Ghoul          There is a lot that can be researched when looking into the true meaning of the word “Ghoul”.  It seems every culture and hundreds of writers have their own interpretation of what a Ghoul is.  It turns out that the actual term is derived from an ancient Arabic belief in a creature given life by evil Jinn.  It is said to lure unwary travelers into the desert wastes to slay and devour them.   More modern...

    From earliest times people wore masks when droughts or other disasters struck. They believed that the demons who had brought their misfortune upon them would become frightened off by the hideous masks. Even after the festival of Samhain had merged with Halloween, Europeans felt uneasy at this time of the year. Food was stored in preparation for the winter and the house was snug and warm. The cold, envious ghosts were outside, and...

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     Halloween is always fun for me.  I like nothing more than research bizzare and unique facts about the holiday and its origins.  Today let us take a peek at a plant that is very often synonymous with Werewolves and Halloween.     Wolfsbane has been ascribed with supernatural powers in the mythology relating to werewolves and other lycanthropes, either to repel them, relating to aconite’s use in poisoning wolves and other...

    While October may be the favorite month of thousands of humans, who excitedly plan their costumes of spooks, vampires and monsters, in anticipation of Halloween, cats, particularly black cats, have little cause for celebration this month.     I am no champion of Feline rights, but you may be interested to know that there are quite a few violent indignities that have been practiced on black cats at this time of year.      In...

    The first step in understanding vampire lore is to understand some of the biological reasons that may have led to such beliefs. One of the most plausible explanations for vampire myths is the disease porphyria, which occurred frequently in Transylvania. Porphyria is a blood-related condition where a vital function of blood cells is lost. This results in rapid tissue damage, giving the victim a ghastly pallor and enlarged teeth due to...