I grow weary of TV and movie zombies. Bloody, yes; scary, not so much. The truth is far more terrifying. A zombie is a supposedly dead person who has been reanimated. In Haitian voodoo, which may have its roots in Western or Central Africa, a zombie is an undead slave created by a witch or priest or priestess. The creature was once alive but, by the application of magic and a few household ingredients in the right proportions, got zombified. […]
Monthly Archives: April 2016
23 posts
Y is another tricky letter but the Yawkwawiak makes a fine addition to the bestiary we are developing at Sorchia’s Universe He’s also called Katshituashku by the Penobscot Nation and is an elephant-sized bear who enjoys munching on unwary nature-lovers—or anyone else who wanders into the forest. The stiff-legged bear makes an appearance in the lore of several Native American tribes. The Penobscot Nation reports that the big, shaggy mammal can’t bend its legs and leans on trees to rest. […]
X is notoriously a difficult letter to make work during an A-Z Blog. Fortunately, there are freaky critters all over the world! Xíng Tiān is a creature in Chinese mythology. The giant Xíng Tiān followed his master into exile after a bitter defeat at the hands of The Yellow Emperor. After this Yellow Emperor caught up and executed Xing Tian’s master, Xing Tian issued a challenge for a duel. Xíng Tiān and The Yellow Emperor fought a ferocious battle with […]
The short definition of witch is someone who practices magic—but the story is much more complex than that. First, witches can be male or female. Many male witches particularly hate the term warlock because it creates a division where there is none. Witches are old souls who have been through many lifetimes and in many forms. Male and Female just don’t apply. The tradition is matriarchal, but the form is variable. Second, magic is one dish with many flavors. You […]
A busy time here at Sorchia’s Universe. I’ve missed a couple of letters but plan to finish strong–with a BIG announcement coming soon. Here’s the thing about Voodoo dolls–they are not really Voodoo after all. Many religions use dolls or human figures in rituals–including Voodoo. The association, however, is mostly pure Hollywood. Ancient Greeks called them Kolossoi, and used them to protect a village by binding the deity and preventing harm from that source. Native Americans and other agricultural cultures […]
We are in the last half of the A-Z Blog and I’m getting my second wind. Since I write about this kind of stuff all the time, it isn’t unusual to find similar posts. Be sure to click the link at the end of this short post to read more about werewolves. Rougarou is the Louisianan or Cajun French version of Loup garou, a French term for werewolf. The story is the same except that the rougarou prowls the swamps […]