Creepy Christmas characters (part 8)

Straggle

During the Yule season from December and into January, across much of Europe, it's a dark and sinister season. It isn't full of the benign magical and friendly elves, tree fairies, reindeer and jolly Santa. There are countries with creepier figures that appear over the holiday and they're a lot nastier than other creepy Christmas character I've posted about. Imagine the evil White Witch from "Chronicles of Narnia" but dwells here on this world. Also imagine La Befana ten times scarier and has a horde of monsters.

Straggle are Christmas monsters. They are big, horned and very snarly, almost half animal but not human at all. These monsters called Straggle punish children for being badly behaved. What they do is steal their belongings and kill them. The Straggle are also called Perchta's little helpers but they're no elves. Perchta is a beautiful goddess although in folklore she's regarded as Frau Perchta or Berchta the witch. She resembles an old woman in part of the lore but looks like a young beautiful woman in another section. They also call her Holda or Mother Holle.  Described as having a large food like that of a swan, or a goose.

Perchta checked in on every house to make sure that children were well behaved. She would do this between Christmas and Epiphany. She was interested in finding out if people worked hard, so that she would reward them with silver coins. If anyone didn't work hard and if any child was bad, Perchta would mutilate them and fill their bodies with straw and stones. The church was unhappy that people were liking the celebration and custom of Perchta and her dangerous Straggle gang.   

We hope you enjoyed reading these creepy posts.

Have a fun day and ENJOY the rest of the holiday/

She Wolf Night team

Creepy Christmas characters (part 7)

La Befana

This is a Christmas witch who delivers gifts to children, and comes from Italian folklore. She appears after the Yule feasts have done, when Santa has returned home after travelling all over, and in the New Year, around the 6th January, La Befana does her magical detour. She drops presents down chimneys, and is treated as a welcome and loveable guest by everyone. Wine, cookies milk, sausage and broccoli. is put aside for her just as it is for Santa. 

This might be the friendliest, and not creepiest character so far. There is a dark side to her. While Santa travels on a sleigh pulled by reindeer, Befana uses a broomstick to fly around. Befana dislikes being noticed, and anyone who looks at her will be punished, by getting a whack across the face by the broomstick! So if anyone witnesses her, look away. The background to her, in many sources, is that Befana lived over 2000 years ago and was grieving the loss of her son. She then turned to witchcraft and magic. La Befana believed that the birth of Jesus was her son reincarnated. Some say that she gave all of her son's belongings to Jesus, and in return, Jesus blessed Befana with the gift of being loved by children for many years on. 

It's also believed that La Befana might be the Sabine goddess Strenua, a goddess of the new year who gave gifts to many. Despite the title of this post, La Befana is benign and sounds like a sweet elderly lady. I think this is a really nice "creepy character".    

She Wolf Night group

Creepy Christmas characters (part 6)

Mari Lwyd 

I was almost going to finish this Creepy Christmas Characters topic at part 5 but I plan to keep going until part 8. It was brought to my attention, which I almost forgot, some more subjects that I will cover in this theme. This one is about Mari Lwyd, (the word "Mari Lwyd" is Welsh, and could be translated as either "Grey Mare" or "Grey Mary.")

This rather strange looking character is a hobby horse using a skull of a horse, dressed in white linen, and decorated with tinsel, holly and colourful ribbons. Sometimes its empty eye sockets are filled with baubles. There would be companions of the Mari Lwyd dressed in Punch and Judy costumes, going from door to door, offering to sing songs. Villagers that allowed the Mari Lwyd and party into their houses could offer food and drink. The Mari Lwyd would be let loose, snapping at people and chase kids around the house. The tradition was during the Christmas and New Year season, mainly it's a custom full of goodwill. Despite that, the Church tried to ban it. The Mari Lwyd has links with ancient wassailing throughout Britain. 

She Wolf Night

Creepy Christmas characters (part 5)

 

Krampus

This is a sinister figure of the season. It's a scary version of Santa, with large horns, sharp teeth and cloven hooves. Its long tongue is often outside of its mouth. It's part of the Alpine legend for Yule, and many believe Krampus appears on the night of 5th December holding birch braches. He visits the houses of naughty children and punishes them instead of delivering nice gifts. The birch branches are used by Krampus to beat misbehaving kids. Sometimes badly behaved unruly kids are put into his basket that he wears across his back, and carries them to his dwelling to eat them. 

At some time in the past, the church wanted to ban references to Krampus as it was seen as a demon. Today the scary Krampus character is changed to that of a fool, as people have been celebrating Krampus parades in Austria and other countries for many years. It's a parade that has many costumes of horned Krampus demons. It's often a child's favourite event! 

This was the final of the Creepy Christmas characters. I wish you all a fantastic holiday!

She Wolf Night group

Creepy Christmas Characters (part 4)

 Yule Lads

They are the children of the frightening giantess troll Gryla. In total there are thirteen of them. In the past, centuries ago, there was a lot more of them, but since then they've been reduced in size (perhaps the potent number 13 was decided to be very significant). So who are the Yule Lads?

They're part of Icelandic folklore. These Yule Lads today are seen as benign Winter spirits who are similar to Santa, but they have a dark side, or they used to, and at one time the Yule Lads were banned by the government. 

The Yule Lads were often mischief making, but they left sweets in the stockings of children. If children were naughty, the Yule Lads would put rotten vegetables in the stockings as punishment. There are also scary sides to them, as these Yule Lads tend to be quite thuggish in nature. 

Let us introduce each of the Yule Lads:

Stekkjarstaur - frightens and torments sheep. He has wooden legs.

Giljagaur - is a thief who steals milk.

Stúfur  -  the shortest boy who steals pans and eats pie crusts. 

Þvörusleikir - steals spoons and also licks spoons.

Pottaskefill  - steals scraps of food from pots and pans.

Askasleikir  - Hides under the bed, licks bowls and scares people. 

Hurðaskellir - rudely wakes everyone up by viciously slamming doors.

Skyrgámur - a yoghurt thief.

Bjúgnakrækir -  hides beneath the rooftop or in the attic, stealing sausages.

Gluggagægir - thief who looks through windows.

Gáttaþefur - long sniffy nose looking for bread to steal.

Ketkrókur -  grabs meat with a hook that he then steals.

Kertasníkir - candy thief.

More creeps soon...

She Wolf Night gang

Creepy Christmas characters (part 3)

Art by Phineas Jones

 Gryla 

The owner of the Yule Cat is a troll giantess called Gryla. This is part of a very big family linked to the Yule tradition in Iceland, so I shall focus on the matriarch. Gryla was mentioned in the Prose Edda, although she has much older tales about her taking naughty, poor and disabled children. Described as having hooves instead of feet, she has tails, horns and she eats humans.

She always knows when children are being badly behaved, naughty and rebellious. She lives in a mountain cave, possibly near the volcanic region of the Dimmuborgir ("Dark Castles"). Every Yuletide, she wanders down to the villages and looks around for the children. Whenever she finds them, she puts them in a sack and carries them off to her dwelling. There she makes stew in a large pot, and eats the poor, disabled and naughty children. 

This vile monster has been married three times. Her latest husband is called Leppaludi. She has many children who all live with her. To complete the monstrous family unit, there is the pet cat who is none other than the infamous Yule Cat. To learn more about the Yule Cat, read "Creepy Christmas Characters (part 2)."

More on the Creepy side of Christmas characters soon...

She Wolf Night team

Creepy Christmas characters (part 2)

 

Yule Cat

There is a legend in Iceland of a monstrous cat who lives in the forests and mountains. It's called the Yule Cat because it looks for people to eat over the Yuletide season. If people have not been given clothes as presents for Christmas, then the Yule Cat will find them and devour them. This giant cat knows who hasn't had new clothes by Yule. People make sure that they've got new warm clothes by Winter solstice to avoid being dinner for the Yule Cat. Children were always warned to do as they're told and to finish chores otherwise the Yule Cat will get them. 

Going by the description of Yule Cat in a poem by Johannes ur Kotlum, the Yule Cat is enormous in size with unknown dwellings. Its eyes are glowing bright, its teeth are very sharp, and the Yule Cat is so scary that even grown men shudder. It has very sharp whiskers and terrible claws. This monster cat prowls through the snowy landscape. Everyone stays indoors when the Yule Cat roams the streets. People feel so afraid that Yule Cat will growl or even snatch someone. Worst of all the Yule Cat peeps through the windows with lights on, spying on everyone inside and checking to make sure that people are wearing new garments. The Yule Cat's victims are usually poor people who don't have new clothes. The poem suggests that people with plenty should help those poor families without anything to keep the evil Yule Cat away. 

This certainly is scary. To read the full Yule Cat poem: Go here

More coming soon...

She Wolf Night team      

Creepy Christmas characters (part 1)

 The White Witch

Of all the creepiest characters of Christmas/Yule/Winter, the White Witch appears on top. She appears in the Chronicles of Narnia series, written by C. S. Lewis. And before anyone asks, no, she is not the Snow Queen of fairy tale legend by Hans Christian Andersen. The Snow Queen in the tale by Andersen is a neutral force of nature, almost a goddess, and not an antagonist or a protagonist. The White Witch is very different to the Snow Queen. The White Witch character is a tyrant of Narnia and an evil sorceress from an alien world. 

She put Narnia under a spell, so that it is always Winter. She hates Christmas and every type of enjoyment so she banned Santa from entering Narnia. Her most powerful weapon is a golden wand that she used to turn anyone she didn't like to stone. Everyone in Narnia felt terrified of her. The White Witch didn't come from Narnia, but she ended up there and took over the entire world. 

She has many nightmarish allies and servants who supported her and helped to oppress the Narnians. Among these White Witch loyalists was Maugrim, the captain of the secret police, Otmin the army general and Ginarrbrik. Also her friends include many creatures of horror, such as werewolves, ogres, ghouls, incubi, demons and other monsters as well as brainwashed sprites, dwarves, poisonous plants, evil apes, gigantic bats and vultures. Among her associates are witches, hags, giants and ghosts. The White Witch put Narnia under her complete control. Only Aslan the lion can stop her.

The background of the White Witch is that she's Queen Jadis from the planet Charn. She dabbled in very dark magic and learned the forbidden spell that was kept in guarded secret for centuries. Once she discovered it, she used it to destroy the whole world of Charn, so that she was the only one alive there! She remained alone and in a very long sleep, until she was woken by children who got there after they travelled through a dimensional portal. Jadis was led through a portal to Earth, where (luckily) her magic was useless. After she wanted to return to the ruins of her home world, Jadis entered a portal but unfortunately she ended up in Narnia instead. 

All of this is within the book series Chronicles of Narnia.

She Wolf Night team

Villains of fairy tales (part 6)

Baba Yaga

This is the sixth and last of my Villains of Fairy Tales topic. I often save the best until last although in this subject's series, I saved the most creepiest last!

Ever since I was a kid reading these stories, Baba Yaga was the most scariest. Who is it? She appears n Russian folk tales, and is an old crone witch that eats children. Baba Yaga has scared kids for centuries all over the East but her tales reached the West in the late 20th Century and she is nightmarish. She lives in a small house that stands on chicken legs. There are fiery lanterns made from skulls. This location is found in a swamp by the forest. 

Although she appears to some as a benign forest dweller who cares for wild animals, and helping those that are lost, it's also known that she has a dark side. She's also a type of predatory being. In some stories she's maternal but then deceitful. There is a level of malice about her.

She travels on a broomstick, and sometimes she uses a flying mortar and pestle to get around. She appears in many stories and Slavic folktales going back centuries. Inside her dwelling, she can be found stretched out from one end to the other. She may have her long nose attached to the ceiling because of her acute ability to sense. Her sharp teeth are made of iron. There could also be more than one Baba Yaga. Most gruesome of all, Baba Yaga eats humans.  

She Wolf Night team

Villains of fairy tales (part 5)

 Trolls

Quite a number of villains that appear in stories are trolls. They are often huge and compared with giants, although sometimes confused with ogres. Traditional legend has it that trolls turn to stone in sunlight, which means that they live only at night. It conflicts with a number of different tales featuring trolls, who seem active in the day. Unless the versions are from other sources and have different outlooks on trolls as a fairy tale creature. 

One of the most famous fairy tales with a troll is from the story "Three Billy Goats Gruff". This is a story from Peter Christen Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe in their collections of Norwegian fairy tales. The story is about three brother goats who need to cross over a bridge with a troll living underneath it. The smallest is too frightened, so is the middle goat, but the biggest goat is unafraid. He slams his horns into the troll, making the bridge free to walk across. 

Trolls feature in Scandinavian folklore and myths. There seems to be the giant brutish troll with horns and tusks, who dwell in forests and mountains. Another kind of troll are smaller, dirtier and magical beings who live underground. However though, these different trolls tend to fear iron so much. People used to wear amulets and carry objects made from iron to protect against trolls. 

There are a number of other collected stories about trolls by Asbjornsen and Moe, including "Tatterhood," "Three Princesses of Whiteland," "Dapplegrim," "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," "Boots and the Troll", and "The Twelve Wild Ducks". Most popular of all is a hero character named Ash-lad who battles with trolls. 

Link: Ash-lad (or Askeladden) at Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Askeladden

More fairy tale villain posts to follow soon..

She Wolf Night

Villains of fairy tales (part 4)

 Rumpelstiltskin 

This is a strange character, a villain who was a friend. This is based on the story by the Brothers Grimm. The main character of the story is a young woman who is the daughter of a miller. The miller puts his daughter into trouble by bragging to the king a big lie that she can spin straw into gold. On that alone, the king has the miller's daughter arrested, put into a tower room as prisoner, and the room is filled with straw. There is one spinning wheel, and the king orders her to make straw into gold by morning otherwise she'll be executed. Here the king is the villain, as the poor girl had no part in her fathers' falsehood. She can't really spin straw into gold, so she'll face death. She breaks down in tears. This is when Rumpelstiltskin arrives as a saviour and helper, rescuing the woman from death. Rumpelstiltskin is an imp, a type of house wight and mischievous spirit. Then Rumpelstiltskin agrees to spin the straw into gold for her in exchange of the necklace that she wears. 

This happens really well, so that by morning, the king finds that all of the straw has been spun into gold. He spares the woman's life but he gives her a harder challenge, by taking her into a larger room piled in straw. On the second day, Rumpelstiltskin shows up and offers to help out. The woman agrees to pay for Rumpelstiltskin's help by giving him her ring. So the same thing happened, and the following day, the king is impressed. 

The king takes her into an even larger room with much more straw great heaps. He tells her that if she can turn all of that into gold, he will marry her but if she doesn't, he'll have her executed. This is not a charming king at all! Now when Rumpelstiltskin appears again on the third day, the miller's daughter has nothing else to pay him. So Rumpelstiltskin makes a deal, and that is she can pay up later on by handing over her first born child to him. She agrees to this! Well she doesn't want to die. After the straw turns into a mountain of gold in the large room, the king is happy and he marries the miller's daughter. Months later, soon after the baby is born, Rumpelstilskin appears to the new queen, and reminds her of the promise. Reluctant to give him her baby, she can't keep her promise but insists of giving him her wealth. Rumpelstiltskin doesn't want her money at all so he changes his plan. 

He tells her to think of what his name is, and he'll be ready in three days. If she hasn't got his name right, he'll take her baby. In some versions, the young queen follows the imp and catches him singing and dancing around a fire, where he says his own name. Later he meets the queen and she tells him what his name is. He became so angry that he vanished into the floor after stamping his foot hard.  

More villains to come soon...

She Wolf Night 

Villains of fairy tales (part 3)

 Bluebeard

This is a story by Charles Perrault and is one of the most darkest fairy tale stories made for children. To be brutally honest, there is nothing magical about Bluebeard as a narrative. It's a grim tale that exposes the horrific depths of humanity. I would call this a horror story. 

Bluebeard is a rich nobleman with a fabulous beard in the colour blue. So he's called Bluebeard. He's previously been married to a number of women but his wives disappeared. He visits a neighbour, according to many traditional versions of this story retold in books. The neighbour has daughters that Bluebeard is interested in marrying one of them. In other versions the neighbour has just the one daughter and two sons. All of the young women are scared of him but one day they have a feast and Bluebeard woos the neighbours' daughter. Overwhelmed by his gifts and promises of luxury, she accepts his hand in marriage. 

When they've married, Bluebeard gives his new bride a set of keys to explore the huge castle. He warns her to avoid going inside one door, which is on top of a tower. She likes to enter different rooms and open doors, finding strange new places and corridors, stairs and rooms. Who wouldn't want to explore a castle and it's maze of rooms? Then she has nowhere else to look. She wants to go up to the tower and enter the forbidden door that he told her not to enter. Tempted now, she opens the door and finds that its a chamber of dead women. Those are all of Bluebeards' former wives. In some versions, the one I read as a child, the illustration had the dead brides looking like statues. Other book versions are less subtle. There are some books showing blood, and bare feet dangling from the ceiling and a row of doll heads. 

When Bluebeard discovered that his new wife opened the forbidden chamber, he became so angry that he chased her around the castle with a sword. She was soon rescued by her brothers, who killed the angry Bluebeard. This is a story that is realistic because it's about a serial killer who hides his dead victims within his house. 

There will be more villains of fairy tales coming soon...

By

She Wolf Night team

Villains of fairy tales (part 2)

Wicked stepmother

The most clever and cruellest women of fairy tales are always stepmothers. This theme shows up in a lot of fairy tales, including the most popular stories. She is always on the scene early in the book, who wants nothing more than to get rid of the protagonist children, especially when they are beautiful maidens. The Stepmother villainess is driven by jealousy and/or greed. 

This character has appeared in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She is a queen that is so vain that she consults a magic mirror. This is what she asks the magic mirror, and it's basically what I remember from reading books:

Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest in all of the land? 

Sometimes different versions of the story have her saying: "Magic mirror on the wall, who is fairest of them all?". The magic mirror answers the queen and tells her that she is the fairest of the all. This happens for a long time, until the magic mirror tells the queen that she is no longer the fairest. Snow-White has grown up into a young woman and the magic mirror informs the queen that now Snow White is the fairest. All of this turns the queen into a killer. She sends for a huntsman to take Snow White into the forest, kill her and cut out her heart that must be put into a box. The hunter lets Snow White go and kills an animal, lying to the queen. The magic mirror is able to inform the queen that Sow White lives, and on three occasions, the queen puts on a disguise and visits Snow White who now lives with seven dwarves. The step mother attempts to kill Snow White more than once in this particular fairy story. All because she's fairer than her!

Another well known wicked stepmother is found in the story of Cinderella. This stepmother has two daughters of her own that are filled with unpleasant character traits who bully Cinderella. The stepmother in this version isn't a queen and doesn't try to kill Cinderella, but she keeps Cinderella as a house slave, preventing her from having nice clothes and stopping her from enjoying life. This stepmother is oppressive and cruel in a different way to Snow White's stepmother. 

A number of stepmothers in fairy tales are so cruel that they're unlikeable, and it feels almost satisfying when they get their just desserts. This isn't only confined to children's fairy tales. There are wicked stepmothers found in much older tales, and especially found in ancient Greek myths.

To read about the Wicked Stepmother in myths go to Prospect Magazine: Link   

More to come soon...

She Wolf Night 

Villains of fairy tales (part 1)

Big bad wolf

One of the most scariest villains of fairy tales is the Big Bad Wolf. Not only does this creature appear in a number of fairy tales, but in most of them the "big bad wolf" is always motivated by hunger, and this means EATING the main characters. This villain is a stalker and a predator. It isn't even friendly. The Big Bad Wolf is manipulative, in trying to get into the victim's house, and devouring them. Such a character isn't only confined to fairy tales, but is also in Aesop's Fables from ancient Greece. The wolf is a danger. 

The Big Bad Wolf has starred in stories including the most famous or infamous Little Red Riding Hood. The original story is much darker than modern sanitised versions. In the original, the wolf has killed the grandmother, and then he kills Red Riding Hood. This is a story written by the Brothers Grimm, although it's based on an earlier oral folk tale. Another of the Grimm's stories including this wolf is The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, about seven little goats that are warned by their mother not to let the wolf inside. This is another tense story that results in the wolf tricking the young goats into believing it's safe to let him in, and he eats them all, apart from one, who manages to hide. Later the mother goat rescues her children from the wolf's belly. Another story is "Three Little Pigs" by Joseph Jacobs, when the Big Bad Wolf is determined to get at the three piglets safe inside their house. These stories are pretty scary for small children. 

For more stories and tales about the Big Bad Wolf, go and visit this Wikipedia page on the Big Bad Wolf and read about the different stories that this villain appears in. 

Link:

Big Bad Wolf Wikipedia

I shall post more villains in this new series soon...

She Wolf Night team

Warrior women of fairy tales (part 4)

HAPPY SAMHAIN 

This is the fourth and final post on the second fairy tales topic that I've been doing recently. I will post about villains in fairy tales after this.

Vasilisa

A Russian fairy tale character by Alexander Afanasyev. "Vasilisa" is also called Vasilisa the Brave. A child named Vasilisa was four years old when her mother turned very ill. She gave Vasilisa a wooden doll and said that she must give this dolls some food and drink whenever she wanted any. After the mother died, Vasilisa kept her doll and looked after it as though it were alive. Soon Vasilisa's father married a woman with two daughters. The step mother was cold and cruel to Vasilisa. When Vasilisa was growing, she was forced to do chores. She sought comfort with her doll. Vasilisa's father went away because he was a merchant. During his trip, his wife sent Vasilisa deep into the creepy woods to get light from Baba Yaga, the witch. Vsilisa took the doll with her on the journey. She saw three different horses with riders, until she came to the hut of the witch, with skulls around it. The witch made sure that Vasilisa work to get light or, if not, she'll die. Vasilisa had to do chores, cook and sort through grains, until she grew tired. The doll finished the tasks for her. The following morning, Vasilisa saw three riders pass the hut. She asked the witch about them, and Baba Yaga replied that they were called Day, Sun and Night. The witch gave Vasilisa a skull lantern filled with hot burning coals. When she got home, her step family were dead. She eventually became a weaver of silk and a married a nobleman.  

Beauty and the Beast

This favourite story is by Gabrielle-Suzanne Bardot de Villeneuve. Many different versions have been retold and the story changed over time. What we have now is the basic story of a young woman who has to meet a ferocious beast or her father would be in danger. She finds the Beast repulsive and frightening but she learns to adapt with his looks. She begins to warm to him and grow fond of him. When she returns home to her sickened father, she misses time, and panics when she thinks of how long she's been away from the Beast. She finds the Beast dying, and she's so upset that she cries. She learns that she's in love with him. The spell broke, and instead of a beast, is a handsome young man. This story isn't just a romance but it explains how a courageous woman learns to love a Beast. 

This is all of it now. There are plenty other warriors in fairy tales. Honorary warrior women of fairy tales also include these stories Goose Girl, Little Mermaid, the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Princess and the Goblin, Rapunzel, the Glass Coffin, Iron Stove and the brave Little Match Girl.

She Wolf Night Team 

Warrior women of fairy tales (part 3)

 There has been a delay in me posting these, so I'm back now. This is a topic about warrior women in fairy tales, who are not the weak damsels in distress as everyone makes them out to be. This is the third part of the fairy stories with these girls.

Fitcher's Bird

This is a very dark story by the Brothers Grimm. It's never appeared in children's omnibus of fairy tale collections and you'll soon find out why. It's about a sorcerer who disguises himself as a beggar, so that he could kidnap young women and take them off to his castle. He kidnapped the eldest of three sisters, killed her and returned to the streets. He found the second sister, took her back to his castle and gave her a bunch of keys. He told her never to enter a locked room and then he gave her an egg to look after. When the sorcerer went away, the second sister opened the forbidden door and entered a gruesome sight of chopped body parts belonging to her sister. In panic, she dropped the egg and it fell in the bloody mess. What happened to her next also happened to her older sister, when the sorcerer returned. He found the egg and knew that the woman had betrayed him by entering the forbidden room. He killed the second sister and hacked her to pieces. Then the sorcerer kidnapped the youngest sister and took her to his castle. He gave her keys and an egg. He told her the same thing, warning her never to enter this locked room. When the sorcerer left, the youngest sister put the egg down and then she opened the forbidden room's door and found her dead sisters. She restored their body parts and they were able to live again. When the sorcerer returned, he noticed the egg but it wasn't in the bloodied room. Believing that the young sister kept her promise to him, he wanted to marry her. The woman wanted the sorcerer to carry a heavy basket filled with gold to her family. Inside those baskets were really her two sisters. She then got a skull and placed it on the windowsill. She covered herself in honey and birds feathers so that she looked like an unusual bird. She left the castle and went to visit her family. When the sorcerer returned to the castle, the place was burned down by the three sisters out of revenge. 

Li Chi and the Serpent

This story is part of Chinese legend and goes far back in history. There is a giant serpent monster threatening villagers in a kingdom. It's all been agreed among the human officials and the monster that one a year, a young girl is sent to the serpent's cave. A young girl named Li Chi volunteers to be the next sacrifice to the serpent. She wanted to help her poorly father because a sacrifice to the serpent delivers a lot of money to the families of the girls. As there were already six daughters, and no sons, Li Chi told her father that she wanted to offer herself as food to the serpent in the next year, so that her family would have a better life. The magistrate agreed for Li Chi to be the next sacrifice. Li Chi's grandmother gave her some rice balls, a sword an a hunting dog. When she visited the cave of the serpent, she placed the rice balls on the ground and went off somewhere to hide. She watched the serpent monster appear and then eat on the rice balls. The dog ran up and barked at it, while Li Chi buried the sword into the serpent, which killed it. She became Li Chi who slayed the serpent. She went inside the cave and found the nine skeletal remains of the previous victims. When she returned home, victorious, she was made a queen. 

More to come soon...

She Wolf Night  

Warrior women of fairy tales (part 2)

 This is another fairy tale themed project about heroic girls. I will mention two stories in each post and this is the second part. 

The Wild Swans

This is a story by Hans Christian Andersen. It's all about a young woman who rescues her eleven brothers. It begins when a widower king remarries but his new wife is a witch. The king already has twelve children, eleven sons and one daughter named Eliza or in some versions, Elisa. The spiteful witch queen puts a curse on the eleven boys, so they are all turned into swans and sent away. Eliza is then carried away by her brothers out of the queen's evil reach. Soon Eliza encounters a fairy queen, who tells her how to help her brothers remove the curse. Princess Eliza gathers stinging nettles from graveyards to make into shirts but can't speak a word. She's often seen knitting and some believe that she's a witch herself. As they're about to pull her off towards the stake where they want her burned for witchcraft, she has almost finished knitting and her swan brothers appear. She is able to put the shirts over each of them. Not only has she restored their human forms, but the brothers rescue their sister from death. This determined Eliza knitted for so long even while she was being escorted to her execution.  

Alice in Wonderland

This is a famous story saga by Lewis Carroll. This is a story about a brave girl who finds herself in a scary and threatening world. Alice encounters weird creatures, a Mad Hatter, talking animals, living inanimate objects, a blood thirsty Queen of Hearts, and much more. There is Alice's furhter adventures in the book's sequel  "Through the Looking Glass". She's often associated with the twins Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee, of Humpty Dumpty, the Cheshire Cat, the Red and White queens, and more. Included in the story is a poem about a dragon called Jabberwocky that was slain by a Vorpal Blade. While Alice now today appears to have been the dragon slayer, the original work only gave little reference to it. But besides this, one doesn't have to be a dragon slayer to be a warrior. It doesn't matter if Alice did or didn't kill the Jabberwocky. By the end of her story, Alice became Queen Alice of Wonderland. The trails and adventures Alice went through alone caused her to be one super tough girl.

More to come...

Posted by the She Wolf Night gang  

Warrior women of fairytales (part 1)

 This is a new project about heroic girls and women in fairy tales. I shall highlight a few of the stories and break this into a few separate posts with two stories each post. This is Part One.

The Snow Queen

This is a story by Hans Christian Andersen, with plenty of magic and mythical symbolism. It's all about a girl who rescues a boy. First of all it begins when a troll curses a mirror and broke it. Shards of the mirror fell as snow and a tiny piece lodged into the eye of a boy called Kai. His best friend, a girl named Gerda, became very worried about him after Kai disappeared. He was kidnapped by the mysterious Snow Queen and taken far away. Gerda is the story's adventuress and hero because she travels so far, in dangerous places, searching for her lost friend. She's the warrior of the story for rescuing her friend Kai from the icy spell of the immortal Snow Queen. There is a number of references to myths, such as the snow goddess, or Snow Queen, the mirror, and also the reindeer that becomes Gerda's friend, journeying to the North Pole. It all hints at the Winter solstice.      

Hansel and Gretel 

This is one of the story collections by the Brothers Grimm. It's a story about a girl saving the life of her brother. It starts when the children, brother and sister, Hansel and Gretel, are left in the woods by their father and step mother. The boy Hansel leaves pebbles on the journey so they can find their way home after getting lost. Both children are left in the woods again but there aren't any stones to leave a trail so Hansel finds crumbs in the kitchen. As he drops the crumbs in the woods, hoping to make a path, birds eat it all. Soon the children are left completely alone and are lost, They find a cottage made of gingerbread. A witch appears, imprisons Hansel in order to fatten him up so she could eat him. She also makes Gretel her servant. Gretel heroically pushes the evil witch into the oven and rescues her brother from his cage. It seems that this story touches on famine, starvation, poverty and also witchcraft, hinting that it comes from a harsher time long before the Brothers Grimm. 

I shall make more posts of this topic soon....

Posted by the She Wolf Night gang

Realistic fairy tales (part 6)

 This is the sixth and last post of the Realistic Fairy Tales. I plan to make two more projects related to fairy tales after this. Some have already been reading these posts, and wondered why I haven't covered so many more characters. I plan to talk about those characters in my future posts to do with warrior women and villains. I hope you enjoyed reading these. Here are the characters on this sixth post and see if you can relate to them.  

Goldilocks

Goldilocks and the Three bears is one of the earliest stories most people can remember. It's got an easy to follow story and its theme is the number three. It must be mentioned that this story that we all know isn't how it originally began. For example, Goldilocks replaced a fox character. And before those bears appeared in the story, there were hobgoblins. The older the story is, the most unfamiliar it is! Can you identify with Goldilocks, the girl with the golden hair that broke into the house belonging to a family of three bears? Goldilocks is explorative, hungry and adventurous. Entering dangers, unaware, choosy and picky. She settles for things that are small, soft and warm, hinting that she is tender hearted. What Goldilocks needs a lot is Self-discipline.  

The little Mermaid

This is a sad story written by Hans Christian Andersen. The Little Mermaid is about a sea nymph with the tail of a fish, who falls in love with a man. We all know what happens to her, even though the Disney animated film changed it so that the Little Mermaid gets a deserved happy ending. If you feel you could relate to her, then the Little Mermaid is a dreamer, and doesn't value herself. She chases dreams, but will sacrifice herself for others. She feels unloved or love isn't returned. She experiences unrequited love and devoted herself entirely to one man. What Little Mermaid needs is Self Love.    

She Wolf Night

The images used on this page were created by me using various graphic and doll makers.  

Realistic fairy tales (part five)

 

Thumbelina

This is a story by Hans Christian Andersen, who created this character based on Tom Thumb. "Thumbelina" is a story that begins when a woman finds a baby girl born from a plant. Later at night, a wicked toad carries off the baby. Thumbelina ends up fleeing, then making friends with mice, birds, fish and a butterfly, who help her on a journey. Its a happy ending. So could you relate to Thumbelina? She is someone who feels small and insignificant. She isn't aware of her abilities although could find it. She feels in tune with nature and the hidden side of things that most people don't see. She could be shy and have some anxiety about getting lost and feeling lost.

Puss in Boots

Now do you relate to "Puss in Boots"? This is a very old story written over the centuries by different authors. It goes back to the Middle Ages. If you can identify with Puss in Boots, and aware of the story, you'll know that this is a character who is most clever and helpful. Puss in Boots helps his owner to progress and find happiness, a good reputation, stability and love. Unlike most cats, Puss in Boots have many humanlike attributes and also supernatural abilities. So if you can relate, Puss in Boots is very clever, intelligent, makes plans, careful, helpful, wise and insightful. Puss in Boots seems like someone else's guardian angel, spirit guide and mentor. A friend, reliable and like a cat in boots, quirky too! Eccentric, regarded as unusual and odd, but deep down, a remarkable cat.

She Wolf Night  

More in the project Realistic fairy tales to be posted soon...

The graphic for Thumbelina was made by me using Azalea's graphics. The image for Puss in Boots is found on the web.    

Realistic fairy tales (part four)

 Here is Part Four of the "Realistic fairy tales" project. So if you've just wandered here and don't know what this is about, check my previous posts, and see examples I made of different fairy tale characters. I plan to make six altogether, and then do further posts on "Warrior women in fairytales" and "Villains of fairytales". If you've been reading my posts on this project, Realistic fairy tales, you may have already identified with a character so far. If not then don't worry because I intend to write more soon.

Sleeping Beauty

This story is a Charles Perrault tale about a princess who cuts her finger on a spinning wheel, and enters a very deep sleep. The sleep curse is lifted by a prince when he kisses the princess. The story is also called "Little Briar Rose". The narrative can be found in a medieval poem called Perceforest. If you like the story and think you can't identify with this sleeping beauty, I will mention her traits applied to the real world. The Sleeping Beauty doesn't feel in control, that her destiny is planned by others, and her life is static. She doesn't experience anything, as she's been isolated and forgotten. As curses go, people around her are cursed. What the sleeping princess needs, apart from her rescuer, is Experience.

The Ugly Duckling

This is a story by Hans Christian Andersen.  This is about a mother duck whose eggs hatch. All of her chicks are cute and yellow except one, that looks very different. Then this poor chick is mistreated by the others. Even the mother duck rejects him. Sadly he flees and enters a farm, and a kind lady befriends him, except her vicious cat and a nasty hen. He goes from place to place, experiencing trouble and getting bullied. Months later he turns into a beautiful swan. If you can easily identify with Ugly Duckling, remember that he's truly a swan. He couldn't fit in because of that. What the ugly duckling or baby swan needs is Confidence.

More will follow soon...

She Wolf Night

Realistic fairy tales (part three)

 This is the third part of Realistic Fairy Tales project. You may wonder what this project is about. If you didn't read my other posts, I will quickly say that this is fairy tale characters with realistic traits that people can identify with. You might think you have a lot in common with a fairy tale character after reading stories. Okay let's continue with more characters and their traits.

Pinocchio 

This is one of those naughty boy stories from "The Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi. Pinocchio is a well known character. He's a living wooden puppet whose nose gets very long each time he tells fibs. The most understandable things about him is that he behaves like a normal child, although a bit different. If you think you identify with Pinocchio, he does often tell lies. He doesn't lie out of malice but because it seems easier. Lying comes naturally to him. He learns that it doesn't help, and makes things worse. He wishes to be normal. What he needs most of all is Honesty. 

Jack   

From "Jack and the Beanstalk" by Joseph Jacobs is a retelling of older versions of this very old English folklore character, named Jack. In this story, he sells a cow for magic beans, climbs a beanstalk and becomes a giant killer. If you can identify with Jack, you will share these following characteristics: He's trusting, and yet unafraid. He's adventurous although he's reckless, daring and acts on impulse. He feels that something larger than himself is coming after him. He flees danger, but should never have been put into danger in the first place. What Jack needs most of all is Awareness. 

(More posts on this project soon...)

She Wolf Night

The graphics used were made by me using Doll Divine and Azalea doll makers. 

Realistic fairy tales (part two)

This is the second part now of "realistic fairy tales". This is a new project where I will be talking about characters from fairy tales that describes real people. Do you think you can identify with the following characters? Do you have their traits? Can you identify with more than one character? Look at the characters, their traits, which could match your own. 

 Red Riding Hood

A well known story that warns of stranger-danger. This is by the Brothers Grimm, who have  given us this version from an even older oral traditional story. If you can identify with Red Riding Hood, then these are traits. She's youthful and most of all enjoys walking, hiking and the outdoors. She wants to heal,, as she's tender and caring. However, she's also very trusting and overlooks problems. What she really needs is Caution. 

 Rapunzel

This is a tricky story by the Brothers Grimm. Rapunzel is a maiden locked up in a tall tower but her hair is so long that she uses it as a rope. It isn't just about her long hair. Rapunzel represents being imprisoned and emotions that go with it such as loneliness, solitude and helplessness for this sense of feeling trapped. She has hidden talents and remarkable abilities. In a way she might come across as distant and aloof to others. What Rapunzel needs is Independence.

(More to follow soon...)

She Wolf Night

The graphics were made by the She Wolf Night team using various dress up graphic games. 

Realistic fairy tales (part one)

 This is a new project where I will be talking about characters from fairy tales that describes real people. I've made a long list of them so I shall create more than one post featuring each character from fairy tales. I've loved fairy tales ever since I can remember, as early as before I started school at the age of four. I believe that the reason these stories are so appealing, attractive and popular is because they're magical. Also people can identify with the characters in them. So can you identify with the following characters? Do you have their traits? Can you identify with more than one character? Look at the characters, their traits, which could match your own. 

Snow White.

From The Brothers Grimm, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a beautiful and dark story. The main character is a princess called Snow White. If you can identify with her, you would have similar traits to Snow White. She is about innocence and vulnerability; She's stalked, an object of scorn, a run-away, escapes a broken home and flees danger. She's about wanting and needing a new identity. She searches for stability but she's also naive, and nature loving. She overcomes traumatic experiences and finds rebirth. What she needs the most is Wisdom. 

Cinderella

Another story by The Brothers Grimm is Cinderella, a rags-to-riches story. The heroine is mistreated at home and forced to do endless chores. If you can identify with Cinderella, you would have traits similar to her. She's a victim of domestic abuse, bullying and treated badly by her relatives. She represents being the black sheep of the family, made an outcast, feeling left out and missing out. Cinderella is a daydreamer, who is house bound, unfree and restricted. Cinderella also relies on escapism and transformation, but needs Strength the most. 

(There is going to be more in the series coming soon)...

She Wolf Night

The graphics were made by Rayne Belladonna and Charlotte Woods using various dress up games.

Little Red Riding Hood's name

The name Little Red Riding Hood is so called because of a long red cloak that the girl in the story wears. There are many versions of this story told by Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault. In older tales she was called “Little Red Cap”. The fairy story used to be titled “The False Grandmother” because of the wolf in disguise. It’s never been a fairy story like Cinderella or Snow White because it doesn’t have the same magic message. The heroine is a young girl who (in older versions) got eaten by the wolf. Some stories had the wood cutter killing the wolf and then Little Red Riding Hood rescued from the belly of the beast. Or she was simply hiding in the closet with her grandmother, in Ladybird book versions from the 20th Century. The older the story the darker it is, and both grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood fell victims to the wolf. 

One could say that there is a lot of symbolism in the story, and that the wolf represents the stranger dangers aspect warning. The wolf has been called a werewolf figure because it has humanlike characteristics but at the same time looks canine. Some folklorists think this story might be rooted in mythology, with the simplified legends of a sun goddess being consumed by the destructive wolf of doom. There is a lot of myths about giant canines chasing after sun and moon deities. Check out the wolves of Norse mythology, Hati, Skoll and Fenris, the canines of Greek myth Cadmea and Lealaps. The Chinese myth of Tiangou the ferocious dog that eats the sun.

Written by Wolf Girl Night and Rayne Belladonna

The Bell Witch

 

"Betsy Bell" by Rayne Belladonna

A strange series of creepy and paranormal events targeted a family in the 19th Century. This happened in Robertson Country in Tennessee from 1817 until 1821. They were the Bell family, of agricultural background and into farming the land. John Bell was a farmer and he relocated to Robertson County from North Carolina. In 1817, the family noticed bumps in the night, mainly sounds such as knocking, chains moving, coughing. There was even eerie noises like rats chewing on furniture, with no actual source. During this time, the Bell family saw spectral animals throughout the property. One such animal was described as having the body of a large dog but with the head of a rabbit. A year after they'd moved into the house, John Bell spoke to a neighbour called James Johnson, about what he and his family were experiencing in the house. The neighbour and his wife visited the house and noticed the paranormal activity themselves. Afterwards, the house drew a lot of attention and visitors. 

"Betsy Bell" by Rayne Belladonna

Now famous, the Bell family house was often attracting guests, who were very curious about the strange happenings. Stranger still, there was a spirit inside the house who communicated with people using a voice! More confusing still was what the spirit gave conflicting answers to questions. When people asked for the spirit's own name, the spirit mentioned being a woman named "Kate Batts." This entity turned dangerous as the Bell family were getting assaulted by the spirit Kate Batts. It targeted John and his daughter Betsy most of all. John Bell found swelling marks on his throat, while an invisible force pulled Betsy's hair. When Betsy got engaged to a man called Joshua Gardner, the spirit Kate Batts increased its violence against Betsy. Then Betsy broke the engagement to Joshua and subsequently this nasty spirit Kate Batts left Betsy alone and focused her anger on John. So Kate batts was renamed Bell's Witch and soon became The Bell Witch. Kate Batts tormented John Bell so much that he became ill and lost the will to live. John passed away on 20th December 1820. The Bell Witch admitted that it caused John's dilapidating illness!        

Thanks I hope you enjoyed reading about this spooky story. The image used here is "Betsy Bell" created by Rayne Belladonna using dress up games by Teodora Laessa.

Posted by She Wolf Night team!  

A missing dinosaur puzzle

 During the 1960's, a museum in Bolton, Greater Manchester there was a magnificent dinosaur on display at the main entrance. It inspired many people who visited the museum and saw it. According to the words of many who went there, this dinosaur fossil was simply enormous. A gigantic dinosaur that made children stare up at it because the size of the thing was so high. 

However, according to staff from the museum, as well as records and the museum's archives, which might even include files and photos, this giant dinosaur that had been displayed during the 1960's was never there! So this dinosaur attraction was just a figment of peoples imagination? The massive dinosaur that everyone could remember fondly when they visited Bolton museum didn't exist? So all of these people dreamt it?

What feels remarkable isn't the fact this dino display vanished into thin air but it was wiped from all records in the past too. It had never been in the museum, nothing like people could remember. I do have some theories. 

There is a famous dinosaur skeleton called Dippy the diplodocus. It's been around as a plaster replica for over a century, and travelled all over the world and journeyed across different museums. Perhaps everyone had seen Dippy in the London museum and confused it with Bolton museum. A Toujiangosaurs is a herbivore exhibit favourite in the Bolton museum. Bolton museum also features a T Rex.. as I can see photos from Trip Advisor. To see go here.   

It just might be the puzzle piece. 

Posted by the She Wolf Night group

Lizzie Borden

 One of the most famous American legendary figures, alongside Sleepy Hollow and Bigfoot, is a young woman named Lizzie Borden. She's associated with using an axe to butcher her family. Possibly considered one of the most infamous figures, portrayed as an "axe welding creepy girl" of the 19th Century. She has so much folklore and horror stories about her. There is even a children's nursery rhyme about her that goes like this:

Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave he father forty one. Andrew Borden now is dead. Lizzie hit him on the head. Up in heaven he will sing. On the gallows she will swing.

There are a few things to consider about this character. She was born Lizzie Borden, nicknamed Lizbeth, on 19th July in 1860, Fall River, Massachusetts. Her father was a successful businessman named Andrew Borden and Lizzie's mother was named Sarah. Lizzie had two sisters named Emma and Alice but one died very young. When Lizzie was three years old, her mother died. A few years later, Andrew married a woman named Abby Durfee Gray. Things didn't sound perfect that much in that family home afterwards. Lizzie didn't get on well with her stepmother, and the house itself had problems with leaks. Lizzie adored the flocks of pigeons that nested in the barn, and she liked to care for them and viewed them as her pets. However, her father might've considered them vermin, as he killed them using an axe, which made Lizzie feel distressed. 

There had been many family disputes and resentment feelings from the Borden girls when they discovered that their father gave expensive and large presents to the stepmother's relatives. 

Many believe that Lizzie killed her father and stepmother, although Lizzie was a suspect to their murders. Others state that she didn't kill them at all. Before the axe murders took place, the family fell ill with food poisoning. Andrew Borden had enemies. Lizzie's clothes were not covered in blood. A maid was inside the house washing windows upstairs during the time of the murders. Lizzie had been out in the barn when she heard a loud noise coming from the house. No blood was found on the weapon. Lizzie was arrested because the maid said she'd seen Lizzie burning a dress that she wore during the murders and heard Lizzie laughing.   

Both sisters set up a reward of $5,000 to find the killer of their father and stepmother. A journal belonging to Lizzie had been shown that she grieved the death of her father. She was found Not Guilty and eventually she moved on to live a life of luxury. Her life wasn't always that happy ever after, because she was made a social outcast. Her name tied with the axe murders and she became this folklore villain in the psyche always an axe murderess. 

Associated with her is the Lizzie Borden House, turned into a Bed and Breakfast, which is haunted and many visitors report something paranormal happening there. Many ghost hunters take trips there.

Posted by She Wolf Night team     

(Due to the new style of posting, I can't make paragraphs without it creating double spaces. Once I figure out a way to solves it, I will make better paragraphs when I type verse, songs and poems in future).  

(Picture at top is Lizzie Borden made by us using Rinmaru Games)

Divine Canines: Cadmea and Laelaps

 

In Greek mythology, there is a story about two animals who became entwined and forever fated together. Firstly the city of Thebes had a king named Laius, who was the father of Oedipus. King Laius was paranoid and believed in a prophesy that his son will one day kill him. He tried to send newborn Oedipus away, but once the boy grew up into a man, he found his father. Upset when his father killed his horse, things went downhill and Laius was no more. While the king was missing, a regent took over Thebes, and he was named Creon. 

It was during the regency period of Creon, that something happened. Outside of Thebes was a village named Teumessus and a field. This is where a giant monstrous fox appeared. It was in the form of a vixen and she was named Cadmea. She was also known as the Cadmean Vixen and later called the Teumessian Fox. People were afraid of her. Cadmea ate humans and she devoured those who were near and unaware of her hiding. Men skilled at hunting were sent out to kill Cadmea and get rid of her tyranny. No weapons had an effect on Cadmea, and she couldn't even be caught in traps made to catch her. 

Regent Creon announced to give offerings of human sacrifice to please the Cadmean Vixen. This means that every thirty days, a victim of sacrifice that was usually a child, would be given to Cadmea. A visiting man named Amphitryon, who was the grandson of the hero Perseus, promised to help Thebes get rid of the Cadmean Fox. He sought out a hunting dog named Laelaps who never failed to catch prey. The dog Laelaps once belonged to King Minos and eventually ended up with Caphalus of Phocis. Eventually Laelaps was taken to Thebes and let loose from its leash. Laelaps went off running after Cadmea, who then turned and fled. However, Cadmea was destined to never get caught. 

The hunting dog who was always destined to catch its prey was running after Cadmea, the vixen who was destined to never get caught. The ruling god of Olympus, Zeus, had observed this unusual cycle that never seemed to end between Laelaps and Cadmea. So he turned both dog and fox into stones. Then he transferred them into the sky where they became stars. Cadmea became Canis Minor, and Laelaps became Canis Major, stars that are still seen today.    

Posted by

She Wolf Night   

Claudia Gaillard, werewolf of Burgundy

 

The name Claudia Gaillard is remembered as the "Werewolf of Burgundy" in France. The area of Franche-Comté was filled with hysteria during the witch hunts of the 16th and 17th Centuries. 

The most there who were executed as "werewolves" was more than 600 under Henry Boguet (1550-1619), the witch-finder of Burgundy. It was believed that the woman Claudia Gaillard was witnessed transforming into a wolf. The witness was probably a friend or neighbour, called Jeanne Perrin. According to Jeanne, she and Claudia were walking through the woods and talking about not having much alms. Then Claudia ran behind a bush and a wolf emerged. Jeanne ran away in a panic then dropped her alms that she was carrying. 

Claudia had told Jeanne that her wolf self wouldn't have harmed her. The confession was enough for to convince everyone that she had turned into a werewolf. This word of mouth often got treated as evidence back then. She was put on trial, and the judge assumed that because Claudia didn't show emotions throughout her ordeal under torture, she had to be guilty of turning into a werewolf! The judge had said "Common report was against her. No one ever saw her shed a single tear, whatever effort might be made to cause her to shed tears." 

Claudia was one of so many other unfortunate victims of the witch hunt mania. She was sentenced to death and then burned at the stake. 

For more info on the werewolf trails, visit this link All That's Interesting page on "Inside Europe's Gruesome Werewolf trials". 

The She Wolf Night blog girls