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I can't believe it's been a week already. Good luck to everyone!


#21 Basilisk


This creature is closely related to one we have already seen, the Cockatrice. In folklore, the basilisk is referred to as the king of snakes. Its supernatural power is that it can cause death with a single glance. In addition, it is extremely venomous. Traditionally, the basilisk is a small snake, not much more than a couple of feet long (this is quite a difference from the basilisk’s most recent depiction in the Harry Potter series, where it was monstrously huge). Basilisk are said to be born of a serpent or toad egg that is incubated by a cockerel (which is the opposite of how a cockatrice is born). Supposedly, the odor of the weasel is the main weakness of the basilisk, and the weasel is the only creature that can directly attack it. This European tradition is possibly connected to the predator-prey relationship of the mongoose and the cobra in Asia. The crowing of the rooster can also kill it, so travelers would commonly carry roosters with them into areas reported to contain basilisks. There is an actual species of lizard called the Basilisk lizard, but they are not really dangerous (unless you’re an insect or small vertebrate). They can run on water.




#28 Headless Horseman


Americans often associated the headless horseman with “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, which is a short story by Washington Irving. However, the headless horseman has been showing up in European folklore since the Middle Ages. In Ireland, the dullahan is a headless fairy, which rides a black horse, usually with his head under one arm. The dullahan carries a whip that is made from a human spine. If the dullahan stops riding, he will call out a name, and that person will immediately die. The Brothers Grimm had two accounts featuring headless horsemen. In the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman is the ghost of Hessian warrior from the American Revolution. This ghost can actually physically harm people, usually by decapitation.

Ooh I got 7/10 now......

Niki xxx

"This ghost can actually physically harm people, usually by decapitation."
Charming!!!

Basilisk takes me up to 6.

#6 Frankenstein


More accurately known as Frankenstein’s monster, this fictional character was originally introduced in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. Created by the scientist Victor Frankenstein in an experiment exploring reanimation, Frankenstein is found to be abhorrent by his creator, causing him much sadness. Frankenstein is not naturally vicious, although due to Victor’s rejection and other events, Frankenstein eventually does become a true monster, murdering those people closest to Victor.

#29 Wendigo


This creature originated in legends of the Algonquian tribes along the east coast of the U.S. and Canada. The wendigo is a demonic creature or spirit that can takes its on physical shape or possess humans. The scholar Basil Johnston described the wendigo as follows:

“The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tautly over its bones. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets, the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. What lips it had were tattered and bloody [....] Unclean and suffering from suppurations of the flesh, the Wendigo gave off a strange and eerie odor of decay and decomposition, of death and corruption.”

The wendigo is usually thought to possess people who have participated in cannibalism, even if as a means of survival. It is thought that the wendigo tradition was encouraged because cannibalism was considered a great taboo among these peoples.

The only positive thing about Wendigo is that it was one of my choices. UGH! Creeeeeepy critter.
Brings me to 7/10.

Carole

Finally catching up, 6/10.

I've had an unusually busy week and hadn't checked for several days... I'm at 7/10 with many cool and creepy monsters!

Makes me want to dig out the ol' RPG books.

Ketta wrote:
Makes me want to dig out the ol' RPG books.

Me too, Ketta!

I'm still at 6/10.

Halfway there with 5/10.

Love the creepies. This is great stuff!

Good old Frankenstein's monster!! I'm up to 7

I seem to have chosen the odd numbers this time - have 3/10. Still better than none though

#8 Yeti


This tall ape-like creature is said to live in the Himalayas, in Nepal and Tibet. The yeti is part of the mythology of people native to that region, but there is no conclusive scientific evidence that this creature actually exists. Many explorers who have traveled through this region have claimed to see the creature or signs of it. There are several photos of footprints that cannot be identified as belonging to any known creatures in the region, but these are usually thought to be prints that have been distorted by weather and not those of the yeti. People have been trying to prove that the yeti exists for well over a century now, and there continues to be may attempts at doing so today.

#13 Werewolf


Also known as a lycanthrope, the werewolf is a creature that can be found all throughout Western folklore. Typically, a werewolf is a human who has the ability to transform into a wolf or wolf-like creature. Werewolves either transform at will or because they have been cursed or afflicted, often by another werewolf. Similar to the witch hunts of the late middle ages, people who were accused of being werewolves were persecuted and put on trials. Peter Stumpp, who confessed (under torture) to being a serial killer and cannibal, was one such individual. He was eventually executed. (This man is much more terrifying than normal werewolves. I recommend looking him up on Wikipedia, if you don’t mind scary/disturbing things. What he confessed to is pretty crazy.) There have been several methods from history that people thought would cure lycanthropy. The Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that if you exhausted a person with this condition, through extended periods of physical activity, they would be cured. Other methods thought to be curative were the use of medicine, surgery, or exorcism.

No more for me.

There was a great programme last night on C4 I think, and they proved that the yeti is a form of bear and is related to an ancient polar bear! Fascinating programme, as much for the fact that an eminent scientist decided to investigate it. Messner, one of the best, if not the best mountain climber ever saw one once.

Niki xxx

Yep, Bigfoot files:

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/bigf ... ocumentary" target="_blank

Niki x

I'm only at 6

Cheer up Angel I have now made it to 4/10 with the Yeti.

I have been off for a few days, son is moving to Dallas and we wanted to spend time with him. Now I am up to 8/10. There are so many nasty critters out there and I noticed that quite a few are Scottish or Irish which was interesting to me.
Kathy

Got 7 with today.

haha doesn't surprise me in the slightest that Scotland and Ireland has so many nasty beasties. No offense to Scottish or Irish folk, but both countries are rather well known for being as hard as nails. Heck Scotland managed to keep the Romans out which is quite a testament to them! lol

Beautiful legends in both countries.

Just a reminder as we get closer to someone winning:

In order to win, you must be the first to send a private message to me declaring that you have a bingo. Just posting a reply to the thread will not count if you do not also private message me.

Here are today's numbers!

#15 Jorogumo


Jorogumo is one of the Yokai, which are creatures (like ghosts or goblins) of Japanese folklore. There are several variations of Jorogumo that appear throughout Japanese stories. A legend from the Edo period tells of a pretty woman who would lure a man to her hut and then play a lute to distract him. Once he was distracted, she would bind him in spider silk threads and eat him. In another version, a Jorogumo is thought to be the mistress of Joren Fallls, which is located in Izu, Shizuoka. This myth has several of its own variations, but in the main one, a man resting at the foot of the waterfall finds that his feet have been bound with spider threads. He cuts the threads, and ties them to tree stump, which is later pulled up and drawn into the water. Later, a lumberjack is cutting wood in the area and drops his axe in the water. His axe is returned to him by a beautiful woman in the water, who tells him to keep her existence a secret. He doesn’t and soon falls into a deep sleep from which he never awakens.


#23 Goblin


Goblins can be found in the folkloric traditions of cultures from all around the world. They are usually evil or mischievous, often small in size, and typically have some kind of magical ability. Goblins are also notorious for being extremely greedy and loving money. Goblins are often featured in popular fantasy works as a fairly standard magical creature. More than terrifying, goblins are often portrayed as highly annoying.