previous story) in the story Otogi Bōko. Hone-onna is an aged female skeleton who would carry a chōchin lantern that was decorated with Botan flowers. She would then visit the home of a man she loved when alive and have a sexual relationship with him.

In "Tōhoku Kaidan no Tabi" by Norio Yamada there is an odd tale of Hone-onna in the Aomori Prefecture. It's said that an ugly woman in the Ansei period became a good-looking skeleton after death. She is said to walk around town as a skeleton to show off, likes fish bones, and would collapse upon encountering a high priest.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Yokai 

Myths and Folklore Wiki

Yokai Wiki

MONSTERS: The Bekatarō

 

The  Bekatarō is an ugly, malevolent, and cannibalistic Japanese Yokai. It's believed that it was a wicked child born with a supernatural and unquenchable hunger. They consume anything they can find including humans. It's said that he was so hungrey he started eating humans and thus became a yokai. Their hunger allows them to devour more than what 10 or 20 adults could and want more.  They have a humanoid form and are usually seen pulling their lower eyelids with its finger and sticking its tongues out in a mocking gesture. 

SOURCES:

Yokai

Yokai Wiki

Monsters Wiki

MONSTERS: The Blinking Man

 

Photo by Stefano Pollio

There is an entity that goes by many names The Blink Man, Peeping Tom, the Flickergiest, or The Tunnel Man that haunts the Iichester Tunnel in Elliot City, Maryland. You can't simply catch a glimpse of this entity, but have to summon him in an hour-long process. It is only accomplished by staring down the tunnel for an entire hour between midnight and 1 a.m. without blinking. 

If accomplished the Blinking Man will constantly be in your vision and with every blink, he comes closer. It's said that he comes so close that you can feel his eyelashes touching you. He wants you to blink a final time. What comes is either madness or death.

SOURCES:

Chesapeake Horror 

The Patch November 23, 2016

Horror Society June 25, 2019

MONSTERS: Lock Ness Monster

Photograph was taken by Robert K. Wilson 1934

Accounts of a beast living in the waters of Loch Ness, Scotland goes back about 1,500 years, but the Loch Ness Monster we know today started in 1933.

Kelpies or water horses are creatures of Scotland folklore. They are shape-shifting water spirits that reside in both large and small bodies of water. They will sometimes also assume human form, but with hooves. They are known to prey on humans.

The earliest reported sighting of a beast or Kelpie in Loch Ness was in a biography of Saint Columba, who is credited with bringing Christianity to Scotland. According to Saint Columba On August 22, 565 he had stopped along the shores of Loch Ness on a journey to see the Pictish king. He claimed that there was a man who was swimming in the lake being attacked by a beast. Columba claims he raised a hand invoking God and commanded "Go back with all speed." and thus he saved the man as the beast left.

After April of 1933 sighting, it was the start of what we know as the Loch Ness Monster or Nessie. The sighting was published in a newspaper people began to grow more interested in it. When a couple also claimed to see it, but it was on land crossing shore road it really piqued the interest of the people. By October many British news reporters were sent to Loch Ness. On the radio programs would be interrupted by updates of what was happening at Loch Ness. There was even a £20,000 or $25948 reward for the capture of the beast.

Tons of tourists were even coming to Loch Ness to catch a glimpse of the monster that resided in it. Many of the people that came were boy scouts and outdoorsmen who would sit in boats or in deck chairs so that they could see the beast.

In December of that year, London Daily Mail hired actor, director, and big-game hunter Marmaduke Wetherell to track down the beast. After a few days of being there, Wetherell reported finding fresh footprints of a four-toed animal. This prompted London Daily Mail to carry out the dramatic headline of "The Monster of Loch Ness is Not Legend but Fact."

There was plaster of the so-called footprint of the beast, and it was sent to the Natural History Museum in London. In Jan. of 1934, it was found that the footprints were faked. The plaster footprint was of a hippopotamus foot that was more than likely stuffed. It was the first faked evidence of many for the years to come. This even had also tainted the phenomenon of the Loch Ness Monster and caused people to doubt it was real. It isn't known if Wetherell was the one who tried to pull off this hoax or was just a victim of it.

Even though the hoax of the footprint came out and the popularity of the Loch Ness Monster deflated people still came forward claiming that they had seen it. Many of the witnesses described a large creature with one or more humps much like an overturned boat. Many of the witnesses seemed to be of level-headed people.

On April 19, 1934, Robert K. Wilson a surgeon from London was on a hunting trip near Loch Ness. While he was driving by Loch Ness he saw movement in the water and pulled over to see what it was. By chance, he had a camera with him as he saw a large neck of an animal. So he had taken the picture and then sold it to Daily Mail and it is now one of the most known images of the Loch Ness Monster. It is also believed that this image was also faked.

The most popular theory is that the Loch Ness Monster is a Plesiosaur, a prehistoric aquatic reptile that lived in the warm waters around Scotland 70 million years ago. 65 million years ago they had become extinct as there has been no fossil evidence of them being alive after that time. The Plesiosaur shares many physical aspects with Nessie.  People theorize that 12,000 years ago when Loch Ness was solid ice that a Plesiosaur got frozen in it also and survived when being thawed out.

The downside of this theory is that Plesiosaur would not have survived being in ice and being thawed out. It wasn't possible. Another thing is that it lived in warm waters and Loch Ness would be considerably way too cold for the extinct reptile. Also after it was thawed out why would the Loch Ness Monster go to Loch Ness when it had few fish and nutrients after the ice age. Also, the reptile breathed air, so it would have to frequently come up for air constantly and would be seen more often. In that aspect, there would also be more evidence of Nessie if that was true.

This was the beginning of how we see the Loch Ness monster or Nessie as people term it now. Like back then people in the present day's people still go hunting Nessie. Even now people claim to have seen the monster. Scientists also haven't found evidence that neither confirms or denies the Loch Ness Monster.


SOURCES:

History

PBS

Ancient Origins

Mental Floss

Loch Ness

MONSTERS: Abere

 

Photo by Nsey Benajah

In Melanesian Folklore, there is a demon named Abere. She’s seen as a beautiful woman who uses her sexual prowess to lure men into a water source. She will wait in the water naked among the mimia reeds. She calls out to men hoping they will follow her into the water. If he chooses to go into the water with her he’s doomed. Abere traps him among the reeds by using her powers over them and tangle them around him. She will then drown him and eat him. She is in control of several beautiful young women. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia
God Checker
Genies Wiki

MONSTERS: Samca

  A Samca is a creature in Romanian Legends as an ugly and terrible evil spirit. She can take many different forms like a large pig, a grinning dog with rotten teeth, a hairless cat with fiery bulging eyes, a crow with bloody eyes, and a large black spider. The most known version is of a naked woman with disheveled hair down to her feet, dried out breasts that touch the ground, small bright eyes, a tongue of fire, and iron hands with nails as sharp as knitting needles or hooked as sickles.

They show themselves at the end of the month usually around the full moon. With their large crooked mouth, they show in front of children under 4-years-old.  A disease that children get after the Samca appeared often called "the children's malice". This causes the child to be deathly ill. 

They also show themselves to women lying on their birth bed, and once the creatures are visible they touch the pregnant woman as if kneading them. This would either scare the women to death or cripple them for life. It's also said that the Samca would curse the newborns.

Samca goes by 19 names; Vestitia, Navadaria, Valnomia, Sina, Nicosda, Avezuha, Scorcoila, Tiha, Miha, Grompa, Slalo, Necauza, Hatavu, Hulila, Huva, Ghiana, Gluviana, Prava, and Samca. In order to avoid the Samca people would need to write all 19 names on the wall of the house or ask someone for a protective spell. If attacked the person who did the spell gets attacked, except if the person is of age the Samca cannot.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Monster Wiki

Right Words

Librum Prodigiosum (tumblr)

MONSTERS: Leyak

 

Depictions of Rangda the Queen of the Leyak

The Leaks are humans practicing black magic in Bali and their mistress is the queen of Leyak Rangda. She is a widow-witch who plays prominent roles in public rituals. Her mask is kept in the village death temple during her temple festivals. It's said that both Demons and Leyaks follow Rangda. A Leyak cannot leave Bali.

Leyaks have cannibalistic behavior. They have the ability to change themselves into animals and fly. In normal form they are seen as a normal human during the day, at night their head and entrails break from their body and fly. In this form, they have a long tongue and large fangs.  They are said to haunt graveyards to feed on corpses. It is said that they also target pregnant women to suck their baby's blood. Sometimes they would possess people.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

History Collection

Cryptids

Bloody Mary

 

Historically the divination ritual had young women walking up the stairs backward with a mirror. It could show the face of their future husband or a skull, which represented them dying before marrying.

More commonly today individuals or groups would try to contact Mary by standing in a dimly lit room in front of a mirror. The persons involved would have to repeatedly say "Bloody Mary" or "Hell Mary", or "Mary Worth" in order to summon her in the mirror.

Mary would show up in the mirror as a ghostly or as a corpse. She can either be friendly or evil being sometimes covered in blood. If she appears with evil intent she could curse at them, try to kill them, steal their soul, scratch out their eyes or drink their blood or haunt them.

Some say that Mary was a young woman who died of illness in the 1800s. Except she wasn't dead when she was buried and instead was in a coma state. a string tied to a bell was connected to the girl in case she was to wake. Mary would tug at the bell and no one was to hear it as it would fall to the ground. She would then die inside her grave unable to escape

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Media Wiki

J Hop Times

Monsters: Roperites

 

According to the Digger Indians, Roperites are the spirits of early Spanish ranchers. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra's and the Pitt River in Nevada where lumbermen reported seeing them. They live in groups and are predators not to be messed with even if it's is the size of a small pony. Its nose is that of a long noose that it uses to drag prey like jackrabbits through thorny chaparral to its death. It also releases a terrifying noise from the rattles on its tail that vibrates while it's going for its prey. Its well-developed flapper-like legs allow it to move in a way like half running and half flying.

SOURCES:
Cryptid Wiki
Monster Wiki
A Book of Creatures
San Fransisco Examiner