This week, we lift our spirits (oooOOOooo) with a round-up of monsters. We explore their origins and effects on us, with examples ranging from memories of very real things in the past to a hypothesis that doesn't quite have legs (unlike griffins). Links * Why we'll always be obsessed with – and afraid of – monsters (The Conversation) [https://theconversation.com/amp/why-well-always-be-obsessed-with-and-afraid-of-monsters-65080] * Why the scariest monsters look almost human (Wellcome Collection) [https://wellcomecollection.org/articles/XIY2IRAAAHtGO1jP] * Why We Still Need Monsters (Nautilus) [https://nautil.us/issue/53/monsters/why-we-still-need-monsters] * Why Are So Many Monsters Hybrids? (Nautilus) [https://nautil.us/issue/53/monsters/why-are-so-many-monsters-hybrids] * A History of Monsters (Aeon) [https://aeon.co/essays/there-be-monsters-from-cabinets-of-curiosity-to-demons-within] * Why do we want to feel sorry for monsters that scare us? (Gizmodo) [https://gizmodo.com/why-do-we-want-to-feel-sorry-for-monsters-that-scare-us-5851413/amp] * Why Frankenstein is the story that defines our fears (BBC) [https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180611-why-frankenstein-is-the-story-that-defined-our-fears] * Neanderthals, Scandinavian trolls, and troglodytes (Norwegian American) [https://www.norwegianamerican.com/neanderthals-scandinavian-trolls-and-troglodytes/] * Ōnamazu (Yokai.com) [https://yokai.com/oonamazu/] * Namazu-e: Earthquake catfish prints (Pink Tentacle) [http://pinktentacle.com/2011/04/namazu-e-earthquake-catfish-prints/] * Namazu (World History Encyclopedia) [https://www.worldhistory.org/Namazu/] * Giant catfish and a legacy of disaster in one of the world's most seismically active regions (Phys.org) [03-giant-catfish-legacy-disaster-world.html">https://phys.org/news/2014-03-giant-catfish-legacy-disaster-world.html] * Folklore and earthquakes: Native American oral traditions from Cascadia compared with written traditions from Japan (Geological Society, London, Special Publications via ResearchGate) [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249551808_Folklore_and_earthquakes_Native_American_oral_traditions_from_Cascadia_compared_with_written_traditions_from_Japan] * Why Protoceratops almost certainly wasn't the inspiration for the griffin legend (Mark Witton) [com.blogspot.com/2016/04/why-protoceratops-almost-certainly.html">http://markwitton-com.blogspot.com/2016/04/why-protoceratops-almost-certainly.html] * Griffin Bones (American Museum of Natural History) [https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythic-creatures/land/griffin-bones] * Andrewsarchus, "Superb Skull of a Gigantic Beast" (American Museum of Natural History) [https://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/on-exhibit-posts/andrewsarchus] * Jumbies of the West Indies (The Brown Geeks) [https://thebrowngeeks.com/jumbies-of-the-west-indies/] * Rare Book Library Summons Tales of World's Oldest Monsters (Smithsonian) [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/library-tales-worlds-oldest-monsters-180970471/] * The evolution of monsters in children's literature (Nature) [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-020-0414-7] * A Visual History of Society's Monsters (Hyperallergic) [https://hyperallergic.com/199404/a-visual-history-of-societys-monsters/] * The Nazi Werewolves Who Terrorized Allied Soldiers at the End of WWII (Smithsonian) [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/nazi-werewolves-who-terrorized-allied-soldiers-end-wwii-180970522/] * Doin' The Mash (Tedium) [https://tedium.co/2018/10/25/monster-mash-history/amp] * The strange tale of 'Monster Ma [https://www.nme.com/features/monster-mash-bobby-pickett-misfits-halloween-2800745?amp]