Grizzly Bears aren't stupid. A study shows they know how to use objects to help reach food that is beyond their grasp.
now read on.....
Sunday 31 August 2014
ALASKAN LAKE MONSTER
- The Native Americans preserve in their lore a number of traditions relative to monsters and unknown animals. For example, the Ahtna of Alaska speak of the gux (the x is pronounced like ch in Bach). This is evidently a scaly creature, for that is what its name indicates. Be careful, then, of swimming in Alaskan lakes. I am told that people feature in this creature's diet.
AMERICAN MONSTERS
Linda Godfrey, whom I regard as a superb writer, has produced a new book, American Monsters. Although I've not seen it yet, I recommend that you get a copy, on the strength of previous works.
Available at $16.95 (cheaper from Amazon); also available in Kindle.
now read on.....
Available at $16.95 (cheaper from Amazon); also available in Kindle.
now read on.....
BIG CATS IN THE U.S.
What sort of big cats linger in the USA? This interesting article contains much information, going into the legend of the Wampus Cat.
now read on.....
now read on.....
ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD
On This Day in Weird, August 31...
1888: Still-unidentified serial killer "Jack the
Ripper" claims his first confirmed victim, Mary Ann "Polly"
Nichols, in London's Whitechapel district, inaugurating one of history's most
enduring criminal mysteries.
Saturday 30 August 2014
BUNYIP
There is no doubt that the bunyip is one of the most famous cryptids alleged to inhabit Australia. This article gives an overview of the creature.
now read on.....
now read on.....
BRER RABBIT - TRICKSTER HERO
Brer Rabbit is perhaps the most famous folk hero of the United States. The stories about him were brought from Africa by slaves. Some of them seem to be based on Anansi the Spider, a rather unpleasant character. Some may be based on other tales connected with rabbits, which often appear in African folklore. Some of the stories about him may owe their origin to Cherokee tales.
Brer Rabbit stories seem to have been first written down by Robert Roosevelt (1829-1906), but they attained their popularity through the writings of Joel Chandler Harris (1845-1908). He placed them in the mouth of Uncle Remus, a fictitious old Afro-American who made his first appearance in the Atlantic Constitution (1876). Harris went on to write a series of books about Brer Rabbit, couched in Afro-American dialect.
Folklorists use the term Trickster to denote a character who lives on his wits, always diving and dodging. A rabbit, with so little defensive resources, makes an excellent subject for Trickster tales. Brer Rabbit was not lacking in persons he had to outwit. In the picture above you can see Brer Fox and Brer Wolf, both hungry for the taste of bunny. Brer Tarrypin, a friendly character, is also in the picture. So are some strange looking women. If you wish to see more strange looking women, you should come to the CFZ Weird Weekend, where strange looking women proliferate.
Other persons of note in the stories are the flying and dangerous Mr Buzzard, the animals' enemy, Mister Man, and Jedge B'ar.
Although Uncle Remus is fictitious, Harris had among his sources Afro-Americans referred to as Uncle George Terrell, Aunt Crissy and Old Harbert.
Mind you, rabbits are not always as helpless as you might think. I know of a friend of my sister who bought a house. The former occupant asked her if she could leave her pet rabbit behind. This creature lived in a hutch in the backyard. When she went to feed it, it jumped out in an aggressive way and ran off. Some minutes later a mailman entered the backyard. He claimed in outraged tones that he had been attacked and bitten by the rabbit. During the night, a telephone call was received from a neighbor, claiming the rabbit had attacked and bitten his cat. What ultimately befell this warlike lagomorph I know not. One is reminded of General Woundwort in Watership Down.
ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD
On This Day in Weird, August 30...
1922: Robert Harvey Rines, future Loch Ness researcher and
founder of the Academy of Applied Sciences, born in Boston, Massaschusetts.
1995: Theatrical premiere of Magic in the Water, a film
based on pursuit of a Canadian lake monster.
Friday 29 August 2014
BIG SPIDERS
Do you like spiders? I hope so, because research suggest that living in urban areas makes spiders bigger.
now read on.....
now read on.....
ENCOUNTERS WITH HUMANOIDS
Humanoids with a possibly ET origin may not belong to cryptozoology strictu sensu; but, being presumably animal, such beings fall into the category of Fortean zoology. Here are details of some encounters.
now read on.....
now read on.....
UFOs IN PENNSYLVANIA AND WISCONSIN
Well, they may be UFOs, but that doesn't say what they are, because thay are, after all, like the father of a child I know, unidentified.
now read on.....
now read on.....
Thursday 28 August 2014
ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD
On This Day in Weird, August 29...
1949: Theatrical release of Mighty Joe Young, featuring
stop-motion special effects from master Willis O'Brien.
1987: Primatologist and Bigfoot researcher John Russell
Napier dies on the Isle of Mull at age 70.
SHERIDAN LE FANU
I SPEAK OF THE SAUSAGE
The remarks I am about to make do not apply to all sausages, but they do apply to a great many. And as sausages are made from animal meat, I feel this information is not out of place on a quasi-zoological site such as this.
I was told by a butcher's daughter that, if I knew what really went into sausages, I would nevermore eat one. Sausages crafted by her father, she added, did not fall into this inedible category. But she would not elaborate on what went into the other ones.
I could only use my imagination, so I imagined snout, eyeball, ear, cheek, gum (the kind teeth grow out of), tail and goodness alone knew what from actually inside the pig concerned. So, I pass the message on to you - think before you eat a sausage. I know of one sausage factory of which it is said that anyone who had worked there would never eat a sausage thereafter.
Mind you, if you just love sausages or, for that matter, hot dogs, you could always try a vegetarian sausage. However, I tried one once and I have no desire to repeat the experiment. It tasted gross.
So, unless you know a butcher who takes care only to put congenial meat in his sausages, either don't eat them or blank out your mind to their possible content if you do.
ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD
On This Day in Weird, August 28...
1926: Future anomaly investigator William Roger Corliss born
in Stamford, Connecticut. Author Arthur C. Clarke described him as
"[Charles] Fort's latter-day—and much more scientific—successor."
Wednesday 27 August 2014
FAIRY FESTIVAL
For those with interest in the lore of Fairies, this is to let you know that the Annual Solvang Faeriefest will be held on Saaturday, October 4th, at Solvang (California).
CONNECTICUT VAMPIRE PANIC
No, do not worry. It's not a contemporary panic. Its one from the 19th Century.
now read on.....
Vampire |
now read on.....
NBC MAN AND UFO PICTURE
This article alleges that an NBC operative who caught a UFO on camera was questioned by the FBI.
now read on.....
now read on.....
UNIONTOWN (PA) AND "FINDING BIGFOOT".
The program Finding Bigfoot has visited Uniontown (Pennsylvania).
now read on....
Mebbe I don't want to be found. |
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BIGFOOT IN VICKSBURG
Has Bigfoot been seen in Vicksburg (Mississippi)? Evidence of Bigfoot presence includes a sighting.
now read on......
now read on......
ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD
On This Day in Weird, August 27...
1906: Edward Theodore Gein, future real-life model for
fiction serial killers Norman Bates (Psycho), "Leatherface" (Texas
Chainsaw Massacre), and "Buffalo Bill (Silence of the Lambs),
born in La Crosse County, Wisconsin.
Tuesday 26 August 2014
GNOME IN PENNSYLVANIA?
As some of you will know, the word gnome was coined by Paracelsus, but these days it is applied to diminutive beings in folklore. Was a photograph of one taken in Pennsylvania? Read this communication sent to Linda Moulton Howe.
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[Not Gnome Photograph in article] |
now read on.....
DOES YOUR DOG MISBEHAVE?
A new perfume, made from boars (not wild ones) will induce improvement.
now read on.....
Don't boar me |
now read on.....
MOTHMAN FESTIVAL
If you want to know more about the Mothman Festival to be held next month, follow the link.
now read on.....
For information about the Miss Mothman pageant, to be held at the Festival, follow this one:
now read on.....
now read on.....
For information about the Miss Mothman pageant, to be held at the Festival, follow this one:
now read on.....
MOTHMAN MUSEUM TO MOVE
The Mothman Museum is to move its premises in Point Pleasant, hopefully in time for the Mothman Festival, which commences on September 20th.
now read on......
now read on......
GRUMPY BIGFOOTS
In this video Ron Moorhead describes the aggressive behavior of Bigfoots he allegedly recorded.
now read on......
now read on......
ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD
On This Day in Weird, August 26...
1845: Polly Nichols, first known victim of Britain's phantom
serial killer "Jack the Ripper," born Mary Ann Walker in a hovel on
Dean Street, in London.
1883: Leonidas Frank Chaney—better known as Lon Chaney Sr.,
Hollywood's "Man of a Thousand Faces"—born in Colorado Springs,
Colorado.
Monday 25 August 2014
GIANT RATS AID HUMANITY
I am not a great fan of the rat, but in Africa they are being trained to sniff out tuberculosus.
now read on.....
Giant pouched rat |
now read on.....
CROSSBRED WOLVES AND COYOTES
Wolves and coyotes are interbreeding in the United States and an occasional dog is contributing to the gene pool.
now read on.....
Wolf |
now read on.....
ROUGAROU HUNT
The rougarou is a kind of wolfman in Cajun folklore. Here we have a video of a rougarou hunt. Readers are reminded that the French for a werewolf is loup-garou, which is probably the origin of the term, but among Chippewa Indians the term rugaru is used for a hairy wildman.
have a look.....
have a look.....
ANOTHER STRANGE DUNPHY EXPERIENCE
A couple of days ago, I mentioned the adventures of Shane Dunphy, searching for the dobharchú on Omey Island off the Irish coast. He shared another experience with me, which will, I trust, be of interest.
He was driving along one day through the Irish countryside when his attention was distracted by a herd of cows in a field. Near them was a large dog which bore some resemblance to an Afghan hound. The problem with the dog was that it was too large, much too big in proportion to the cattle.
Asking a local later what he might have seen, the latter at once suggested it was the púca (anglicized pooka), a creature of Irish folklore. The púca is a shapeshifter and can supposedly assume a variety of forms. It is particularly well known for making appearances as a horse which breathes blue flames.
Was this huge dog a paranormal creature. If not, what was it?
He was driving along one day through the Irish countryside when his attention was distracted by a herd of cows in a field. Near them was a large dog which bore some resemblance to an Afghan hound. The problem with the dog was that it was too large, much too big in proportion to the cattle.
Asking a local later what he might have seen, the latter at once suggested it was the púca (anglicized pooka), a creature of Irish folklore. The púca is a shapeshifter and can supposedly assume a variety of forms. It is particularly well known for making appearances as a horse which breathes blue flames.
Was this huge dog a paranormal creature. If not, what was it?
THE TREE THAT WALKS
Into the realm of cryptobotany we go to have a look at the Walking Tree.
now read on.....
Here it comes; picture courtesy Austin Whittall |
now read on.....
ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD
On This Day in Weird, August 25...
2001: Hollywood makeup artist John Chambers, recipient of
special Academy Award in 1968 for his work on Planet of the Apes, dies
in a Los Angeles hospital at age 78. Shortly before his death, in an interview
conducted by Sasquatch researcher Bobbie Short, Chambers denied persistent
rumors that he created the costume for a female Sasquatch shown in Roger
Patterson's Bluff Creek film of October 20, 1967.
Sunday 24 August 2014
PLURALITY OF UNIVERSES
Is it possible that there are other universes? If so, it is of course conceivable that cryptids might wander out of them into ours sometimes, if they can find portals between them. But what does contemporary science say about other universes? Is it comfortable with the idea? Well, yes, it is.
now read on.....
now read on.....
ARIZONA LEGENDS
These are Native American legends, featuring Giants, a friendly Toad, a friendly Spider and a horrific Thing.
now read on.....
Early map of Arizona |
now read on.....
UNDERWATER PANTHER
The Native Americans had sundry legends of creatures generally referred to as "underwater panthers". Here we have some accounts.
now read on.....
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SICILIAN MONSTER STORY
Palermo Monster; image courtesy Lon Strickler |
now read on.....
ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD
On This Day in Weird, August 24...
1969: Five construction workers on a job at Big Horn Dam, on
Alberta's North Saskatchewan River, report being watched for half an hour by
Sasquatch. After stating that the creature was half a mile distant, they claim
it was 15 feet tall.
1973: An unnamed witness sees a 7-foot Sasquatch that
smelled "like rotten eggs" outside Herminie, Pennsylvania.
1976: Two hikers report three sightings of Sasquatch on the
same day, near Whitehall, New York.
Saturday 23 August 2014
ANIMAL SPEECH
New research suggests animals may have more speech ability that hitherto thought.
now read on.....
Mocking Bird |
now read on.....
KUMBWAY
The kumbway is a cryptid of Liberia. Information is to be found about it in this account.
now read on....
now read on....
ON THIS DAY IN WEIRD
On This Day in Weird, August 23...
2006: Paranormal investigator Edward "Ed" Warren
Miney dies in Monroe, Connecticut, at age 79.
Friday 22 August 2014
DOBHARCHÚ REPORTS
Many of you will be familiar with the Dobharchú (plural dobharchon), an animal in Irish folklore, pronounced either doovarchoo or doowarchoo, the ch as in Bach. The word in Irish means an otter, but at times it means a special kind of legendary otter of very large proportions. This creature of folklore is decidedly dangerous and many cryptozoologists will be familiar with the legend of Gráinne Nà Conlaà who was supposedly killed by one of the monsters. Her husband came upon the corpse. The lines of a local ballad describe what he saw:
Upon her bosom, snow-white once,
But now besmeared with gore,
The Dobharchú reposing was,
His surfeiting being o'er,
Her bowels and entrails all around,
Tinged with a reddish hue.
'Oh, God!' he cried, ' 'tis hard to bear,
'But what am I to do?'
According to tradition, he went home, procured his gun and shot the beast, only to be attacked by another. It too was slain. On Gráinne's tomb at the local churchyard there is a strange animal, thought to be a dobharchú. (Gráinne's name is sometimes anglicized as Grace).
Although this encounter is placed in Leitrim, the animal is certainly part of the legendry of the adjoining counties of Sligo and Donegal. P.S. Dinneen in his Irish-English Dictionary places it in Donegal.
However, at Omey Island, off the coast of County Galway, traditions of it certainly persist to this day. I was recently informed by ace journalist Shane Dunphy that many people in the vicinity claim to have actually seen the creature. One local with whom he was watching television saw a film of the Brazilian Giant otter. This person had seen the Dobharchú and proclaimed it was the same animal.
Shane determined to camp out on Omey Island one night to see if he encountered anything unusual. The island's only permanent resident was absent that night. During the hours of darkness, he heard something snuffling outside his tent. He quickly made sure his tent was closed, for he feared attack. In the morning he found a print in some cowdung. His snuffling visitor remains a mystery.
Ruined cottage, Omey Island |
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