How many times have you heard the phrase, "You’re screaming like a banshee!"? I know I've said it often enough.

I never thought about it, though, until I saw an episode of the TV show Charmed, where one of the main female protagonists became a banshee. Charmed, in case you didn't know, was a long-running TV series about witches.

The show’s premise regarding the Banshee was that Phoebe, the witch in question, changed after her sister killed one of the creatures while under attack. As a witch, Phoebe couldn't be killed by the cries of a banshee--but because of her suffering and severe emotional pain, she could turn into one.

A misty fog hung in the cool air, obscuring the winding path and painting the night a blurry blue-gray. Time passed uncounted as silence reigned, the graveyard still and quiet as if trapped within a fallen cloud.

Okay, maybe I should have started with “It was a dark and stormy night…” but I was afraid Snoopy would get me for copyright infringement. Has anyone ever heard of a vampire story beginning on a stormy—or even rainy—night?

Regardless, vampire legends have persisted for centuries, millennia, in fact. The word “vampire” wasn’t introduced until the 18th century when Western European legends became more widespread.

It all started around Thanksgiving. My daughter went to visit her boyfriend's family, and someone had to watch their bird. Well, what kind of mother would I be if I refused to entertain my own grand-bird? After their trip, he returned home for a short while, then came back to stay while they made a necessary move. The end result of all this is that I grew to love that bird--enough to get my own bird, in fact.

Today, I'm taking what I hope is an objective look at superstitions. I know superstitions are not monsters, but they're certainly myths, aren't they?

I imagine that there have been superstitions around since the first time a man killed a bear and swore never to wash his lucky loincloth again--just in case. The first written reference to superstition may be credited to writers and poets as early as 1^st Century BC.

I forget where I first heard the phrase, but this month, I thought we'd find out if March Hares are actually all that mad.

And hey, what about that meddling rabbit with the eggs? I'm good with chocolate, don't get me wrong…but still, what's that all about?

And by the way, what has Peter Cottontail got to do with the resurrection of Christ?
First things first…or is there a first thing?

Happy Valentine's Day !

I've been away a bit, but now I'm back. So that's what's going on there.

The question of the day is: who or what is cupid?

Monster or Myth?

The simplest answer I can come up with has cupid flying around with feathery wings flapping between his very human, very naked little toddler back. Does that make sense to anyone? Anyone at all?

Someone in my family said something about dragons recently and it caught my attention. Actually, they said, “My daughter is showing her green dragon today,” or something like that. I got confused and she explained that it had to do with being jealous. I’ve often heard that called the “green monster” but that’s not what stuck with me. I wondered where the idea of dragons came from to begin with.

While the nighttime temperatures here in New Jersey have vacillated between 25 °F and 63 °F (-03.9 °C—17.2 °C) last night was the first time I really felt the nip of winter in the air. You know what I mean-- that frigid bite of frost that leaves a chill behind, even though it was in 40’s°F at the time. That turned my thoughts to our old pal Jack Frost.

There have been movies, books, countless stories and legends, but who was he, really? Or was he a he at all?

The nearest I can tell, Jack Frost begins history as Jokul Frosti, which means Icicle Frost. The tale is credited to the Norse Vikings and apparently he went from window to bush painting beautiful icicle masterpieces in the dead of night.

First let me apologize for not posting for awhile. Real life read its ugly head once again and I found myself unable to be here. Among other things, I had a computer snafu in the form of a virus. I wish I was as clever as those folks who come up with them, to change things so fast, and outsmart the big security programs. I don’t want to write viruses, don’t get me wrong, I just wish I had the brainpower. Anyhow, I hope you’ll forgive me for my lapse.

I was a little torn this month when I tried to decide what to write about. I’ve always been drawn to werewolves, but I don’t really have any new info on them just now. The two topics that were tugging at me were Fairies or Fae and Valkyeries. I realize I can write about one this month and the other next month, and most likely, that’s how things will go, but it was a close call for me.

I ended up choosing to give some attention to the Fae because they are so inured in so many cultures that there must be a grain of truth to those legends…mustn’t there? Wikipedia.org even has a page dedicated to the classifications of fairies. Even though fairy is sometimes spelled faery or faerie, unless it’s a direct quote, I’m going with fairy --just so you know. I only capitalized Fae because it referred to a sort of nation—like the Russians…in case the grammar police are out there. : )

Where wolf?

Okay, that’s not really funny, is it? I suppose the true question before us is: Is there any such thing as a werewolf?

To begin, I suppose we should go back to the root of the matter—what is a werewolf? Literally defined, the word werewolf translates to ManBeast. The word were is taken from Old Germanic wer to mean “Male Human”. The word “wolf” began as “wulf”, which literally means beast.

There’s also the school of thought the word “were” comes from the Old English weri meaning “to wear”. Fighting men of the northern countries were said to wear bearskins into battle. In fact, the berserkers of earliest Scandinavian wars—those insane and bestial men of war—are said to have worn the skin of wolves and bears in tribute to their king.

Hey there! Didja miss me? I’ve had a heck of a month, but then, so has anyone living in the Northeast this winter. This is the perfect season for some Norse mythology, isn’t it?

I’m a big fan of Norse mythology. There’s Loki, Thor, Tyr, Odin…what’s not to love? Okay, the names can get confusing, and pronunciation can be an issue, but we struggle through.

As I sit here on my best girlfriend’s couch—snowed in for the third time in two months, I might add—I am reminded of Ragnarok.

Ragnarok is also called Gotterdammerung, (see what I mean about pronunciation?), and translated to “Doom, or destruction, of the Gods”. The reason it springs so readily to mind for me just now has more to do with the preceding events that toll its arrival.

The first signal that Ragnarok is eminent is the advent of Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters. According to experts, snow will come from all directions, not stopping for three full seasons.

Hmmm… well, we’ve had a day or two of sunshine in between, haven’t we? I guess it’s not the end of the world just yet. I’m okay with that. On the other hand, I’ve just had to resurrect my laptop by re-installing my operating system. Isn’t that considered a natural disaster by today’s standards?

Hey All! How were your holidays? Personally, mine were just fine. But the holidays aren’t over yet, are they?

Nope, not quite. We have New Years next. It probably won’t surprise you to hear (read) that there are a plethora of myths and beliefs surrounding New Years. We all certainly have our own traditions, don’t we?

I really like the Bayberry candle tradition. There’s a little poem:
"This bayberry candle is a gift from a friend, on Christmas Eve (or New Years Eve) burn it down to the end.
A bayberry candle burned down to the socket brings luck to the home and wealth to the pocket."

I’ve read it both ways—Christmas Eve or New Years Eve, but I just hedge my bets by doing both. It can’t hurt and I really like Bayberry candles.

There’s the New Year’s resolution, various foods to be eaten especially on New Years’ Day, the Midnight Kiss, on and on the list goes. Don’t worry, I’ll try to go through all of these and more.

I’ve come across two different myths—or beliefs if you prefer—about money. One says that you must have all your bills paid before the stroke of midnight so you don’t find the New Year dragging you further in debt. In other words, if you start with a clean slate, you’ll keep it clean.

Happy Halloween, or Samhain, or All Hallows Eve, to you. –Or whatever it is that you celebrate.

It’s been a long month—October usually is, isn’t it?

This month, I figured I’d take a look at a widely speculated Halloween rumor. In fact, it’s a tool many horror and romance writers use.

I’m talking about the thinning of the membrane between the living and the dead on the night of October the thirty-first.

The suggestion of the living communicating with the dead has been around for more than millennia, starting with the very first settlements. Each and every culture has some sort of tradition or legend that allows for the possibility of one last minute, word, or promise to a departed loved one.

I don’t mean ghosts, either. Nor am I including séances or dreams. We’ll talk about those another day. Many people turn to date and time specific traditions because they ARE so specific, therefore, they must be based on some sort of facts, right?

There are as many rituals as there are writers to write them down, each one with specific steps—words, phrases, candles and pentagrams—at the site of the death blow, possibly, or more likely, the grave or final resting place.

Okay, that was a little cliche, wasn't it? Sorry about that.

What is a ghoul?

Personally, I’ve never really thought about the ghoul as opposed to a ghost. I thought they were the same thing...

Many times, I’ve been accused of having a ghoulish sense of humor or imagination. Of course, I’m mild compared to some, but still, there is a difference between ghoulish behavior and the ghoul itself.

I guess I vaguely thought that ghouls and ghosts were pretty much the same thing. Turns out they aren’t. Go figure, huh? One definition that I read describes a ghoul as and evil grave robber who feed on corpses. During my research, one source reported that ghouls were all female and resided in desert areas. Either of those definitions pretty much contradicts my own notion that ghouls were not alive, so of course, they aren’t ghosts, right?

The Encyclopedia Britannica says that ghouls are a diabolic class of djinn—which to me means a bad, evil genie. In fact, that definition came up a couple of times, as did the suggestion that ghouls dwell in burial places. All in all, nothing I’ve read about ghouls makes me want to hang out with one.

This is a very pretty monster…sort of. Sometimes.

I supposed it really depends on what you find attractive and what your definition of a monster is. According to some definitions, mostly found at
Wordsmyth.com, a monster is any creature with an ugly or frightening appearance, any being that is abnormally formed or exceptionally large, or possibly someone or something that is cruel or malicious. Wordsmyth also offers another definition of a monster that I like better: an imaginary or mythical creature, often with features of two different animals or of animals and humans. It sounds nicer. The Kelpie was not listed as one of the many examples of a monster they offered, however.