It wasn’t always like this, Don Santora told me. And it wasn’t supposed to be like this. War! You know what it is good for? Stories of unfathomable badassery, that's what. Over the years, we at Cracked have gathered a formidable collection of these. Before Slenderman: Urban Legends That Inspired the Tall Guy. Share. Cryptids and creeps which freaked us out long before the well- dressed eerie figure emerged. By Arnold T. Blumberg A dapper besuited fellow with a blank face and elongated limbs, the “creepypasta” Internet horror creation known as Slenderman was at first the work of one person - - Eric Knudsen (“Victor Surge”) - - writing on a forum called “Something Awful” in 2. The eerie figure, inspired by everything from the works of H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King, and the Silent Hill games, soon found his way into You. Tube series and video games of his own, and even influenced an infamous 2. Slenderman. But long before Slenderman slinkily infiltrated pop culture and the public consciousness, there were a number of other urban legends and cryptids (“hidden animals”) that laid the groundwork for the rise of the tall one. Here we take a look at a few of them, including one that was one of the direct inspirations for Slenderman’s creation…Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary.. from the 2. Urban Legends: Bloody Mary. Location of Origin: Possibly England. Description: Just a girl really, although sometimes blood- soaked Carrie style. The Tale: For all those familiar with conjuring creatures by repeating their names (Beetlejuice, Candyman, the Bye Bye Man), the grandmother of them all is Bloody Mary, whose ghost appears when you look in a mirror and say her name three times. Early versions said that Mary could tell a young girl whether she would marry or die (because of course those are the only two options). More modern variations attribute horrific acts of violence and even fatal attacks to the otherwise benign ghost, and some stories link her with the childless Queen Mary I. And like most of the other beings here, she’s all over pop culture; she even gets name- checked in Paranormal Activity 3. Cousins: Japanese ghosts like “Hanako- san,” “Teke Teke,” and “Aka Manto,” and “Moaning Myrtle” from the Harry Potter books and films. Black- Eyed Children. Well, black- ish eyed anyway. Location of Origin: Abilene, Texas, and Portland, Oregon (just to name two)Description: What do you want? They’re pale little kids, and they have black eyes. The Tale: These creepy critters show up on your doorstep, asking to be let in for a variety of reasons - - food, help, the consumption of your blood and/or soul (OK, they’re not up front about that part). Get crafty with. Browse our books; A-Z (All titles) Activity; Adventure; All About Canada; Fantasy; Favourite Series; Fiction; Graphic Novels; History; Hockey; Humour. Stories about these bone- chilling encounters began in 1. Internet- based “creepypasta” urban legends of which Slenderman is a member. Their presence inspires instant fear, and they’re persistent… but what are they? One interpretation is that they are “Grays” or alien agents attempting to abduct people by disguising themselves as humans, while others believe them to be a form of vampire or demonic entity. Cousins: The alien “Grays,” The British Black Dog, that neighbor kid that never leaves you alone. Bigfoot. The man himself, Bigfoot. Location of Origin: Pacific Northwest, United States. Description: A tall, hairy humanoid, often said to have a large Neanderthal- like brow and elongated, ape- like limbs. The Tale: Surely you’ve heard of this one; after all, the Six Million Dollar Man fought him (well, not quite, but never mind)! A veritable library has been written about this star of the cryptid scene, even though some of the most famous “evidence” has long since been debunked. The shy, lumbering missing link has been one of the most popular tall tales in American folklore, with numerous scientific investigations and stories of “Sasquatch” (a name derived from a First Nations language) turning up on TV, in movies, comics, video games, and everywhere else in pop culture. Warning: Not all sightings involve a creature as benign as Harry, so don’t expect to take one home. Cousins: The Himalayan “Yeti,” the Japanese “Hibagon,” the Australian “Yowie”Mothman. A movie with Richard Gere and a statue? Wow. Location of Origin: Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Description: The name says it all; he’s a human figure with an insect- like head, reflective red glowing eyes, and seven- to ten- foot wings. The Tale: One of the main inspirations for Slenderman, Mothman was first reported in 1. John Keel’s 1. 97. The Mothman Prophecies, credited the creature with giving locals visions of the future, including the 1. Keel’s book later served as the basis for the 2. Richard Gere film of the same name. The Mothman is sometimes regarded as alien or having some connection to alien abductions and the arrival of Men in Black (see that entry below for more). Point Pleasant embraces the history of the Mothman with an annual festival and a statue; might as well fleece the tourists, right? Cousins: The “Flatwoods Monster,” the Cornish “Owlman,” Slenderman himself. Men in Black(Not Will Smith)Location of Origin: Across the United States. Description: Didn’t you read the header? OK, they’re usually wearing sunglasses too. The Tale: Part of the vast tapestry of alien abduction and UFO lore that exploded post- Roswell in 1. Men in Black are apparently government operatives (who may or may not be disguised aliens) that turn up at sites of alien or flying saucer sightings and try to cover up the circumstances of those sightings through threats and intimidation. Among the many UFOlogists that claimed to have first- hand encounters with Men in Black is none other than John Keel (see our Mothman entry). Their most significant role in pop culture is as the basis for the Men in Black films starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, themselves based on a comic book by Lowell Cunningham. Now look at this light…Cousins: The Alien “Grays,” G- Men, the Secret Service. Chupacabra. Location of Origin: Puerto Rico, Caribbean Sea. Description: The wolf- lizard has been described in various ways, but its back is usually adorned by quills or spines, with its skin referred to as green or gray. However, there are accounts that lean more toward a hairless canine form with a humped spine. The Tale: We got Chupacabras all up in here! Those of you that haven’t seen the gift to cinema history that is Chupacabra vs. Alamo might not get that reference, but the vampiric “goat sucker” (the Spanish name translated) has been sighted since 1. The “Bigfoot of Latino culture” was actually first based on someone’s recollection of Sil, the main creature in Species, and US accounts are probably just bewildered people misinterpreting encounters with diseased coyotes. Cousins: New Orleans “grunches,” Filipino “Sigbin,” Chilean “Peuchen”Hidebehind. A Hidebehind as portrayed in the animated series Gravity Falls. Location of Origin: Wooded areas across the United States. Description: This spectral bear- like creature has a very flexible stomach, and can draw it in so far that it can flatten itself behind the trees. No, really. The Tale: Perhaps the lamest cryptid on this list, this creature’s only shtick is to hide behind a tree and attack lumberjacks and loggers, bringing them back to its lair in order to feast on their intestines. If you want to keep the Hidebehind away, just drink heavily; they hate alcohol. Despite its limited legend and equally meager abilities, the Hidebehind has surprisingly made a disproportionate impact on pop culture, with references turning up in novels, television shows, and even a special news release from the world of Harry Potter on J. K. Rowling’s “Pottermore” website. Cousins: Yogi Bear, that friend that hides behind a tree during Hide- and- Seek that you can totally still see. Jersey Devil. Location of Origin: Pine Barrens, New Jersey. Description: A bat- winged, horned, and hooved biped with features akin to that of a goat or even a kangaroo. The Tale: A cryptid that’s lent its moniker to sports teams and an episode of The X- Files, the Jersey Devil lets out a shriek that makes those screaming goats on You. Tube look like amateurs. As for its beginnings, the story goes that old Mother Leeds - - who may or may not have been a witch - - cursed her thirteenth child, transforming it into a demonic apparition. The Leeds Devil was already a legend by the end of the 1. Jersey Devil of today. There have been “Devil Hunter” investigations and a few proven hoaxes, but the sightings continue. Cousins: Ghostly denizens of the Pine Barrens, like the manifestations of Captain Kidd, the Golden- Haired Girl, and the White Stag (Expecto Patronum!)Snallygaster. Seems legit. Location of Origin: Frederick County, Maryland. Nobel Lecture | Swedish Academy. Dylan visiting Stockholm for the first time in 1. Photo: Ronny Karlsson/DN/TT© THE NOBEL FOUNDATION 2. The Nobel Foundation has not obtained the right to assign any usage right to the Nobel Lecture to any third party, and any such rights may thus not be granted. All rights to the Nobel Lecture by Bob Dylan are reserved and the Nobel Lecture may not be published or otherwise used by third parties with one exception: the audio file containing the Nobel Lecture, as published at Nobelprize. Nobel Prize, may be embedded on other websites. Bob Dylan's Nobel Lecture When I received this Nobel Prize for Literature, I got to wondering exactly how my songs related to literature. I wanted to reflect on it and see where the connection was. I’m going to try to articulate that to you. And most likely it will go in a roundabout way, but I hope what I say will be worthwhile and purposeful. If I was to go back to the dawning of it all, I guess I’d have to start with Buddy Holly. Buddy died when I was about eighteen and he was twenty- two. From the moment I first heard him, I felt akin. I felt related, like he was an older brother. I even thought I resembled him. Buddy played the music that I loved – the music I grew up on: country western, rock ‘n’ roll, and rhythm and blues. Three separate strands of music that he intertwined and infused into one genre. One brand. And Buddy wrote songs – songs that had beautiful melodies and imaginative verses. And he sang great – sang in more than a few voices. He was the archetype. Everything I wasn’t and wanted to be. I saw him only but once, and that was a few days before he was gone. I had to travel a hundred miles to get to see him play, and I wasn’t disappointed. He was powerful and electrifying and had a commanding presence. I was only six feet away. He was mesmerizing. I watched his face, his hands, the way he tapped his foot, his big black glasses, the eyes behind the glasses, the way he held his guitar, the way he stood, his neat suit. Everything about him. He looked older than twenty- two. Something about him seemed permanent, and he filled me with conviction. Then, out of the blue, the most uncanny thing happened. He looked me right straight dead in the eye, and he transmitted something. Something I didn’t know what. And it gave me the chills. I think it was a day or two after that that his plane went down. And somebody – somebody I’d never seen before – handed me a Leadbelly record with the song “Cottonfields” on it. And that record changed my life right then and there. Transported me into a world I’d never known. It was like an explosion went off. Like I’d been walking in darkness and all of the sudden the darkness was illuminated. It was like somebody laid hands on me. I must have played that record a hundred times. It was on a label I’d never heard of with a booklet inside with advertisements for other artists on the label: Sonny Terry and Brownie Mc. Ghee, the New Lost City Ramblers, Jean Ritchie, string bands. I’d never heard of any of them. But I reckoned if they were on this label with Leadbelly, they had to be good, so I needed to hear them. I wanted to know all about it and play that kind of music. I still had a feeling for the music I’d grown up with, but for right now, I forgot about it. Didn’t even think about it. For the time being, it was long gone. I hadn’t left home yet, but I couldn’t wait to. I wanted to learn this music and meet the people who played it. Eventually, I did leave, and I did learn to play those songs. They were different than the radio songs that I’d been listening to all along. They were more vibrant and truthful to life. With radio songs, a performer might get a hit with a roll of the dice or a fall of the cards, but that didn’t matter in the folk world. Everything was a hit. All you had to do was be well versed and be able to play the melody. Some of these songs were easy, some not. I had a natural feeling for the ancient ballads and country blues, but everything else I had to learn from scratch. I was playing for small crowds, sometimes no more than four or five people in a room or on a street corner. You had to have a wide repertoire, and you had to know what to play and when. Some songs were intimate, some you had to shout to be heard. By listening to all the early folk artists and singing the songs yourself, you pick up the vernacular. You internalize it. You sing it in the ragtime blues, work songs, Georgia sea shanties, Appalachian ballads and cowboy songs. You hear all the finer points, and you learn the details. You know what it’s all about. Takin’ the pistol out and puttin’ it back in your pocket. Whippin’ your way through traffic, talkin’ in the dark. You know that Stagger Lee was a bad man and that Frankie was a good girl. You know that Washington is a bourgeois town and you’ve heard the deep- pitched voice of John the Revelator and you saw the Titanic sink in a boggy creek. And you’re pals with the wild Irish rover and the wild colonial boy. You heard the muffled drums and the fifes that played lowly. You’ve seen the lusty Lord Donald stick a knife in his wife, and a lot of your comrades have been wrapped in white linen. I had all the vernacular down. I knew the rhetoric. None of it went over my head – the devices, the techniques, the secrets, the mysteries – and I knew all the deserted roads that it traveled on, too. I could make it all connect and move with the current of the day. When I started writing my own songs, the folk lingo was the only vocabulary that I knew, and I used it. But I had something else as well. I had principles and sensibilities and an informed view of the world. And I had had that for a while. Learned it all in grammar school. Don Quixote, Ivanhoe, Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver’s Travels, Tale of Two Cities, all the rest – typical grammar school reading that gave you a way of looking at life, an understanding of human nature, and a standard to measure things by. I took all that with me when I started composing lyrics. And the themes from those books worked their way into many of my songs, either knowingly or unintentionally. I wanted to write songs unlike anything anybody ever heard, and these themes were fundamental. Specific books that have stuck with me ever since I read them way back in grammar school – I want to tell you about three of them: Moby Dick, All Quiet on the Western Front and The Odyssey.____________________Moby Dick is a fascinating book, a book that’s filled with scenes of high drama and dramatic dialogue. The book makes demands on you. The plot is straightforward. The mysterious Captain Ahab – captain of a ship called the Pequod – an egomaniac with a peg leg pursuing his nemesis, the great white whale Moby Dick who took his leg. And he pursues him all the way from the Atlantic around the tip of Africa and into the Indian Ocean. He pursues the whale around both sides of the earth. It’s an abstract goal, nothing concrete or definite. He calls Moby the emperor, sees him as the embodiment of evil. Ahab’s got a wife and child back in Nantucket that he reminisces about now and again. You can anticipate what will happen. The ship’s crew is made up of men of different races, and any one of them who sights the whale will be given the reward of a gold coin. A lot of Zodiac symbols, religious allegory, stereotypes. Ahab encounters other whaling vessels, presses the captains for details about Moby. Have they seen him? There’s a crazy prophet, Gabriel, on one of the vessels, and he predicts Ahab’s doom. Says Moby is the incarnate of a Shaker god, and that any dealings with him will lead to disaster. He says that to Captain Ahab. Another ship’s captain – Captain Boomer – he lost an arm to Moby. But he tolerates that, and he’s happy to have survived. He can’t accept Ahab’s lust for vengeance. This book tells how different men react in different ways to the same experience. A lot of Old Testament, biblical allegory: Gabriel, Rachel, Jeroboam, Bildah, Elijah. Pagan names as well: Tashtego, Flask, Daggoo, Fleece, Starbuck, Stubb, Martha’s Vineyard. The Pagans are idol worshippers. Some worship little wax figures, some wooden figures. Some worship fire. The Pequod is the name of an Indian tribe. Moby Dick is a seafaring tale. One of the men, the narrator, says, “Call me Ishmael.” Somebody asks him where he’s from, and he says, “It’s not down on any map. True places never are.” Stubb gives no significance to anything, says everything is predestined. Ishmael’s been on a sailing ship his entire life.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2017
Categories |