The Occult

The Occult

May 2016

In Life, The Monsters Win

Pegasus pg. 29-31

Boogey man

Elves

The Kraken

Pegasus

Bigfoot

Contents of The Occult

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4 - Letter from the editor

6 - Contributors

8 - Horrors of The Night Elaine Kinsey

10 - Under the Bed Elaine Kinsey

12 - Mythical Creatures around the World Isaac Ramirez

14 - Sea Monsters Ben Brutocao

16 - Bigfoot Benji Ross

19 - Elves...

Isaac Ramirez

22 - Top 10 Greek Gods Paul Kim

24 - Cracked the Myth Benji Ross

26 - Kraken Ben Brutocao

29 - Pegasus Paul Kim

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Letter from the

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Editor

This issue of The Occult was certainly an interesting challenge.

the thrill of exploring the mysteries of the world. However, all

for me. Despite this, I just knew that I had to work on this issue,

mystery explored in this issue is the mythical creatures that

I’ve never been an editor of a magazine before, and I also had to collaborate with people I didn’t really know, which was hard because mythological creatures are right up my alley. I’ve always loved fantasy; it gives a certain spark of mystery that the world

we live in sometimes lacks. These concepts of the hidden magic in our mundane world across different cultures provide an amazing

lens with which to view humanity, and one can often obsess over

Elaine Kinsey

of the mystery can stimulate fear of the unknown. Many people,

particularly children, are affected by this, and as such another dwell in nightmares. As the author of that section, I largely credit the inspiration for exploring this subject to the fact that I’ve

witnessed those creatures firsthand. Nevertheless, my love of

fantasy and magic led me away from fear of the unknown into a job exploring it.

Editor in Chief

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Photo taken by George Borowski

The

Paul Kim opened his heart to jazz at the age of nine. He finds enjoyment in watching spanish soap operas, belly bumping strangers at the hospice, and reenacting the war of 1812 by himself. People who can do cartwheels and backflips are some of his favorite people. He once made friends with an alley cat, but later decided that office friendships are cheap. Once, he forgot that grapefruit that he left at his grandma’s house, and sobbed. He is also a world renowned orange chicken hunter. By world renowned orange chicken hunter, he means that he sits on his couch and eats orange chicken all day long.

s r o t u b

i r t n o C

Benjamin Brutocao can always usually be found roaming the jungle in search of the bejeweled elephant and his gifts. When alone, he enjoys sitting alone. He would like everyone to know that you should not pronounce the first “R” in February. He enjoys adding AND subtracting.

Ben’s hobbies include magnets and navel fluff collecting, If it is after midnight, and Ben is not asleep, please tell him to go to sleep please. He regrets to inform you that he has never attended a zoo, but would very much like to. To find more information on taking Ben to the zoo, please call (512)-940-0213. He draws inspiration from amusement park cotton candy. However, this cotton candy in large quantities has been known to induce vomiting, but also trips to yummy town, choo choo!!

Benjamin Ross is not the same Benjamin as the other Benjamin, but is rather a different Benjamin, unique in his own ways. Benjamin’s strengths include using his inside voice, calming down octogenarians, and crouching low enough to hide from the aliens. When randomly approached by his therapist, Benjamin acts surprised, though he is not really surprised. When you don’t know where he is, it is safe to assume that he is either watching Blue’s Clues with his six imaginary friends, in the dishwasher, and/or underneath the clouds, taking pictures of the ones that look like former or current US presidents. He finds the passion in his life by sealing envelopes successfully, pretending to be an identity thief, and awkwardly concluding biographies.

Isaac Ramirez also would like to go to the zoo. To find more information on taking Isaac to the zoo, please call (512)-998-2664. Isaac wrote his feature on Santa Claus’ people because he retains his childlike nature, from whence his birth, came about. Isaac spends most of his free time polishing his vast rock collection and participating in deep sea fishing extravaganzas.

Though usually always at his house, Isaac sometimes can be found down at the wharf, pouring pure mercury into the Gulf of Mexico. Many ask him, “what are you doing, Isaac?” He will enact his defense mechanism, responding with a solemn stare whilst singing the ancient war cries of his ancestors, scaring away his confronters. The end.

Horrors of the Night

Having fun with a child in the dark with games like flashlight tag can help soothe the child and reduce their fear of the night.

By Elaine Kinsey

Here we shed a night-light on the symptoms of nightmares children have and the ages most affected by frequent nightmares.

Get Professional Help

5%

20% 50%

5%

Nightmares by Age Group 3-6 years old 6-12 years old 18+ years old Other 8

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Talking to a therapist is always a great way to help with fear. Professionals have many different methods scientifically proved to help children with fear.

People with nightmares often have symptoms associated with sleep deprivation.

Nightmares happen later in the sleep cycle, usually in the early morning.

How to Help These captioned graphics present various ways that one can help reduce frequent nightmares in a child.

Avoid Scary TV

Scary media can induce nightmares, so be sure to steer clear of scary books or TV shows.

Imagining alternate happy endings or exploring the meaning of a nightmare can eliminate the fear associated with a particular nightmare.

Reduce Stress Stress is often the cause of frequent nightmares, so stress reduction techniques usually prove to be very effective.

Symptoms Upon waking up, a person will usually be able to remember the nightmare clearly and what was so scary about it.

During a nightmare it is possible for a person to moan, talk, or move slightly.

A person usually wakes up from a nightmare with an increased heart rate, sweating and other symptoms of anxiety.

Info taken from www.betterhealth.vic.gov www.minddisorders.com www.healthline.com www.statista.com

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Under the Bed Things That Go “Bump” in the Night Find out all about the nocturnal terrors of kids.

A story all about the creatures that live in our closets or behind the curtains: The monsters of the childhood mind.

By Elaine Kinsey

Y Photo provided by Dani Levy

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https://www.seton.net/find-a-doctor/doctor-profile/ripperger_suhler/jane

ou’re curled up under the sheets of your small twin bed, sweating and steaming, but unable to surface. It’s hard to breathe in there; you must come up for air, but you can’t.

If you don’t keep hiding, the monsters will find you. These monsters suck away your energy and haunt your mind. These are the monsters under your bed.

When people think about mythical monsters and beasts, what usually comes to mind are dragons, minotaurs, or bigfoot. However, they don’t pay much mind to these other monsters that slip under the radar: namely, the monsters of childhood. Having childhood nightmares is a widespread problem. According to Web MD, 50 percent of children ages 3 to 6 have nightmares. A plethora of methods can cause childhood monsters, and every child must find their own way to conquer their fear.

So, why do children gain these fears and nightmares? “Little kids have great imaginations,” says Dr. Jane RippergerSuhler, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, “Especially if they’re queued in by things that they watch or read. But, even if they aren’t, they can still imagine monsters- things that are bigger than them; things that could harm them.”

She says that childhood nightmares are a common trend among children because dreaming is a way of processing the day that

you had, including the fears. She says children have monsters because it’s a way for concrete thinkers to anthropomorphize their fears.

Two of these children are Dani Levy and Andie Denson, both current freshmen at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, or LASA, in Austin, Texas.

Let’s start with Denson’s story. According to Denson, she began having nightmares about the abominable snowman when she was about 3 years old. “Because of that,” says Denson, “They kind of led into other fears, like the abominable snowman would, start a tornado or something, and then I was scared of tornadoes for a long time.” Along with these nightmares, the little 3-year-old was thoroughly convinced that her grandmother’s house was teeming with monsters. Denson’s nightmares were probably a symptom of the stress of becoming an older sister. As she explains, “That was when my mom was pregnant with my sister, so I guess I was kinda scared.”

My inspiration for writing this article was the fact that I was an extremely anxious child. My anxiety started when I was about 9 years old, because I had earlier started the Harry Potter series. As a fast reader, I quickly got to the other books far before my little mind could handle it. I remember going to a overnight camp and having to be by myself, because I was the only girl there. I couldn’t get myself to sleep, and ended up having to be sent home. Every night after that was chock-full of nightmares.

I’d had nightmares before, but during this period, they were happening every night. I was getting little to no sleep, which negatively affected my daily life, and the sleep that I was getting was mostly spent curled up in a sleeping bag next to my parent’s bed.

I wouldn’t go near my room, or worse, the office across the hall, where my monster, Evil Spiderman, lived in the computers.

Dani Levy, had problems with making friends in elementary school. She said it caused her to have nightmares about falling.

Elementary school, the setting of her fears is not a pleasant place to her. “I hate [my elementary school],” she says.

“It’s small, confined, broken down; it’s not a very nice school, so I guess that kind of made me afraid.”

Many of the things that make anxiety worse are similar to the causes of anxiety. Dr. Ripperger-Suhler says that “Any kind of stress, even if it’s good stress, can make anxiety worse.” She says that one of the best things that people can do to help an anxious child is to accept their problem as it is and not dismiss or make fun of it. Denson says whenever people dismissed her fears as irrational, she assumed they were lying to her, making the original fears worse.

Kids can conquer their own little monsters in a variety of ways, and every child has a different way of doing it. Dr. Ripperger-Suhler says, “It helps for kids to sort of take back their land in a sense, so if the anxiety is taking over their life and they can’t do anything, then they start bossing the anxiety around and telling it what to do instead of it telling them what to do.”

In my opinion, Ripperger-Suhler’s advice is excellent advice to follow. I’d say this is largely what I did, with the help of a body pillow and a one-milligram dose of Melatonin. The turning point for my anxiety is marked well with the final nightmare I had containing Evil Spiderman. I threw a hammer at him and never saw him in another dream again. I had taken back my land and conquered my anxiety.

Levy’s anxiety was mostly conquered by finding allies.“I conquered [my fear] in sixth grade,” she says, “ When I actually had friends,[so] I guess being around people makes me feel more secure about myself, and so I feel better around a lot of people.” Denson says she mostly just grew out of her fear as she got older and learned more about the world.

For me, my anxiety was a bigger beast to conquer than just simply growing out of it, because it was my problem and only my problem. I couldn’t rely on my parents, because my parents couldn’t help a problem that was only inside my head. I begged and pleaded with them, but there was really nothing they could do.

Both Denson and Levy had different experiences than me, and say their parents helped and guided them through this

process. “They’re the one thing in my life that I knew wouldn’t go away,” says Levy, “And that kind of made me feel more secure.”

Though the stories are different, one thing remains constant.

Levy puts this idea into great words, saying, “Regarding anxiety, anybody who has it should definitely…conquer it or you’re never gonna get better.”

Even if people can “get better,” anxiety will never go away, because it’s a normal thing. “Anxiety is a normal human emotion that humans use to protect themselves,” says Dr. RS. “[Children] don’t have very much control over things that happen to them, so having fears or nightmares is an expression of their concern of things that they don’t really know how to deal with; anxieties that adults might be able to deal with, but they can’t because they’re not experienced in life enough.”

I still worry about schoolwork, friends, or pretty much anything else, but it’s ok. I’ve learned many ways to with my fears very well.

According to Levy, her anxiety helped her with empathy and shaped her character, and Denson, as stated previously, simply grew out of her fear, and deals with any lingering anxiety by remembering that school is a safe place.

These monsters are real, and hard to deal with, sometimes making it impossible to live your life, but they won’t be around forever. Children end up conquering fears in unexpected ways that reveal their character and help them learn about themselves. Every child, just like every monster, is unique and one of a kind.

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Mythical Creatures Around the World by: Isaac Ramirez

K E Y 12The Occult

Unicorn

Elf

Banshee

Bigfoot

Discovered: 5th Century BC First depicted as a drawing in a cave.

Discovered: 1380 AD First depicted through storytelling dating back to the 8th century

Discovered: between 450 AD - 1150 AD First depicted through medieval texts.

Discoverd: 1950s First depicted through storytelling by the indigenous group of the Pacific Northwest

Discover where all of your favorite mythical creatures live, around the world.

Mermaid

Discovered: 1000 BC First depicted through stories from Ancient Greece

Werewolf

Discovered: between 1150 AD - 1228 AD First depicted as a story dating back to 2nd century BC in Greece

Wendigo

Discovered: unknown First depicted through stories by the Buffalo people

Mothman

Discovered: 1966 First depicted in a news article

Fairy

Discovered: unknown A “first depiction is unknown

K E Y

Dragon

Discovered: around 2000 BC. A “first depiction is unknown The Occult

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Sea Monsters

Inclusive glossary of the monsters of the deep. Eight of the most famous destroyers ever created.

Ben Brutocao

UNKTEHILA

Water serpent of Lakota myth. Extreme strength and speed. Clashes with Thunderbird often. First appears in Lakota myth.

THE LOCH NESS MONSTER

Serpent like creature thought to exist in a lake in the Scottish highlands.

Theorized to have been a bronchiosaur or an elasmosaur. First appears in a photograph from the 20th century.

CTHULHU

Part octopus, part dragon, part demon. As large as a mountain, and as powerful as a God. Manipulates the minds of mortals.

First appears in “The call of Cthulhu.�

KRAKEN

Enormous squid like creature who destroyed ships and struck fear into the hearts of men. First appears in 12th century Finland.

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MOBY DICK

Whale used to symbolize the futility of greed and the fate of mankind in Melville”s novel, Moby Dick. Drives Captain Ahab insane and eventually kills the entire crew of a ship except for one man.

MEGALODON

Largest prehistoric shark to ever live.

Vastly outweighing the Great White and can swim 50 mph. Thought to have been extinct millions of years ago.

However, 10,000 year old Megalodon fossils have been found.

HYDRA

LEVIATHAN

“In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish the leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.”

(Isaiah 27:1) Legendary sea monster.

Symbolizes pure evil and literally battles God. . First found in the Bible.

Large water monster with nine heads.

Every time a head is chopped off, two more grow in its place. First appears in Greek myth fighting Perseus.

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Bigfoot T H E

T R U E

A N D

T H E

F A L S E

by Benji Ross

E

ver played the game of telephone?

It’s likely that you played, whether it served merely as a fun game to pass the time, or whether it spawned from your teacher’s idea to educate you about how rumors spread. Admittedly, this childhood pastime does well to explain the workings of the collective human oral history, and how true stories often become tainted more and more each time they are retold. It also helps explain how the story of bigfoot deviated so much from the actual evidence known by scientists and field experts.

Bigfoot, believed by some as far from a fabrication, it’s existence denied by others as a species due to lack of evidence, rocks a huge, hairy primate body. Its popularity and controversy with no doubt spark an interest in most people. However, most people find themselves unaware of what exists as myth, and what fails to exist. Experts especially know how infuriated they become once they know the fact

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that a large quantity of bigfoot knowledge out there could exhibit exaggeration based on minimal real facts and encounters. This increases the difficulty to separate the truth from the false.

Michael Rugg, curator of the Bigfoot Discovery Project and Museum in Felton, Calif. says, “myths and legends, generally speaking come from people observing something in nature, and they describe it to other people, and then it gets talked about, and over the course of time, the stories get embellished, and confabulated.” Some reported sightings, found on multiple online websites and forums prove his point exactly.

Witnesses tell stories such as this one found on the BFRO (Bigfoot Field Research Organization) sighting and report page: a bigfoot covered a 400 yard distance in 15 seconds in the middle of Dillon State Park (to put this into perspective, the human world record

for this stands at about 45 seconds, and occurred on a track). How could an 8-foot tall lumbering ape accomplish this? Answer: It couldn’t possibly.

Exaggerations and amplifications added to sighting reports in the Bigfoot universe proves extremely common. “You take your story, and add it to another story you’ve heard, and now your story is a longer and more involved story, and eventually these things get way out of control, and then they become myths and legends,” Rugg says, “but they start out, generally, with something real.”

“Myths and legends...

they start out, generally, with something real.”

-Rugg

The count of attempted bigfoot hoaxes tallies to a great number, most likely. “If it was a bird or a kangaroo, then it would be hard for you to put a costume on but since [bigfoot] looks like a man, people tend to do a bit of hoaxing,” Rugg says, commenting about the simpleness of dressing up as a bigfoot. It also proves strikingly easy to create a bigfoot prop or mannequin. For example, in 2014, a man in Texas named Rick Dyer preserved the body of an allegedly killed bigfoot. Claiming that a university had tested the dead creature’s DNA, Dyer convinced persuaded customers to pay money in order to look at his prized “dead ape”.

Later, Dyer admitted over social media that his discovery proved phony. Made from foam, latex and camel hair, Dyer’s fake bigfoot failed to convince its observers.

A similar story occurred in the year 2008.

Two men in Georgia (police officer Matt Whitton, and previously mentioned car dealer Rick Dyer) confessed ownership of a killed bigfoot in their freezer. Much like the 2014 hoax, the owners of the frozen bipedal claimed that DNA research could prove the existence of bigfoot. After testing samples for DNA, the results showed up inconclusive, proving they had a creature unknown to scientists.

Their employers quickly fired them both from their jobs, once they announced that their endeavors existed only as joke. “It’s just a big hoax, a big joke,” Dyer justifies, “It’s Bigfoot. Bigfoot doesn’t

exist.” But I don’t think anyone’s laughing along with the two unemployed co-hoaxers.

The amount of hoaxes seen regarding bigfoot offputs scientists enthusiasm towards its study. “They don’t have time to deal with all of that (most scientists have something else that they’re studying or doing) and so they kind of ignore the subject,” explains Rugg. For those intrigued by bigfoot and awaiting the confirmation of its existence by scientists, this results in aggravation. Biological anthropologist in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin Liza Shapiro says, “I know there is a lot of lore surrounding bigfoot, but I don’t pay much attention to it. I think humans are susceptible to myths about strange animals [because] it shows up in different cultures.”

Though many various pieces of evidence exist, scientists generally won’t spend time on it.

This reasoning could serve as legitimate.

Research shows the impossibility of bigfoot in certain cases. For example, bigfoot, frequently sighted in North America, could appear a suspicious ordeal to scientists. “North American climate is not particularly what most primates are adapted for—they are usually found in tropical climates,” says Shapiro. That said, experts like Rugg argue that “an archetypical sasquatch… is probably a type of human being.” Regarding the yeti, (another unknown

A cropped frame from the video shot by Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin in 1967. Experts agree that it is the best evidence we have to prove bigfoot’s existence.

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species suspected to dwell in the Himalayas, commonly associated with bigfoot) its environmental surroundings constrict its survival, and complicate the idea that it’s existed so long without discovery.

However, scientists classify it as a remnant of another species who went extinct long ago. Shapiro says “I don’t think this is plausible either.” In the stories of both bigfoot and yeti, as well as many other types of unidentified primates, complications exist in their stories and evidence that allow scientists to reject their existence. Hundreds of conflicts between different theories for the technicalities regarding both the yeti’s and the bigfoot’s ability to survive in their respective environments present themselves.

Every day, our collective knowledge of unknown primate species grows larger. With the exception of exaggerations, hoaxes, and lies, useful and truthful information continues to contribute to society via websites (such as BFRO.net), news articles, and scientific research. “Science has really added a lot of data in the last decade and

taken great steps and new knowledge as far as our ancestry and that science is supporting the reality of Bigfoot rather than rejecting it,” expresses Rugg.

We will never know whether or not these hypothetical primates prove a reality until we can prove their existence. Until then, we can only research and postulate.

Homo denisovans, Homo sapiens, and Homo neanderthalensis formulate the three types of species in the human genus, Homo sapiens the only extant one as far as scientists know. “They also recently said that there might be a fourth type which they haven’t identified yet because they don’t have the complete DNA breakup for it.

That might be Bigfoot DNA,” says Rugg. If this DNA matched up with a previous DNA sample from a proposed bigfoot, its reality would be confirmed.

No one knows what the future will hold as far as new bigfoot information. However, we do know that we inch closer and closer to answering the question of bigfoot’s existence.

This is a map showing the distribution of bigfoot sightings across the U.S. and Canada.

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The Elven Myth Find all about an occult.

By Isaac Ramirez

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E

lves have been in our culture for centuries dating back to Anglo-Saxon England. The stories of elves are passed down from generation to generation. After each generation, however, small details are left out and over time, we lose information about who the elves were as a nation.

Now most people don’t believe in elves and some would say that they do, but not enough to seek them out. Each side on the existence of elves has their reasons for it. After reading the facts and understanding everything to be said, it would be up to you to decide for yourself, “Are elves real or fiction?”

Elves have been a popular subject in fiction for centuries, ranging from William Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to the classic fantasy novels of J.R.R. Tolkien 300 years later. As time went on, people started recognizing elves for more than just something to use in literature. In recent releases of new video games, movies, and even books, elves have been main characters.

No one really knows much about these creatures except for those who spent their childhood and even their present time to search and record elves. Only they know how they came to be a part of our culture.

Before being able to decide if elves are real or not, you need to know the history behind them during the beginning of their time. “The history behind the elves is truly fascinating. For so long different people belonging to completely different cultures all made stories that goes into great detail about who the elves are as a people and the history behind them,” says Ritoban Mukherjee, founder and editor of his own blog named “All About Occult”. Each culture e.g. Anglo-Saxon England, Scandinavia, etc; had their own ways of portraying elves and what they do. The earliest manuscripts of elves can be found during the Anglo-

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Saxon England period. They were portrayed as evil creatures who often put illnesses on humans and livestock. This illnesses were usually sharp, internal pains and mental disorders. Because of elves’ association with illness, in the second half of the twentieth century, most scholars imagined that elves in the Anglo-Saxon tradition were small, invisible, demonic beings, causing illness with arrows. That was the very first upcoming of the elven culture and it would eventually move to Scandinavia. Not much evidence was found about the elves in Scandinavia. Germany also had their fair share of the elves in their early culture. Over there, elves were depicted as demons.

With industrialization and mass education, traditional folklore about elves waned, but as the phenomenon of popular culture emerged, elves were re-imagined, in large part on the basis of Romantic literary depictions and associated medievalism. You can now see elves as part of traditional holidays such as Christmas.

When asked about if the elves in the videogames and films/TV shows related at all to the real ones here with us, Benjamin, a self called elf expert and writer of his own blog, said “The fictional ones today are based on the ones in reality. Because of this they are similar, although they are not the same.”

As American Christmas traditions crystallized in the nineteenth century, the 1823 poem ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’ (widely known as ‘’Twas the Night before Christmas’) characterized St Nicholas himself as ‘a right jolly old elf’ (line 45), but it was the little helpers that were later attributed to him to whom the name stuck. Thus in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland the modern children’s folklore of Santa Claus typically includes green-clad elves with pointy ears, long noses, and pointy hats as Santa’s

helpers or hired workers. They make the toys in a workshop located in the North Pole. In this portrayal, elves slightly resemble nimble and delicate versions of the elves in English folktales in the Victorian period from which they derived. Elves played a central role in Tolkien’s legendarium, notably The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings; this legendarium was enormously influential on subsequent fantasy writing. Tolkien’s writing has such popularity that in the 1960s and afterwards, elves speaking an elvish language similar to those in Tolkien’s novels (like Quenya, and Sindarin) became staple non-human characters in high fantasy works and in fantasy role-playing games.

Post-Tolkien fantasy elves (popularized by the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game) tend to be more beautiful and wiser than humans, with sharper senses and perceptions. They are said to be gifted in magic, mentally sharp and lovers of nature, art, and song. They are often skilled archers. A hallmark of many fantasy elves is their pointed ears.

Most believers believe that the elf community has been out hiding from us. However, some humans have had the opportunity to live and work with the elves in their everyday lives. One example of this is a woman whose name is Ragnhildur “Ragga” Jónsdóttir. She lives and works in an elf garden, which belongs to a park called Hellisgerði Park, that she and her husband founded and opened on the Summer Solstice of 2011 in Iceland. When asked what her role was in the garden, she says, “I offer “Elf Walks” to tell people about the elves, huldufolk (hidden people) and dwarfs in Hellisgerði Park.” Nowadays, Iceland has been the most popular place to go for a chance to meet with real elves and they can change lives as explained by Ragga when asked how they have

changed her life. “I have always been in contact with the beings of The Elf World. The change was that we opened this little project/ a center for elves and huldufolk. Then I started really talking about

this connection out loud. For years before that, I have worked as a medium and healer as well as an artist,” says Ragga. There have been many ways that people have been starting to get interested in elves. Most people get interested by reading, especially the Lord of the Rings series. “I was already a teenager when I started reading the Lord of the Rings book series. I was fascinated by the way the elves spoke to each other and to the other races. If anything, that is when I started getting interested in elves,” says Ben. Every single time a comic con comes up you will always almost see a group of people dressed as elves because elves have now become the basis of many stories and the imagination that it takes to bring this to life is truly amazing and can be amazing even for one that doesn’t believe in elves.

Elves are now “seen” in the Iceland area. Ben knows where to find them and how to spot one in a crowd. When asked where to find elves today and why they may not be seen as much, he says, “I have heard that in the past, we humans used to kill elves because of witchcraft. I don’t know if this is true, but I believe it. And so because of this they are hiding from most of us. Some elves however are roaming in society as spies. They make sure that nothing bad is going to happen to the elven community, so they have to go undercover. If you have ever seen someone with pointy ears and white skin, they may be undercover elves.”

Now that you know the facts and the beliefs about the elven world, it is time for you to decide for yourself, are elves real or fiction.

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Zeus Zeus is the greatest Olympian God, killing Cronus, the previous ruler and his father. He is the god of the skies, and carried a lightning bolt as his weapon. He also had many affairs with other Goddesses and humans. He is easily provoked and had a bad temper.

Poseidon

Hades Hades is the God of the Underworld who makes judgement to those who needed to be justified.

He is, in fact, not a bad God; he only looked bad because he is the God of the Underworld, in reality, he is nice. He is fair in his judgements and had a 3 headed pet dog called Cerberus.

us

Promethe

The Titan God Prometheus is popular among the humans because he created them. When Zeus punished the humans, prometheus would help the humans out by making their punishments less severe. Zeus punished Prometheus for going against him by chaining him down to a rock and an eagle constantly eating his liver.

Poseidon, the God of the Sea, is Zeus and Hades’s brother. He is the second most powerful God. He carried a trident as his weapon. He also supposedly created pegasus when he had an affair with Medusa, a Gorgon.

Dionysus Dionysus is the God of Festivity, Pleasure, and Wine. His festivals were legendary and he is known to be more famous and popular than Zeus, the most powerful God. Dionysus also started a cult, who would accompany him throughout his journeys.

Top Three Greek Goddesses Athena Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom and Military Victory. She is Zeus’ daughter and was very successful in wars. She created the bridle to tame horses and ultimately Pegasus. She is fierce and brave in battle and a beautiful goddess that everyone knows and likes.

Hera Hera is the Goddess of Marriage and Family. Hera is Zeus’s sister and, disturbingly, his wife. Hera was tricked and raped by Zeus. She lived in sadness, planning revenges and revolts against Zeus. She has gotten help from the other gods in trying to get revenge on Zeus.

Artemis Artemis is the Goddess of Chastity, Virginity, Hunting, Moon, and Natural Environment. She is the daughter of Zeus and asked Zeus for Virginity forever. She loved nature and hunting more than anything else. Many people came after her because of her beauty, but none won her love.

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Apollo Apollo is the son of Zeus, highly skilled with a bow and arrows. He is the God of Healing, but when maddened, he would create many deaths with his bow. He is also a prophet and is praised by many oracles.

Ares

Uranus Uranus is a Primordial God, one of the first Greek Gods in existence. He symbolized the sky and was the father of many titans, such as Cronus and Prometheus. He was killed by Cronus and Cronus became the ruler of the Universe.

Ares is the God of War who is a ruthless, war lover. Instead of fighting for justice, he fought just to show his power. Despite how strong he is, he is a coward and a crybaby, always whining about minor injuries.

Her mes

us

Hephaest

Hephaestus was limp from birth and his mother threw him off of Mount Olympus. Another story is that he tried to stop a fight between Zeus and Hera and was kicked off of Mount Olympus for trying to interfere. He became a prodigal craftsman who created many amazing weapons for many Gods.

Hermes is the God of Thievery and Cunningness.

He is very athletic and acted as a messeger for the Gods because he is able to travel between all three worlds: the underworld, the sea, and the heavens.

He is smart and pranked many Gods for fun.

Top Ten Greek Gods By: Paul Kim

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G O R I L L A

Believe it or not, 1847 was the first time a gorilla was proven to exist. Before then, it was a mythical creature, known to steal and rape women. Such far-fetched tales drove scientists away from the creature, unaware of its existence.

The idea of a platypus used to be a ridiculous outrage. When it was finally evidenced by science, those who had heard of it were shocked to discover its reality. Its discovery remains a monumental landmark in cryptozoological history.

The komodo dragon wasn’t proven to exist until 1912. Before then, it was completely mythical. Today it is one of the most commonly appreciated sights in public zoos, something one living in the 1800s would never even think of.

K O M O D O D R A G O N

P L A T Y P U S

CRACKED THE

By Benji Ross

11 ANIMALS THAT, SHOCKINGLY,

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GIANT EARTHWORM The giant earthworm, thought to have been extinct since 1980, was located in 2010. However, it was only a foot long, despite contrary legends that told it to be several feet in length.

The takahe, a flightless New Zealand bird, was thought to be extinct.

A colony was spotted in 1948 on an expedition on South Island.

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hen someone tells you about a fantastical looking creature with seemingly magical qualities, you might disregard it as a possible reality. Imagine if that creature someone told you about turned out to be real. In fact, this has happened several times in the past! You will see that some of these household named creatures actually used to be mythical.

O K A P I

C O E L A C A N T H In 1938, the coelacanth, thought to be extinct for millions of years, was found off of the coast of Africa.

Scientists have since proved the existence of the species in several areas of the world, making this one of the longest surviving creatures ever.

Until 1902, the okapi (known as the African Unicorn)was a myth and was the universal emblem for cryptozoology.

Until 2004 when a living, full grown giant squid was captured by scientists on camera, it was thought to be a hypothesis of a creature.

G I A N T

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MYTH USED TO BE MYTHICAL P

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In 1916, the giant panda was proven to exist. Before that, no evidence could prove it. Today, it remains popular among zoological tourists.

A thylacine, which looks like a tiger-wolf mixture, was thought to be extinct since the 30s. Locals say they regularly see them, but solid proof has yet to been recently brought forward. Regardless, there is evidence that these creatures are still around.

T H Y L A C I N E

Confusingly, an animal as distinct as a tiger could be mythical. The ancient Greeks and romans used to believe that the tiger was only legendary.

T I G E R

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The Need for the Kraken The Kraken, the largest sea monster ever dreamt, has remained relevant for hundreds of years by first preying on our fear and, now, adrenaline.

Ben Brutocao

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irca July 9, 2003. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl opens. Amazing opening weekend. Grosses $46 million opening weekend and $634 million in total. However, the directors knew they could do more. They knew that when telling pirate stories, they needed a specific presence that they needed to introduce to the youth: the Kraken. July 7, 2006, they introduced the Kraken to a hungry fan base in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. They made far more than a billion dollars. They added a Kraken and created the 17th highest grossing movie of film history. To further the point, POTC: DMC was not critically acclaimed. It only averaged a 6/10 on most scales, earning a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes. Obviously, the Kraken resonates with the youth and therefore, makes money wherever it goes, but why?

This Kraken is a Nordic sea monster first identified in the 1200s. Over the last 800 years, the Kraken has been reported on and off in Scandinavia, the Caribbean, Africa, and most recently, the silver screen and other media. The Kraken fills a gap in movies and other media that need it, vaulting it into the premier monster spot. You, dear reader, are about to learn why the Kraken is still relevant as of today.

The history of the Kraken is not brief. The name “Kraken” is attributed to Carolus Linnaeus, father of taxonomy. During his lifetime, the Kraken was widely believed to be real. With help from the stories of old, the Kraken made it into Linnaeus’ famous book, Systema Natura, under the binomial Microcosmus Marinus. He said of it, “It is said to inhabit the seas of Norway, but I have not seen this animal.” However, the Kraken was first reported long before. A Kraken-esque myth dates all the way back to ancient Greece. The sea monster Scylla, with six heads and massive tentacles, is an example of Kraken like monsters being reported. However, in the late 13th century, in Örvar-Oddr (Old Icelandic Saga), an anonymous author describes the Kraken.

However, as the name Kraken had not surfaced, it was referred to as the “hafgufa”. From then on, the Kraken made brief appearances throughout history, most notably in Scandinavia.

Towards the beginning of the 20th century, scientists became aware of the presence of the giant squid, an enormous tentacled monster that fit some of the qualities of the Kraken. When asked whether these were one in the same, Paula Mikkelsen, malacologist at Cornell university, stated, “No, I doubt whether anyone, malacologist or not, would say definitively that the kraken and giant squid are the same animal. The kraken is a mythological beast...” There’s the history. Mysterious as anything else in the world, the Kraken strode into the 20th century

looking to make its name. Which it did.

Monstrously (ha).

By appearing inedia, the stole the hearts of audiences while taking the lives of characters. Through many different roles, the Kraken has gained the love of most people, but in different ways. Dearest reader, depending on your age, you will see the Kraken in one of three ways.

In most things there is a generation gap, and the love of the Kraken is no different. It seems that the younger you are, the more you like the Kraken. The breakout role was in 1981, in Clash of the Titans. In this movie, the Kraken was a servant of zeus, a “Titan”, used to destroy civilizations. This enormous sea monster terrified and thrilled children and teenagers, but relatively bored adults at that time. This stuck.

That generation of parents continued to think the Kraken is no big deal. When asked about why the Kraken was still so popular, Paula Mikkelsen, who graduated college 5 years before the release of Clash of the Titans, said, “I do not know that it is… People are thrilled by myths, but at the end of the day, that’s all they are.”

Her unenthusiastic view of the Kraken is indicative of her generation.That generation of children only registered the Kraken as greek mythology, and nothing that could have actually ever existed. When asked about his view of the Kraken, Mike Ford, visual effects artist and child of the late 70’s, said, “A fishlike giant with tentacles and arms, born from an ancient time and kept by the gods as weapon to destroy whatever the gods are angry with.” Clearly his view of the Kraken stems solely from Clash of the Titans. That generation likes the Kraken, but besides that one movie, not much else was done for them.

However, the children of that generation, my generation, know something much different. As previously mentioned, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 was released in 2006. Disney produced this movie, so parents took their kids. This was the first time that the Kraken had been fully computer generated, and needless to say, it was well received. The millennials went absolutely crazy. Kraken enthusiast Josh Nutson, a 9th grader at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, said that his favorite Kraken appearance was “Definitely Pirates of the Caribbean be The Kraken appears with 4 eyes and a massive head.

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cause it is portrayed as a mysterious and badass creature.

If he shows up, you lose.” They did the movie so well, in fact, that any other form of the Kraken felt wrong. He said that his least favorite appearance was “Clash of the Titans because it was an overall terrible movie and they almost ruined the kraken for me by having him pretty much Kraken from the reboot of Clash of the Titans. be a god.” on top of this, the kraken has been featured in many mainstream comic books and dozens of video games including Tomb Raider: Underworld, Power Stone, God of War 2, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, and many others.

Some aspects of the Kraken, however, are loved by all members of society. The mystery aspect of the Kraken is generally loved by most. When asked about the popularity of the Kraken, Mike Ford said, “The beast in the shadows, the monster in the closet or the creature from the depths is something that we as humans have always created to help us deal with the unknown,” while Josh Nutson said, “Probably the fact that it is so mysterious and nobody knows a whole lot about it.” The hype factor of the Kraken is that is has never been confirmed or rejected.

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Generally, people are afraid of what they do not understand, and in monsters, fear is the goal. Another loved characteristic of the Kraken is its power.

When asked about his vision of the Kraken, Josh Nutson stated, “Oh, well when I think of the Kraken, I imagine it to be something that just comes out of the water and engulfs a ship extremely quickly with very large tentacles.”

Another thing that is loved about the Kraken is its unique nature. The Kraken is not a main character.

You can not just have a Kraken bad guy. Someone controls the Kraken always. Sometimes it is Zeus, sometimes it is Davy Jones, sometimes it is the Sub-Mariner or Aquaman. The reason that this behind the scenes sea slave has kept up with us is because there really is not anything else like it.

Nothing that is completely subordinate but completely and utterly destructive. Even if you found something to fit that description, there is no way it could compare to the Kraken.

Overall, the Kraken appeals to youth. Because youth are the ones who generally see movies and play video games, the Kraken makes money and remains relevant despite any proof of existence.

Now, my little reader friend, you are informed about the history/views/positive traits/generational interests of the Kraken. TO

The Kraken takes on a primarily octopus likes form to destroy a ship in the open sea.

Pegasus Myths About the Flying Horse Paul Kim

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After Pegasus had grown up, Bellerophon, a young hero from Corinth, tamed him. Two different myths about Bellerophon taming Pegasus are widely believed. The first one is that Athena left a magical bridle to tame Pegasus for Bellerophon and the 30second one is that Bellerophon went to the lake that Pegasus drinks water out of and tamed him by force. “If I was Bellerophon, I wouldn’t have been so forceful because Bellerophon used force to tame Pegasus” confessed Pandiri. “Pegasus would’ve been Myriads of different beliefs and myths are known about the pleased to help Bellerophon rather than being tamed by force Pegasus. His birth, his death, his early life, his late life - people because Pegasus loves helping people.” Even though Pegasus believe in many different stories. His existence defines greatness. was forced to be with Bellerophon, Pegasus and Bellerophon had He helped defeat a Chimera with his master, Bellerophon, and the greatest adventures. They fought together. They survived even Zeus, the ruler of the Gods helped Pegasus. Some say that together. They were invincible together. One of the most exciting Pegasus was last taken care by the muses and others say he was adventures is when they killed a Chimera, a monster with a head of a lion and a tail of a dragon. “Bellerophon, Pegasus’s master, raised by Zeus. Which myth is true? Which is more recognized? killed Chimera thanks to his ability to fly.” affirmed Le. Even though their adventures The birth of the Pegasus interests many were great, it had to end sooner or later. people. People believe that Pegasus was One myth is that Bellerophon was a very born when Perseus, a greek hero and ambitious man and wanted to be with the monster slayer, that went looking for a Gods at Mount Olympus. “It was not so gorgon’s head. When Perseus found Medusa, much Pegasus as the rider Bellerophon he beheaded Medusa and Pegasus was born. who seems to have been unsteady or “Well, I believe in the myth that Pegasus perhaps too ambitious.” exclaimed was born from Medusa and Poseidon.”

Martin. As greedy as he was, he set flight explained Sanjay Pandiri, a student that towards Mount Olympus with Pegasus attends LASA High School. “He was born but unfortunately was shot down by Zeus, when Perseus went to look for a gorgon’s the ruler of the gods. “Pegasus was really head and decapitated her, Medusa.” After happy that Bellerophon was not his master the majestic horse was born, he was taken This is a picture of Bellerophon anymore, but at the same time sad that he by the goddess of war, Athena, to the muses.

Riding Pegasus. died by falling off of Pegasus.” added Le. The muses were the nine goddesses of arts and science. The muses took care of the horse with gentleness Bellerophon either died or was severely crippled by this event. and kindness. Urania, the goddess of astronomy saw a bright Another myth is that Zeus sent a fly to bite Pegasus. When the fly future for Pegasus. “Many people say that Pegasus was taken care bit Pegasus, the horse jumped back and Bellerophon fell trying to of the nine muses at Mount Helicon, which is widely believed.” fly to Mount Olympus. In any circumstances, Pegasus knew that informed Alex Le, a student that attends Anderson High School. he was free from the tyrant.

Unfortunately, Pegasus was later tamed by Bellerophon and After Bellerophon died, Pegasus went to either Mount Olympus Urania was very depressed. ith bright, white wings, the horse flies through the sky. Its valiant effort to carry his master through the heavens, is very spry. Pegasus, the legendary mythical creature, has proven to us its greatness with amazing achievements such as helping to slay Chimera and being Zeus’s noble steed. Many different myths about the Pegasus are known, but not all are agreed.

This is a picture of Pegasus and Bellerophon slaying the Chimera.

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with Zeus or Mount Helicon with the Muses. Either of these stories are believed by many Greek literature lovers. “Well, I personally believe that Pegasus ended up back with the Muses.” beamed Pandiri. “Some say Pegasus went with Zeus, but I believe Pegasus ended up with the Muses because they were the original caretakers of Pegasus.” Le thought the complete opposite of what Pandiri thought of. He thought that Zeus was the one that took care of Pegasus to the end. “I believe that Zeus took care of Pegasus until his death.” argued Alex. “Pegasus was really happy to be owned by Zeus and unlike Bellerophon, Zeus was kind to Pegasus and took care of him very well.” Pegasus was faithful to Zeus and happy until the very end when he was being taken care by Zeus. A famous myth is that Pegasus was turned into a constellation because Zeus awarded him with immortality for staying loyal to Zeus.

“His skin color, which is bright white, represents his characteristics and personality.” - Le

Pegasus is a beautiful white horse that flies through the sky.

Many people wanted him because of his pure white hair and his wings. He was a kind horse who wanted to be helpful to many people in need. “He was a kind horse that was eager to help people that needed his assistance. His skin color, which is bright white, represents his characteristics and personality.” mentioned Le. Although he loves helping people, only two mortals were accepted by Pegasus to ride him, Perseus and Bellerophon. Not only his skin and his body is a special part of

him. Wings are also an important attributes as well. Wings can mean many things such as power and mobility but it can also mean freedom. Freedom is an important part of Pegasus, since he was persecuted by many people.

Though Pegasus is well-known, there are many misconceptions about the mystical creature. Many people mistake the fact that Pegasus was created by Zeus. “I guess I learned later that the horse was the offspring of Medusa and Poseidon. I thought the gods had created it.” muttered Richard Martin, the Greek and Latin literature professor at Stanford University.

The myths would all be different without Pegasus. “Most likely we would never have heard of the horse, and he would not have been born.” pondered Martin. If Pegasus didn’t exist, many Greek heroes would be dead without Pegasus’s help. Also, his important symbols, such as his wings and skin would never be known. His constellation would never have existed either, since people wouldn’t know what Pegasus looked like.

Why are there different myths of Pegasus in the first place? Is it because people naturally believe in different stories or is it because people interpreted the story in different ways? “I think they show the Greeks had a real respect for the powers of poetry and song to “lift up” people to the level of the gods...that’s why the horse is related to the Muses.” says Martin. Many different myths were stories that many Greeks loved. It was their Shakespearean stories.

Pegasus has achieved many things and his myths will always be known. No matter how generations pass, we will all know that the flying horse with great, white wings were important to many Greek heroes and gods.

This is a picture of only Pegasus.

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