Seems our ancestors were far more inventive than we are when it comes to scary legends. This infographic offers interesting stories of scary creatures from across the globe along with details about how they wipe out their victims.
From hairy hands that can force your car off the road to a woman with a face like a horse who drives her victims insane, these creatures beat today’s vampires, zombies, and aliens when it comes to ingenuity. In bygone days, parents told their children scary stories to keep them away from danger. Cultures use legends to shape values and teach people moral rectitude. Almost all societies have legends that reflect their values.
Scary stories don’t just bring fear, they bring excitement too, which is why so many people enjoy the thrill of telling such tales around a campfire. Scary stories allow us to examine our fear from a safe distance and can help us to become more courageous. They teach people to cope with fear and learn resilience. When children hear scary stories in the presence of others, they learn that fear is normal and that it quickly passes.
Pull down the shades and turn off the lights and let’s share the sweet exhilaration of an inventive and scary story. And you wondered why so many people are afraid of the dark?
Author Neil Gaiman explains why fear is so addictive
“Fear is a wonderful thing, in small doses… It’s good to be a child again, for a little while, and to fear — not governments, not regulations, not infidelities or accountants or distant wars, but ghosts and such things that don’t exist, and even if they do, can do nothing to hurt us.”