S.C. Jensen's Blog, page 7

Oh, Christ, Not the Science Fiction Canon Again — Whatever

I’m sharing a wonderful rant today, from science fiction writer John Scalzi. This is a topic I’ve been mulling over a lot recently. In the past I have felt a bit guilty for not enjoying as many of the “canonical” works in my genre. Some have a kind of timeless entertainment value, but conceptually a lot of older Sci-Fi is immature and irrelevant my modern standards. The cultural depth and diversity of today’s Sci-Fi greats is far superior, in my opinion, so the dusty old classics. Anyway, read this rant and let me know how you feel about it. Personally, I’m feeling validated.

Ugh, we’re talking about the “canon” of science fiction literature, again, for reasons (most imminently the recent Hugo award ceremony and its fallout), and whether, basically, newer writers and readers should and must slog through a bunch of books in the genre that are now half a century old at least, from a bunch of […]

Oh, Christ, Not the Science Fiction Canon Again — Whatever

Aristotle Gave Us More than Philosophy

Well, it’s day three of NaNoWriMo and I’m off to a flying start! I’ve got just enough time in the morning to get my words in before I have to start homeschooling with the kids.

I don’t have my usual time for blog posts this month. So, besides the Creative Business 101 posts I have scheduled for every Monday this month, I’ll also be sharing some useful posts from other blogs.

In honour of NaNoWriMo and the great art of story structure, I give you this wonderful post by Staci Troilo at Story Empire. Enjoy!

Story Empire

Ciao, SEers. Have you ever heard the term polymath? I had to dig deep into my college days to remember the definition. (We won’t discuss how long ago that was.)

A polymath is a person with knowledge in a wide range of topics. Polymaths go far beyond the Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none level of understanding and experience. These are experts in multiple fields. We often think of the Renaissance when we think of polymaths, Leonardo DaVinci being among the most famous. But there have been several throughout history. And Aristotle was one of them.

We tend to think of him as a philosopher. But among his many fields of expertise were arts, sciences, economics, politics, and metaphysics.

As this is a writing site, we’re going to talk about Aristotle’s contributions to literature. Not his work itself, but his defining of the terms comedy and tragedy.

Aristotelian Comedy
In an Aristotelian comedy, the…

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Creative Business 101: Defining Success as a Creative Entrepreneur

Do you ever think about all the things you have to do in order to “make a living” and feel overwhelmed? Does that overwhelm stop you from pursuing your dreams?

I know that fear well. My husband and I are small business owners–we own a trucking company and I am a freelance business writer–and I am in the process of turning my fiction writing into a full time job. I have learned a lot in the past ten years about what it takes to turn your passion into a career. I still have a lot to learn, but I’d like to share this journey with you and help ease some of the fears you may be feeling.

[image error] How to Define Success as a Creative Entrepreneur



What Does Success Mean to You?

There is something to be said for the safety and security of a regular job. Anyone who has considered starting their own business knows the hardest thing to do is to step away from a regular paycheck and into the vast financial unknown of self-employment.

If your passion is creative–if you are a writer, artist, musician, or actor–making that leap is even more difficult. Society tends to think of creative pursuits as hobbies, not careers. Most people can’t imagine anyone making a living in a creative field. Sure, there’s your Beyonces and your J.K. Rowlings, but statistically we know it is more likely that we’ll win the lottery than to become wildly rich and famous as an artist.

And becoming wildly rich and famous is the epitome of success, is it not?

Redefining Success

Many people hold full-time jobs and create as a hobby and are perfectly content. But for those of us who are driven to create more than anything else, whose work days are consumed by the desire to get back to our true passion, it is not enough to create as a hobby.

Yet becoming a creative professional doesn’t seem possible. When you consider a creative career or starting your own business, the biggest concern you are likely to have is this: How much money will I make? Can I make a living this way? Will I be able to survive?

The Starving Artist Myth

Society tells us that being creative is not “a real job.” The world, which consumes vast amounts of creative products every day, simultaneously tries to sell us the Starving Artist myth.

I’ve written about this myth and the other toxic mindsets that creative people and entrepreneurs face in my articles 5 Toxic Myths About Creativity and Imposter Syndrome: Why You Are Self-Sabotaging (and How to Stop!) I encourage you to check these articles out, and identify any self-defeating beliefs you might be holding on to.

But I’m going to let you in on a little secret. The work of creative professionals is all around us, from the digital art on our favourite websites, to the songs we hear on the radio, to the books we read and the movies we watch and the clothes we buy. The list goes on. And the people who create all the products we buy and the media we consume are not working for free.

Creative Success



[image error] “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” — Albert Einstein



Creative Work Has Value!

Success to most people is defined by recognition and financial security. I have good news for you: It is absolutely possible to achieve success by this standard as a creative person!

But it does not happen right away. And almost none of us will succeed by the impossible standard–of wealth and fame–upheld by society.

So, what is the point of chasing a dream so unlikely to “succeed?”

Achieving success as a creative person requires a shift in perception. When you are taking your first steps toward a creative career, it is important to let go of traditional definitions of success. You must redefine your goals in terms of value.

Why Value?

It can feel entirely pointless to maintain a blog when your posts get fewer than 10 hits a day. How are you supposed to write a newsletter for an empty mailing list? Why should you sweat over the perfect shot and caption when your Instagram feed has more crickets than comments?

Because success starts with value.

It may take years before you are able to quite your day job and become a full-time creator. You may have to make changes to your spending habits and your material expectations in order to “make a living.” Financial success and public recognition will not happen overnight.

But your skills and experience have value NOW. In order to be financially successful, people need to be able to find you. Your audience is out there. There are billions of people in the world, and there are thousands of people who want exactly what you have to offer. That is a big enough pool of future customers to make any creative person a financial success. But they have to find you first.

Great Expectations

Measuring your success in financial terms when you are first starting out is a recipe for failure. I fell victim to the trap of my own expectations after I released The Timekeepers’ War. I had no idea how to market myself as an independent author. I just wanted to write. I wanted my books to sell themselves. I had slaved away on that project for years and I wanted to see some kind of return!

But I didn’t have a foundation in place. I released my book into the wild and let it run free…

And it disappeared.

Feelings of frustration and overwhelm quickly became resentment. It built up in me for years until I hated even thinking about my blog or drafting my next book.

I became frozen by my frustration.

But being frustrated was not my problem. The frustration was a symptom of a bigger problem. This is what really threw a wrench into my gears:

I was focusing on my own success (or perceived lack thereof) rather than on providing value to my audience.

I was putting the cart before the horse.

It’s tough to motivate yourself with “success” as your only measurable. For one thing, it means different things to different people, and even different things at different stages in your career. For another thing, success takes time! You aren’t going to write one blog post and skyrocket to the top of Google’s search results.

So what do you do in the meantime? Where do you start?

You start with value. What is your ideal audience interested in? How can you help them? Because you can provide value at any stage in your journey as a creative or an entrepreneur. You don’t work for the audience you have, you work for the audience you want to have in the future.

[image error] A man should have duties outside of himself; without them he is a mere balloon, inflated with thin egotism and drifting nowhere.” –Thomas Baily Aldrich



Who Are You Creating For?

I want you to stop thinking about yourself for a minute. Stop thinking about you want from your creative business and start thinking about your future customers. Who are they?

Who is your audience?



How old are they?What kind of education do they have?Are they married? Do they have children?What are their hobbies and interests?What are their beliefs and values?



How do you provide value to your audience?

You have skills and knowledge that are valuable. You have to share it with the world in order for your audience to find you. It’s as simple as that. And when you start out, being of value is not going to immediately translate into financial gain. Your success as a creative person will be defined by how well you connect with other people, and how much value you can provide for them.

What has value?



entertainment: tell funny stories or share fun facts on your blog, let people hear the outtakes from your last recording session, share a sketch that went wrong, take people behind the scenes and show them what it’s like to be you, make your audience laugh!education: share your tips for how to be successful in your creative field of choice, share books and videos that have helped you or inspired you, review products you useinspire: tell your story, talk about your challenges, talk about your successes, let yourself fail and share what you’ve learned



Strategies for Success as a Creative Entrepreneur

Success for the creative entrepreneur boils down to value. It sounds simple enough, but can be difficult in practice. I have some strategies for how to build success as a creative professional and I will be sharing them with you in the coming weeks. I plan to cover topics like:

How to identify you audienceHow to provide value to your audienceHow to optimize your website, blog, newsletter, and social media accounts so that they are working together instead of competing with one anotherHow to convert your followers into customersand more!

I hope you’ll join me on this journey and we can walk together on the path toward success, however you choose to define it.

Discussion

What has been your biggest struggle with getting your business (creative or otherwise) off the ground? What is holding you back? Please let me know in the comments if there is anything you’d like me to cover in this series. Thanks for reading!

Trick-or-Treat! I have some Halloween Giveaways for you…

Happy Halloween, my spooky friends! I hope you enjoyed my series on creepy cryptids from around the world. We visited Canada, Serbia, the British Isles, Korea, Persia, Scandinavia, India, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, and South America on our global tour of weird tales. Check them out if you missed any, and don’t forget to share them if you want to creep our your friends today!

Of course you do.

HUGE NEWS!!!

If you are on my mailing list, be sure to check your inbox for my letter today. I just sent out the cover reveal for my upcoming new release, Ghostlights!

[image error] Awkward Elaine dancing and everything!

If you aren’t on my list… first of all, what the heck! You should probably go do that right now. Click here to sign up, and you’ll even get a free copy of my novella Polaris. Don’t worry. I’ll wait right here…

Okay, all set? If you missed the special VIP only cover reveal, that’s okay. Just stay tuned for the official reveal in a few weeks.

In the meantime, I’m just dropping in with some Halloween treats for you. More FREE BOOKS!!!!

No big deal.

First Up: Corrogatio VI: After Dark



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Monolith has been putting out a free horror anthology every Halloween for the last six years. Click the pic to get your copy! It’s a really fun collection from a diverse group of writers from around the world. You will be creeped out, grossed out, and probably never sleep again! I have two short stories in this issue, too. But you might find your next favourite indie horror author here!

Next Up: The Ferryman and Other Strange Tales



[image error] Last chance for a FREE copy of The Ferryman and Other Strange Tales!

This is your last chance to grab a FREE copy of my own flash-fiction and short story collection The Ferryman and Other Strange Tales. This book will not be available on Amazon, but starting Nov. 1, 2020 it will be for sale at all other online book outlets. Click through to download! You will be asked to sign up for my mailing list, but you are already on my VIP list, aren’t you?

More FREE Books!

Here are a few e-book promos you might want to check out if you’re looking to stock up your e-reader for the winter months. There are so many great books to choose from!

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Happy Halloween!

There you are, I gave you your treats. No tricks now! We aren’t going Trick-or-Treating this year, but we will be baking and decorating Halloween cookies and cupcakes and doing a treasure hunt!

I hope you have a spooktacular time today, where ever you are and what ever you are doing. Let me know your Halloween plans in the comments!

Indie Feature Friday: GRINDERS by C.S. Boyack

I’ve been making an effort to read more books by independent authors this year, both to support indies and also to see what’s going on outside the world of Big House publishing. My focus is usually science fiction, but you will see some other genres pop up here and there. I will be sharing a review every Friday. So if you if you love books, science fiction, and supporting indie authors, be sure to follow along!

[image error] Indie Book Review with Sarah Does Sci-Fi

Today, I’m reviewing Grinders by C.S. Boyack!

[image error] Grinders by C.S. Boyack.
Click through to Amazon.com

I first discovered author C.S. Boyack through the Story Empire blog, where he is a frequent contributor. After reading a number of helpful posts on storyboarding, I wandered over to his personal blog, Entertaining Stories, and have been happily following along for a couple of years now. I don’t naturally gravitate toward blogs as my social-media of choice and I tend to lurk more than like, comment, and share. However, I do buy books (much faster than I can read them.)

I’ve bought a few of Boyack’s novels this year, and as they pop up in my e-TBR pile, I will be reviewing them here. This is the first!

Indie Book Review: Grinders by C.S. Boyack

When approaching a new-to-me author I do what any self-respecting book browser does. I gravitate toward the prettiest covers. This lead me to the purchase of Grinders and Voyage of the Lanternfish. Who doesn’t love neon lights and deep-ocean creatures, right?

I was in the mood for something in the sci-fi vein more than fantasy, so I started with Grinders.

The Genre-Mashup of My Dreams

I am a shameless detective novel addict. I can’t get enough of them. I love everything from gruesome true crime to ridiculous crime capers, but there’s a special place in my heart for the classic police procedural or detective novel.

Of course, the whole point of Grinders is that Jimi Cabot and her partner Lou are not detectives. They’re just bottom of the barrel beat cops.

The beat, though, is a cyberpunk dream. (Or is it a nightmare?) Set in a futuristic San Francisco full of holographic pop-up ads and illegally cyber-enhanced citizens, Grinders is like “Ghost in the Shell” meets “Law and Order.”

The Characters

Jimi nearly lost her job after the San Francisco PD discovered a secret from her past, and has been relegated to the Grinder Squad, a go-nowhere department run out of the basement at HQ.

Here, she meets Lou, a seasoned PD vet whose old-school skills have made him obsolete. He’s waiting out the days until his retirement and is a little resentful at getting stuck with the new blood.

There’s a great dynamic between Jimi and Lou as they are forever seeking a balance between her youthful enthusiasm and his cynical realism. Both characters have a lot more going on beyond the job, and Boyack weaves their backstories into the main plot expertly.

The Setup

Everybody knows that the Grinder Squad is a sham department. Theoretically, their purpose is to crack down on the growing Grinder problem–that is, black market doctors who install illegal cyber-enhancements. But Grinders are notoriously elusive and the PD basically uses it to drum up funds for the rest of the departments. The Grinder Squad gets stuck with the grunt work, while the “real cops” do all the fun stuff.

But Jimi is convinced that if she can bust a Grinder, she’ll redeem herself and save her career. If only she could get Lou on board with her plan!

The Execution

I loved this book. Grinders bops along at a steady pace, using the characters to drive the plot forward and explore the world without ever falling into the tedious exposition that kills a lot of SF novels.

The funny thing is, Grinders isn’t a fast paced action/thriller but it never feels slow. I got so caught up in the day-to-day tasks of Jimi and Lou, the interesting cast of characters they meet up, and their own personal struggles that I didn’t think a whole lot about the main plot line until suddenly all the connections came together and BAM! It all came together.

Boyack has a great sense of humour. In particular, I loved the way he poked fun at some current social phenomena by exploring where they might go in the future. Cyber shut-ins, crypto currency schemes, political correctness on steroids, and the inevitable result of aggressive helicopter parenting all get stirred into the mix with hilarious results.

Technical Details

I hate that I have to mention this, but I know how some people feel about independent books. I know the fear of spending your hard earned pennies on something that the author hasn’t even bothered to edit.

Fear not, fellow readers!

Grinders is well-written, cleanly edited, and formatted perfectly. You will get nothing less than the best. This is a professional product from an experienced writer, and it shows.

5 Star Review!

If you love science fiction worlds and strong character development, this is the book for you! Grinders will give you a lot to think about, but it’s fun and entertaining and emotionally driven. You aren’t going to get bogged down in a bunch of hard SF technical details and mumbo jumbo. You are going to care deeply about these characters and the fascinating world they live in, and you’re going to love the way everything ties together in the end.

A Note on Reviews:

Did you know that reviews are essential to independent authors’ visibility?

If you buy an indie book, first of all “THANK YOU!” from all of us. It’s a tough go out there competing with big publishing houses and their million dollar marketing plans. Any support you can give us has a huge impact.

Second of all, please leave an honest review on Goodreads and wherever you purchased your copy. Indie authors read your reviews! If you loved it, great! Tell us why so we can try to do it again. If you didn’t, that’s okay, too! Please tell us what didn’t work so that we can keep it in mind for the next book.

**I only review my favourite indie books on the blog. My goal is to support other independent creators and share my platform with positivity. I’m not here to criticize or bring down anyone, so if I read a book that I don’t feel is up to par I will let the author know privately. You will only find 4 and 5 star reviews on this page. Feel free to suggest a book for me to review in the comments!**

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you’ve got in your TBR pile. What do you think of Grinders? Have you read it? Will you? Tell me all the things…

5 Mega-Creepy Monsters from South America

This series on terrifying mythological creatures from around the world has been a lot of fun! But I’m running out of alliterative synonyms for Creepy Creatures…

Thank you for joining me on another exploration of local monster legends. It’s our last stop before Halloween and today we’re visiting South America! This continent is also way too big to have its cryptid fauna narrowed down to a measly top 5 list. But I’m going to try anyway!

[image error] 5 Scariest South American Monsters



#5 Luz Mala

La Luz Mala, or simply the “bad light,” is a legend that dates back to the gaucho era of Argentina and Uruguay in the mid 1700s-1800s. La Luz Mala appears as a bright beam of light in the darkness which terrified local villagers and wandering gaucho cowboys. It was believed that these bad lights were the souls of the unbaptized dead.

For the adventurous, though, la Luz Mala offered the promise of riches. Stories tell of those who hunt down the source of the light to find human bones and ancient artifacts. Even the bravest were loathe to go searching for the bad lights, however, for anyone who took the treasures from the source of the light were doomed to die.

#4 El Culebrón

El Culebrón is a big, hairy snake with a cows head.

Yeah. I said what I said.

This Chilean creeper comes out of its cave at night to slither across the countryside and devour everything in its path. These creatures are particularly drawn to buried treasure and are said to appear at the site exactly 40 days after the burial. If you are burying your own stash of treasure and you want to be able to come back and claim it some day, you can pour alcohol over the site in hopes of repelling El Culebrón, or perhaps getting him drunk enough that you can sneak past him to retrieve your loot and high-tail it out of there.

Better yet, El Culebrón is said to attract riches to anyone able to tame it. Unfortunately this is not an easy task. The agreed upon method of domesticating a giant, hairy bovine reptile is thus:

Find El Culebrón in the wild, perhaps luring it with your own treasure?Pluck the three longest hairs from its body without becoming a snake snack.Place the three hairs into a bowl of milk.Watch patiently which the three hairs transform into baby Culebrón. The biggest will kill and eat its siblings and tada!Enjoy your gold magnet.

Sounds simple enough.

#3 La Llorona

La Llorona is a tragic figure, but she’s no less dangerous for her sorrow. There are many variations on this legend and none of them are pleasant to read. La Llorona is the ultimate scorned woman.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful maiden. Unfortunately, she fell for the wrong guy. After marrying the man of her dreams and bearing his children, the woman discovers that he has been unfaithful. In a fit of grief and rage, she murders her own children (usually by drowning them in a river) in order to get revenge on her philandering mate. Then, realizing what she’s done, she kills herself too.

But the tragedy doesn’t end there, of course. In order to get to the afterlife, La Llorona must find her children. Their souls are long lost, but in her desperation this spirit will grab any child she sees and pulling them under the water, too. La Llorona is often seen and heard, wandering along riverbeds, weeping for her lost children.

#2 La Ciguapa

This fiendish being haunts the deep forests and mountainous highlands of the Dominican Republic. It appears as a woman with long, thick hair and tanned skin which help it to camouflage as it stalks its prey. La Ciguapa is identifiable from your average wild-woman-of-the-woods by its backwards facing feet. But by the time you notice this little detail, it’s probably too late for you. La Ciguapa has a hypnotic stare and can compel you deeper into the forest, toward her lair, where she… well, we don’t really know. But if we’ve learned anything on this tour of mythological monsters, its that women who lure their victims anywhere are pretty much guaranteed to have one thing on their minds. That’s right. Roasting your liver on a spit.

#1 Pishtaco

There are many vampiric legends in South America. The most commonly known is the urban legend of El Chupacabra, which is actually a very modern myth only dating back to the mid-90s. The so-called “goat sucker” is certainly a creepy creature, but it lacks the depth of history.

Peuchen

I’m giving the Peuchen an honourable mention here. This shape-shifting blood sucker myth originates from the Mapuche people, indigenous to Southern Chile. The Peuchen seems to be a kind of flying snake-bat with hypnotic powers, and it is bent upon one goal only. To feast upon your blood. The only people capable of defeating a Peuchen are the Mapuche medicine women. This pretty much hits every item on the terrifying mythological creature checklist.

Pishtaco

Now, back to the main event. Pishtaco are creatures similar to the vampire, but instead of your blood, they are after your body fat.

Legends of pale-skinned vampiric demons lurking in the Andes began to surface in Peru and Boliva during the 15th century. The creatures were said to attack unsuspecting travelers, draining them of their body fat, and leaving only an emaciated body behind. Interestingly, these demons were able to disguise themselves as colonial priests and doctors (and later aid-workers, archaeologists, or any other white interlopers)

The scariest part of this myth is the way it reflects the every day horror of living under Spanish colonialism for the indigenous people of Peru and Bolivia. Starvation and disease ravaged the local populations and seemed to spare the white colonizers. How else could indigenous people explain what was happening to their children? Beware the white-skinned people, they may be demons in disguise. History shows us how true this “myth” actually was.

Conclusion

Well, that’s our wrap up of the pre-Halloween creature feature! There are some conspicuous absences from the regions we’ve covered so far: I still haven’t looked into the United States, China, Russia, Japan, the Caribbean, or much of southern Europe. So that means, I’ll probably have to continue this exploration in the coming months. I’ll aim for once a week, and get back to my usual posting schedule with book reviews and posts about creativity, entrepreneurism, and–of course–the joys of science fiction.

Thank you for joining me on this tour! If you missed any of them, please check out the other posts in this series here:

5 Creepy Canadian Creatures You’ve Probably Never Heard Of5 Ghoulish Monsters of Serbian Folklore to Haunt Your Nightmares5 Fearsome Fae of the British Isles5 Hair-Raising Haunts of Korean Folklore5 Petrifying Persian Monsters You Don’t Want to Meet in a Dark Alley5 Blood-Curdling Beasts of Norse Mythology5 Uncanny Indian Creatures to Spice Up Your Nightmares5 Startlingly Strange Cryptids of African Myth5 Ancient Creatures of Australia and New Zealand



What is your favourite mythological creature?

Did I cover it during my tour, or is there somewhere else I need to explore? Let me know in the comments.

5 Ancient Creatures of Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand and known for having some of the weirdest, scariest creatures on the planet. From deadly ocean creatures, to poisonous snakes and spiders, to massive carnivorous reptiles, to pine-cones big enough to kill you, these countries don’t mess around in the flora and fauna department. So naturally, their mythological creatures are weird and wonderful(ly terrifying) too!

I found at least twenty mythological beasts from New Zealand alone, so really it’s not fair to clump the two countries together, but I have one more stop to hit before Halloween! Maybe I’ll have to make this feature a regular thing so we can do some more in-depth exploration of local monsters.

Anyway, here are the scariest creatures I found…

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#5 New Zealand’s Fairies

I’m cheating here and giving you a four-in-one deal. These creatures all fit together in the generic “fairy” category, and they’re very cool!

TE-TINI-O-HAKUTURI

A band of bow legged sprites that live in the forest for the sole purpose of seeking retribution for anything taken or desecrated without a proper offering to the forest spirits. They often take the form of insects or birds, and they are watching you.

PATUPAIAREHE

These fairies are usually human sized, with fair skin and bright red hair. They live in forested and mountainous regions. Interestingly, stories of these creatures seem to have been around since before white Europeans colonized NZ. Albino Maori children sometimes have pale skin and orange-ish coloured hair, and were once thought to be fathered by one of the patupaiarehe. These fair folk are extremely sensitive to sunlight, and are usually only found at night or on grey, misty days. They are said to lure humans with their ethereal fluting into the forest from which you may never return.

PAKEPAKEHA

These fairies, also fair skinned with red hair, are much smaller in stature. The gnome-like creatures are usually spotted riding down the river on a piece of wood or bark, and may be heard singing. White colonists of New Zealand came to be called Pakeha by the Maori people.

PONA-TURI

Grouping the pona-turi with the fairies is perhaps unfair. These pale skinned creatures are more like sea-goblins with long thin fingers and sharp claws, and a vampiric aversion to sunlight. At night, they pull themselves out of the waves and onto the shore to commit all kinds of mischief.

#4 Poua-Kai

The poua-kai are huge man-eating birds depicted with black and white wings with red crests. The creatures let out a terrifying cry, plunge out of the sky, pluck unsuspecting people right off the ground, and carry them away to their nests to imminent death by beak and talon. The scariest thing about the poua-kai is that this myth is based on a very real creature, the Haast’s Eagle which fed mainly on the flightless moa before they were hunted to extinction by humans. Moa’s being significantly larger than most people, it’s not much of a stretch to imagine the Haast’s Eagle moving on to human prey once its main food source was eliminated.

#3 Taniwha

What’s scarier than underwater dragons? Shape-shifting dragons that can disguise themselves as aquatic creatures before snatching unsuspecting bathers or fishermen, dragging them below the surface to be raped and/or devoured! There are many, many stories of the Taniwha. Sometimes they act as guardians, protecting an area or a person. But they are always to be feared and never to be trusted.

#2 Ape Men

Another combo deal for you!

YOWIE

The Yowie is the Australian version of the Sasquatch myth, a large upright ape-like creature sometimes spotted wandering around the woods. Unlike most Australian fauna, these guys don’t seem to be particularly malevolent. They just like to keep to themselves in forested areas and occasionally pose for poorly focused photographs.

MOEHAU/MAERO

The moehau or maero are a New Zealand variation on the bipedal gorilla of the forest myth. These creatures are more aggressive than the Australian ones, though. They are thought to be about the same size as a human man, with long shaggy hair covering their bodies and ape-like faces. They carry carry stone clubs, have long knife-like claws, and an appetite for human flesh. In the late 1800s a woman and a prospector were slain, the woman’s neck was broken and the man had been partially eaten. The attack was blamed on moehau.

#1 Yara-ma-yha-who

Don’t let the cutesie, yodeling name fool you. The Yara-ma-yha-who is a terrifying creature. Australia’s own home-grown vampire which comes from Aboriginal mythology and is likely older than the European versions. While it doesn’t quite have the same sex appeal as modern vampire stories, the Yara-ma-yha-who is guaranteed to terrify. This creature is a squat, red frog-like demon with a huge mouth and no teeth.

How does it drink blood, you ask? Well…

The Yara-ma-yha-who waits in a fig tree for an unsuspecting traveler. Then it drops out of the branches and wraps it’s arms and legs around its victim, like a four legged octopus. As if that’s not bad enough, each of the creature’s hands and feet have a blood-sucking mouth on them. This thing sucks its victim dry with it’s leech-like appendages.

After gorging itself on the blood of a human victim, the Yara-ma-yha-who will take a nap, wake up and vomit the contents of its stomach up on the ground, crawl back into the tree, and wait for another victim.

Sometimes it will leave the victim alive, which is good news! Unless of course, you are attacked again. If your blood is sampled too many times, you may become one of the Yara-ma-yha-who, yourself.

Conclusion

And you thought giant spiders and salt-water crocodiles were bad! Have you ever visited Australia or New Zealand? Better yet, are you from there? Did I miss any of your favourite cryptids or mythological monsters? Let me know in the comments!

If you enjoyed this piece, come check out some of the other Fantastic Beasts from around the world: Canada, Serbia, the British Isles, Korea, Persia, Scandinavia, India, and Africa.

Thanks for reading!

5 Startlingly Strange Cryptids of African Myth

Africa is a vast continent with 3000 different ethnic groups, speaking more than 2000 different languages. Each of these groups has their own local myths and legends, some of which blend with those of nearby groups, and some of which are completely unique. To narrow this sea of myths and legends down to a top five list is a laughable feat.

I’m going to try, anyway, and at some point I would like to come back and explore these myths in more detail by region. If you’d like to see more or know of something I’ve missed, let me know in the comments!

If you enjoy African mythology I highly suggest reading some Nnedi Okorafor who writes fantasy which draws on some of these myths and is simply one of my favourite storytellers. I recommended Who Fears Death for adults and Akata Witch or Binti for Young Adult.

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#5 Ninki Nanka

The Ninki Nanka is a reptilian creature with a crocodile-like body, a long giraffe-like neck, and a horse-shaped head with horns. Did you just picture a dragon? So did I! This one lives in the swamps and rivers of West Africa. The swamp dragon is huge and probably thinks nothing of chomping off your head for a snack. Naturally, parents use tales of the Ninki Naka to keep disobedient children from wandering off into the swamp without a grown up. I would have thought the crocodiles would be enough, but hey. Kids will be kids.

#4 Inkanyamba

The Inkanyamba is a river monster of the Zulu people in South Africa. It is said to look like an enormous eel, sometimes with a snake head or with a horses head. It is believed that the Inkanyamba can control the weather. The creatures travels between its home at the base of Howick Falls and other bodies of water and is most often spotted in misty conditions. The Inkanyamba may be inspired by real life giant eels, and enlarged by myth. Or perhaps there is something else lurking in the primordial ooze. Either way, the Inkanyamba is blamed when livestock go missing and for the seasonal storms that ravage the area.

#3 Bouda

The Bouda are the most terrifying shape-shifters I came across while researching African myths, although they aren’t unique to Africa. They stories vary by region, but Bouda are half-man half-hyena, and are particularly blood-thirsty creatures.

Often, werehyenas are thought to be witches or wizards who have learned to transform themselves in order to hunt the countryside at night. In Ethiopia, for example, blacksmiths are thought to be witches with the power to become Bouda. Blacksmithing is a hereditary trade, and therefore the mysteries of the craft are kept secret from outsiders, which invites suspicion.

Werehyenas are cannibalistic creatures who particularly enjoy terrorizing lovers and children.

As these myths travelled into Arabia, they transformed again, so that all hyenas are vampiric creatures who stalk the night, mesmerizing their victims with their eyes before they attack.

# 2 Adze

Speaking of vampires, the Adze is one type of African vampire from the Ewe people of Togo and Ghana. Rather than a bat, this vampire transforms into a firefly before feeding on its sleeping victims. It will transform back into a human when caught, however they are still dangerous. Adze are thought to be the spirits of witches who can possess other humans when they are in their human form. Possession by an Adze was used to explain all sorts of human behaviour and experiences from jealousy to poverty. In their firefly form, the Adze transmit disease, and were blamed for sudden epidemics of malaria and other illnesses.

#1 Popobawa

The Popobawa is a shape-shifting spirit which can take the form of an animal or a human. It’s name literally means “bat wing” because it often appears as a demon with bat wings. The Popobawa is a relatively new myth, perhaps better described as an urban legend. It caused mass hysteria in the 1990s when a rash of attacks by the creature were reported.

Sometimes the Popobawa is blamed for poltergeist-like activity in a home, or for physical assaults that happen at night. Men, women, and children have all been reported to be attacked by the Popobawa. But the most feared aspect of these creatures is their sexual attacks. The bat-winged demons sodomize their victims, and then threaten to come back and do it again if the victim doesn’t tell the rest of the community what happened. Popobawa are particularly fond of raping those who don’t believe in them. This might explain why the stories took off so quickly, and it makes you wonder… if there is no such thing as a Popobawa, who is creeping into peoples homes and assaulting them at night?

Conclusion

That’s the end of this round of mythological African beasts! I chose these particular creatures because I thought they were the creepiest coming up to Halloween. But Africa has so many I could easily do another two or three articles! There are enough dinosaur-like monsters to have a feature of their own…

If you enjoyed this feature, be sure to check out the rest of this series as we explore the legendary monsters of the world. So far we have been to Canada, Serbia, the British Isles, Korea, Persia, Scandanavia, and India.

Where will we stop off next? You decide! Let me know in the comments.

5 Uncanny Indian Creatures to Spice Up Your Nightmares

India is a continent rich with history and mythology (and spices!). As with any decent pantheon of gods and goddesses, India also has its fair share of monstrous creatures. Many of them are benign and protective spirits. But there are a few Indian fiends you definitely don’t want to meet on a lonely road. terrifying

I was drawn to Indian mythology thanks to a middle grade fantasy book I read with my children, which makes use of many of these creatures (and more!) and which made me realize how much popular culture is missing out on by its unmovable fascination with western culture. Check out The Serpent’s Secret: Book One of Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond for an absolutely fantastic read loved by both my kids and me!

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#5 Hanuman

Hanuman is the great monkey general of a monkey army, depicted as a huge ape with a red face who walks upright like a man. He has the magical ability to fly and to change his size at will, but he has been cursed to forget about this unless he is reminded of his magic.

Like Icarus, Hanuman once flew up and tried to seize the sun, mistaking it for a big juicy fruit. The king of the gods, Indra, struck him down with a bold of lightening to the jaw. Like any good trickster figure, Hanuman was not to be dissuaded from his mischief and he continued to cause trouble. A band of powerful sages got together to place the curse upon him.

Even without his powers, though, Hanuman was a brave creature. He commanded his monkey army to aid Rama in his battle against the demon Ravana, king of Lanka. After being reminded of his powers by the king of bears, Hanuman charged into the fray and lit the entire city of Lanka on fire with his tail (which had been set alight). He stole a mountain of the Himalayas full of healing herbs and delivered it to Rama’s wounded army.

Due to his service to Rama (who was an avatar of Vishna), Hanuman is worshiped in temples devoted to Rama or to Hanuman himself. Because monkeys cannot be mistreated in these places they can often be found congregating within and near Hanuman’s temples as real life reminders of his bravery.

Turns out he wasn’t such a bad guy, but a giant monkeys with monkey armies at his command is not a creature to be trifled with.

#4 Timingila

The mythological Timingila (not to be confused with the word Timingilam which in the Tamil language means “whales”) is a massive sea-creature lurking in the depths of the ocean. Not much is known about the Timingila, but they appear to be a species of enormous shark (like Megalodon) or whale (like Leviatan) which is so large it can swallow whales whole.

I don’t have any cool stories about these guys, probably because anyone who encounters one of the gargantuan shark-beasts is no longer around to tell the tale.

#3 Nagini

The Nagini of Indian mythology are the females of a race of snake deity called the Naga. Both male and female Naga can shape-shift between human and snake form, most often preferring the shape of a hooded cobra. Nagini are said to be exquisitely beautiful women, and they were considered the ultimate marital catch.

However, the Nagini sometimes act as succubi, seducing and killing men in order to become more powerful. And you definitely don’t want to make these ladies angry. If their lover is murdered, the Nagini are said to be relentlessly in their pursuit of revenge.

The most famous Nagini is Manasā, of Hindu mythology, the goddess of snakes. Manasā is worshiped as a fertility goddess and invoked to protect against snakebites. She may be depicted as a woman covered in snakes or standing on the back of a snake. Her face is often surrounded and shaded by the hoods of seven king cobras at her back.

Manasā remains half-mortal and is bitter than Shiva did not make her a goddess. She is kind to those who worship her and can be very cruel to those who do not. She is often portrayed as being vicious and foul-tempered.

J.K. Rowling borrowed from these myths in order to create Voldemort’s side-kick, Nagini.

#2 Rakshasa

Rakshasa are Hindu/Buddhist demons or goblins. Ravan, the demon King of Lanka, is one of the most famous Rakshasa and is the main villain of the Ramayana. Rakshasa can have super strength, change their size, and can shape-shift at will to assume human and animal forms (or any terrifying creature they can dream up.) Of course, the Rākṣasī (females), love to transform into beautiful women. And we all know how that’s going to turn out…

As with all self-respecting demons, the Rakshasa are most powerful at night. The New Moon phase in particular is one to be wary of. These creatures haunt cemeteries and tombs, eating corpse-flesh and sucking cows dry of milk.

Pūtanā, a female demon, tried to kill Krishna when he was a babe by offering him the poisoned milk of her breasts. This didn’t go so well for her, as the infant immortal sucked the life right out of her (breast-feeding mothers around the world know this fear.)

#1 Pishachas

One group of flesh-eating demons wasn’t enough, so the Brahma created the Pishachas, too. These creatures can be found lurking in the shadows of cemeteries and charnel houses, quietly infecting all who pass near them with disease and madness, or devouring the bodies of both the living and the dead. They are drawn to places where violent death has occurred, and have a penchant for the flesh of pregnant women.

Villagers in southern India will often carry a piece of iron or neem leaves in their pocket to ward off these demons if they have to travel any dark roads through the forest at night.

Thankfully the creatures can’t abide sunshine or bright lights, so we don’t have to fear them during the daylight hours. You might want to sleep with a night light from now on.

Honorable Mentions: The Manticore v 1.0

So, I included the Manticore in my list of Persian monsters and it turns out the Persians actually borrowed this particular fiend from India after Pliny the Elder failed to do his due diligence and included the mythical creature in the Naturalis Historia. The Manticore immediately embraced its claim to fame and has been popping up in world literature ever since. I thought I should mention that here in case anyone is wondering why I neglected this truly monstrous, flesh-eating beast.

Conclusion

Giant shark-beasts, snake women, monkey warriors, and flesh-eating demons… what’s not to love (and fear) about the mythological creatures of India. Had you heard of any of these? Which is your favourite? Let me know in the comments!

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out the others in this series. Come take a peek behind the dream-veil at the stuff nightmares are made of!

So far we have visited Canada, Serbia, the British Isles, Korea, Persia, and Scandinavia. Also, if you have any suggestions for where we should stop next on our terrifying tour of world monsters, I’d love to hear it!

5 Blood-Curdling Beasts of Norse Mythology

It’s Monday, and time for another week of nightmare inducing monsters from around the world. So far we have seen creatures from Canada, Serbia, the British Isles, Korea, and Persia.

Today we’re stopping by northern Europe to investigate the ancient tales of the Viking bards, or skalds. My husband suggested today’s topic, as our kids love learning about their Viking heritage and the myths and legends of Scandinavia.

He brought up Beowulf and Grendel. Beowulf is a fabulous story and Grendel is one of the most famous monsters in literary history. However, it is actually an Old English story set in Denmark and Grendel is based on Christian mythology rather than Nordic. So you won’t find Grendel on this list.

Unlike some mythological creatures of the world, many of those from Norse Mythology are still very much with us today. The Dwarves, Elves, Trolls, and Giants that we are familiar with all come from Nordic myths, and were popularized by the fantastic canon of J.R.R. Tolkien.

But these are not the creatures that I want to share with you, either. We want the weird, forgotten monsters that haven’t heard of yet. The things that could be lurking in the dark which you didn’t even know you should be afraid of.

So here you go…

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#5 The Mare

Whether or not you know it, you have been visited by one of these creatures. The Mare are malevolent spirits that creep into your bedroom at night, perch upon your chest, and torment you with cruel dreams.

Sometimes the Mare is depicted as an entity conjured by a sorcerer or enchantress in order to punish their victim for some misdeed. It was often thought that the Mare were disembodied spirits of living people, which went wandering at night, unbeknownst to their hosts. The spirit of a witch, for example, might take the form of an animal and go exploring while she was in a trance. Children, too, have restless souls that like to wander while the child is sleeping.

These creatures are the origin of our word for bad dreams, or “nightmares.”

#4 Fossegrim

The Fossegrim, or simply the Grim, are a kind of male water spirit that is especially connected to rivers and waterfalls. They are associated with music, and considered the most accomplished fiddlers on earth. The Grim plays the fiddle with such precision that it can imitate the sounds of nature from trees rustling to birds chirping or the burbling of a stream. Their skills were highly sought after by those who desired to master the instrument.

The Fossegrim might be convinced to teach a person, too, if the right offering was made. But if the supplicant’s sacrifice was deemed unworthy, the Fossegrim would drag their hand and fingers over the strings until they bled and the flesh peeled away from the bone.

The music of the Fossegrim is said to be so beautiful that it would lure women and children away from their villages to the water, where they would drown.

#3 The Huldra

The Huldra are a type of sinister elf which would appear as–you guessed it–a beautiful young maiden. These apparitions had flowing white gowns, fair skin, and long pale hair and were commonly found dancing atop burial mounds. If a man saw a Huldra dancing, he would become entranced and approach them… not a great idea.

Of course, the Huldra only appear to be beautiful young women. In reality they are hideous creatures with skin like tree bark and a cow-like tail. Their mission was to entrance a human man and get him to marry her. She could maintain the glamour at all times, except for her back where her true skin and tail were visible. If the man saw her tail, the glamour would be destroyed and he would see her for her monstrous self. If this happened, she would kill him.

If she managed to trick the man into marrying her, she would enslave him, use him for sex, drive him to madness, and eventually kill him anyway. So maybe it’s better to ask your fiancé to lift her skirts before you tie the knot officially? I can imagine more than one Nordic lad of old used that excuse to get past second base.

#2 Kraken

Maybe not the most obscure creature on the list, but certainly one of the most terrifying, is the Kraken. As sea-faring people, it is only natural that the Nords would have at least one or two blood-curdling beasts said to be lurking beneath the waves. The Kraken were one of two main nemeses of Nordic sailors. Jormungandr, one of the children of Loki, was one of them. We’ll discuss it in the bonus section.

The Kraken were sea-monsters so huge that their bodies were sometimes mistaken for islands. When an approaching ship landed upon its shores, the island would suddenly sink into the water, creating a massive vortex of swirling water and suck sailors and boats into the ocean’s depths.

The Kraken were depicted as huge squid-like creatures. Some stories tell of ships pulled beneath the waves by great, crushing tentacles. Its possible that these myths were inspired by the discovery of the bodies of actual Giant Squid washed up on shore which, thousands of years ago, would have been considered beasts of mythic proportions.

#1 Draugr

Draugr are creatures that blur the line between zombies and vampires, and they are probably the creepiest creatures on this list. Draugr are the rotten corpses of long-dead people, often found in crypts and tombs and sometimes thought to be guarding the deceased’s valuables. Draugr have inhuman strength, can magically alter their size, and will kill and eat anyone that they catch on their cryptic turfs.

The Draugr can cause madness in anyone who stumbles across them, and were even blamed for madness in animals thought to have been eating too close to one of their burial mounds. They were said to be shape-shifters (one of the creatures they can transform into is a Mare), and to have magical abilities like those of witches and sorcerers. If a Draugr visited you in your nightmares it would leave a token for you to find when you awoke, assuring you that it was indeed not a simple dream.

Draugr can live on for many centuries, but they are not invincible. You can kill them by lighting them on fire, like the Windigo, or if their reanimated bodies are destroyed via dismemberment or simply un-living until they rot away completely.

Bonus Monsters!: Loki’s Children

Loki himself is not really a villain in Nordic mythology so much as he is a trickster. His children, however, born of the monstrous union between Loki and the giantess Angrboda.

Fenrir

Fenrir was a huge, savage wolf so fearsome that even the Gods dared not challenge him. It was said that no chains could contain the beast. One day the Gods held a meeting and decided that something must be done about Loki’s son before he ravaged all of the eight worlds.

Loki refused to have anything to do with it, so the Gods decided to try to trick the wolf-beast. They told Fenrir they wanted to play a game in which he tried to escape from various bonds. Fenrir agreed, knowing that no chains could hold him. After he effortlessly broke free of a number of restraints, the Gods brought out a thin, fragile looking chain. These had been made by the Dwarves, and thought they appeared light they were unbreakable. Fenrir, being suspicious, asks for one of the Gods to place a hand inside his mouth while they tied him, as a demonstration of trust. The God Tyr volunteered, although he knew he would lose his hand, and Fenrir was bound. He is still bound today, awaiting Ragnarok, when he will be freed and will seek his revenge upon the Aesir Gods.

Jörmungandr 

Jörmungandr is also known as the Midgard (World) Serpent. When Odin discovered Loki’s monstrous children he banished Jörmungandr to the ocean where he hoped the creature would do less harm. But Jörmungandr grew and grew until he surrounded the whole world, which is where it got its name. The beast encircles the world, biting its own tail, and it is said that when Jörmungandr releases its tail, Ragnarok will begin.

There is a legend in which Thor goes fishing with the giant Hymir and accidently catches Jörmungandr, thereby winning a bet about who would catch the biggest fish. When Thor is about to slay Jörmungandr with his magic hammer, Mjölnir, the giant panics and cuts the line allowing the serpent to escape.

Hel

The giantess Hel is Loki’s only daughter. She is said to have been half beautiful woman on one side of her body, and half corpse on the other side. As such, Odin banishes her to rule over the underworld Helheim. The Nordic Hel is different from the Christian Hell, as it is more like a continuation of life for those who don’t ascend to Valhalla by dying valiantly in battle.

Hel, took, awaits Ragnarok, biding her time until she can seek vengeance upon the Gods of Asgard. She will ride upon them with Loki and an army of the dishonorable dead at her back. Odin had better watch out for this one!

Conclusion

Well, what do you think of these baddies from the tales of ancient Nordic skalds? Would you be able to sleep at night knowing Draugr and Mare haunted the darkness around you? Which one is your favourite?

Where shall we travel next?