Mythical Creatures of New Zealand

Mythical Creatures of New Zealand

In How to Write a Unique Spooky Story, I wrote about how to write a unique spooky story by either creating your own monster, creature, or horror yourself or by finding a monster that is not well known. I advised finding a monster by researching myths and legends in other cultures to find something that has a rich history surrounding it, but that is not considered modern. One of the countries that have some unique myths is New Zealand.
Nuku-mai-tore
The Nuku-mai-tore are creatures that appear as humans with short limbs, and sit on the branches of the tallest trees, just like a bird. These Nuku-mai-tore will only eat raw food and have a terrible fear of fire. The Nuku-mai-tore only give birth through Caesarean section performed by other Nuku-mai-tore, and the birth always kills the mother as the newborn Nuku-mai-tore takes the life energy of its birth mother. The Nuku-mai-tore generally ignore humans unless they attempt to chop down the tree that the Nuku-mai-tore call home; those that attempt this have been known to go missing.
Kahui-Tipua
The Kahui-Tipua are ogres that are believed to have been the very first inhabitants of New Zealand’s South Island. The Kahui-Tipua could shape shift into any form they desired at will and were best known for hunting with giant two headed dogs. The Kahui-Tipua had to move often as their hunger and thirst would cause them to leave their environment quickly barren of both prey and water. The Kahui-Tipua were believed to have been hunted to extinction after one of them took a human woman as a captive pet. When the woman managed to escape, she rallied her people to trap the Kahui-Tipua inside the cave that was their home and set it on fire.
Porotai
The Porotai are creatures that are made up of an equal measure of both flesh and stone and are invisible to humans. It is often believed that people who trip over “nothing” are in fact tripping over a Porotai. The Porotai are believed to be mostly reclusive creatures who occasionally come out of their seclusion to cause a bit of mischief to humans they dislike.
Maero
Maero are creatures that appear mostly human with knife like fingernails, long thin fingers, and with long, messy black hair. These Maero live in the forests of New Zealand and are known for their extreme strength and for being cannibals. Maero lie in wait in the forests they call home for unwary humans to wander into the forests, where the Maero hunt, and kill them using only stone clubs and their sharp fingernails.
Manaia
Manaia are believed to be creatures with the body of a human male and the head of a bird. The Manaia are messengers that can carry messages between living humans and the spirits of their friends, family, and ancestors. The Manaia have also become known as a protective spirit as they have the ability to fight off nefarious spirits who try to stop them from delivering their messages.

Written by Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Sefina Hawke                   

Mythical Creatures of New Zealand

Mythical Creatures of New Zealand

In How to Write a Unique Spooky Story, I wrote about how to write a unique spooky story by either creating your own monster, creature, or horror yourself or by finding a monster that is not well known. I advised finding a monster by researching myths and legends in other cultures to find something that has a rich history surrounding it, but that is not considered modern. One of the countries that have some unique myths is New Zealand.
Nuku-mai-tore
The Nuku-mai-tore are creatures that appear as humans with short limbs, and sit on the branches of the tallest trees, just like a bird. These Nuku-mai-tore will only eat raw food and have a terrible fear of fire. The Nuku-mai-tore only give birth through Caesarean section performed by other Nuku-mai-tore, and the birth always kills the mother as the newborn Nuku-mai-tore takes the life energy of its birth mother. The Nuku-mai-tore generally ignore humans unless they attempt to chop down the tree that the Nuku-mai-tore call home; those that attempt this have been known to go missing.
Kahui-Tipua
The Kahui-Tipua are ogres that are believed to have been the very first inhabitants of New Zealand’s South Island. The Kahui-Tipua could shape shift into any form they desired at will and were best known for hunting with giant two headed dogs. The Kahui-Tipua had to move often as their hunger and thirst would cause them to leave their environment quickly barren of both prey and water. The Kahui-Tipua were believed to have been hunted to extinction after one of them took a human woman as a captive pet. When the woman managed to escape, she rallied her people to trap the Kahui-Tipua inside the cave that was their home and set it on fire.
Porotai
The Porotai are creatures that are made up of an equal measure of both flesh and stone and are invisible to humans. It is often believed that people who trip over “nothing” are in fact tripping over a Porotai. The Porotai are believed to be mostly reclusive creatures who occasionally come out of their seclusion to cause a bit of mischief to humans they dislike.
Maero
Maero are creatures that appear mostly human with knife like fingernails, long thin fingers, and with long, messy black hair. These Maero live in the forests of New Zealand and are known for their extreme strength and for being cannibals. Maero lie in wait in the forests they call home for unwary humans to wander into the forests, where the Maero hunt, and kill them using only stone clubs and their sharp fingernails.
Manaia
Manaia are believed to be creatures with the body of a human male and the head of a bird. The Manaia are messengers that can carry messages between living humans and the spirits of their friends, family, and ancestors. The Manaia have also become known as a protective spirit as they have the ability to fight off nefarious spirits who try to stop them from delivering their messages.

Written by Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Sefina Hawke                   

Monsters from Mesopotamian Myths

Monsters from Mesopotamian Myths

In How to Write a Unique Spooky Story, I wrote about how to write a unique spooky story by either creating your own monster, creature, or horror yourself or by finding a monster that is not well known. I advised finding a monster by researching myths and legends in other cultures to find something that has a rich history surrounding it, but that is not considered modern. Mesopotamian mythology has a rich diversity of monster myths and legends.
 Asag
Asag was a demon so monstrous that his very presence was enough to cause large bodies of water to boil to the point that the fish in the water would be cooked alive. Asag was often accompanied by his offspring, which were rock demons born of his unions with the mountains of the Earth. Asag was known for his warring nature and his cruelty that he inflicted on those he went to war against.
Kulullu
Kulullu loosely translates to Fish-Man. Kulullu had the form of a human male, except for the fact that his lower body was that of a fish. Kulullu’s presence was believed to provide prosperity and good luck to those to whom he revealed himself. Yet, Kulullu was not an entirely benevolent figure as he could just as quickly cause bad luck to fall upon those who disrespected him and the creatures of the water.  
Basmu
Basmu, also known as Bašmu or Bashmu, translates loosely into venomous snake. The Basmu had the appearance of a giant snake with horns atop its head, two giant legs, and a pair of wings. The Basmu was believed to be almost invincible in that a single drop of its venom would guarantee the death of the one it came into contact with.
Asakku
Asakku were evil spirits that often clashed with good spirits known as the Utukku. Unlike the Utukku who protected humans, the Asakku were spirits that set out to kill humans by making them develop a head fever that would usually claim the life of the human afflicted with it. The only time that the Asakku would not claim human lives is when one of the Utukku would interfere and best the Asakku in a battle for the human’s life.
Urmahlullu
The Urmahlullu was a creature similar to the centaur, except for the fact that it was not a combination of a human and a horse, but instead the combination of a lion and a human. The Urmahlullu were known for having their top half appear human and their lower half to be that of a lion. The Urmahlullu were predators and hunters, capable of taking down almost any prey with human intelligence and lion instinct.
Girtablilu
The Girtablilu were creatures that had the top half of a human and the bottom half of a scorpion, making them a sort of scorpion-centaur creature. The Girtablilu were known for their ability to strike quickly and with deadly precision. Their scorpion tail made them almost impossible to kill as one sting from their tail would leave their victim in paralyzed agony until the victim died.

Written by Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Sefina Hawke                   

Three Most Fearsome Mythical Creatures of Brazil

Three Most Fearsome Mythical Creatures of Brazil

In How to Write a Unique Spooky Story, I wrote about how to write a unique spooky story by either creating your own monster, creature, or horror yourself or by finding a monster that is not well known. I advised finding a monster by researching myths and legends in other cultures to find something that has a rich history surrounding it, but that is not considered modern. One of the countries that have some unique myths is Brazil. Brazil is officially known as the Federative Republic of Brazil and it is the largest country in Latin America and South America.
Cabeça Satânica/Cabeça Errante
The Cabeça Satânica, also known as Cabeça Errante, translates to 'wandering devil’s head.' This creature is, in fact, a disembodied demon head that is often thrown by evil demons at humans in order for the demon to get enjoyment out of the human’s descent into madness and insanity. Most people go insane from the mere sight of the Cabeça Satânica/Cabeça Errante. For those with a strong constitution who manage to maintain their sanity, the Cabeça Satânica/Cabeça Errante will bounce up and down until it touches the person, as one touch is all it takes to kill a person.
Caboclo D’água
The Caboclo D’água is a monster with green skin, two legs, one eye, and razor sharp teeth that makes its home in the Rio São Francisco River and can transform into any creature that lives in its river with a single thought. The Caboclo D’água despises those that try to enter its river and will often act to either scare or kill the fishermen who not only enter its river, but wish to take from the river’s bounty. Caboclo D’água is known for scaring fish away from the fishermen, flipping their boats, and running their boats aground. The only known way to survive Caboclo D’água once the monster has spotted a fisherman is to placate the monster by throwing tobacco into the water, which will distract Caboclo D’água long enough for the fisherman to escape.
Mapinguari
Mapinguari translates to 'roaring animal and fetid beast,' and this creature is very similar to the legends of Bigfoot. Mapinguari has the legs of a grizzly bear, the face of a monkey, the fur of a musk ox, a second mouth on its stomach, and a skin thick enough to stop bullets. Mapinguari is seen as either a protector or a monster, depending if the person encountering the creature is trying to take more from the forests of Brazil than they need. The Mapinguari is believed to protect the forests from hunters and individuals that wish to strip away the resources of the forest for selfish gain; however it will allow people to take from the forest as long as the person only takes what he or she needs and no more than that. The Mapinguari will first play tricks on those that are greedy by making them get lost and causing them to experience feelings of confusion; only those that ignore these warnings have found themselves truly harmed or killed by the Mapinguari.

Written by Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Sefina Hawke                   

Austrian Monster Myths

Austrian Monster Myths

In How to Write a Unique Spooky Story, I wrote about how to write a unique spooky story by either creating your own monster, creature, or horror yourself or by finding a monster that is not well known. I advised finding a monster by researching myths and legends in other cultures to find something that has a rich history surrounding it, but that is not considered modern. One of the countries with some unique myths is Austria. Austria is located in Central Europe, and is filled with mountain villages, alpine terrain, and Imperial history.
Habergeiß
Habergeiß translates to buck goat and the creature itself is a combination of a bird and a goat. Some legends portray Habergeiß as a creature that can shift its physical form from goat to bird at will; others see Habergeiß as a three-legged bird with a goat’s face, and a few myths believe that Habergeiß is the result of the mating of a bird and a goat that left Habergeiß with an equal blend of bird and goat features. Habergeiß is a creature that was born when the ancient people of Austria were in danger from a famine as their harvest was poor. Habergeiß became the spirit of corn and its job was to see that the harvest was protected so that the people of Austria would not starve. While Habergeiß is mostly a benign creature, it has been known to turn violent against any person or group that seeks to harm the harvest.
Krampus
Krampus is believed to be a demonic beast that punishes naughty children during the holiday season. Krampus has thick brown-black hair that covers his whole body, the hooves of a horse, the horns of a goat, and a long pointed tongue that rolls out of his mouth to his chest. Krampus stalks the streets at night with rusty chains draped over his shoulder, a large black sack in his hand, and large bells that, when rung, make all those that hear them feel deep despair. Krampus is known for punishing children that are naughty during the holiday season, though the punishment is almost always more extreme than the naughtiness committed by the child. Those children that Krampus deems the worst of the worst are kidnapped from their beds and thrown into his sack; all that is known is that once the children enter the sack, Krampus takes them back to his lair and the children are never seen or heard from again. Some believe that Krampus eats the children while others believe that the children are forced to work for Krampus and they are the ones that identify the naughty children for Krampus to kidnap and punish.
Frau Perchta
Frau Perchta is the descendent of the Alpine goddess of nature and is a witch known for punishing and rewarding people from December 25th through January 6th. For those who commit crimes during the holidays, Frau Perchta’s favorite punishment is to replace the criminal’s organs with garbage and to laugh as they slowly die.

Written by Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Sefina Hawke                   

Jamaican Monsters

Jamaican Monsters

In How to Write a Unique Spooky Story, I wrote about how to write a unique spooky story by either creating your own monster, creature, or horror yourself or by finding a monster that is not well known. I advised finding a monster by researching myths and legends in other cultures to find something that has a rich history surrounding it, but that is not considered modern. One of the countries that have some unique myths is Jamaica. Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean with lush mountains and beautiful beaches lined with coral reefs.
Duppies
Duppies are restless spirits that can be either good or bad. A good duppy is typically the spirit of a family member or friend that visits those they cared about in life in dreams. Bad duppies, however, can cause physical and mental harm to those they choose as their victims. A high pitched voice, the feeling of unexplained heat, and a massive headache can identify the presence of a duppy. Duppies can be warded off with salt and avoided by a person wearing their clothes inside out.
Rolling Calf
A Rolling Calf is a monster from Jamaican folklore that has the appearance of a calf with blood red eyes and a massive chain that it drags behind itself. This creature only appears at night and is believed to have been born from the death of evil butchers. These Rolling Calfs will block the path of unwary travelers at night and hunt them with the intention of killing them. The only known ways to avoid death by a Rolling Calf, once it chooses a victim, is by dropping random items that it will stop to count before continuing its pursuit, lose it at a crossroads, or stab a penknife into the ground in front of it.
Ol’ Hige or Sukuyan
Ol’ Hige, also known as Sukuyan, is a witch that sheds her skin at night to assume the form of an owl. In owl form, she flies around and sucks out the life breath of sleeping people, leaving them to suffocate in their sleep with no hope of regaining their breath. The witch has a particular taste for baby’s breath and will often choose an infant as her victim over an adult. The only known way to kill her is to find her skin and cover it in salt and pepper so that when she puts her skin back on, she will burn to death.
River Mumma
River Mumma is a female water spirit that lives within rivers and guards water from pollution and those that would litter within the water she protects. She lures those that disrespect the water she protects to the water with a golden comb on the riverbank. Then. when her victim comes to get the comb, she strikes and drags her victim into a watery grave. Those that wish to cross River Mumma’s water unharmed are required to make a sacrifice to her to ensure safe passage. During times of drought, River Mumma can be bargained with to provide water to those willing to make sacrifices to her.

Written by Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Sefina Hawke                   

How to Avoid Writer's Block

How to Avoid Writer's Block

All writers have at some point or another in their writing career experienced the awful sensation of writer’s block. The internet has all sorts of advice for writers on how to get over writer’s block, but many writers often prefer to avoid writer’s block in the first place. Writer’s block cannot be escaped indefinitely, but there are some ways to decrease a writer’s chances of suffering from writer’s block that is caused by a lack of inspiration and/or a fear of judgment from one’s audience.
Avoiding Writer’s Block That Stems From a Lack of Inspiration
“Discipline allows magic. To be a writer is to be the very best of assassins. You do not sit down and write every day to force the Muse to show up. You get into the habit of writing every day so that when she shows up, you have the maximum chance of catching her, bashing her on the head, and squeezing every last drop out of that bitch.” ~ Lili St. Crow
Many writers have successfully avoided writer’s block by not limiting themselves to only one writing project at a time. These writers will often have two or three writing projects that they either switch between as the inspiration strikes them, or that they assign a specific amount of time to each project. For example, some writers will have two writing projects that they work on and they will alternate months or weeks for each project. This method of switching between projects at a scheduled time truly allows the writer to develop a sense of discipline and a strong writing habit that allows the writer to truly embrace Lili St. Crow’s method of writing to avoid writer’s block.
Some writers also find it helpful to not just have more than one writing project going on at a time, but to have one of the projects be a fiction project and the other project a non-fiction writing project. When writers keep switching between fiction and non-fiction writing projects, it often makes it harder for writer’s block to start.
Avoiding Writer’s Block That Stems From a Fear of Judgment
 “All writing problems are psychological problems. Blocks usually stem from the fear of being judged. If you imagine the world listening, you'll never write a line. That's why privacy is so important. You should write first drafts as if they will never be shown to anyone.” ~ Erica Jong
Many writers have had success by using Erica Jong’s method of writing; this method allows the writer to avoid writer’s block by simply writing for themselves without fear of any sort of judgement from anyone else. The writers that use this method tend to write straight from the heart without letting themselves get bogged down by proper punctuation, thoughts about what other people will think about their writing, or marketing. By removing all of these worries from the equation entirely, these writers are able to avoid writer's block.
Create a Unique Method of Avoiding Writer’s Block
Every writer is unique and thus each method of avoiding writer’s block will need to be adjusted and made unique to each writer’s struggles with writer’s block and their writing method. If a writer is more prone to having everything planned out and organized then Lili St. Crow’s method might be best, but that writer might also prefer to work only on one writing project at a time. In that case, the writer might devise a schedule for when to switch between chapters or sections of their writing project. A writer that is more spontaneous might benefit more from switching between their main writing project and short story writing, as it would allow the writer to switch from one type of writing to another based on their inclination and inspiration.

Written by Readers’ Favorite Reviewer Sefina Hawke