So, the promotion for my book went well... I think. And hopefully, I should have enough good reviews soon to increase the price suitably. Course though, once my get my father's feedback and fix the mistakes he found. But, despite that, get Tales of Horror: Macabre Monsters of Michigan while it's still $.99 for Kindle and $4.99 for paperback.
Anyway, continuing on with last week's theme of looking into what cryptids are and where they come from, we have a different theory to look at today. And it is...
That's right. Demons. Could cryptids be agents of evil or of the Devil sent to terrorize humans? Or, even the punishment for our sins? Let's take a closer look at this, and examine some of the evidence.
Exhibit A
Aside from a few cases, most sightings of Dogmen and other cryptids are always accompanied by fear. Fear so strong that some witnesses suffer from PTSD and they just shut down. Some people's lives have been ruined by their encounters. How could seeing an animal or even just an undocumented creature result in such bad juju? People used be to be superstitious about black cats, but my friend John had a black cat named Harry. Aside from being a bit of a porker, Harry wanted for nothing more than to curl up in someone's lap and be pet. I never had any bad luck after petting Harry. So perhaps, the Dogman and other "creatures" are not just creatures at all.
Exhibit B
In one particular episode on the podcast Dogman Encounters Radio, one paranormal investigator was looking for the Dogman when suddenly, a psychic he knew was startled out of a dead sleep from hundreds of miles away because she believed she saw something evil in her dreams. It disturbed her so much, she got out of bed and did a cleansing of her entire house. She then called the investigator to find out what he had been poking his nose into. To many of us, that seems a more than a bit much, but notice that her dream frightened her so much she did a cleansing of her house--that is to say, she purified her house and probably performed some sort of ritual to protect it. That's pretty hardcore.
Exhibit C
Renowned Dogman reporter Linda Godfrey has put forth her own theory that cryptids could be manifestations of desecrated Native American burial mounds. According to Godfrey, most of these mounds are dedicated to an animal spirit, such as a bear, wolf, or panther, and so she believes that the desecration of these mounds may have angered the spirits of the dead into manifesting themselves as vengeful ghosts. I also remember reading Godfrey's book Real Wolfmen: True Encounters in Modern America where eyewitness Lorianne Endrizzi is reported to having said, "To this day, I believe it was Satanic," when she had her encounter with a Dogman in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.
Exhibit D
There's an old cryptid hunting show out there called Animal X: Natural Mystery Unit. It's one of my favorites because the show host, Bill Kerr (RIP), was so over the top in his presentation. But in their episode on el Chupacabra, one of the investigators, Natalie Schmitt, says that some people believe el Chupacabra to be a demon come to punish humanity for its mistreatment of the planet.
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| I'd think that was a demon. |
Exhibit E
And speaking of demons, I'm reminded of a very interesting story from Nick Redfern's book Three Men Seeking Monsters. In chapter 10, "The Sky Beast," Redfern and his friends meet the eccentric and terrified Colin Perks in Glastonbury, England. Perks is an archaeologist who believes he is well on his way to uncovering the burial site of King Arthur. But during his research, he met a woman named Sarah Key who Perks later discovered was an agent for Ministry Intelligence, Section 5. Miss Key urged Perks not to dig any further into what he had uncovered otherwise he might open a portal into another world, and to prevent that from happening, Miss Key issued a vague threat of something possibly visiting Perks.
Well, Perks didn't listen. As a result, he was beset upon by a strange and unusual creature that I call the Glastonbury Gargoyle. Just thinking about it gives me chills. This is how the creature is described:
[...]it was a hideous creature that Perks could only describe as a gargoyle.
Around seven feet in height and pale-skinned, it had thin and almost emaciated limbs. Attached to its arms and upper body were two large and leathery wings that reminded Perks of a giant bat. As his headlights struck the creature, he could see that its bones shone through its skin and appeared almost hollow. But most horrific of all was the creature's head: bald and with two large and pointed ears, its glowing, red eyes stared at him. An evil grin crossed its hook-nosed face and appeared to mock him, while two large fangs extended down from a wide and black-tongued mouth.
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| This image is actually from Monsters and Mysteries in America. |
In a too close for comfort experience where the creature manifested itself in his bedroom, Perks learned from the Gargoyle that the resting place of King Arthur was actually a burial site that kept a portal closed that could unleash all sorts of hellish creatures upon the world. The Gargoyle himself claimed to be a servant of the old kings of England put there to prevent such a thing from happening.
Then later on in chapter 12, "Doggone Animals," Redfern and crew meet a woman named Diane Facer who had carried out extensive research on phantom black dogs in England. They tell the story to Diane and she wonders if the portal they're talking about is the gateway to Hell. Up until that point, none of them had thought that, but it sounded about right especially given the description of the Glastonbury Gargoyle. It may sound strange that a demon is preventing other demons from being released, but there are many stories about ancient cultures putting supernal powers under their control. So why not?
Exhibit F
Looking at the eastern US, there's another unusual tale I remember that comes from Point Pleasant, West Virginia. That's right--Mothman! But not Mothman himself. This actually has to do with the Men In Black.
In Mothman: The Facts Behind the Legend by Donnie Sergeant Jr. and Jeff Wamsley, they conducted an interview with legendary eyewitness Linda Scarberry. During the interview, she spoke of an interesting incident with an MIB where one apparently stormed into her kitchen. She and a friend were there and tried asking it a few questions. It didn't respond and instead went to light a cigarette. Suddenly, it looked up when the reflection of the lighter flame was caught by a gold plated crucifix that was hanging on the wall. According to Scarberry, the MIB fled immediately. Unless the MIB's are huge antitheists, this makes them look like lesser forms of evil.
Exhibit G
Now, if we're going to talk about cryptids as being possibly devils or demons, there are several named for demons and devils: devil dogs, the Dover Demon, why, even renowned cryptozoologist Loren Coleman got his start when he encountered a phantom panther that he claims attacked him. But, if we're going to talk demons and devils, would be remiss if I didn't mention the most famous of them all, the Jersey Devil.
Personally, I believe the Dover Demon was an ET of some sort, but devil dogs and JD are harder to explain away. Devil dogs are supposed to be harbingers of death and other foul things, while the Jersey Devil has been haunting the Pine Barrens for almost 300 years. In some versions of the JD legend, Mother Leeds is a witch and the father was the Devil himself, which seems to make a good case for the JD actually being a devil of some kind.
Conclusion
So then, is it case closed on Dogman, el Chupacabra, and the Jersey Devil? Are they the spawn of Hell? Without definitive evidence, we can't say really, but the evidence, as it is, does make for a compelling case.
Personally, I don't believe most cryptids are demons, but for my money, this is the second most likely explanation in a majority of cases. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Dogman turned out to be a demon. Some may scoff, and ask how demons can interact with the real world, but remember, Jesus Christ was both fully man and fully God. Not to mention poltergeist activity in people's homes such as objects flying across the room on their own. So, the idea that the spiritual can affect the physical is not a road block in the slightest.
But, that'll have to do for now. Next week, I'll be looking at what I think the most likely explanation is: PK Manifestations. To make sure you don't miss it, join my mailing list to receive notifications here. Those on my mailing list will be told first about any new posts I make. And remember to pick up a copy of my book: Tales of Horror: Macabre Monsters of Michigan.
So then, until next week, keep writing, my friends.
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