Around the world, various legends become everyday beliefs and superstitions to some cultures. The following are brief explorations into just some, and not all may be completely fiction:
Bean-nighe
Most commonly known as the banshee in Ireland and Scotland, the name means "washing woman." Her presence is a signal of impending death, and if you hear the blood-curdling scream of the banshee, beware.
Not the most well-known portion of the legends, the unattractive women had unmistakable physical defects. She had only one nostril, one long protruding tooth, and one long withered and dangling breast.
It is believed that anyone daring enough to sneak up on her and grab the breast gets granted one wish. It's possible that, "I wish I didn't touch that," is a common one.
In Scotland, many believe banshees to be the spirits of women who died in childbirth, and their scream is their continued agonizing wail for their lost child.
The banshee is also known as banshi and benshee. Derived from ben sidhe of the Old Irish, a woman of the fairy mound, but depending on which scholar is translating, it means anything from Lady of Death to White Lady of Sorrow.
In some parts of Ireland, the banshee must have strong ties to a family. If she loves the family members, her call is a soothing chant, meant to warn of impending death, but also to reassure and comfort. If she despises them, it's the fiendish howl of delight over their coming demise.
El Chupacabra
The goat-sucker, as translated from El Chupacabra, it's different varieties have been sighted in Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Puerto Rico, and some souther states in the U.S.
It's described as some type of small animal, with large glowing red eyes and an ape-shaped face. Some say it has spikes down it's back.
The creature was first spotted in 1994 in Puerto Rico. Evidence of it was seen only slightly earlier, in the carcasses it leaves behind after feeding on goats, dogs, cats, and other livestock. Two large holes are found in the necks of it's victims, and the blood sucked dry.
Just like bigfoot, none have been captured alive. Some people believe it to be an alien; others say it's a creation from the military that escaped, which could be possible because of it's original sightings. Puerto Rico is filled with military animal research facilities, and it's unlikely they're merely testing shampoo in animal's eyes (very inhumane, by the way!). Still others have suggested that the creature is something along the lines of Nessie, and a throw-back to the dinosaur era, and some have even suggested that it slipped through some sort of portal from another dimension.
Some have gone so far as to suggest it's the same as the Mothman, but this idea is highly improbably. They do share a few similarities, but they're size is a major difference that puts a stop to the confusion between the two.
La Diablesse
Pronounced la jah-bless, it's French for female devil. She resides in the Trinidad/Tobago region of the Caribbean. In her white, long flowing dress, which she wears to hide her one cloven hoof, she wanders the night, seeking to lead men astray. Her eyes resemble red, burning embers, and her face is as pale as a corpse's, which no one sees until it's too late, since she hides herself under a wide-brimmed hat.
Legend says she's attracted to noise and outdoor parties at night. Women sense her presence, and immediately despise the newcomer, for no known reason, yet males are drawn to her.
Strange deaths on the island have been attributed to her. Among them, naked male corpses in graveyards and stashed high in thorny trees, where no human would or possibly could climb.
She's often depicted as an old crone, but believed to lure men as a beautiful woman. With a slight rustle of her gown mixing with the hidden, broken chain that clanks at her side, she weaves her silent spell and lures her victims to their doom.
The Soucouyant
She resides on the island of Saint D'eau, and is described as a ball of flame, flying without a wind... that is, when she sheds her skin as night arrives.
She is the mysterious old woman of a village who is rarely seen, because she sleeps the day away, in order to wreak havoc at night.
Once night falls, she sheds her skin to take on her true form, a glowing ball of flame. She hides her skin in a mortar and stashes it away carefully, then rises through the roof and takes off across the sky with a shriek. She finds a victim, sucks his blood dry and as dawn arrives, returns home to her skin and her hidden identity.
The only way to kill her is to find her skin while she's away from it and fill it with coarse salt, which is also a method that would do in anyone with hypertension.
And, how to discover the soucouyant in the first place? At the crossroads of the village in question, leave 100 pounds of rice, and when she comes across it, she's compelled to pick them up.
Vampires
Because of Hollywood and Brahm Stoker's Dracula, almost no one is unaware of the blood-sucking creatures of the night that can be killed by a stake to the heart or burned by daylight.
In Bulgaria, vampires aren't created by a different bite than the usual feeding bite. They're created if proper burial and mourning rites aren't observed. The change of a corpse to a vampire can also happen if the body isn't properly washed, if an animal or person jumps over the deceased, or if someone dies a particularly violent death. To this culture, the bite is not contagious, and they don't morph into bats or hounds.
While Hollywood depicts a vampire's victim clawing his way out of a grave when changed, Bulgarian myth has the new vampire spending the first 40 days of their existence as shapeless sacs of blood. After that growth period, they're strong enough to develop bones and a human shape. They then leave the grave and live normal lives, but they must be extra careful not to ever get cut, not even a paper cut, or they burst (as if a balloon would if punctured) and are reduced to a puddle of gelatinous gooey blood.
It is not just Buffy's stakes that do in these vampires. One must pour boiling oil into the grave, or fire, or use silver bullets. It's also believed they're not very intelligent, so no need to worry about them outwitting you.
Camel Spiders
No myth here -- these babies are REAL! And they're included here, because they're sure to give you the willies!
Unfortunately, some of our soldiers in Iraq may come across them, since that's where the camel spiders are found. You may even come across them here in the U.S. if you're in a dry, humid, desert-like place.
So, what's fascinating about them exactly? They're rumored to grow as large as dinner plates, and some claims state they run up to 25 MPH on the desert stand, while screaming. It's said they jump several feet in the air to attach to the stomach of a camel and eat inward, the powerful anesthetic in their venom allowing them to do so at their leisure, as it immobilized it's meal.
Occasional reports from U.S. soldiers have filtered through that they had been attacked at night, completely unaware until the next morning when they awaken to find chunks of flesh missing.
Fortunately, for all those gasping in horror, spider experts say most of this information isn't feasible, but the rumors are still enough to make one squirm at the thought. Of the facts that are in error, they do not run at 25 MPH, but they DO at 10 MPH, which is still enough to freak a person out! Reports have argued that the human bites are rumors, and rumors alone. To that, I'd like to direct you to the bottom picture on the left. Also, while the first picture of the spiders do show rather large specimens, they usually don't grow larger than a child's or a small adult's fist.
