Tag Archives: strange

How to Annoy a Vampire

Arkane Curiosities

I watched an old documentary on Vlad Dracula hosted by none other than Vincent Price. Most of the information I was already aware of, but one bit jumped out at me. A unique way to annoy a vampire involving sound.

The Resonant Toaca

This documentary showed an Orthodox priest walking through town carrying a large piece of wood, called a toaca. This is a type of portable sematron used to create sound. He would bang on the toaca with a hammer as a way to keep vampires away. Despite scouring the Internet, I can’t find an exact reason for this. My best guess is that it annoyed the vampire. 

Make Your Vampire Do Math

I’ve posted about this before, but the toaca reminded me of another way to annoy vampires. I’d first learned about this in an X-Files episode (Bad Blood). Here we see the quintessential way to piss off a vampire. 

Many Slavic people believe that vampires were forced to count the holes in fishing nets or the number of scattered seeds. It was common for townsfolk to hang a net over their door or spill seeds on the stoop as a way to deter would be blood-drinkers. The most common seed used was mustard seed, also known as eye of newt.

So folks, want to annoy the bejeezus out of your local vampire? Start banging on some wood. And be sure to scatter seeds all over the place. You’ll be safe… at least until the vampire gets done counting.

Tim Kane

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Stairs in the Woods

Arkane Curiosities

Stairs have to lead somewhere, right? But with the urban legend, “Stairs in the Woods”, these enigmatic stairs lead nowhere. A popular urban legend and creepypasta, the legend typically involves hikers, campers, or explorers stumbling upon a staircase in the middle of the woods, seemingly out of place and disconnected from any structure or building.

Staircases Out of Place

Picture this: a remote, isolated location within the woods, devoid of any man-made structure. Yet, right in the midst of this natural beauty, a staircase emerges—completely out of context and utterly surreal. These staircases, often made of wood or stone, stand mysteriously isolated, beckoning those who come across them to unravel their enigma.

Key elements of the legend include:

Isolation and Unusual Placement: The stairs are often described as being in a remote or isolated location within a forest or wilderness area, far away from any recognizable structures.

Appearance and Design: The stairs are usually made of stone and often appear pristine or well-maintained, despite their strange location and lack of any nearby structure. They may look brand new or very old, with varying designs.

Unexplained Mystery

The origin and purpose of the stairs are never clear. No one knows how or why they were placed there. Some think they are the remains of structures that have rotted away, leaving the stone stairs behind. Others wonder if these stairs lead to another world or even hell. 

Tim Kane

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