The time is here everyone, it’s Halloween! And to celebrate this spooky time of year we are sharing a ‘bestiary’ of sorts featuring a few of our favourite monsters from Special Collections. From classic Halloween icons to monsters from folklore - let us know which is your favourite!
Grendel: The famous monster of legend slain by Beowulf, due to his attacks on the famous Hrothgar’s Hall. Grendel is described as half-man and half-fiend, a loathsome fen-monster and a gigantic monster of extraordinary strength. Grendel’s skin was said to be so tough swords would not tear his skin. He was one of humankind’s most bitter enemies hence his hatred for Hrothgar’s Hall and its merriment. We think he is a great folklore monster for Halloween.
The Dragon: The dragon is a staple in many myths and legends depicted with sharp fangs and the ability to breathe fire. In Western mythology dragons are often depicted as the foe of brave knights and adventurers and have been depicted in all manner of sizes and colours - but the iconic flames, wings and scales have remained. As the classic ‘monster’ of many western tales we had to include it this Halloween.
Kappa: The kappa is a Japanese river goblin, a hairy creature with scaly limbs, the body of a tortoise and the hollow head of an ape. The Kappa delights in challenging people to single combat, those who get challenged find themselves unable to refuse and very quickly meet their end. However, if you begin the duel by bowing to the Kappa they must remain polite and bow in return causing a strength giving liquid in its skull to pour out of its hollow head. Once this liquid is gone the Kappa becomes feeble and loses its violent tendencies allowing its victim to escape. This monster is a favourite of ours from Japanese legend, an interesting case of a monster that is beaten through brains and not brawn!
The Mummy: A classic Halloween monster now: the mummy. A re-animated corpse still wrapped in burial bandages and incredibly tall, this iconic movie-monster has stood the test of time and is still a popular monster today. While the tales and stories surrounding the mummy have changed over the years the classic look has stayed the same for over 60 years!
The Vampire: Another Halloween classic monster is the vampire. The legendary undead aristocrat with blood sucking fangs and an affinity for castles and bats, the vampire has also stood the test of time throughout the years. However, unlike the mummy, the vampire has gone through many a style change in recent years. Despite this the classic image of the fanged and caped vampire is still instantly recognisable all these years later.
The Witch: Another classic and while technically not a monster the witch is such an iconic Halloween villain that I had to include it. The witch has seen several different interpretations over the years but the classic look of the black hat and the broomstick is instantly recognisable. The witch has been such a staple of culture you can find them in medieval myths, modern day pop culture and even Shakespeare plays!
Skeletons: a reminder of death and corpses, skeletons also occupy the realm of a classic monster from all manner of folktales, books and films. Skulking around graveyards or dungeons they are often ready to spook and scare and have since become an instantly recognisable symbol for Halloween.
Snakes: Snakes have long been associated with scary things often being employed by witches or demons and most recently by a certain dark wizard. However, a classic example of the snake as a monster is the giant snake in the tale of Sinbad. This snake was big enough to swallow a man whole and struck terror into the hearts of anyone who saw it. Whether big or small snakes have been associated with villainy and slippery characters for years and it looks set to stay that way.
That brings our Halloween monster list to an end, which was your favourite? Have a spooky Halloween everyone!
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