I have gotten interested in folklore lately and I have found some pretty creepy stuff.
Lets start with Spring-heeled Jack.
Spring-heeled Jack was first encountered in England,1837 when a business man was walking home from work. On his way home, he saw a man jumping over a 9 ft. fence into a graveyard. Spring-heeled Jack was said to have un-humanly features, like large and pointy ears and nose. He was also said to be semi-muscular, skinny, and tall. He traveled all around England with a campaign of terror, scaring several people to death and mentally scarring others permanently. At one point he traveled to the Czech to escape the angry mobs. He’s been everywhere. He was even sighted sitting in a pecan tree in Houston, Texas in the year 1953. It seems aging does not apply to this “demon”.
Lets move on to Kappa of Japanese folklore.
Kappa is a water sprite or river imp from Japanese folklore. They live in ponds all across Japan. They are about 3-4 feet tall and have green, scaly skin. They also have a lily pad like bowl on top of their heads. When traveling on land, if the water in the bowl falls out, they can’t move. They span from mischievous to dangerous. Kappa will sometimes fart loudly in a room or look up ladies kimono, or they will drown humans and animals. The only food that the Kappa likes more than children, are cucumbers. They have a tendency to be really polite when they come across a human. If you bow deeply, they will bow back, and spill their water. Not all Kappas are malicious. When befriended by a
human, the Kappa will help, like irrigate farms, and so on. They also speak and understand Japanese. Remember, when traveling across ponds and rivers in Japan, bring one or more cucumbers just in case.
Now, most of you already know the Chupacabra, but here’s something you didn’t know.
The Chupacabra has been all over the globe, from the US to Argentina to Russia. The first attacks were in Puerto Rico, 1995.
After this incident, 8 sheep were found dead, all with at least 3 puncture marks in their chests. None of them had any blood left. In 2006, the Chupacabra was reported in Russia, after 30 turkeys were killed over night. In Nelson County, Kentucky, 2010, a man shot an animal he could not identify, and it scared him. He described the creature as being the size of a house cat, had large ears, whiskers and a long tail.
If you want to learn more about any of these creatures or how to avoid them on your travels, here are the wikipedia links:
Happy traveling!
Lainie Liberti is a recovering branding expert, who’s career once focused on creating campaigns for green – eco business, non-profits and conscious business. Dazzling clients with her high-energy designs for over 18 years, Lainie lent her artistic talents to businesses that matter. But that was then.
In 2008, after the economy took a turn, Lainie decided to be the change (instead of a victim) and began the process of “lifestyle redesign,” a joint decision between both her and her 11-year-old son, Miro. They sold or gave away all of of their possessions in 2009 and began a life of travel, service, and exploration. Lainie and her son Miro began their open-ended adventure backpacking through Central and South America. They are slow traveling around the globe allowing inspiration to be their compass. The pair is most interested in exploring different cultures, contributing by serving, and connecting with humanity as ‘global citizens.’
Today Lainie considers herself a digital nomad who is living a location independent life. She and her son write and podcast their experiences from the road at Raising Miro on the Road of Life.
