Beasties of the Deep

      Hello and a very Happy (late) Thanksgiving to all! I hope you all enjoyed last Friday’s blog additions, and if you have anything you’d like to see on the blog, just let us know!

     For our weekly post tonight, I’m going to list a few mythological beasties of the deep that have a real life counterpart. Some are quite well known, such as the Kraken, probably most recently seen on a certain pirate movie. Others are famous in myth and history, but not so much today.

                      Without further ado, I give you Numero Uno!

                                       Release the Kraken!!!!!

(drawing by 

Pierre Dénys de Montfort, 1801)

    Possibly the most famous of all legendary sea monsters, the Kraken is massive mythological beast dating back to the 1200s. In the earliest depictions, the Kraken had the features of a massive crab or whale creature, but as time went by the legend transformed it into an octopus-like creature. Said to dwell off the coast of Greenland and Norway, this creature was such a massive size that an account by Erik Pontoppidan, the Bishop of Burgen, In his “Natural History of Norway”. Pontoppidan claimed that the Kraken was so large it could be mistaken for an island. 

Now, pure fantasy or reality, the Kraken has a real life counterpart that may have inspired or evolved from the beast of legend. 

Credit to : Tsunemi Kubodera of the National Museum of Nature and Science of Japan/AP

     The Giant Squid is a deep sea creature with abyssal gigantism, meaning it grows to a much larger size than it’s shallow compatriots. Recent estimates say that a male can reach 33ft long, while a female can reach lengths of 44ft long! While not as large as the Kraken of legend, it’s easy to see where the idea came from, and perhaps the Giant Squid is a descendant of the Kraken itself.

                       Next up is the Legendary Sea Serpent!

(drawing from Olaus Magnus‘s History of the Northern Peoples)

     The Sea Serpent is a beauty dating back to Norse mythology in the form of 

Jörmungandr, a giant sea serpent that circled the entire world. Sailors were said to mistake its back for a chain of islands. In Olaus Magnus’s book from which the drawing came from, he gave the following description of a Norwegian sea serpent:  

 
“
Those who sail up along the coast of Norway to trade or to fish, all tell the remarkable story of how a serpent of fearsome size, 200 feet long and 20 feet wide, resides in rifts and caves outside Bergen. On bright summer nights this serpent leaves the caves to eat calves, lambs and pigs, or it fares out to the sea and feeds on sea nettles, crabs and similar marine animals. It has ell-long hair hanging from its neck, sharp black scales and flaming red eyes. It attacks vessels, grabs and swallows people, as it lifts itself up like a column from the water.” 

     Like the Kraken, this ancient monster has a real life counterpart that may have been related.

     The Giant Oarfish looks quite similar the the sea serpent from legend (though not the one from Norse Mythology thankfully ;D) This is the world’s largest bony fish, and while not a serpent, its undulating manner of swimming is very similar to a snake in water, and likely gave rise to many stories among sailors. The photo above is a Giant Oarfish caught at a Navy Seal base and was over 22ft long, with the record being 33ft! How is that for a whopper fish?

                            and as a bizarre and totally awesome bonus:

                                            The Man o’ War!!!!!

      Now this gorgeous and gelatinous glob of gas is so strange and unbelievable I had to share it. First, the Man o’ War should definitely not be trifled with. It has tentacles that can grow over 30ft long and can deliver a sting so painful that it has caused death on occasion.  Despite it’s appearance, The Man o’ War is not actually an individual. It is a colony of separate tiny creatures called zooids. The zooids are attached to each other on such a level that they are now incapable of surviving on their own. It sounds similar to cells, but the zooids are their own organism, and are not influenced by their counterparts. Rather than functioning with a central brain, the Man o’ War is a colony of mini creatures that came together to create a tough Franken-jelly.

   That’s it for today, hope the wall of information isn’t too much 😀 Let us know what you think, and we’ll see you all next week!

~Emrys

Wet fish slap to the face!

     “We don’t like to use the word fudge… We prefer to call it “intellectual phase locking.”

               – A Scientist  (insert emoticon)

     Whether someone is called a pseudo scientist or a sham, I like them who challenge beliefs, regardless of whether I agree completely with them or not. I like people who look at problems and decide we can do better. I want to be one of those people who try the road less taken because I don’t want the same thing as you or the guy you went to high school with that is a corporate lawyer or Donald Trump (…especially).  I want magic in the world, and I will do what I must to make it happen.

     I first heard Rupert Sheldrake’s Ted Talk about 4 months ago.  It’s the one that some may know was the center of some dramatic, loud conspiracy that really sounded like flimflammery when it was moved to the naughty corner on Ted’s site. The shaming was possibly appropriate albeit a tinge misguided. It should have been labeled as a philosophical talk rather than one about science as a practice, because I believe the audience who stands to gain the most from his ideas is, for instance, someone like me: a musician, artist, actor, blogger, and animal who wants to evolve. I’ll go ahead and say I agree with many of his points, but I’m a scientist only in the sense that I do extensive research into topics that benefit or interest me and I love to conduct tests. I don’t have a doctorate degree in the sciences, so I may feel quite resentful toward his claims regarding the scientific process if my situation were different.  However, a wet slap with a wriggly fish to the face is what many people need to step lively and try an alternate route when they want a drastic change. This is where my respect for him is fostered, and damn the resolute naysayers based on their inability to think outside the box. We need a few more Ruperts in the world shaking things up, so, with fondness, thank you Rupert, please rock the boat some more!

     Cheers and have a bumpy ride!

     -Blaze

Artifacts: The Hand of Glory

       Hello all!!!!! Back again for our Friday post, and today I’m going to continue my artifact series.  Today’s artifact is called the Hand of Glory, a powerful object in Old European folktales. Word of warning, it’s fascinating, but a wee bit macabre.

     To make a Hand of Glory you need the hand of a murderer, severed while he is still hanging at the gallows.  Wrap it in a burial cloth and then pickle it. (ew right?)  The hand is then put on an oak tree for 3 nights and then hung on a church door for a full night.  Sounds complicated. O.o   Now the real kicker for this item is that it becomes a candle holder (or sometimes is lit like a candle itself) for a candle made from the fat of the owner of the hand. 

    Once completed in this manner, the Hand of Glory would supposedly render anyone motionless once the candle was presented to them. The candle could leave all but the wielder in complete darkness and could not be extinguished except with milk. 

   This was said to be a powerful tool for thieves because it could also put the occupants of a house to sleep for each finger that was lit, and the people would not awaken until the finger was extinguished.

Sounds completely wild and a bit crazy I know, but anything is possible. The Hand of Glory goes way back, and there was even a fellow by the name of John Fian in 1590, who confessed under torture to using a Hand of Glory to break into a church.      

            What do you think?  I like to think anything is possible, and I plan on going out and discovering the truth for myself! If you have any artifacts that you know of that could plausibly be true or you are just curious about, let me know in our ask box or send me an email at championsunchained@gmail.com

~Emrys

I REALLY Love Mysteries (And Monsters!) part 2

     Blaze here!

     I’ve been doing more research and hearing more oddities that could be fact or fiction, so I’m going to share some more of the gritty and gruesome stories and ideas I’ve unearthed. As before: I have never witnessed these events myself.  I’m suspending disbelief and belief until I see these for myself, but I do hope you feel as inspired as I am after a few good stories.

     The Bennington Triangle

     Photo Credit: Images From The Past

     Foremost: Bermuda, Bridgewater, and now the Bennington… These “B” word triangles are bad to the bone!

     … I promise to not use any more bad puns à la Mr. Peabody… intentionally.

     This is a place I want to explore in and out because it seems to have a little bit of everything: Interesting (and sometimes downright odd) history, sightings of crypto creatures, bad omens over the land from the Native Americans, and even doses of the paranormal.  The area isn’t extremely large, but it is extremely rugged and untamed. Attempts were made to turn the area into a functioning, thriving town called Glastenbury which proved to work partially, as South Glastenbury (the center of most activity) became a tourist attraction in the summer of 1897.  The town was wiped off the map only a year later by raging storms that caused flooding and soil erosion on the steep, deforested mountainsides. The population took a plummet to only three of the Mattison family, who  held every public office.  This caught the attention of Ripley’s Believe It or Not, and The State of Vermont disorganized the town in 1937.

     Now that I have given a bit of backstory for the area, let’s get into some of the weird stuff.  The Native Americans refused to travel on Glastonbury Mountain, save for using the earth there to bury their dead. They claimed the land was cursed, and some even today say it is bad luck to climb the mountain wearing the color red (time to get out the crimson bandana and attract the mischievous source!)  Reported by some, there is some sort of enchanted man-eating boulder that remains a solid until it is tromped on. Also, in the local gossip chain in 1867, an alleged flasher “Wild Man” who carried a revolver and lived in a cave made several ventures into Glastonbury and Bennington to harass unsuspecting women.  I am grateful he won’t be around when I visit.

     Among the folklore and rotten luck are too many stories of unexplained disappearances and deaths with peculiar circumstances than we have time for in this post, so I’ll give you a link to someone who did a marvelous job of researching the area: https://urbanpostmortem.wordpress.com/2015/04/07/the-vanished-town-of-glastenbury-and-the-bennington-triangle/  

     If you happen to live in the area and have any personal experience with the area or stories, shoot me an email at the address at the bottom of this post!

     Hoia-Baciu Forest

     Photo credit: Christian Bortes

     For all my research, I can’t find much about this beautiful Transylvanian forest located west of the city Cluj-Napoca, but I swear I will visit the single square-mile of fabled forest someday.

     There are many, many disappearances reported. In fact, the forest is named after a shepherd that went missing along with 200 sheep.  I suppose, logically, they could all have been used on appetizer trays at a fancy wolf dinner party, but I heard another far less explainable story with a frustrating lack of good sources and details that I would love more information on: a 5-year-old girl went missing and search parties found no sign of her anywhere. They were eventually forced to withdraw the search party when she went years unfound.  Then, five years later, locals heard a girl crying at the edge of the forest. Sure enough, it was her, but it’s reported that her clothes did not look like they had endured five years of the elements and she had no recollection of the passing time.  It is also said that she had not aged a day during this time. If you’re a fan of multiverse theory or alternate dimensions or portals or whatever, then that sort of thing could be a culprit if proven truthful. I can only imagine what it would be like to get lost in a whole new world without Aladdin or coffee or anything familiar, but I’ll take my chances to see what the land has to offer.

     Also, a note of interest, there is a circular clearing in the middle of the forest that many claim to be the center of paranormal activity.  Emrys and I took to the internet’s mass store of video to see the clearing, but it didn’t appear odd or paranormal in any way in the day light…  Also, some of these same people report odd physical symptoms after being in the forest such as rashes, headaches, nausea, etc. There are even reports of lost time akin to any ufo abduction story you are probably familiar with, such as the example above.

     No matter the reality of the situation, the forest is beautiful and quite a unique find!  Picnic, anyone?

     Megalithic Wall of Siberia

     Photo credit: Georgy Sidorov

     Quite a recent find in relation to most of the odd things we already talk about, this wall was found within the past couple years Gornaya Shoria in Southern Siberia.  The stone that makes up this wall, which appears to be granite, has seemingly been stacked in an orderly fashion that has the appearance of being planned out.  The edges fit together in places like pieces of a jig saw puzzle, yet weigh far more. In fact, most of the megaliths are estimated up to 4,000 tons!  

     Obviously, we have our skeptic crowd that says it’s a natural formation opposed to our crowd who entertains the possibility of ancient giants or something else that may or may not exist today in our world. Regardless, it’s beautiful and I have inspiration to build a pillow fort.

                                             .                 .                 .

     I supremely love all these beautiful places and stories I’ve been coming across lately. I have hope that, one day, we can all decide to get together over tea or coffee or whatever, set aside our differences, and instead think about how to make this planet a better place. It is places like these that continue to feed my appetite for legends, lore, and adventure, and I will take relish in continuing to share these finds.  

     If you wish to share something with me, anything at all, send one to Blaze at championsunchained@gmail.com

-Blaze

Artifacts: Ever Burning Lamps

     Hello all! This post will be a little shorter and mainly for the purpose of putting out a thought: Anything is possible.

     Have you ever heard of an Ever-burning Lamp? The concept itself doesn’t make much sense. Fire requires a source of heat, an oxidizer, and something combustable. Yet these lamps or braziers are mentioned in many stories and by many different authors. Plutarch, an author from the olden days, wrote in ‘De Defectu Oraculorum’ about a lamp that burned over the door to the Temple of Jupiter Ammon in Egypt. According to the priests there, the lamp burned without a cover, and neither rain nor wind could ever put it out. Various stories like this exist in different eras and parts of the world. A french rabbi named Jechiele, an advisor in the 13th century to King Louis IX, was said to have a lamp that he would place on the front of his house. The lamp had no oil or wick, and when the rabbi was asked about the lamp, he replied that it was a secret.

     Sadly, many reports of the discovery of these types of lamps throughout the ages are unable to be visited currently. This is due to the fact that many people who discovered these seemingly magical lamps believed them to be the work of the devil or some other foul sorcery and were promptly destroyed. Unfortunate, but it seems to be a common practice when humans discover something extraordinary.  A side note I thought was interesting: Supposedly a Philosopher’s Stone can create an ever burning lamp.

     If you are interested in this sort of thing, I recommend looking the lamps up and reading more about them so you can judge for yourself. This is just some food for thought about one of the cool artifacts from history that may actually exist. I’ll probably make a few of this type of post with other famous or unknown artifacts.

 Here’s to exploration and adventure! Til next time chaps!

~Emrys

You Can Live Without Producing Waste!

Earlier this week I was contemplating what I wanted to change in my own life to better reflect my values and beliefs. This is a hard topic for me to find solutions for, so I’m going to explain how my silly brain works:

I want to live in a world that’s clean, friendly, and loving. I want to live in a world that coexists with nature, so I want all my creations to not only work with, but compliment our Earth and its inhabitants. I believe in community and connectivity, but I also believe in the liberty to escape and experience the natural world with the animals, plants, dirt, sky, and wind to accompany me when I feel wanderlust. I also want to be able to party with all you wild things and play loud music while leaving no negative impact.  I believe we all deserve this type of prosperity.  

A Place for Explorers and Adventurers!

     Hello all! Since my compatriot recently added a post about some supernatural occurrences and locations, I thought I would bedazzle the blog with some pics and info about some amazing and beautiful places around the world.  These spots are some hidden gems for the adventurous and the explorers among us! (I’m not sure about everyone on here, but I definitely plan on seeing every single one of these :D)

      I tried to choose places in very different parts of the world, to show that places like this are everywhere and just waiting to be discovered. Blaze and me are big on discovering new things and exploring the world for magic and monsters. We’ve found some truly beautiful and mysterious places while hiking, but none as epic as the places on this list (for now anyway!)

First off……. The Naica Mine, Mexico!

This gorgeous and dangerous wonder is about 1000 ft below the ground, and is home to massive selenite crystals. I am fascinated by natural crystal formations like this, especially on such a large scale. Sadly the mine itself is closed to the public because the atmosphere inside the cave is deadly due to the humidity and unbearable heat. On an upside, if this place exists, then its very very likely that others are out there, completely undiscovered!

Next……Mount Roraima in South America!!!!!

This epic looking location has more than just an awesome view. Most of the plant species are unique to this location! It apparently rains most of the year here, so if you decide to climb it, watch out ;D     (image source/Corbis)

                                 Mendenhall Ice Caves in Alaska!!

        Its amazing. Enough said.  Check it out before it melts! photo cred 

AER Wilmington DE

                             The Great Blue Hole in Belize!!!

    A huge submarine sinkhole, over 300m (984ft) across. One of the most famous scuba diving spots in the world. Was a cave a loooong time ago when sea levels were much lower, and eventually filled back up with water over time. If you like diving, definitely check this out! There are other blue holes, in various sizes and locations. Look them up and see if any are close to you!

That’s all for now, I’ll be posting a part 2 very soon!  A shout out to all the explorers and adventurers out there: If you know of any cool and mysterious spots out on planet Earth, tell us in our ask box and we will post it with credit to you! Happy Adventures! 

~Emrys   championsunchained@gmail.com

I love MYSTERIES! (And Monsters)

     Foremost, I’ll open this by saying I believe in having an open mind only when you have enough noodle in your skull to discern what has to be real and what is trying to yank your tail. After that, I believe in looking for trouble and looking for good stories. Yes, my curiosity has gotten me in trouble plenty of times, but I’ve not had nearly enough yet. Lately, I’ve been researching subjects like cryptozoology, secret or lost places, the paranormal, etc, and, naturally, I want to run off like a wild thing and see if half these things I hear about are real. I want to share some of the interesting bits and bobbles I’ve come across recently, but before I do I have a disclaimer: I have never witnessed any of these events, phenomena, etc and do not know for sure whether any of it is true. I’m sharing these because I believe we have a big, big planet that still has secrets and I plan to get in on these secrets.

     ONWARD!

     The Bridgewater Triangle

     According to my search with Google Maps, the Bridgewater Triangle is south of Boston with the towns of Abington, Rehoboth, and Freetown at each corner of the area with the town of Bridgewater close to the center of the triangle.  This area has a concentration of extraordinary sightings ranging from ghosts, “Big Foot”, UFOs, and so many more weird, wonderful, and sometimes chilling events. Some believe the oddities spring from Native American curses and some people tie it to bloody battles fought in the past. Many also agree that the Hockomock Swamp seems to be the largest concentration of strange events which leads to a lot of suspicion and wary attitudes from locals. Personally, I want to march headlong in and see what there is to see, but for now I’ll listen to the reports of everything from Sasquatch, Thunderbirds, and even strange and disconcerting “cult” gatherings (no wonder some have dubbed the Hockomock “The Devil’s Swamp”). Outside the swamp, the strange still abounds in the forms of a giant black dog who rips throats out and kills ponies, monstrously sized snakes, and even a red headed hitchhiker phantom who roams Route 44… Sign me up, I wanna see!

     Recently Discovered Mayan Cities

     I was first put onto this story from the guys on the Expanded Perspectives podcast (a recommended listen).  Deep in Mexican jungles, archaeologists used aerial photography to locate a city almost lost to the vegetation.  It was supposedly visited in the 70’s by another archaeologist who kept the secret of the city’s location with him to the grave, but now it has been found and documented here (complete with photos):

     http://news.discovery.com/history/archaeology/three-ancient-maya-cities-found-in-jungle-140815.htm

     Mexico’s Zone Of Silence

     About 500 miles south of El Paso, Texas in the Chihuahuan desert lies Mexico’s Zone of Silence. It is also called the Mar de Tethys since it once lay at the bottom of the ocean, which is a stark contrast to the current conditions.  This is very remote with the closest town being Ceballos about 25 miles away.  It is said short wave, microwave wave, and satellite signals cannot be picked up in the zone. Your mobile phone wouldn’t even work for you to call for help if you had trouble: Adventure Time!  The soil has a high level of magnetite and remnants of iron-rich meteors that are seemingly attracted to the area, and it just so happens to be the site of the Allende meteor, which is quite famous for a chunk of rock. Not only does it seem to attract meteors, but a stray Athena Missile launched in the U.S. went hundreds of miles off course to crash in the area almost like it was drawn, much like the meteors. Hmmmm…

     Paranormal sightings are common in the area: UFOs are reported frequently in the skies, orbs of light are allegedly seen flying about, mutated plants and animals are present, and a trio of blondes, two men and one woman, have been reported in the area.  The trio speaks perfect Spanish, are quite attractive, and have impeccable manners.  They did not carry water or any supplies to survive the harsh conditions and seemed completely at their ease.  Some also say that when they are asked where they came from, they will reply that they are from “above”.  Also adding to these oddities, it shares the same latitude as a corner of the Bermuda Triangle and the Egyptian pyramids, which could be coincidence.  The border also is fluid, so the area is not able to be determined exactly, which may have something to do with the highly magnetic qualities in the area.

     .       .      .

     If you know any cool info about these locations or have any other cool stories about our big wide world, you can leave us a comment in the ask function or shoot us an email at championsunchained@gmail.com .  That being said, have a magical day, be safe (but not too safe), and have an adventure!

     -Blaze