Quick Links - Superstitions
Brits are so charming!
A recent survey discovered that over 11 million Brits (that's 18 per cent of the population) believe in lucky charms or superstitions. Here are the most popular ones that people rely on:
Joint 1st Touching wood and having a lucky number
3rd Four Leaf Clover
4th Lucky Pebble
5th Horseshoes
6th Lucky penny
7th Dreamcatchers
8th Black cat
9th Lucky number 7
10th All-seeing eye
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Posted on Sat 8th Oct 2011 22:04:11
Police Use Pyramid Power To Prevent Car Crashes
In a bid to stop car crashes, traffic police in Nagpur, India, are tapping into pyramid power. They've buried 30cm tall replicas of the mystical Egyptian mounuments at 12 accident-prone spots along the city'
s national highway to convert negative energy that may cause car crashes into positive energy that will keep drivers safe.
Strangely since their installation six months ago, there have been no accidents along the highway.
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Posted on Thu 6th Oct 2011 16:44:48
Tea Omens
There are many superstitions and omens surrounding tea drinking even including the prediction of marriage. Here's a few:
It's unlucky to stir tea with anything but a spoon and to stir someone else's tea with a spoon is said to stir trouble for them.
If the tea you make is unexpectedly weak, it means a friendship is weakening. If it's unusually strong, a friendship is growing stronger.
If you spill tea while making a pot, it forecasts luck for the woman of the house.
To break a teapot is thought to be an omen of losing a loved one.
To inadvertently place two spoons in a cup of tea is a sign of marriage for the person drinking the tea.
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Posted on Fri 12th Aug 2011 22:29:03
Lucky Charms Do Work
They are taken to exams, job interviews and weddings in the hope they will bring good fortune.
But rather than being mere superstition, lucky charms do actually work, psychologists claim.
In a recent study researchers told half the golfers on a putting green that they were playing with a lucky ball, and the rest that they were playing with a normal one.
Those with the lucky ball sank 6.4 putts out of 10, nearly two more putts on average than the others - an increase of of 35 per cent.
The results have sparked huge interest among behavioural psychologists who say they put luck in a different light.
The research from the University of Cologne was on just 28 students but the results are being considered significant.
But the figures will also be an encouragement for the millions who cling to a lucky shirt or ring on special occasions to bring them fortune.
And even celebrities have often admitted relying on a lucky charm.
Cameron Diaz has a necklace given to her by a friend because she thinks it will ward off the effects of aging, while Julie Walters kept a lucky piece of coal in her bag during one Oscars ceremony.
Perhaps the most bizarre tradition among celebrities is that Atonement star James McAvoy says 'white rabbit' on the first of every month to the first person he sees - because his grandmother taught him that it brings good luck.
In recent years office desks have seen a proliferation of teddy bears and trinkets intended to bring good luck.
Also, quiz shows such as Deal Or No Deal and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire where treasured items are brought on in the hope they will give contestants the edge in the quest to win a fortune.
Lysann Damisch, co-author of the study, set to be published in the journal Psychological Science in June, said: 'Our results suggest that the activation of a superstition can indeed yield performance-improving effects.'
Stuart Vyse, professor of psychology at Connecticut College, added: 'Simply being told this is a lucky ball is sufficient to affect performance.'
Mathematicians have demonstrated in the past the role that randomness plays in people's lives, but this has not stopped many believing the opposite.
A recent survey found that 77 per cent of people were at least a little superstitious and/or engaged in some form of superstitious behaviour.
A total of 42 per cent said that they were 'very or somewhat' superstitious.
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Posted on Sun 24th Jul 2011 19:47:40
Engagement Ring Luck
To have a friend make a wish upon your engagement ring is said to be lucky. But it's considered unlucky to let a friend try on your engagement ring.
It's also unlucky to wear an engagement ring on your ring finger before you are officially engaged.
It is luckier to have a new engagement ring than one worn by someone else
A solitaire cut stone is said to indicate a solitary existence!
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Posted on Fri 22nd Jul 2011 14:53:41
Salty Superstitions
There are many superstitions surrounding salt that have persisted through the years. Here are just a few:
If you spill salt immediately throw a pinch of the spilled salt over your left shoulder to avoid bad luck. The salt is said to go into the eyes of the devil, who is said to lurk on the left hand side of the body.
Because salt preserves food, to spill salt is said to be an omen of a broken friendship - it fortells that the relationship will not be preserved.
To pass the salt to someone at the dining table is said to 'help them to sorrow'
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Posted on Fri 22nd Jul 2011 14:44:22
Wedding Dress Omens
There are many superstitions surrounding marriage that are still believed even in the 21st C by those about to tie the knot.
Here's a few more you may or may not know about:
Married in white you have chosen right,
Married in green ashamed to be seen,
Married in grey you will go far away
Married in blue you will always be true
Married in yellow,you're ashamed of your fellow
Married in black you will wish yourself back,
Married in pink of you he'll think.
It's an omen your husband will be unfaithful if you allow a friend to try on your wedding dress or outfit before you're married
You will attract wealth into your marriage by taping a coin or money note to the inside of your shoes so that you are standing on money when taking your vows.
It's consider lucky to have an even number of guests at a wedding and unlucky to have an odd number
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Posted on Sat 9th Jul 2011 15:46:13
Love Tips: Using Water To Forecast Love
Cut a piece of cardboard into tiny squares and write one of the 26 individual letters of the alphabet on each. Places the squares facedown in a bowl and fill the bowl with water before going to bed. In the morning, the letters that have turned themselves face up indicate initials or letters, which partly or completely spell your next lover's name.
Alternatively, place a sau
cer on a table and drop 21 sewing needles onto it. Very slowly, pour water from a jug into a saucer. The water will cause the needles to move. Two needles that cross indicate that you have an admirer. You have as many potential lovers as you have crossed needless!
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Posted on Thu 7th Jul 2011 17:40:53
Wedding Bell Omens
There are many fun and light-hearted superstitions surrounding marriage. Here's just a few:
If three women sitting together at dinner table possess the same initial to their Christian name, one of the three women will soon marry.
The first person to walk upstairs after the bride will marry next.
A bride who makes a wish while cutting her wedding cake will see her wish come true
Placing a piece of wrapped or boxed wedding cake under your pillow is said to induce a dream of whom you will marry.
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Posted on Thu 7th Jul 2011 17:23:13
He Loves Me? He Loves Me Not? Fortelling the Future With Apple Pips
The Romanies say to find out whether someone loves you, eat an apple to the core until you find a seed. Remove the seed and name it by the same name as the one you love. With a pin, inscribe the name of the one you love on a candle. Light the candle and leave it to burn for a few moments before dropping the seed into the candle flame. If the seed makes a loud crackling sound, the one you desire can hardly contain his feelings for you. Snuff the candle out.
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Posted on Wed 6th Jul 2011 15:33:30
Romany Charm To Cure Baldness,
A Romany remedy said to make hair grow on a balding patch is to mix equal measures of rosemary oil, almond oil, and bay rum and to rub that into the scalp mornng and night.
To halt thinning hair, rub garlic oil into the scalp morning and night.
To strengthen hair and prevent loss, rinse with an infusion of half a teaspoon of rosemary sprigs in one cup of water.
To grow a good head of hair Romanies say:
"Of weak thinning hair you will never complain
If you cut your hair in the moon's wax
And never in her wane."
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Posted on Thu 12th May 2011 17:50:32
Death Knock Warnings
From Christopher O'Brien in Ontario, in Canada, comes the strange and eerie tale of ghostly knocking sounds that pre-warned of deaths of several of his family members and even a much loved pet dog.
Christopher writes:
"I'm searching for an explanation concerning strange occurences that have happened several times in my life. The first time was as a child of eight, I was in the care of my German grandmother. I had been sat drawing at the kitchen table of my grandparents' farmhouse during summer break when it happened.
My grandmother had been jarring preserves when we were both startled by three loud knocks that had seemed to have come from nowhere and yet everywhere at the same time. My grandmother turned ashen and said nothing for a few moments. She quickly took me outside to play with my siblings; nothing was ever said about it and it only remained in my memory because of first being startled then being angry that I was taken away from my drawing.
I later learned many years later that my grandmother's sister passed away that evening from a heart related ailment.
Just over ten years ago, my father rang me to tell me about my brother when I was at home with my partner. My brother suffered from a long-term substance abuse addiction and had been extremely hard to deal with that evening. My father went on to add that, not only did he have that situation to deal with, but he thought, The whole damn house was going to come down too because of three or four huge 'bangs' within the walls. My brother died from a cocaine overdose just hours later.
My father knew nothing of my other grandmother's story and I had not made any connection yet myself.
Four years later, my mother was receiving palliative care for Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. When I went to visit, several relatives of mine were very angry as my mother had just gone to sleep, yet was quickly reawakened by what was described to me as careless nursing staff that repeatedly dropped a hospital bed (three times) in the room above hers.
When I reminded them that hospital beds have been on wheels for over 100 years, I was dismissed outright. My mother too, passed away after a few days.
To my horror, all of these situations linked themselves together for me when after my beloved pet dog fell violently ill very quickly one day. I had no car, but phoned and requested a vet ambulance to come get us. As I lay on the floor with her, there were three sharp knocks on my apartment door. I rushed to open it but there was no one present. They arrived approximately 15 minutes later, but my lovely faithful dog passed away in my arms less then an hour later.
Then it all hit me like a shovel. Every instance clearly the same, separated by just years and only recalled when I brought up the knocking occurrence to different people at different times. In fact it made me feel ill and I began searching the web to try and find whether others had experienced the same. My research confirmed that I wasn't going mad but that others too had experienced similar things. But now I dread hearing those knocks on my door ever again! "
Posted on Mon 8th Nov 2010 17:53:03
Feast of the Dead - Origins of Halloween
Samhain (pronounced 'sow'inn') is a very important date in the Pagan calendar for it marks the Feast of the Dead. Many Pagans also celebrate it as the old Celtic New Year (although some mark this at Imbolc). It is also celebrated by non-Pagans who call this festival Halloween.
Samhain has been celebrated in Britain for centuries and has its origin in Pagan Celtic traditions. It was the time of year when the veils between this world and the Otherworld were believed to be at their thinnest: when the spirits of the dead could most readily mingle with the living once again. Later, when the festival was adopted by Christians, they celebrated it as All Hallows' Eve, followed by All Saints Day, though it still retained elements of remembering and honouring the dead.
To most modern Pagans, while death is still the central theme of the festival this does not mean it is a morbid event. For Pagans, death is not a thing to be feared. Old age is valued for its wisdom and dying is accepted as a part of life as necessary and welcome as birth. While Pagans, like people of other faiths, always honour and show respect for their dead, this is particularly marked at Samhain. Loved ones who have recently died are remembered and their spirits often invited to join the living in the celebratory feast. It is also a time at which those born during the past year are formally welcomed into the community. As well as feasting, Pagans often celebrate Samahin with traditional games such as apple-dooking.
Death also symbolises endings and Samhain is therefore not only a time for reflecting on mortality, but also on the passing of relationships, jobs and other significant changes in life. A time for taking stock of the past and coming to terms with it, in order to move on and look forward to the future.
Ancient Celtic celebrations
Not only did the Celts believe the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead dissolved on this night, they thought that the presence of the spirits helped their priests to make predictions about the future.
To celebrate Samhain the Druids built huge sacred bonfires. People brought harvest food and sacrificed animals to share a communal dinner in celebration of the festival.
During the celebration the Celts wore costumes - usually animal heads and skins. They would also try and tell each other's fortunes.
After the festival they re-lit the fires in their homes from the sacred bonfire to help protect them, as well as keep them warm during the winter months.
Posted on Thu 21st Oct 2010 21:46:31
Angel of Death
Folklore says that villagers in Llangernyw, Conwy, in Wales, may if they dare learn their grim fate under the boughs of a 3,000-year-old yew tree.
Over in the west of the region are to be found nestling among the hills many interesting and isolated villages harbouring strange remnants of forgotten lore. At Llangernyw, for example, the little medieval church had a reputation for being haunted by a weird, death-dealing spirit!
The origins of this legend may have something to do with its location. The church itself is centuries old, but the site it stands on was sacred thousands of years before it was built. The churchyard at Llangernyw, midway between Abergele and Llanrwst, has the honour of containing within it the oldest living thing in Wales - a mighty yew tree, which botanists believe to be more than 3,000 years old. This means it was planted sometime in the prehistoric Bronze Age. What makes this particularly interesting is that elsewhere in the churchyard are two standing stones, which would have been raised up by pagans at about the same time.
These stones have primitive Christian crosses etched on them, made sometime in the Dark Ages. Between these Christianised pagan stones and the yew tree stands the medieval church. Clearly, Llangernyw is a very ancient and sacred place.
This then may be what attracted the presence of the mysterious "Angelystor". Angelystor - the Recording Angel - manifested itself in the church every Hallowe'en. Here, at the dead of night, it was said to speak the names of all those in the parish who were to die in the following year.
One fateful Hallowe-en night, after a few too many pints, the sceptical village tailor, known as Shôn ap Robert, laughingly derided the existence of the Recording Angel. Spurred on by his drinking pals, he barged out into the night and made his wobbly way to the church, to prove Angelystor a myth.
But when he arrived at the door he heard to his horror a deep voice booming from within. It was reciting names. And the first name he heard was - "Shôn ap Robert"!
"Hold, hold!" he cried. "I am not ready yet!" But, ready or not, he found his grave in Llangernyw churchyard that coming year.
Reference: Welsh Folklore, Rev Elias Owen, 1896
Posted on Wed 13th Oct 2010 13:05:24
Voodoo Cops
Mexican authorities have turned to Haitian voodoo rituals as they attempt to win the violent war against the country’s ruthless drug gangs holding the country to ransom.
Cops in Tijuana, a city just south of the US/Mexican border near San Diego, have resorted to the use of voodoo, which include animal sacrifice and spirit tattoos amid claims they are “running scared” of the savage trafficking gangs.
During the rituals, priests slaughter chickens on full moon nights on beaches and smear police officers with the blood while using prayers to evoke spirits to help protect them from drug cartels battling over smuggling routes into California.
Mexico has been gripped by a wave of drug-related violence since Felipe Calderón, the Mexican President, declared war on the drug cartels almost four years ago. The country's drug barons have engaged in an increasingly bloody battle as they vie to demonstrate their power and ruthlessness.
They have infiltrated local forces – bribing corrupt police and civil officials – while hit men armed with automatic rifles, grenades and rocket launchers are regularly seen paying visits to those who refuse to engage with the gangs.
The raging war has left many police in cities including Tijuana, considered one of the country’s deadliest, in fear of their lives with many told they will get a bullet if they say no to requests.
More than 150 police officers have died throughout the area over the past few years.
As a result officers have attended the secret meetings that are said to draw on elements of Haitian Voodoo, Cuban Santeria and Mexican witchcraft.
“We know some agents use charms, saints and other methods for their protection," said Elias Alvarez, the Baja California federal Police Chief.
"They look for something to believe in."
Posted on Mon 5th Jul 2010 13:13:00
Vampires Around the Globe
Vampires myths and legends have existed in most countries across the globe for centuries . But in 1897, the author Bram Stoker wrote the sinister book "Dracula" which captulated the idea into the modern psyche.
The book even in the 21st century is still a popular read and at the time of its publication it received world- wide acclaim, even the church declared it as one of the best ever romantic novels. Set in Transylvania, the book introduced Count Dracula and immortalised the vampire myth. Dracula could not be seen in mirrors, he slept in a coffin, feared daylight, crosses and garlic, and his mouth contained two fangs to puncture his victims' throats to suck out their blood. He was one of the undead and once bitten the victim would also become a vampire.
This image of the cloaked vampire in a castle continued in further books and movies, until Ann Rice began a new version with her book "An Interview with a Vampire" in the early 1990's which was later turned into a film starring Tom Cruise.
The book and film further modified and updated the vampire story, and many of today's vampire tales mirror Ann Rice's image of the main vampire character "Lestat" - suave and sophisticated aristocrats with a passion for blood and sexual activities. Various psychological conditions have similar traits to this type of vampire, where the afflicted person has a desire to drink blood during sex and in extreme cases would resort to necrophilia (sleeping with the dead) and even murder.
World Vampire Myths
From China to France to the West Indies strangely one curious fear seems to cross all cultural boundaries: the vampire. Here's a list of vampire myths and activities from around the world.
Albania - Liugat/Sampiro
In this myth, unfortunate Albanians of Turkish descent will turn into a vampire upon death, driven to go out at night in a shroud and high heel shoes to spread death and destruction. A will-o'-the-wisp1 will indicate where the tomb lies. Like the rest of Eastern Europe, these legends were reported more frequently after the 16th Century - the Eastern Orthodoxy's flexible position on superstition seems to be a major cause for the myth's increase in popularity.
Armenia - Dakhanavar
Dakhanavar protected a valley near Mount Ararat by sucking blood from the feet of travellers. When two men slept with their feet under each other's heads Dakhanavar mistook them for a monster with two heads and no feet and was never heard of again.
Austria - Vampire
Reports from Austrian-controlled Serbia prepared by Austrian officials between 1725 and 1732 introduced the word vampire into European consciousness. In 1755 the town of Olmutz in Austria was itself the scene of several vampire reports.
Australia - Yara-ma-yha-who
Localised Koori legend tells of a short creature with a huge head and mouth, whose feet and hands have suckers like an octopus. It drops on people from its fig tree and drains them of blood, later returning to swallow them whole and regurgitate them. The whole process is non-fatal though you will eventually turn into a furry bush creature.
Babylonia - Ekimmu
The oldest of all the myths seems to be the Babylonian Ekimmu, in which the ghost of an unburied person, and in some cases a spirit who does not receive enough offerings, dwells underground and emerges at night to feed off the living. While the Ekimmu seems to have influenced several neighbouring cultures, other regions on Earth seem to have developed similar legends in parallel evolution.
Belarus - Mjertovjec
The Mjertovjec is an apostate (someone who renounces their beliefs), werewolf or witch who has died. This vampire will follow poppy seeds from its home back to its tomb.
Benin - Asiman/Obayifo
Witches travel at night in the guise ofs a glowing ball and suck blood from children.
Bosnia-Herzegovina - Blautsauger
The Blautsauger is a hairy vampire with no skeleton. It can turn into a rat or a wolf. The Blautsauger attempts to get people to eat dirt from its tomb so they'll become vampires. Scattering hawthorn flowers along the road from its home to the tomb will slow it down.
Brazil - Lobishomen
Small, stumpy and hunch-backed, with bloodless lips, yellow skin, black teeth, bushy beard and the looks of a monkey, the bite of this vampire turns its female victims into nymphomaniacs. To dispose of Lobishoen, get it drunk on blood and crucify it to a tree while stabbing it.
Bulgaria - Krvopijac/Obur
One becomes a Krvopijac by smoking or drinking during Lent. Disposal involves a Djadadjii (or monk) calling the soul into a bottle of blood, which is then burnt. To locate your Krvopijac, get a nude teen virgin on a black foal to ride through the graveyard. Where the horse won't go is where your vampire is.
The Obur is a gluttonous blood drinker, it can be enticed with excrement or rich food and has the ability to move objects from a distance and create loud noises.
Burma - Thaye/Tasei
These are evil people condemned to be disembodied spirits. They can appear as tall dark people with huge ears, long tongues and tusk-like teeth. They enter town at noon or by dark and usually cause minor illness.
China - Ch'ing Shih
This Chinese vampire has red staring eyes, long curved nails, long hair, is a green-white colour and flies. Powered by the moon, it can be held in place by a circle of rice around it. The Ch'ing Shih often dwells underground (influences from the Ekimmu of Babylon) and was first journalised by J de Groot in The Religious System of China in 1892.
Croatia - Pijawika/Kuzlak
Croatia was the site of one of the first vampire epidemics of the modern age. In 1672 Giure Grando, late of Khring on the Istrian peninsula, Croatia, apparently returned from the grave and caused many deaths.
To kill a Pijawika, cut off its head and stick it between its legs.
A Kuzlak is created when an infant is not breast-fed enough and dies.
The Czech Republic - Ogoljen
The Ogoljen wanders about with soil from its tomb in its navel. Bury it at a crossroads to get rid of it. There is also a Moravian vampire who drops its death shroud and wanders about naked. It can be destroyed by stealing its shroud.
France - Moribondo
A Moribondo assaults cattle in particular. Protection for the herd is provided by moving the cattle through a circle of fire.
Germany - Nachzehrer/Neuntöter
A child born with an amniotic membrane over their head (caul) or anyone who dies by drowning, becomes a Nachzehrer. It lies in its tomb with its left eye open and gnaws upon its shroud or itself. It causes plagues (and also ties cows tails together). To deal with it, shove something in its mouth or chop the head off with an executioner's axe. Garlic will keep this one at bay. Minister Georg Röhrer reported these creatures in detail to none other than Martin Luther.
The Neuntöter from Pomerania is similar to the Nachzehrer, but must be decapitated between 11pm and midnight.
Ghana - Asasabonsam
These vampires have hooks for feet and come in three types (male, female and child). They have iron teeth and dangle their feet down from trees onto victims. Asasabonsum also sucks blood from the thumbs of sleeping people.
Greece - Catacano/Bruculaco/Callicantzaros
Catacano - the happy vampire - grins constantly, showing its pearlies. It spits blood on people who subsequently become its victims if they are hit by said bloody discharge - it burns. To kill it, isolate it behind salt water or boil its head in vinegar.
The Bruculaco has swollen, hard skin and sounds like a drum when struck and it also spreads the plague. It can scream once per night, if you answer the call you will die. Cut of its head and either burn or boil it to kill it for good.
A child born between Christmas and the Twelfth Night (5 January) becomes a Callicantzaros after death - appearing between Christmas and Twelfth Night each year to tear people to pieces with its extended fingernails. The rest of the year it exists in some nether world.
India - Churel/Punyaiama/Bhuta/Rakshasas/Chedipe
A woman who has died unnaturally or in childbirth may return with her feet on back to front. The Churel (also known as Jakhin, Mukai or Nagulai) attempts to dry the blood of the men of the family.
The Punyaiama looks like an old woman. It passes a magic thread down a chimney and sucks the blood from the sleeping or mad/drunk women. It is also a cannibal.
Appearing at night as shadows, flickering lights or mists, the Bhuta (in North India, Brahmaparusha) are souls of those who died untimely. They are mostly harmless, although they will attack babies who have just fed as they love milk. They can transmogrify into owls or bats.
Rakshasas are ogres or demons living in cemeteries having a human, humanoid or half-animal shape. They have fangs and attack infants and pregnant women. First described in Atharva Veda.
The Chedipe (lit. prostitute) enters a house at night sending all into a trance and sucks blood from the toe of the male of the house.
Indonesia - Pontianak/Buo
A Pontianak is a woman who died either a virgin or in childbirth. Out of jealousy it will attack infants or emasculate the men it seduces. They fly at night as birds, but in human form, the hole in their backs is a dead give-away. To escape one, pluck a strand of their long black hair.
Warriors of Borneo slain in battle can become Buo.
Ireland - Dearg-Dul
According to Montague Summers, this Irish vampire can be held at bay by piling large amount of stones on its grave - but no Irish mythologist can find any reference to it.
Italy - Strix/Strega
Strix was a night demon from ancient Rome which attacked infants, Ovid described them in Fasti. This Strix developed into the Stegra - a woman who flies about in bird form and attacks infants. These were also chronicled in the Saxon capitulary of Charlemagne in 781.
Japan - Kappa
These are ugly, green child-like creatures who drag horses and cows into their watery homes where they suck the blood from their anuses. They will leave the water to steal fruit, rape women and steal people's livers but can enter into binding agreements promising not to attack people. Another Japanese vampire legend involves a vampire cat taking the form of a prince's concubine after killing her.
Malaysia - Langsuyar/Penanggalan
Much like the Pontianak (which it is also known as the Langsuyar), it is recognised by her long fingernails, green robe and the hole in her neck. She died during childbirth. This hole is where she feeds on infants' blood. They may fool men into marrying them as humans but at the first big dance they get over excited and fly off into the trees. The Langsuyar was recorded by Sir William Maxwell in the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society circa 1885.
Like the Phii Krasue of Thailand, the Penanggalan consists of a head and some entrails. The Penanggalan actually separates from its whole, female form into a motionless, headless, gutless body and flying head. It seeks out the blood of children or the blood from childbirth.
Macedonia - Vryolakas
A messy wine drinker in life, when undead it can be killed by a nail through the navel or pouring oil over the body. It can be deterred by scattering bird seed on the tomb (it'll stop and count the seeds, one per century).
Mexico - Cihuateteo/Camazotz/Tlahuelpuchi
This is either a stillborn baby or a mother who died in childbirth which attacks and paralyses babies. It flies and is chalked white on its hands, arms and face. Offer it bread to fill them up so they don't go attacking humans. If you don't have any bread, meteorites will do. They die if they are caught in sunlight - one of the few vampire legends to actually mention sunlight.
Described as a 'man-bat' with a sharp nose, large teeth and claws, the Camazotz is an integral part of Mayan agricultural myth. The descent of the Camazotz into the earth is linked to the planting of maize.
The Tlahuelpuchi could transform itself into several different animal types (usually leaving its legs behind) and attacked infants, and occasionally adults or children. It is always female.
Namibia - Otgiruru
The Herero people believe that this vampire, which looks like a dog, kills those who answer its call
Peru - Pishtaco
This is a vampire which feeds off your fat first, then goes for the blood.
The Philippines - Aswang
A beautiful maiden who flies through the night, lands on the roof of the victim and proceeds to feed via a long pointed tubular tongue which reaches from the roof to the bed below and pierces the skin of the sleeping victim. The Aswang then flies home before dawn (looking pregnant from the blood) and breast-feeds her children.
Polynesia - Talamaur
Talamaur sucks the life from the dying and sometimes devours the heart of healthy men while they sleep.
Portugal - Bruxsa
A woman at day, a bird by night: it sucks the blood of children, and was a popular excuse to murder women during the Inquisition.
Prussia - Gierach/Viesczy/Stryz
Sprinkling poppy seeds in the grave of this vampire will send it to sleep or keep it busy (a stocking or fishing net to unravel will do just as well). East Prussia (now North Poland) reported vampire epidemics in 1710, 1721 and 1750.
Romania - Vircolac/Nosferatu/Strigoiu
All Romanian vampires are particularly active on St George's day (23 April) and St Andrew's Day (30 November). They can take on the shape of dogs, cats, frogs and insects. A Vircolac (or Murohy/Strigol) drains the energy from people. To kill it, cut out the heart and split it, nail in the forehead (or in eyes and heart if female), dump the body in the mountains, shove garlic in the mouth, or you can even smear it with pig fat on St Ignatius Day.
Nosferatu is old Slavonic for plague carrier, it does not mean undead. A myriad of causes are quoted - the illegitimate son of two illegitimate parents or the seventh son of a seventh son, a bastard, born with a caul, if the mother had not eaten salt while pregnant or had been looked at by a vampire while pregnant. The Nosferatu feeds on its family and makes husbands impotent.
A Strigoiu is a dead red-headed women, who squats in deserted houses at night. To kill it nail through it the chest or blow up its coffin.
Russia - Vampir/Ereticy
Heretics, witches and suicides were considered to turn into Vampirs (or Uppyr/Upierczi) after death. They cause drought and while running them through with an stake will kill them, if you strike more than once it will revive.
Ereticy (or Erestuny) are either re-animated corpses brought back by sorcerers to begin feeding on their relatives or women who'd sold their souls to Satan and who sleep on graves and make unseemly noises in the public bathhouses!
Scotland - Baobban Sith
Occasionally seen as crows or ravens, usually these vampires are young maidens in long green dresses (which hide their cloven hooves). They are afraid or repelled by horses and cause massive wounds on the necks and shoulders of men they dance with.
Thailand - Phii
One of countless spirits from Thai mythology, the Phii Song Nang is basically identical to the Pontianak of Indonesia and Malaysia - it attacks young men mostly. A seer or 'Maw Du' should be called in to make spells and incantations to get rid of this Phii. The Phii Krasue is similar to the Pelagganan of Malaysia and Krappa of Japan in that it consists of a head and entrails and has a tendency to feed from people's bottoms with its long tongue
Tibet - The Wrathful Dieties
Also known as the 58 blood-drinking deities, these vampires are figures representing the brain's reason and the deceased's (metaphorically) vampiric activities, which appear to the spirit of the recently dead from the eigth day onwards whilst they wander the karma-dominated zones of the afterlife in Buddhist teachings. These include: Bhagavan Vajra- Heruka, Vajra-Krotishaurima, Ratna-Herucka, Padma-Heruka, Dark-Green Ghasmari, plus eight Kerimas and the Lotus Order.
West Indies - Asema/Loogaroo/Sukuyan
An elderly person by day, a skin shedding ball of flying blue light by night, the Asema will drain a person to death if it liked the taste of their blood. Killed by sunlight (hence a mixture of seeds and nails will keep them busy - picking, dropping, picking... till dawn). Better yet, you can shrink the skin while they are a ball so they can't fit back into it!
Known in Surinam as the Asema, in Haiti as the Loogaroo, and in Trinidad as the Sukuyan. Ther roots are thought to be the Aziman of the Fo peoples of Benin.
Yugoslavia - Vlkodlak/Mulo/Vukodlak
In 1725, villagers of Kisilovo in the Vojvodina region of Serbia reported that Peter Plogojowitz had returned from the grave - the Austrian government report on this incident used the word 'vampire' for the first time.
Posted on Sun 4th Jul 2010 14:25:00
The Shrieking Plant That Brought Death To Those Who Heard it's Cry.
The mandrake was of the most sensational plants in medieval herbals because of the vaguely human form of its roots.
When uprooted it was said to give a shriek so terrible that it brought death to those responsible.
Wizards and others eager to use it in their potions were said to tie a hungry dog to the plant by means of a cord.
When the dog scrambled after a piece of meat the mandrake was pulled from the soil and it was the animal that was killed by the deadly cry.
In his Herbal to the Bible Thomas Newton wrote of the mandrake: ‘It’s supposed to be a creature having life, engendered under the earth of the seed of some dead person put to death by murder’
In Britain doctors used an extract of mandrake as a narcotic until the arrival of modern medicine.
Posted on Thu 23rd Jul 2009 10:55:00
Why Horseshoes Are Considered Lucky
Most people are familiar with the idea that horseshoes are supposed to be lucky. But do you know why?
Traditionally horseshoes were considered lucky and when nailed up over doors they were also thought to have the added bonus of providing protection against attack by witches.
Some folklorists believe the custom dates back to Roman times, when nails were hammered into the walls of houses as a safeguard against the plague.
In order for horseshoes to be effective as charms they should be found rather than bought, and the horns should always be placed upwards to prevent the luck running out.
Read more about protection from attack by witches here:
CLOVER - FOR PROTECTION AGAINST ATTACK BY WITCHES
Posted on Thu 23rd Jul 2009 10:40:00
The Gypsy Curse of Levens Hall
This Elizabethan house, which stands south of Kendal in Cumbria, has a variety of ghosts, including a lady in pink who materializes only when children are present, a small black dog and also the phantom of a gypsy woman who laid a curse on the family living there.
Turned away when begging for bread, she cursed the family with the words ‘no son will inherit the house until the River Kent ceases to flow and a white fawn is born’
Oddly the inheritance of the hall did indeed pass from relative to relative rather than from father to son until 1913 – when an albino deer was born in the deer park belonging to the estate and the nearby River Kent froze and ceased to flow as the winter was so bitterly cold,
With the terms of the curse fulfilled a member of the family finally inherited the hall from his father!
Read more stories of curses here:
Posted on Sat 11th Jul 2009 21:31:00
Marked By Elves
In Scotland it was believed that those born with some physical defect had been marked by elves out of spite.
In Shakespeare’s Richard III Queen Margaret called Richard III (who history records as a hunchback) ‘Thou elfish-marked, abortive, rooting hog!’ Charming!
Posted on Sat 11th Jul 2009 17:08:00
Marriage Prediction With Daisies
This little flower was once regarded as a symbol of deceit. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet Ophelia gives the queen a daisy to convey ‘that her light and fickle love ought not to expect constancy in her husband’.
Despite this the first daisy to appear in a new year brought luck to anyone who stepped on it.
And young girls, anxious to know how long it would be before they married, closed their eyes and plucked a daisy clump at random. The number of flowers picked represented the number of years that they would remain single.
Posted on Fri 3rd Jul 2009 16:02:00
Be Careful Where You Say 'Rabbit'
We’re all familiar with the idea that carrying a rabbit’s foot is regarded as a powerful good luck charm but did you know if visiting Portland Bill in Dorset you should never utter the word ‘rabbits’?
Locals know that to do so would invite bad luck.
Another interesting superstition regarding rabbits is that if one crossed the path ahead of a traveller it’s considered fortunate but if the rabbit crossed behind it meant misfortune.
On the first morning of a month it was customary to say ‘rabbits’ three times to ensure the following four weeks would be favourable.
The word had to be spoken that day.
Posted on Wed 24th Jun 2009 18:22:00
Cursing Well
In folklore generally wells are noted for their healing properties and good luck but an exception was the Cursing Well, at Llaneilian-yn-Rhos in Denbigh, Wales.
To bring misfortune upon an enemy one would write his or her name on a piece of paper and give it to the well’s custodian who, for a certain amount of money, wrapped the paper around a stone and threw it into the water.
It was believed the curse would be effective as long as the paper survived in the well.
But all was not lost as custodians were usually open to bribery in order to retrieve the names of those who believed a curse had been laid upon them.
In 1929 the well was finally covered over.
Posted on Tue 23rd Jun 2009 19:55:00
Why is 'Green' Considered An Unlucky Colour?
Married in May and kirked in green
Both bride and groom won’t long be seen
In the UK there is a long held superstition that green is an unlucky colour, not only for clothes but also for other painted objects.
Even in this sceptical age green is the least popular colour for cars.
People who follow this superstition may not know that green has long been considered unlucky because it was the ' fairies colour', and that to wear it was to put yourself in the power of the fairy folk.
But the attitude to green is changing as the colour has come to represent a more caring attitude towards nature and the environment – something that would definitely win fairy approval.
Read more fairy legends here:
Posted on Mon 22nd Jun 2009 15:01:00
Is Ayers Rock Cursed?
Ayers Rock in Uluru National Park, Australia, has long been regarded as a sacred monument to the Aboriginal people.
And every year thousands of tourists visit to witness its magnificent sunsets.
The rock, which stands at 1,100ft above the arid plains of Alice Springs, is transformed in the dying sunlight.
It becomes a spectacular sight flushed with pink and then blood red.
The Aborigines regard it as being a spiritual place inhabited by friendly spirits but some tourists have good reason to disagree.
Hundreds of visitors who casually pocketed chunks of the sacred landmark and took them home found they brought nothing but bad luck, including illness, marriage break-ups and even death.
And tourists in fear for their lives regularly return rocks that they've taken from the sacred landmark
Park managers are bombarded daily with packages of "sorry rocks"
Some packages - ranging from small stones to a five stone slab - have arrived with apologies.
But a number of senders have included details of tragedies which have befallen them since they took the rocks, including illness, relationship break-ups and even death.
One British tourist who returned a small chunk of rock, was quoted in an Australian newspaper as saying: “Things were good in my life before I took some of Ayers Rock with me, but since then my wife has had a stroke and things have worked out badly for my children, we have had nothing but bad luck”.
Another letter from Arizona claims that by removing some rock it had brought nothing but sickness to the person who had taken it.
And an Australian women said that she had suffered a still birth since taking a piece of rock and that she hoped by returning the rock whatever evils that may have been unleashed would now subside.
To deter tourists from taking souvenirs, park managers hype up the idea that rock is cursed and even go as far as displaying the returned rocks and letters from those suffering bad luck.
But despite the fact that the curse has been invented by park officials to stop the rock being carried away "piece by piece", for those who believe it may indeed become a self-fulfilling prophesy, i.e. "you are cursed if you think you are".
Posted on Wed 17th Jun 2009 16:13:00
Was Kung Fu Star Bruce Lee Cursed?
Kung Fu star Bruce Lee was convinced he was cursed.
The star of cult classics such as, Enter the Dragon, and Fists of Fury, always felt that he would not have a long life.
Lee was born in San Francisco, in November 1940, but moved to Hong Kong, the home of his family, when he was a child.
And as a teenager Lee got into fights like other teenagers.
Then he discovered Kung Fu, the martial art that propelled him into becoming a world superstar.
Along with the physical skills Lee mastered, he was also interested in the spiritual side of Kung Fu.
It was this that led him to fear invisible demons and he felt that one day they would confront him in a "do or die battle".
Posted on Sun 7th Jun 2009 12:51:00
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