Korean Folklore, Daltokki, the Moon Rabbit.

 

The origins of the Moon Rabbit myth can be traced back to ancient China, know as the Jade Rabbit. However Japan and Korea have similar talis of this immortal bunny. ( will have a post on the Japanese and Chinese version up  soon)

The Korean version of the Moon Rabbit starts with three animals—a rabbit, a fox, and a monkey they all share a similar goal to become the  embody of the virtues of Buddhism. To test their commitment, the Emperor of the Heavens  comes down  to earth and disguises himself as a  beggar, seeking food. The fox gives him a fish,  the monkey gives him some  fruit. But the rabbit, unable to find food, decides offer up himself as a meal and  to sacrifice himself by jumping into a fire. Moved by his act of selflessness, the Emperor appointed the rabbit as the guardian of the moon, immortalizing its noble act  among the stars and placing an image of the rabbit on the moon for All to see.

In Korean folklore, the Moon Rabbit, known as “daltokki” (달토끼), is often depicted standing beneath a gyesu tree (Korean laurel or cinnamon tree).

diligently pounding rice in a mortar to make rice cakes. 

The image of  Moon Rabbit’s Making rice cakes is heavily association with rice cakes with the Korean autumn festival called Chuseok. 

This holiday emphasizes family unity, gratitude, and the sharing of food, mirroring the rabbit’s virtues of selflessness and communal harmony. Families gather to prepare and enjoy songpyeon (half-moon-shaped rice cakes), reflecting the rabbit’s celestial activities and reinforcing the cultural importance of togetherness.There is also a  children’s song inspired by this hard working bunny  called “Half Moon” (“반달”), written in 1924 by Yoon Geuk-young.

In Chinese myths he is called the Jade Rabbit and is a friend) companion to Chang's the moon goddess, is job on the moon is to create the elixir of life. In the Japanese version he makes sticky rice cakes ( mochi).

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The  first version of this tail comes the second century. The earliest version was included in a Chinese  collection of poems  called  the Chu Ci. The poem in question suggested that during the Warring States Period (475 BCE–221 BCE), there was a mythical hare living on the moon and pounding herbs for celestial beings. In the 10th century, Chinese scholars compiled the Taiping Yulan, an ancient encyclopedia that also mentioned the hare on the moon. However there were no rabbits in China at the time, the original moon animal was the hare, and it was called “Jade Hare” or “Gold Hare.”

The earliest known version of the story in Japan appeared in the Konjaku Monogatarishū, a collection of ivery 1,000 poems written  into the Heian period (794–1185)

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The rabbit symbolizes  immortality, self-sacrifice, and the eternal cycle of life.

The Al mi-ràj /Almiraj .

 The Almiraj is another jackalope like rabbit cryptid. 

It's described as a small rabbit like animal usually said to have yellow fur and a long black unicorn like horn growing from the top of it's head.

According to Arabic lore, unlike a standard herbivore dite of a typical rabbit the Almiraj   is a fearsome carnivores animal  that can be found on Dragon Island / Sea serpents island (Jazirat al Tinnin located in the Indian Ocean .

It's mentioned in in Qazwin's The Wonders of Creation... Marvel's of things created and miraculous aspects of things existing from 1260 AD. Tough the oldest copy of Qazwini in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (BSB) currently located in Munich is dated a 464

 It shows a miniature painting of the dragon and a horned rabbit 

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 The dragon is shown eating bull's filled  with, sulfur left as a trap by Alexander the great as a means of killing the dragon.

It was successful and as a reward he was gifted a horned rabbit as thanks.

This little bunny has also been featured in several videogames, anime and DnD.

Paranormal, Easter Bunny 🐰...Or is it?...

 

  

For many people Easter is a joyous occasion, family gatherings, a long weekend and for kids it also means a visit from the Easter bunny. But what if I hat sweet little rabbit is more then he seems?

For most people Easter is celebrated around the world as a religious holiday commemorating the resurrection  of Christ.

But for others especially children it's a time of excitement and anticipation as they await the arrival of the Easter bunny and a basket of goodies . Colorful eggs and chocolate delivered by a kind magical bunny.

 what's not to like about that!

All fun and games, right?

However, for years now there have been sightings of a "Easter Bunny"  that is a lot creepier then common depiction would suggest.

Many have claimed too see a large human or near human sized rabbit, sometimes with intimidating red eyes and sharp teeth not exactly the kind and cuddly bunny we often think of.

Now, many would argue that what is being seen is nothing more then a prankster in a costume or a young child's imagination going a bit overboard. However some of these sightings seem to exhibit supernatural qualities like the  human sized bunny appearing out of nowhere or having ghost like  abilities ranging from  being semi transparent or walking through walls sometimes even disappear at a moments notice.

If these sightings where only a few that would be one thing, but there have been similar accounts around the world. Some believe this is a coincidence or possibly even a form of mass hallucinations. Other believe it to be a type of tulpa.

A tulpa is a creature created by thought alone either by a intense   concentration by an individual or through mass beliefs by a large number of people. Basically if enough people believe in something it is essentially willed into existence ... Though they are hard to control and often dangerous as they will eventually take on a will of their own...

Others claimed this is nothing more then an  urban legend, in any case it's still interesting to think the simple fact that people believe is enough to make it a reality. 

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In America, the original Easter Bunny tradition we celebrate today can be traced back to German immigrants who  brought there Folklore and tradition with them, in pagan times the rabbit was a sign of spring and fertility along with the egg. During the christianization of Europe many pagan customs where incorporated to gain more followers. The original Easter Bunny was the Osterhase Easter Rabbit .

The Angelo Saxon Goddess of spring fertility was called Ostara or Eostre her symptoms were the egg and the hare representing fertility. The colored eggs and bunny are still used to this day in our Easter celebration.

And modern pagans still hold a festival for the Goddess Eostre during the spring equinox.

Anyway Hope you all have a good weekend and Happy Easter. 

✝️🐇🥚🐣

Paranormal folklore, The Rasselblock

 

 

 Mythic horned rabbits.

Most of us have heard of the jackalope, an American cryptid that is basically a hare with antlers.

but this creature or at least one very similar can be found in several other countries,

Today's post will be about the Rasselblock.

but there are several other similar antler bunny's.

The Austrian rauracl, the Hessian dilldapp and the western alpine dahu, the Wolpertinger (winged rabbit with horns) and the  dahu (a mountain goat like cryptid) are also associated with the rasselbock.
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The Rasselbock (German: [ˈʁasl̩ˌbɔk]), sometimes called  raspelbock, is a rabbit cryptid from German, Austrian and Bavarian folklore often found in  hunting lodges as a display / hunting trophy. 

It looks just like an average rabbit with the exception of the noticeable horns on top of its head. Its antlers look like those of  a  deer. 

The female rasselbock is called the Rasselgeiß, they have smaller antlers. Some rasselbocks have been shown with small canine teeth, unlike normal rabbits. 

Their young are called Waldrasslinge. 


They have been seen in the Harz Mountains and  near Schwarzatal, the Schmücke, and Auerhahn, a forest town near Stützerbach and Ilmenau. Some even claim to find footprints in the snow, though this could just be a normal bunny in the winter. 

These little guys have also been spotted several times in or near the Thuringian Forest.

This little cryptid was even featured on money at one point and  can be found on the 1921 Blankenhain Notgeld: A banknote from Blankenhain.

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Other rabbit cryptids 🐇🐰

The Jackalope..

https://theparanormal411.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-jackalope-wild-west-cryptid.html

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And 

The Wolpertinger

https://theparanormal411.blogspot.com/2023/04/wolpertinger-german-jackalope.html

The Green Children of Woolpit

 

In old British Folklore there's a tale of two strange or even otherworldly children that suddenly appeared one day near the  village of Woolpit in Suffolk England.  

The kids wore odd cloths and  spoke an unknown language however the most noticable difference was there green skin.

As the story goes, One day   two children, a boy and a girl, were found near a pit, possibly a wolf pit/den, in the village of Woolpit in 12th century ..1135-1154 .

The sister seemed to be in better health then the brother.

At first they both refused to eat any food  offered to them besides broad beans , though they eventually,  learned to eat other foods, and soon after their skin became normal.

Not long after there discovery, the boy passed away. 

The girl later named Agnes adjusted to her new life, but she was considered to be "very wanton and impudent". After she learned to speak English, the girl explained that she and her brother had come from a land where the sun never shone, and the light was like twilight. According to one version of the story, she said that everything there was green; according to another, she said it was called Saint Martin's Land.

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Full story, or at least the only two near contemporary accounts come from   William of Newburgh's Historia rerum Anglicarum and Ralph of Coggeshall's Chronicum Anglicanum, written in about 1189 and 1220, respectively.

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At harvest time one day during the reign of King Stephen (r. 1135–1154), according to William of Newburgh, the villagers of Woolpit discovered two children, a brother and sister, beside one of the wolf pits that gave the village its name.

Their skin was green, they spoke an unknown language, and their clothing was unfamiliar. Ralph of Coggeshall reports that the children were taken to the home of Richard de Calne. Ralph and William agree that the pair refused all food for several days until they came across some raw broad beans, which they consumed eagerly. 

The children gradually adapted to normal food and in time lost their green colour.

 It was decided to Baptis the children, but the boy, who appeared to be the younger of the two, was sickly and died before or soon after baptism.

After learning to speak English, the children—Ralph says just the surviving girl—explained that they came from a land where the sun never shone and the light was like twilight. William says the girl called their home St Martin's Land; Ralph adds that everything there was green. According to William, the children were unable to account for their arrival in Woolpit; they had been herding their father's cattle when they heard a loud noise (according to William, it was like the sound of the bells of Bury St Edmunds abbey and suddenly found themselves by the wolf pit where they were found. Ralph says that they had become lost when they followed the cattle into a cave and, after being guided by the sound of bells, eventually emerged into our land.

According to Ralph, the girl was employed for many years as a servant in Richard de Calne's household, where she was considered to be "very wanton and impudent". William says that she eventually married a man from King's Lynn, about 40 miles (64 km) from Woolpit, where she was still living shortly before he wrote.

Based on his research into Richard de Calne's family history, the astronomer and writer Duncan Lunan has concluded that the girl was given the name 'Agnes' and that she married a royal official named Richard Barre.

To this day nobody really know where he kids actually came from, one theory is that they were Flemish immigrants and the green skin could be due to chlorosis, a condition caused by iron deficiency, which would clear with a healthier diet. As it later did 

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🍀 Happy St. Patrick's Day 🍀

 

May your troubles be less and your blessings be more and nothing but happiness come through your door.

Happy St. Paddy's Day 

🍀🪙🇮🇪💚 

Japanese Folklore and Yokai, Chisai Ojisan

 

 Chisai Ojisan / Chiisai Ojisan or Tiny Uncle , Little Mister, Little Old Man" is a popular Japanese urban legend.

This little guy is usually considered benevolent and even Lucky to encounter.

Sightings have been posted online at least so far back as 2009, but older tales date back a lot farther.

There are several stories about him and countless eyewitnesses that claim to have seen him 

All the accounts talk about encountering a very small man apparently middle aged man. His hight seems to range anywhere from 10cm -50cm tall

Some legend say that spotting these little men will give you  good luck. If more so if the speak too you. 

In some versions they dress in normal clothes, in other's the wheat a suit..

These Yokai are basically  Japanese Leprechauns.

They have been featured in multiple shows and manga.