A faceless ghost, is a Japanese legendary creature. They are sometimes mistakenly referred to as a mujina, an old Japanese word for a badger or raccoon dog. Although the mujina can assume the form of the other, noppera-bō are usually disguised as humans. Such creatures were thought to sometimes transform themselves into noppera-bō in order to frighten humans.Lafcadio Hearn used the animals' name as the title of his story about faceless monsters, probably resulting in the misused terminology.

Noppera-bō are known primarily for frightening humans, but are usually otherwise harmless. They appear at first as ordinary human beings, sometimes impersonating someone familiar to the victim, before causing their features to disappear, leaving a blank, smooth sheet of skin where their face should be.

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In Greek mythology, a satyr is one of a troop of ithyphallic male companions of Dionysus with horse-like (equine) features, including a horse-tail, horse-like ears, and sometimes a horse-like phallus. Early artistic representations sometimes include horse-like legs, but in 6th-century BCblack-figure pottery human legs are the most common. In Roman Mythology there is a concept similar to satyrs with goat-like features, the faun being half-man, half-goat. Greek-speaking Romans often used the Greek term saturos when referring to the Latin faunus, and eventually syncretized the two. The female "Satyresses" were a late invention of poets — that roamed the woods and mountains. In myths they are often associated with pipe-playing.

A gnome is a mythical creature characterized by its extremely small size and subterranean lifestyle.The word gnome is derived from the New Latin gnomus. It is often claimed to descend from the Greek γνώσις gnosis, "knowledge", but more likely comes from genomos "earth-dweller", in which case the omission of e is, as the OED calls it, a blunder. Another possibility is that it comes from the Arabic نوم (Noum) which means sleep. It is also possible that Paracelsus simply made the word up. Notable Gnomes in English Folklore include Sprin, Rumo, Pinny, Fislet and Gulcifer.

Paracelsus includes gnomes in his list of elementals, as earth elementals. He describes them as two spans high, and very taciturn. Sometimes they are seen as a type of fairy, though at other times are seen as a distinct species in their own right.

Some confusion arises as the gnome is one of many similar but subtly different creatures in European folklore; mythical creatures such as goblins and dwarves are often represented as gnomes, and vice versa.

Gnomes feature in the legends of many of central, northern and eastern European lands by other names: a kaukis is a Prussian gnome, and barbegazi are gnome-like creatures with big feet in the traditions of France and Switzerland. Further east, tengu are sometimes referred to as winged gnomes.

According to certain medieval beliefs, Gnomes were deformed, usually with a hunchback, and were led by their king, Gob, who ruled with a magic sword

Today, Gnomes are traditionally thought of as being small, bearded and wearing pointed, colourful, conical hats. They live in natural areas close to the Earth and care for wildlife. They are more benevolent than other folkloric creatures such as goblins. This traditional view is supported in such fictional works as The Secret Book of Gnomes.

Claims of Gnome sightings

Despite the fact that Gnomes are usually seen as a mythical creature with no real existence, there have been certain cases where people have claimed to have encountered real, living gnomes, that are not fictional.

Cottingley, England, 1917

One of the Cottingley fairies photographs taken in 1917 by two young girls depicts a gnome. When the duo confessed to faking the photographs in the 1980s, they continued to insist that the one that they had taken of the gnome was genuine.

Argentina, 2007-08

The Gnome sightings in Argentina is a reported wave of sightings of Gnomes in General Güemes, Salta, Argentina that came to its climax in 2007. The craze was similar to that of the chupacabra, which had also happened in the Americas. Some reports claim that a survey showed that 90% of locals believed in the creature with over a hundred claiming to have actually seen one of the creatures, however contrasting reports claim that very few locals actually believe in it.

Locals had reported seeing gnomes (or duendes) for several decades, however reports increased in 2007 after railway workers reported seeing one run around the tracks. They reported seeing a knee height humanoid creature wearing a pointy hood who ran sideways.

The story was reported by El Tribuno in Argentina, and then The Sun in the UK. It was then picked up by Fox News in the USA, before becoming something of an urban legend. Since then, many skeptics have declared the story to be false, claiming that the video used as the main evidence is faked and that reports of the beliefs were exaggerated.

Various video recordings claiming to depict the creatures were uploaded onto websites such as YouTube. The majority follow the same formula of a group of teenagers getting scared by a gnome, and running away screaming

May 2007 Video

In this video, lasting only 16 seconds, a group of teenage males are playing football outside when they are terrified by a gnome that appears to be only a few inches tall.^]

October 2007 Video

Two males are playing football indoors, when they are terrified at a creature that runs along the floor.

March 2008 Video

In March 2008, a 'creepy gnome' who wears a pointy hat, that locals claim stalks the streets of General Guemes, Salta, Argentina,was caught on video by local teenagers on their mobile phone, led by Jose Alvarez, who commented on how he and some friends had encountered it one night.

"We were chatting about our last fishing trip. It was one in the morning. I began to film a bit with my mobile phone while the others were chatting and joking. Suddenly we heard something — a weird noise as if someone was throwing stones... We looked to one side and saw that the grass was moving. To begin with we thought it was a dog but when we saw this gnome-like figure begin to emerge we were really afraid... This is no joke. We are still afraid to go out — just like everyone else in the neighbourhood now... One of my friends was so scared after seeing that thing that we had to take him to the hospital.

The video quality is fairly blurred and dark. It goes from showing the teenagers chatting, to zooming in on something rustling about in some long grass several metres away. The creature then dashes across a field, running sideways, and this is filmed for a brief few seconds.

A second video, virtually identical to the first, but with certain distinct differences, was later released on the internet, confirming that two very similar, yet different, versions of the account were filmed, providing strong evidence that the video was faked.

On October, 2008, South America’s ‘creepy gnome’ or ‘midget monster’ had again caused panic among locals. Experts examined the recorded footage, (by Juan Carlos Roldan, his brother Javier and 5 friends, by the water fountain in Clodomira, Santiago del Estero, Argentina, and running down Avenue San Martin). Photographic expert Aldegonda Alvarz, of Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero, stated: "This video footage seems credible. We could be looking at another ‘petiso orejudo’ - small being."

Sir Edmund Hillary, the great New Zealand explorer and first conqueror of Everest, died in 2008 to be greeted with unusual displays of affectionate remembrance throughout the countries of the Commonwealth. Politicians honoured his memory. Newspapers published special supplements to recall his life and achievements. It seemed a momentary flashback to the era of Britain's Victorian greatness when a quarter of the Earth's surface was painted red on the map, signifying that it fell under British rule.

Among the many plaudits and obituaries that greeted his demise, however, one fascinating aspect of Hillary's life was entirely left out : his search for the Abominable Snowman.

Sir Edmund continued his mountain climbing expeditions long after his successful ascent of Everest in 1953. During some of these, he found a number of strange things which intrigued him greatly. For example, on one expedition, he came across some curious hair high up on the snowy mountainside. On others, he found huge footprints. His climbing adventures had brought him into contact with the Sherpa people of Nepal. In fact, it was a Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay, who first climbed Everest with him. The Sherpa people had many legends about strange creatures which seemed to be half ape and half man. Their term for these creatures was translated as "Abominable Snowman", sometimes also called a "Yeti", and Tenzing Norgay even claimed to have seen one himself personally

All of this fascinated Hillary greatly. Although cautious, surveying the wild landscapes of the Nepalese highlands, it seemed to him there were many species unknown to science and, after all, why should some remnant strain of hominid, left behind by evolution, not have survived here in this rugged and desolate land?

After securing sponsorship from an American encyclopaedia company, he decided to mount an expedition in search of the Abominable Snowman in 1960. As with most things he did in his life, Hillary prepared carefully, consulting beforehand with the cryptozoologists and experts who claimed to have some knowledge of the Yeti. Photos exist of him holding up artists' drawings of the creature based on witness statements that had been collected.

Hillary's expedition studied the curiously large footprints which were sometimes found high in the mountains. They concluded that the footprints were normal ones, left by humans or animals, which had then melted in the sun, a process which elongated the indentations in the snow and made the footprints seem much larger than they had been originally. A scalp, said to be from a Yeti, which had been preserved in a monastery for hundreds of years, was also examined. Scientists concluded that it came from a goat-antelope. There had been many sightings of Yetis by the Sherpa people but their culture was one that encouraged a ready belief in the supernatural, so it was not clear how much their testimony could be trusted.

Alas, Sir Edmund did not find the Abominable Snowman then. Although he did not conclusively dismiss the possibility that Yetis might really exist, he did end up believing that they were probably mythical. His affection for the Sherpa people of Nepal remained intact, however, and he went on to build schools, hospitals and roads in the region to help them.

Some people believe that, in addition to its publicly stated goals, Hillary's expedition may also have had a secret military purpose. The Chinese were then engaged in firing missiles from Tibet and some say Hillary, who served as a pilot in World War II, had been commissioned to spy on their activities. It's certainly true that, at one stage, Hillary's radio communications were being jammed by the Chinese military!

Sir Edmund Hillary was a remarkable man whose appetite for adventure extended even to the world of ideas. While others dismissed the idea of the Abominable Snowman as preposterous, or contented themselves with writing books about it, Edmund Hillary decided to go out and look for it himself. Though he failed to find it, the results of his expedition were intriguing, and the legend of the Abominable Snowman, or Yeti, has continued to live on to this day.

The most obvious question in relation to King Arthur is whether or not he existed at all. Historians continue to debate this topic fiercely and there is no general consensus on the point. There are precious few references to Arthur in documents from the time in which he is believed to have lived or even in the centuries afterwards. There is a reference to King Arthur in the Annales Cambriae which describes him triumphing against the Saxons at the battle of Badon in 516 A.D. It is not clear exactly when the Annales Cambriae was written however, and some scholars believe the reference to Arthur was not contemporaneous but may have been inserted some time (possibly hundreds of years) afterwards. Another reference to Arthur occurs in the Historia Brittonum which describes twelve battles in which Arthur prevailed. The Historia Brittonum was not written until 830, however, and the work is known to blend history and myth together shamelessly so it cannot be regarded as solid proof of Arthur’s existence.

References to Arthur are also found in Welsh bardic literature. In this he is portrayed as a mythical figure, who wields magic swords and does battle against werewolves and other fabulous creatures.

Some scholars believe that the deeds of the British King Ambrosius Aurelianus formed the historical basis for the Arthur story. According to Gildas’s De Exciddio Britanniae, it was indeed Ambrosius who prevailed at the battle of Badon, providing a substantive link with the references to Arthur elsewhere.

It is possible that the Arthurian canon, as we have it today, emerged from the grafting of the real history of Ambrosius Aurelianus doing battle with the Saxons onto the traditions of Welsh mythology.

The breakthrough moment for the legend of Arthur came with the publication of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain in the 11th century. Geoffrey was Welsh and had absorbed the stories of Arthur from Welsh literature. His own work was written Latin, so he was able to disseminate the legend to a broader European audience. The story of Arthur proved a hit on the continent and during the Middle Ages underwent much elaboration at the hands of French poets such as Chrétien de Troyes.

Before the modern period, the last definitive statement of the Arthurian mythos came with Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur in 1470, written while its author was in prison! It is Malory’s version of the tale which formed the basis for Tennyson’s treatment of it in the late nineteenth century, and T.H. White’s series of novels, The Once and Future King, which appeared in the mid 20th century and have largely shaped the modern cinematic interpretations of the story.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Arthurian legend is the notion that the King will one day return and reign again. The Welsh tales of Arthur mentioned that his grave could not be found. Geoffrey of Monmouth does not describe Arthur’s death. He says only that he was mortally wounded in battle with his son Mordred, then sailed away to the mystical island of Avalon to be cured of his wounds. Thomas Malory, in Le Morte D’Arthur, follows in the Monmouth tradition though he also describes a tombstone, believed to be that of Arthur, on which the following inscription appears : “Hic jacet Arthurus, Rex quondam, Rexque futurus." Translated into English, this means “Here lies Arthur, former king, and future king.” This gave rise to the notion that Arthur will one day return in Britain’s hour of need, making him The Once and Future King.

"Cryptozoology
If you're heard of Bigfoot or the Lock Ness monster, you've been exposed to the world of cryptozoology, even if you didn't know it. Cryptozoology is the study of mythical animals that have yet to be proven real. The animals that are studied in cryptozoology are known as cryptids.


Cryptozoology Defined
Often, people ask, 'What is cryptozoology?' By breaking down the word, we can easily decipher its meaning. In Greek, 'crypto' means hidden and 'zoology' is the study of animals. Therefore, cryptozoology literally translates from the Greek to mean 'the study of hidden animals.'

People who study cryptozoology often rely on the testimonials of eyewitnesses to make assumptions about cryptids. Some of the more popular cryptids studied in cryptozoology are:

* Bigfoot
* Chupacabra
* The Lock Ness Monster.

Though these cryptids are well-known, cryptozoologists also study a number of other so-called hidden animals. Have you ever heard the story of the cats that appeared to have wings? Those animals are also cryptids.

Often, the scientific community and the public in general doesn't take cryptozoology seriously. After all, it can be difficult for people to believe in the existence of things that they have never seen first-hand. However, new species of animals are discovered every year, leading many cryptozoologists to to believe their "hidden animals" just might be the next discovered species.
In this section, we'll discuss all aspects of cryptozoology, focusing mainly on the well-known cryptids. We'll discuss the Lock Ness monster, Bigfoot and other cryptids.
Bigfoot
Also known as Sasquatch, Bigfoot is a cryptid who has been spotted in both the United States and Canada. Some people also claim to have even seen Bigfoot or a close relative of the animal in Tibet, China and Australia.

Often described as part ape and part human, Bigfoot is most typically described as a large animal that is covered in hair and walks upright on two legs. Indeed, pictures of Bigfoot often reveal what looks to be a grown man wearing a gorilla costume.

Interestingly, the creature, who appears to be between seven and 10 feet tall, does not appear to have a neck. Instead, Bigfoot's head appears to sit directly on his shoulders.
The earliest reports of Bigfoot sightings appear to date back to the 1920s.
Loch Ness
The Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie as the animal is often lovingly called, is rumored to live in Scotland's Lock Ness, a large, deep freshwater loch (lake) in the Scottish Highlands.

Many people throughout the centuries have reported seeing the Lock Ness monster, one of the more famous cryptids in cryptozoology. The most famous of these sightings is perhaps the one documented in 1933. That year, George Spicer and his wife reported seeing "a most extraordinary form of animal" cross the road in front of their car and swim into the loch.
A number of photographs of the Loch Ness monster circulate on the Internet, and a number of scientists have searched for the Lock Ness monster.
Chupacabra
The chupacabra is a cryptid who is rumored to live in Latin America. Though many scientists dismiss the chupacabra to be an urban legend, eyewitnesses say the creature is quite real.
The chupacabra, who appears to walk on his hind legs and who sports a row of spines down his back, is rumored to drink the blood of livestock. Some people describe chupacabra as looking like a mix between a dog, kangaroo and rat.

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