Bloody Mary

One of the most famous ghosts of them all: Bloody Mary. 

The tale varies from place to place - even the person who was thought to be the original Mary varies greatly. I began digging into this myth because of my own story and found that if you're writing a paranormal, you could morph this ghost into whatever you need it to be. It can be a good or bad depending on which stories you hear.

Of course we all know the one where you call out and she's supposed to rip your face off or do something equally terrible - but, did you know that Bloody Mary could be referring to the Virgin Mary? In this case, she does not harm you and may offer protection of some sort. Then, there was a legend where you'd stand in front of a mirror holding an apple after brushing your hair 100 times and Bloody Mary would reward you with a peak at your future husband.

Then there are other versions where an animal appears instead of Mary - such as the Donkey Lady or Mary Wolf.

There's many many legends about who she was. "The loony woman next door", a young woman named Mary Worth whose child was killed or murdered and the people thought she was the one who did it (in which case you're supposed to say "I believe Mary Worth" or "I don't believe in Mary Worth" or "I hate Mary Worth" or "Bloody Mary I killed your baby" or "Bloody Mary I have your baby".) the bloody English queen Mary herself, Mary queen of Scots, Mary Magdalene, an ax murderer, a child killer and many more.

Sure, most of stories end badly after you've called to her but in some cases, she can give you toys or candy, sometimes you just get to see what she looks like, you can ask her questions, harmless scratches appear on your skin, or the bathtub water turns red.

If you're writing a story, it can go either way - good or bad - depending on how you want it. I found most of this information at this site: The Face in the Mirror, Looking at Bloody Mary, Mary Worth and Other Variants of a Modern Legend
And also at wikipedia though, the site above gives the most information I could find.

Hope I could help!
Until next time~!

Uilebheist

The Uilebheist is a Nordic/Scottish sea monster that has multiple heads and is sometimes called a Draygan. They came to the remote Orkney and Shetland Islands by way of Norse invaders. Instead of tearing apart ships and gobbling sailors, this beast is more akin to the title of protector. He guards the rocky coasts and the islands' inlets.

Because the Uilebheist's second name, Draygan, is so similar to the English word Dragon, they may have at one time been thought of as watery cousins to the fire breathing ones that storm castles and take the princesses locked up in towers.

It says vaguely in very old Norse text that there was some sort of being that watched the coasts. They were probably what sparked the idea for the Uilebheist.

Until next time!

Wednesday Mysteries.... Stolen Birthday Cake Conclusion.

The Conclusion: 

Unexpectedly, I couldn't find ANY evidence linking my parents, myself, the cats, or the sneaky neighbor kid to my missing cake.

All that's left is the empty cake plate....

T_T my caaaake..... Oh well, I'll just have to bake another. ^_^

What really happened? Why is there no evidence? Who's the culprit? And how could anyone eat an entire cake in one night without going into a diabetic coma? These questions have yet to be answered.... Perhaps, we have a fairy in the house.... a very greedy, chocolate loving, sneaky, chubby fairy.

Gremlins

Do not be fooled by this adorable face! This Hollywood dramatization couldn't be more wrong..... Because, gremlins are evil little creatures that look like this!!!!!

This is also the face of the creepy thing hiding under your bed. 

Gremlins, according to my fairy dictionary, didn't start causing mayhem until WWII when airplanes came to be in use. They would attach themselves to plane wings and hitch-hike. That is, if they didn't sharpen their claws with them or ice them first. They'd also appear out of nowhere in the pilot's windshield as a cruel joke. These happenings only occurred over Europe. It says that many pilots experienced the torture of these little devils. The Allies nor the Axis wanted to believe these claims...but they kept happening. Eventually, they felt they had to log them in the flight records.

The gremlin of the 1943 Bugs Bunny cartoon

Most pilots who complained of Gremlin attacks had, had their wire pulled out of the engines, holes poked in their wings, gas leaks, spontaneous combustion, wing ice even though they were no where near freezing temperatures, and of course, they'd pop in front of the windshield.

They are little body builders, for, they can tear through metal without a sweat. They don't need food, air, or water for longs periods. They also range from the sizes of a child to an adult and are very hairy and have a grin like the Cheshire Cat, supposedly. I can't say for myself since I've never seen one - and hope to never see one.

I hope this helps you in some way if you've got writer's block. All of this information came from my beloved book - A Witches Guide to Faery Folk by Edain McCoy. Until next time!

The Water Mannikin

Water Mannikin is a guardian fairy that inhabits the figurehead of a ship. This creature is of German origin and reportedly invisible. Another name is the Klaboutermannikin. Sailors believed that for the fairy to want to choose to inhabit their figurehead, the figurehead would have to be very lifelike. Only the oldest and most precious woods would be used to carve the figurehead. Supposedly, the Water Mannikins guarded the ship from ill health, rocks, troubling weather, and fearsome winds. If the ship went down, the fairy would guide the sailors to the Other Side. The Dutch thought that if you went down without the Water Minnikin it meant you would be forced to stay in a watery eternity.

I found this quite interesting when I'd read it from the dictionary at the back of A Witches Guide to Faery Folk by Edain Mccoy. It has many interesting things listed back there. If you're a fairy enthusiast like me, I encourage you to get it. The dictionary at the back is very helpful if you're writing a story involving the fae.

Until next time~ ^_^

White Magic and Black Magic

   

How is it that the minute we wake up in the morning, it's as if our mood tends to interpret how our day will go? For instance, if we wake up on the wrong of the bed and our mood is fowl and venomous our day seems to be just that. But on rare occasions, something happens to brighten our day. Make it seem as though you didn't wake up on the wrong side of the bed at all. I had that happen to me today. I felt grumpy and really didn't want to get up but, I got a call from my friend who told me some awesome news that lit my world right up. It's sort of like a kind of magic that is cast over us. We hear some words and then bam! We're happy again. :)

   And then there are days when you automatically are so bright that nothing can bring you down. And most of the time, this emotion stays constant through the day unless you get really bad news. Then it's like a curse has begun to seep into the darkest corners of your soul. And it's then that's when you ask the Lord for guidance. 

   I try very hard not to snap at people. When i'm grumpy I immerse myself in my writing and that usually helps to takes the edge off of whatever I have ill will towards. What are some things that you do to keep yourself from going on a rampage? Have you ever had a magical moment where all seems lost and then someone casts  a magical spell that seems to make everything alright? I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time~ ^_^ 

(I do not own the picture by the way.)