With Halloween just around the corner, enjoy this short list of
traditional monsters. If you are unsure of a halloween costume this
year… here is your guide!
10. Oni Japanese
Depictions of oni vary widely but they are usually portrayed as
hideous, gigantic creatures with sharp claws, wild hair, and two long
horns growing from their heads. They are humanoid for the most part, but
occasionally, they are shown with unnatural features such as odd number
of eyes or extra fingers and toes. Their skin may be any number of
colors, but red and blue are particularly common. Their fierce
appearance is only enhanced by the tiger loincloths they tend to wear
and the iron club they favor. There is also a very obvious similarity
here to devils in Judeo-Christian tradition.
9. Ogre French
An ogre is a large, mean and hideous humanoid monster. Ogres are
often depicted in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings,
and have appeared in many classic works of literature. Ogres are often
portrayed with a large head, abundant hair and beard, a huge belly, and a
strong body.
8. Vampire Slavic
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings that are renowned for
subsisting on human blood or life-force, but in some cases may prey on
animals. Although vampires have different characteristics depending on
which lore one reads, in most cases, they are described as reanimated
corpses who feed by draining and consuming the blood of living beings.
The term was popularized in the early 18th century and arose from the
folklore of southeastern Europe, particularly the Balkans and Greece.
Folkloric vampires were depicted as undead beings who visited loved ones
and caused mischief or deaths in the neighborhoods they inhabited while
living. They wore shrouds, did not bear fangs and were often described
as bloated and of ruddy or darkened countenance.
7. Mummy Egyptian
A mummy is a corpse whose skin and dried flesh have been preserved by
either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold,
very low humidity, or lack of air. There are popular tales (largely
tall) of curses which are associated with the violation of the tombs of
mummified corpses or of the mummies themselves. These tales of curses
eventually lead to the modern fictional view of walking mummies.
6. Werewolf Germanic
Werewolves are mythological or folkloric people with the ability to
shapeshift into a wolf or wolf like creature, either purposely by magic,
or after being placed under a curse. The medieval chronicler Gervase of
Tilbury associated the transformation with the appearance of the full
moon; however, there is evidence that the association existed among the
Ancient Greeks, appearing in the writings of Petronius. Some modern
speculation has suggested that the belief in werewolves (and vampires)
may stem from real medical cases of people suffering from porphyria.
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5. Goblin Anglo-Saxon
A goblin is an evil, crabby, or mischievous creature of folklore,
often described as a grotesquely disfigured or gnome-like phantom.
Goblins may range in height from that of a dwarf to that of a human.
They are attributed with various (sometimes conflicting) abilities,
temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of
origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as a constant
annoying little creature somewhat related to the celtic brownie.
4. Ghoul Middle
Eastern
A ghoul is a monster from ancient Arabian folklore that dwells in the
burial grounds and other uninhabited places. In ancient Arabic
folklore, ghouls belonged to a diabolic class of jinn (spirits – from
whence the genie comes) and were said to be the offspring of Iblis, the
Muslim prince of darkness (Satan). They were capable of constantly
changing form, but their presence was always recognizable by their
unalterable sign: ass’s hooves. It would lure unwary travelers into the
desert wastes to slay and devour them. The creature also preyed on young
children, robbed graves and ate the dead. Yum yum!
3. Banshee Celtic
According to legend, a banshee wails around a house if someone in the
house is about to die. When several banshees appeared at once, it
indicated the death of someone great or holy. The tales sometimes
recount that the woman, though called a fairy, was a ghost, often of a
specific murdered woman, or woman who died in childbirth. Banshees are
frequently described as dressed in white or grey, and often having long,
fair hair which they brush with a silver comb. Other stories portray
banshees as dressed in green, red or black with a grey cloak.
2. Gorgon Greek
In Greek mythology, the Gorgon was a vicious female monster with
sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes. Gorgons are sometimes
depicted as having wings of gold, brazen claws, and the tusks of boars.
According to the myths, seeing the face of a Gorgon turned the viewer to
stone. Homer speaks of only one Gorgon, whose head is represented in
the Iliad as fixed in the center of the aegis of Zeus. Hesiod increases
the number of Gorgons to three: Stheno (the mighty), Euryale (the
far-springer), and Medusa (the queen), and makes them the daughters of
the sea-god Phorcys and of Keto. Their home is on the farthest side of
the western ocean; according to later authorities, in Libya. Of the
three Gorgons, only Medusa is mortal.
1. Zombie Latin
American
A zombie is a reanimated human body devoid of consciousness. In
contemporary versions these are generally undead corpses. Stories of
zombies originated in the Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system of
Voodoo. Other more macabre versions of the zombies have become a staple
of modern horror fiction, where they are brought back from the dead by
supernatural or scientific means, and eat the flesh or brains of the
living. They have very limited intelligence, and may not be under
anyone’s direct control.