‘Mermaids and Mermen’ article by Edward Vizetelly, that appeared in The English Illustrated Magazine No. 209, February 1901.
CC Readers, please enjoy these article scans of fascinating 20th century accounts of mermaid sightings!
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You may also be interested inThe Secret History of Mermaids
Taxidermy Frankensteins by Les Deux Garçon
Equal parts appalling and fascinating, like the many diverse animals parts that make up these Frankenstein-like taxidermy sculptures.
(via: hifructose)
omfg.. all those unicorms ;.;
Plague doctors were individuals in the Middle Ages who were given the task of tending to people infected with the plague. In most cases, they were either second rate or under-trained physicians, incapable of maintaining their own practice. Many were not doctors at all, but people of various other employments paid by towns to cater to the sick.
Plague doctors were employed in various methods whenever plague set in. The earliest documentation of these individuals being hired go as far back as the mid 500s AD. The plague doctor image that we as a general public are familiar with was not seen until the 1600s. It was then that the “traditional” plague doctor costume was created. The costume consisted of a cloak made of heavy fabric covered in wax to protect the doctor’s body, and a mask to keep out the sick air. The masks had a long cone shaped structure at the nose, to be filled with scents that would protect the doctor from the bad air.
Because of the nature of their work, plague doctors often became victims of the plague themselves, or were quarantined for the protection of the public.
Shadow People, also known as Shadow Folk, or Shadow Beings, are usually attracted to one person or location for unknown reasons. Often they are seen as dark silhouettes of human-shape, generally male, that prefer to watch someone unseen and flee the moment they are noticed. Still this doesn’t always fit the experience. While some people distinctly see a shadowy human form others have dexcribed shapeless wispy black blobs and swirling columns of dark smoke.
The personalities or characteristics of shadow people range greatly from shy and skittish to downright nasty and malevelent, with a few witnesses describing them as the ultimate essence of pure evil. Accounts of shadow people have been reported all over the world. There has been an increase of reported sightings of these creatures within the last five to ten years, though there is anectdotal evidence of these creatures appearing before human witnesses through out our history.
Reports of shadow people are in many respects different from accounts of ghosts. Ghosts are said to be the disembodied spirits of deceased people and are usually said to take on the appearance and characteristics of human beings. Orbs of light, ectoplasm and glowing mists have also been associated with ghost sightings. None of which is common he occurance of shadow people. Although many accounts describe shadow beings as having human-like form, they are generally not described as resembling actual individuals , living or deceased. It is unheard of in my experience that shadow people ever communicate verbally with witnesses. Feelings of dread, intense fear or panic and paralysis have been ascribed to the expereince of wtnessing a shadow person.
The more consistent accounts of shadow people typically describe a feeling of dread associated with the presence of this phenomena, and animals are said to react to the phenomena with fear and hostility. Shadow Beings are said to move extremely fast and travel through solid matter. They typically are said to have no discernible features such as mouths, noses, or eyes. Their forms are usually described as somewhat thin or smoke-like
Direct visual contact is rarely reported by most eye witnesses of shadow people; they are said to usually disappear before they can be seen clearly, and are seen “in the corner of one’s eye. These beings are said to often appear in mirrors.
There are many proposed explanations of this phenomena. Some of these explanations are outlined below,
One of the more creative theories is that shadow beings are manifest thought forms, meaning that they are collections of negative psychic energy from areas where traumatic events have taken place and evil people frequent. The negative psychic energy begins to manifest and takes on form and motive, thriving on fear and negative emotions for sustenance.
Shadow beings have also been described as forms of ghosts, demons, inter-dimensional beings.The most popular explanation seems to be that they are some sort of other-dimensional beings whose dimension of origin occasionally overlaps with ours, which is said to explain their ethereal appearance and fleeting nature.
As with most supernatural phenomena there is usually a proposed logical, scientifically valid explanation for credible experiences that neither vilify eyewitnesses, nor require violation of generally accepted scientific principles. Several probable rational explanations for illusions resulting in the believed perception of shadow beings are outlined below.There is a condition known as hypnoagagia (waking sleep) which amounts to a state of semi-consciousness in which a person can be thinking clearly and yet perceiving images that are being dreamed. This state is probably responsible for most so-called supernatural experiences by honest, rational people.
It has also been proven recently that areas with erratic or powerful electromagnetic fields can interfere with the electrical impulses or firing synapses of the human mind, thus influencing people subjected to such environments over time to believe that they are hearing or seeing ghosts, aliens, or perhaps shadow beings. Such environments include old buildings with substandard wiring, power plants, and areas with naturally occurring strong magnetic fields.
Perhaps the only aspect of alleged eye witness accounts of shadow people that remains difficult to explain in objective scientific terms is the similarity of the beings being seen in these alleged accounts, especially the tall man with a hat that is reported as often by 4 year old children as with adults.
However, this could simply be a result of common archetypes (note similarities between many shadow people reports and the grim reaper) shared in the subconscious of all people, just as people all over the world report dreams of flying and falling.
‘Supergiant’ crustaceans found deep in waters off New Zealand
An expedition to one of the deepest parts of the ocean has discovered a “supergiant” species.
The huge crustacean was discovered more than four miles deep in waters north of New Zealand by scientists from the University of Aberdeen.
The creature is a type of amphipod, commonly found in the deep sea, which are usually 2cm-3cm long. The new specimen measured 28cm.
Using submergence cameras and a large trap designed by the university’s Oceanlab, the team was able to explore up to depths of six miles.
The team was hoping to find specimens of deep-sea snailfish which have been photographed before but have not been seen since the 1950s.
Expedition leader Alan Jamieson said: “The moment the traps came on deck, we were elated at the sight of the snailfish as we have been after these fish for years.
“However, seconds later I stopped and thought ‘What on earth is that?’ whilst catching a glimpse of an amphipod far bigger than I ever thought possible.
“It’s a bit like finding a foot-long cockroach.”
Seven specimens were caught in the trap and up to nine were photographed gathering around the camera system.
Scientists say the term “supergiant” was coined by US researchers when they found some large amphipods in the early 1980s.
The supergiant amphipod has not been reported since and has faded into the realms of rare and mysterious deep-sea creatures.
Dr Jamieson said: “The surprising thing is that we have already been to this deep trench twice and never come across these animals before.
“In fact, a few days after the discovery, we deployed all the equipment again on the same site and we didn’t photograph or capture a single supergiant. They were there for a day and gone the next.”
The researchers said the newly found amphipods are the biggest whole specimen of supergiant caught, and have never been seen so deep in the sea.
New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research also took part in the expedition.
Ashley Rowden, from the Wellington-based institute, said: “It just goes to show that the more you look, the more you find.
Dr Rowden added: “For such a large and conspicuous animal to go unnoticed for so long is just testament to how little we know about life in New Zealand’s most deep and unique habitat.”
Researchers will try to establish whether the new samples are the same species as those found by the US scientists near Hawaii in the 1980s.
moar plz 8|
Chauliodus sloanii, Melanocetus johnsoni, Malacosteus niger, Eurypharynx pelicanoides
Some fish of the deep: Sloane’s Viperfish, Humpback Blackdevil, Black Swallower, Pelican Eel.
The fish presented here have very different hunting strategies, all fitting into a specific niche in their environment:
- Sloane’s Viperfish actively hunts down prey, rockets towards them, impaling them on its long teeth, using a modified first vertebra to absorb the shock of the impact.
- The Humpback Blackdevil (Deep-Sea Anglerfish/Black Seadevil) stays still, and attracts crustaceans and lanternfish/bristlemouths with its lure, before gulping them down, often while they’re still alive.
- Black Swallowers find other bony fishes, grip them by their tail, and “walks” its jaws over the prey until the prey is fully coiled within their huge distendable stomach.
- Pelican Eels have huge jaws that are detachable, like a snake, and a massive stomach capacity. But despite this, their teeth are tiny, and their primary diet is small crustaceans.
Cool fish with cool ways of eating!
The Mighty Deep and What We Know of It. Agnes Giberne, 1902.
