Creatures of the Night by J.C. Kelley (ebook reader color screen .txt) 📕

Kelpies

KELPIES

Water horse

A water spirit that takes the form of a horse-like creature. Resides in lakes and rivers in Scotland and Ireland.

Used the form of a pony to lure children to the water, then pulled them down to the bottom until they drowned.

Usually docile, but if a man mounts it, the creature will plunge into the water with him, never to resurface. 

Changeling

CHANGELING

The offspring of a magical creature that was secretly left in place of a human child.

Children with birth defects were most likely the origin of changeling lore.

Have been known to feed on the human mothers they are left with, bringing bad omens to their home and livestock.

The only weapon to work effectively on a changeling is fire.

 

Arachne

ARACHNE

Humanoid creatures who feed on women and children.

Cannot be killed but by beheading.

The first Arachne was born a woman in Ancient Greece. It is said that she was a master weaver who claimed she was better than the goddess Athena herself. After challenging the goddess to a contest, Arachne wove a tapestry which depicted the gods in the worst light. Furious, Athena tore the tapestry apart, and the distraught Arachne took her own life. Later, Athena resurrected the weaver and bestowed minor godship upon her, making her immortal. This came at the price of Arachne taking the form of a giant spider. The Arachne that are alive today are said to be her children.

 

Lamia

LAMIA

A monster with the head and breasts of a woman, and the body of a serpent.

Known to suck the blood of children and perform witchcraft.

In the original tale, the first Lamia was a Libyan queen with whom the Greek god Zeus fell in love. The goddess Hera, who grew jealous of the queen's beauty, cursed her with the form of a woman's head and waist and a serpent's tail. She was also unable to close her eyes, preventing her from ever resting. Her children, similar creatures who feed on the blood of humans, are said to act like succubi, luring men with their beauty and injecting them with their venom.

WEAKNESSES:

1. A silver knife blessed by a priest

2. rosemary

3. fire 

Hellhounds

HELLHOUNDS

A giant black dog with yellow or red eyes, that possesses great strength and speed.

Must take a soul to the afterlife after a person has died. Thought to be controlled by demons and the devil.

Can be deterred by:

1. holy water

2. rosemary and salt

3. fire

4. a silver knife blessed by a priest

 

Undead

UNDEAD

A living corpse. When a person is dead, but his body acts as if alive.

 

Common examples:

-vampires

-ghouls

-ghosts

-possession by demon

-mummies

-dhampir

 

Thought to have little to no weaknesses, though beheading has proven to be the best way to defeat the undead.

 

Recommended:

1. destroy or remove the brain

2. destroy or remove the heart

 

One of the most well-known examples of an undead is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. 

Boogeyman/Black Annis

BOOGEYMAN

A legendary monster with the ability to change its appearance as often as needed, making it rather difficult to capture or kill.

The first stories of the Boogeyman are thought to have originated in Scotland, where the creature was referred to as a 'boggart'.

The Boogeyman has been known to scratch at your window, manifest in a green fog, or—most commonly—hide under your bed or in your closet. He usually preys upon children who misbehave.

There are many different versions of the boogeyman, depending on what part of the world you're looking at.

Sack Man:

A common character in Latin countries (Brazil, Portugal, and Spain). Described as a thin elderly man with a sack over his head, who takes children away from their homes. Some legends say that the Sack Man eats the children he captures, while others claim that he sells them as slaves.

In Bulgarian lore, the Sack Man is known as the inverse of Father Christmas, and the family partner of Baba Yaga.

 

BLACK ANNIS

A female version of the Boogeyman, popular in English folklore. Seen as a crone or witch with iron claws and blue skin, who haunts Leicestershire.

Parents warned their children of the Black Annis, convinced that she would reach into their homes and snatch them away if they misbehaved.

In the most gruesome of legends, the witch was known to hang the children, then wear their skin around her waist.  

Vampire

VAMPIRE

Known as the living dead, because their corpses rise again when the sun sets.

Night creatures who drink the blood of humans in order to survive. Most often seen with fangs, pale skin, red eyes, and claws. Sometimes linked with the chupacabra, a blood-sucking dog.

Most of the lore centers around the most famous vampire, Dracula. He was known to be vulnerable to sunlight, garlic, crosses, and holy water. A wooden stake to the heart is the most well-known way to defeat a vampire.

The original tales of living dead described them as being similar to bloated corpses with dark purplish skin, and blood dripping from their mouths. At first, fangs were not a typical feature of the common vampire.

It is a common superstition that, because one lacks a soul, a vampire does not possess a shadow and cannot enter a house without a mortal's invitation.

 

Becoming a Vampire:

A common belief was that any warlocks or witches who denounced Christianity could become a vampire after death. Though the most popular belief is that vampires can transform humans into their kind with a bite.

 

Killing the Living Dead:

Although the stake is the preferred method of defeating a vampire—ash, hawthorn, and oak wood, mostly—sprinkling holy water on the demon, exorcism, or decapitation could be used just as well. 

Imprint

Publication Date: 04-19-2011

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