38 replies to this topic

[Bobnoxious]

Ever since I was a little kid growing up watching 'In Search Of' on TV, I've been interested in the paranormal. Ghosts, UFOs, psychicis and the like have their interesting aspects, but what always got me really excited were the rare beasties like Nessie or Bigfoot. Even though I've become much more skeptical about these entities through the passing of the years, I'm still in love with the idea of them if nothing else. But that love is not evenly distributed amongst all cryptozoological creatures. I bet some of you have a personal favorite as well, so why not share?

Anyway, my favorite cryptozoological creatures are...The Melonheads. I first heard the Melonheads story when I was working as a telemarketer in Chagrin Falls. One of my co-workers was an older lady who was a real hoot, and she had lots of stories about the history of the area. One of those stories was about the melonheads. What are melonheads? Well, as she described them, they were just short humanoid creatures with really large heads. They would come out at night and sort of just run around, but didn't seem particularly harmful. Her version of the story placed them over by Squire's Castle, another supposedly haunted NE Ohio landmark.

Later I came across other versions of the melonhead story. Most actually place them in Chardon in the woods surrounding Wisner Road. The descriptions of the melonheads range from the almost sympathetic version I was first told to a variation where they are savage cannibals who hunt and kill in packs. Other than the physical description, every other detail about the melonheads is in dispute.

Interestingly, a couple other locations outside of Ohio have melonhead tales of their own. And creatures that bear more than a passing resemblance to the melonheads can be found in the 'It's Alive' films of the seventies. More interesting than 'It's Alive', though, is a Japanese horror film called 'Horror Hotline: Big Head Monster'. I don't know much of the background behind this film, but it seems to be based on a local legend very similar to our melonheads.

Okay, I'm done. Hope that's not too much information. Let's hear yours.

[Bridget]

Bob, my personal favorite is the Snallygaster. Just got to love it for the name! It's a local Maryland legend of a creature that has been described as part reptile, part bird, sometimes having octopus type tentacles and sharp fangs. It eats chickens, LOL. Barns in this area have a star on them to keep the Snallygaster away.

Apparently, it stems from local German immigrants and the name is derived from the German "Snell Geist" meaning quick ghost. They used this term for things that went bump in the night. It eventually turned into this creature of enormous proportions, due to some very bored and creative newsmen in the early part of the century who wanted to increase their circulation.


Long live the Snallygaster!!!!!

[Sinestro]

Well as for me I do not have a favorite, I hear a few hours away from were I live they had the famous UFO sighting, the Gulf Breeze sighting or whatever it is. But Knowing me and being a Skeptic and all, I must say that well I have an infinite number of unbeliefs, including disbeliefs in fairies, goblins, and ghosts. So far, not a shred of evidence throughout the history of mankind has shown the existence of any god, spirit, or ghost. Neither have we evidence for goblins, Loch Ness monsters, or alien spacecraft. If, on the other hand, we receive valid evidence of these claims, we can then determine the validity of their existence.

[Vampchick21]

But Sin, lack of evidence doesn't remove the fun of speculation.

[Bridget]

Yeah Sin! It's FUN to believe!

[aloha_spirit]

I think everyone on GV knows I'm quite fascinated with o chupacabras.

Instead, I'll talk about the Menehune. The Menehune has has basis in fact, but people have added to it. The real Menehune were a small race of humans - the very first group to inhabit the Hawaiian Islands. As other groups arrived, they killed off the Menehune until they were just a myth or legend.

Today's Menehune are a cross between Leprochans and Brownies. They are blamed whenever anything is missing.

[Sinestro]

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But Sin, lack of evidence doesn't remove the fun of speculation.

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Yeah Sin! It's FUN to believe!

Your just wanting to believe in order to give life a purpose or meaning. I have direct knowledge of my existence through sensations, thought, and awareness, but I do not believe I exist: I know I exist.

[opterasis]

aloha_spirit, on Mar 11 2005, 06:16 PM, said:

I think everyone on GV knows I'm quite fascinated with o chupacabras.

You and me both. Although i believe it was an animal experiment from the government that went wrong and escaped. I think they were experimenting with human and animal DNA.

[freyjasdottir]

Opt,

I agree with you there, I have no doubt that's there is something being mixed and mashed togther.

I used to watch In Search Of also with my dad, and I loved it.

My all time favorite crypto creature is Nessie, gotta love Bigfoot and dragons but Nessie and her international counterparts and the ones I love to hear about.

[Vampchick21]

Sinestro, on Mar 11 2005, 06:33 PM, said:

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But Sin, lack of evidence doesn't remove the fun of speculation.

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Yeah Sin! It's FUN to believe!

Your just wanting to believe in order to give life a purpose or meaning. I have direct knowledge of my existence through sensations, thought, and awareness, but I do not believe I exist: I know I exist.

That's not quite what we mean luv. All we're saying is that one doesn't have to believe in order to enjoy a good tale, tall or otherwise.

[Bobnoxious]

Sinestro, on Mar 11 2005, 06:33 PM, said:

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But Sin, lack of evidence doesn't remove the fun of speculation.

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Yeah Sin! It's FUN to believe!

Your just wanting to believe in order to give life a purpose or meaning. I have direct knowledge of my existence through sensations, thought, and awareness, but I do not believe I exist: I know I exist.

Sin, I'm about as skeptical as they come. I don't believe in any of these creatures. But come on, what's the harm in relating the stories and legends about them? This particular sub board is for "Urban Legends, Myths, and Folklore" so there's an underlying assumption that not everything posted here is necessarily believed by the posters.

Even from my standpoint of disbelief, I still get a kick out of monster and ghost stories. On a more cerebral level, I think the folklore and myths of a culture can also tell us something about that culture, and about humanity in general.

For example, Aloha's story. Here we have what was once a real tribe of humans, similar to pygmys from what I gather, who were wiped out. Yet they still "survive" in a new form as legend. Personally I find that quite interesting, and it raises questions for me like, "is this perhaps a response to some unconscous guilt on the part of those who wiped out this tribe?" I also got a kick out of Bridget's post because it's just such an imaginative monster and I'd never heard of it before.

I can see where belief in psychics, faith healers, etc. can lead to harm, but not this stuff. Come on, be honest. Isn't there at least one beastie that you find interesting or fun on some level? Save the harsh criticism for when someone is claiming a picture of a camera strap is a ghost or the like.

[Bobnoxious]

masquarade, on Mar 11 2005, 07:15 PM, said:

I used to watch In Search Of also with my dad, and I loved it.

My all time favorite crypto creature is Nessie, gotta love Bigfoot and dragons but Nessie and her international counterparts and the ones I love to hear about.

Don't know if you check out the Movies/Books section of GV, but I posted a review there of the faux documentary 'Incident at Loch Ness'. Check it out, I think you might get a kick out of it.

[Axman]

My Cryptozoologic creature list, my favorites are marked with an *.....

Bigfoot*
Yeti
Abominable Snowman
Swamp Ape
Skunk Ape
Sasquatch
Chupacabre*
Jersey Devil*
Werewolf
Werebear
Other werecreatures
Nessie
Champ
Ogopogo
Mothman

C'mon people help me with a big list of these things!!! Yes, alternate names can be added to the list.

[opterasis]

i forgot all about thunderbird. the jersey devil too! i think its high time they make an actually good jersey devil movie.

[Sinestro]

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Sin, I'm about as skeptical as they come. I don't believe in any of these creatures.

Nor Do I Bob, if you couldn't tell already...lol

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Come on, be honest. Isn't there at least one beastie that you find interesting or fun on some level?

Well Yes, Bigfoot, Lockness Monster, ect...

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Even from my standpoint of disbelief, I still get a kick out of monster and ghost stories.

As do I.