As young children we all had fears; fears of looking under the bed, or in the closet,
knowing that something may be there, waiting for us.
Waiting to take us away or worse still, eat us.
However, that doesn’t always go away as we get older, sometimes that fear lingers.
So today on Top 5 Scary Videos, I’m going to be counting down our list of the Top 5
Scariest Monsters You'll Never See Coming.
Before we begin though, be sure to stick around until the end of the video where I’ll be
responding to some of your comments, and with that, let’s jump in.
5 El Cuco Also known as The Coco, this is a mythical
ghost-monster, equivalent to the boogeyman, found in many Hispanophone and Lusophone countries.
It is a commonly used figure of speech representing an irrational or exaggerated fear.
Now, The Coco is a male being while Cucas is a female version of the mythical monster.
The legend is said to hail from Latin America; in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, parents
are said to often invoke the Coco or Cuca as a way of discouraging their children from
misbehaving; they sing lullabies or tell rhymes warning their children that if they don’t
obey their parents, el Coco will come and get them and then eat them.
Now, El Cuco is said to be a child eater as well as a kidnapper; it may devour the child
immediately, leaving no trace, or it may spirit the child away to a place of no return, but
it only does this to disobedient children.
It is said to lurk on rooftops, on the lookout for misbehaving children, taking the shape
of any dark shadow as it watches.
The oldest known rhyme about El Cuco originated in the 17th century and goes like this: “Sleep
child, sleep now...Else Coco comes and will eat you.”
Fun.
Now, there is no general description of El Cuco, as far as facial or body description,
but it is stated that this shapeshifting being is extremely horrible to look at.
4 Baba Yaga In Salvic folklore, Baba Yaga is a supernatural
being who appear as a deformed or ferocious-looking old woman.
Baba Yaga is said to fly around in a mortar, wield a pestle, and dwell deep in the forest
in a hut usually described as standing on chicken legs.
Now, she may help or hinder those that encounter or seek her out and may play a maternal role
and has associations with forest wildlife.
The first clear reference to Baba Yaga occurs in 1755; in Lomonosov’s grammar, Baba Yaga
is mentioned twice among other figures largely from Slavic tradition.
The second of the two mentions occurs within a list of Slavic Gods and being next to their
presumed equivalence in Roman Mythology.
Now, in the stories in which Baby Yaga appears, she displays a variety of typical attributes:
a turning, chicken-legged hut; and a morta, pestle, mop or broom.
Baba Yaga frequently bears the epithet “bony leg” and when inside of her dwelling, she
may be found stretched out over the stove, reaching from one corner of the hut to another.
I some tales, a trio of Baba Yagas appear as sisters, all sharing the same name.
Baby Yaga also appears on a variety of lubki woodblock prints popular in the late 17th
and early 18th century Russia.
In some instances, Baby Yaga appears astride a pig going to battle against a reptilian
entity described as a crocodile.
However, she can either be seen as a literal evil witch, treated somewhat humorously in
these prints, or as a figurative ‘witch’ an unpopular foregin empress.
3 Black Annis Also known as Black Agnes or Black Anna, this
is a bogeyman in English folklore.
She is imagined as a blue-faced hag or witch with iron claws and a taste for human flesh,
particularly children.
It is said that she haunts the countryside of Leicestershire, living in a cave in the
Dane Hills with a great oak tree at the entrance.
Folklore also states that she ventures out at night looking for unsuspecting children
and lambs to eat, then tanning their skin by hanging them on a tree before wearing them
around her waist.
Legend has it that she used her iron claws to dig her cave out of the side of a sandstone
cliff, making herself a home there which is known as Black Annis’ Bower Close.
Parents in turn warned their children that Black Annis would get them if they did not
behave.
She was also known to hide in the branches of her oak tree waiting to leap upon unsuspecting
prey.
Many of the modern conceptions of Black Annis were popularized in a poem by John Heyrick,
given in full in County Folklore, I quote: “Tis said the soul of mortal man recoiled
To view Black Anni’s eye, so fierce and wild, Vast talons, foul with human flesh,
there grew In place of hands, and features livid blue Glared in her visage, whilst her
obscene waist Warm skins of human victims close embraced.”
Other traditions stated that when she ground her teeth people could hear her, giving them
time bolt their doors and keep away from the window.
It is also said that cottages in Leicestershire were purposely built with small windows so
that Black Annis could only get a single arm inside.
2 Jersey Devil In Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia folklore,
the Jersey Devil is a legendary creature said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of South Jersey.
The common description is that of a kangaroo-like or wyvern-like creature with a goat or horse-like
head, leathery bat-like wings, horns, small arms with clawed hands, legs with cloven hooves,
and a forked tail.
Throughout time it has been reported to move quickly and is often described as emitting
a high-pitched blood-curdling scream.
The legend itself seems to hail from a Pine Barrens resident named Jane Leeds, also known
as Mother Leeds.
The legend goes that Mother Leeds had 12 children and, after finding she was pregnant for the
13th time, cursed the child, crying out that it would be the devil.
During 1735, Mother Leeds went into labor while her friends gathered around her.
The baby was born normal, however, it quickly changed to a creature with hooves, a goat’s
head, bat wings, and a forked tail.
It proceeded to beat everyone with its tail before flying up the chimney and heading into
the pines.
Now, throughout history there have been countless claims of sightings and occurrences involving
the Jersey Devil.
According to legend, while visiting the Hanover Mill Works to inspect his cannonballs being
forged, Commodore Stephen Decatur sighted a flying creature and fired a cannonball directly
upon it, to no effect.
Now, skeptics believe that the Jersey Devil is nothing more than a creative manifestation
of the early English settlers, Boogeyman stories created and told by bored Pine Barren residents
as a form of children’s entertainment; the byproduct of the historical local disdain
for the Leeds Family.
1 Boogeyman The Boogeyman is a mythical creature used
by adults to frighten children into good behavior.
It is said that the Boogeyman has no specific appearance, and conceptions vary drastically
by household and culture, but is commonly depicted as a masculine or androgynous monster
that punishes naughty children.
While the description of the Boogeyman differs on a cultural level, there are some shared
similarities.
Many of the Boogeyman are depicted as having claws, talons and sharp teeth.
Not only that, but the majority of them are of the spirit variety, while the minority
are demons, witches, and other legendary creatures.
In a handful of stories, some have certain animal features such as horns, hooves and
bug like appearances.
In many countries, a Boogeyman variant is portrayed as a man with a sack on his back
who carries naughty children away.
The personality traits of the Boogeyman can be divided into three categories; the kind
that punishes misbehaved children, the kind that are prone to violence, and the kind that
protect the innocent.
All three relate in the same way, being that they all exist to teach young children a lesson.
Respect.
Now, due to its global impact, it is difficult to find the original source of the legend.
The first reference to the Boogeyman appears to be considered the hobgoblins described
in England, in the 1500s.
Many believed that they were made to torment humans, and while some only played simple
pranks, others were more foul in nature.
Well, there we have it!
Do you guys agree with our list?
Were there any scary monsters that we missed?
Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in the comments down below and perhaps we can
do a part 2.
Before I go though, I just want to respond to a few comments from one of our last videos,
Top 5 Horror Movies With Dark Endings.
The Art of Horror said: “John Carpenters “The Thing”...that ending is so ambiguous
and leaves u with no way out.”
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31 Webseries said: “The Orphanage.
Great atmospheric horror, haunting mystery, and heart-wrenching ending all in one.”
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Michelle Ridd said: “Chavs” LOL Lucy you are my spirit animal!”
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Se7enDsinS Gaming said: “I actually missed Lucy…and dropping a video on my daughter’s
birthday!
Thanks very much to all of you for the great content I listen to at work!
Happy New Year.”
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And on that note, if you haven’t already be sure to give this video a big thumbs up,
subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss another Scary vid.
And until next time, see ya later.