Joshua Dowidat

Mythical Creatures: Mandrake

Hello Everyone,

Well many of us have seen some form of the Mandrake in movies or heard of them in tales. Unfortunately we have just experienced them as another part of a tale or as a character that has little explanation.

The Mandrake:

Any of you who have a little knowledge of the Mandrake know that it is a plant. More specifically a type of vegetable. And even more specifically an evil and conniving vegetable that is most often noted as a species of Mandragora. In America it is sometimes associated with the Mayapple.

The plant itself is poisonous to some extent. Used for concoctions to induce sleep or as an anesthetic. Tales are told of how an army abandoned their town to the invaders and left wine that contained some extract of mandrake. When the seizing army found it and celebrated their victory the town’s army returned and slaughtered Continue reading →

Mythical Creatures: Scylla & Charybdis

Hello Everyone,

So this blog actually covers two mythical creatures, Scylla & Charybdis. That is because they kind for work together if you know the tale and also because they are considered mythical monsters of the sea. This may be a little confusing since one resides on the land in a cave but the treachery she reeks on those who cross her path are usually seafarers.

Scylla & Charybdis:

Scylla & Charybdis are two mythical creatures that haunt seafarers in the Strait of Messina. Both were at one time beautiful women (Charybdis the daughter of a god) that were cursed to become creatures that terrorize sailors.

The strait is haunted my rocky shores and whirlpools from missing currents. Of course tales would be told that explain these dangerous situations to sailors. Also to strike fear in the hearts of any new seafarer who happened to sail the strait.

The tales Continue reading →

Mythical Creatures: Thunderbird

Hello Everyone,

Well here we go, first of the blogs with some sort of a different direction and since the overcast today was reminding of rain, I decided to touch base on the old Thunderbird to begin with.

Although I will be jumping around from different blogs at times, I did want to focus on these mythical creatures. I wanted to do this because sometimes when I do write my regular blogs, some of these mythical and eerie creatures are mentioned.

Hopefully this will be interesting for everyone and educational. Hopefully it will also clear up and wondering or help when these creatures show up in my “Haunted Places” or “Eerie for Thoughts.”

Thunderbird:

The Thunderbird gets its name from kind of obvious reasons. It’s a bird that comes with thunder. Although there are stories throughout ancient mythical history that are similar to the description of the Thunderbird, this one Continue reading →

A Quick Hello, Ideas for the Year Ahead

Hello Everyone,

I know everyone has not seen my posts on other media so as the title states that is what I am doing, saying a Quick Hello.

I have been extremely busy lately. Some of you who have been following me for some time and may have noticed that some of the blogs in the recent posts have been, recycled in a way. However, the blogs were some of my favorites. I do wish I could have managed more time to add new.

Quick Hello:

It will not be a long blog. I am exhausted from the day and have two tests at work coming up in the next week. After those are done, I am hoping that my time can slowly be put back into focusing on the blogs. Nice new, interesting, and of course ‘eerie’ facts, tales and other stories.

I know that I have been slacking Continue reading →

Just a Curiosity: Windcatchers

Hello Everyone,

Okay, so some times when I do research on a certain topic it takes me a very long time to finish because something else is mentioned and then I have to research that. This has been both a blessing and a curse. So while I was doing research on the Dreamcatchers a while back I stumbled across something that I thought was something else and had to share it. Windcatchers.

Now when most of us hear someone say Windcatchers, we usually think of those little spinning, colorful decorations that people place in their yards or that little kids carry around. However, the original Windcatchers go back a lot further than that.

Windcatchers:

Now I wish I would have thought about doing this one in the hot summer months but where I live it is still pretty warm. Over 100 degrees some days. And that is why the Windcatchers Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: Eclipse

Hello Everyone,

So I decided to not post this on the actual date of the eclipse because I felt like everyone was being a little bombarded with information about the eclipse that it might be a bit much. So on a different note about what this last eclipse actual means or what the stellar properties of the alignment are all about, I wanted to dive into the eerie aspects and talk a little bit about the myths and beliefs that eclipses have created.

Eclipse:

We all know, or at least most of us do, how the eclipses are caused. Typically, with us, on Earth, it is one stellar body moving in front of the sun, which is most often the moon. Hopefully, right. I mean if it wasn’t that would mean something else was getting awfully close.

Either way they are odd and often cause quite the spectacle as we Continue reading →

Dreamcatchers

Hello Everyone,

 

So I think I am going to touch base on some more random stuff between or last segment of blogs and the next batch that concentrates around a particular subject. Figured it would change it up a little bit for all the readers out there. And once again thank you for all your kind remarks and visitations to the site. So I was sitting at my computer the other day and putting together a list of interesting things and the first thing that came to mind was Dreamcatchers. Mainly because I have many of them in my home but also a rather large just above my computer that I purchased at “The Thing” tourist attraction in southern Arizona. I purchased it on my way back from the White Mountains and since then I have been fascinated with them.

 

Dreamcatchers Origin:

 

Most ‘original’ Dreamcatchers were from Continue reading →

Eerie for Thoughts: Gurdon Light

Hello Everyone,

Well, at least I was on top of this week as we once again discuss an eerie light phenomena. This haunting light resides, or is often seen, along the railroad tracks in Gurdon, Arkansas. That is why its called the Gurdon Light.

Once Again….Cars?

Like, many of the other lights we will be discussing in the next several blogs, or have already discussed, many people and investigators blame traffic in the distance. Although there is traffic on the nearby freeway it would not explain the various colors and motions that the Gurdon Light reportedly follows.

On that note the railroad tracks are also still in operation. But I imagine that anyone with a straight head could figure out that a train was coming at the same time the Gurdon Light appeared. A train would most likely consume the faint glow of the light anyways.

Gurdon Light:

As many Continue reading →

Kachina Dolls

Hello Everyone,

 

The Kachina Dolls date back further than many think and were traditionally ceremonial tools. In the 19th century is when they became more well-known throughout the United States as they were made to sell and trade with settlers. Now although some of them have what kind of appears to be an eerie look to me, I decided to keep them out of my Eerie for Thoughts segment and write about them as something else.

 

Kachina Dolls:

 

To the Hopi they are known as Katsina Figures. Which were the traditional deities of the Hopi people who had control over the natural elements such as rain. They also had a large amount of control on society. From this they could bring prosperity and good harvest to the people that were part of the culture.

 

The Hopi Nations are prominently in Northeastern Arizona and that Continue reading →