The Brazilian Encantado is a mythological Were-Dolphin that transforms into a human
at night to take pleasure in human activities such as festivals. They have the power to
control storms and hypnotize humans, as well as cast spells that cause sickness, insanity,
and death. The Were-Dophins also seduce beautiful women and impregnate them before returning
to the river to become dolphins, once again. But they never fully transform into humans
and have to wear hats to conceal their unchanged blow holes.
What the FAK: The facts and knowledge on mythical monsters.
Kraken are legendary sea-monsters believed to live in the waters off the coasts of Norway
and Iceland that attack ships. It's said that they wrap their arms around the ship, capsizing
it, drowning or eating the crew. The Kraken was brought to the attention of the masses
in the Natural History of Norway written by the Bishop of Bergen who collected the stories
of fishermen said to have encountered it. In reality, it's suspected that the Kraken
may be linked to the Giant squid which is 40-50 feet in length, and have reportedly
attacked ships.
Somewhat of a newcomer on the monster scene is the Chupacabra, which translates to "goat
sucker". First reported in 1995, this vampiric creature is mostly reported in Northern Mexico
and the Southern United States, and blamed for sucking the blood out of sheep, chickens
and other livestock. It was originally described as a bipedal, reptile-like creature with sharp
quills running down its back that hops like a kangaroo, but has more recently been described
as a hairless, wild dog, which are probably coyotes infected with a parasite
that alters their appearance. No evidence of the Chupacabra's supposed victims actually
being drained of their blood has ever been found.
The Mongolian Death Worm is said to inhabit the Southern Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Witnesses
claim it's bright red with a thick body and 2-5 feet in length, with the ability to spew
deadly acid and electrocute its victims from a distance with an electrical discharge. It's
also believed that touching any part of the worm causes instant death. While scientists
note that acid spraying and huge worms are found in nature - they're dubious of the electrical
discharge claim, and, despite several investigations, The Mongolian Death Worm has yet to turn up.
The concept of men transforming into wolves, or Lycanthropy, dates back to ancient Greek
mythology. The term has been linked to the story of Lycaon, who was turned into a wolf
as punishment by Zeus. Some authors believe that the werewolf legends were used to explain
serial killings where victims appeared to be brutalized. One famous instance being Peter
Stumpp, an alleged German serial killer executed in 1589 known as the Werewolf of Bedburg.
Although modern researchers have tried to link ailments such as rabies and hypertrichosis
to Werewolf origins, these are not believed to have had any significant, if any, influence
on the legends.
Lou Garooh is the French version of the Werewolf but has a distinct and more frightening difference:
the ability to switch between human and wolf form at will with no dependence on the moon
cycles that the more popular Werewolf follows.
Bigfoot is a giant ape-like creature believed to live in the forests of North America's
Pacific Northwest. The name Bigfoot came into popularity in 1958 when footprints were found
in California and cast into plaster. The story was published and picked up by the associated
press and the name caught on. The hunt for evidence proving the existence of this 6-10
foot hairy, humanoid creature includes a recently published, and high-questionable, study claiming
evidence of Bigfoot's DNA.
Giant footprints are often used as proof, but turn out to be hoaxes, and Bigfoot supporters
believe the creature to be an remnant of Gigantopithecus- the largest ape that ever lived, at almost
10 feet tall, whose fossils are found in Asia. But while the scientific community discounts
the existence of Bigfoot, the legend of a giant ape-like creature is found in many cultures
all around the world...
On November 5th, 1966, two young couples had the first reported sighting of what is now
called the Mothman. An enormous, winged creature that terrorized Point Pleasant, West Virginia
in the late 1960s. It was believed to be involved with the collapse of the Silver Bridge that
killed 46 people and injured 9, being sighted at the event by many eyewitnesses. Between
1966 and 1967, over 100 people claimed to have seen the creature, all reporting it standing
around 7 feet tall with bat-like wings and red eyes. After the bridge collapsed there
were only a few sightings of Mothman, and then it quietly disappeared. But, there are
similar claims around the world of a creature surrounding huge disasters, and some believe
that it either appears before the disasters, or possibly causes them.
"It can be seen from a distance within the distance in the treetops;however, search parties have
been unable to find it."
The Wendigo is a demonic spirit believed by Algonquin Native American tribes to take over
humans and turn them into cannibals. Once possessed, they turn into a monster that has
an unrelenting need for human flesh. They are said to be human-like but very tall and
thin with yellowish decaying skin. By eating human flesh someone makes themselves vulnerable
to the demon and it was preferable to kill ones self than resort to cannibalism. Wendigo
Psychosis is a condition where even people with access to food will be overwhelmed with
the need to eat human flesh, such as Swift Runner that famously killed his entire family
in 1878 and ate them despite being 25 miles from a supply post.
Vampire mythology, in many forms, long predate Bram Stoker's Dracula, going as far back as
the Mesopotamians and Ancient Greeks. But the European legends of the early 18th century
are where most modern folklore originate. Vampires were described as being bloated and
purplish in color from drinking blood, with blood coming from their mouth and nose. One
of the methods for escaping the pursuit of a vampire was to drop salt or seeds, which
the vampires are compelled to count each and every fallen grain of- a disorder known as
Arithmomania. There were many methods from different cultures for preventing vampires
from rising from their graves including a brick in the mouth, holy water on the body,
pouring boiling water over the grave, or pinning the corpse to the Earth with metal spikes
or, of course, wooden stakes.
The 18-Century Vampire Controversy saw widespread fear of Vampires throughout Europe, and led
to villagers digging up corpses and often mistaking normal decomposition for evidence
of vampires. Intestinal decomposition leads to bloating, causing blood to be forced up
into the mouth - creating the illusion that the dead had been sucking blood.
Yara-Ma-Ya-Who is a small, red vampiric creature from Australian Aboriginal Folklore. He's
around 4 feet tall, with a large mouth with no teeth and suckers on the ends of his toes
and fingers to stick to victims and suck their blood out. He doesn't hunt for food; rather,
he waits in trees for an unsuspecting person to walk by, drops onto the them, drains their
blood, but leaves them with enough to stay alive. After working up an appetite the Yara-Ma-Yah-Who
returns and swallows the victim whole and then regurgitates them. If the victim plays
dead they may escape as the Yara-Ma-Yah-Who will only eat people that are alive. If he
realizes you're alive, he'll continue to eat and regurgitate you, with the victim becoming
shorter and redder each time until they become a Yara-Ma-Yah-Who.
I'm gonna leave you with this Celtic mythological creature. What is it, and how does it kill
its victims?
Before we go, here's last video's winner. Leave your answers in the comments below,
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