Thursday, February 26, 2015

Supernatural Friday One Day Early: Winter Night's Fright





Since I am out of town for Mysticon beginning tomorrow and plan to be in my room writing a wip today, I figure to go ahead and post Supernatural Friday one day early. The poem is an original one by me, so please do not copy and paste it elsewhere. Do share the link though, so others can come and enjoy it. Thank you.


                        Winter Night's Fright                                                 

                                      By

                     Pamela K. Kinney

                 Snowy winter night
                 Full of fright,
                 Dreams turn to nightmares
                 Snow to ghosts,
                 But fear not, dreamer
                Warm beds melt cold monsters.



Friday, February 20, 2015

Supernatural Friday: Winter is Hunting Season

Winter is Hunting Season
by
Pamela K. Kinney 
(copyrighted to the author, so please just share the link, not take the poem)
Winter’s cold fingers touching my skin
Nothing to fear,
Except freezing to death;
Right?
But the coldness
Brings the monsters
They want to play;
Play with you
In so many ways.
Less people in the woods,
It’s Sasquatch’s time.
Werewolf is drawn
To towns more.
Ghosts don’t feel
So they haunt--cold or hot
Zombies?
They can eat anytime!
As for vampires
They’re icebox cold too.
So who told you winter’s safe?
It’s just another hunting season--
For monsters!

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Sheep Domination: Chance to Win Goodies All Year at I Smell Sheep Reviews



I review for them. All year is "Year Domination of the Sheep for I Smell Sheep Reviews. Good time to win goodies. Giveaway every 19th of the month February 19, 2015 through February 7, 2016. More here: http://www.ismellsheep.com/2015/02/happy-chinese-new-year-year-of-sheep.html

Friday, February 13, 2015

Supernatural Friday Double Feature: It's the First Friday the 13th!


 Its Friday Picture for Facebook



It's Friday the 13th once again. For many reasons, people feel this is a day of bad luck. Not so for me, 13 is my lucky number. Over the years, I've won prizes and money with this number. Heck, I own a black cat! And if that isn't enough, 2015 has triple the trouble as Friday the 13th happens again in March and a third time in November! Can we say, over kill? 

The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia, a word derived from the concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή) (meaning Friday), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς) (meaning thirteen), attached to phobía (φοβία) (meaning fear). The term is a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a simple phobia (fear) of the number thirteen appearing in any case.

Both the number thirteen and Friday have been considered unlucky:
In numerology , the number twelve is considered the number of completeness, as reflected in the twelve months of the year, twelve recognized signs of the zodiac, the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve Apostles of Jesus, etc., whereas the number thirteen was considered irregular, transgressing this completeness. There is also a superstition, thought by some to derive from the Last Supper, that having thirteen people seated at a table will result in the death of one of the diners.
Friday, as the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified, has been viewed both positively and negatively among Christians. The actual day of Crucifixion was the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew Lunar calendar which does not correspond to "Friday" in the solar calendar of Rome. The 15th day of Nissan (beginning at Sundown) is celebration of Passover.


In the 20th century, only did the superstition receive greater audience, as
Friday the 13th doesn't even merit a mention in E. Cobham Brewer's voluminous 1898 edition of the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, though one does find entries for "Friday, an Unlucky Day" and "Thirteen Unlucky." When the date of ill fate finally does make an appearance in later editions of the text, it is without extravagant claims as to the superstition's historicity or longevity. Though the superstition developed relatively recently, much older origins are often claimed for it, most notably in the novel, The Da Vinci Code (and later the film), which traced the belief to the arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday October 13, 1307.

 


There is even said by a doctor that 21 million Americans have a fear of Friday the 13th in this day and age. It has been proven that the number of hospital admissions due to vehicular accidents was significantly higher than on "normal" Fridays. Does it keep most of them from venturing out to work and more? No. Though I wouldn't be surprised if they carry a rabbit's foot in their purse or pocket, or something that they believe is lucky for them. 

What plans are you making to do today for the 13th--stay home safe and sound or go out as usual? Do you believe in the 13th being a unlucky day or not? Thirteen is just a number--right?




http://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/54399-Smile-Because-Its-Friday-The-13th.jpg

Supernatural Friday: A Valentine's Day Myth: Psyche and Cupid

Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Born from the foam near the island of Cyprus, Aphrodite was a jealous and passionate goddess. Not only did she love the men and gods in her life, but her sons and grandchildren, as well. Sometimes her possessive instincts led her too far. It was when her son, Cupid found a human to love—one whose beauty might rival hers—Aphrodite did all in her power to thwart the marriage.
Psyche was worshiped for her beauty in her homeland. Angry, Aphrodite sent a plague and let it be known the only way the land could get back to normal was to sacrifice Psyche. Psyche who was also the king had Psyche tied up as a sacrifice from some presumed fearsome monster. It was Cupid who released and married the princess.
The young couple, Cupid and Psyche, were not allowed to have  a happy life together, but Aphrodite and Psyche’s own two jealous sisters worked to foul things up. 
Cupid was a wonderful lover and husband. There was one odd thing about their relationship though. He made sure Psyche never saw what he looked like. Psyche didn't mind, for she had a fulfilling night life in the dark with her husband, and during the day, she had all the luxuries she could ever want. When the sisters learned about the luscious, extravagant lifestyle of their lucky, beautiful sister, they urged her to pry into what he kept hidden from her. Cupid was a god, and gorgeous with Aphrodite for a mother. Except for reasons known best to him, he didn't want his mortal wife to see his form. Knowing their sister well, Psyche’s sisters preyed on her insecurities and persuaded her that her husband must be a hideous monster. Psyche assured her sisters they were wrong, but since she'd never seen him, even she started having doubts. To satisfy the girls' curiosity, she held a candle over her sleeping husband one night to look at him.

His angelic form was exquisite. While Psyche dawdled, ogling, a bit of wax dripped on her husband. Her awakened, irate, disobeyed, injured husband-angel-god flew away.
"See, I told you she was a no good human," said mother Aphrodite to her convalescing son Cupid. "Now you'll have to be content among the gods."
Cupid might have gone along with the de facto divorce, but Psyche couldn't. Impelled by love of her gorgeous husband, she implored her mother-in-law to give her another chance. Aphrodite agreed, but ungraciously, saying, "I cannot conceive that any serving-wench as hideous as yourself could find any means to attract lovers save by making herself their drudge; wherefore now I myself will make trial of your worth."
Aphrodite had no intention of playing fair and devised four tasks, each task more exacting than the last. Psyche passed the first 3 challenges with flying colors:
She sorted a huge mount of barley, millet, poppy seeds, lentils, and beans.

Ants (pismires) help her sort the grains within the time allotted. She did gather a hank of the wool of the shining golden sheep. A reed tells her how to accomplish this task without being killed by the vicious animals. She filled a crystal vessel with the water of the spring that feeds the Styx and Cocytus, wit the help of an eagle.


But the last task was too much for Psyche: she had to bring Aphrodite back a box of Persephone's beauty cream.  Going to the Underworld had proved a challenge for the bravest of the Greek mythical heroes. Psyche barely batted an eye when Aphrodite told her she would have to go to the most dangerous region known to mortals. That part was easy, especially after the tower told her how to find the entryway to the Underworld, how get around Charon and Cerberus, and how to behave before the Underworld queen. But the hard part was making herself beautiful. If the perfect beauty of the perfect goddess Aphrodite needed this Underworld beauty cream, how much more would it help an imperfect mortal woman? She got it, but went ahead and opened it and fell into a deathlike sleep. Just what Aphrodite wanted.
Thankfully, with Zeus' connivance, Cupid brought his wife to Olympus where, at Zeus's command, she was given nectar and ambrosia so she would become immortal. Finally Aphrodite reconciled with her daughter-in-law on Olympus, who was pregnant and was about to give birth to a grandchild the goddess would dote on.
 Angel Valentines day wallpaper 2015 Angel Valentines day wallpaper 2015

Friday, February 06, 2015

Supernatural Friday: A Great Day to Maybe See a Kaiju



"Below the thunders of the upper deep
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth...
There hath he lain for ages and will lie...
Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;
Then once by man and angels to be seen,
In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die."

--Alfred, Lord Tennyson, British poet (1809-1892)

 http://www.nhm.ac.uk/resources-rx/images/1008/sea-serpent-attack_67451_1.jpg

Sea monsters are sea-dwelling mythical or legendary creatures, often believed to be of immense size. Marine monsters take many forms--sea dragons, sea serpents, or multi-armed beasts. They can be slimy or scaly, and often pictured threatening ships or spouting jets of water. The definition of a "monster" is subjective, and some sea monsters may have been no doubt based on scientifically accepted creatures such as whales and types of giant and colossal squid. Sea monsters have been seen in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Southern Oceans. 

HIC SUNT DRACONES.” The phrase translates from the Latin as “here are dragons.” Etched on the Lenox Globe is the eastern coast of Asia. It is one of the oldest terrestrial globe maps, dating to 1510. The same phrase is also on one other historical artifact—a 1504 globe crafted on an ostrich egg—depictions of monsters and mythological beasts are common on early maps.



Types of Sea Monsters

The Japanese Daikaiju are beasts named by the Japanese that literally translates to "strange creature," and is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment. Kaiju films usually showcase monsters of any form, usually attacking a major Japanese city or engaging another and more monsters in battle. Godzilla is an example of a daikaiju; produced by Toho Films, as was other giant monsters Gamera, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah (who I suspect was inspired by the Eastern dragons of Asian mythology and the Hydra of Greek mythology), Mechagodzilla and Daimajin. Some like Godzilla can be called a sea monster, others, not. You can find kaiju films listed here: Toho Kaiju  More besides the Toho monsters can be found here: Giant Monster Movies

 


Several pictures of sea serpents on old maps appear to be based on sightings of the oarfish, or ribbon-fish (Regalecus glesne). A long, eel-shaped fish that grows to 11 meters (36 feet), the oarfish has a crest of bright red spines on its head and a spiny dorsal fin running down its entire back.
 http://www.factofun.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/kraken-mythical-creature.jpg

The kraken of myth may be the largest sea monster ever imagined. Described in Scandinavian stories dating back to about AD 1180, the kraken was said to live near Norway and Iceland. Some stories described it as more than 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) around with arms as large as ship's masts. This may have been based from sightings of tentacles of sea monsters proven real; giant squid and giant octopus. This multi-armed monster rarely attacked humans, preferring to stay in deep water where it feasted on fish. The chief dangers came from being too close when it surfaced--or drawing close when it sank, as a boat could be sucked down in the whirlpool created when it submerged. Stories were told that when a kraken surfaced, a shimmering cascade of fish could be seen tumbling down its back.

 

Giant Squid (proven real): As far back as five hundred years ago, maybe even farther back, sailors in northern Europe told of an amazing creature: A monster bigger than a man with numerous long, snakelike arms covered with suckers for grabbing prey. Evidence for this so-called devil-fish included bits of giant tentacles found in whale stomachs and vicious battle scars left on the skin of whales by its suckers and claws. Eventually, in the 1850s, scientists recognized the devil-fish as an authentic animal--the giant squid.

The largest eyes of any living creature: Each eye can be as large as a human head. Sharp, parrot-like "beaks" provided the first hard proof of their existence. In 1853, a giant squid washed ashore in Denmark and was cut up for bait, but its beak was saved, leading to recognition of the genus Architeuthis in 1857. A deep-ocean creature rarely seen near the surface; most sightings involve dying animals or corpses that wash up on shore. Suckers can leave scars on whales. After the success of Jaws, American author Peter Benchley frightened readers all over again in 1991 with his bestselling novel Beast, about a giant squid. In the novel, the squid attacks several people--something yet to occur in reality. An adult specimen had been found in one piece until 2007, when fishermen hauled one up near New Zealand. Dubbed the "colossal squid," it is thought to be the largest living creature without a backbone. Classified in its own genus, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni outweighs all of the eight giant squid species in the genus Architeuthis.

 http://www.amnh.org/var/ezflow_site/storage/images/import_exhibits/import_exhibit_images/gesner4_image_3391_med.jpg/235877-1-eng-US/gesner4_image_3391_med.jpg.jpg

Gunakadeit (Goo-na'-ka-date) is a monster from a Tlingit legend who brought prosperity and good luck to a village in crisis, people starving in the home they made for themselves on the southeastern coast of Alaska.
 

Mythical Sea Monsters
The Aspidochelone, a giant turtle or whale that appeared to be an island, and lured sailors to their doom
Capricorn, Babylonian Water-Goat, in the Zodiac
Cetus
Charybdis of Homer, a monstrous whirlpool that sucked any ship nearby beneath the ocean
Cirein-cròin
Coinchenn, from whose bone the Gae Bulg is made in Celtic mythology
The Devil Whale, Extremely large demonic whale, the size of an island.
Hydra, Greece
Iku-Turso, reputedly a type of colossal octopus or walrus
Jörmungandr, the Norse Midgard Serpent.
Kraken, a gigantic octopus, squid or crab-like creature
Leviathan
Makara
Proteus
Scylla of Homer, a six-headed, twelve-legged serpentine that devoured six men from each ship that passed by
Sirens of Homer
Taniwha
The Rainbow Fish
Tiamat
Umibōzu
Yacumama, South America
Bakunawa, Philippines

Monsters reports in modern times include Ayia Napa Sea Monster, of Ayia Napa, Cyprus, Cadborosaurus of the Pacific Northwest, Champ of Lake Champlain, Chessie of the Chesapeake Bay and even seen in the Appomattox River near Hopewell, Virginia, Nessie of Loch Ness, Lusca,Morgawr, Shore Laddie Arnarfjörður, Westfjords, Iceland, Sea Horse Arnarfjörður, Westfjords, Iceland, The Shell monster Arnarfjörður, Westfjords, Iceland, and the Merman Arnarfjörður, Westfjords, Iceland.

Monsters that people claimed to have run-ins with maybe surviving specimens of giant marine reptiles, such as an ichthyosaur or plesiosaur, from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods, or extinct whales like Basilosaurus. Again, who knows? For the prehistoric fish, coelacanth, first discovered still living in 1938, when a live specimen was caught in South Africa. Since then, more specimens have been seen and photographed, and a second coelacanth species was even found in Indonesia in 1999. Coelacanths are large predators, up to 2 meters (6′ 6″) long. They feed on smaller fish, including small sharks. Usually found in deep, dark waters, and rarely captured and consumed due to their horrible taste, coelacanths are still considered critically endangered nowadays.

 

Are there unknown creatures, dinosaurs, or else out there in the oceans of the world? Are are they just our imagination? It does not matter; they make great fodder for writers' stories and filmmakers' movies, but most of all, maybe, just maybe, some scientist will prove one of these myths to be really existing in the sea.  Just as long it doesn't decided to go on land to destroy New York City  or Tokyo--the cities need a rest from monster bashing!