The scientific origin of Halloween monsters

Werewolves, zombies, ghosts . the creatures that represent the scaryness of the Halloween season do not automatically appear in stories. Many monsters originated from the fears of the Middle Ages, many of which were exaggerated from the natural phenomenon.

1. Jack-o'-Lanterns

Pumpkin is hollowed out, lighting candles has the effect of chasing evil spirits in Celtic New Year's Eve.

The pumpkins are hollowed out, simulating scary faces that are the most famous symbols of the Halloween season. According to historians, grafting and lighting candles inside pumpkins is a custom of Celtic people introduced to the United States by Irish migrants. At home, they use turnips, a more popular food species but the US climate is more favorable for pumpkins. The glowing, scary faces of pumpkins work to ward off evil spirits wandering the streets on the night of October 31, Celtic calendar New Year's Eve.

2. Bats

Eyesight is almost zero, hanging upside down on the tree and inspiring masked warriors. For what reason did bats become animals attached to the Halloween season? This flying mammal can 'thank' the vampire for that.

Just like the legends of Dracula, a few bat species can suck on animal blood and sometimes vampire bats attack humans. Using sharp teeth, they will bite into the victim's neck or hands.

3. Monster Gargoyle bats

These stone monster statues appear in churches all over the world, but not only to scare ghosts as in many people's notions. They are inserted into Gothic style stone buildings right from the 13th century to make drains for church roofs. The gargoyle's wide mouth with a frightening tooth is actually the place where the water spurt out.

4. Witch

Forget the sharp black hats and the nose is equally sharp when visualizing witches. These two popular icons are actually only relatively recent, compared to the witch's long and tragic history around the world. In the past, witches were supposed to possess magical powers and connect with the natural world. But like many other ancient beliefs, they were demonized by the Catholic church and chased throughout Medieval Europe or America in the 17th century.

5. Zombies

The zombies.

It is not only human beings that have been born zombies. In 1940, Russian scientists announced a video of scenes of dogs being cut off after surviving for a few hours thanks to the artificial blood circulation system.

However, the zombie is the king of horror movies. In the film, they are described as walking corpses, revived by magic or some kind of virus / chemical. In fact, the Zombie culture comes from Haiti's voodoo beliefs, which believe that humans can fall into a state of mindlessness like walking corpses (except for cannibalism). Even a botanist who has found a Haitian herb can create this zombie state.

6. Ghosts

To become a ghost is not entirely simple. First of all, a person must die (in the more pitiful situation, the higher the possibility of unjust soul), then their souls must roam around to haunt the houses or search for relatives. It is on film and in the Halloween season legend. From a scientific perspective, many supernatural psychologists argue that energy (including body energy) can never be lost. They only switch to another form after people die, and that is the soul.

7. Werewolf

Transfigured and uncontrolled during the full moon nights, werewolves are cursed creatures that appear in legends of nearly every culture since ancient Egypt. Like witches, they were hunted during the Middle Ages and were always blamed for the murders that public opinion cannot explain. And there are still many people who suffer from hair hair disorder syndrome, a syndrome nicknamed 'werewolf disease'.

8. Vampires

They are blood-sucking monsters that have appeared in folklore for thousands of years, although the 'sleeping in coffins, colored canines' versions have only appeared since the 18th century in Western Europe. Earlier, it was believed that the children died immediately after birth, or those who had abnormal deaths, after burying will revive to 'spiritual terror' of the living. In other words, vampires are immortal and need to suck human blood to maintain that immortality.

Recent archaeologists have discovered the remains of a woman buried in a grave site for Italian 16th-century plague victims. This person was stuffed with a big brick in his mouth (like a kind of corpse charm) - a burial ritual that the scientific community believed exclusively for vampires.