Good sleight of hand, or legerdemain, proves how easily the eyes are deceived. People often say, “Seeing is believing,” without acknowledging that what we see is part of our perception. And our perceptions are colored by our biases. It’s easier…
Tag: Halloween
Is this the oldest trial of a werewolf?
Peter Stubbe, known as The Werewolf Farmer of Bedburg, is an early werewolf villain who claimed to transform into a werewolf through the use of a bedeviled belt. Stubbe was tried and executed for his murderous crimes. While I enjoy a good werewolf scare as much as anyone, Stubbe would likely today be labeled a…
Otherworldly Words: Leviathan
Job 41: “Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope? Good question. But what’s the point? Something huge takes great endeavor would be my interpretation. This advice is good for writers, artists of all stripes, and fishermen. A word of caution….you may need a bigger boat.
Otherworldly Words: Hobgoblin
We all have fears, and the hobgoblin is a mythical representation of those fears. many of the creatures that people may have once believed in, to one degree or another, are easily explained away. The hobgoblin and his kin were the creatures of the night that whisked us away— and were used to warn children…
Otherworldly Words: Golem
Sometimes called a fetish or a voodoo doll, objects like a Golem are a sign of our wishes for supernatural interference in the natural world. Often, these moments are revenge for an act of injustice. We feel to weak or frightened to fill our own vendetta, or know that the authorities will not see to justice….
Otherworldly Words: Gall
Saying someone has a lot of gall is like literally saying they are filled with a bitter, disgusting fluid. Think about that. Many phrases are rooted in our physical reactions: ‘it gives me shivers’ or ‘I’m tingling all over.’ Such phases try to make concrete our feelings. But sometimes, like with gall, when you think a bit…
What scares you?
Fear is a powerful motivator …and inhibitor. But one person’s nightmare is another’s thrill ride. I’m not a fan of rats. But, I have friends who have pet rats. How do our fears—and their more extreme counterparts, phobias—define us and the characters we write about? How do we make some fears universal—or at least show how…
Otherworldly Words: Divination
Wishing to see the future, or divination, is a long sought-after talent. Whether that talent is a gift or a curse is still up to debate. Certainly, many of us would love the ability to see lottery numbers or stop the death of a beloved. Yet, in most tales of foresight, the moral often lies in…
Otherworldly Words: Deleterious
Deleterious is one of those words seldom used. When it is used, I think its context is often with health: “Smoking is deleterious to health.” It derives from the Greek, meaning to destroy. I mentioned in an earlier post that we have more words in our language to discuss negative emotions and aspects of life,…
Otherworldly Words: Charnel House
What to do with the dead? A charnel house is one answer to that question. We place the remains inside stone walls and sarcophagi to rest. But the real charnel house is in our memories, where the dead live on. Our minds keep the dead alive every time we think of them, speak their name, and conjure up…
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