Creatures in the Mist: Little People, Wild Men and Spirit Beings Around the World : a Study in Comparative Mythology

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Algora Publishing, 2007 - 210 páginas
Varner brings together a medley of stories, myths, and folklore, sharing a fascination and respect for humankind''s early and contemporary cultures and wondering at similarities across the board. Here, he focuses on Little People and giants, animals and were-creatures, and the odd, helpful or threatening ways imputed to our earthly companions including dogs and cats, bats and spiders, and the stories people have told each other about them since time immemorial.

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INTRODUCTION
1
MERMAIDS WATER BEINGS
13
The Water Horse
23
THE FOREST FOLK
31
GIANTS
39
Children Childbirth
51
The Nature of Fairies
58
WILD MEN
71
THE OWL
145
THE DOG
149
Dog Symbolism
151
Black Dogs
153
Ghost Dogs
156
DogMen
157
THE CAT
161
THE BEAR
167

HORNED BEINGS
83
SPIRITS OF THE OTHERWORLD GHOSTS AND Vampires
89
The Vampire in Legend and Lore
93
WEREWOLVES NOT JUST IN TRANSYLVANIA
97
HARPIES AND OTHER CREATURES OF STORMS AND WIND
105
SPIRIT BEINGS OF THE ANIMAL INSECT KIND
109
Fairies
111
THE SNAKE
113
The Horned Snake
116
THE TURTLE AND THE TORTOISE
131
THE TOAD AND THE FROG
135
THE EAGLE AND THE RAVEN
141
THE HARE AND THE RABBIT
173
The Bat
177
THE SPIDER
181
THE BEE
185
AFTERWORD
189
Giants
190
THE FAIRY
191
THE WILD MEN
193
BIBLIOGRAPHY
195
64
207
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Página 64 - The land through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it, are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants : and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Página 64 - There were giants in the earth in those days ; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Página 19 - This morning, one of our companie looking over boord saw a mermaid, and calling up some of the companie to see her, one more came up, and by that time shee was come close to the ship's side, looking earnestly on the men : a little after, a sea came and overturned her : from the navill upward, her backe and breasts were like a woman's...
Página 20 - From the navel upward, her back and breasts were like a woman's, as they say that saw her ; her body as big as one of us, her skin very white, and long hair hanging down behind, of colour black. In her going down they saw her tail, which was like the tail of a porpoise, speckled like a mackerel.
Página 19 - If the people were frightened at seeing a man who could live in the water like a fish or a duck, how much more were they frightened when they saw that from his breast down he was actually fish, or rather two fishes, for each of his legs was a whole and distinct fish.
Página 72 - A young fellow is enveloped in leaves or moss and called the Wild Man. He hides in the wood and the other lads of the village go out to seek him. They find him, lead him captive out of the wood, and fire at him with blank muskets. He falls like dead to the ground, but a lad dressed as a doctor bleeds him, and he comes to life again. At this they rejoice and binding him fast on a waggon take him to the village, where they tell all the people how they have caught the Wild Man.
Página 47 - Devon) which frequently made its appearance in the form of a small child in the kitchen of the farm-house, where the inmates were accustomed to set a little stool for it. It would do a good deal of household work, but if the hearth and chimney corner were not kept neatly swept-, it would pinch the maid. The piskey would often come into the kitchen and sit on its little stool before the fire, so that the old lady had many opportunities of seeing it. Indeed it was a familiar guest in the house for...
Página 66 - The head of his battle axe a yard long, and the shaft of it all of iron, as thick as a man's thigh, and more than 2 yards long. " His teeth were 6 inches long, and 2 inches broad ; his forehead was more than 2 spans and a half broad. "His chine bone could containe 3 pecks of oatmeale. "His armour, sword, and battle-axe, are at Mr. Sand's of Redington, (Rottington) and at Mr. Wyber's, at St. Bees.
Página 116 - It seems that in some lands all existence began with a serpent. Despite the insistent, perhaps hopeful, assumption that the serpent must have been regarded as a phallic symbol, it appears to have been primarily revered as a female in the Near and Middle East and generally linked to wisdom and prophetic counsel rather than fertility and growth as is so often suggested.

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