Man eating plants have been a part of Brazilian folklore for centuries. Luckily these plants, as plants tend to be, were always generally passive. Peacefully awaiting their unlucky prey, they stood rooted in the ground until some aimless passer-by stumbled into their gaping petals and stuck, unable to pry themselves loose until the acids and poisonous perfumes did their duty.In recent years the sightings have taken a frightening turn. Possibly due to decades of toxic factory runoff, or maybe it's simple evolution and survival of the fittest. Whatever the cause, some carnivorous plants now seem to be capable of uprooting themselves and moving about, even running and overtaking men and beasts.The largest of all has been designated Botanicus Merderus and has been reported to grow over ten feet high and can run faster than a man at full speed. Filling it's largest jaw-pod with a full grown human in one swoop, it then seals it's mouth with a gluelike secretion and the victim soon suffocates. That's when the digestive secretions begin their job. Soon the pod breaks off and dries up, revealing a full, perfectly bleached skeleton, while a new pod grows to dominance.
[Illustration of Botanicus Merderus based on eyewitness accounts.]
[Sketch based on eyewitness accounts.]Rumors of snakes taking on extraordinary attributes are nothing new. Snakes are frightening enough in their own right, and from Africa to America to Australia to India rumors of extra large, extra intelligent, or extra poisonous snake creatures scare even the toughest of men.The Amazon already boasts a wide range of deadly creatures. Many scientists believe that less than half of the animals that live there have been scientifically documented. The encroachment of man and the elimination of the pristine forest is forcing many otherwise secluded creatures to become known, and not always to man's benefit.One rumored beast is a cobra snake who has evolved it's hood into wings similar to that of a bat, allowing it not only to glide, but to hover and fly under it's own power. Witnesses tell stories of the creature zooming in out of nowhere and adhering itself to the face of its victims, whose last horrific thoughts follow them into death as the venom quickly takes hold.
[Dogtopus Illustration based on seafarer legend.]We've all heard the legend of the seafarer Davey Jones, and the term "Davey Jones' locker" has permeated western culture, but few know of Davey Jones' Cocker Spaniel, "Rusty."Rusty was a true and loyal companion, who followed his master everywhere...including death and legend. His spirit fusing with that of a demon Octopus, Davey Jones' Cocker Spaniel howls with a gurgling, otherworldly echo that portends his master's arrival. Pirates and honest merchants know the howl means certain doom, and often try superstitiously to "pay off" Davey Jones' Cocker Spaniel with dry biscuits and other food scraps thrown overboard on moonless nights.
[Illustration based on eyewitness accounts.]In the past eight years over one hundred confirmed reports of a strange "Pig Beast" have been collected by authorities in the wooded town of Barre, Vermont. Often spotted by hikers or campers, many respectable and reliable witnesses claim to have caught a glimpse of a pig-like creature, usually during the quiet, dimly lit hours of dawn and dusk. Never reported as a nuisance or threat, the sight of a six-foot pig faced humanoid is still an unsettling shock to those lucky (or unlucky) enough to spot it. The creature, although terrifying in appearance, is by all accounts shy and docile, and flits away into the woods before witnesses are able to regain their composure enough to pursue it.Previous amateur expeditions have so far produced no concrete evidence of the Pig Beast's existence, but a new expedition by the famous monster-hunter Dr. Wilhelm Schneider is planned for the spring of 2010.
Montana is known for it's Rocky Mountain majesty, it's pristine wilderness, it's harsh winters, and it's abundant wildlife. Hunters, explorers and trappers have been braving the woods and mountains for decades in search of Earth's bounty; others seek solitude and a simpler life; while others still search for the legendary "Twin Peak," a two-headed mountain goat rumored to hold dominion over the wilds of western Montana.Although mountain goats typically have a lifespan of less than twenty years, sightings of Twin Peak have been reported for more than a century. Could there be a whole new species breeding and thriving deep in the wilderness, or is Twin Peak merely the figment of a crazed mountain man's mind?
[Illustration based on multiple eyewitness accounts.]
Basque country holds many wonders; a beautiful landscape, fascinating culture, centuries old traditions, and unique folk stories and legends. One folk story warns of a headless goat that roams the countryside seeking shepherds who have fallen asleep or otherwise mis-tended their flock. This haunted goat is said to scare the shepherd into such a state of confusion, shock and terror that he immediately slips into incurable madness.
[Illustration based on Basque folk legend.]
[Artist sketch based on eyewitness account.]The Great White North holds many mysteries. One of the most unusual involves a large spider-like being reported in a letter to one Miss Abigail McCarthy of Boston Massachusetts sent by a man named John Campbell in the Fall of 1896. The letter reads like a typical cordial correspondence of the times, but one line stands out above the rest:"...began normal enough...was alighted upon by the strangest of beings...creature out of the most dire and forgotten nightmares...walking like a man but possessing limbs and features like that of an insect..."
Seven feet tall with six full limbs and multiple eyes glowing fiercely in the dark, this creature was not given a name by it's gold seeking discoverer, but the description does closely match the child god Chokko-Amba of Inuit legend.
[Illustration of "The Treacham" based on eyewitness accounts.]Completely lacking rear appendages, the strange creature dubbed "The Treacham" pulls itself along the ground with powerful claw-tipped paws at the end of sinewy front arms. Rumored to be capable of moving just as swiftly in water, most reports find this creature dragging itself along dry land, waiting for an unsuspecting goat, small cow, or even a human being who may have stumbled unknowingly into its domain.
For over a century a creature known only as "The Gromb" has haunted those who would wander out into the rocky sun-baked areas of Western Nevada naive enough to think that the harsh elements were the worst of their fears.Early silver miners told a tale of a bear-sized beast with fangs as long as pick-axes and paws the size of wagon wheels hiding among the shadowed crevasses and natural rock caves that jutted the bleak landscape.
Most assume the stories were concocted to keep would-be claim jumpers and other competition away from the promise of silver and other valuable minerals, but others believe the stories hold some ancient truth, and that the spirit of a long forgotten Indian totem haunts the land seeking retribution for the sins of western settlers.
[Artist Sketch of "The Gromb" based on several eyewitness accounts.]
[Artist sketch of "Squishy" based on several eyewitness accounts.]Often appearing on cloudless mist-shrouded nights, "Squishy" has been haunting the wheat fields of Hutchinson Kansas since the mid 1950s. Often explained away by officials as "swamp gas" emitted from nearby marshes, sightings of the glowing apparition are often accompanied by unexplained electromagnetic phenomenon and have also been known to coincide with reports of crop circles and similar otherworldly signs.
