10 Fascinating Mythological Creatures Of The British Isles

The British Isles are a handful of islands that make up the Isle of Great Britain, the Island of Ireland, and a host of smaller islands in that vicinity (Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, and the like). The culture of the Isles stretches back to the days of the ancient Celts and is amazingly rich in fascinating creatures.

10Bean Nighe
Scottish Mythology

Why not start with something depressing? The bean nighe is a figure in Scottish folklore that is said to foretell the deaths of mortals as a visitor from the Otherworld—the world of gods, fairies, spirits, and the like. It is said that she appears as a washerwoman who cleans the bloody clothes of those who are fated to die, and if one asks nicely enough, she can tell you the names of those who shall die. If you are especially careful, you can ask her three questions, but only if you answer three in return. So how do you recognize this mysterious otherworldly prophet? Well, it’s said she’s horribly ugly with webbed feet, a single tooth, a single nostril . . . or, in rare cases, she appears in the form of a beautiful woman. The thing is, do you take the chance of asking those three questions of this mysterious prophet?

9Faerie Dogs
English Mythology

This is a peculiar creature I came across in The Fantasy Encyclopedia by Judy Allen, and it is a lesser-known part of English mythology. They say that a certain crossroads are a door to another world, the world of the faeries and the gods and demons that act in ways that we don’t usually see. Every now and then, these crossroads will have a peculiar occupant—the faerie dog. These aren’t the puppies you and I know—these dogs are bright green and will bark once or twice as a warning. But upon the third bark, the listener is doomed. Perhaps throwing a bone might help?

8Alp-luachra
Irish Mythology

The Alp-luachra is a nasty little creature of Irish tales that is classified in Celtic folklore as a “joint-eater.” Despite its name, the joint-eater doesn’t eat joints. This bizarre classification of fairy is known to eat some of its victim’s food. That’s it; that’s its purpose. The Alp-luachra, a member of this joint-eater family, has a very disgusting way of accomplishing that goal. When a person falls asleep by a stream, the Alp-luachra will take the form of a newt and crawl down the victim’s throat to have a tasty snack out of the victim’s previous meal. In one tale, it’s said that you must devour salted meat in order to get the thing out of your throat. How does this work? Well, the salt just makes the thing thirsty and it has to leave to take a drink.

7Herne The Hunter
English Mythology

While this is more of a local legend, it has a rightful place in the mythos of the British Isles. The legend goes that Herne the Hunter was once the keeper of Windsor Forest during the days of Queen Elizabeth I, and when he committed some sort of great offence, he hung himself in order to avoid facing the shame. Now, he guards the woods as a spirit of the forest and haunts them when the country is in some sort of grave danger.

6Gwyllgi
Welsh Mythology

Think of this creature as the faerie dog’s demonic, scarier, and darker cousin. All of Britain has legends of black dogs that portend certain doom, but Wales has one with a much better title—the dog of darkness. As with all scary, black, ethereal dogs, they are said to haunt lonely country roads and scare the living daylights out of travelers. The dog’s appearance is said to be a dark omen, but isn’t that obvious? Why would you assume a demonic hound with night-black fur was anything but bad?

5Dearg-Due
Irish Mythology

Vampires have fallen from grace in the 21st century, but luckily there are many countries with their own brand of vampires. Ireland, thankfully, has its own deliciously creepy vampire story, and the vampire in question is the Dearg-Due. Legend says that the Dearg-Due was once a beautiful woman who killed herself in order to avoid an arranged marriage after falling in love with a peasant boy. After the funeral, she rose up from the grave and killed her family for forcing her into such a miserable state. Hey, at least she didn’t sparkle in the sunlight.

4Jack O’Kent
English Mythology

Jack O’Kent is less a creature and more a folk hero, but he is a fascinating figure nonetheless. Legends tell of Jack matching wits with the Devil himself (the master of making bad deals) and often leaving said Devil quite angry in the process. One legend tells how Jack O’Kent made a deal with the Devil to help build a bridge, but the Devil would earn the first soul that crossed it. After it was completed, Jack O’Kent threw a bone over the bridge and a dog chased after it, giving the Devil his due. He may have been a folk hero, but O’Kent would probably face animal cruelty charges these days.

3Church Grim
English Mythology

A being that may be borrowed from Scandinavian folklore, the church grim is supposed to be an ancient soul that, as the name implies, guards churches. The grim may take numerous forms—in some legends it has the form of a pig, a dog, or a small man (depending on whether you live in Britain or Scandinavia) who secretly sweeps the church and rings the bells. At some point, the priest must wonder why everything is so clean every morning.

2The Monster of Glamis
Scottish Folklore

This is a much more recent legend, one dating back to about the 19th century. The story goes that the noble who owned the Glamis Castle in Scotland fathered a son in 1820, but his very existence was hushed up and denied by all in the family. Many visitors to Glamis Castle tried to press the occupying earl for the secret, but he never gave in. It is presumed that the son was simply born hideously disfigured, with one visitor reporting meeting a “human toad.” The boy was said to be hidden in a secret chamber in Glamis Castle, and his ultimate fate remains unknown. Of course, we could be completely wrong and this could be some kind of hokum fabricated to cover up a much darker secret.

1Nuckelavee
Scottish Mythology

Considered to be the very worst of all Scottish monsters by some, the Nuckelavee is a sort of twisted Scottish version of the centaur. His very purpose was simply to hurt those living on the Orkney Islands, and he was made of the top half of a man sewn onto the back of some sort of rotting horse. He was said to be the cause of blight, disaster, floods, and more because of his purely evil nature. Although we have discussed horrible monsters on Listverse before, I think we can safely say this one takes the cake.

Vlad Vekshtein is a mythology buff who is desperately trying to churn out his first novel. He’s a bit of an Anglophile and a hibernophile and enjoys learning about new and mysterious monsters. He also takes suggestions for lists in the comments, so sound off!

Top Ten Facts

Prominent Individuals

Fact: There is an “immortality Drive” Aboard the International Space Station That Contains the DNA of Prominent Individuals
On October 12, 2008, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft flew a mission to the International Space Station orbiting around earth. On board, it carried a small memory device with the digitized DNA sequences of various (questionably) important people, including comedian Stephen Colbert, physicist Stephen Hawking, “Playboy” centerfold Jo Garcia, and shamed pro cyclist Lance Armstrong. The purpose of the drive is to provide the building blocks to resurrect humanity should an apocalyptic event destroy the planet.

9

Serial Killer

Fact: A DNA Mistake Gave Life to a Serial Killer
Female serial killers are triflingly rare, but in 2007, a woman dubbed “The Phantom of Heilbronn” assumed national prominence in Germany after the murder of a policewoman. The Phantom’s crimes were too numerous to mention; scores of brutal murders and thefts, a string of brutality extending as far back as 1993. The Phantom struck in France and Austria, utilized accomplices of every nationality. There was no clear pattern, no video footage; the Phantom walked through walls. And then police discovered male fingerprints that read positive for DNA. It was only then that they realized that there was in fact no Phantom of Heilbronn. The cotton swabs used across Europe to collect DNA were found to be contaminated, likely by someone packing them in the factory. The sterilization process used to treat the swabs killed bacteria, fungi, and viruses, but it did not remove DNA. The implications of this blunder are far reaching; besides the obvious waste of thousands of man hours, there were dozens of savage crimes whose culprits were virtually ignored while investigators chased a ghost.

8

Immortality

Fact: There Are Some Creatures Whose DNA Renders Them Virtually Immortal
The science of aging, or senescence, is vastly complicated, but broken down into layman’s terms, our DNA is subject to entropy. That is, with each cellular replication, it becomes a little weaker or less efficient. But there are some species whose DNA does not appear to break down over time (or at such a reduced rate as to be almost unobservable). Lobsters, some fish, and many tortoise species do not appear to age, and under completely optimal circumstances, could essentially live forever. This is called negligible senescence. The oldest tortoise on record was Adwaita, an Aldabra Giant Tortoise that lived to be 255 years old. It is important to note that such animals, while they do not appear to succumb to old age, are still subject to diseases, injury, etc. and the longer an animal lives, the greater its chances of eventually acquiring such a condition. Adwaita died to liver failure after his shell was cracked.

7

Identical Cheetahs

Fact: Cheetahs Are Almost Genetically Identical
Laboratory mice and rats have been scrupulously inbred over generations to produce identical results in scientific experiments. But tests of the DNA of cheetahs reveal that they too are almost identical to each other. It is believed that an event occurred some 10,000 years ago during the Pleistocene epoch which reduced the population of cheetahs down to as few as 7 individuals. Perhaps not coincidentally, this time frame coincides with the rise of modern humans and the extinction of many other large terrestrial mammals like the sabretooth tiger. Somehow, through luck and fortunate breeding, they were able to resurrect their species, but their genetic commonality leaves them extremely vulnerable to disease.

6

Vikings in America

Fact: DNA Proves Vikings Likely Brought Back Native American Wives Centuries Before Columbus
Mounting evidence proves that the Vikings were far more sophisticated and well traveled than their barbaric reputation indicates. DNA testing has shown that four different families in Iceland has shown a genetic variant common only to Native American and East Asian blood. A study by the University of Iceland offers compelling evidence that at least one Native woman was taken back to Iceland, with DNA evidence dating back to at least 1700, and according to one mutation, likely hundreds of years earlier. There is little historical evidence to back this up; while the Vikings reported contact with the natives (which they called “Skraelings”), most contact was apparently hostile.

5

Humanzee

Fact: It May Be Possible to Breed a “humanzee”
Although chimpanzees and humans evolved along diverging paths (chimps have 2 more chromosomes than humans), their DNA is strikingly similar. While the number is up for debate, it is speculated that humans and chimps might share as much as 99.4% of their DNA. Indeed, some scientists believe that under the right circumstances, it may be possible for the two species to interbreed. There have been attempts to create a humanzee going back at least a hundred years. Like donkeys and horses creating mules, it is believed that if such a creature was bred, it would probably be sterile. For years, it was rumored that a performing chimp named “Oliver” was actually a humanzee, but despite his unusual appearance, genetic testing proved he was a normal chimp.

4

DNA Storage

Fact: DNA is the World’s Best Digital Storage Media
Although the rudiments of storing digital media in DNA have been around since the 1980s, it was only last year that Harvard researchers truly cracked the code. They were able to store 700 terabytes of data on a single gram of DNA. 700 terabytes is the equivalent of some 330lbs worth of hard drives, all in a liquid medium that could easily fit on a fingertip. With current technology, the sequencing of the DNA to retrieve the information takes hours and is extremely costly, so the practicality of this form of storage is limited, but it is truly amazing to think the whole of human knowledge and creation could be stored in a space no larger than your closet.

3

Two Sets of DNA

Fact: It is Possible to Have Two Sets of DNA
Many pregnancies start out as twins; often one is absorbed within the other before they can even be detected. 99% of the time that is the end of the story. But some extraordinary circumstances have proven that if you absorb a twin, you can in fact have two distinct sets of DNA within your body. “Chimerism” after the chimera, a creature of Greek myth said to have the parts of a lion, a serpent, and a goat, is not terribly rare, and most people go through their entire lives without being aware of it. Most often the condition is detected when a person is in need of compatible organs for transplant. The case of Lydia Fairchild is particularly compelling. In 2002, Fairchild applied for welfare in Washington State, and her family was forced to take a DNA test to prove they were related. To her shock, the tests showed that she was not the mother of her own children. She was taken to court for fraud, and was told that her kids would be taken away from her. Fairchild fought an uphill court battle, until further tests finally indicated that she was in fact, her own twin.

2

Radioactive DNA

Fact: People Born After 1955 Have Radioactive Carbon in Their DNA
In the 1950s, the Cold War loomed, the United States and the USSR puffing their chests and displaying their might by exploding nuclear warheads in their respective wastelands. Due to the vast amount of radioactivity released into the atmosphere, all humans born after 1955 have trace portions of carbon-14 in our DNA. Cells that did not divide before a person was born would not contain carbon-14. While this does not seem to affect the body in any observable way, it has been useful in conducting certain medical experiments, such as gauging the replication rate of cells in the human heart.

1

Human Neanderthal Breeding

Fact: Neanderthals and Humans Interbred
It has widely been assumed that Homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals tens of thousands of years ago, but DNA evidence has only recently begun to provide a real framework of how this happened. It is believed that Homo sapiens encountered Neanderthals in the Middle East upon first leaving Africa. This is intriguing, because it provides a model of early human migration. Recently, a skeleton was uncovered in Italy some 30-40,000 years old whose jaw indicates the mating of a Neanderthal mother (based on inherited mitochondrial DNA) and a Homo sapiens father.

Mike Devlin is an aspiring novelist. He really hopes they kind find a way to bring back the T. rex.


ARTICLES RESOURCES BY  http://listverse.com/2013/05/02/10-amazing-facts-about-dna/

worlds top 10 AMAZING FACTS

World's top 10 AMAZING FACTS

The world's top 10 amazing facts

1)Toing! kangaroo's can jump 10 times more than the humans, but do you know what?
kangaroo's just cant jump backward

2)Do not lick stamps for sticking it to the envelope!!
because every time you lick a stamp you eat 100 CALORIES

3)According to the rules of BHUTAN every citizen gets one year older on the Bhutan's NEW YEAR DAY

4)DON'T! USE MOBILE PHONE every time we use a mobile phone it causes the BEE'S TO DIE because of the mobile phone signals bee's forget their way to go back to their home's and this causes then to DIE.

5)The world's first tribal dance was invented in manipur, India called as MANIPUR TRIBAL DANCE and also called as CHOU

6)Mosquito's only suck blood out of humans but! did you know?
they are not at all attracted to the red color but .The mosquito's are mostly attracted to the blue color

7)Tomato's are the one of world's best mostly used vegetables do you know?
there are approximately 20,000 kinds of tomato's all around the world

8)Any boy/girl can be Born either deaf or can have a problem with speaking but do you know?
any one who are deaf they are just not trained to speak because no one is interested in teaching them but they also are blessed every deaf/blind has a 7th sense likely as if a super power more than the human's

9)We can recycle a large number of waste of our house by digging it near a healthy tree or any of the plant this will help the plant to grow faster because the earthworms will convert the waste into food for the plants

10)Well last but not the least.
paper was invented by a Chinese named LIE ACHING for the purpose of creating a design on it.And the paper was called as PAPYRUS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FRIENDS FOR GIVING YOUR PRECIOUS TIME.!

Top 10 Amazing Facts About Dreams

This afternoon I had a (very rare) nap. During that nap I had a lucid dream (most of which I no longer remember). As I was waking up, I was thinking about my dream and thought that it would be a great idea to write a list about dreams for the site. So, here are the top 10 amazing facts about dreams.

10. Blind People Dream

People who become blind after birth can see images in their dreams. People who are born blind do not see any images, but have dreams equally vivid involving their other senses of sound, smell, touch and emotion. It is hard for a seeing person to imagine, but the body's need for sleep is so strong that it is able to handle virtually all physical situations to make it happen.

9. You Forget 90% of your Dreams

Within 5 minutes of waking, half of your dream if forgotten. Within 10, 90% is gone. The famous poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, woke one morning having had a fantastic dream (likely opium induced)-he put pen to paper and began to describe his"vision in a dream"in what has become one of English's most famous poems: Kubla Khan. Part way through (54 lines in fact) he was interrupted by a"Person from Porlock". Coleridge returned to his poem but could not remember the rest of his dream. The poem was never completed.

8. Everybody Dreams

Every human being dreams (except in cases of extreme psychological disorder) but men and women have different dreams and different physical reactions. Men tend to dream more about other men, while women tend to dream equally about men and women. In addition, both men and women experience sexually related physical reactions to their dreams regardlessof whether the dream is sexual in nature; males experience erections and females experience increased vaginal blood flow.

7. Dreams Prevent Psychosis

In a recent sleep study, students who were awakened at the beginning of each dream, but still allowed their 8 hours of sleep, all experienced difficulty in concentration, irritability, hallucinations, and signs of psychosis after only 3 days. When finally allowed their REM sleep the student's brains made up for lost time by greatly increasing the percentage of sleep spent in the REM stage.

6. We Only Dream of What We Know

Our dreams are frequently full of strangers who play out certain parts-did you know that your mind is not inventing those faces-they are real faces of real people that you have seen during your life but may not know or remember? The evil killer in your latest dream may be the guy who pumped petrol in to your Dad's car when you were just a little kid. We have all seen hundreds of thousands of faces through our lives, so we have an endless supply of characters for our brain to utilize during our dreams.

5. Not Everyone Dreams in Color

A full 12% of sighted people dream exclusively in black and white. The remaining number dream in full color. People also tend to have common themes in dreams, which are situations relating to school, being chased, running slowly/in place, sexual experiences, falling, arriving too late, a person now alive being dead, teeth falling out, flying, failing an examination, or a car accident. It is unknown whether the impact of a dream relating to violence or death is more emotionally charged for a person who dreams in color than one who dreams in black and white.

4. Dreams are not about what they are about

If you dream about some particular subject it is not often that the dream is about that. Dreams speak in a deeply symbolic language. The unconscious mind tries to compare your dream to something else, which is similar. Its like writing a poem and saying that a group of ants were like machines that never stop. But you would never compare something to itself, for example:"That beautiful sunset was like a beautiful sunset". So whatever symbol your dream picks on it is most unlikely to be a symbol for itself.

3. Quitters have more vivid dreams

People who have smoked cigarettes for a long time who stop, have reported much more vivid dreams than they would normally experience. Additionally, according to the Journal of Abnormal Psychology:"Among 293 smokers abstinent for between 1 and 4 weeks, 33% reported having at least 1 dream about smoking. In most dreams, subjects caught themselves smoking and felt strong negative emotions, such as panic and guilt. Dreams about smoking were the result of tobacco withdrawal, as 97% of subjects did not have them while smoking, and their occurrence was significantly related to the duration of abstinence. They were rated as more vividthan the usual dreams and were as common as most major tobacco withdrawal symptoms."

2. External Stimuli Invade our Dreams

This is called Dream Incorporation and it is the experience that most of us have had where a sound from reality is heard in our dream and incorporated in some way. A similar (though less external) example would be when you are physically thirsty and your mind incorporates that feeling in to your dream. My own experience of this includes repeatedly drinking a large glass of water in the dream which satisfies me, only to find the thirst returning shortly after-his thirst-drink-thirst-loop often recurs until I wake up and have a realdrink. The famous painting above (Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening) by Salvador Dali, depicts this concept.

1. You are paralyzed while you sleep

Believe it or not, your body is virtually paralyzed during your sleep-most likely to prevent your body from acting out aspects of your dreams. According to the Wikipedia article on dreaming,"Glands begin to secrete a hormone that helps induce sleep and neurons send signals to the spinal cord which cause the body to relax and later become essentially paralyzed."

Bonus: Extra Facts

1. When you are snoring, you are not dreaming.
2. Toddlers do not dream about themselves until around the age of 3. From the same age, children typically have many more nightmares than adults do until age 7 or 8.
3. If you are awakened out of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, you are more likely to remember your dream in a more vivid way than you would if you woke from a full night sleep.

 ARTICLES RESOURCES BY = http://english.eastday.com