News: December Update!

My newest contract launched their site this month! We’ve geared up with our first initial content and we’re working around the clock to provide interesting and relevant articles for the horror community! I’m personally really excited to present to you the articles that I have had published this month! Take a look at these awesome horror articles, hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a happy New Year!

December 08, 2019

Inuit Spirit of Death: The Keelut

This creature is an Inuit legend, one who hunts people during the winter, but it’s not actually a predator in the strictest sense–it’s a spirit of the Netherworld. The Keelut (key-loot), also known as the Qiqirn (key-kern) is sometimes referenced as a spirit of death or an evil earth spirit. While it is actually a spirit, it takes the form of what some believe to be a true cryptid. To be honest, it’s hard to say which is a more frightening aspect of this creature, that it’s an immense, malevolent, black, hairless dog with the sole purpose of preying upon humans, or that it’s also a spirit so it doesn’t necessarily abide by the laws of physics. The Keelut’s mythological cousin is the Church Grim or Barguest of Great Britain, who stalks those traveling in the night which results in an untimely death. [Read More…]

Not a true werewolf—but they are the closest thing you’ll see to one in Inuit folklore. The Adlet (ah-dlit), also known as the Erqigdlet (urk-kig-dlit) in Greenland, is considered the arctic counterpart of the well-known werewolf and for good reason. Although they are not shapeshifters and the moon has no effect on them, their physical appearance is enough to make anyone believe they’re one and the same. In their own lore, they are considered a ferocious man-eating beast, originating from an unnatural mating between an Inuit woman and a dog. This woman ended up birthing a litter of ten—five of which were dogs, and five that were half-human, half-canine monstrosities which began their history of terrorizing the frozen north. [Read More…]

In Alaskan Inuit culture, there are ocean-dwelling creatures known as Qalupaliit (kah-loo-pah-leet)—they are the Arctic version of the mermaid or siren. Unlike the popular mermaid princess culture that surrounds much of the lore of this aquatic creature, the Qalupalik (kah-loo-pah-leek) is not a beautiful half-fish, half-woman who lures sailors to their deaths. Wraith-like in appearance, her long black hair is perpetually plastered to her sallow, slimy, scaly skin—her ghastly despondent face is paired with her dark and hollow eyes. Her webbed feet and hands are topped with long sharp claws—all of this is enough to strike terror into the hearts of the children that the Qalupalik preys upon. [Read More…]

December 10, 2019

The legend of the Thunderbird has roots in the history of North America—going back all the way to before external influences touched the continent—this enormous bird of prey was noted in folktales to be seen most often during the spring and summer seasons and in many instances its appearance would forecast a destructive storm coming to the area. Despite bringing life-giving water to the area, the omen of the Thunderbird always meant death and destruction to the people of the land. [Read More…]

Back in the old times, when Baffin Island was still known as Nunatsiarmiut (new-naht-saw-me-oot) and before European influence, the Inuit people lived near the coast of Kangiqtualuk. They were master kayak-builders and survived by means of subsistence—they were excellent hunters, regularly bringing in seals and whales to feed the people in their villages. They were not the only people living on the island though, they lived under the shadow of fear with a tribe of much bigger and aggressive people. Their way of living was different than their Inuit counterparts, as they could not build kayaks, tan hides, or preserve food in the traditional ways of the north. [Read More…]

December 11, 2019

There are so many cultures that have tales of Sea-Monsters—particularly of the serpent variety, that it would almost be a shock to learn that the Inuit culture didn’t possess one. It is only natural to fear what we do not know—the list of phobias that have spawned from not knowing what is there is fairly long—the dark is a prevalent one for many people which is why it’s such a commonplace tool for creators of horror movies and scary stories, another is the depths of the sea. The common theme is that many fear not only what they do not know, but what they cannot see, a trait that makes the habitat of the Tizheruk (tiz-zer-ook), also known as the Pal-Rai-Yûk (pall-rye-yook) that much more frightening. [Read More…]

December 25, 2019

Anna swung her legs playfully, her eyes followed her moosehide boots as they hovered several inches above the floor of the auditorium. Her father draped a blanket over her lap, with a sweet mumble of, “in case you get chilly,” before he took his place next to her. Anna knew that she was in for a treat–her father made a tradition out of bringing her to the University with him to expose her to as much of the culture as possible. She always enjoyed attending the student led performances, it was a lot like when her grandmother used to tell her stories when she was a baby–she barely remembered the wrinkled smile of her elder now, but even the glimpse of those memories made her feel safe and loved. [Read More…]

December 26, 2019

The frontier of the far north is typically regarded with mystery and a sense of trepidation. Even if you have lived through it all, there is always something about the place that can feel rather unsettling. The standardized phobia of the dark is exacerbated by the long, cold winters of Alaska—a place where nearly half the year is shrouded in the dark bitter cold. Those of us who live in a place that is constantly trying to kill us can attest to the harshness of the environment, at least during the winter, where temperatures often plummet to thirty degrees below freezing. To say that the cold and dark are our sole worries would be a farce, but that’s only because we have all heard the stories about what lurks in the darkness of the Last Frontier. [Read More…]

December 30, 2019

Most of popular horror culture will convince the easily misled that talking boards, specifically Ouija boards, are tools of evil. Movies like The Exorcist (1973) and Witchboard (1986) have painted a fairly devious portrait of talking boards, which previously held a sociable reputation. Prior to its debut in such classic horror movies, it was regarded as a game that could be played whilst on a date with a lady companion as an excuse to touch hands, in an era where it was otherwise forbidden for courting couples to touch. With much of the history of the Ouija board still unknown, due to a he-said-she-said origin of who the creator of the official board really was, what is known is quite a bit more vanilla that what might be expected. [Read More…]

December 31, 2019

Anyone can practice voodoo in New Orleans—embraced by people no matter their race, creed, or origin—there are no standard worship practices, in this flexible and inclusive spiritual and religious practice. A religion so immersed in mystery, voodoo is often mistaken for something much more sinister. First introduced to the United States through the repugnant practice of slavery, it originated from the Fon people of West Africa and was then intermixed with European cultural influences, as well as Native American herbalism and spiritual practices. [Read More…]