Halloween 2015: 50 Shades of Al

I first caught wind of the conspiracy about a year ago. Halloween had just ended and one of the regulars at Tiny Tim's Pizza/West Mountain Brewing Company suggested that next Halloween, everyone should dress up like me. To say that Dave's suggestion caught my attention would be an understatement. Dress like me? I asked myself. The very idea of it was amusing and yet, horrifying. I told myself that it was just another weird alcohol-induced idea that would soon be forgotten; and for the following eleven months, I heard nothing else of it. 

Then, about a month ago someone accidentally spilled the beans to me. An Al-oween celebration was scheduled to take place during happy hour on the night before Halloween. My worst fears were realized when I was forced to confront the fact that other people were going to attempt looking like me, the person who really doesn't like photos of himself. The next few weeks sped by quickly as we descended deeper into autumn and toward the inevitability that I knew I'd have to face.

As the event drew near, I wondered how I should dress for the occasion. Let's face it, I have no problem with being different and since everyone was planning to mimic me, I thought that perhaps I should dispense with my usual dark attire and instead, wear some old worn-out blue jeans, throw on a flannel shirt, leave my hat at home and assume a bit more of a grunge look. 

"What? Are you going to let them out goth you?" Thomas asked. "You've got to show them that you're the goth king. Wear your cloak and show them how to do it right!"

My friend's words inspired me and I quickly decided that I would indeed, wear the Van Helsing cloak that my Canadian friend, The Insomniac,
had made for me.  

The day of reckoning started off cloudy; and as the afternoon progressed toward evening, the dreariness continued to intensify. A light rain was falling as I stepped into the gloom and made my way toward the pub and the celebration in my name. I made it a point to arrive early so that I could sit in my favorite and customary spot at the bar.  


The first thing I noticed upon entering was this banner, which hung above the doors in the front. The entire piece was created by Kerrie, a very talented artist who is on staff there. In true artistic style, she signed her name on the back. Over the course of the evening many other notes and signatures appeared on the front.

I took my place at the bar and ordered a brown ale. No sooner had I taken a sip or two when this character came in. Some folks in attendance believed that his hat made him look a bit like a pimp. I however, thought that he looked like Slash, and quite a few others agreed. So, this fellow quickly gained the identity of Pimp/Slash Al.  

 The above character's arrival was followed by Disco Al, who came on the scene complete with an Afro (something I haven't seen in ages), a shiny belt and his dancing shoes. I never thought of myself as a disco-liking person, but how could I argue with this hard evidence to the contrary? 

Now the lady on the left deserves special attention. She is Female Bartender Al. In actuality, she manages the place and was behind this whole affair from the git go. I believe it may have been she who originally gave me the name, Dark Al; this, in order to distinguish me from the other three or four Als who hang out at the place. I like to tease her about putting some metal on the sound system or otherwise coming over to the dark side, but she never does. Recently however, she took a trip to New Orleans and came back with the shirt you see here. A house of voodoo indeed!

Standing on my left is Authentic-Looking Al. He did an incredible job of copying my style and some folks actually confused him for me. He was also behind many of the photos I've posted here.  

The Als kept multiplying faster than mushrooms after a storm!

From left to right are Male Bartender Al, Female Bartender Al, Girl Al, myself, Pimp/Slash Al, Disco Al and Professor Al. 

And then Reformed Alcoholic Rabbi Al made his appearance!

Now this particular Al wore a very, very cool hat. As a matter of fact, his hat has renewed my interest in acquiring a witch-hunter hat of my own. 

This is Owl Al. He tried very hard to convince me that he wasn't wearing a wig but I didn't buy it, not for a minute.

Here we have Madison Al. She's another one of the delightful people who work at this special place.













The Als kept showing up until there were an estimated 25 or so of me in the establishment. While I can't remember the exact names all of the unique Als who showed up, I can recall a few more, such as Off The Bad Golf Course Al, sexy Al and Pirate Al (well, at least that's what I called him). 
 
In closing, I have to say that Al-oween was a heck of a lot of fun, even for a somewhat introverted and reclusive type like myself. Most importantly, I feel fortunate to hang out at a place where everyone is so awesome. Hell, they actually seem to like me! And because of me, a whole lot of people went goth for a night. How cool is that?

Photos appear courtesy of Don Shreve
and Melissa Boyte.

A Few Words on Vintage Halloween Art

Halloween is fast approaching. You can feel it in the air and see it in every falling leaf. Even on days such as this, when the weather is warm and summer-like, there's no denying its approach. Halloween is the time of year when the veil between the worlds is thinnest. It's a time of magick--a time when ghosts, goblins and ghoulish creatures from the land of darkness break through the veil to haunt our nights and inspire our worst nightmares. 

For me, nothing better represents this special time of year better than vintage Halloween art--the works of artists from days of old. By old, I'm not referring to the ancient days in which Halloween finds its origins. Rather, I refer to works emanating from the late nineteenth to the mid twentieth centuries, more or less. There's just something about the material from those years that speaks of simpler times--times when Halloween was about the harvest, black cats, ghosts, witches and devils. It was an era when the flickering faces of Jack O' Lanterns stared at passersby from front porches. To walk by such a spectacle on All Hallows Eve was to sense or intuit an atmosphere--an ambiance that suggested Jack may indeed still be searching in the darkness for the way back to this world; his way lighted by a burning coal from Hell itself. We were not so technical then; it was easy to feel such things. 

Let's take a look at some of this vintage Halloween art and see just what it offers. 

On the right is a young child. He or she looks a bit befuddled while staring at the spectacle unfolding around the Jack O' Lanterns. A black cat (the family's perhaps?) has taken shelter with the crows' arrival. Indeed, all the signs of Halloween are about!

This piece suggests a marvelous setting. Apparently, a boy and a girl have taken a bit of time off from trick or treating in order to have their fortunes read by this old woman. Is she a witch perhaps? The artist doesn't provide the answer but judging from the expression on the face of the boy in the devil costume, it appears that something frightening is afoot. As if the cloth covering the old woman's table isn't creepy enough, take a look at the bats, jack o' lanterns, black cats and grave markers worked into the fabric of this piece as a whole. 

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This old poster says, "On Halloween strange sights are seen." Who can argue with this? Here we have a being with a jack o' lantern head dressed elegantly in a piece of clothing that might remind one of a kimono, or a dress a woman might wear to an extravagant ball. Notice how the rope enters and exits both eye sockets. And can anybody see the bat on the bottom left? 

Speaking of going to a ball, this lady is heading for the witch's dance. The text goes on to say, "...and all the spooks from far and near will gather and make merry." Even as the lady in question makes her way toward the event, the spooks are watching her from behind the jack o' lantern, which looks quite scary in and of itself. Judging from the lady's attire, I would place this piece as early twentieth century. What do you think? 








Halloween has changed over the years. With the advent of advanced technology and special effects we have new monsters, threats and devices to consider. Oh yes, there are now imperial storm troopers with their laser weapons lurking in every city even as super heroes are grouping to battle against them. Who knows? The tardis may suddenly materialize and the good doctor himself may inadvertently save the day. Could it be that although fun, the above-mentioned changes are bringing us further and further away from Halloween's true roots? After all, it used to be about the harvest, the diminishing hours of daylight and the thinning separation between our physical world and that of the dark underworld. Halloween was special because it celebrated the supernatural in conjunction with the commencement of the bleakest weeks and months of the year. Fear of the dark, of things we cannot see is one of our most primal experiences.  The artists of old exploited that fear.

Of course, no one expects Halloween and its trappings to remain the same; that will never happen. Still, its vintage art from earlier times anchors us to a more traditional time--a time when All Hallows Eve was felt and understood. It was a time when artists' imagination created an atmosphere of spookiness along with a tinge of real fear.

  A Happy Halloween to all my readers!

Something About Horror Addicts

I am a horror addict; or at the very least, I spend a lot of time thinking about, writing, watching and reading horror. Much of the music I listen to could easily provide a wonderful soundtrack to many horror films; and as some of you already know, I am attempting to make my way through the original Dark Shadows series. For me, watching a twenty-three-minute episode of the old Gothic TV series before going to sleep is the perfect ending to my day. I am currently on Episode 329.

A few years ago I learned about an organization/website known as Horror Addicts Dot Net. I call it an organization because in addition to its founder, there is a dedicated  staff of persons who volunteer their time and efforts to keep things running smoothly. There are also many more participants who contribute regularly to the project.

Horror Addicts Dot Net got its start back in 2008 after the group's founder, Emerian Rich, had produced a podcast of her vampire novel, Night's Knights. At the conclusion of her production Rich realized that her listeners wanted more. She obliged their desires (and her own I suspect), by assembling a group of authors and podcasters interested in offering their material for her listener's pleasure. In the beginning Emerian handled most of  the workload pretty much on her own. Still, her production was such a success that by the end of the podcast's first season, listeners, writers and others interested in her project contacted her, wanting to know how they could help. Today, she has a staff of approximately ten persons as well as a veritable host of contributors and participants. What was once a small podcast quickly grew into a top-notch organization--and today, Horror Addicts Dot Net is so much more than just a podcast.

When you visit the horror addict's website you'll find a variety of things to pique your interest. There are film and book reviews, interviews, movie trailers, music and lots more horror-related material. Currently, there are at least 118 podcasts to chose from with more on the way. During any given podcast season, new material appears roughly every two weeks. This year's itinerary will continue to unfold until just before Halloween. And let's not forget the Wicked Women Writers and Master of Macabre contests. If you like to write horror, you might want to enter a contest such as this. Then, you too could become a finalist, in which case your material will appear in a podcast just like this year's offering. Although the voting is over for this year's finalists, you can still listen to these incredible stories. 

 
Earlier this year, Horror Addicts Dot Net published a book entitled the Horror Addicts Guide to Life, which appears opposite this text. The publication is a compilation of horror-related material written by both staff and other contributors. Although I have not yet reached the middle of the book in my reading, I'll just say at this point that I really enjoyed reading about other people's youthful horror experiences as well as the many film suggestions that I otherwise, would never have known about. Even at this early stage in my reading I can honestly say that I never knew that, when it comes to horror, there could be so much to talk about. 

If you're interested in purchasing this book, it's available here,
as well as at Amazon Dot Com and other similar venues. It is also available in E-book form at Kindle.


All things considered, I would like to recommend that you scroll through the horror addict's website. There's something there for just about everybody. Have fun!

Here's a link to the Horror Addict's Dot Net website.

Follow this link to the Horror Addicts Dot Net blog.


 

Origin of the Vampires: The Scriptures of Delphi

Vampires are thought to be fictitious beings, products of our collective imaginations and something borne of our need to be frightened or mystified. Yet, there are those walking among us that proudly claim to be members of this group. They tend to be secretive, form covens among themselves and present evidence that appears to validate their point of view and existence. While there is no smoking gun that positively proves that these people are anything other than human beings with active imaginations, it is equally impossible to find evidence that refutes their claims. It must be mentioned here that interacting with one or more of them, even if only in the cyber world, can be a compelling experience indeed.

What follows is a story about their origins. There are other such myths, but this tale is taken from the Scriptures of Delphi, a document produced only two and three generations ago, by a woman and her son, both now deceased, whose family claims a prophetic lineage dating back to ancient Greece. Although the Scriptures of Delphi comprise a relatively modern document, they supposedly represent stories passed down through oral tradition spanning thousands of years. Are they mythological? Absolutely. Yet, who can deny that there are at least some grains of truth in all myth?

The above-mentioned writings, or scriptures, are broken down into several chapters such as the Taurus Myth and The Mythology of Cancer. Of much interest however, is the chapter entitled The Vampire Bible. It is here that the reader can learn at least one version of early vampire history. Also found within this chapter is the story of the vampire origins. It is important to keep all of these details in mind if you the reader, decide to continue with this article. This is mythology and is not to be taken literally, and yet...

As a young man with an adventurous spirit, Ambrogio wanted to leave his native land, known now as Italy, in order to travel to Greece and in particular, the religious city of Delphi, where he hoped to have his fortune told by the Pythia, or oracles, at Apollo's Temple. 

Ambrogio set sail for the western shore of Greece nearly as soon as he came of age. Upon his arrival there, he headed east until finally reaching the great city. 

The young man entered the temple and found the Pythia sitting quietly within one of the temple's chambers. As was customary with the oracles, they foretold his future by uttering only a handful of words. "The curse. The moon. The blood will run." 

The oracle's words so mystified him, that Ambrogio sat outside the temple for the entire night pondering their meaning. On his way back to town in the morning, he spotted a beautiful young woman dressed in white. She was walking in the direction of the temple. The young man found her irresistible and strode in her direction to introduce himself. Her name was Selene. She served as a maiden of the temple as her sister was one of the oracles. 

For the next several mornings Ambrogio made it a point to meet with Selene before she'd begin her temple duties. Before long the two had fallen in love. On his last full day in the city the lovestruck man asked Selene to marry him and return with him to his country. She accepted his proposal. The young man, filled with both joy and anticipation, informed her that he would make all the necessary preparations and would meet her at dawn the following morning. 

Apollo, the sun god, had also taken a liking to Selene and was outraged that Ambrogio had the audacity to actually come to his temple and then attempt to influence one of his maidens in such a way. That night he appeared to the young man and placed a curse upon him, causing any sunlight to fall upon the man's skin to burn him intensely. 

The following morning Ambrogio awoke in a mood of intense frustration. as he knew that he could not meet with his love because of the curse. What would she think when he didn't show up? With nowhere else to go, he entered a cave that led to Hades, the god of the underworld. After listening to the distraught young man's story, Hades offered him a deal. He would offer Ambrogio and Selene protection in the underworld provided that he could steal the silver bow of  the goddess Artemis, the Mistress of Animals and the Hunt. Hades stated that he would give his his visitor a magical wooden bow and eleven arrows to hunt with. Then, by bringing his trophies to Artemis, the man would be able to garner her favor, thereby gaining access to her silver bow. 

If Ambrogio refused Hades' offer he would have to spend the rest of his life living in the dark underworld. He would never see Selene again. There was another catch however. The lovestruck young man would have to leave his soul in Hades as collateral. Seeing very little choice in the matter, Ambrogio accepted the deal.   

Still distraught over not being able to meet with Selene, he devised a way in which to communicate with her. By slaying a swan with the bow and arrow, he would use one of its feathers as a pen by dipping it in the dead bird's blood. 

He wrote Selene a note, explaining that he would find a way to see her again and left it at their meeting place before the rising sun could burn him. Then, he brought the same swan to Artemis as a tribute. He followed the same routine for 44 days; each morning leaving Selene his poetry of love before sunrise, then offering the slain swan as tribute to Artemis. Selene, not wanting to further anger Apollo, continued her duties at the temple during that time. 

Ambrogio had only one arrow left by the 45th night, but when he fired at another swan his missed it entirely. He fell upon the ground and wept upon the realization that he no longer had a way to either communicate with Selene or a way to offer tribute to Artemis. As he continued weeping, Artemis felt badly for him because of his many efforts on her behalf and came down to him. The distraught young man pleaded with her to allow him to use her silver bow and an arrow in order that he could both kill another swan for her as well as communicate with Selene one last time. 

The goddess took pity on him and agreed to his request. Once he had the bow and arrow in hand however, Ambrogio ran back to Hades' cave. Quickly realizing that she'd been tricked, Artemis reacted by placing her own curse upon him, one that caused all silver to burn his skin. The fleeing trickster immediately dropped her implements due to the scorching pain they caused him. 

Ambrogio apologized profusely once Artemis caught up with him. After he explained the deal he'd been forced to enter into with Hades, the goddess' sympathy grew once more. She offered him a deal he couldn't refuse. She would give him immortality and make him a great hunter. Further, she would give him fangs with which to drain the blood of the creatures he killed in order to write his poetry. In exchange for his immortality, he and Selene would have to safely get away from Apollo's temple and worship Artemis exclusively. Since the goddess had remained a virgin however, the two lovers would have to follow suit by never being able to touch one another in any manner. Just the thought of rejoining Selene and being close to her again made the agreement worth the price. That night, Ambrogio killed another swan; and with its blood, left Selene another note, directing her to meet him on a certain ship at port. She fled the temple before Apollo could notice and headed for the docks. 

Selene immediately went down into the hull of the ship upon her arrival. Looking around the ship's interior, she found a wooden coffin and a note, instructing her to direct the ship's captain to set sail at once and not to open the coffin until dark. When night fell over the waters, she removed the coffin's lid to find Ambrogio inside; alive and well. 

The ship brought the couple to Ephesus, where they spent many years together. During the day, they remained in a cave. At night they worshiped Artemis together in her grand temple. 

With the passage of time Selene grew older and older until finally, she was near death. Ambrogio, still youthful in appearance, knew that he would soon lose her. One night he killed a white swan and offered it to Artemis, pleading with her to make Selene immortal so that he wouldn't have to live without her. The goddess answered his call and appeared to him. The goddess was filled with gratitude for all of his years of worship and dedication to her, so she offered him one more deal. 

"You may touch Selene just one time," she told him, "to drink of her blood. If you do this, it will kill
her mortal body, but from then on any who drink of your blood will become immortal." 

At first, Ambrogio couldn't bring himself to commit such an act; especially upon Selene, the love of his life. When he informed his love as to what Artemis had told him, the dying woman pleaded with him to do it. Eventually, his resistance to the idea softened. Touching Selene for the first time in many years, he bit into her neck and drank of her blood. Selene died in his arms as her sweet sanguine essence ran down his cheeks. 

As he set Selene's lifeless body down it began to glow. He could only stare in disbelief as her spirit rose up toward the sky to meet Artemis at the moon. Suddenly, the moon took on a brilliant luminescence. The very spirit of Selene had transformed into that of a goddess, the Goddess of Moonlight. Every night from that time on, she would reach down with her light and touch her beloved Ambrogio.

So sayeth the Scriptures of Delphi. 
There are those who believe that Ambrogio eventually returned to Italy--Florence to be exact. That's where he allegedly started the first vampire clan or coven. There are also those who say that the first coven eventually erupted into conflict, that some members left to start other clans. It is generally considered that members of the first coven likely consented to giving up their souls in exchange for immortality. And there are even those who say that Ambrogio still walks the streets of Florence to this very day. 

As mentioned earlier, there are other stories of vampire origins. These may appear at a later time.

For more information on vampires and mythology follow this link.
     
Photo source: Gothic Pictures Gallery

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