A-Z Blog

Things That Go Bump in the Night–Zombies 4 comments

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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. […]

Things That Go Bump in the Night–Xing Tian, the Headless Giant 1 comment

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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 […]

Things That Go Bump in the Night–Nessie 4 comments

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Those of you who frequent Sorchia’s Universe—I like to call you Sorchialites­­––know that I am obsessed with Scotland and all things Scottish, not least, the beverage known as Scotch. And you will not be surprised that I  am compelled during this  Things That Go Bump in the Night series to mention  the Loch Ness Monster.  As it happens, a new development hit the headlines only a few days ago. Breaking News—Loch Ness Monster FOUND April 13, 2016.  Kongsberg Maritime, a […]

Things That Go Bump in the Night–Matagot, the Magic Cat 3 comments

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According to oral tradition in southern France, a matagot is a cat who can bring evil or riches to its owner.  If you stumble across a matagot,  offer it a chicken to lure it to your home. Carry it home without ever looking back. Then give the cat the first bite of every meal and keep it well-fed and happy. In return, the cat will bring you riches. Failure to meet these requirements will have the opposite effect and if you should […]

Things That Go Bump in the Night–Itzcoliuhqui and Itzpapalotl 2 comments

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It’s Monday and what better way to start the workweek than to remind you how much worse things could be. If you lived in Mexico in the fifteenth century, you had about a 1 in 5 chance of winding up as a human sacrifice. Your horrible job may be killing you, but at least it will do it slowly over twenty or thirty years. So you’ve got that going for you. The Aztecs were a fun loving group who enjoyed […]

Things That Go Bump in the Night–G is for Gargoyles 9 comments

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The word gargoyle comes from the French word gargouille which means gullet or to gargle. In architecture, gargoyles are grotesque ornaments, which serve as waterspouts. The term gargoyle in architecture refers to any such device—no matter what it depicts. Strictly speaking, the term grotesque in architecture refers to ornaments, which do not serve as water spouts.  Gargoyles are supposed to protect the building from evil spirits. In a legend dating back to the 7th century, a nasty dragon named La Gargouille lived […]