REDEFINING DEVIL

Curiosity fuels mankind-be it in any realms of life. The curiosity to discover the unseen and the crazy pursuits towards an unconventional future created the world we live in.

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Meanwhile, it is ironic to find that mostly these efforts are directed to the unseen rather than the seen. What makes it ironic though? Well, the mere fact of considering aluminium superior to gold when it was first discovered! A similar fascination can be drawn from the ever continuing debates on God-Devil and Heaven-Hell concepts. Though everyone agreed to God being the creator and Heaven being a bliss, the perceptions were different.

In the light of the Netflix series, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, a story of a half mortal-half witch which ran into a copyright lawsuit by a satanic temple, we are going to discuss about a set of books which changed the whole perception of Satan-How the fallen angel rose as a master of free will. 

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Anton Szandor Lavey
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Demonology, witchcraft and other dark occult always attracted curiosity and attention. A long list of books which were believed to be cursed including -Codex Gigas (The Devil's Bible)which was said to have been written by Lucifer himself, The Book of Sogya- a Latin book on Demonology and The Grand Grimoire(The Gospel of Satan)was created as early as 14th and 16th century. But the ultimate game changer was Anton Szandor Lavey who wrote the infamous Satanic Bible which led to the creation of a new religion which placed 'the self' at its center.

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But what makes this series of books mysterious is its accurate timing and the vital role it played in the institutionalization of Satanism. Lavey, famous for his flair in music and lectures of occult chose the year 1969 to bring out a book that actually challenged the Bible when the dissatisfaction against the clergy was high and mainstream movies chose to look towards sinister practices. In 1968, Rosemary's Baby, a mystery/drama movie which stirred the public with questions on devil worship and black magic. Later, in 1969, a book enters the market addressing these ambiguities and in fact, put forth an alternate to the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule-The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor Lavey. Later he went on to write The Satanic Rituals, The Satanic Witch, The Devil's Notebook and Satan Speaks! which helped him popularize Satanism and the Church of Satan.

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The new ideology not only was received by a huge follower base but started having a strong influence in the popular culture-be it in movies, books or rock bands. The rumours of many rich and powerful being a part of the black mass further triggered its popularity and influence.

While most of the books we read record the existent cultures, Lavey's work astonishingly created a counter-culture which still continues to be a hot topic.

Let us know what you think about this in the comment section below
To know more about cursedbooks,click: TOP 10 CURSED BOOKS

ARE MERMAIDS REAL?

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A mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of female human and tail of a fish. mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. there are a lot of TV shows, movies, and fairy tales about mermaids. some of them are fun and lighthearted, others are designed to be scary. moreover, some people have claimed to have seen real mermaids, but these have been proven to be hoaxes. one thing we do know is that mermaid has been a part of human storytelling around the world for a long time.

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Historically, mermaids were viewed in various ways in accordance to specific regions. thousands of years ago in the ancient Neo-Sumerian Empire, the goddess Atargatis was described as being half women and half fish. likewise, the ancient Roman writer Pliny says that there were a lot of people who washed up on the shore and these people were converted in scale.in the middle east, there were many depictions of mermaids and the depictions were common across Europe. Mermaids in middle ages were viewed as dangerous and said to drown sailors. many tales warned men to be careful at sea.

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apparently, there have been cases of mistaken identity, when exploration became more widespread, sailors began to see animals such as the manatee and dugong more, often mistaking them for mermaids. both the animals have a long tail that resembles the traditional mermaid's tail. during the period, the mermaids were still seen by sailors as an omen of ill luck. this notion was changed when Hans Christian Anderson wrote the little mermaid in 183. while previous tales focused on mermaids luring sailors to their death, the little mermaid was notable for having the mermaid saved human life.

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In 1842, P.T Barnum, who owned a museum in America, attempted to prove mermaids exist. barnum announced he had come into possession of a Fee jee mermaid. the mermaid was a carefully sewn together forgery: a baby monkey's head, chest, and arms were attached to the tail of a fish. this capture the imagination of Barnum's audience, who had previously seen Dugong and manatee tail displayed as genuine mermaids tails. while Fee jee mermaids now known as one of Barnum's many fake animals.

while we have no proof that mermaids exist and the proven proof came out to be a forgery, there are many cultures with a tradition of part-human who lives in oceans or lakes. very few mythical creatures can be found in so many diverse cultures across such a long period of time without change. so even if mermaids are not real, they will likely continue to lurk on the human imagination.

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WITCHCRAFT: THE LEGEND LIVES ON

1. WHAT IS A SO-CALLED WITCH?

 "A witch or more commonly known as a 'Daayan' is a female paranormal spirit with her long hair (called a choti) being the primary source of her power. She is known to have long black nails, feet that face backwards and is said to be the doom of entire families if she ever casts an evil eye on one of its members."

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2. WHY IS THE LEGEND STILL ALIVE?

The legend of the witches has been kept alive and passed on from the early medieval times to modern day 21^st century. Many people belonging to the modern urban cities do not believe in this and regard this as an absurd superstition but when asked about the witches, every one of them has their facts straight.

Believing in the so called superstition or not, the fact of the matter is that witchcraft is still quite renowned throughout India. A big part of this recognition of the practice by all is due to the curiosity of the human minds which is fascinated by these paranormal beings.

This has led to several pieces of literature, movies, documentaries, reports, etc. being publicized all across India to feed this curiosity. So even though people may not believe in this practice, the legend of the witches still lives on.

3. WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF BROADCAST/PROMOTION OF THIS LEGEND?

a) REMOTE SOURCES

A perfect example of broadcasting of this legend is the recently released Indian movie, Stree. The movie seems to be based on a real urban legend that enveloped Bangalore in an icy blanket of fear in the ’90s. 

So when you see the warning, ‘Based on a ridiculously true phenomenon’ eighteen seconds into the movie trailer and think it’s just a marketing stunt, you couldn’t be more wrong.

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According to the massively popular urban legend, the witch would prey on men after dark, knocking on doors at night to lure them out of their homes. She would often call out by imitating the voice of a woman the victim loves — his mother, his wife, his sister — asking him to open the door. It is believed that any man who heeded her request would be found dead within a day. 

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The only way to get rid of her was to call out  from inside one’s home, “Nale Ba” or ‘come tomorrow’. The man was then safe for the night until she came back the next day.

This legend gained such popularity that the homes of believers and non-believers alike started having ‘Nale Ba’ written on their walls, the markings of which can still be seen in some parts of Bangalore.

Thus, though Stree appears as a delicious mainstream Bollywood horror comedy, the origins of the real story behind Stree are based in Kannada urban folklore. Its gross earnings of 180 crores also proves that even though witchcraft might be considered just a myth by many, the interest in the practice has still not diminished.

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Another example of promotion of this undying legend through movies is Imram Hashmi's,'Ek Thi Daayan', which brings back the notion of witches to the silver screen, intriguing several again.

b) GLOBAL SOURCES

In terms of international notions of witchcraft, various films starting way back in 1900s (Wizard of Oz) to the 2000s (Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters) have been released that portray the practice as being evil and as something to be vanquished by mankind.

The 2013 hit, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, tells the story of 2 siblings, Hansel and Gretel, who having encountered a witch in their earlier years and defeating her, become witch hunters.

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  The movie also hints slightly at the practice of burning women identified as witches by rural villagers (inhabitants of Augsburg planned on burning girl named Mina for practicing witchcraft.

This practice of burning women identified as being witches on stakes is one of the popular outcomes of the witch hunt that started in medieval times, around 16^th century and still continues, the most recent case being the killings of women branded as witches in Rajasthan between 2005 and 2017.

Hence, we can say that the legend of the witches existing or not depends not only on superstitious beliefs of the people but on the constantly curious minds of the believers and the non-believers alike. As long as there is curiosity in the mind, there will be the need to feed it and so, the legend of the witches will live on.

FEARING THE UNKNOWN

We all have our beliefs of what lied beyond our current reality. All cultures and beliefs have a general rule: ‘If you have lived well,you die well,live bad,you die bad’.

Whether  we choose to believe in the paranormal or in the concept of ‘haunted and horrors’ or not,we all have to realize that there are many strange things that happen in the universe that are unexplainable.The history of supranormal existence has been around since the beginning of time.In sight to this,there are several places in the world that are considered as being haunted and spooky.

This post attempts to unravel the mysteries of such places and figure out whether all of it is a

 Myth or Reality? 

  1)BHANGARH FORT, INDIA

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Located at the borders of Sariska tiger reserve,Rajathan. Bhangarh Fort  is  considered as one of the most haunted place in India.A constant debate revolves around the fort being  spooky.Some say the area was cursed to remain roofless by an ascetic whereas some of the folklore narrate the tale of a tantric’s unrequited love for princess ratnavati.

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 Archeological Survey of India forbids the entry of visitors after dusk,but the signboard claims no mention of paranormal activities.In 2012, Gaurav Tiwari, CEO Indian Paranormal Society,carried an operation with his team to extract the mystery but later rubbished all rumours pertaining to the ghostly tales about the fort.

Scepticism and Mystification is all that surrounds the fort.We have mere tales which deliver minimal affirmation.It’s all up to our conscience to what we want to believe on-Myths or Reality.

2)PORT ARTHUR,AUSTRALIA

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Former Penal colony,Port Arthur,Tasmania, Australia has been spot of country’s worst mass murder.The Port Arthur Massacre exhibits history of extreme brutality.The massacre was executed by Martin Bryant,a patient with intellectual disability.It’s believed that the greed of success and the trauma of his father’s death made him lunatic.In 1996,he reached port Arthur which had been converted into a popular tourist destination and using a semiautonomic riffle murdered 20 people.  

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The Parsonage in the port is identified as the spot of paranormal activities.Tourists have reported experiencing certain force that leaves people in a state of anxiety and restlessness.The accounts of staff members do have a specific mention of visual,physical and sensory encounters.Evidently,if scientists are to be believed,the Personage has negative energy that leads to mysteries.

3)WOODCHESTER MANSION,ENGLAND

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 A sense of genuine enchantment holds sway away the sylvan landscape that cradles Woodchester Mansion-One of the Britain’s most enigmatic haunted house.The valley now occupied by Woodchester Mansion was originally the estate of Ducie family and legends hold that the mansion is haunted by the Ducie king. 

In 1845,the estate was converted to Catholicism by William Leigh.Since ,the mansion needed some interior modifications, construction was conceived but after 16years of work,the workers left the mansion for reasons never experienced.

The most intriguing part is the Chapel of mansion.As per reports,a strange smell of candles lingers in the area,although no trace of candles had been burning prior to the appearance of the mysterious aroma.Folklores claim evidence of a phantom female voice singing an Irish lament.Woodchester Mansion is all encircled with myths but it does leaves visitors with the feelings of intense déjà vu.Reality probably?            

4)POVEGLIA ISLAND,ITALY

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Described as an ‘Island of ghosts’,the Poveglia Island is situated in the Venice lagoon off the eastern coast of North Italy.

It’s believed to be a place of refugee for dead and living Black Plague victims with corpses piled up in pits were burned in large fires.In later years,mentally ill patients suffered heineous tortures and experiments at the hands of a lunatic doctor.

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People inform chimes of bell near the vicinity of island.A lot of it can be defied as myths but in regards to its dark history filled with death and drama,its in same way realistic to uphold that Poveglia Island is ‘cursed with many unhealthy spirit.

      

MANDELA EFFECT

There’s an unexplained phenomenon that you’ve probably experienced without knowing what it’s called, and it’s garnering more and more attention lately. "The Mandela effect" is what the internet is calling those curious instances in which many of us are certain we remember something a particular way, but it turns out were incorrect.

The name of the theory comes from many people feeling certain they could remember Nelson Mandela dying while he was still in prison back in the ’90s. Contrary to what many thought, Mandela’s actual death was on Dec. 5, 2013, despite some people claiming to remember seeing clips of his funeral on TV.

    If you do a google book search for "Western Cape Branch of the South African Council for English education". 1990 - South African Literature (English)" and then type in "Nelson Mandela died," you will find the following quote::

These bogus memories have some people thinking that their memory sucks, but several speculate if they’ve gone to a parallel universe, or if time travellers have gone to the history and faintly affected our present, or if they’re simply losing their freaking’ minds. Whatever it is, the most fascinating thing about the Mandela effect is that so many(millions) of individuals share the same bogus memories.