The following is a listing of my 13 favourite non-Dr Who monsters. I could fill a listing, and half with those. Maybe next week

1. Baba Yaga in Slavic mythology, the wild old woman; the witch; and mistress of magic. She is also seen as a forest spirit, leading hosts of spirits. My mother would tell me stories of her when I was a child that chilled me to the bone. Disney could not make a movie out of her!

2. Bluebeard is the title character in a famous fairy tale about a violent nobleman and his over-curious wife. It was written by Charles Perrault and first published in 1697. The story of this fictitious mass murderer was also a childhood favourite!

3. Nosferatu the silent film, by F.W. Murnau is a classic, and Nosferatu the closest you will come to the vampires of Slavic lore. They are gruesome in appearance, and horrifying. Nothing like the romanticized version of vampires at all.

4. Jack The Ripper is an alias given to an unidentified serial killer (or killers) active in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area and adjacent districts of London, England in the latter half of 1888. The name is taken from a letter to the Central News Agency by someone claiming to be the murderer, published at the time of the killings. Whoever, he, she, they were, Jack the Ripper has always fascinated me, and provided a mystery for the ages. And yes, I do qualify certain humans as monsters.

5. Sasquatch is a figure prominent in North American Native folklore, and said to inhabit remote forests, mainly in the Pacific NorthWest region of the United States, and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Sasquatch is also reported in my home province Ontario.

6. Wendigo sometimes is confused with Sasquatch. They are nothing alike. Wendigo is a malevolent, cannibalistic, spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans, appearing in Algonquian mythology. Humans who indulged in cannibalism were at particular risk, and the legend appears to reinforce this practice as taboo. Stories of Wendigo are particularly unnerving around a campfire.

7. Mothman My dear friend Robin grew up in Point Pleasant Virginia, and as a child believes she witnessed him/her/it. Robin now gives lectures on Mothman including the big Mothman fest in West Virginia. Mothman was the name given to a strange creature reported in the Charleston and Point Pleasant areas of West Virginia between November 1966 and December 1967. The creature was sporadically reported to be seen before and after those dates, with some sightings as recent as 2006. You may have read the book or seen the film with actor Richard Gere.

8. Godzilla I LOVE HIM!!!! Godzilla is a fictional monster featured in Japanese films and has become one of the world's most recognized movie characters. I was not too happy with the remake though.

9. Nessie or The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid, claimed to inhabit Scotland's Loch Ness, the most voluminous freshwater lake in Great Britain. She is the most famous of all the lake monsters! I would love to go on an expedition looking for her!

10. The Beast of Bodmin Moor is a black panther like creature that is believed to inhabit Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, England. When we visit Nicola I will try to seek it out!

11. El Chupacabra the name translates literally from the Spanish as "goat sucker." It comes from the creature's reported habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock, especially goats. It is mostly reported in Spanish speaking communities, and very creepy!

12. Spring Heeled Jack is a Satanic, Superman-like character from English folklore said to have existed during the Victorian era and able to jump extraordinarily high. The mystery of who or what was Spring Heeled Jack has never been resolved!

13. And last, but in no way least, Frankenstein's Monster who according to author Mary Shelley's book, was sensitive, intelligent, and wholly sympathetic...unlike the film adaptations of her story.

Thank you for stopping by, and allowing me to share my Thirteen Favourite Monsters with you. Please do leave a comment, and have a terrific rest of the week! Happy Thursday!

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