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Huayramama
Huayramama, “Mother of the Wind”, is one of the three ancient snake mothers of the Peruvian Amazon. She has no direct biological counterpart, but is believed to be an enormous boa with an old woman’s...
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Poreskoro
Poreskoro, “Tailed” or “Caudate”, is the ninth and final child of Ana, the ultimate Romani demon of disease produced from an unhappy and abusive relationship between Queen Ana of the Keshalyi and the...
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Onchú
Variations: Enfield; Alphyn; Water-dog, Sea-dog The Onchú, “Water-dog”, is a peculiar Irish creature with a long history of phonetic transformation. It is better known as the Enfield or Alphyn. Of the...
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Bakunawa
Variations: Baconaua (Hiligaynon) The Asian eclipse monster has analogues in China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Thailand, and the South Sea Islands. In the Philippines, where the legend is widespread,...
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ABC on two-week vacation – see you soon!
Dear readers of ABC, once again the time has come for the author to take a brief sabbatical that is entirely unrelated to ABC and entirely related to things happening in the Real World (TM). Don’t...
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Animalito
During his time in Spain, Prosper Mérimée was introduced to a number of current superstitions by his traveling companion Vicente. This worthy Valencian informed him of certain animalitos, “little...
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ABC Reviews: Inventorum Natura
Inventorum Natura Una Woodruff Inventorum Natura (IN from now on) is a strange and wonderful book. It is a coffee-table book with ancient pseudoinformation that has in turn been treated as genuine....
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Kamikiri
Variations: Kami-kiri, Kami Kiri, Kamikiri-ma, Kamikiri-mushi, Kami Kiri Mushi; Amikiri (probably) Hair has been of historical importance in Japan. During the Edo period, the chonmage or topknot in men...
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Bigorne
Variations: Bugorne; Bicorne, Bycorne, Bulchin (English); Biurro, Biarro, Biligornia, Tantafera (Italian) Bigorne is as corpulent as its counterpart Chicheface is emaciated. This bloated creature was...
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Obscure Modern Monsters: Moreau’s Taxonomic Hydra
A short and quick entry for today’s interlude. It’s also reaaaallllllyyyy stretching the definition of “modern”, but this is a) not something I’d be giving a complete entry to, b) I’m not listing all...
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Chicheface
Variations: Chiche-face, Chiche Face, Chichefache, Chechiface, Chincheface, Chiche; Chichevache, Chichivache (erroneously), Thingut, Pinch-Belly (English) Chicheface is as starved as its counterpart...
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Lebraude
Variations: Enfleboeuf, Souffle, Soufflet Sometimes the toxicity of reptiles and amphibians was so powerful that their breath became a deadly weapon. The rarely-seen toads and salamanders in particular...
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Ix-hunpedzkin
Variations: Ix-hunpedɔkin, Hunpedzkin, Hunpedɔkin; Mexican Beaded Lizard, Heloderma horridum Mexican beaded lizards are large, sluggish, and colorful Central American lizards. They have a venomous...
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Bulgu
The Guji Oromo of Ethiopia tell of a brother and sister who went down to the river to fetch water. There they met a Bulgu, “cannibal”, a fearsome ogre with four eyes, a head like an axe blade, arms...
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The Art of ABC, Episode II: Starting Over
Is this an “Art of ABC” or a “Making of ABC” entry? It could be both, so I went with Art because it’s all about the art. Part of my job in making ABC entries is painting the illustrations. And like...
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Yohualtepoztli
Variations: Yooaltepuztli, Youaltepoztli, Hacha Nocturna, Night Axe, Night Hatchet; Tooaltepuztli (Sahagun, typo) Thud. Thud. Thud. The Yohualtepoztli reveals its presence in the mountains of Mexico...
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Apshait
Variations: Apsai, Apshai The XXXVIth chapter of the Egyptian Book of the Dead refers to the corpse-gnawing beetle Apshait. In typical apotropaic gestures, the soul of the deceased threatens the...
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Falajitax
Variations: Leile, Leile, Liwo The Falajitax snakes are both violent ogres and benevolent rain-bringers. The Makka of Paraguay believe that they come from humid areas and bring the water with them...
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Rolling-calf
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside...
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Obscure Modern Monsters: The Unprecedented Creatures of the Dragon Islands
The Unprecedented Discovery of the Dragon Islands (or TUDDI for short) by John Kelly and Kate Scarborough is a book which I remember very fondly. I first saw it as a child in a bookstore that no longer...
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