Curses!

Was anyone else severely disappointed to find out that the curses of mummy's tombs in Egypt weren't true? NOT that I want anyone to die, but I found the whole curse idea quite fascinating. I remember in second grade writing a report on the burial process used by the Egyptians. My writing was about an inch tall, but I made sure I got the part in there about the brains being pulled out through the nose. That was quite fascinating too at that age (okay, still is). Anyway, back to curses. The legend surrounding the mummy's curse started with Tutankhamen. Within four years of opening the tomb, eleven of the people associated with the discovery had died.

In movies and books today, curses are a dime a dozen. If I pick up a book and read about an old family curse... well, back on the shelf it goes. I think curses are interesting, but very few people know how to come up with a good, solid, old fashioned curse. Something that scares with it's possibility. Something that's believable. Something that is just plain creepy.

There's one other curse I find quite interesting. This is the curse of the Hope Diamond. This curse dates back to 1642 when, legend has it, a Frenchman stole it from a statue of a Hindu goddess (note: never steal a priceless relic from a goddess - you've been warned!). A trail of death and bad luck followed the diamond until it was deeded to the Smithsonian in 1949.

I know that myths, legends and curses seem to grow over time and the events surrounding them are exaggerated, however, stop and think about the possibilities. What kind of story could you craft about a curse that grows stronger with time?

Here's a picture of the beautiful diamond. Why no mummies? Because it's almost four in the morning and I don't want to dream about them.

Cottingley Fairies

1917 in a small village named Cottingley, two cousins -10 year old Frances and 16 year old Elise took several photographs. When the pictures were released publically two years later they caused a huge stir. You see, the girls had photographed themselves with fairies and a gnome. The girls maintained the photographs were real until they were both elderly. Along the way, they'd managed to convince the public and even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was taken in.

Looking at the photographs now, it looks like exactly what they are - cut out drawings. However, for a brief time, people believed. We live in a different time. Information is available at the click of a mouse, people are looking to disbelieve more than they want to believe. So, my writerly friends... what could you come up with to fool the world? What stories can you create? With your words, can you make people believe?

To learn more, here's a link to wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottingley_Fairies
And another: http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/cooper.htm

Dyatlov Pass

I've been debating for a while how I want to approach topics like this (yes, that's the excuse I'm sticking with for not updating this blog in so long). You see, I don't want to get into conspiracy theories and alien abductions. For the record, I believe the universe is too big for us to be the only life in it, however, as Stephen Hawking said - we shouldn't want to draw their attention to us. There. Hopefully, that's the only mention of aliens you'll ever see on my blog.

Anyway. This story caught my fascination. Why, you may ask? Well, I'll tell you. Nine hikers set off in the Ural Mountains in late January 1959. Seven men and two women. They got a little lost and decided to make camp and wait till the weather was better. The night of February 2, they cut their way out of the tent and all nine took off. Some were wearing only their underwater in temperatures well below zero.

When a search party was launched they followed the footsteps to the edge of the woods and found two bodies, three more were found on the trail back to the camp. They died of hypothermia. The other four, however, died of massive trauma. One had a crushed skull, two had chest fractures and one was missing her tongue. There was no exteral damage to the bodies. No footprints from anyone else and no signs of fighting. Small amounts of radiation were found on some strips of clothing. An investigation was done and the records were sealed by the Russian government. When the documents were opened in 1990, text was missing as were pieces of evidence.

So, if I don't like conspiracy theories why I am posting this? Because there's no logical explanation. Could this be a hoax? Sure, it could. However, doesn't something about this stir your imagination a little? As a writer, it our job to come up with a plausible idea. Tell me you aren't just a little disturbed by this or that your mind isn't racing to fill in the blanks of the story. I've been thinking about this ever since I read about it. I've attached two links if you're interested in reading more.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/02/27/notes022708.DTL

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyatlov_pass_accident

For the skeptics, here's a link:

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4108

Grotesques

I'd always thought that the scary looking creatures on the corners of older buildings were gargoyles. I was wrong. They're call grotesques. Which, I guess, is a fitting name. Regardless, I think all buildings should be required to have them. There's something about walking past a building, under these creature's watchful eye that commands respect, while at the same time gives the pedestrian a shiver of the unknown. I've watched the cartoons and seen the movies where these things come to life and wreak havoc or try to help humanity. I've read the theories about how these creatures came to be, but honestly, I don't want to know. They're horrible and disturbing. They make me think twice about the building they're perched upon, but they also make me pause and let my imagination run free. That is art.

Trees

Trees fascinate me. They are something that inspire me, though I'm really not sure why. When I'm outside I find my attention constantly drawn to them. I'm going to post a few pictures that I have saved on my computer. Maybe you'll feel the sense of magic too when you look at them.

The Fremont Troll, Seattle, Washington

I know this isn't technically mysterious or curious - it's just cool. Click on the link below to read the history. I wish the town I'd grown up in had been this cool, though I think most of my childhood would have been spent watching it.

The Fremont Troll, Seattle, Washington

Sea Monster of Brooklyn

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/05/26/sea-monster-discovered-beneath-brooklyn-bridge/?intcmp=sem_outloud&intcmp=obnetwork

Found this link this morning and because it's just interesting I posted it on here. To think of a sea monster living in such proximity to one of the most populated cities... kinda makes me smile :)