Eagle Vs. Turkey: America's National Symbol

It's that time of year again—the Thanksgiving season.

We all know that the bald eagle is America's National Symbol—a proud and majestic bird.  And turkey is what we serve every year at Thanksgiving dinner—a tasty bird made all the more appetizing when accompanied by dressing, cranberries, mashed potatoes and gravy.

But did you know there’s a long standing rumor/assumption saying if Benjamin Franklin had gotten his way, the turkey would have been our national symbol? This has not been proven, but it has not been disproven, either.

In 1776, right after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress appointed a special committee to select a design for an official national seal.  This committee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin.  They each had their own ideas, none of which included the bald eagle.  They finally came to agreement on a drawing of a woman holding a shield to represent the states.  However, the design did nothing to inspire the members of Congress.

So Congress consulted a Philadelphia artist named William Barton who created a new design that included a golden eagle.  At that time, we were still at war with England, and the fierce looking bird was deemed an appropriate symbol…with one small change.  The golden eagle also flew over Europe. Federal lawmakers declared the bird in the seal had to be an American bald eagle.

On June 20, 1782, they approved the design that we recognize today.

From the start, the eagle had been a controversial choice.  Benjamin Franklin was quite vocal in his objection to the selection of the eagle.  He considered it a bird of "bad moral character."  A year after the Treaty of Paris officially ended the war with Great Britain, Franklin is said to have argued that the turkey would have been a more appropriate symbol.  "A much more respected bird and a true native of America."

Unfortunately for Franklin, Congress was not convinced and the bald eagle remained our national symbol.

Whereas both the bald eagle and the turkey are native to America, we can't lay exclusive claim to either species since both traditionally ranged in Canada and Mexico as well as the U.S.

And all of this leads us to one important question.  If the turkey had been chosen as our national symbol, what would we serve as our traditional Thanksgiving dinner?  Somehow roast eagle just doesn't have the same appeal as the turkey.

History of Thanksgiving Holiday

Most Americans are familiar with the 1621 Pilgrim's Thanksgiving Feast, but not as well known is that it was not the first festival of its kind in North America. Long before Europeans set foot on the North American continent, indigenous natives sought to insure a good harvest with dances and rituals such as the Green Corn Dance of the Cherokees.

The first Thanksgiving service known to be held by Europeans in North America occurred on May 27, 1578, in what is now Newfoundland, Canada, although earlier Church-type services were probably held by Spaniards in what is now the state of Florida in the United States. However, for British New England, some historians believe that the Popham Colony in Maine conducted a Thanksgiving service in 1607. In the same year, Jamestown colonists gave thanks for their safe arrival, and another service was held in 1610 when a supply ship arrived after a harsh winter. British colonists held several Thanksgiving services in America before the Pilgrim's celebration in 1621.

The Pilgrims, with a puritanical rejection of public religious display, held a non-religious Thanksgiving feast with the one religious exception of saying grace. They seem to have used the three days for feasting, playing games, and even drinking liquor.

In 1623, the Pilgrims at Plymouth Plantation, Massachusetts, held another day of Thanksgiving. As a drought was destroying their crops, colonists fasted and prayed for relief. The rains came a few days later. Shortly after, Captain Miles Standish arrived with some staples and news that a Dutch supply ship was on its way. Because of all this good fortune, colonists held a day of Thanksgiving and prayer on June 30. This festival appears to have been the origin of our Thanksgiving Day because it combined religious and social celebrations.

Local Thanksgiving festivals occurred sporadically for more than 150 years. They tended to be autumn harvest celebrations. In 1789, Elias Boudinot, member of the House of Representatives from Massachusetts, moved that a day of Thanksgiving be held to thank God for giving the American people the opportunity to create a Constitution to preserve their hard won freedoms. A Congressional Joint Committee approved the motion, and informed President George Washington. On October 3, 1789, President Washington proclaimed that the people of the United States observe "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer" to be held on Thursday, November 26.

The next three Presidents proclaimed, at most, two days of thanksgiving sometime during their terms of office, either on their own initiative or at the request of a joint Resolution of Congress. One exception was Thomas Jefferson, who believed it was a conflict of church and state to require the American people hold a day of prayer and thanksgiving. President James Madison proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving to be held on April 13, 1815, the last such proclamation issued by a President until Abraham Lincoln in 1862.

Most of the credit for the establishment of an annual Thanksgiving holiday should be given to Sarah Josepha Hale. Editor of Ladies Magazine and Godey's Lady's Book. She began to campaign for such a day in 1827 by printing articles in the magazines. She also published stories and recipes, and wrote scores of letters to governors, senators, and presidents. After 36 years of crusading, she won her battle. On October 3, 1863, buoyed by the Union victory at Gettysburg, President Lincoln proclaimed that November 26 would be a national Thanksgiving Day, to be observed every year on the fourth Thursday of November.

The president has changed the day of observation on only two occasions. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in order to give depression-era merchants more selling days before Christmas, assigned the third Thursday to be Thanksgiving Day in 1939 and 1940. But he was met with popular resistance, largely because the change required rescheduling Thanksgiving Day events such as football games and parades. In 1941, a Congressional Joint Resolution officially set the fourth Thursday of November as a national holiday for Thanksgiving.

Today, Thanksgiving is a time when families come together and many churches open for special services. We have both Native Americans and immigrants to thank for the observation of a day for thanksgiving.

Now That Halloween Is Over…

I'd like to offer one last Halloween fright before we turn our attention to the next celebration of the holiday season—Thanksgiving coming up in the U.S. on Thursday, November 27, 2025. And what is that one last fright?  It's all that Halloween candy you still have on hand.

Halloween aftermath usually means two things—putting the witch and goblin decorations away and fighting the battle of all that candy in the house. First, there's the leftover candy from what you bought to hand out to trick-or-treaters. There's two schools of thought about what type of candy to buy. One theory says buy what you like so you can enjoy the leftovers. The other theory says buy what you don't like so you won't be tempted. And the second thing is all the candy your kids collected on their trick or treat rounds. Sacks full of candy. Enough potential sugar overdose and tooth decay material to last until next Halloween.

And what kind of candy is it that we now have in abundance? It seems that all the candy manufacturers, in addition to their regular size candy bars, make the little fun size candy—the mini candy bars or individual pieces. Those little bite size morsels that give us just a taste.  Unfortunately, it's usually a taste for more.

These little tidbits aren't as harmless as you'd like to believe. Many of the small treats are worse for you than eating a normal size candy bar. But that can't be, you tell yourself, because you're only going to eat one of those little things and that's certainly not the same as a regular size candy bar. What's that you said? Eat just one? Well, you and I both know that's a lie! Remember that old Lay's Potato Chip commercial from many years ago? Bet you can't eat just one. That applies to those tasty little bite size morsels of candy as well.

Perhaps the scariest thing about Halloween is the number of calories, grams of fat, and grams of sugar we consume under the guise of it's little, it won't hurt me.

And finally, how about Halloween Superstitions?

Superstitions flourish in all countries and all cultures. Some of the origins are so obscured by time that no one knows when, how or why they came into being. Friday the 13^th always brings out superstitions and the rituals used to thwart them.

However, Friday the 13^th isn't the only day of superstitions.

Halloween has always been a holiday filled with mystery, magic and superstition. It began as a Celtic end-of-summer festival during which people felt especially close to deceased relatives and friends. They set places at the table and left treats on doorsteps for these friendly spirits. They also lit candles to help their loved ones find their way back to the spirit world. Today's Halloween ghosts are usually depicted as scarier, as are our customs and superstitions.

Here's a list of ten superstitions that seem to apply specifically to Halloween.

1)  If a candle goes out on its own on Halloween, it is thought a ghost has come to call.

2)  A burning candle inside of a Jack-o-lantern on Halloween keeps evil spirits at bay.

3)  You invite bad luck into your home if you allow a fire to burn out on Halloween.

4)  A person born on Halloween can both see and talk to spirits.

5)  Seeing a spider on Halloween could be the spirit of a dead loved one who is watching you.

6)  If you hear footsteps behind you on Halloween, don't look back because it could be the dead following.

7)  Don't look at your shadow in moonlight on Halloween night.  Otherwise, you will die within a short period of time.

8)  If a bat flies around a house three times, it is a death omen.

9)  Ringing a bell on Halloween will scare evil spirits away.

10)  A bat that enters a home may have been let in by a ghost.

Do you have any superstitions that we could watch out for with Halloween of 2026?

Next week we'll take a look at the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. 

Beware Of America's Creepiest Roads

They've been called urban legends, ghost stories, creepy encounters. But they all have one thing in common—unexplained happenings on dark roads in the dead of night. If you'll pardon the use of the word dead.

Or maybe it's more appropriate than you realize. :)

Since October is the month of things that go bump and Halloween, it's the perfect time of year to explore these creepy lanes and the unexplained happenings that have been reported to occur there. Here's a sampling of some of these haunted roads.

Shades of Death Road in Warren Co., NJ:  Yes, Shades of Death Road is the real name of the street, but no one is sure exactly how the name came about. Over the decades, many murders have happened along this stretch of road, each its own ghastly tale, which certainly explains why so many different ghosts haunt the area.

The San Antonio Ghost Track:  If you put your car in neutral on the railroad tracks, the car will move off the tracks by itself. And if you cover the bumper in baby power, you'll find child-sized palm prints. However, be careful if you decide to try it out. There have been reports of bandits waiting in hiding for people trying to test this phenomenon.

The Georgia Ghost Roads:  Travelers late at night along Railroad Bed Road and Old Ghost Road (Robertson Road) see a faint orange light flashing in the distance. As they drive closer to it, a man will appear who is digging a ditch…or perhaps a grave. He turns and walks toward the car, but disappears before he gets there.

Buckhout Road in Harrison, NY:  The shocking murders committed by Issac Buckhout are believed responsible for the area's many reports of notorious activities such as farms burning, vandalism in a local historic cemetery, and people who claimed to have been attacked by flesh-eating monsters because they parked in front of a specific red house and honked their car horn three times.

Meshack Road in Tompinsville, KY:  This is supposedly the original location of the often repeated story of the young woman in the prom dress who is walking along the road and given a ride by a young man. He gives her his coat to keep warm. The next day he returns to the house where he took her in order to retrieve his coat. The woman living there told him her daughter had died several years ago…on prom night.

Milford Road in Oxford, Ohio:  The story of star-crossed lovers. The boy and girl were in love, but the girl's father hated the boy. The boy would flash his motorcycle headlight three times and if he saw her porch light flash three times in return he knew it was safe to go there. One night he was killed on the road, but the flashing lights continue to haunt the area.

Mona Lisa Drive in New Orleans:  A philanthropist donated a collection of statuary to the city with one stipulation—the statue commissioned to commemorate the death of his only daughter, Mona, be placed in a special location in the park by itself. One night a car chase ended with a car crashing into the statue and shattering it. After that, rumors began to circulate that Mona lurked in the park where the statue had been, haunting innocent and unsuspecting visitors.

Archer Road in Justice, IL:  Resurrection Cemetery is the site of a story similar to the Meshack Road haunting. A young man met a pretty blonde at a dance. At the end of the evening, he drove her home. When they reached the cemetery, she asked him to stop. She got out of the car, walked toward the gate, and disappeared. He went to the house where she said she lived, and the woman told him her daughter had died five years ago.

Spook Hill in Burkittsville, MD:  In addition to its ghostly reputation courtesy of the 1990s horror movie, The Blair Witch Project, an unexplained recurring event here is similar to the Railroad Crossing in San Antonio. When driving up Spook Hill, if you stop and put the car in neutral it won't roll back downhill. It will continue uphill as if being pushed. The local ghostly tale claims it's Civil War soldiers who think they're pushing one of their cannons up the hill.

Clinton Road in New Jersey:  If you find yourself on this haunted road, be sure to toss a coin into the river at the Old Boy Bridge. The ghost of a boy who drowned will throw it back. There have also been reported sightings of UFOs, mutated circus animals, and mysterious glowing eyes.

Highway 666:  This highway was originally named because it was the 6^th spur off of US Highway 66 (now mostly replaced by Interstate 40) through Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. Travelers on this haunted highway, known as the Devil's Highway, have reported speeding ghost cars, packs of devil dogs, and a flaming demonic semi-truck that drives directly at the spooked travelers. Many people attribute these sightings to a biblical association between the numbers 666 and Satan. In 2003, the highway number was changed to Highway 491. There are still a few places where you can see the Highway 666 sign labeled as old next to the Highway 491 sign labeled as new.

Do you have any ghostly tales or spooky happenings where you live? 

The Ouija Board—Strange and Mysterious Brief History

Perhaps you've used a Ouija board, know someone who has, or merely seen them being used in movies and television shows. Originally called spirit boards or talking boards, they're a flat board with letters, numbers, the words yes, no, hello, and goodbye. The Ouija board goal is to summon the spirit someone wishes to communicate with. The spirit then communicates by spelling out words using the planchette (the thing you put your fingers on that the spirit moves around the board pointing to the specific letters and numbers to provide the spirit's answer).

While the Ouija board's origins only date back to mid 19th century America during the age of spiritualism, the concept of holding a device that points out words from an otherworldly source is ancient. Early accounts of this date back to 1100AD in China. It was considered a valid method of contacting the dead.

In the late 19th century, a person's average lifespan was less than fifty years. The desire to communicate with departed loved ones at a séance wasn't that uncommon. However, those events were often frustrating and expensive. Spiritual mediums were unreliable and charged a lot of money to send and receive messages from the beyond. That created a market for a cheaper method of contacting the dead from the comfort of one's own home.

And the Ouija board answered that need.

It was introduced to the public in 1890 by a businessman named Elijah Bond. His original product was called a Talking Board and was supposed to answer facts about the past and predict the future. It was introduced as nothing more than a fun throwaway game, completely unrelated to ghosts or the occult. By World War I, large groups of people were convinced that the movements of the planchette had an otherworldly origin.

The first person to rename the talking board as the Ouija Board was Elijah Bond's employee, a man named William Fuld. Conflicting reports say the meaning of Ouija came from the ancient Egyptian word for good luck or it was a combination of the French Oiu and German Ja, both words meaning yes.

Some Christian denominations believe Ouija boards lead to demonic possession. The scientific community has criticized the paranormal beliefs associated with Ouija boards. But—however you feel about them, they're thought of as being spooky.

If you believe that Ouija boards really do connect with the dead, you're in good company. Many famous and successful people during the last one hundred years have used Ouija boards—English writer G.K. Chesterton, rock musician Alice Cooper, Pulitzer Prize winning poet James Merrill, Italian president Romano Prodi, and Alcoholics Anonymous founder Bill Wilson.

Have you ever used the Ouija board, either seriously or as an entertainment source? 

Classic Monsters And Their Origins—part 2of2

With Halloween this month, what better topic for my October blogs starts with scary monsters,  a 2-parter featuring classic monsters. On last week's blog, we looked at the first 7 of the list of 15 monsters. This week we'll take a look at the remaining 8.

8. Ghoul

Another undead, flesh-eating monster is the ghoul, but the ghoul is not a picky eater. They will eat the living or the dead. They look similar to their original human form but much more demonic. A ghoul's favorite place to be is a graveyard—it's like their own personal underground buffet. Since they will attempt lure the living in to try and feast on them, watch your step if you're ever in a graveyard! According to ancient Arabic lore, the curse of the ghoul is the result brought about on a human that has eaten flesh— living or dead. Some lore states that ghouls can shapeshift and will appear as the last thing they ate. For protection from a ghoul, the best thing to do is to decapitate them.

9. Goblin

The goblin dates back to the Middle Ages and is a mischievous creature that is usually small and often described as very gross. Thought to be the counterpart to fairies, goblins have similar magical abilities. Some lore even states that they can shapeshift. There are many different types of goblins, mostly popular in Scottish, Irish, and English folklore. Goblin is a term used to describe any sort of evil or mischievous creature. In some legends, goblins are born from spores  germinated underground. Others suggest they reproduce in a manner similar to humans. Goblins live in temperate climates, either in fields or preferably small caverns or caves. They are known to attach themselves to a human's home and cause a similar disturbance to poltergeists.

10. The Headless Horseman

The most popular Headless Horseman legend is from 1776 and 1820 America. In 1776, a trooper in the Battle of the White Plains was decapitated by a cannonball and his fellow soldiers carried his body away while leaving his head on the battlefield. In 1820 author Washington Irving wrote The Legend of Sleepy Hollow based on that incident. This is the version of the story that is widely popular today. The legends state that the ghost of the Headless Horseman rises from his grave in Sleepy Hollow every night in search of his head. If he is unable to find his own, any head will do. Until he is successful, he uses a menacingly lit jack-o-lantern in place of his missing head—the jack-o-lantern being one of the symbols associated with Halloween.

11. Troll

Trolls originated in Norse mythology. They are built similar to humans but are much stronger and generally much uglier. In Nordic folklore, trolls simply live in isolation in the mountains, caves, or rocky areas. They live together as families and are not helpful to humans. In Scandinavian folklore, trolls are much more troublesome. These trolls can either appear to be the same as humans and simply live in isolation (much like Norse trolls), or be extremely old and strong but equally dumb and dim-witted. These strong and dumb trolls are man-eaters who turn to stone in the sunlight.

12. Swamp Monster

A swamp monster is a creature that lives and haunts a body of water, primarily swamp or marshlands. They resemble humans but have traits of aquatic animals such as webbed hands and feet, gills and large yellow eyes. In Cajun folklore, swamp monsters are called the rougarou. This creature is thought to have the body of a human, but the head of either a wolf or a dog and wanders the swamps of Louisiana looking for misbehaving children to eat. Whoever kills a rougarou could become infected with the curse if they were exposed to the monster's blood. For this reason, fire would actually be the best defense.

13. Ghost

A ghost is the spirit of a once-living being that was left behind trapped in the realm of the living. Ghosts resemble their once physical form but are transparent and do not adhere to the laws of physics in the same way that humans do—adding to their spooky factor. They can float through solid objects and walls at will. Many believe that the reason ghosts choose a path that goes through walls instead of around them is that the walls they go through did not exist while they were alive. Most ghosts haunt places that they were familiar with, even if that structure has been changed. There are ghosts that don't mean any harm and simply make their presence known by continuing their once-daily activities, then there are vengeful ghosts. Many stories say that the reason the spirit does not follow the now-deceased being is that it still has business to finish on this side of life. Some of the first mentions of ghosts date back to the 16^th century. Salt and iron can allegedly offer protection from these ghosts, but the way to rid their spirit from this world is to find their bodily remains, salt them, and burn them.

14. Poltergeist

A poltergeist is literally a noisy ghost. It translates from the German poltern which means to make noise or to rumble and geist which means ghost or spirit. Their appearance is much like a ghost although poltergeists can at times be invisible. Poltergeists are said to haunt a specific person and not a place, which is different from regular ghosts. Stories of poltergeists gained popularity around the 17th century and continue today. They cause disturbances by throwing objects, moving furniture, or making any number of loud noises.

15. Aliens

Aliens, also known as extraterrestrials, refer to any being that did not originate on Earth. The first mention of aliens in modern science fiction was in the 1950s when the flying saucer phenomenon gained popularity because of the incident in Roswell, New Mexico, creating a plethora of outer space invader movies. Aliens can range in appearance from tall, skinny humanoid-like creatures with pointed faces and large eyes to giant squid monsters. The theory that we are not the only lifeform in the universe has been around for a very long time. Mentions of aliens and UFOs can be dated back as early as the 4th century in China. The motivation of aliens is unclear. There are plenty of invasion stories where aliens will try and take over whatever planet they see fit, kill off its inhabitants, and occupy that planet for themselves. It is also theorized that they are peaceful beings and simply wish to coexist with others in the universe. 

In defiance of the concept that modern science fiction came about in the 1950s, we need to mention two writers responsible for popularizing modern science fiction in the late 1800s: H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. Both men were referred to as the father of science fiction, with Verne often called the father of modern science fiction due to his scientifically grounded works. H. G. Wells gave us THE TIME MACHINE 1895, THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU 1896, THE INVISIBLE MAN 1897, WAR OF THE WORLDS 1898. Jules Verne gave us JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 1864,  20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA 1870, and AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS 1873.

Classic Monsters and Their Origins—part 1 of 2

Halloween is almost here! And nothing says Halloween quite like creepy, scary monsters. Many of the traditions surrounding Halloween that have been passed down through the years involve some of the most gruesome monsters and creatures. Ghosts, goblins, ghouls and witches are just some of those beings that are more active around the time of Halloween.

Stories and legends of different types of monsters date back to some of the earliest known recorded times in history. These stories range from ancient China and Greece to more modern times, some as recent of the 1950s. There is one thing for certain. These legends aren't going to stop being repeated any time soon.

Werewolves, mummies, vampires and witches are some of the first things that come to mind when anyone mentions Halloween. These monsters are widely known as the classics for Halloween, but where did they originate?

I have a list of 15 monsters. We'll look at 7 of them this week and the remaining 8 next week.

1. Vampire

There are stories of vampire-like creatures from as early as ancient Greece. This centuries-old monster is said to be undead, meaning they are animated and act similar to a living human. They survive by draining the living of their bodily fluid, primarily blood, by way of biting their victims with sharp fangs. Sunlight will burn a vampire's skin, so they are active mostly at night. They can occasionally be active during the day if the weather permits. This is why storms, mist and cloudy days contain a sense of foreboding. According to folklore, a vampire's downfalls are crosses, silver, and garlic. They can also be extinguished by stabbing them in the heart with a wooden stake. To be safe, it would work best to decapitate them.

2. Zombie

Stories of zombies date back to 17th-century Haiti. Zombies are said to be the result of voodoo. A voodoo practitioner would utilize a mixture of herbs, bones, shells and other animal parts as part of their practice. This mixture could cause symptoms such as confusion, difficulty walking, trouble with breathing, and sometimes even resulting in a coma for the victim. These instances resulting in a coma seem to be the basis for believing that a zombie is raised from the dead. These undead corpse monsters are known for feeding on human flesh (focusing mostly on brains).

3. Mummy

Mummification began in ancient Egypt. It was a special method for preserving the body used in burial rituals. References to the mummy as an undead monster gained popularity after King Tut's tomb was found in 1922. This resulted in many classic horror films such as the 1932 Boris Karloff movie, The Mummy. Similar to zombies, mummies are reanimated corpses. The main objective of the mummy is to get revenge. Mummies, especially royalty, were buried with riches that lured treasure hunters. As movies have shown us, many of those who looted tombs ended up with much more than they bargained for. A mummy's greatest weakness is fire. If a fire can't be produced easily, decapitation is an option for protection.

4. Werewolf

Werewolves are cursed humans who turn into large, strong wolf-like monsters during each full moon. The curse is the result of being bitten by a werewolf while it's in its monster form. Some legends say the monster looks like a human/wolf hybrid while others say they are all wolf. While they're in this wolf state, their hunger for human flesh is unquenchable. One of the first mentions of the werewolf is in the world's oldest known Western prose, the epic poem Gilgamesh, written approximately 1400 BCE. Another early mention of werewolves is from Greek mythology and the legend of Lycaon. Werewolves are also mentioned in early Nordic legends. Werewolves are exceptionally strong beasts, their weakness is silver. They can still be harmed in many of the same ways that humans can, but silver will do the job much more efficiently.

5. Frankenstein's Monster

English author Mary Shelley published Frankenstein in 1818. The novel is about Victor Frankenstein, an alchemist/scientist…and madman. He seeks to create the perfect being. He is successful in building a sentient humanoid creature by way of connecting many different human parts that he scavenged from graveyards. Rather than pleasing him, what he created frightens him to the point of abandoning that creation. What is left behind is a scared but hideous monster that no one wants anything to do with. Frankenstein's monster is strong but can be annihilated in much the same ways as a normal human.

6. The Grim Reaper

The idea of the Grim Reaper originated in 14^th-century Europe following the black plague. The Grim Reaper is often thought to literally be death itself. However, that's not quite so. After passing over into the realm of the dead, the Grim Reaper is the being that guides those into the afterlife. While its only duty is to gather departed souls to make sure they go to the correct place, the Grim Reaper is an intimidating creature. There are stories of seeing the reaper before death has occurred. Speculation suggests that the Grim Reaper resembles the skeleton of a human covered in a cloak and carrying a scythe.

7. Witch

Witches are traditionally women who harness the power of magic. Largely thought to be sinister, many women were accused of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials in 1692-1693 in Massachusetts and hanged (in France witches were burned at the stake, in England they were hanged. Since those who settled in what is now Massachusetts came to the new world from England, they were hanged rather than burned). While many of the powers that witches possess are capable of harm and cursing another being, there are also many harmless practices. The spooky factor of witches lies in the unknown. Magic can be awe-inspiring but equally frightening, especially if a witch chooses to use dark magic. Originally, witches were depicted as nasty, hook-nosed old women who use gross potions and spells to carry out their evil deeds. In more recent times, witches are simply women who possess the ability to harness magic, can be any age and look as normal and beautiful as any other woman.

Check back next week for a look at the remaining 8 monsters on the list of 15.