Rat Kings

Something strange has been going on in my garden as of late. When you grow your own fruits and vegetables, a lot of times you end up with surprises that would never have made it too the store, Martian shaped potatoes, eggplants curling around into donuts, butt shaped apples. I left some onions last year, and for the most part I just got a single onion in the same place again. Then there was this:

The Onion King

(One of those bizarre potatoes can be seen here too.)

 

Why did I call it that? Well, it reminds, morbidly I admit, of a bizarre and somewhat horrible natural occurrence, once connected to the paranormal; that of, the Rat King. A Rat King occurs when several rats become entangled the tail (usually while huddling for warmth). The situation can occur with or without some assisting substances (blood, mud, feces, ice, sap). X-rays of preserved Rat Kings have shown that in at least some cases they lived long enough for their tails to callus and heal (as they are often broken).

Similar specimens of other rodents, such as squirrels, have been found. This Squirrel King story had a happier ending than most:
http://metronews.ca/news/regina/702478/photos-regina-squirrels-stuck-in-a-sticky-situation/

This, and other recent king finds, suggest that the theory that Rat Kings were merely a hoax thought up by bored Rat Catchers (yes, that was a professional title), is probably incorrect.

Folklore has it that when rats were joined in such a manner they acted as one creature, sometimes with a single 'king' rat sitting on top and directing the others. Linguists however, tend to point out that they were called 'kings' due to their extraordinary weight compared to a single rat.

Another Reason I Love the Internet

Well, this happened:
http://hudsonvalleygeologist.blogspot.com/2010/09/holy-crap.html

I was looking for pictures of the Centipeetle from Steven Universe (for an art project, why is not really the point though, so I'll avoid rambling about that for now), but I didn't know how it was spelled. So, when I tried Centipetal, I found a link to what you see above.

Yeah, that happened. I really happened. In 2010 religious people were still trying to prove the sun revolves around the Earth. As much as I'm in favor of religion, I cannot fathom why something so long disproved and not actually in the Bible (unless you want to use 'the sun doesn't actually rise' argument, in which case, you're just as hopeless), was up for a revival.

Thank you, Yahoo Search and Steve Schimmrich

Will-o'-the-wisps

Not long ago, I was discussing with a chat friend, Spooky, about some lights he was seeing over a hill near his house (large orange orb lights), and what they might be, assuming they were something paranormal, as there were no cell towers or airport in the area. Now, the first order of business was to determine if they were flying or just floating. Why? Well, are they UFOs or something else? What else? Fairies, Witch lights, Ghost lights, and Hinkypunks.

Which of course, begs the question, what the heck is a Hinkypunk?

Well, we used to call them Boggarts locally (which is technically correct, but seeing as Rowling has popularized the household shape-shifter version of this creature, I just started referring to them as Hinkypunks as she does). Hinkypunks, or Bog Lights are lights that appear in marshy areas. And if a lost traveler follows them, they're lured into deep water, and drown.

So, do you know what happens when you look up Hinkypunk on Wikipedia? You arrive at this page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinkypunk
Which is actually a copy of this page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will-o%27-the-wisp

(And if you're curious, this is what you get if you look up Boggart:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boggart )

Because Wikipedia includes Hinkypunks as Will-o'-the-wisps (Ghost Lights, particularly those seen over bogs and marshes, sometimes marking treasure). Okay, fair enough. But what else to they include?

Ignis Fatuus (Foolish Fire)
Jack-o'-Lantern (Jack's Lantern)
Friars's Lantern
Hobby Lantern
Spook-lights
Ghost-lights
Orbs
Ghost Candles
Fairy Lights (Either fairies or lights held by fairy creatures)
Pixy-lights (Leads travelers to danger)
Faeu Boulanger (lost souls)
Aleya (Marsh Ghost-lights)
Chir batti (Ghost-lights)
Hitodama (Soul Orb, human soul)
Hi no Tama (Ball of Flame)
Aburagae
Koemonbi
Ushionibi
Boi-tatá (Fiery Snake's Eye)
Luz Mala (Light [which is] Evil)
Brujas (Witches)
Luces del Dinero/Tesoro (Lights of the Money/Treasure)
Min Min light

Are these really all names for the same phenomenon, or did someone just get so carried away lumping similar phenomenon together that they threw Brujas, which tend to appear over houses and are said to be witches that can turn into owls, and Hinkypunks, that tend to appear in swamps and bogs and lead travelers to their doom?

Its hard to say, but the lights in question were easier to explain, they were just cars....

What to do if You See a UFO

People report seeing UFOs all the time, you need only look at the live MUFON map to be aware of that. But often they cannot recall very many details and/or fail to get a picture despite almost everyone having a camera on their phone nowadays. So how can you help?

If you ever see a UFO(s):

Step 1:
Take that phone out of your pocket and snap a picture. It may not show up or properly represent what you saw, but at least you tried.

Step 2:
Mentally note the color, shape, location, and apparent size of the UFO. To get the apparent size, fully extend your arm and 'pinch' the UFO with your fingers. You can then compare the size of your 'pinch' to everyday objects such as aspirin and pennies.

Step 3:
Got a better camera, camcorder, a tape recorder, or a digital recorder on you? Use it! You can get this device out while making note of the properties in Step 2.

Step 4:
Keep track of what the UFO does, and make mental notes on any other details; such as the UFO's surface texture, direction of flight, aerial maneuvers, emission, and sounds.

Step 5:
As soon as possible after your experience, write down or draw any details, and submit a report to UFO reporting agency such as MUFON or NUFORC. Include any photos or recordings.

Book Reviews I: The Mythical Creatures Bible

Today I'll be reviewing; Mythical Creatures Bible: The Definitive Guide to Legendary Beasts (by Brenda Rosen, Sterling, 2009).

(Note: I am in no way affiliated with Brenda Rosen, Sterling, or Octopus Publishing Group. I am reviewing this book from my own personal copy I bought, and was not commissioned or compensated in any way.)

For those of you that like stars, I’m giving this book a 4/5, it’s good, but definitely not without flaw.

The Mythical Creatures Bible is well written and laid out in a organized way that makes sense. A table of contents would have been helpful here, but the index in the back of the book makes it fairly easy to find the creature you want.

It’s also full of beautiful illustrations, public domain images, and photographs, which break-up the text and support many of the entries. While 400 pages, the book is still fairly small, making it easy to bring along with you; but the trade off for that is of course, the size 8 font.

The book’s content is reasonably good, and somewhat encyclopedic. It’s a good reference guide if you want a basic explanation on a wide range of creatures. However the entries are short, and there are several errors that make other references necessary if you’re studying a specific creature.

In the introduction is a image of two headed animal labeled as a Yale from the Aberdeen Bestiary. However there is no further explanation, and it doesn’t match the image and description given for Yale later on in the book, or the online images and description of Yale from the Aberdeen Bestiary. This is probably because it’s actually an Amphisien, a winged two-headed snake. - And since this is my own personal copy, I went ahead and wrote that in. We can discuss the fact that I think it's okay to write in books, but not to dog-ear the pages, later. . .

Among the biggest errors I noticed was one pertaining to the *Holy Bible. Under the section titled Dragons of the Near East, the author describes the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den (which can be found in the book of Daniel within the Holy Bible) as being the result of Daniel slaying the King’s Dragon. This is complete fiction (okay, well, maybe there’s some mention of this in another work, but it's certainly not the story presented in the Old Testament of the NKJ Holy Bible).

(*Bible means book, and the book I'm reviewing is also called a Bible, so using the proper title, Holy Bible makes a clear distinction here.)

Overall I think this is a good reference for people thirteen and up, who want a basic knowledge, or ideas for stories and RPGS, but for serious study of cryptozoology you'll need to consult some other works to be sure the info you've gotten is correct.

And How do You Name a Horror Movie?

I've noticed in recent years, some pretty poorly named horror movies. Not that the names are poor, but that they don't match the movie, and are probably just relics from the earliest drafts of the script.

For example I just watched Dark Skies for the first time. The name conjures up imagery of UFOs blacking out the sky, dark thunder storms, and/or and all out war from above. While the movie did involve aliens, and tons of conspiracies related to aliens, abductions, and UFOs, there was not a single UFO in the film. There wasn't even a single shot of the sky really. It also wasn't dark, being fairly well lit for like, 95% of the film.

Overall it wasn't a bad movie, not great, kind of a mish-mash of things that had been done, but well paced and just mysterious enough to keep the viewer’s interest. However, I also feel like it probably would have gotten another half a star if it had a more accurately named.

Another example of this is Silent Predators, a movie in which the main threat is anything but silent. The main threat, while a predator, is also to small to predate human. It, or rather they, are several aggressive hybrid rattlesnakes, that were, until recently hibernating. The main plot being that you hear the snake rattle, then it bites you, and you die.

Come on guys. Many classic horror movies were named by friends of the director who'd get drunk and watch the film from dusk to dawn, when hung-over they'd called the director and mumbled a name into the phone. Still, it was more accurate then the examples above.

Which isn't to say that there aren't some well named horror movies recently, Sharknado comes to mind. Very descriptive of the small part of the movie I saw, sharks flying through the air, riding a vortex!

Blessings, Cleansings, and Exorcisms

One of the most common methods of resolution in many modern haunting stories is that of a Blessing, Cleansing, or Exorcism. Often this is the end of the story, and the haunting either stops or the people involved feel they can live with what little of it remains. A couple years ago or so, there was a new story about how factory workers were refusing to return to work until the building was blessed, because the woman’s restroom was believed to be haunted.

Lately I find myself reading or watching these stories, and wondering if an exorcism was necessary. Sometimes the activity reported seems so benign, like kid’s toys going off, yet the home owners react with, ‘we were terrified, we needed an exorcism’.

And there’s a dark side to exorcisms too. Some stories don’t end with the exorcism, and after a calm period, there is a relapse haunting which is worse than the initial haunting. Furthermore exorcisms have been increasingly used as an excuse for murder, claiming actions that are in direct conflict with the view that the person themselves is not actually evil and should not be harmed, resulted in ‘accidental’ death.

So, some of you may be wondering by now, what’s the difference between a Blessing, Cleansing, and an Exorcism? How do you know if you need a Blessing or Cleansing, likewise how do you know if you need an Exorcism? And why would an Exorcism fail?

All these rituals are intended to protect, it’s the means of protection that varies. A Blessing is a ceremony in which a deity is asked to protect the location or person from evil (bless means ‘favored by god’), while a Cleansing aims to remove dark energy and encourage spirits to move on (which sometimes involves removing items with negative energy), and an Exorcism is a ritual intended to drive evil spirits out of a person or place, often invoking deities and their servants to do so. Exorcisms are seen as the more extreme, and sometime dangerous option, with religious groups often requiring special permission before priests will perform one. Deaths have even been occasionally attributed to exorcisms (and the occasional murder has been ‘explained’ as an exorcism as I mentioned above).

I do not believe there is any reason to discourage a blessing. If you want to bless, or can get the local priest to bless, your house weekly, I wouldn’t discourage it. A cleansing is much the same. But, exorcisms on the other hand, are harder to get permission to perform for a reason. Go through the proper channels in your church, and don’t assume you can let your guard down afterwards.

Exorcisms are cited to fail for several reasons; pride or other weakness in those performing it, a sinful relapse of those it was preformed for, or a misdiagnosis of a medical condition as a demon attack (feeling sick to your stomach may really be that you are sick in your stomach, and seeing things may just be mental stress or even sounds of certain frequency vibrating the fluid in your eye). There are more possibilities, beyond those, I’m sure, but this gives an idea of just how fragile a pursuit an exorcism is. 

* As a final note, I’d like to encourage you to seek advice from your priest and doctors rather than just taking mine or anyone else’s word for it.