Halloween is a nonreligious holiday celebrated on the 31st of October. It is a fun event where people walk to one another’s houses and take candy. Although this seems like theft, it is voluntary and optional, and an exciting event for both parties. Today I’ll be talking about the origin of many monsters that are associated with Halloween.
Bats
Although not monsters, bats are creatures that people think are scary. Some species, called vampire bats, do suck blood, their name coming from vampires, another Halloween monster. Another association they have with Halloween is that they were considered to be worshiped by witches, an additional Halloween associate.
Boogeyman
The boogeyman is a legendary creature that attacks children when they behave badly. His origin is quite obvious: to scare children out of their minds so they behave well.
Frankenstein’s Monster
Frankenstein is a book that came out on New Year of 1818. Now considered classical literature and shadowed by the new Halloween monster, the story spoke of a scientist who brought a man back to life. However, the monster was not like a human at all. You know the story after that. Many people of today think that it was actually the monster called Frankenstein, but in fact, that is the scientist himself. The monster is now a Halloween monster because Halloween fanatics have added it to their legends like many others.
Grim Reaper
The Grim Reaper is a sign of death. He holds a scythe and, when the time comes, uses it to harvest your soul. He was originally ‘discovered’ in the 1300s, when the Black Death was killing off many people. His first appearance in English literature was 1847, and the scythe most likely came from the Greek titan Cronus. His myth was compiled into the Halloween world for the same reason as Frankenstein’s Monster, the fact that monsters and death were involved.
Ghosts
Ghosts are one of the most common associations with Halloween, and are possibly the most common decoration in the holiday. Their myths go back a very long way, and are in the modern day to be believed as souls of the departed who linger in our world. Many beliefs state they have unfinished business, are dangerous, can pass through most objects, and come in many colors, most prominently white. They are associated with Halloween because of the Celtic holiday Samhain, celebrated the day after Halloween. On this day, ghosts were believed to be able to pass through the veil between worlds, and now Halloween is considered to be that day too.
Jack-O-Lanterns
The most decorated Halloween monster of all. Although they are considered to be fairly harmless, they symbolize Halloween more than any other. Jack-O-Lanterns come from the Celtic legend of a man named Jack who tricks the Devil, so the Devil agrees not to let him into Hell, but God doesn’t let him into Heaven either, so he wanders around carrying a turnip with a face with everlasting burning coal inside, and people would put turnips out on Samhain to ward off Jack because the turnips faces were scary. When the Irish moved to the US, they had to swap them out with pumpkins because they were more available.
Mummy
Mummies are a type of undead spirit with a physical body, which are said to curse you if you touch them. They are known for being slow and stupid, but highly magical. They originated with ceremonial burial in ancient Egypt, and were said to let the subject cross the barrier to the afterlife. That obviously didn’t work. Once they were made animate by myth, they became part of Halloween because they identified with the idea of the undead.
Skeleton
Animate skeletons are one of the rare true monsters, like vampire bats. That is because everyone has them, and they do move, except that they use muscles in this reality. It would be cool if they worked through the magical force imagined by Halloween fans though. They get their origin from the same place as the Grim Reaper, as they came around as embodiments of death in the Middle Ages, and a particular source is the Book of Ezekiel. They became associated with Halloween for the same reason as many: Death itself.
Vampires
Vampires are a physical undead spirit like mummies, and they are said to drink your blood, their primary source of food. When they do so, you become one yourself, and they are known for their prominent canine teeth. They are known for not liking garlic, salt, or getting stabbed with wood, so those are the best options. They also are known for eating sheep. Although origins are murky, we know they came from Bulgaria long ago, and were brought into the holiday by their murderous and spooky legacy.
Werewolves
The most famous lycanthropes by far, lycanthrope being humans that occasionally transform into hybrids, werewolves are known for biting people, infecting them. They transform at the full moon, and originated with the myth of Zeus turning a king’s children into wolves, and the story went on. They became part of the Halloween story because of their association with the full moon.
Witches
Witches are a common Halloween subject, and are known for their magic and black cats. They became part of Halloween when they began to worship Samhain, now Halloween, and were a primary subject of Samhain. They are known for having brooms, and originate with Samhain as well.
Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to see the Holiday Special! Have a Spooky, Scary, Happy Halloween!