6 Halloween Monsters & Their Origins
Halloween is just around the corner, but have you ever wondered what the origins of the Halloween monsters are that you'll be dressing up as this year? I thought it would be fun to take you through the different Halloween creatures and where they come from to mark the Halloween, spooky season. Let's get going!
1. Witches
Witches have long been chosen as a Halloween monster, coming into popularity largely due to the Salem Witch Trials in 1692-1693. Traditionally, they're thought of as being old, ugly, covered in warts and have long finger nails.
They also wear black, have long pointy hats and their preferred mode of transport is the broomstick. They're synonymous with mixing potions and dabbling in magic, both good and dark. Either way, you don't want to get on the wrong side of a witch.
2. Vampires
Vampire legend goes as far back as Ancient Greece! These Halloween monsters are centuries-old, mimicking living human kind, when they are in fact dead. Their only method of survival is to suck the life out of their living counterparts by drinking their blood with their sharp, pointy fangs.
Sunlight will burn a vampire's skin, so they're active only at night to avoid daylight. According to legend, a vampire can be defeated by crosses, silver, garlic and wooden stakes being driven through their hearts.
3. Werewolves
Werewolves are cursed humans who involuntarily transform into large wolf-like creatures at the sight of a full moon. The earliest known mention of the concept of a werewolf goes as far back as 1400 BC! While werewolves are incredibly strong and dangerous, with very few humans living to tell the tale should they encounter one, they can be taken out with silver bullets, traditionally.
4. Ghosts
Ghosts are first mentioned as far back as the 16th Century. It's the spirit of someone who was once living that roams the Earth rather than pass onto a realm in the afterlife. Ghosts can appear as solid forms or be transparent.
They also tend to haunt places they're familiar with, or continue to stay in the place they died, simply. If you want to get rid of a ghost, then you will need to enlist the help of a professional to help them move onto the next life. However, if they're evil, then an exorcism may be needed to banish them from our world!
5. Zombies
The concept of zombies have been around since the 17th Century. They come about as a result of Voodoo spells, according to legend. A Bokor would use a combination of shells, bones, herbs and animal parts that they would give their patients.
This concoction would cause the person in question to become confused, have difficulty walking, struggle to breathe and even to drift into a coma. In some cases, someone may have looked dead, meaning they'd be buried, only to come back "to life" again after their burial.
This is where the concept of zombies crawling out from the dirt comes from. As time has moved on, more attributes have been assigned to zombies, such as them eating brains or human flesh to stay alive. To take them out, it's best to destroy the brain!
6. Mummies
Mummification originated in Ancient Egypt. But it wasn't until the 20th Century when the concept of them coming back from the dead became a staple Halloween monster, when King Tut's tomb was discovered. While they can be confused with Zombies, as both are dead people coming back to life, their objectives are very different. Zombies come back to eat the flesh of living, whereas Mummies come back to get their revenge on those who killed them. If you want to kill Mummies, you have to use fire. Alternatively, remove their heads, haha.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog and found it interesting? Do you know anything else about other Halloween monsters? Let me know in the comments below and I will see you all again very soon with some brand new content!
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