River Monster Sighted in London’s River Thames
March 27th, YouTube user Penn Plate, posted an unusual video of what appears to be a dark object briefly breaking the surface of the water, before fully submersing itself in the cloudy river.
Though the glimpse of the dark object is brief, we are able to determine that it is of a darker color, and that there are possibly two dorsal fins, or ridges along its back. Speculation of the object ranges from whale, to submarine, to shark, to garbage, to the Loch Ness’s biggest celebrity – Nessie. Whatever it is, it’s nice to have some cryptid news in the mainstream media feed.
As it does, news of this unidentified object has spread like wildfire. Why is that? The unknown nature and knowledge of what populates this planets waters can be a terrifying rabbit hole if you descend down it. Probably, this is a stray whale or shark, that, because of global warming, or shock waves, has gone astray from it’s normal migratory path and found itself in the Thames. No news as of right now what it is, but I am curious to hear thoughts, comments, and your own opinions!
When Thanksgiving Was Weird
I just caught an interesting article about a strange tradition that used to be held in the United States in the early 1900’s. Linton Weeks, over at NPR news, has dug up an old tradition that many have forgotten, or never knew about. Thanksgiving Maskers, Ragamuffin Parades, or Parade of Fantastics, call them what you will, judging by the photos on Mr. Weeks’s post, Thanksgiving used to look a lot like Halloween. 
So many people took part in this tradition that the mask making industry could hardly keep up. “The busiest time of the year for the manufacturers of and dealers in masks and false faces. The fantastical costume parades and the old custom of making and dressing up for amusement on Thanksgiving day keep up from year to year in many parts of the country, so that the quantity of false faces sold at this season is enormous.” – Los Angeles Times, November 21, 1897. 
The young masqueraders would slink along the streets pan handling for pennies, apples, or other goodies, when asking “What’s for Thanksgiving?” It would be no surprise if you found yourself handing over a delicious candy to a faux Charlie Chaplin doppelganger or a creepy young lady with a nylon screen over her face for a mask. Ahh memories. Good stuff from Linton Weeks, and I highly suggest you check out his article to discover more of the forgotten truths and traditions of Thanksgiving in America. Click here to check out the strange side of a beloved tradition.
Miskatonic West, The Lovecraftian Web Series is Fully Funded
Another Kickstarter that flew under my weird radar has been fully backed. Miskatonic West is going to be an all new web series created by Harry Kakatsakis. The synopsis of the series is as follows:
In the world of HP Lovecraft; the creaking of a door, a shadow passing in your periphery or a bizarre siting at sea could mean any number of things, natural or supernatural. The massive sea god, Dagon, may have really existed in a primordial age. Whole civilizations of alien beings may have coursed across the Earth hundreds of millions of years ago. The ability to reanimate the dead may actually be possible. Lovecraft wrote about these possibilities at the turn of the 20th century. They thought he was a fiction writer. He wasn’t. Everything he wrote about exists, and now Lovecraft’s distinguished Miskatonic University has a Southern California location.
Miskatonic West follows the exploits of Sousaku Kaos, the head of Miskatonic’s biology department, and his band of intrepid students as they pull the curtain back on a world of monsters, magic and mystery inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Helping the LAPD with “cases of interest,” Kaos and his students must uncover a plot to awaken Dagon, the ancient ocean god, by the Esoteric Cult of Dagon, before it and an army of deep ones invade the West Coast.
In making Miskatonic West, the creators hope to bring the same verisimilitude and realism that Lovecraft brought to his writings of close encounters with the monstrous and supernatural. With an eye towards cinematic integrity, we want to bring the world of Lovecraft into an emotionally honest light and capture what it would be like to encounter things that should not be and the toll it might take on one’s sanity.
If you are a Lovecraft fan, a fan of monsters, mystery, suspense and human drama join us in making this web series a reality. Thank you.
I am personally looking forward to viewing this when some episodes are off the ground. Though it was narrowly fully funded, I believe this series could contain some quality Lovecraftian goodness. But i’ll let you be the judge of that. Below is the teaser/trailer for the series. Let me know what you think, or drop by their Facebook page and give them some feedback.
If you have checked out Miskatonic West
Bulgarian Farmer Finds Skull of Banished Werewolf
Happy Halloween Gibberers! This post brought to you in part by Rick Dyer… Just kidding.
While attending to some research on the Balkan War, Bulgarian student Filip Ganov was called upon to photograph something strange, yet fairly familiar in the local culture. After arriving at Macedonian farmer Trayche Draganov’s home, Ganov was eerily surprised to find a straw bedded wood crate with an almost mummified skull of what Draganov claimed to be a Varkolak, or werewolf.
While tending he field, Trayche said he dug up the wooden crate that, at the time, was wrapped and fastened shut with a gold chain. Fascinated, Granov asked to confiscate the skull for further testing and investigation, but Trayche simply refused allowing only pictures to be taken at this time (This by the way is the cause for the Rick Dyer comment at the head of the post.)
Some of the best theory from officials after looking at the photos claim that it could have possibly been a wolf or K9 of some sort that suffered from Paget’s disease, a condition that can increase skull size and shape. However, until Mr. Draganov decides to submit something for official DNA testing this will remain mystery. So far I have heard nor seen any report as to what the lettering is on the lid of the box. It is believed to be a form of Cryllic script, which is known in the Bulgaria and Macedonia area.
In local folklore, werewolves, or Varkolak’s, were typically found on a Saturday laying about their graves. Upon capture they were decapitated and the body burned for proper disposal and banishment of the monster. By looking at what Trayche has uncovered, this was a successful capture and kill.
Baboon skull
Personally, due to the fact that the farmer will not hand over the specimen I have to believe that this is a clever hoax in time for Halloween. Don’t get me wrong, I love this, however by looking to the right, you can’t tell me that Draganov’s skull doesn’t kind of look like a baboon skull.
On one final note, I had to laugh at a comment that was recorded by Trayche Draganov, it reads; “Many of my neighbors are angry that I disturbed the varkolak (werewolf), they say that I will be reborn as a werewolf. If that is now my fate, so be it. What is done is done.” – Ancient origins.
If you have checked this story out, let me know what you think by leaving a comment. And if you like all the tasty bits we gibber about here, become a follower or submit to receive email updates with every new post! Check us out on Twitter @UnspkbleGibberr and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UnspeakableGibberer.
Controversy Over Gollum Creature Siting In China
After photos surfaced Tuesday of an apparent “Gollum” creature spotted near the Great Wall of China, the story went viral. Within a day tens of thousands of comments and speculations collected as to what the thing could be. Anything from a hybrid pig man, to an actual “Gollum” (A character from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit books) or an ancient lineage of mountain folk being discovered. All the talk got people pretty excited, as will happen when these possible hoax photos pop up.
But new controversy has sprung up after a young man has come forward with not only his testimony, but with photos of him in makeup and being photographed for a local advertisement. However, though it seems very likely that that is the case, some folks have began to point out marked differences in the photos taken by a wayward hiker, and those provided by the young man in the costume, such as; why are the ears slightly shaped different? Or why do the eyes look smaller or closed, when in the costume they are gaping holes. The initial photos by the hiker have been proven authentic and not modified, yet I still see what maybe shoes on the creatures feet, which made me curious before I found that this may all be a hoax.
Along with these differences come a string of questions in regards to why a hiker would spot this “guy in a costume” and no photographers or crew shooting the young man. The hiker explains that while he was on his journey, near the Great Wall, that he was struck with fear as he spotted a bronze skin toned creature drinking water from a small pond (Below.)
In comparison to the photo of the man in the costume, I am curious as to how he is able to drink with his hands through the mask. Not only that but I feel as though the eyes and ears look slightly different in the photos supplied by the hiker.
Either way, its always fun to have a new hoax to speculate about. I feel people gasp tightly to these kinds of false discoveries because we need something new and different in this world. Hence the reason people are so keen on finding bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster or aliens. It gets our imagination running at full speed. It scares us and exhilarates us. It makes us feel alive when we find something strange or unlike us living and reminds us that maybe, just maybe we humans aren’t so special in a world, or universe full of possibilities.
Lovecraft eZine Issue #31, June 2014
Art by Lee Copeland – http://www.leecopeland.com
That’s right, the June issue of the Lovecraft eZine is up and out there folks. This months enjoyment includes, of course, the free online edition, the nook/kindle format, a special print edition, and soon the podcast/recorded edition of this issue. Currently at #31, it is hard to believe that this online fiction eZine has made it so long. I have seen many similar sites/mags come and go, yet there is something special that keeps this Lovecraftian train rolling; The people. The community that Mike Davis has gathered is special. They are kind, supportive, and generally interested in each other when given the chance. This is a good place people, and a good environment to breed creativity and generosity to our fellow man in this insignificant universe we live in.
Though video chats, games, contests, and general awesomeness on Mike’s behalf, the Lovecraft eZine has trudged through the primordial soup of the internet that commonly drags down and devours many a man and fiction mags alike. But with a thriving cult… uh I mean community supporting and enjoying what Mike does, there is no end in sight for this… uh… site… yeah.
This months issue includes stories from a few commonly known entities in the Lovecraftian writing milieu; Joseph S. Pulver, Ross E. Lockhart, and Scott Nicolay. And features a few regular columns that everyone thirsts for; Robert M. Price’s Echoes from Cthulhu’s Crypt, and Ronnie Tucker & Maxwell Patterson’s hilarious comic strip, Cthulhu Does Stuff.
Get over to The Lovecraft eZine and share in the weirdness. Enjoy a little horror and maybe gain some perspective through the tales you read or the information you siphon from these texts. While there, do Mike, and presumably every reader and partaker of the site, a plus one and buy the print edition, or simply click on one of the sponsors that endorse the eZine, or click on one of the Amazon portals to access all sorts of Lovecraftian goodness while supporting the site.
Book Bound in Actual Human Skin
The book you see to your left has officially been identified as being bound in human skin. June 4th a tweet from the Harvard Library confirming that a copy of French writer Arsene Houssaye’s “Des destiness de l’ame” was given to friend Dr. Ludovic Bouland. The book in question, when translated, is a text entitled “a meditation on the soul and life after death.”
It was upon his receiving of the book that Buffalo Bill… oh I’m sorry Dr. Bouland bound the book in human skin (believed to belong to the back of an unclaimed female mental patient, who died of natural causes,) because, and I quote:
“I had kept this piece of human skin taken from the back of a woman, … A book about the human soul deserved to have a human covering,”
Though it is not uncommon to see a skin bound book in the Harvard Library, they are typically bound in sheep skin. And after many tests, including a check to make sure its not ape skin… cause that’s lest creepy… they concluded with 99.9% confidence that the cover is indeed human and not some makeshift paper bag book cover we all did in junior high and high school to protect our texts.
Although I’m sure a plethora of tests weren’t really necessary since Boulden was kind enough to leave a note within the book declaring that the book was lined with human flesh. Because why would someone lie about that, especially back in 1880.
In all seriousness though, I wouldn’t be surprised if more of these popped up in the future. Though the texts may be archaic, back in the 16th century it was common and even a manner of remembrance to bind a book in human flesh, or for criminal confessions to be bound in the perpetrators skin.
It is also known that numerous 19th Century accounts exist of the bodies of executed criminals being donated to science, their skins later given to bookbinders.
Turns out human skin
North Dakota Pharmacy Prescribes Monster Spray to Keep Away the Boogie Man
A pharmacy located in Watford City, North Dakota has found a cure to the bedtime blues. Prescribed before Christmas to a 6 year-old local resident, ‘Monster Spray,’ as it’s been dubbed, has gained popularity in its ability to scare away boogiemen and other scary nasties that live in our closets and under our beds.
“Spray around the room at night before bed, repeat if necessary,” reads the label. Allowing up to 120 sprays, this stuff is to be used sparingly since there is only one refill, and the prescription expires a year from its prescribed date, 12/20/2013. Hopefully after a year of preventative measures, the monsters will get the hint and leave this girl alone.
I believe this is doctoring at its best. Going beyond the physical needs of an individual and meeting the metaphysical needs of everyone. It does make me wonder though, if maybe the pharmacist who created this concoction needed to rid themselves of the heebie jeebies in the dark hours of night when all is to be quite yet something is scratching at the bed post.
Sleep well!
Pope’s Blood Stolen for Satanic New Year Ritual
Thieves left the collection box alone as they acquired their target
It hasn’t been the best week for the Vatican. First a pair of peace doves are released to signify peace in Ukraine, where things aren’t going so well either, and attacked by not only a crow but a seagull. Not the best omen I think. Especially along side what has happened to a remote mountainside church in Italy.
Speculation has arisen over the theft of a religious reliquary containing blood from the late Pope John Paul II. Officials are pointing toward a satanic plot to steal the sacred relic and explain why.
“It’s possible that there could be Satanic sects behind the theft of the reliquary,” said Giovanni Panunzio, the national coordinator of an anti-occult group called Osservatorio Antiplagio. “This period of the year is important in the Satanic calendar and culminates in the Satanic ‘new year’ on Feb 1. This sort of sacrilege often take place at this time of the year. We hope that the stolen items are recovered as quickly as possible.”
Actually, the only Satanic holiday that is approaching is on February 2nd, Candlemas (Sabbat Festival). Not that I have a Satanic calendar hanging in my office, but I saw that their new year was in February , and wondered what other kinds of holidays they have. And let me tell you they don’t sound very fun. At least to me. Here’s a link to what their schedule of fun is like around the world…Calendar.
Anyway, Candlemas, from what I understand, is a blood ritual, which is fitting since the stolen item is a blood relic. This is where I get confused. Upon searching the good ol’ internet I have found that it is uncertain what relic was stolen. I have come across a vile of the late Pope’s blood and a blood soaked piece of gauze from John Paul II when he was shot in St Peter’s Square in 1981. Both are pictured below.
So in this blood right the vile would prove more valuable than the blood soaked piece of gauze, but beings its blood of the Pope, that’s got to be some pretty high-end stuff.
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Cthulhu All-Spark, #1 Choice for NameMyDaughter.Com
You know the works of H.P. Lovecraft have permeated society when the number one name choice at, NameMyDaughter.com, is Cthulhu All-Spark. That’s right folks, as I write this post, those are the most popular first and middle name ranked. There is a big 50% chance she will either be the coolest kid in school, due to the growing popularity of Lovecraft’s works, or the most picked on (I know, I went to school with a girl whose name was Sunshine Bear… Yeah.) But of coarse the Dad is behind this one, and has been cleaning up the absolutely ridiculous suggestions such as, WackyTaco692, stating: “We will ultimately be making the final decision, Alas my daughter shall not be named WackyTaco692. Sorry guys the wife wouldn’t go for a free for all.”
Some of the other crazy suggestions in the top 15 are: Laquisha, Megatron, Zelda, Not Zelda – Seriously…, Slagathor, and Streetlamp. Yes I said Streetlamp.
Cthulhu Baby
*UPDATE* As I type I see that the game has changed and Cthulhu has been bumped for Amelia All-Spark McLaughlin! Some glitch must have happened because I see Amelia has the number of votes Cthulhu had, and Cthulhu is down about 900 votes. The runner-up for middle name is Mae. Everyone gets one vote, per name, per household, per day until April 2nd, which is the due date, so hurry over to NameMyDaughter.com to place your vote or new name suggestion.
Though it is crazy to let the internet name your child, I do find this pretty funny. I remember attempting to convince my wife that our daughter, Dylan’s middle name should be Lovecraft. She didn’t buy it.
**UPDATE #2** As of 5:39 am this morning, (the day after this was originally posted) Cthulhu All-Spark McLaughlin is in the lead. Numbers have jumped over 50,000 votes alone in the last 24hours. Will this get interesting, or be a landslide?
Baby Cthulhu by Tomoran
Microbes Found in Termites Named After The Great Old One, Cthulhu
That’s right! Some exciting news for Lovecraftians as our favorite Great Old One gets some recognition times two. The recently discovered digestive microbes, found in termites, are indeed inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu and Brian Lumley’s Cthylla- Cthulhu’s daughter, created by Bryan Lumley and introduced in his novel, The Transition of Titus Crow. Both Cthulhu macrofasciculumque, and little Cthylla microfasciculumque are exciting discoveries. Most commonly known as protists, the tiny microorganisms help researchers learn more about our evolution, and how some protists cause disease, or in the case of these new discoveries, prevent disease, Below are a couple of photos of father and daughter; on the left is Cthulhu macrofasciculumque and on the right is Cthylla microfasciculumque.
To get the facts and learn something cool check out the whole original article by Megan Gannon over at Live Science: http://www.livescience.com/28426-lovecraft-monster-cthulhu-microbe.html
But if that wasn’t enough mind shattering news concerning good ol’ Cthulhu, then check out the Piomoa Cthulhu spider. Primarily found in California, this beast has some long legs and loves to hang out in hollowed redwoods. Click on the photo to get some more info.
Nice legs eh?
Apeman Photos Surface From 1937: Missing Link or Hoax
Some curious photos have surfaced onto the internet, again. Helping make things interesting, the pictures, (supposedly) set in 1937, show a hunched man that appears to have some facial deformities. But is the photo what it seems, or is there some monkey business going on. The only story behind the pictures is that this goofy looking guy was found in the jungles of Brazil. At least I haven’t seen anything else stating what may have happened after these photos were taken.
Now of course there is a lot of speculation when it comes to things like this. As we know, now a days many amazing things can be done with photoshop, and other editing tools so it’s not surprising that many people have denounced these pictures as fakes.
In the close up here it has been pointed out that starting at the bridge of the nose it is possible to spot a line which could be the joining marks for prosthetic makeup. Another remark I have seen explains how the messy hair in the front, covering the forehead, is a common trick for hiding prosthetic makeup lines. I personally can’t see the line mentioned around the bridge of the nose, but something I did notice is the position of the mouth in every photo, it’s the same. I also noticed in the close-up a strange line on the inner lower lip that kind of looks like the edge of a rubber prosthetic.
Some other comments I have read on the pictures of the “Apeman” have discussed how, especially back in these times, it was nothing to grab a mentally handicapped person and dress them up to act insanely while under the guise of something strange, adding to the reality of the situation.
Hoax or not, these photos remind me of when I learned of De Loy’s Ape. Francois De Loys was a Swiss oil prospector who led an expedition along the border between Colombia and Venezuela from 1917 to 1920. While camping along the Terra River, the expedition was disturbed by two larger monkeys standing a little over 5 feet tall. After a sudden outburst of howls and gestures from the monkeys, one of them was shot and killed. Believing that this could be a new species/or the missing link, De Loy took a picture of the creature and saved its hide and skull. However both of the hide and skull were lost on the trip home, only leaving the infamous picture.
But that picture too was met with outpours of disbelieve as know one could tell just how big the crate the monkey is sitting on, and no real sizable comparison to anything in the background.
So what can you make of these stories? Granted the possibility of them both being true isn’t out the window, but…… Well it’s fun to believe they might be. Further, its fun when the internet regurgitates photos like these to keep our minds curious, and wondrous of things that might have been, or still might be.
My opinion is that back in these times, to see something so different was disturbing. I believe that for some back then, to see something like this outside of the movies ment that there were unexplained things in this world which would lead to a deep seeded fear of the unknown that people wanted to avoid. Sometimes the best way to forget about disturbing images is to tell your self, “It’s not real.”
What do you think?
Bumble Bee Tuna Worker Cooked In Steam Machine
A tragically weird incident happened the morning of October 11th at a Santa Fe Springs Bumble Bee Tuna plant. 62-year-old Jose Melena was found dead in an industrial oven known as the “steamer machine.” It is still unclear how the worker of six years ended up in the cooker.
The Bumble Bee plant closed down directly after the discovery of Melena, and re-opened last Monday. The California Division of Occupational Safety & Health has yet to figure how it all happened and are in a full in a full investigation involving factory visits, safety document and interview reviews to decide if any health and safety violations did indeed happen. They hope the investigation is wrapped up in six month’s time.
I know im a little late with this news, but it was something that caught my attention, and kind of freaked me out. I can’t imagine going out that way. The Bumble Bee Company released a statement expressing their sorrow for the Melena family.
Something similar happened this last March when two men were trapped in an industrial oven for metal work and were burned alive. The investigation that followed that incident found that the two men were cleaning the oven and had not followed safety protocol leading up to their deaths. Read more on that at The Sun.
Even though what happened in March has been proved to be the fault of the men who lost their lives, I still think there is something fishy about what happened to Jose Melena, no pun intended. Pictured below is what one of the steamers looks like.
Giant Eye Found on Ocean Shore Supposedly From a Swordfish?
If you haven’t seen anything about it on the internet yet, then you’re either watching too much porn, or playing to many Facebook games. A mysterious eyeball was found washed up on a Florida beach which lit up the internet October 10th with more speculative questions and answers than you can shake a tentacle at.
The softball sized ocular unit was found by a beach comber who turned it over to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Wednesday. Many things have been “suggested” by “professionals” as to what the eye could have come from. One main conjecture is that it is from a large squid. But the guys over on the pseudopod side are saying nay!
New statements as of yesterday seem to be claiming that it is in fact from a swordfish or marlin of some kind. But, these claims are coming from individuals who are “almost sure” that this is from a large swordfish/marlin. Now I am no scientist, but there is roughly two pounds of DNA sitting in their hands. And no one has tested it yet? Maybe they have and are still waiting on the results, or maybe they found the results and didn’t care to share with us.
For some, the idea of it being from a large squid isn’t ruled out. And with comments like the one from Robert L. Pitman, who is a marine biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service in La Jolla, California, people are still asking, ‘Why couldn’t it be from a squid?’ When asked about his thoughts by National Geographic, Pitman said this:
“It probably is a squid eye–other things with eyes that big (fish, cetaceans) have them imbedded in hard tissue. Squid eyes are in relatively soft tissue and more likely to dislodge as in the photo you sent. A quick DNA analysis could easily sort it out for you,”
Maybe it is from a swordfish, or another big fish of the sea. Or maybe it’s from a giant squid. Either way at least those are a couple possibilities that are tangible. What if this eyeball is from something never seen before, something unknown? What do you think?
The Phoenix Branch of The Cult of the Yellow Sign
It seems the thousand year old Cult of the Yellow Sign is finally getting the attention it deserves. First exposed in Robert Chambers early works, The King In Yellow, the Phoenix branch of the ancient cult have begun to reach out to their community and embrace social media to further their ranks. When their not attending things like Home and Garden Expo’s, harrasing street preachers, or planing birthday parties for “Uncle Howie” a.k.a H.P. Lovecraft on the 20th of August every year, the “doomsday cult” claim themselves to be a comedic prefomance art group.
I was happy to catch an interview of the two head clut members, #138 and #808 on the Phoenix New Times blog site, couldnt help but laugh as the two answered questions about their plans to end the world, and the agenda for their Lovecraft birthday bash. Along with witty remarks to all the questions shot at them, one of the best answered questions was on the location of the cults headquarters:
“Where is the cult headquartered? 138: In the frozen city of Y’ng’mar in the center of the hollow earth, which orbits around a black sun and lit entirely by blue fungus, you may have heard of it?
808: We have a portal over by the Irish Cultural Center. Also, the Margaret T. Hance Park has a bridge where underneath they used to have all those folk-punk shows. We had a little portal built in there too. The Trunk Space has been especially good with us, letting us do our annual Lovecraft birthday shows there.”
Love it. Check out what else the pair had to say about their Potluck Orgies and how every week they try to bring the end of the world to fruition. Check out the whole article over at The Phoenix New Times and be sure to also pop by their facebook page!
Give Your Child The Gift Of Fear For Their Birthday
Dominic Deville has found his niche in children entertainment market: evil birthday clowns. Pioneering on Coulrophobia (fear of clowns), Deville’s services include stalking the young victim the week leading up to the child’s birthday and in the end will track them down and smash a cake in their face. Sounds funny right? Well your kid probably won’t think so. Throughout the terrifying week Deville will consistently text, email, and call the young victim with threats of an emanate attack. The good thing is that is if you don’t want to pay for future therapy sessions, that if the child becomes fearful for their life, or parents get concerned, Deville will call of the attack.
Deville said: “The clown will never break into a residence or show up at work. It’s all in fun and if, at any point, the kids get scared or their parents are concerned, we stop right there… But most kids absolutely love being scared senseless.”
Based out of Lucerne,Switzerland, Dominic Deville was inspired by horrific clowns, more than likely like Stephen Kings “IT”, or Violator from the Spawn comics, or more disturbingly John Wayne Gacy Jr. but Im hoping not the latter of the three.
Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/821591-evil-clown-hired-for-stalking-threats-and-a-pie-in-the-face#ixzz1uOa1dlgT
Shoggoths Of The Sea!
“On land the great reptiles proved highly tractable; but the shoggoths of the sea, reproducing by fission and acquiring a degree of accidental intelligence, presented for a time a formidable problem.” H.P. Lovecraft ~ At The Mountains Of Madness
Well, the ocean is an amazing place, but it still terrifies me. The creatures of the deep have captivated imaginations and have been the topic of speculation for centuries. From ancient sea battles with leviathans and giant squids, to recent discoveries of life at depths that almost back up those mythical claims, the ocean has been a constant realm of fear and fascination.
The two videos below came to my attention via IO9.com, and feature two almost unexplainable creatures. The first has been described as a specimen of the Deepstaria enigmatica, from the jellyfish family. Others speculate that it is simply a free floating whale’s placenta. But upon viewing, as the creature unravels it looks to have a florescent tail, like other deep sea creatures that use florescent appendages to help lure prey. The second video is of a another species of the jellyfish family known as Stygiomedusa gigantea. These creatures have been sighted only 114 times in the last 110 years and have boggled scientists with their meter long umbrella-like bell, and paddle-shaped arms that extend to six meters in length and contain no stinging tentacles.
Either way, while watching these videos I couldn’t help but think of Lovecraft’s Shoggoths. Especially the amorphous creature featured in the first video. The way it moves through the water, and how it seems to show interest in the camera, or maybe the light.
Childhood Author Of “Where The Wild Things Are” Has Died At Age 83
Maurice Sendak, author of 1963 classic “Where the Wild Things Are” has passed away from complications due to a stroke. It is a sad day for those who grew up loving this book. The Caldecott Medal winner has touched hearts and influenced the imagination of many generations and will continue to do so as time goes on.
Sendak, though best known for his work on WTWTA, has had a prestigious life in both theater and literature. Known for other books such as “In the Night Kitchen”, and “Outside, Over There” which won him a National Book Award in 1982. Sendak also worked with the creators of Sesame Street, and on stage with the likes of the Houston Grand Opera and the New York City Opera, as well with Tony Kushner on an English version of the Czech children’s opera “Brundibar”. The illustrated book version, drawn by Sendak, featured text by Kushner and was named one of the 10 best illustrated books of 2003 by the New York Times Book Review.
Maurice Sendak’s own childhood was not an easy one. Losing most of his family during the holocaust, and suffering from health problems that left him bed ridden, Sendak found inspiration and new life after watching Disney’s “Fantasia” at the age of twelve which inspired him to be an illustrator.
Though Unspeakable Gibberer deals mostly with things of a stranger nature, I believe it is important to pay homage to a great person who inevitably help create/build the imaginations of millions. With out him we may never of thought it possible to imagine new worlds that we ourselves could visit in our minds and still return home.
Maurice Sendak you will be missed.
More Sad News For Lovecraft Fans Anticipating Del Toro’s Adaptation of At The Mountains Of Madness
Thanks to a tip from IO9.com I recently read a post by Guillermo Del Toro on his blog in regards to Prometheus,and how the film is most likely the death of At The Mountains Of Madness. April 30th Del Toro enlightened his fans with his thoughts on the new Ridley Scott film. –
“I have been interviewed about this lately and wanted to post my two cents about this:
Prometheus started filming a while ago- right at the time we were in preproduction on PACIFIC RIM. The title itself gave me pause- knowing that ALIEN was heavily influenced by Lovecraft and his novella.
This time, decades later with the budget and place Ridley Scott occupied, I assumed the greek metaphor alluded at the creation aspects of the HPL book. I believe I am right and if so, as a fan, I am delighted to see a new RS science fiction film, but this will probably mark a long pause -if not the demise- of ATMOM.
The sad part is- I have been pursuing ATMOM for over a decade now- and, well, fter Hellboy II two projects I dearly loved were not brought to fruition for me.
The good part is: One project did… And I am loving it and grateful for the blessings I have received.
Onwards.
G”
That one project is, I believe, “Pacific Rim”, a film about an alien invasion that is fought with huge battle robots piloted by humans. Kinda makes me think of the Gundam cartoons.
My feelings are that Prometheus just had more financial backing, and simply beat Del Toro to the punch. When asked further by fans about this he said:
“Same premise. Scenes that would be almost identical.”
Which would explain why making At The Mountains Of Madness so soon after Prometheus might be a bad idea. Though I agree with one of the his fans that with all these ancient alien invasion flicks, wouldn’t now be the best time for the Lovecraft film? It is a tricky question to answer in the vain that no one wants ATMOM to fall in line with with the rest, and not stand alone as a masterpiece, as Lovecraft’s novel is.
So for now, no Shoggoths, Elder Things, or large blind penguins.
What are your thoughts?
Never Thought I’d See Something Like This
A cool little video I saw while cruising through iO9 yesterday.
Its crazy to think that three completly different creatures could kind of hang out together. I got a little concerned when the lady behind the camera said “Mr. Eagle keeps calling me.” I kind of shrugged it off, but then I went to check out some info about the film on YouTube and saw this:
” …Also, earlier in the day when the fox first came Gizmo my cat went right up to the fox and told him to leave. It was too funny! But the fox came right back!”
What Has Washed Up On The Shores Of South Carolina?
So something else has crawled out of the depths of the ocean to land on our shore. Though it looks like something new, and unnamable, the South Carolina sea monster has been identified as a prehistoric Atlantic Sturgeon. Sturgeon have been around for approximately 100 million years. They have survived extinction after extinction, and have been around for most of the big changes our planet has gone through. But even with a hide of stone, these unique creatures have met their match.
For over a century these creatures, who swam with the dinosaurs, have had a lot of trouble with mankind. About a hundred years ago it was common, and very popular, for fisherman to come across one of these plated beasts harvest their eggs for caviar. This was done no other way than to sacrifice the female and harvesting the eggs. This is how Sturgeon began to disappear. Pollution never helps either though. These fish are bottom feeders, so it’s no wonder that when population began to drastically increase, so
These are amazing specimens. Covered in a bone plating called scutes rather than the usual scales seen on your daily catches. The average Atlantic Sturgeon is 10 ft long and weighs in at approximately 300 lbs, however they have been seen, as is the case with the guy above, to grow 15 ft long and 800 lbs.
Here in North Dakota they are trying to thrive in the Missouri River, and from time to time someone might snag one. But, no fisherman is allowed to bring that fish in the boat, on shore, or even touch it. I like that. Other places/states actually have a season to fish for Sturgeon. There are places, like in Maryland, that have been desperately trying to recover the Sturgeon population, but it has been tough.
This is what I have to ask you though. Why all the sudden are we finding all these exotic creatures in our backyards, and on our beaches? Why is it that some of the worlds most well hidden secrets are rising to the surface so to speak? I ask this because I have my own answer but would like to hear others. What do you think?
R.I.P ~ H.P. Lovecraft, August 20 1890 – March 15 1937
Today is my wife and I’s anniversary. But today I am not here to explain my marital bliss to you. No, even though im sure you’d love to hear how two people are still quite madly in love after two years of marriage, im here on a different matter. Today also is a sad day for me for I know it is the anniversary of one of the world’s best imaginator’s, Howard Phillips Lovecraft. From August 20th, 1890 to March 15th 1937, this world was blessed with the presence of this man. I, along with an army of fellow Lovecraftian’s morn this man on this day, and though we are very happy to have such availability to his work, we also wish that this genius had many more years than just the 46 he had on this planet.
So a few days ago I saw someone had found Mr. Lovecraft’s obituary and though it would be nice to show it here as well. The version I have is blown up for easier reading, fact is it’s still hard to get through. So, along with the actual obit. I also transcribed it below for clearer understanding of what it says. Though it doesn’t really cover his writing career to in any detail really, it does do a good job of covering his life, from his ailments, to his studies, his grandfather, and his parents.
I have been into Lovecraft for a couple of years now, and that interest has only grown with each story I’ve read, each letter he penned, and every idea that he gave me for my own weird tales. So for that I thank you Lovecraft and I hope you are comfortable amongst the Ghouls and Night-gaunts that surely inhabit your afterlife, at least we all hope. And we will continually promise to Not Call Up Any That We Can Not Put Down!
Thank you.
Funeral services for Howard Phillip Lovecraft, student and writer of fiction, who died yesterday at Jane Brown Memorial Hospital, will be held Thursday at 12 o’clock in the chapel of Horace B. Knowles’s Sons, 187 Benefit Street. Burial will be in the family plot in Swan Point Cemetery. He was 46.
Born in this city, Aug. 20, 1890, the only child of the late Winfield S. and Sarah P. Lovecraft, Mr. Lovecraft from early life was handicapped by poor health. Essentially a student and an omnivorous reader, he was able to take his place only from time to time in regular school classrooms with children of his own age but graduated from Hope Street high school and secured the equivalent of a college education from private tutors.
His early recourse to the library of his grandfather , Whipple V. Phillips, at 454 Angell street in which he was turned loose to browse at will gave him the bend toward weird writing which was his hobby. In his autobiographs, which he wrote up to the day before he was admitted to the hospital last month, he related the importance to his life of the fairy tales and classical tales he read but six years of age.
Besides his interest in the supernatural, he was a constant student of genealogy and of astronomy, and at one time, wrote a newspaper column on the latter subject. His days and nights for years were spent in writing in the library at 86 College Street, where he lived, in recent years, with his aunt, Mrs. Phillips Camwell, his sole survivor. As he neared the end of his life, he turned his scholarly interests to a study of his own physical condition and daily wrote minutely of his case for his physician’s assistance. His clinical notes ended only when he could no longer hold a pencil.
So with that I am heading off to work to enjoy a day of listening to some Lovecraft audio books, and a whole lot of the H.P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast at www.Hppodcraft.com. Cheers!
Could This be the Intelligent Gas Lovecraft Wrote About?
“What it is, only God knows. In terms of matter I suppose the thing Ammi described would be called a gas, but this gas obeyed the laws that are not of our cosmos” ~ H.P. Lovecraft, The Colour out of Space 1927
Maybe Mr. Lovecraft wasn’t so far off with that idea. It is true that Lovecraft entertained the idea of a highly intelligent gas/mist as a possibility. He chiefly confirms this through his tale, The Colour Out of Space, and a couple of others like in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, and Celaphaïs. But in a letter he wrote he stated:
“How do we know that the form of atomic and molecular motion called ‘life’ is the highest of all forms? Perhaps the dominate creature–the most rational and God-like of all beings–is an invisible gas!”
After watching this, I think Howie Lovecraft might be right.
Ancient Reptilian Alien Implanted In Obama’s Head
I came across this lovely video at io9 and thought I would share. It would seem, or at least it has been brought to my attention that our president is harboring a reptilian alien known to inhabit the heads of Egyptian Pharaohs. To me it looks more like a crazy demon, or skull, or haircut, but what do I know. Sounds like the lady in the video is a bona-fide professional though.
I have actually come across this theory and comments in the like on a couple of sites some folks really think this is a real deal. Do you buy it, or do you think that someone who hates Obama was busy trying to figure out to use Photoshop CS5, found a creepy filter and saw the what her eyes wanted? Either way it was a good laugh for this dull Monday evening, after all there’s no news like good news.
And don’t forget to pray for our President!!
Unspeakable Gibberer 