Everyone knows about vampires, werewolves, mummies, dementors, swamp creatures, Bigfoot, and the creepy little girl who crawls out of your television if you watch the cursed videotape, but in order to find out about what terrors exist outside of a Hollywood screenplay, you’ve got to put in your time and do a little research.
- The Als, which are found in Afghanistan, are ghouls who appear as young, attractive women with hair that floats in the air and very long nails, who raid graveyards to feed upon the corpses of the dead. They are not inherently dangerous to the living unless they are unable to locate corpses, in which case they will stalk and attack the living to satiate their hunger. Villages that are either in the mountains or very close to them are most at risk, as the Als hide in deep mountain caves during the day in order to avoid the sunlight, coming out at night to feed. Their origins are unknown, although there is a persistent Afghan legend that holds the Als were originally a trio of identical sisters who lived deep in the mountains and turned to cannibalizing travelers one winter when their food ran out. For this sacrilege, a curse was placed upon them by Allah until the Day of Judgment. This story is usually regarded with skepticism, as they are more Als sightings over the centuries, in too many different locations, than can be accounted for by a mere three creatures.
- The Bolla, also called the Kulshedra, is a dragon-like creature with a massive body and nine tongues (take that, Gene Simmons) that resides deep in mountainous forests of Albania and sleeps the whole damn year, until Saint George’s Day (April 23rd). Saint George is the Patron Saint of Defense for All Those In Need, and is also recognized as Patron Saint of the Boy Scouts of America. At dawn on April 23rd, the Bolla awakens. Any human it sees will be instantly devoured. If it does not see a human, then it will hunt through the forest for the first living creature it sees, devour it, and then return to its den to sleep another year. At the end of a twelve year cycle, it rampages through the country, causing droughts and famine until a human sacrifice appeases it.
- The Rompo is a being made up of many parts that Heaven had left over after it had created all the other creatures that inhabit the earth. Found in Algeria, it is variously described as having the head of a rabbit, the ears of a man, the body of a horse, the legs of a bear, and the tale of a crocodile. They are said to be quite shy and difficult to locate, as their ridiculous appearance makes them avoid all contact with other creatures. The fact that they are nocturnal scavengers also adds to their reclusive nature. Generally speaking, Rompos usually feed off dead carcasses left behind by animal predators, or eat fish that they catch out of lakes and slow-moving streams. If food is scarce, they will approach human settlements in order to raid garbage dumps and trash cans, but will make every effort to avoid being seen and will run away at the if seen or confronted. They should not be pursued, however, as like any animal they can be extremely aggressive if trapped or cornered.
- In Andorra, there are reports of pumpkins that, for some unknown reason, have become afflicted with vampirism. Despite being vampires, they are completely harmless, as they have neither teeth nor any means of locomotion. All they can do is make loud growling noises whenever someone comes close. People ignore them, as they will soon rot away into nothingness.
- The Catoublepas is a powerful, bull-like creature whose head is so massive and heavy that it is unable to raise it, forcing it to constantly look down. This is actually a good thing, as its gaze will instantly kill anyone who makes eye contact with it. (This differs it from the Gorgon, whose gaze will slay anyone it looks upon, regardless of whether eye contact is made or not). The Catoublepas also has scorching breath which kills plants, forcing the animal to move quickly and hold its breath while it grazes in order to avoid killing the plants before it can consume them. The Catoublepas is rumored to have scales of iron, but the truth is that its flesh is so thick and hard that anything less than an armor piercing round fired from a military-caliber rifle simply won’t penetrate, and it also has the ability to rapidly heal from any near-fatal injury. Fatal injuries take a little longer.
- Generally found close to inhabited islands and settlements in the Arctic Ocean, the Selda is a half-woman, half seal mer-creature. (Mer-creatures of this sort are actually fairly common, although for some reason mermaids seem to get all the press) The Selda frequents isolated, rocky coastal regions and has the ability to transform itself into a fully human, stunningly beautiful woman with flowing dark hair. She only transforms in this manner when seeking a man to mate with. After the act of mating is complete, she will immediately return to the water. While normally harmless, she can be dangerous to women when she is seeking a mate. If she is unable to locate a willing man, she may attack women in an attempt to drive them off in order to seduce their husbands.
- The Ahuizotl is a creature that lives in the deep forests of northern Argentina. The creature appears half human and half monkey; heavily furred, walking upright, and possessing a long, prehensile tail. The tail has a human hand growing out of the end. Its mouth consists entirely of fangs, excellent for ripping off hunks of flesh and swallowing them whole. It is greatly feared as an eater of human flesh. Humans are its’ sole food and it will not consume plants or other animals, even if ravenous. It also will attack only live humans and completely ignores human corpses. The Ahuizotl spends nearly all of its time in the water and uses the hand on its’ tail to snatch either fishermen or those walking too close to the water’s edge. The tail and the hand attached to it are inhumanly strong and can drag even a grown adult into the water with ease.
- Andorra has vampire pumpkins. The nation of Belarus is sometimes plagued with vampire watermelons. Due to the fact that they lack both teeth and a means of locomotion, all they can do is lie harmlessly on the ground and growl menacingly at passers-by. The best course of action is to merely let them rot away, and not to eat them. Additionally, any vines that sprout up from the seed of a vampire watermelon should be burned, as any resulting watermelons will be similarly afflicted. These watermelons can be identified by small, red, bloodlike spots that appear on their surface.
- The Nereus haunts rivers and streams along the coast of Benin. It is a demon that takes the appearance of a wizen, undernourished old man. The ruse of appearing as a helpless old man allows it to elicit sympathy and support from those it meets. Upon meeting a person, usually at the bank of a river or stream, the Nerues would appeal to the traveler to carry him across the river on his back, saying that he is too old and weak to ford the river on his own. Once the traveler allowed the Nerues to climb onto his back, the Nerues would wrap his arms and legs around the persons’ torso and refuse to let go. Despite all efforts, the Nerues’ grip cannot be broken. After a time, the person will feel a great weakness as the demon drains the life from his body. This can take up to a week, and the demon will not release his hold until the person is dead.
The Nerues can be countered by two means: One, if someone does not allow the Nerues to climb onto his back, then the Nerues cannot latch hold of him. One of the rules or constraints the demon labors under is that it must be invited; it appears incapable of forcing itself onto anyone. This is in some ways similar to a vampire being unable to enter a dwelling unless invited inside.
Second, while the creature is strong, it can be injured. A case in point occurred in Africa during World War II, a downed Allied pilot was attempting to walk back to friendly territory when he came to a river. Sitting at the bank of the river was a wizened old man, who begged the pilot to carry him across. Readily agreeing, the pilot allowed the old man up onto his back. Upon reaching the other side, the pilot quickly discovered that, despite all his protests and entreaties, the old man would not let go. The pilot gave the old man a warning, which was ignored. The pilot then produced his sidearm, a Colt Model 1911 45-caliber semiautomatic pistol and fired a round into the old man’s knee, which was not ignored. Screaming in pain, the creature dropped off the pilot and tried to crawl away, but its’ speed was greatly hampered by its’ shattered knee. Following at a leisurely pace, the pilot proceeded to use the remaining rounds in his pistol to blow out the creatures’ remaining knee and both elbows, with a few rounds into its’ head for good measure.
- Found in Bhutan, The Mara is a demon who attempts to seduce men by tempting them with visions of beautiful women. Regarded as more of a nuisance and a test of one’s willpower rather than an actual threat, the best course of action is to simply ignore the visions, as the demon will soon become bored and turn its attention elsewhere. Those who do give into the temptation and attempt to seduce the Mara are treated to the sight of the women transforming into hellishly ugly women who will chase them while screaming at the top of their lungs. This greatly embarrasses the men, especially when the demon follows them home and gleefully recounts to their family exactly how the men surrendered to temptation. The demon will then disappear with a loud bang, a flash of light, and a puff of smoke that reeks of human flatulence. The men all undoubtedly wish that they could disappear as well.
The View From The Trenches 