In times past, when the villages of Tana Toraja were still extremely isolated and difficult to visit, it is said that certain people had the power to make a dead man walk to his village in order to be present at his own funeral. In this way, relatives of the deceased were spared the necessity of having to carry his corpse. One particular area, Mamasa ? West Toraja, was particularly well-known for this practice. The people of this area are not strictly speaking of the same ethnic group as the people of Tana Toraja. However, outsiders often refer to them as Toraja Mamasa. In many ways, the cultures of the two groups are similar, although they each have their own distingushing characteristics. In particular, the style of wood carving of the two groups is different. According to the belief system of the people of Mamasa, the spirit of a dead person must return to his village of origin. It is essential that he meet with his relatives, so that they can guide him on his journey into the after-life after the ceremonies have been completed. In the past, people of this area were frightened to journey far, in case they died while they were away and were unable to return to their village. If someone died while on a journey, and unless he has a strong magic power, it would be necessary to procure the services of an expert, to guide the dead person back to the village. This is not intended metaphorically-the dead person would be made to walk from wherever he had journeyed back home, no matter how far away that was. The corpse would walk stiffly, without any expression on his face, in the manner of a robot. If anyone addressed the dead man directly, he would fall down senseless, unable to continue his journey. Therefore, those accompanying the deceased on the macabre procession had to warn people they met on their path not to talk directly to the dead man. The attendants usually sought out quiet paths where the procession was less likely to meet with strangers. These days, the practice of walking the dead back to their place of origin has fallen out of currency. Good roads now connect the villages of Tana Toraja, and people tend to rely on more conventional means of transportation for bringing bodies back home. The ability to bring the dead back to life has not been entirely forgotten, however. Sometimes, even now, the deceased is made to continue breathing and seems alive until all his relatives are gathered around him.More commonly, the skill is practiced on animals. At a funeral ceremony, when a buffalo has been sacrificed and its head separated from its body, the body is made to get up and walk for as long as ten minutes. A demonstration of this sort proves to the audience that the ability to bring the dead back to life has not entirely passed from the community.

The coach-a-bower is based in Irish folklore. It is also called the Death Coach or Coshta- Bower. It is said to be a very large black coach that is pulled by six (6) black horses. Depending on the version you read the horses are sometimes headless and sometimes not. The driver of this death coach is said to be the Dullahan.  “Dullahans are headless. Although the dullahan has no head upon its shoulders, he carries it with him, either on the saddle-brow of his horse or upraised in his right hand. The head is the colour and texture of stale dough or mouldy cheese, and quite smooth. A hideous, idiotic grin splits the face from ear to ear, and the eyes, which are small and black, dart about like malignant flies. The entire head glows with the phosphorescence of decaying matter and the creature may use it as a lantern to guide its way along the darkened laneways of the Irish countryside. Wherever the dullahan stops, a mortal dies.”* The coach-a-bower is sometimes also seen with the banshee. Although the banshee belongs with a specific family the dullahan does not, and can call upon anyone from any family. His calls however are not warnings to the family they are the names of the souls he is calling for or the name of the person who is about to die. “There is no real defence against the dullahan because he is death’s herald. However, an artefact made of gold may frighten him away, for dullahan’s appear to have an irrational fear of this precious metal.”* Again this legend changes slightly depending on the version you read. Some say that if you hear the coach “It will go rumbling to your door, and if you open it, according to Croker, a basin of blood will be thrown in your face.”* Another version of the legend comes from a story that a lady personally retells her experience with the Coach-a-bower she says “They say that it is the devil himself who drives it and that the horses that pull it are all headless but that no mortal eye can see it as it goes past. Three raps on the window are a sure sign that death is in a house but if the coach only stops at a door then it is a signal that there will be a lasting sickness in that place. That was what I heard anyway.”*

Although this is based in folklore it is a legend that is widely know and widely feared. No matter what country’s death omens you look at, you will find the same thing. That most people both fear and respect the omen for what it represents. Death. I don’t know of any other word that can bring to mind so many different images and thoughts. Why are we interested in these stories? Why do we watch for these ancient signs? Why do so many people still believe in the old ways and the old superstitions especially when it comes to death? I believe the answer is simple. As humans we fear what we do not know. We fear what is inevitable. We fear what we have no control over and in the end that is what death is. The inevitable, unknown, uncontrollable journey that all of us will travel at some point.

La Chupacabras

Although we are in the twenty-first century a fabulous mythical stories continue to emerge, and one of them is the chupacabras, a supposed magical been who feeds on barnyard animals, a monster that stalks the cattle and that he suck the blood of cows, sheep and pigs. Initially started as a rumor the history of la chupacabra became increasingly famous in a few years and news from around the world began to do specials about this, reporting on the strange events in Mexico and the United States, including some in Puerto Rico and Argentina. And thousands of people claim to have it seen this creature.

The chupacabra (or “goatsucker”) is a cryptid that’s reportedly found primarily in Puerto Rico. There are many legends surrounding the chupacabra and the way it preys on farm animals by sucking their blood.

It can change colors at will, has a hairy, reptilian body with spines all along its back and an obsession with blood. El Chupacabra translated into English means “the goat-sucker,” because that’s exactly what it does. El Chupacabra made its first appearance in the farmlands of Puerto Rico where it left tons of goats dead. All of the goats had been left fully intact, but were drained of all their blood.

El Chupacabra is said to be able to fly and is also able to blend into its surrounding by changing color just like a chameleon. At night El Chupacabra will be black or gray in color, while in the day it will change to a green or gray-green, similar to the vegetation around it.

Some people claim to have videos, pictures, and even bodies of this cryptid, but as of yet, it is not a scientifically accepted species. It has been a sensation for years with chupacabra T-shirts, movies (such as Chupacabra Terror), and the subject of various news stories.

So where did this vampire-like creature come from? There are many speculations as to the origin of El Chupacabra. One theory is that El Chupacabra is the abandoned pet of some extra-terrestrial life form that came to Earth a long time ago. Seems a little far-fetched but since no one has actually seen a Chupacabra, anything is possible.

Melon Heads is the name given to legendary beings found in Germany, England, and the long-running urban legends in parts of Michigan,Ohio, and Connecticut. They are described as small humanoids with bulbous heads who occasionally emerge from their hiding places to attack people. Different variations of the legend attribute different origins.

The Mariana UFO incident occurred in August 1950 in Great Falls, Montana. The event garnered national media attention, as the concept ofUFOs and alien invasion was extremely popular amongst Americans at the time. The film footage of the sighting is believed to be among the first ever taken of a UFO.

A few months ago a friend of mine, who is an up-and-coming nature photographer, decided to spend a day and night alone in the woods outside of our town. She wanted to get photos of the woods and wildlife as naturally as she could for her portfolio. She wasn’t afraid of being alone, as she had camped by herself many times before. She set up a tent in the middle of a small clearing and spent the day taking pictures. She filled up four rolls of film on that trip, but when she went and got them developed she saw four pictures that unsettled her, these four pictures were taken from inside the tent, of her, asleep in the middle of the night.