Around the world, every country and culture has its own myths and legends. However, what’s more likely to cause a chill to go up the spine than the tales themselves are two very odd facts; 1) many of these monsters outdate even written records, and 2) many cultures recount legends of the same monsters, despite not having an opportunity to share their stories with each other.
Before we give you sleepless nights, it’s important to point out that even if the monster fits one particular format, it does differ slightly between cultures. In fact, linguistics can serve as a useful analogy. For instance, people in the UK and the US speak the same language, but the dialects make this one language look very different depending on if it’s UK or US-centric.
And just like language, our myths and legends are constantly evolving to better reflect culture and society as it is now. For instance, lights in the sky, mysterious flying objects and wise beings coming down from above to impart knowledge may well be identified as visiting aliens today, but centuries ago people might have regarded this phenomenon as gods and angels.
Language Insight rounds up some of its favourite myths to have been recorded all across the world, and considers what may have prompted these widespread beliefs to span both geographic and cultural boundaries.
Vampires
Vampires have become incredibly popular in the last decade, thanks to the success of romantic movies and novels like Twilight and True Blood, indie films like Let the Right One In and traditional horrors like the continued popularity of Dracula. However, the vampire legends they’re based on date back thousands of years and can be found all over the planet.
Although most vampire tales talk of a male antagonist, today there are those who believe they all originate from a single female character; Lilith. According to some theories, she was the first wife of Adam, making her the first woman. However, unlike Eve she was formed from the earth and not one of Adam’s ribs, and so did not consider herself his subordinate. For this reason she was banished from Eden and her children were born demons.
This is what the vampire was first seen as; a demon or evil spirit. In these post-Twilight times some now regard the vampire as a cursed, tortured and ridiculously-attractive soul, but this is a relatively recent image. Putting all the mythology to one side, the most likely explanation for cultures all over the world having believed in vampire-like beings at some time is that no matter where you live or what your faith, you will have experienced death at some stage.
Simply put, the common thread tying together all vampire legends is that the being died, rose again and has to feast on human blood to stay alive. However, the tragic origins of these tales are not at all sexy. Centuries ago, when people lived in small communities sharing resources, and where hygiene was not too high on the agenda, disease was able to spread like wildfire, causing plagues that would claim further towns. As a result, almost everyone had to deal with seeing and disposing of corpses.
Unusual things happen during the decaying process, such as blood appearing around the mouth, bloating, skin shrinking to give the illusion that the hair or nails have grown, or peeling off to reveal pristine skin below. Put all this together and add to that the fact a corpse may not have been disposed of quickly or adequately, so that people see it in this state, and it’s easy to understand why someone may think this unusually-healthy looking body appears to have been waking up and feeding on blood. Because dead bodies exist all over the world, in every culture and throughout time, so too do vampire legends.
Bigfoot
Giant apes are the most famous figures in the field of cryptozoology, arguably because they could be the missing link between apes and modern humans. The Himalayan Yeti and the Bigfoot of North America are the two most well-known examples of this phenomenon, but stories of similar beasts have been heard in many other parts of the world.
Just like with vampires, tales of giant apes have been told for thousands of years and by cultures across the planet. Settlements in the Himalayas once worshiped a wild man with characteristics similar to that of the Yeti, while the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest in the US told similar stories of huge, powerful apes.
Among the most commonly-cited evidence for the existence of these creatures are footprints left in the snow or dirt. Fossils, teeth and other physical evidence including hair and scalps have also been discovered and attributed to the legend. In addition, there are numerous people only too happy to share their stories of sightings. Even some well-known scientists, like the chimpanzee expert Dame Jane Goodall, have said they hope that such a thing exists.
How is it possible that stories of such similar creatures can exist in different cultures and languages all over the world? Unlike with the legends of vampires, it’s unlikely that these stories have evolved as a result of the misidentification of illnesses or decomposition.
There are numerous theories as to why stories about the Yeti and Bigfoot continue, even when no one has ever discovered the corpse of such an animal, or located solid scientific evidence to support its existence. Many of the sightings are put down to hoaxes, but some believe they may be evidence of the continued existence of an animal once thought to be extinct. In fact, a type of giant ape did exist during the same time period as the earliest humans, and having lived alongside these could explain a continued interest in the animals.
Werewolves
Another hairy creature to appear in myths and legends that date back centuries is the werewolf. Animals being depicted in human form and vice versa is something that can be traced back to the time of Stone Age man, and undiagnosed or misunderstood mental illness may have helped to further the myth of humans transforming into beasts.
These stories originated across large parts of Europe and shape-shifting tales of some form or another were being told before the advent of Christianity. The legends really became cemented in the public consciousness in the Middle Ages, with most of the stories at this time being heard across Europe. Again, fans of the paranormal use the fact that such similar stories have been heard across such large distances as proof that there is some truth in the existence of werewolves.
Unlike the Yeti, werewolves are believed to be men who transform into canines, typically during a full moon. Physically, the amount of damage this process would inflict on any individual undergoing such a transformation would probably kill them before they even had chance to get started terrifying villagers. So, what’s the explanation for these stories?
Many have argued that the reason werewolves are associated with a full moon is simply because more crimes were witnessed on these nights. Because the sky is lighter, visibility is clearer so people may think more individuals indulge in criminal behaviour during these times, when in fact it’s just that more of them are spotted doing so.
So, how can the transformation process itself be explained? One popular explanation is that werewolves are actually people suffering clinical lycanthropy. This is a psychiatric condition that causes the sufferer to believe they have the ability to transform into an animal. This belief is not limited to turning into a wolf, and a variety of other animals have also been cited.
A different theory to immerge is that of a combination of mass hysteria and hallucination caused by poisoning. Ergot, a type of fungus, is the most likely culprit, as it grows on rye grains and, when consumed, the alkaloids it produces cause a variety of physical and psychological symptoms. It has been suggested that in particular weather conditions, ergot tainted rye crops and the bread supply made from it, which led to whole towns suffering from poisoning. While one person may be so affected they hallucinate they are turning into an animal, others could experience feelings of extreme terror and prompt mass hysteria in others suffering from the condition. The result is a town-wide conviction the community has been attacked by werewolves.
Unfortunately, the fact that these stories cover such a wide geographical area and such a long timeframe, and that they almost always detail an attack by wolves, means this theory is not as convenient as it may at first seem.
As these examples show, there is often a scientific – and slightly boring – explanation for these legends being heard all over the world. To find out what could be behind the global popularity of other legends, check out tomorrow’s blog.
The post Myths, legends and monsters of the world (Part 1) appeared first on Language Insight.