The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

The Parker House Poltergeist (WI's Urban ghost story)
19:31 May 05 2011
Times Read: 633

The century-old mansion stands prominently on Maple Street in River Falls Wisconsin. The four- square dwelling is painted green and is a bit shabby today , but its once gracious appearance can be detected in its sheer size and in the unusual roof slanting dramatically upward to a cupola resting like a wooden crown upon its peak.

Early Wisconsin Lieutenant governor Colonel Charles Parker built the home for his family. Through the decades the house has undergone many renovations and purposes- a single- family home , duplex, and now small apartments and sleeping rooms.

Early in the 1970's, Tim Early and his then- wife, Alice, bought the house planning to rent out the second floor then remodel the downstairs portion for their own family,which at that time included their daughter,Jessica. Tims family has been prominent in River Falls through the years ; his father was once a Wisconsin state senator. Shortly after the Earlys moved in to what has been called the Parker mansion ever since it was built, they had sense there was at least one other, albeit unseen, occupant.

"it was like someone was with us." Tim recalls of those early months in the house. "You know how someone someone can sneak up on you and,although you don't hear them or see them, you know that someone is there? Well it was that kind of experience."

Both Tim and Alice thought it might have been a ghostly presents, though neither one ever saw an entity of any sort. Instead, there was some mischievous business- doors opened for no apparent reason, lights suddenly blinked on and off repeatedly, little Jessica's rubber ball inexplicably rolled across the room, the volume of a stereo suddenly increased. Neither parent ever discussed the odd events with two year old Jessica, yet on more then one occasion the little girl came running out of her bedroom at night because something had frightened her. She could never put into words what had scared her, but her parents didn't think it was her imagination at play. Later, Tim learned that a friend of his had sensed a presences in the same room when he had been a renter there as a college student at the local university some years before. The entire house had been subdivided into several apartments and sleeping rooms at that period. The man often joked with his friends about his "third room mate ".

The unexplained incidents increased when the Earlys started a major remolding project on the first floor. The two largest rooms on that floor were a living room and dining room separated by a pair of the mansion's original French doors.



(more coming soon )

Grim Reaper Origin and History
21:33 May 04 2011
Times Read: 636


The grim reaper, a diabolically dark figure has captured the imagination of many people around the world! Was he the answer, that the man found to his questions about the death and dying? This entity features in folklores and movies. Associated with the forces of darkness, the scythe that the Grim Reaper wields symbolizes the harvester or keeper of souls.



The Grim Reaper escorts souls of the deceased to the unknown territory of life after death. While some believe that he arrives on an old coach drawn by white horses, others believe he arrives on a horse without coaches. The skeletal face of Grim Reaper which wears a grin is known to haunt a number of people all across the universe. The information on Grim Reaper - origin and history is presented below which will hopefully make his character "ALIVE" for the readers!



Grim Reaper Origin And History:



Many religions believe a particular spirit or deity, is responsible to look after the souls after the death of a person. The Grim Reaper is considered this Psychopomp, who performs his duties of looking after souls of the dead. In ancient Greek mythology, Charon was such a entity, who carried the souls of the recently deceased in a ferry across the river that separated the world of the living from the dead. Although, some historians depend on the Hades facts, when it comes to the interpretation of the Grim Reaper legend, others believe the entity is a manifestation of one's own belief.



Folklore and Mythology:



Odin, who was considered the god in Norse paganism, was considered the leader of souls. His assistants, Valkyries, escorted the dead warriors to their rightful place, a hall in heaven. In Germanic folklore Odin, who rode on a nightmarish horse and wielded a spear had all the characteristics of the ones associated with the Grim Reaper. Some historians also claim that Odin who was also called Grimnir led to the conceptualization of the Grim Reaper.



In Breton mythology the personification of death which was Ankou, donned a long black robe. Legend has it that two horses pulled his cart which helped him carry the souls of the deceased. Although, some believe that the popular entity of the Grim Reaper is derived from the legend of Ankou, others claim it isn't true.



In ancient times Salvic people viewed the manifestation of death as a woman in white robe with the power to put an individual to an everlasting sleep, with the help of an everlasting green sprout in her hand. Later in the middle ages, the theory of death as an entity was portrayed as a walking skeleton.



Baltic ethnic groups in ancient times considered death to be in the form of an ugly old wrinkled woman with a poisonous tongue and a long nose. Later on these theories were dismissed and a skeletal figure became a manifestation of death. Hindu mythology describes the lord of death as Yamraj, a figure that rides a black buffalo and carries the soul of the dead person to Yamlok, his abode.



Although there are different accounts of the manifestation of death, the Grim Reaper has become a conceptual personification of death the world over. The presence of this nightmarish entity has captured the imagination of storytellers, writers and artists.



The manifestation of Grim Reaper is a chilling reminder, to care for the souls departed and teaches us that the death can be just round the corner.