# Need new nightmare fuel. Let's plunder world mythology! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 24, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810 "2010-11-24T20:14:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/1 "2010-11-24T20:14:56Z")
Man, I’m fed up with vampires, werewolves, and zombies. Even ghosts are rather “meh” by this point. So, what other genres or mythologies have particularly nasty nightmare fuel? We need declare a moratorium on the same old same old and see some movies with different critters. No aliens (this includes Lovecraftian horrors, since Hollywood has shown time and time again that they DO. NOT. GET IT.) No city-bashers (Godzilla and his ilk), and no serial killing superhumans. Boring. Demons, Satan, and other hell-spawn are still OK, but there had better be 1) a fresh take on it, and 2) no baddies made up out of whole cloth (no “Maleficon the Masher of Souls” or similar garbage. I like my demonic powers to have some basis in ancient writings.) What have you got? ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/2 "2010-11-24T21:11:24Z")
How about Harpies? Screaching vulture women swooping down from city rooftops clawing men and carrying them away. Otherwise dragons, evil sorcerers/witches/whatever else, trickster gods, et al have been done a lot as well. There’s potential with succubae, but there has to be more than “evil demoness who destroys the helpless men until the hero dispatches her with a quip.” Gargoyles are another thought. I miss that cartoon and I know they were heroes as opposed to the scary monsters, but I wouldn’t mind seeing someone resurect the franchise with a really good live action(ish) movie. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/3 "2010-11-24T21:13:11Z")
_Red Caps_–Scottish Goblins. They dye their caps red. With the blood of their victims! When it dries brown…time to go looking for more. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/4 "2010-11-24T21:14:12Z")
Ogres? ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/5 "2010-11-24T21:34:55Z")
How about some [Succubus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succubus) and [lamia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamia_(mythology))? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/6 "2010-11-24T21:51:39Z")
The nuclear war of the Rama empire, their ray weapons and flying ships would be a good series if done right. I do believe it was supposed to be Atlantis that they fought with, but I’m not looking this up to check. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/7 "2010-11-24T21:58:21Z")
[Penanggalan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penanggalan). > [@](#): > > According to the folklore of that region, the Penanggalan is a detached female head that is capable of flying about on its own. As it flies, the stomach and entrails dangle below it, and these organs twinkle like fireflies as the Penanggalan moves through the night. ---
**Author:** ![Agnostic\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@Agnostic\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agnostic_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/8 "2010-11-24T22:16:07Z")
I wholeheartedly support the OP, and second the nomination for lamia. The [Sidhe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidhe) and other elven races have always fascinated me. I think there was a Swamp Thing story where he met an enclave hidden in the Appalachia. I always thought that would have made a cool premise for a stand-alone series. I also saw them used effectively in some fantasy novels I read long ago of which they are all that I really recall. I always loved it when the Fay would show up in Gaiman’s Sandman series. As I recall they were not necessarily the nicest folk. I never quite liked Tolkien’s or Gygax’s take on them. Made them sound to noble. I see them treating us as we treat apes - distant cousins, but vastly inferior and definitely not equals. If a few happen die in some unfortunate experiments, it’s all in the name of progress and science (or magic in their case.) ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/9 "2010-11-24T22:17:41Z")
[Trolls](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4PGFODxiJc) ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/10 "2010-11-24T22:29:18Z")
damn. red caps sound freakin terrifying. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/11 "2010-11-24T23:20:09Z")
> [@Agnostic\_Pagan](#): > > I wholeheartedly support the OP, and second the nomination for lamia. > > The [Sidhe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidhe) and other elven races have always fascinated me. I think there was a Swamp Thing story where he met an enclave hidden in the Appalachia. I always thought that would have made a cool premise for a stand-alone series. I also saw them used effectively in some fantasy novels I read long ago of which they are all that I really recall. I always loved it when the Fay would show up in Gaiman’s Sandman series. As I recall they were not necessarily the nicest folk. Butcher has a good view of them in the Dresden Files novels as well. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/12 "2010-11-24T23:53:57Z")
> [@Agnostic\_Pagan](#): > > I wholeheartedly support the OP, and second the nomination for lamia. > > The [Sidhe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidhe) and other elven races have always fascinated me. I think there was a Swamp Thing story where he met an enclave hidden in the Appalachia. I always thought that would have made a cool premise for a stand-alone series. I also saw them used effectively in some fantasy novels I read long ago of which they are all that I really recall. I always loved it when the Fay would show up in Gaiman’s Sandman series. As I recall they were not necessarily the nicest folk. > > I never quite liked Tolkien’s or Gygax’s take on them. Made them sound to noble. I see them treating us as we treat apes - distant cousins, but vastly inferior and definitely not equals. If a few happen die in some unfortunate experiments, it’s all in the name of progress and science (or magic in their case.) The problem with the sidhe is that laurel hamilton has done a book series on them that is just as sex crazed as the anita blake series … though the mercedes lackey version is wonderfully full of child abuse angst … :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/13 "2010-11-25T00:08:26Z")
How about the [Windigo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo), a cannabalistic monster that was once human and is driven mad by the craving for human flesh which he can never sate because for every person he eats, grows proportionately larger and thus is constantly starving. When reading the \*Book of the New Sun \*series, I found the bit with the [alzabo](http://aliens.wikia.com/wiki/Alzabo) intensely creepy. It’s an alien predator that absorbs the memories and thoughts of its prey, and Wolfe describes a scene where the creature kills and eats a child that it catches playing in the woods, then it proceeds to go back to the house the child lived in and mimics the voice of the child to lure the parents outside where it can devour them as well. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/14 "2010-11-25T00:26:35Z")
I know you said ghosts are meh, buf maybe utbards would be different enough from the usual: “The utbard, “child left outside” is the ghost of a baby left to die of exposure. Truly horrid creatures whose first victim is invariably their mother.” Although they appear in the form of an infant, they have tremendous physical strength and like maiming victims in addition to eventually killing them. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/15 "2010-11-25T01:26:52Z")
The lamia was used in _Drag Me To Hell_. Hellboy, the comic not the films, is great for an odd collection of obscure monsters and myths. I like the more original monsters. Remember Eugene Tooms from The X-Files? He was the serial killer with the mutant stretchy body like Reed Richards. He’d hibernate in a nest of newspaper and bile/saliva for up to thirty years at a time. When he awoke, he needed to eat five human livers to go back into hibernation. Creepy. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/16 "2010-11-25T02:00:02Z")
From the old country: The Cadejo, specifically: the black ones. > **[Cadejo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadejo)** > > The cadejo (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Spanish pronunciation: \[kaˈðexo\]) is a supernatural spirit that appears as a dog-shaped creature with blue eyes when it is calm and red eyes when it is attacking. It roams around isolated roads at night, according to Central American folklore of indigenous origin. There is a good white c > [@](#): > > Black Cadejo characteristics > > It ranges in many sizes according to different tales in various regions. It lurks in graveyards and dark alleys, waiting to attack a passing victim. It has a distinctive smell of concentrated urine and burning sulphur. It rattles with a jerking motion contracting its pharynx. Its gaze freezes anyone who makes eye contact. It glitters in the pitch dark with skin and short hair, similar to that of a pig. > > There are three types of black cadejos: > > The first is the devil himself in the form of a large, wounded dog with hoofed feet that are bound with red-hot chains. It is said that not even the white cadejo is able to completely stop him. Unlike the regular black cadejo it is not likely to pursue and attack a passing human, as it is a scout - the eyes of evil. Instead, anyone who spots him will have a sad event. In the short story “Leyenda del Cadejo” (“Legend of the Cadejo”) by Nobel Prize laureate Miguel Ángel Asturias, this variety of cadejo terrorizes a young abbess and robs her of her braid. > > The second type of cadejo is the regular cadejo, the mysterious evil dog. It kills and savagely tears through its victim. First it demoralizes him with a series of sounds and other signs that it is nearby. Then, after the victim is scared, it leaps forward, and will kill him if the white cadejo is not near. > > The final, and least powerful type of black cadejo is the offspring of a normal dog and the ‘regular’ cadejo. It is a mortal hybrid and can (with difficulty) be killed by a strong man (bearing in mind that most men in those regions only carry a machete for protection). Once dead, it will completely rot in a matter of seconds, leaving behind a stain of evil, on which grass and moss will never grow again. This cadejo will never bite its victim. Instead, he kicks and pecks them with his snout. After this happens, people say “Lo jugo el cadejo”-which means “he\she was handled by the cadejo”. The victim goes mad. This term is sometimes applied to people that are born with a mental illness. > > A fairly popular version of the legend in El Salvador talks about two brothers who walk into the house of a black magician. During a storm, he asks the boys to help him with some logs for a fire. Both boys slack on the job but eat the man’s food. Once he finds out the little bit of food he had is missing and that there is not enough wood for his fire, he puts a curse on the road that leads to the boy’s village. Voices bother the boys and when they turn their backs on the voices they get turned into creatures: a white Cadejo and a black one. After going back to their village in their cursed form they get kicked out and have no choice but to wander. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/17 "2010-11-25T02:21:56Z")
> [@Norse](#): > > [Trolls](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4PGFODxiJc) Do you not know about [Troll](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28film%29), or its amazingly bad sequel [Troll 2](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_2) (which had no trolls, only goblins), or [Troll 3](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_3), which I have not seen, but apparently has no trolls either. > [@drastic\_quench](#): > > The lamia was used in _Drag Me To Hell_. Yeah, but it was a dude, and had nothing to do with snakes or other things associated with the creature. Are there any ghoul movies, in the Arabic myth sense? Zombies are close enough, but not the same. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/18 "2010-11-25T04:00:12Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > damn. red caps sound freakin terrifying. In all the depictions I’ve seen of them, they’ve never once been good, or safe to be around. They are indeed freakin terrifying. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/19 "2010-11-25T04:21:10Z")
I say: strip-mine Japanese folklore. (heck, anime already did to everyone else, anyway.) [Obakemono](http://www.obakemono.com/), for example. Any of 'em. Even Anita Blake couldn’t make a [shirime](http://www.obakemono.com/obake/shirime/) into popular soft porn. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810/20 "2010-11-25T04:23:42Z")
The last book kind of sucks, but **The Veil** trilogy by Christopher Golden has _dozens_ of fae/supernatural critters from across the globe not commonly found in Western Literature. I had to look several of them - like perytons - up in my encyclopedia of mythical creatures. > [@Lightray](#): > > Even Anita Blake couldn’t make a [shirime](http://www.obakemono.com/obake/shirime/) into popular soft porn. But imagine the fun she could have with Kitsune. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-new-nightmare-fuel-lets-plunder-world-mythology/561810.md?page=2)