Madam Koi Koi

 Author: Nakya Jenkins 

In Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa, there was a beautiful school teacher by the name of Madam Chloe. Even though she was beautiful she was known for her rudeness and abusiveness towards her students. She was called Madam Koi Koi because of the sound her heels made while walking. As one of the main versions of the story goes according to UniqueGracee (a self media writer) in an article titled “LEGEND: The History of Madam KoiKoi in Nigeria and Ghana” Madam Koi Koi slapped a student and injured her ear. After this, the students decided to take matters into their own hands. One night the students cornered Madam Koi Koi and beat her to death, then threw her body overboard. Madam koi Koi swore revenge and slowly the students involved in her murder started disappearing one by one.When the last murder accomplice was beaten to the death the schools shut down and split the students into different schools which is how the tale of Madam Koi Koi spreaded. 

Madam Koi Koi

There are many different versions of Madam Koi Koi, even some personal journal entries of students who were involved in her murder. Madam Koi Koi is said to haunt bathrooms and haunt the halls at night especially after lights out. Many have seen the ghosts and the version derived from her, one known as Pinky Pinky. Pinky Pinky is known to be half human, half beast. A hermaphrodite to be exact.  It has pink translucent skin and is stuck in between worlds inside bathroom stalls. It’s jealous of girls who have their whole life afraid of them and want revenge on them. This creature preys on young girls who use the bathroom alone. Especially girls that wear pink panties. This creature has been said to murder, harm and even rape these young girls. This has gotten so serious the schools have gotten shut down before, people have seen them and police have been involved. 

“South African Urban Legend-Death by Pinky Pinky”

A short horror story story recited by Steffany Strange for Snarled 

In South Africa, there are many versions of Madam Koi Koi. One known as Madam Tokoloshe or Tokoloshe. A water spirit who becomes invisible by drinking water. They’re known to be small and mischievous. This demon was created by a witch doctor to harm its enemies, also known to bite off sleeping people's toes. It’s said that people have to put bricks underneath their bed to keep the Tokoloshe away. 

These different versions of the same evil spirit mainly target young children. For many versions of the evil spirits, its main agenda is for revenge. Many of its victims are found beaten to death. For Madam Koi Koi, she haunts her victims, makes them feel safe after a few years, then suddenly, the victim is found beaten to death. For Pinky Pinky. This hermaphrodite, half beast creature only preys on young girls and often harms them. Known to be found where young girls are known to be alone. A savage, murderous, rapist. The Tokoloshe, a water spirit. This demon is created by a jealous person, who goes to a witch doctor in wish to take vengeance on someone in which the client promises a soul of a loved one (a soul not of their choice).

Work Cited:

UniqueGracee. “LEGEND: The History of Madam Koi Koi in Nigeria and Ghana” N Opera News Oct. 2021. https://ng.opera.news/ng/en/culture/8fe78741e8b47badb3573b68fe49ac80 

Snarled. “South African Urban Legend- Death by Pinky Pinky//Something Scary'' Youtube 6 Sept. 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMESvCPbIyk 

“Tokoloshe” Wikipedia Oct. 2022 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikoloshe

Blogspot. Madam Koi Koi. 2021  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh1FI6MJ3tiWu8-MimpQ490_2YB4wgsI92vJ9YvlNhXVYblazutxyipIcWpbHgyt8Ca1D7Cl4ViHA41rShn2PBwE0XaXLxJxxSSKuyyDS7w-rgXXz4RqdrgkjEnPd88FI2LmZghhTthGs/w1200-h630-p-k-no-nu/godwin-akpan-madam-koikoi.jpg

Links for Further Research: 

UniqueGracee. “LEGEND: The History of Madam Koi Koi in Nigeria and Ghana” N Opera News Oct. 2021 https://ng.opera.news/ng/en/culture/8fe78741e8b47badb3573b68fe49ac80 Accessed on Oct. 20 2022. This article by UniqueeGracee is explaining the well known version as well as a few alternatives about who Madam Koi Koi was. How she was beautiful but cruel to the students. The students beated her to death and she swore she would get revenge and everyone involved in  her murder started disappearing one by one. 

“Tokoloshe” Wikipedia July 2020 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikoloshe Accessed on Oct. 20 2022 This Wikipedia article describes the Tokoloshe, and how it was created as well as the many agenda of these demons.These demon are created by a witch doctor for revenge at the stake of a loves persons soul on which they prey of for days, weeks, months, and even years. They can get rid of by a pastor. 

“What the heck is a Pinky Pinky?” Imperidox. https://www.imperidox.com/pinky-pinky/  Accessed on Oct 20 2022. This Imperidox article goes into an extremely deep dive into what the Pinky Pinky is. Known for their wispy white hair, and milky skin. Somehow, these creatures come from albinism and prey on prepubescent and pubescent girls. Its murders, and molests young girls when they’re by themselves. It got so bad, police were involved, and schools were shut down.

The Knights Templar

 Author: Penname McAnonymous

The Knights Templar, a monastic military order of warriors sworn to uphold the catholic faith and defend its pilgrims in the Holy Land, inspires some of us today with fantastic imagery of swords, chivalry, the Crusades, and perhaps the allure of being a part of something bigger than oneself. Dan Jones, in his interview with Simon Worral, says that Pope Clement V disbanded the Knights Templar in 1307 because he was controlled by King Philip IV of France, who owed large debts to the Templars and thusly motivated to remove the order entirely.

“Mystery & History: Knights Templar” (Lecture by Kevin K. Main uploaded on 20 May 2016)

 Modern depictions of the Templars continue to draw from this idyllic view of the order as a fierce, honorable mantle held by the members of the order. Today, modern Templars exist as live-action roleplaying groups, fraternities, and secret societies such as the Freemasons, although they are not nearly as inspiring as the original namesake.

The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ of the Temple of Solomon, as they were originally called, were established in Jerusalem by King Baldwin II in 1119. The order was created as a solution to combat the bandits and highwaymen that preyed upon catholic pilgrims making their journeys in the Holy Land. The Templars proved effective enough, surviving on donations to supply and maintain their order, that they began to attract donations large enough to expand their order. At their peak, the order of the Knights Templar operated as far as England, across Europe and the Mediterranean, to the Middle East.

The order was proficient at manipulating assets and funding and is believed to have conceptualized banking through credit notes and loans. Their large accumulation and efficient transfers of wealth over the better part of two centuries indicates that the order was the first corporation on the planet that operated across multiple countries. There are speculations today that there remain hidden Templar treasure hoards across Europe yet to be discovered. The most famous of these tales being the hidden location of the Holy Grail, a mythical christian relic rumored to have entered the Templars’ possession during their height.

Today, they exist only in the mind, truly. Videogames and films make up a large part of their romanticization, relying heavily on the legends of unfound wealth and relics. Patrick Masters, in his article, “The Knights Templar had actually been mythologised in popular culture as early as the 13th century in the Grail epic Parzival by German knight and poet Wolfram von Eschenbach.” Of course, the attraction of mystery and fantasizing of what once was is enough to hook anyone.

Works Cited:

Worrall, Simon. “Book Talk: The Templars Got Rich Fighting for God – Then Lost It All.” 23 Sept. 2017. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/knights-templar-crusades-dan-jones. Accessed on 18 Oct. 2022.

Main, Kevin K. “Mystery and History: Knights Templar,” YouTube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ghOx_MYBYw. Accessed 19 Oct. 2022.

Masters, Patrick. “Knights Templar Still Loved by Conspiracy Theorists 900 Years On.” 7 Jan. 2020. https://www.port.ac.uk/news-events-and-blogs/news/knights-templar-still-loved-by-conspiracy-theorists-900-years-on. Accessed On 18 Oct. 2022.

Links for further research:

“Knights Templar: Rise and Fall.” Directed by Philip Gardner

https://youtu.be/4TZkBTDuCz8 In this documentary, Philip Gardner presents the mysteries and conspiracies surrounding the Poor Fellow Soldiers of the Temple of Solomon. Specific religious myths are presented to provide context to the Knights Templar legend.

“Buried: Knights Templar and the Holy Grail” History Channel

https://youtu.be/CMJY4kmVKgY This 4-part documentary series follows historians Garth Baldwin and Mikey Kay across Europe as they explain what happened to the Knights Templar. This series features many historians familiar with the Knights Templar and takes the hosts to many different sites where the Templars operated and fled from their persecution in the early 1300s.

The Ghost of Alice Riley

Who was Alice Riley? She was an indentured servant who made the journey over to America in 1733 (Ghost City Tours). Alice Riley ventured to America with her husband, Richard White, along with 38 other servants from Ireland (Ghost City Tours). They made the move to America in the hopes of finding something better, but what they found wasn’t what they were looking for. Some could say they even regretted making the move over to America. 

According to Ghost City Tours, William Wise had a reputation for being untrustworthy and sketchy. This caused him to initially be declined permission to make the move to Savannah. However, this didn’t stop Wise from achieving what he wanted. He made the decision to sail from England to Savannah, and James Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia, didn’t want to punish England by sending him back, so they approved him to work on a cattle farm (Ghost City Tours). Alice Riley and her husband, Richard White were both placed with a man named William Wise who became their master.

Eventually, William Wise’s health started to deteriorate, and he needed to be taken care of, which became Alice Riley’s job. Wise took advantage of the situation and of Alice Riley. William Wise would beat Alice Riley physically as well as emotionally almost daily (Crabb). One night Richard White heard his wife’s screams and ran to her rescue. Alice could no longer handle the abuse she received from Wise. Therefore, together Richard and Alice murdered their master, William Wise on March 1, 1734 (Harris). The body of William Wise was found in his home on his bed (Harris). However, his head was detached from his body. The head of William Wise was later found in a pail of water (Harris). The cause of death for Wise was asphyxiation. The death of William Wise was the very first death in Savannah, Georgia (Harris). 

Richard White and Alice Riley ran away together, but were later found and the town of Savannah found them guilty for the murder of William Wise. The punishment for murder at the time was to be hung. Richard White was immediately hanged after he had been caught, however, before they could hang Alice Riley, they found out that she was pregnant. Of course, the people of Savannah weren’t going to hang a pregnant woman (Crabb). They allowed her enough time to give birth to her son, but right after she was hanged for the murder that she committed on January 19, 1735 (Crabb). Both of them were hung in Wright Square a located in Savannah, Georgia. This later became known as the “hanging square” (Harris). Riley became the first woman to be hung in the state of Georgia. The body of Alice Riley was left in Wright Square for a total of three days before it disappeared. Two weeks after the hanging of Alice Riley, her baby also passed. 

George R. Hicks “The Hanging of Alice Riley”

Many people believe that when Alice Riley’s body disappeared, she turned into a ghost. Her ghost appears in Wright Square wearing tattered 18th-century style clothing (Southern Gothic Media). The ghost of Alice Riley is attracted to pregnant women and women who have infants with them (Harris). It has been said that her ghost follows them to try and steal their babies to make up for what she lost (Harris). 

Works Cited:

George R. Hicks. “The Hanging of Alice Riley.” Murder & Lies: The Ghost of Savannah’s Wright Square, 30 October 2014, https://www.google.com/search?q=the+hanging+of+alice+riley&rlz=1CAVNCX_enUS1017&sxsrf=ALiCzsYM7sBnsxeM12YWZ-wvvgv4DkSG2w:1666487479217&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjOkeLRlfX6AhUgmYQIHW3xCvUQ_AUoAXoECAIQAw&biw=1366&bih=649&dpr=1#imgrc=G9z8jgGTf6uYaM. Accessed on 25 October 2022.

Harris, Michael. “Murder & Lies: The Ghost of Savannah’s Wright Square.” Savannah’s Morning News, 30 October 2014. https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2014/10/31/murder-lies-ghost-savannahs-wright-square/13526612007/ Accessed on 18 October 2022.

“Savannah’s Most Famous Ghost Story: The Ghost of Alice Riley.” Ghost City Tours, https://ghostcitytours.com/savannah/ghost-stories/alice-riley/ Accessed on 18 October 2022.

“The Ghost of Alice Riley.” Southern Gothic Media, 19 August 2022. https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/blog/sg088-ghost-of-alice-riley Accessed on 18 October 2022.

“The Hanging of Alice Riley.” YouTube, uploaded by Brittney Crabb, 19 September 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY1HGK9E9ho Accessed on 18 October 2022.

Links for Further Research:

“Ghost of Alice Riley.” YouTube, uploaded by Janie Mucciolo, 14 July 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KFViqfrw6E Accessed on 18 October 2022. This video is narrated by a woman named Joan who is a licensed tour guide in Savannah, Georgia. The video focuses more on the historical aspect of this story. Alice Riley was one of Savannah’s earliest colonists that came over to the United States when Savannah was in its’ infancy in 1734.

“Wright Square (Savannah, Georgia).” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Square_(Savannah,_Georgia) Accessed on 22 October 2022. This article provides the history of Wright Square that is located in Savannah, Georgia. According to Wikipedia, Wright Square is named after the man James Wright who was the last British Royal Governor for the Province of Georgia. It also provides pictures that relate to the place.

“Ghost.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost Accessed on 22 October 2022. This article defines what a ghost is. Wikipedia defines ghosts as the soul/spirit of a dead person/animal that appears to the living.

Healthcare and the Legend of Julia Legare

On one tragic day the Legare family’s daughter Julia Legare came down with a case of diphtheria, after a serious battle with this illness Julia fell into a coma. With regards to this illness her family had the family physician come and examine her. It is believed that Julia’s heartbeat and respiratory rate were so low that the family physician failed to detect them, and thus she was declared dead. The family grieved and mourned the loss of her poor daughter and subsequently unsealed the family mausoleum or tomb. The family held a standard funeral for their daughter and had her sealed up in the mausoleum that day. 

The Legare family later had to reopen the mausoleum grieving the death of another family member who died in the civil war. . The family in a time of great grief realized something horrific, the remains of Julia Legare were found at the front of the mausoleum beside the door, she had been buried alive.

Ever since this tragic day the Legare family’s tomb has mysteriously remained open. Locks and chains could not keep the door closed, nor could a solid, hundred pound, marble door. But what might have kept the door closed is a more apt physician, or even a vaccine. In modern times comas’ induced by diphtheria are extraordinarily rare due to the illness being preventable via vaccine, and treatable by medical professionals. Not only this, but it is likely that her illness would not have brought about her tragic burial alive, as modern technology and properly educated physicians would have easily and promptly declared Julia to be in a coma, rather than dead. The practice of medicine has long since been improved, but there are ways it could’ve improved faster, and individuals who prompted such a slow development in medicine, encouraging practices like packing wounds with mud, or the infamous Chinese surgeon who was ousted for stating that wounds should be covered and cleaned in order to heal properly. Early medicinal practices include a variety of procedures and processes that we today know to be all but useless, and some that were even counterproductive. These early medicinal process include tobacco based enemas, cocaine, and even chloroform to treat asthma. 

To conclude, whether the ghost of Julia Legare truly haunts the J.B. Legare mausoleum is unknown, but what is known is that the whole ordeal could have been preventable. What we know now in medicine could have easily brought an end to her suffering in a manner that didn’t involve her death. If medicine was not stunted by a number of factors, including but not limited to: religious movements, incorrect scholars, and a lack of accurate research in the general medicinal field, then Julia Legare might have gotten to live out the remainder of her life in peace.

Works Cited: 

S, Leo. “Buried Alive: The Creepy True Legend of Julia Legare.” RANDOM Times, 28 Sept. 2020, https://random-times.com/2020/09/28/buried-alive-the-creepy-true-legend-of-julia-legare/.

Hart, Bob. “The Legend of Juila Legare.” EdistoBeach.com, 21 July 2018, https://www.edistobeach.com/the-legend-of-julia-legare/.

“Diphtheria.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Sept. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diphtheria.

For Further Research:

Beheler, Thomas. “10 Strange Medical Practices from History.” 10 Strange Medical Practices from History  Headlines and Heroes, 27 Apr. 2022, https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2022/04/10-strange-medical-practices-from-history/.

Bhattacharya, Surajit. “Wound Healing through the Ages.” Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery : Official Publication of the Association of Plastic Surgeons of India, Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, May 2012, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3495363/.

“Confirmed Haunted Cemeteries across South Carolina.” South Carolina Haunted Houses, https://www.southcarolinahauntedhouses.com/real-haunts/cemeteries.aspx.

UFO Welcome Center (SC)

 Author: Doug

In Bowman, South Carolina there is a tourist attraction called the UFO Welcome Center. It was a place created by a man name Jody Pendarvis. Pendarvis built it in 1994. UFO Welcome Center is made of wood, fiberglass and plastic. Some people may think he is crazy for the fact that he built it on his suspicions that aliens are real. He made the UFO Welcome Center in hopes that if the aliens comes that they will take him with them. 

Sightings of UFOs all over the world help the UFO Welcome Center get visitors. The people that see UFOs have a place to go to find information. Because of sightings there are lots of people that believe that aliens and UFOs are real. The UFO Welcome Center is exactly like what Jody Pendarvis thinks a UFO would look like from the inside to the outside. Even how cold he thinks it get form the inside. He Pendarvis keeps a lot of old junk like old TVs and computers to attract more people to come there.

The UFO Welcome Center also help people understand more about UFOs and Aliens. Pendarvis said that this is just a hobby that he loves, and he talks about how much money he spends on his hobby. The amount he spends twenty-two thousand dollars. The UFO Welcome Center isn’t talked about much since its in the small state of South Carolina, so most people don’t know about it or have never even heard of it. But the people that have heard of it have done research and know about aliens and UFOs.

There is a National UFO website and South Carolina is a hotspot for UFO sightings, so it makes sense to why the UFO Welcome Center is in South Carolina. So the knowledge that people have about aliens would lead them to South Carolina to get a real look on what a UFO might look like so they would know if they saw one. Also for the people who claimed they have seen one can head there and do some research to see if it was really a UFO and aliens. Pendarvis is still alive today and the UFO Welcome Center is still up in running for anyone who would be interested in aliens and UFOs. Even thought it is a mess around the area it’s a historically safe place to go and visit.

Pendarvis has so much more knowledge on UFOs and aliens then the average person. He’s spent the last Twenty-Eight years of his life on building and learning about UFOs.

Works cited:

Whitney8258. UFO Welcome Center, 2014. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ufo-welcome-center

Marcus Lowth, Best UFO Sighting Videos and Encounters of 2022, September 2022. https://www.ufoinsight.com/ufos/sightings/best-ufo-sightings-videos-encounters-of-2022

Josie Griffiths, Life On Mars Are aliens real? Sightings and conspiracy theories explained, advertised on “The U.S Sun” October 13 2021. https://www.the-sun.com/news/science/3336771/aliens-real-ufo-sightings-evidence/

Robin Jarvis, The Mysterious Hidden Gem Attraction In South Carolina You Never Even Knew Existed, November 8, 2018. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/south-carolina/ufo-welcome-center/

Meryl Conant, The South Carolina UFO Welcome Center, 2007 https://www.ufocasebook.com/welcomecenter.html

J Tyson, OnlyInYourState, Article. https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/700x/cdn.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/z5-700x430.jpg

UFO Welcome Center, March 3, 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_Welcome_Center

Links for Further Research: 

Whitney8258. UFO Welcome Center, 2014 https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ufo-welcome-center. The article is about how the Welcome Center is built and it is built out of. It also gives bunch of facts like the tempter and where it is located. The purpose of this article is to teach people and let them know stuff about the Welcome Center that people may not know. This source is unique because it shows where the place is located on a map and has other important information that other articles don’t. This source is useful because it give information that other websites left out. This source is good for anyone that wants to learn about aliens and other fun facts.

Marcus Lowth, Best UFO Sighting Videos and Encounters of 2022, September 2022  https://www.ufoinsight.com/ufos/sightings/best-ufo-sightings-videos-encounters-of-2022. The article is about UFOs being seen and people experience. It has multiple videos of peoples proof. The purpose of the article is to show peoples experience with UFOs. The source is unique because most don’t have videos and picture proof of people encounters. This source is useful cause it shows multiple picture which seem to be real UFOs. This written is intended to show people that there is proof of aliens and UFOs.

Josie Griffiths, Life On Mars Are aliens real? Sightings and conspiracy theories explained, advertised on “The U.S Sun” October 13 2021 https://www.the-sun.com/news/science/3336771/aliens-real-ufo-sightings-evidence/. The website talks about the last sighting that they can confirm. It shows that there have been real sighting and that there were probably more that were not recorded. The purpose of this website is to prove that UFOs have been seen before. The source is unique because it’s a big website posting about aliens. The source is useful because its posted by a big known website that has lots of credibility. This source is intended for people that are looking for proof that UFOs are real.

The Flannan Isles Lighthouse

Lighthouse in stormy landscape, Shuttershock

On December 15th, 1990, a ship named Archtor set sail on a voyage to Leith from Philadelphia when noticing something was wrong. The Archtor passed the lighthouse on the Flannan Isles and noticed the light was off. After docking in Leith three days later, the news passed on the Northern Lighthouse Board that something was amiss in Flannan. 

The Board dispatched the lighthouse relief tender ship Hesperus to investigate. Arriving at the island, the ship's captain, Jim Harvie, sounded his horn and sent up a flare, hoping to alert the three lighthouse keepers. There was no response to the sound or flare. When they disembarked from the ship, relief lighthouse keeper Joseph Moore set off up to the lighthouse. When he reached the living quarters, Moore noticed that the clock on the kitchen wall had stopped, the table was set for a meal that had never been eaten and a chair had been toppled over. The canary in a cage was the only sign of life. When he returned, he returned his findings to the captain. After this they did thorough searches to try and find any signs of life. There were no signs of the three keepers throughout the whole search and no one knows where or what happened to the keepers.

“The Flannan Isles Lighthouse Mystery” By Horror Stories. 
A video going in detail and describing the mysteries surrounding the lighthouse.

With the disappearance of the keepers being a mystery, there are bound to be many theories and rumors of what people have happened to the keepers. Flannan Isles Lighthouse - Wikipedia. On the wiki there is an article describing these disappearances. Over time a story has developed of the existence of unusual logbook entrees. They supposedly have Marshall saying on the 12th of December that were “severe winds the like of which I have never seen in twenty years”. With this theory being in place this caused many people to believe they were swept away from the winds or possibly pulled underwater and drowned in the storm.

Flannan Islands - Northern Lighthouse Board (nlb.org.uk) This article will go in debt describing the history of the lighthouse outside of the mystery and how the disappearance affected the lighthouse and what tourists think of it. It says how the lighthouse was in service and how it became forgotten and left alone after the disappearance. 

Works Cited: 

Munroe R.W “Flannan Isles Lighthouse” Oct. 23, 2022. Flannan Isles Lighthouse - Wikipedia. 

Horror Stories “The Flannan Isles Lighthouse Mystery. July 16, 2018. (62) The Flannan Isles Lighthouse Mystery - YouTube 

Northern Lighthouse Board “Flannan isles” Flannan Islands - Northern Lighthouse Board (nlb.org.uk)

Links for Further Research: 

Lucy Davidson. “Flannan Isle Mystery: when 3 lighthouse keepers vanished forever.” April 1st, 2022 Flannan Isle Mystery: When Three Lighthouse Keepers Vanished Forever | History Hit Accessed Oct. 24, 2022. This article by Lucy Davidson discusses a thorough investigation into the lighthouse and how the disappearance first began and the events leading up to the disappearance, along with the damage to the lighthouse's reputation.

Vertigo22. “Mystery: The Flannan Isles Lighthouse.” Oct. 9th, 2020. Limitless Possibilities: Mystery: The Flannan Isles Lighthouse (vertigo22.com) Accessed Oct. 24th, 2022. This article was made by a user named Vertigo22 on the platform “Limitless Possibilities.”. Their article goes into detail of what a lighthouse is and how the Flannan Isles lighthouse differs from any other lighthouse and how it isn’t ordinary from others.

Wilfred William Gibson. “Flannan Isle.” 11 years ago. Flannan Isle by Wilfrid Wilson Gibson - Famous poems, famous poets. - All Poetry  Accessed Oct. 24th, 2022. This author, known as Wilfred William Gibson, describes the Flannan Isles lighthouse in a short poem he writes as he goes into details of the mystery and disappearances brought by the lighthouse. This is an incredibly unique way of describing events.

Sedlec Ossuary

 Author: Anna Mervine

In Kutna Hora, there is a place called the Sedlec Ossuary. People can take trips and visit the church that has over 35,000 bones in it. The exact number of bones the church has is 40,000. According to the author Michael Turtle, in an article entitled “Visiting the Sedlec Ossuary in Kutna Hora.” The bones are real, and they come from bodies that were buried in the cemetery around the church in the 14th and 15th century. After that, they were moved into the ossuary after they were dug up so the cemetery's size could be reduced. This church has been around for years, and to this day it still fascinates people enough to go out of their way to explore it.

Bone Church

You can visit the Sedlec Ossuary in Prague. The author, Stephanie Hubka, of the article “Sedlec Ossuary: Visiting the Bone Church of Kutna Hora” states that she had to take an organized tour to get there because they did not have a rental car and there is not a direct form of transportation option. “Trains and buses will extend your journey from one hour to almost three hours.” She states. Around Sedlec Ossuary, there are places you can stay if you would rather stay overnight in Kutna Hora. Unless you can get a rental, there is not a formal form of transportation, so if you visit then you would most likely be better off taking a day trip to Prague. If you want to visit, tickets are available on their website. The ossuary is open from 10AM – 6PM between April and September. The Ossuary is open from 10AM – 4PM between October and March. In the article "Czech Republic’s notorious Sedlec Ossuary to ban selfies.” it states that as of 2020 “visitors will need to ask for permission from the parish three days in advance if they wish to take pictures in the ossuary.” Meaning, unless given permission, no photography is allowed inside the building while visiting. Kutna Hora. 
The Ossuary was built during the time of the Plague. People would come to the Sedlec before their death. When they died, they would have been buried in the Sedlec. After that had stopped, the task of creating the Ossuary was given to a half blind monk named Frantisek Rindt who arranged the bones to remember the people who had died during the Plague. Now, in 2022, people can visit the Sedlec Ossuary to view the beauty of the Ossuary and have a tragically gruesome dedication to the dead. Their lives still live on and will always be remembered.

Works cited:
Turtle, Michael. “Kutna Horas Church of Bones.” Time Travel Turtle. 22 September. 2022. https://www.timetravelturtle.com/sedlec-ossuary-bone-church-kutna-hora-czech-republic/. Accessed 23 October. 2022.

Hubka, Stephanie. “Sedlec Ossuary: Visiting the Bone Church of Kutna Hora.” Road Unraveled. 20 March. 2018. https://www.roadunraveled.com/blog/bone-church-sedlec-ossuary-kutna-hora/. Accessed 24 October. 2022.

Prague, Kafkadesk. “Czech Republic’s notorious Sedlec Ossuary to ban selfies.” Kafkadesk. 22 October. 2019. https://kafkadesk.org/2019/10/22/czech-republics-notorious-sedlec-ossuary-to-ban-selfies/. Accessed 24 October. 2022.

Links for Further Reference:
So, Haley. “Sedlec Ossuary – The Creepy Church that Decorated with Thousands of Bones.” The Value. 3 Jan. 2019. https://en.thevalue.com/articles/sedlec-ossuary-church-of-bones. Accessed 25 October. 2022. This article provides information about how the Sedlec Ossuary is decorated and why it is how it is.

Tripadvisor. “Sedlec Ossuary (Kostnice Sedlec).” Viator. https://www.viator.com/Prague-attractions/Sedlec-Ossuary/overview/d462-a22657. Accessed 25 October. 2022. This article, from a trip advisor website, shares need to know information before going to the Sedlec Ossuary. Like how to get there and where you would go.

Lovejoy, Jess. “7 Amazing Facts about the Sedlec Ossuary.” Mental Floss. 27 Feb. 2019. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/575129/sedlec-ossuary-facts. Accessed 18 Oct. 2022. Jess writes an article and in every paragraph, she shares a different fact about the Sedlec Ossuary.

Mysterious Jinn

 Author: Kallista Yeung

If one saw something at night, Persians would say, “there’s a jinn.” Originating from Arabian folklore, jinn are supernatural ghosts or spirits. In the Pre-Islamic period, jinn were worshipped. According to the Quran, they were created on Thursday before the creation of humans. They have the same desires and needs as humans just with higher physically. Jinn are described to have free-will where they were able to choose to be believers or non-believers. The jinn’s downfall was their pride. Allah, the name of Islam’s god, sent angels to kill most of them. Prophets related to jinn are Muhammad and Solomon. They were sent as messengers to the jinn and human communities. As Islam spread outside Arabia, there became more variants and versions of jinn. Surah 72 in the Quran is often referred to when speaking about jinn. (“What is Jinn?”)

“Devil or Angel”

There are many different types of jinn: Ifrit, royals who protect ruins, Madrid, shapeshifters who grant wishes, Ghoul, human-feeding creatures, Hinn, dogs luring soldiers into desserts, Jann, mischievous shapeshifters, Sila, rare meddling creatures, Palis, vampires, Qareen, the bad part of human, Shayteen, evil-doers who gives illness and death, and Vetala, corpse-possession psychics. (Geller) 

Jinn has been used as an explanation for sleep paralysis and other mysterious. Egyptians have a overwhelming fear of death by sleep paralysis. Jinn is said to torment the body when one’s body is weak and powerless. This makes Egyptians wake up more frequently. Jalal, found that those who experience sleep paralysis in Copenhagen, Denmark are three times less likely than those in Cairo, Egypt. (Choi)

A place that is said to have jinn is Wadi-e Jinn. It is a tourist area in Saudi Arabia where the gravity seems to move upwards. The pavement extends up for 9 miles and seeming to move upwards when a car is put on neutral. Cars have reached up to 75 miles per hour. (Cortesi) Another example of jinn, is the genie in Alladin and the lion protecting the ruin.

In conclusion, some still believe in jinn due to several different reasons. For example, some my have heard stories from other peers, friends, and older family members, whereas some simply do not believe in them because they have never encountered such traumatic experiences with ghosts. 

Works Cited:

“Devil or Angel.” LifeForceNetwork, 26 July 2013, https://www.lightforcenetwork.com/morgana/who-are-jinn.

“What is Jinn?”  The Spiritual Life, https://slife.org/what-is-jinn/.

Choi, Annette. “The Nightmare of Sleep Paralysis.” PBS, Brilliant.org, 16 August 2018, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/the-nightmare-of-sleep-paralysis/.

Cortesi, Max. “Wadi-e Jinn.” Atlas Obscura, 11 May 2022, https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/wadi-e-jinn.

Geller. “Jinn.” mythology.net, 2018, https://mythology.net/mythical-creatures/jinn/.

Khalifa, Najat Hardie, Tim. “Possession and jinn” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, PubMed Center, August 2005, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1181833/.

The Melonheads of Northeastern US

Author: Nicholas Owens

Artist’s depiction of a melon head

Throughout the Northeastern part of the United States exists a legend which tells the tale the melon heads. Small humanoid creatures with large bulbous heads, who lurk within the forests of mainly Michigan, Ohio, and Connecticut. There’s a variety of stories which try to explain what the melonheads are, and the history of them, but there’s not very much solid evidence.

There are several stories of how the melonheads came to be. The most popular one revolves around a scientist by the name of Doctor Crowe. He had somehow gotten several patients at a mental hospital, either by kidnapping or through some secret deal, who he performed inhumane experiments upon. These experiments focused on the head and the brain and as a result led to their deformed heads. Among Crowes experiments were also lobotomies, making the melonheads not very aggressive, and a little slow. It’s not known whether Dr. Crowe was a real person, some people believe that he was a dentist in the 1940s. Other’s follow the belief that he was a doctor in the early 1800s who practiced medicine from his home. He had obtained kids with mental problems, or maybe even kidnapped and performed bizarre experiments upon them such as injecting their brains with water, leading to further damage. Dr. Crowe kept them locked away in cages, but eventually they escaped to the wilderness. It’s believed that they still live within the woods around Holden Arboretum, Ohio  only coming out at night, feeding on deer and other forest animals for food, and sometimes even humans.

Another story takes place in the 1980’s. A group of teenage girls from Notre Dame High School, decided to go driving around. It was a late Friday night, and they were just looking for harmless fun. They drove around for a while in a blue Granada, but then they decided to go to Velvet Street, nicknamed Dracula Drive. It was given this nickname for all the bizarre occurrences which happened there, the melonheads being one of them. On that road, they decided to stop and get out searching, jokingly thinking they’ll see the melonheads. It just so happened that the car, with its headlights still on, began charging towards them and in the window the girls could see the perpetrators, small human-like creatures with large heads, the melonheads.

People all throughout the area may claim that they have seen a melonhead once in their life, however there isn’t much evidence towards their existence. There is not one definitive answer to what the melonheads are, some believe that they are ghosts of murdered children, some say they’re escaped mental patients and others say that they are the result of inbreeding. But the consistent fact throughout it all is that they have larger than average heads.

Works cited:

Moran. Mark, and Sceurman, Mark. “Melonheads Creep Through the Ohio Woods at Night.” Weird US, http://www.weirdus.com/states/ohio/fabled_people_and_places/melonheads/index.php. Accessed 20 October 2022.

Dimmick, Aaron. “MICHIGAN MONSTERS: Beware the Melon Heads of Saugatuck” WWMT, 9 May 2016, https://wwmt.com/resources/media/a46e9a53-fccb-4891-bdcf-e1edbd4c8f21-jumbo16x9_melon2.PNG?1462797483921

Links for Further Research:

Cryptid Wiki

https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Melon_Heads

The cryptid fandom page holds more information on the melonheads and has similar cryptids with large heads that could have inspired the legend.

 

Melonheads Part I: A Trip Down Dracula Drive

https://newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/2015/08/melonheads-part-i-trip-down-dracula.html?m=1

This blog post goes into depth on the stories surrounding the melonheads legend.

 

Melonheads Part II: Why So Many Big Heads?

http://newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/2015/08/melonheads-part-ii-why-so-many-big-heads.html

This second blog post discusses similar creatures with large heads, which may or may not been inspired by the melonheads, or the other way around.

The Appearance of the Clearwater Monster

Author: B. Holt

“30+ Things to do in Clearwater Beach"

 In 1948, random, strange footprints began to appear on Clearwater Beach in Clearwater, Florida. It was said that the footprints appeared to be 14 inches long and 11 inches wide with only three toes. The people of the small town were confused and bewildered by the appearance of the footprints. After a year passed, the “monster” began to start a path. The pathway started on Clearwater Beach, but the monster’s footprints ended up in Indian Rocks, Sarasota, St Petersburg, and Courtney Campbell Causeway. One night, in 1949, according to an article written by Rick Spillman called, “Old-Three Toes- The Giant Penguin of Clearwater Beach, Florida” stated that the monster went on a 100-mile rampage, knocking over lifeguard stands and leaving feathers or “something unearthly.”

"Remember the Clearwater Monster? Its Having a Moment."

It wasn’t very long before people started filing reports claiming that they saw the monster. An article by Lenny Flank entitled “The Clearwater Beach Monster” stated that a local couple saw a “15-foot, bird-like, creature floating in the water”. Another report from Flank’s article stated that another couple “encountered a large, hairy creature with a head like a rhinoceros.” Another report of the creature from the article said the creature looked like a “wild boar.” 

No one knew what this creature could possibly be. That’s where Ivan T. Sanderson, came into play. Sanderson was a well-known zoologist who gave an expert opinion on the monster.  Sanderson state that the monster was a pre-historic, giant penguin. In an article about the Clearwater Monster by James Felton called, “The Giant Penguin Hoax That Fooled Florida for 10 Whole Years” stated that Sanderson ruled that a hoax was very unlikely and the tracks couldn’t have been hand-made. Ever since Sanderson ruled that a hoax was unlikely, the monster caught the attention of the world and the monster was basically a celebrity. 

A Reddit post by Ivan Zlax entitled “The Clearwater Monster” stated that the monster was a hoax and was revealed 40 years later. You’re probably thinking, how was this monster with several different sightings a hoax? Well, local pranksters and employees at an auto repair store, Tony Signorini and his boss Al Williams ended up admitting decades later that they were the Clearwater Monster. In another article by Jefferey Scott called, “Clearwater’s Giant Penguin Mystery” explained that Signorini and Williams made the tracks with iron castings and would leave imprints on the wet sand. 

Even though Signorini and Williams admitted to being the Clearwater Monster, according to that same article by Jeffery Scott, there were people saying they saw the monster standing in the tracks imprinted on the beach. So, I guess some things are still unexplained.

To show you that the Clearwater Monster was actually compared to a giant penguin, in 2007, a student at North Carolina State University named Julia Clarke described the fossils of the giant penguin as a monster. It was stated that the giant penguin was supposedly “1.5 meters tall and weighed the same as a human.” No modern creature or penguin is that large, so it would have to had existed millions of years ago. The Clearwater Monster and the giant penguin share a lot of similarities, such as their size, they both have three toes, and had feathers or bird-like structures. Also, a paleontologist named Leigh Love actually discover the fossils of the giant penguin. Researchers say that these enormous penguins were probably evolved in Palaeocene epoch, which was 56-66 million years ago. There have also been multiple fossils of similar giant penguin such as, the Crossvailla species which was found in New Zealand.

“The Oldest Fossilized Giant Penguin” 

Works Cited:

“30+ Things to do in Clearwater Beach”, GuidedbyDestiny 5 October. 2022, https://www.guidedbydestiny.com/your-ultimate-guide-to-clearwater-beach-activities/

Spilman, Rick. “Old Three Toes- The Giant Penguin of Clearwater Beach, Florida.” Oldsaltblog. September.20.2020. http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2020/09/old-three-toes-the-giant-penguin-of-clearwater-beach-florida/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2022.

Scott, Jeffery. “Clearwater’s Giant Penguin Mystery.” Florida Zone Blogspot. April.3.2014. http://floridazone.blogspot.com/2014/04/clearwaters-giant-penguin-mystery.html. Accessed 17 Oct. 2022.

Felton, James. “The Giant Penguin Hoax That Fooled Florida for 10 Whole Years.” Iflscience. August. 24. 2022. https://www.iflscience.com/the-giant-penguin-hoax-that-fooled-florida-for-ten-whole-years-65020. Accessed Oct 17. 2022.

Flank, Lenny. “The Clearwater Beach Monster.” LennyFlankWordPress. January. 13. 2022. https://lennyflank.wordpress.com/2022/01/13/the-clearwater-beach-monster/. Accessed on October 18. 2022.

Klinkenberg, Jeff. “Remember the Clearwater Monster? Its Having a Moment”, Tampa Bay Times, 5 January. 2021, https://www.tampabay.com/life-culture/history/2021/01/05/remember-the-clearwater-monster-its-having-a-moment/

“The Oldest Fossilized Giant Penguin”, Geologyin, Accessed on 26 October.2022, https://www.geologyin.com/2017/02/the-oldest-fossilized-giant-penguin.html  

Zlax, Ivan. “The Clearwater Monster.” Reddit. October.22.2021. https://www.reddit.com/r/forgeryreplicafiction/comments/qdk1qs/the_clearwater_monster/. Accessed on October 18^th. 2022.

Links for Further Research:

Love, Leigh. “Human Sized Fossils Found in New Zealand.” The Guardian. August.14.2019. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/aug/14/human-sized-penguin-fossil-discovered-in-new-zealand. Accessed on October 26, 2022

Clarke, Julia. “Discovery of Giant Penguins Shakes Theories on March of Evolution.” The Age. June.27.2007. https://www.theage.com.au/world/discovery-of-giant-penguins-shakes-theories-on-march-of-evolution-20070627-ge57ym.html. Accessed on October 26, 2022.