Creature Feature

Creature Feature: Succubi, Incubi and Their Lusty Cousins

Incubus

Stories of demons who steal a person’s soul with their kiss have been around for millennia, passed down by medieval monks and African shamans alike. In modern times, we know them as succubi or incubi for the males. Scientists may chalk these myths up to sleep disorders, but for many these demons are alive between the pages of their favorite books. So where did these creatures come from and where are they going?

Since I’ve been MIA due to penning my own succubus story with a decided twist, I’ll share a little of my research with you. Plus a little taste of “Kiss of Life and Death.” (more…)

Creature Feature: The Alder King

Erlking Fresco by Carl Gottlieb Peschel

Who rides there so late through the night dark and drear?
The father it is, with his infant so dear;
He holdeth the boy tightly clasp’d in his arm,
He holdeth him safely, he keepeth him warm.

“My son, wherefore seek’st thou thy face thus to hide?”
“Look, father, the Erl-King is close by our side!

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem,  Der Erlkönig (as translated by Edgar Alfred Bowring) depicts an elven king that would leave most little kids sleeping with the lights on for weeks, and their parents checking on them every hour. But Goethe’s vision of an Erlking,or Alder King, who entices little children away from their disbelieving parents in order to murder them, isn’t really in keeping with the original Scandinavian mythology. (more…)