Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Christmas: Krampus the Christmas Demon.







                                                       Krampus the Christmas Demon.



Krampus can be found in the folklore of many different European country's ... Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, North Italy, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

His exact origin is unclear; some folklorists believe it to  have pre-Christian roots.

There are various traditional parades and events, a well known one is  the Krampuslauf (English: Krampus run), mostly young men dressed as Krampus to participate this is an annually  event  in most Alpine towns. 

 Krampus is also featured on holiday greeting cards called Krampuskarten.


By the 17th century Krampus had been incorporated into Christian winter celebrations by pairing Krampus with St. Nicholas.

Countries of the former Habsburg Empire  have largely borrowed the tradition of Krampus accompanying St. Nicholas on December  5th from Austria.


 A more  recent myth is that Krampus was the son of Hel the Norse goddess of the underworld, this myth  has been popularized on the internet, even appearing in an  articles in National Geographic and Smithsonian Magazine.

 However, this connection is likely the invention of the American fantasy artist and author Gerald Brom whose 2012 novel Krampus the Yule Lord features Krampus as the main protagonist.

The same idea also appeared shortly afterwards in two online games by the Norwegian games producer Funcom.


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Krampus, seems to the most popular holiday monster or at least one of the most well known he si described as a half-goat, half-demon, said to be hairy, usually brown or black, and has the cloven hooves  and the  horns of a goat. His long, pointed tongue hangs out, and he has fangs.

Krampus literally beats people into being nice.
He arrives with a chain  that he swings around, along with a bundle of birch sticks meant to swat ill behaved children. He carry's the bad kids down to the underworld

 Well Santa or St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children. ..Krampus is more of an anti Santa..

This yuletide demon was often seen accompanying  St. Nicholas on his Christmas journey from house to house.

However well St Nick rewarded well behaved children with sweets and toys Krampus. would beat the bad  kid's, stuff them in a sack, and take them away to his lair.






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      Celebrations...
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                                   Krampusnacht--Krampus Night and the  Krampus Run/parade

People have been dressing up like Krampus for centuries. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, devil masks were used at winter church plays.



                                                          Old wooden Krampus masks...

On Krampusnacht in modern times, men dress up in Krampus costumes made of sheepskin. Women sometimes dress up as a Nordic figure named Frau Perchta.

This time of the year there are parades and parties and a lot of them  often have a  Krampuslauf—or Krampus Run—where people run through the streets dressed as Krampus.

The day has increasingly become commercialized. Krampus has appeared on cards and ornaments over the years. He has also been  graphic novels, television shows, video games, and movies.

Krampus night  is held annually on December 5th.

The next Krampusnacht, --- Krampus Night, will be on Saturday, December 5th, 2020.

The next day December 6th is The Feast of St Nickolas ...
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                                                         St. Nickolas vs Krampus

There is also  a seasonal play that spread throughout the Alpine regions it was known as the Nikolausspiel ("Nicholas play").

Inspired by Paradise plays, which focused on Adam and Eve's encounter with a tempter, the Nicholas plays featured competition for the human souls and played on the question of morality.

In these Nicholas plays, Saint Nicholas would reward children for scholarly efforts rather than for good behavior. 

 This is a theme that grew in Alpine regions where the Roman Catholic Church  had significant influence.

There were already established pagan traditions in the Alpine regions that became intertwined with Catholicism. People would masquerade as a devilish figure known as Percht, a two-legged humanoid goat with a giraffe-like neck, wearing animal furs.

 People wore costumes and marched in processions known as Perchtenlaufs, which are regarded as any earlier form of the Krampus runs. Perchtenlaufs were looked at with suspicion by the Catholic Church and banned by some civil authorities. Due to sparse population and rugged environments within the Alpine region, the ban was not effective or easily enforced, rendering the ban useless. Eventually the Perchtenlauf, inspired by the Nicholas plays, introduced Saint Nicholas and his set of good morals. The Percht transformed into what is now known as the Krampus and was made to be subjected to Saint Nicholas' will

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Krampus has appeared in several tv shows and movies even a Christmas ep of The Venture Bothers..




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=========== VINTAGE Krampus Christmas Cards====
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This is my last post before Christmas, hope you all have a great holiday and a Happy New Year Merry Christmas!! and thank you for an awesome 2019! :)





Saturday, December 14, 2019

Christmas: Yule Monsters / Christmas Monsters






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                                           ..... Merry Christmas everyone...

                  ...Christmas Monsters.....
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Gryla is a character of Icelandic folklore: a giantess with an appetite for the flesh of mischievous children, who she cooks in a large pot.

       ======
Gryla the giantess
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 Gryla was originally mentioned as being a giantess  in the 13th century compilation of Norse myths and legends by Prose Edda but there are is no specific connection to Christmas until the  17th century.

The oldest poems about Gryla describe her as a beggar who would walk around asking parents to give her their disobedient children.

Her plans can be thwarted by giving her food or by chasing her away. Originally, she lived in a small cottage, but in later poems she appears to have been forced out of town and into a cave.

Modern day myths about  Gryla say that she has the ability to detect children who are misbehaving year-round.

During Christmas time, she comes from the mountains to search the nearby towns for her next gruesome meal.

According to Iclandic folklore, Gryla has been married three times. Her third husband Leppaludi is said to be living with her in their cave in the Dimmuborgir lava fields, with the big black Yule Cat and their sons. Leppaludi is lazy and mostly stays at home in their cave. Gryla supposedly has dozens of children with her previous husbands, but they are rarely mentioned nowadays


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Gryla's Sons the Yule lads
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the Yule Lads can be found in the 17th-century poem, Poem of Gryla. Gryla had appeared in older tales as a  troll but had not been linked to Christmas before. Gryla is described as a hideous being who is the mother of the gigantic Yule Lads who are a vicious menace to children.

Early on the number and description of Yule Lads varied depending on location, with each individual Lad ranging from a simple prankster's to a homicidal monster's.

 They were used to frighten children into being good  like the boogyman..


In the late 18th century a poem mentions there being 13 of them. In the mid-19th century, author Jon Arnason  drew inspiration from the Brothers Grimm and began collecting folktales. His 1862 collection is the first mention of the names of the Yule Lads.

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---The Yule Cat---
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The Yule Cat is her pet: a huge and vicious cat who hunt's the snowy countryside during Christmas time (Yule) looking for  people too eat he usually targets people who have not received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve.


This odd trait is connected to the culture and traditions of the region.

Sheep husbandry was an important part of the farm life in Iceland, after the autumn shearing of sheep, all members of the family worked hard to process wool. As a rule, the work was completed just in time for Christmas time, and those who worked hard received a new item of clothing to wear
So to encourage children to there chores and work , there  parents scared them with story's of the Yule Cat .


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===La Befana======
=the Christmas Witch==
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La Befana and The Feast of the Epiphany is celebrated January 6 with a national holiday in Italy, and the tradition of La Befana are a big part of Italian Christmas celebrations. Epiphany commemorates the 12th day of Christmas when the three Wise Men arrived at the manger bearing gifts for Baby Jesus. The traditional Christmas holiday season in Italy lasts through Epiphany.

La Befana is a witch from Italian folklore: she travels on her magic broom, to every house in Italy bringing gifts. Climbing down the chimneys, she brings candy to the children that were good and black coal to the children that were naughty.

kids in Italy  look forward to the arrival of the red-suited Babbo Natale on Christmas Eve.
 She is an old witch who arrives in early January. For Italians, La Festa dell’Epifania on January 6th is as significant a holiday as Christmas Day; especially for Italian children!


According to the Italian legend, La Befana, a witch, refused to join the Wise Men on their journey to see the baby Jesus. When she regrets her decision, she sets out to bring gifts to the Child but never finds him. Instead, she leaves gifts for other children. Italian children leave out their shoes or put up stockings for the Befana to fill on January 5th, Epiphany Eve.

So according to legend every Epiphany Eve, the old, tattered and soot-covered Befana flies around the world on a broomstick and comes down chimneys to deliver candy and presents to children who have been good during the year.

However just like Santa  la Befana will leave a lumps of coal to the bad kids.  Knowing that all kids can’t be perfect year-round, some shops in Italy sell carbone or black rock candy that actually looks like pieces of coal… that way even teh naoughty kids can still have a treat on the holidays.



Unlike Santa Claus, La Befana has been an Italian tradition since the XIII century and comes from Christian legend rather than pop culture or corporate merchandising
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==Frau Perchta=========
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Frau Perchta, (Berchta) previously known as a goddess in Southern Germanic paganism in the Alpine countries. Her name means “the bright one”.



Perchta seems to have a dual nature – she is alternately described as kind or violent, and physically as wizened, old, and ugly or a tall and beautiful young woman,  white as snow and dressed in all white

The days leading up to the winter solstice, Perchta would enter homes in search for the good kids who would receive a small silver coin in their shoe; while the bad kids would have their stomachs slit open and innards pulled out and replaced with stones and straw.

In many old descriptions, Perchta had one large foot, sometimes called a goose foot or swan foot. some believe the strange foot symbolized her being a higher being who is capable of shape shift  into an animal form.

The Brother's Grimm reconted a simmilar story called Frau Holle,

They  noticed that Bertha with a strange foot exists in many languages (Middle German "Berhte mit dem fuoze", French "Berthe au grand pied", Latin "Berhta cum magno pede", Italian " Berta dai gran piè", title of a medieval epic poem of italian area): "It is apparently a swan maiden's foot, which as a mark of her higher nature she cannot lay aside...and at the same time the spinning-woman's splayfoot that worked the treadle.



 
In the Tyrol she appears as little old woman with a very wrinkled face, bright lively eyes, and a long hooked nose; her hair is disheveled, her garments tattered and torn.




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I'll have one more post next week and that will be it for 2019, thank you to all who enjoy these posts Happy New Year and have a Merry Christmas.! :D






Monday, December 9, 2019

Christmas: Grandfather Frost and the Ice maidens


                                              Image by vukcevic 


Today we talk about Santa...Kind of...

Have you ever wondered what the jolly old elf  is like in other counter's?..

For most of us, at least in the US he is called Santa Claus in others country's Papa Noel and even  Saint Nichole's...
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But have you ever heard of Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost ) or his granddaughter  Snegurochka - The Ice Maiden ?....No?

Well your in luck this post is dedicated to this frosty family for friendly folk...Try to say that five times fast lol

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Father Frost and his granddaughter Snegurochka – the Snow Maiden.

Originated in Russia.

Each year there are  festivals in celebration of the season   people dress up like Ded Moroz and Snegurochka they join in the parades from all over the country!


                                  Christmas parade in Minsk, Belarus, on Dec 24, 2016

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Ded Moroz like Santa Claus in the West is depicted as bringing presents to good children,  but unlike Santa who  dose his traveling on Christmas Eve Ded Moroz makes his appearance on New Years Eve. and is often accompanied by his Granddaughter / helper Snegurochka the Snow maiden.
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 ==================
         Ded Moroz
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Ded Moroz Grandfather Frost or Father Frost is a popular holiday figure  in modern Russia.

 The origins of the of Ded Moroz predates Christianity as a Slavic  wizard of winter.

According to some sources in Slavic mythology, Ded Moroz, was also called Morozko or Ded, A ded is a typeof  snow demon.

  However, before the Christianization of Russia the term demon didn't have the negative connotation it dose today.

Though after the christinazation of the region the terms demon, spirit, fairy or anything else that could be described as such was now seen as bad or out right evil 



Under the influence of the  Orthodox church the  traditions relating to  Grandfather Frost  were transformed.

 Ever since the late 1800's the traditions and legend of Ded Moroz have been shaped by literary influences.

The play Snegurochka by Aleksandr Ostrocsky  was largely  influential in popularizing the characters.

Following the Russian Revolution Christmas traditions were actively discouraged because they were considered to be "bourgeois and religious".

In 1928 Ded Moroz was declared "an ally of the priest and Kulak

Though the current image of Ded Moroz was created during soviet times, and would become the main symbol of the New Year's holiday Novy God  that replaced Christmas.

Some Christmas traditions were revived following the famous letter by Pavel Postyshey published in  Pravda on December 28, 1935.

Postyshev believed that the origins of the holiday, which were pre-Christian, were less important than the benefits it could bring to Soviet children.

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 In 1998, the town of Veliku Ustyug in Vologda, Oblast was declared the official home of the  Ded Moroz by Yury Luzhkov then Mayor of Moscow.

You can take  at rain ride there... it's about 500 miles northeast of Moscow in the Taiga Forest in a log cabin.

Between 2003 and 2010, the post office in Veliky Ustyug received roughly 2,000,000 letters from within Russia and from all over the world for Ded Moroz.

 On January 7, 2008, President Putin visited Ded Moroz' residence in the town of Veliky Ustyug as part of the Russian Orthodox Christmas Eve celebration.







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                                    ===============
                                        Snegurochka
                                    ===============



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 They saw a pretty young girl all dressed in white with flaxen hair and shining blue eyes… Painting of Snow Maiden (1899)  by Viktor M. Vasnetsov
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In 1917, after the Bolshevik Revolution, Ded Moroz  along with Christmas was banned in Russia.

However in 1935  the winter wizard and the silver haired cutie would see a resurgence in popularity with the New Year’s celebrations becoming a more  public event, ever since then Ded Moroz and Snegurochka have appear on New Year’s Eve, putting presents under the tree for good kids all over the country.

 In the late Russian Empire (Late 1800's and Early 1900's) Snegurochka was part of Christmas traditions, in the form of Christmas tree ornimants and figurine.

 In the early Soviet Union, the holiday of Christmas was banned, together with other Christian traditions., until it was reinstated as a holiday of the Russian Federation in 1991, by Russian Federation President Boris N. Yeltsin
 ................


Snow-Maiden-and-Father-Frost 1912 paintings of Snow Maiden and Father Frost by Nicholas Roerich.

In 1878, the composer Ludwig Minkus  and the Balletmaster Marius Petipa staged a ballet adaptation of Snegurochka    called The Daughter of the Snow for the Tsar's Imperial Ballet.

The story was also later adapted into an opera in 1880-81 by  Nikolai Rimsky- Korsakov titled The Snow Maiden: A Spring Fairy Tail

Another version of  the snow maiden is about a girl who was  made of snow named Snegurka (Snezhevinochka ) it was published in 1869 by Alexander Afanasyey  in the second volume of his work The Poetic Outlook on Nature by the Slavs, where he also mentions the German analog, Schneekind ("Snow Child").  In this version, childless Russian peasants Ivan and Marya made a snow doll, which later came to life.

This version was later added to  Contes Populaires Slaves by Louis Leger in 1882.

In the story Snegurka grows up quickly.  She later befrends a  group of girls that invite  her on a walk in the woods, after which they make a small fire and take turns jumping over it; in some variants, this is on St. Jon's Day leaping over a fire is a  St. John's Day tradition.

However when Snegurka's turn comes, she starts to jump, but only gets halfway before evaporating into a small cloud of mist.

This version of the story was called  "Snowflake" and was included in the "The  Pink Fairy Book" by Andrew Lang in 1897.




                                    Snegurochka in the forest (1925) by Boris Zvorykin.

Similar versions of these two figures can be found in other areas in the surrounding country's .

But this version is strictly Russia, so if your in the country during the holidays and you like parades and overall fun  check out some of the local  festivals !!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!! :)




Thursday, December 5, 2019

Christmas Myths: Norwigian Nisse




 Nisse are believed to be spirits but some see them as a type of house elf or gnome's...

 In ancient times the Nisse  was believed to be an ancestors or spirit and are often believed to be spirite of  the farmer who originally cleared the forest to build the farm. in other words a  spirit that never leaves the farm or homestead they built in their day.


 The name Nisse may be derived from the Old Norse word “niðsi”, meaning (dear little relative)

In pre-Christian times, the original farmer / land owner was  often buried on his farm in a mound.

He was sometimes referred to as the haugkall or haugebonde, from the Old Norse haugr meaning mound.  Mounds are common places in Scandinavian folklore as the resting places for ancestral spirits .
 ===========================

Other legend's describe them as a member of the Hilda Folk / hidden folk a type a fairy or gnome like creature, humanoid in appearance and small in stature usually no more then 3 feet in height....
Modern day  nisse are often associated with Christmas and the yule time.

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Nisse are believed to live in the houses and barns of the farm and secretly act as their protector.

If treated well, they will protect the family and animals from bad luck and misfortune and may even help out with the farm work and animal care.

However, they are very strong for there size and known to be short tempered, especially when they fill offended, once insulted they will usually play tricks, steal items, and may even maim or kill.  


 
Traditionally, Blots are held every solstice and a gift (never payment) is left for the nisse, for protecting the home and family.

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  A blót is a type of offering / sacrifice it could be dedicated to any of the Norse gods, the spirits of the land, or to ancestors. The sacrifice involved aspects of a sacramental meals or feast.
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And you must ALWAYS remember to put out a bowl of porridge with butter and honey  for him on Christmas Eve (Winter Solstice or Jul) to show your appreciation for his watchfulness!



 This  tradition is   similar to the way cookies and milk are put out for Santa Claus.

Just like Santa's cookies  the porridge would be gone in the morning  the nisse also brings  presents sometimes .

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                                                        .....Christmas Card from 1885....

The nisse is also known as a tomte in some area's it's seen as a small gnome like creature most commonly found on or near farms and is often associated with Christmas.

Norwegian Julenissen, Sweden  has the Jultomten, the Finish Joulutonttu and the Danish Julemanden

The nisse is also sometimes accompanied by the Yule Goat  (Julbocken).

The pair appear on Christmas Eve knocking on the doors of people's homes and handing out presents.


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19th century Swedish Christmas card by Jenny Nystrom
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In the 1840s the farm nisse became one of  the main image's of Christmas in Denmark, and was then called julenisse (Yule Nisse).

In 1881, the Swedish magazine Ny Illustrerad Tidning published Viktor Rydberg  poem "Tomten", where the tomte is alone awake in the cold Christmas night, pondering the mysteries of life and death. This poem featured the first painting by Jenny Nystrom which was later made into a Christmas Card (Picture Above)  which she depicted as a white-bearded, red-capped friendly figure and he has been associated with Christmas ever since.

Not long after this other regions started adopting this nisse as a Christmas figure along with  the emerging Father Christmas /Santa traditions ..

 the new Danish tradition, a variant of the nisse/tomte, called the jultomte in Sweden and julenisse in Norway, started bringing the Christmas presents in Sweden and Norway, instead of the traditional julbock  (Yule Goat).

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  Other appearances ...

An angry nisse is featured in the popular children's book by Swedish author Selma Lagerlof called Nils Holgerssons suderbara resa genom syerige (Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey Through Sweden). The angry nisse turns the naughty child Nils into a nisse in the beginning of the book, and Nils then travels across Sweden on the back of a goose.

 In The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, hobs / nisse/ house elf's ...are eyeless creatures who burn in light. They serve the Queen Mab of The Winter Court of the Sidhe.


In Njord Kane's : The Hidden Hollow the  nisse are part of nature’s hidden folk who are both helpful and manipulative.

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Have a great Christmas! and Don't forget to leave out a bowl of porridge :)

:D God Jul :D

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May not be a post next week, if i don't the week following will have two posts.... hope you all have a great weekend :)
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Merry Christmas ! 

 
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Monday, December 2, 2019

Christmas: Coca Cola and the Santa Connection






 Did you know Santa wasn't always depicted as a jolly bearded fat man ....

In fact the most well know version of Santa we have today is largely thanks to the marketing efforts of the Coca Cola Company...

Before  1931, Santa came in many different form's ranging from  a tall slender man to a very creepy -looking elf and almost everything in between....

In some area's he was seen as  Norse Huntsman in animal skins and in others he was dressed in a similar fashion to that of  a  bishop's robe.



There are regional differences in the type of suit that Santa Claus wears.

Usually in  United Kingdom  and the USA  Santa wears a red jacket and pants with white fur trim,  a broad buckled belt, a matching hat, and black boots.

 In other area's of  European  Austria for instance Santa is called Saint Nicholas  and is seen with a  long robe and a Bishop's mitre.
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 During the American Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew his version of Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly in 1862, Santa was shown as a small gnome or elf like being who supported the Union.

Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the color of his coat from tan originally and ending with the red that we know today.


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                                  Nast Santa in red 1881

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The Coca-Cola Company first started there Christmas advertising in the 1920s with  newspaper's and magazines like on of the first was  The Saturday Evening Post.


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In 1930, artist Fred Mizen painted a department-store Santa in a crowd drinking a bottle of Coke. The ad featured the world's largest soda fountain, which was located in the department store Famous Barr Co. in St. Louis, Mo. Mizen's painting was used in print ads that Christmas season, appearing in The Saturday Evening Post in December 1930.
                                           Fred Mizen  - Santa 1930
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 In 1931 Coke began placing Coca-Cola ads in other popular magazines of the time.

Archie Lee, the D'Arcy Advertising Agency executive working with The Coca-Cola Company, wanted to show a Santa who was both realistic and symbolic.

Coca-Cola hired Haddon Sundblom to develop advertising images using Santa Claus — showing Santa himself, not a man dressed as Santa.

One of  Sundblom main source of inspiration was  Clement Clark Moore's 1822 poem  Twas the Night Before Christmas. 
Moore's description of St. Nick led to an image of a warm, friendly, pleasantly plump and human Santa. (And even though it's often said that Santa wears a red coat because red is the color of Coca-Cola, Santa appeared in a red coat before Sundblom painted him.

Sundblom’s Santa first debuted in 1931 in Coke ads in The Saturday Evening Post and appeared regularly in that magazine, as well as in Ladies Home Journal, National Geographic, The New Yorker and many others.


From 1931 to 1964, Coca-Cola showed Santa delivering toys , reading a child's christmas letter and of course enjoy a cold Coke.
 The original oil paintings Sundblom created were adapted for Coca-Cola advertising in magazines and on store displays, billboards, posters, calendars and plush dolls. Many of those items today are sot after by memorabilia collectors.
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Mr. Sundblom created his last version of Santa in 1964, Coca-Cola advertising featured his images of Santa for decades afterwords . 

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These paintings are some of the most prized pieces in the art collection in the Cola  company’s archives department and have been on exhibit around the world, in famous locations..
 Many of his Original paintings can be seen at the World of Coca Cola in Atlanta, Georgia.
Other places they have been featured ...
 The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada.
The Louve in Paris, France.
 The NK Department Store in Stockholm, Sewden.

The Isetan Department Store in Tokyo, Japan.



Saturday, November 16, 2019

Mercy Brown: American Vampire







The Vampire of New England....

The brown family of Exeter, Rhode Island


So many cases of tuberculosis  occurred in the  Brown family that  Friends and neighbors believed this was due to the possible  influence of the undead.

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George and Mary Brown's family suffered  from tuberculosis infections hitting several family members.

Tuberculosis infections  in the later 19th century was rampant it was also called "consumption" at the time, and was a very devastating disease.

The mother, Mary Eliza, was the first to die of the disease, followed in 1886 by their eldest daughter, Mary Olive.

In 1891, Mercy and her brother  Edwin also contracted the disease.

Mercy died 1n  January 1892 at the age of 19.

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The locals  believed that one of the deceased family members was actually a vampire that had caused the rest of the family's  illness.

This belief was based on folklore  that speaks of a link between multiple members of a family dying and it's link to the  visitation by a vampire.

Tuberculosis was a poorly understood disease at the time and was followed by a lot of  superstition.


After much persuasion George Brown eventually gave  permission to exhume  several bodies of his  now deceased family members.
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This was a big event in the area drawing in  Villagers, the local doctor, and even  a newspaper reporter  to witness  the body's being exhumed  on March 17, 1892.

 The bodies of both Mary and Mary Olive showed the expected level of decomposition you would expect given the amount of time they where in the ground  so they were apparently cleared of suspicion in the vampire case....

 However, the body of a Mercy, showed almost no decomposition, and still had blood  in the heart.

The locals took this as a sign that the she was in fact undead and by that extension the cause  Edwin's current poor condition.

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Her lack of decomposition was most likely due to her body being stored in freezer-like conditions in an above-ground crypt during the first two months after her death.




An old Romanian superstition says that to cure the sickness brought by  undead, the vampires heart and  or liver must be burned, and the ashes mixed with water to create a tonic.

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Dr. Harold Metcalf, who had raised his objection to the entire affair, assured everyone that the lack of decomposition of Mercy’s body was perfectly consistent with the fact that she had been dead for less than two months. Knowing that medicine had done nothing to save the Browns, the people of Exeter ignored the doctor’s proclamations and took the presence of fresh blood in Mercy’s heart as a sign that she was undead.

They gathered firewood and kindled a bonfire on a pile of nearby rocks. Then they cut out Mercy’s heart and lungs and cremated them on the pyre.
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This was not the first time the old remedy of burning the organs of the dead and mixing the ashes into an tonic for the sick had been tried in Rhode Island, even in Exeter.

In 1799, the townspeople exhumed the body of Sarah Tillinghast, suspecting her of being a vampire. Author Diana Ross McCain reports there were 18 documented instances of the exhumation of family members in suspected vampire cases throughout New England in the 18th and 19th century, but the case of Mercy Brown would be the last.


After removing and burning her heart, Mercy Brown was re buried at the Chestnut Hill Cemetery where she now rests in peace.

Unfortunately Edwin died  just two months later.
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                      Mercy Browns Grave

Visitation is possible  look for a small white Baptist church off of Ten Rod Road, a couple of miles from I-95. A path goes directly through the center of the cemetery, about halfway down on the left is the Brown family plot.


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 Further reading......
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Bram Stoker  and H.P. Lovecraft drew inspiration from this case for there respective works..

Bram Stokers character Lucy Westernra and H.P. Lovecrafts character Mercy Dexter..
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 Mercy Brown's story was also  the inspiration for the young adult novel Mercy: The Last New England Vampire by Sarah L. Thomson.

There's also an account of the events as told by the remaining descendants of Mercy is available in Michael E. Bell's Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England's Vampires.




Monday, November 11, 2019

American Cryptids: Cactus Cat.







                                                     

                🌵---🐈-----Cactus Cat----🐈---🌵


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Diet and Habitat, Cactus Cat is a barbed or spiky cat like cryptid that's spotted mostly in the Southwestern  states and part's of Mexico, it  has a mild temperament and seems to enjoy Cactus sap.
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 Many people at least those in the Southwest have heard of the Jackalope a bunny with antlers (Post on him Later)....

But How many of you know of the Cactus Cat?


This not so cuddly creature has been  spotted through out the American southwest but what is it, a new spices of feline, desert hysteria or just a misidentified know large cat...


 .............

The legend of the Cactus Cat is most likely the result of misidentification, probably a normal  bobcat, or possibly even a porcupine.

The cat's  strange call or wail may have been that of a puma.

Or quit  possibly, Cactus Cat could even be an undiscovered  species of bobcat with quills....who knows...


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The first sightings of Cactus Cat seems to have originated with cowboys and pioneers heading west in the  1800's.

They claim to have witnessed this creature mostly  at night, it would apparently be seen slashing open cacti and exposing the sap.

Only to return a few  nights after, at witch point it was said to drink the fermented juice.

However doing this seemed to caused the cats to enter an drunken state, stumbling around and sometimes attacking travelers.

Cactus Cat attack's are still considered rare, but did happen from time to time, with many frontiersmen waking up to find welts on their body from the cat's barbed tail.



Although despite these minor attacks, the Cactus Cat was not considered an aggressive creature.

This spiky little guy is also  known to have a unique or even haunting "wail" that could be heard throughout the dark and desolate  desert late at night. along with the dry sound of its bones rubbing together.(Possibly the barbs or quills hitting one another.)..



                                       ............Cactus Cat is also a Brand of Beer.....



Monday, November 4, 2019

American Cryptid: The Montana Wildman




                                   Anaconda Montana Bigfoot/Wildman of 1892





A Montana Monster..

An article  from the Anaconda Standard written in 1892.
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It Looks Like a Man and Eats Bears and Sheep.

Some of the old time hunters and Indian fighters who are still holding out in the city should endeavor to find a wild eyed individual who came in from the mountains this morning.



Whether he discovered a new brand of whiskey or whether it was the loneliness sic of his life in the mountains that caused him to see visions and hear sounds is not known, but, whatever the cause, he had told a story that knocks Joe Klaffki’s ghost story, attested to by Jack Brennan, completely in the shade.



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The sighting took place over the range of mountains which forms a part of the Wyoming
line, he had seen evidence of the existence of a creature whose genus was unknown to him.

He also claimed to have obtained a glimpse of the “varmint,” but always when he was unarmed, and as its appearance was such as not to invite a close inspection he had never sought to get near enough to it to see just what it was.

The animal is covered with hair, but in form it is not unlike a man, a resemblance that is increased by the creature’s habit of rising on its haunches and walking on its hind legs after the manner of a gorilla.

After having seen the animal the man said he could account for the existence of the torn and partly eaten carcasses of several large bears and also of one mountain sheep that he claimed to have found in the vicinity of where the unknown animal apparently makes his headquarters. The stranger says he will return to the mountains shortly and will pilot anybody who may desire to visit the locality to the exact spot where he last saw the monster. — Anaconda Standard. 1892

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Next post will be in a week or so .......
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Friday, November 1, 2019

Cryptids and Myths: Vampiers..

                     Hotel Transylvania Mavis 2 by alecyl on Deviantart  Mavis Dracula art by alecyl
                                 

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Human history is filled with unexplained event's and creatures beyond imagination.

From childhood and onward we go through our lives in fear what lurks within the shadow just out of sight, from the monster under the bed, to the boogeyman and every-other monster imaginable whether real or imagined in ancient times this was an advantageous means of survival against very real threats wolves bears ext. This survival  mechanism has been deeply ingrained into our psyche

But what may be hiding in the darkness just out of sight waiting for you..

Vampires....The immortal undead with an unsavory taste for human blood.

There have been many famous monsters through  out human history, but none so recognizable as the Vampire. Through classic Myth, Legend and folklore to modern  TV, Movies,  Dramas and more this creature of the night has haunted our imaginations since time immemorial..

Every culture around the world has legends regarding the Vampire in one form or another..




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============ European  Vampire =======
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The vampire is a reanimated corpse that feeds on the blood of the living to prevent its body from decomposing.

 The slender  pale-skinned vampire we know of to today is a relatively new interpretation of this creature that started around the  early 19th century with the publication of (The Vampyre ) — a short story by John Polidori  in 1819.

In the original vampire legend from  Eastern Europe the creature was described as a bloated corpse  with  dark or ruddy skin as a result from feeding on blood. 



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=Somewhat Graphic Description ahead==
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When the body of a suspected vampire was disinterred (dug up), it would sometimes look as if it  hadn't decomposed at all, often the   hair, teeth and fingernails appear too have grow longer.

Other times the body would look, bloated with blood seeping from the nose and mouth.

Today we know now this is just common  decomposition with the  rate of decomposition   varying  slightly  depending  on number of different factors.

Normally temperature and soil composition; decrease or accelerate the rate dead flesh loses fluids, which in turn causes it to pull back exposing  the roots of hair, teeth and nails; and that gases from decomposition build up in the torso, making the body look bloated and forcing blood to ooze from the nose and mouth.

Common beliefs about vampires include that they are most active at night, but not necessarily vulnerable to sunlight. Garlic, crucifixes and holy water were common devices for warding off vampire attacks .

 It was believed that driving a wooden stake into the body would somehow release the evil spirit, with decapitation also being a way to hasten the evil soul's departure. in some areas they would piece the heart with a pin before burial others would drive a stake through the heart regardless of vampire sighting in the area as a sort of preventative measure.
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======Russian and East Europe===============================
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The Russian upir and the Greek vrykolakas. In these traditions, sinners, unbaptized babies and other people outside the Christian faith were more likely to be reanimated after death.

Those who practiced witchcraft were particularly susceptible because they had already given their soul to the devil in life. Once the undead corpses rose from the grave, they would terrorize the community, feeding on the living.

Western Europe, has the vampir, or vampyr,  Russian upir and Romania the Strigoi.





                                        
                                                      -`-`-`-`-`-` Strigoi-`-`-`-``-`-


Vampires in Moldavia, Wallachia and Transylvania (now modern  Romania) were called strigoi.

Strigoi were almost always human spirits who had returned from the dead.

Unlike the upir or vrykolakas, the strigoi would pass through different stages after rising from the grave. Initially, a strigo might be a poltergeist like being tormenting its former family members by moving furniture around. After some time, it would eventually  become visible, looking just  the way it  did in life.

After returning to physical form , the strigo would return to its family once more, and torment them in various ways such as  stealing cattle, begging for food and bringing disease. Strigoi would feed on humans, first their family members and then anyone else they happened to come across. In some accounts, the strigoi would suck their victims' blood directly from the heart.


Initially, a strigo needed to return to the grave regularly, just like an upir.

If the town people suspected someone of being a strigo, they would exhume the body and burn it, or run spikes through it. But after seven years, if a strigo was still around, it could live wherever it pleased. It was said that strigoi would travel to distant towns to begin new lives as ordinary people, and that these secret vampires would meet with each other in weekly gatherings. similar to a witches gathering....


In the middle-ages people that lost  there lives to  the Black Plague where thought to be victims of vampire attacks.

Much like the Witch hunts and werewolf hunts that proceeded it Vampire hysteria was running rampant  Europe during the 17th and 18th century.

People would often  reported seeing their dead relatives walking around and attacking the living. This got so bad that authorities began digging up  graves, burning and staking the corpses.

Word of the vampire scare eventually  spread to western Europe, leading to  academic speculations on the creatures, as well as vampire poems and paintings. These works in turn inspired an Irishman named Bram Stoker to write his vampire novel, "Dracula."






                                                     Bela Lugosi as Dracula




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When you mention the word Vampire most people automatically think of Dracula.

Based on Vlad The Impaler , though not actually a vampire was none the less just as feared by his enemies .



Vlad III Dracula, Also known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula, He is considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian (Modern Romania)  history and a national hero of Romania.
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The Count St Germain was said to possibly be a vampire...

Germain was a European adventurer and traveler, with an interest in alchemy and science.

He associated with several members of European high society  in the mid-1700s.

It was said that Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel considered him to be "one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived".

 St. Germain used a variety of names and titles, an accepted practice among royalty and nobility at the time. These include the Marquis de Montferrat, Comte Bellamarre, Chevalier Schoening, Count Weldon, Comte Soltikoff, Graf Tzarogy, and Prinz Ragoczy. In order to deflect inquiries

 ......Germains life across the pond...

Vampires, werewolf's (Loupgaru) witch craft and voodoo can all be found in New Orleans

But was Jacque St. Germain an alchemic genius that discovered the secret too immortality or was he in fact a vampire?

St Germains or at least a man claiming too be him moved into a  home located at 1039 Royal Street in New Orleans.



                                                        ...Germains house..


St. Germain was  lady’s man, often seen with a beautiful woman on his arm while strolling through the French Quarter, or clubbing in elegant locales late into the night.

 He would in throwing dinner parties for the members of the city’s high society   .

His parties were highly anticipated due to their lavish cuisine, fine wine, and entertainment. St. Germain fascinated his guests with stories of France, Italy, Africa, and many other places

 During dinner he would tell tales his guests tales of his adventures around the world.

However he seemed to have an odd habit of not eating  at his own party's, choosing only to drink presumably wine from a chalice instead,  this coupled with his uncanny resemblance to the Comte St. Germain portrait that hung in his home, had many in the city suggesting (Jokingly at first) that perhaps the mysterious man was in fact a vampire.

 
These rumors would soon take dark turn,.

One night the police were called to St. Germain’s home to investigate  a woman who had seemingly fallen from his balcony on the second floor.

His guest, that night was a woman who was rumored to have been a prostitute, had in fact leapt from his balcony, rather than fallen, as bystanders had originally recounted .

While she survived the fall, she was terrified.  People on the street surrounded her and tended to her needs while help was called .

 Hysterical, the woman ranted that she had jumped to escape St. Germain, who had bitten her neck. She screamed and sobbed out her story, claiming she was only able to escape when her assailant was briefly distracted by aloud knocking on his door.

Police at first did not believe her as Germain was a well respected member of the community after all.

However he soon completely vanished from the city..

After witch according too legends The police went too investigate   and on the second floor of the house they discovered a series of open but corked wine bottles. filled with a  mixture of wine and large quantities of human blood.

Jacque St. Germain was allegedly never seen in New Orleans again...
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;;;;;;;ON A SIDE NOTE;;;;;;;
Saint Germain-Wine bar is located at  3054 St Claude Ave. Opens at 5.00PM  :)
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                                                        ~~~~~'St Germain`~~~~
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======= Asian Vampire===
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China

Jiangshi or Hopping Vampire
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Korea -Gangsi

Hangul  -  강시

Hanja -   殭屍
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Japan - Kyonshi
Kana キョンシー
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             =======Jiangshi== The Hopping Vampire=====


 A jiangshi, is also known as a Chinese "hopping vampire" but it's more like a type of zombie.

Jiangshi" is read geung-si in Cantonese, Phi Dip Chin in Thai, cương thi in Vietnamese, gangsi in Korean, kyonshī in Japanese, and "hantu pocong" in Malay and Indonesia.

It is usually described as a stiff corpse dressed in official garments  from the Qing Dynasty and it moves around by hopping, with its arms outstretched. It kills living creatures to absorb their qi/chi, or "life force", usually at night, during the day, it rests in a coffin or hides in dark places abandon buildings caves etc.

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A Jiangshi's appearance can range from somewhat normal  (Someone that was just recently buried to horrifying (rotting flesh  and / or full rigor mortise typical of corpses that has been in the ground for an extended piriod of time.

. The Chinese character for "jiang" (僵) in "jiangshi" literally means "hard" or "stiff". It is believed that the jiangshi is so stiff that it cannot bend its limbs and body, so it has to move around by hopping while keeping its arms stretched out for mobility.

Jiangshi are depicted in popular culture to have a paper Talisman (with a sealing spell) attached to and hanging off the forehead in portrait orientation, and wear a coat-like robe and round-top tall rimmed hat characteristic of a mandarin  (Chinese official from the Qing dynasty).

Its is often described as having a  greenish-white skin; one theory is that this greenish color comes from mold or fungus on the deceased body

 It is also  said to have long white hair  and may behave like an animal.

 The influence of western vampire stories brought the blood-sucking aspect to the Chinese myth in more modern times also sometimes combined with the story's of the hungry ghost.

However in traditional versions of the creature  they only feed on the qi (Lfe Force) of the  living  in order to grow more powerful.


Jiangshi are also sad to be terrified d of there own reflections.


Jiangshi in modern media

These creatures though not as prevalent in media as there western counterpart have been in many Anime, games and moves of the years..


Anime Yozakura Quartet and   Rosario+ Vampire



                           ==========Rin Azuma from Yozakura Quartet======

                           and below is LingLing from Rosario+ Vampire
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Vampires like most monsters can be found on every continent so don't stay out too late and  maybe cary some garlic just in case lol

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