Cthulhu

 

This is one of the most fearsome cosmic beings named Cthulhu. A creation by the author H. P. Lovecraft, introduced in a story "The Call of Cthulhu" published in Weird Tales magazine in 1928. There are many such cosmic entities by Lovecraft and Cthulhu is called The Great Old One. Born on the planet Vhoorl, found at the 23rd nebula, Cthulhu went to the star Zoth and gave forth children, the Star Spawn of Cthulhu. He went to Saturn, then he landed on Earth where he created the city R'lyeh on land in the Pacific Ocean. Deities from Earth called Elder Things disapproved, and waged a war against the alien Cthulhu, until finally both came to an agreement. Cthulhu entered the alienlike city of R'lyeh and fell into the deep long sleep, but he was able to communicate with humans in dreams. A doomsday cult of Cthulhu appeared, full of worshippers of the cosmic monster. R'lyeh was destroyed, making it disintegrate and sink into the sea. Cthulhu continued to sleep in the sunken city at the bottom of the ocean and it was believed Cthulhu would wake up and return.   

There's a following of Cthulhu that worship this creature, which is described as immortal and gigantic with features of a dragon and an octopus.  This entity among other similar cosmic monsters once ruled the solar system but have been under a long spell sleep. Such beings filled the readership with all kinds of dread including nightmares, paranoia and psychosis. Cthulhu has become almost mythical in modern times, as the character inspires emotions, imagination and even dark ideas that make some people feel differently towards life. The ultimate monster that comes from horror sci-fi fiction although seems to fill everyone with awe and terror. It could be because generally people fear the unknown. Also humans have been led to think they're the centre of the universe but Cthulhu reminds them that they're small and insignificant. 

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Stygai

 In the furthest east of the continent of Essos, found in the series A Song of Ice and Fire, there is a vast region called The Shadowlands and a ruined city named Stygai. It's also called City of Bones, Corpse City and City of Night. It's located in the Ash River and in the mountains, and this place is said to be the birthplace of dragons. It's miles away from the port city of Asshai at the coast. Further inland, Stygai is in the vale of the shadow, exactly where the river forks. Nearby is a landscape of ghost grass, so-called because of its long invasive white stalks that poisons other plants. It's believed that ghost grass contains the trapped souls of the dead. Stygai is a ruined city where even shadowbinders fear to wander up there. In Stygai its said there's frightening statues because many such statues that found elsewhere originally came from the Shadowlands. Its believed that the further east from Asshai you go, the more twisted and scary the creatures become. The Ash River itself is black during the daytime but glows green at night, which is full of monstrous creatures including blind deformed fish. The water of the Ash river is too toxic to drink. It's said that the ruined city is haunted but no one has ever come back from there to describe it in more details. The ruined city of Stygai only experiences a little amount of sunlight at noon but spends the rest of the time in dreadful darkness. 

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The Flying Dutchman

One of the most chilling stories of the sea is about a ghost ship called The Flying Dutchman. Many have witnessed it. For centuries people have seen this terrifying ghost ship. However it's said that if anyone should witness it, there would be a bad omen. The ghost ship is often said to sail the seas forever. It's believed that the ghost ship's captain is Hendrick Van Der Decken or even Captain Falkenberg, who tried sailing around the dangerous waters of South Africa. Many sailors dread the sail around Cape of Good Hope, as this is where two different winds collide. The place has caused thousands of shipwrecks and the region is known to be a ship graveyard. So the captain of The Flying Dutchman was believed to have made a pact with the Devil, causing the demise of the voyage ship and death of everyone on board, while the ship itself is spending eternity sailing the waters. Some of the eyewitnesses of the Flying Dutchman include the future King George V who saw it when he was a kid. He remembered it as being a phantom ship glowing with a strange red light. This was also witnessed by dozens of other people, and one died soon afterwards. Its' believed that The Flying Dutchman was last seen during WW2, where it was quite active, seen by many witnesses including those from German submarines. It isn't the sort of phantom ship anyone wants to see as it's called a harbinger of death. 

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Jack the Ripper

One of the most mysterious serial killers ever was Jack the Ripper. The Whitechapel district of London was haunted by an unknown evil killer between 1888 and 1891, who preyed on women and mutilated their bodies. No one knows exactly how many victims of Jack the Ripper there were but officially it was five victims. They were named Mary Ann (Polly) Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly. 

Polly Nichols was from a working class background, who later married and had five children. Their marriage wasn't happy, as they separated and Polly moved out and left her children with their father. It was believed she was a heavy drinker and entered a workhouse, and also dabbling in prostitution. She had been in trouble with the police. She encountered the unknown killer and lost her life age 42.

The next victim was a woman named Annie Chapman, who was murdered at the age of 48. Chapman was from a middle class family who moved around. She was born out of wedlock, and sadly she was addicted to alcohol since she was a child, but later married a coachman, then became a housekeeper in a manor house. She had three children but one passed away of an illness and this caused a lot of pain. The couple resorted to alcohol and Annie got into trouble with the police. She lost custody of her remaining children after leaving her husband, then her life went downhill. 

The next victim was Elizabeth Stride, who was 44 when she was murdered by Jack the Ripper. Originally from Sweden, Elizabeth learned to speak English and also Yiddish, while have a relationship with a policeman. Later she married a carpenter, and they both ran a coffee shop. Things seemed rosy for a while but that faded, and financial troubles happened. The shop was sold and their marriage broke down. Elizabeth ended up in a workhouse but was discharged because bronchitis, but then she became penniless. She found income through sewing, cleaning and prostitution. Her dependence of alcohol led to her getting into trouble, and tragically she was murdered. 

Another victim was Catherine Eddowes, from a large family but was orphaned at 15 when her parents died. All the kids were sent to an orphanage and a workhouse, but she moved to Wolverhampton and lived with her aunt. She was educated and well read. There was a fling with a soldier that caused her to get a tattoo on her arm. The couple moved to London and started a family, but the relationship turned violent. She left although times were hard and then for her it was a fatal end. 

The final victim we know is Mary Jane Kelly, nicknamed Ginger, Black Mary and Fair Emma. The youngest victim age 25, who was originally from Ireland. At 16 she married a coal miner, then no records mention a lot. She moved to London and work in a tobacconist shop, although its believed she had tried prostitution before then. She moved into lodgings with a boyfriend although there was no rent being paid and a lot of aggression was happening between them. Again after a break up, her life spiralled downwards and she was murdered. It seems all of the five victims have similar patterns, their lives all ending horribly in a dark dismal London street. They all struggled to maintain jobs, homes and even relationships. All of them come from broken homes and were desperate. Jack the Ripper was a predator, who targeted these lost women. Today the actual killer remains unknown. 

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Lilith

Lilith is a famous character from the myths of Mesopotamia and Jewish mythology. She's considered to be the first woman and the first wife of Adam. However, she wasn't actually a human being. She was regarded as a demon, sent away from the Garden of Eden. She was an aggravator and a trouble for Adam. Described often as the first female entity to sleep with Adam, but there was always something monstrous about her nature, physiology and behaviour. She's mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Book of Isaiah, Babylonian Talmud, Book of Adam and Eve, Zohar Leviticus and also in Mandaean mythology. Whatever she was, she was described as a "night hag," "night creature," "dark maid" and "screech owl" even. Her name was mentioned among a list of animals in Isaiah 34. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, Lilith is a term for a type of monster. The Akkadian language translates Lilith as meaning "spirits". There were of course the Lili she-demons of Sumerian mythology. These entities are referenced as plague carriers or air-born disease spreading spirits using the wind to travel far and wide, as mentioned in cuneiform writings of Mesopotamia. She was also believed to have been a member of the Lilitu, female storm demons. Lilith is associated with serpents and birds. She was portrayed as being bird footed, winged and residing in trees. She appears in the Latin Bible as a form of Lamia, a monstrous snake woman that devours children. 

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Deadman's Island

Deadman's Island is found in the wetlands of Kent, England. The location is strictly off limits to the public, and is a protected area for wildlife but there is a very creepy side to it. Found in the River Medway that passes through it, there's an island which is submerged under water but when the tide changes, it reveals a massive grave. It's littered with broken coffins and skeletons. During the 18th century, a number of prisoners were kept in hulks, but a disease broke out and many died, including children. Also many of the bones belong to French soldiers who were kept as prisoners during the Napoleonic wars. They were simply buried there. The tides exposed the graves and they were often reburied again and again until the site became too corrosive. While the island is a huge graveyard, there are legends of phantoms and hell hounds that dwell there. Today the island is off limits although some journalists have passed it, and those kayaking will go near there. It's a banned place, because its treacherous, dangerous and also a protected nature reserve. 

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