The notion of monsters has been shaped by Hollywood portrayals. We have all heard of the standard vampires, ghosts, zombies, mummies, witches, and werewolves. However, a few terrifying creatures have never been commercialized, mostly because they are too scary. Here are a few less popular Halloween creatures I find to be cool.
First off is the Banshee. This name came from the Irish term ben side, meaning “woman of the fair mound”. Banshees originate in Ireland. They appear as old woman in cloaks with unearthly wails. If you hear them wailing a family member may die, according to legend.
Another fascinating creature is the Kelpie, also known as the water horse. This shapeshifting water spirit from Scotland lives in lochs. Kelpies usually appear as horses, but beware- if you ride a Kelpie, it will drown you in its loch. Some sources say that they use their horse forms to lure children into riding them. Others, however, say that Kelpies help drowning children and warn young women of handsome men. It’s also claimed that they can appear as beautiful females to trap men. A similar creature called the Nuggle makes its home in Orkney. It also waits by water in horse form to attract victims.
Image Source: Mitja Juraja
In Japanese mythology, a Kappa instilled fear into children. Kappa looked like little green people with webbed hands and a turtle-like shell on their back. The Kappa ate children who didn’t show respect. If you ran into one, you had to bow to it to render it powerless.
Another scary Greek myth surrounds the Gorgon Medusa. Although she is found in modern movie retellings of Perseus’s story, she is a hard character to reinvent; after all, she can kill a guy with just her eyes. Once she was a fair young woman with fabulous hair who served Athena. Unfortunately, Poseidon thought she was attractive and pursued her. Medusa spurned Poseidon and ran to Athena’s temple for protection from the virgin goddess. Traditionally, Medusa’s monster form has snake hair and the lower body of a serpent. Her blood is poison and she can turn men into stone by looking at them. Perseus defeated her by using a shield to avoid looking at her directly.
Baba Yaga is by far one of the coolest Halloween-y characters. She is featured in Slavic lore and her name literally means “wicked grandmother”! Baba Yaga can be helpful or evil depending on the story. She is a very skinny old lady with iron teeth and a huge nose. Her house has chicken legs and a rooster head on top. Her favorite mode of transport is a mortar, while her wand is a pestle. If you do not complete your assigned task, this ferocious old woman will eat you. Happily, she will only eat you if you come to her house and always keeps her promises if you complete your task.
Good luck sleeping now!