Myths and Legends of the World

Vampire the word conjures up images of suave, handsome, or strikingly beautiful creatures, such as is depicted in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Those of you who are fans of her books are quite familiar with the arrogant and sexy Lestat. One of the most famous vampires of all time is, of course, Count Dracula. The brain child of Bram Stoker who based his immortal monster on the blood thirsty ruler know as Vlad Tepes, also know as Vlad Dracula, which when translated means "son of the dragon", a nicknamed that was well earned, for the count was a blood thirsty and ruthless ruler. He was also known as Vlad the Impaler due to his habit of impaling people on very sharp stakes and letting them suffer until they died a horrible and extremely painful death. The legends of vampires were around long before Stoker wrote his book. From very early times there have been reports and tales of vampires, or vampyr, which means, when roughly translated, "blood drinker...

Famous Witches: The Immortal Witch Circe is one of the best-known mythological mistresses of mayhem. According to the Odyssey, Odysseus and his Achaeans found themselves fleeing the land of the Laestrygonians. After a bunch of Odysseus’ scouts were captured and eaten by the Laestrygonian king, and nearly all of his ships sunk by large boulders, the Achaeans ended up on the shore of Aeaea, home to the witch-goddess Circe. Circe is well known for her magical mojo, and had quite the reputation for her knowledge of plants and potions. She may have been the daughter of Helios, the sun god or a daughter of Hecate, the Goddess of Magic and Witchcraft. When Odysseus visited Aeaea, Circe turned his men into swine, but Odysseus was given a magical plant by the gods that prevented Circe from morphing him. After making Circe swear not to betray him, Odysseus and his men lived under Circe’s protection for a year before attempting to sail back to Ithaca. Morgan le Fay , whose na...

Witches and wizards are people thought to possess magical powers or to command  supernatural  forces. They appear in the myths and folktales of many cultures. The word  witch  usually refers to a female, though male witches exist in some traditions. Men who possess the powers associated with witchcraft are often known as wizards. Witches are, for the most part, humans who gained arcane power either through birthright or, more commonly, by making a pact with some sort of spirit.  They often have a familiar animal or spirit. Are They Bad or Good?   In many myths and legends, witches are evil, dishonest, or dangerous. Some cultures do not consider them fully human. If not evil by nature, witches may be possessed by demons or wicked spirits determined to harm humans according to the religious teaching.  Yet ordinary men and women may learn magic for the purpose of hurting others. Such people are sometimes called sorcerers and sorceresses rather...

Werewolves are monsters of folklore and they are one of the most well-known folkloric creatures of all time, arguably only rivalled by the vampire in popularity and recognition - the werewolf has been seen in countless cultures around the world and is almost always considered vicious, antagonistic and evil: in many ways the werewolf may represent the fear humans have of their own animalistic urges, though other theories suggest the legends of werewolves were caused by interactions with people suffering from serious mental health problems, rabies or deformities. Ways to Become a Werewolf A human’s DNA mixes with a werewolf’s. He is bitten by a werewolf. He is the child of at least one werewolf. He eats a part of the werewolf. He drinks water from the paw-print of a werewolf. He drinks water downstream from where a werewolf is drinking.  A human cast a magic spell to become a werewolf. Types of Shifting Bilocation Shifting - This is a rare form of Physical Shifti...

There is always someone looking for the easy way of obtaining more pleasure, wealth or power. I always find it fascinating the lengths some will try just to achieve what they desire most. So some turn to making a deal to the devil. A deal with the devil, compact or pact with the devil is a cultural motif, best exemplified by the legend of Faust and the figure of Mephistopheles, but elemental to many Christian folktales. You know how it works. Want to be a millionaire, Take over the World, gain infinite power, or just to get back at that obnoxious Jerk? Well travel down to those crossroads and the demon will guarantee your wildest dreams, if you just sign on the dotted line with your own blood. This trope is Older than Steam, and does not even require the Abrahamic Devil; any trickster, demon, or evil deity roughly equivalent to Satan can be used. According to traditional Christian belief about witchcraft, the pact is between a person and Satan or a lesser demon. The person offers...

Demons are a race of magical beings motivated by Evil. They seek out to kill innocents and the forces of Good. Devils are generally regarded as the adversaries of the gods, while the image of demons ranges from mischief makers to powerful destructive forces. In many religions, devils and demons stand on the opposite side of the cosmic balance from gods and angels. Although devils and demons have been pictured in many different ways, they are usually associated with darkness, danger, violence, and death. Demons are unable to feel emotions and possess no soul or conscience. Almost all demons are immortal, and in some occasions, however, a demon can become good and desire to live a mortal life. Most demons live in the Hell, Underworld, the mortal world or other plane of existence, depending on what goal they wish to achieve or how they influence the mortal world. When exiled, a demon is not allowed to live in or enter the Underworld which is punishable by death. In most mytholog...