Encyclopedia of Horror Lore

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“The Hands Resist Him”

Categories
Horror Mystery and Lore

Date of Discovery

Bill Stoneham originally painted ‘The Hands Resist Him’ in 1972 and finished it in 1974, but ‘The Hands’ was found in February of 2000 by a brewery owner from California. The couple purchased ‘The Hands’ from eBay for a whopping $1,025.

Name

Stoneham originally named the painting “The Hands Resist Him” but it is also known to the eBay world as ‘the haunted eBay painting’.

Physical Description

The Hands painting is done on a 24 by 36’’ canvas in brilliant oil paints; the piece features a young boy and a doll-like girl standing in front of a window with a sea of disembodied hands reaching out from behind them.

Origin

Stoneham created this piece off of a photograph of him and a neighbor when they were kids. Stoneham said “There are memories, echoes of all the life within a place…The hands are the ‘other lives’, the glass door is the veil between waking and dreaming. The girl/doll is the imagined companion or guides through this realm.’’ He was quite shocked to learn of the stories attached to his piece of art. Stoneham went on to paint sequels to ‘The Hands’ and also keeps a personal note on his studio’s site, Stoneham Studios, addressing the painting’s story.

Mythology & Lore

In 1974 ‘The Hands’ was bought from Stoneham’s gallery show by Feingarten; it was purchased for actor John Marley for his role in The Godfather movie. Between 1978 and 1984 three men who were very close to “The Hands Resist Him’’ died; Seldis in 1978, Feingarten in 1981, and Marley in 1984. Twenty-six years later Stoneham would hear of his painting again as it resurfaced in a 2000 eBay listing. The selling family wrote their experience with the painting as a horror story only bested by Stephen King; as well as adding the photos of the painting “changing”. The family set up motion-sensitive cameras in their daughter’s room after she claimed the children in the painting were fighting and coming out of the painting. The camera showed the boy crawling from the painting, just as the 4-year-old claimed. BBC reported in 2002 the ‘last two pictures purport to show the doll coming to life’, and forcing the boy to leave the painting at gunpoint.  Some viewers of the painting’s ad on eBay also reported supernatural experiences after viewing “The Hands’’ piece for a long period. The reports claimed to experience disembodied voices, feeling hot air blown across them, feeling violently ill or fainting, hearing screams, being grabbed, blackouts, losing mind control, and many other concerning experiences.

Kim Smith bought the painting in 2000 off eBay for $1,025 after “Hands” had racked up a large legend on the internet. She reported the bizarre happenings started at the first email to bringing the piece home. She was asked to show the painting many times, the most memorable was in 2007. About a dozen men ranging in age from 14 to 60 came, Smith recounts “Twenty seconds passed, and just silence and then someone said, ‘that’s creepy’”. Smith turned down many offers, even a 6 figure one, and kept the painting because of the mystique it holds.

Today the painting rests in storage at the Smith’s Gallery in Grand Rapids, Mich; where it awaited filmmakers for its chance at the big screen. To this day Stoneham still receives messages weekly about “The Hands Resist Him”. Many share their stories and experiences after viewing it and some pry deeper hoping to have questions answered. Stoneham went on to paint 3 sequels to “The Hands” that carry the story and lore on. The first is “Resistance at the Threshold’’ (2004), then “Threshold of Revelation’’ (2012), and finally “The Hands Invent Him” (2017).

Modern Pop-Culture References
Movies



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Aamon

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Featured

Aamon is an ancient demon who has many shapes and over the centuries he has been written about he has many different influences and dark abilities. He is a personal assistant of Ashtaroth (Ashtaroth was a demonic goddess). He is one of four personal assistants of the demon goddess Ashtaroth. 

Date of Discovery

The earliest known written record of Aamon is dated to 1583.

Name

Aamon from the Dictionnaire Infernal - Grand Marquis of Hell
Aamon from the Dictionnaire Infernal

Aamon is also known by Amon, and Amun. His name means  “who induces to eagerness.” Aamon’s name scores a number 9 on Chaldean numerology. Chaldean numerology is a system that identifies one’s true self based on a mix of their birthdate and/or legal name. A number 9 represents a personality that is an enforcer of Karma and Justice.

Physical Description

At times he appears with a wolf’s body and a serpent’s tail, in which shape he can breathe fire–at other times, he appears with a man’s body, with a raven’s head that possesses a set of dog’s teeth. This description, of course, varies in different sources.

Origin

According to the Dictionnaire Infernal written by Collin de Plancy in 1818, Aamon commands forty legions of demons and carries the title of prince.

Also related to the primary Egyptian God Amon or Amun.

He is also Associated with the God Baal Hammon who was a weather god, and the king of gods, in Ancient Carthage. It is said that people would burn their children as offerings to Baal Hammon in hopes for prosperous weather.

Aamon and demons from Dictionnaire Infernal
Aamon and demons from Dictionnaire Infernal

Mythology and Lore

The Symbol of Aamon - Grand Marquis of Hell
The Symbol of Aamon

He is found in any Abrahamic religion (Judaism, Christianity, Islam etc..)

His father is a God and mother is Asherah. Asherah is the wife of God and mother of all Demons in ancient semitic religions.

Christian demonology states that he holds the most power during day time. He has psychic powers that allow him to know the power of his enemies and detect those nearby. He can extend spikes from his wrists, tail, and wings that can cut through any organic material. He can fire off powerful energy bolts that gradually build in power. He can extend his limbs and breathe underwater. It is speculated that he has even more power than this.

He makes men and women fall in love with each other, and he settles disputes between friends and enemies.

Grand Grimoire

Excerpt from Pseudomonarchia daemonum by Johann Wier in 1583

“Amon, or Aamon, is a great and mighty marques, and commeth abroad in the likeness of a Wolf, having a serpents tail, [vomiting] flames of fire; when he putteth on the shape of a man, he sheweth out dogs teeth, and a great head like to a mighty [night hawk]; he is the strongest prince of all other, and understandeth of all things past and to come, he procureth favor, and reconcileth both friends and foes, and ruleth forthy legions of devils.”

Excerpt from The Goetia by S.L. MacGregor Mathers

“The Seventh Spirit is Amon. He is a Marquis great in power, and most stern. He appeareth like a Wolf with a Serpent’s tail, vomiting out of his mouth flames of fire, but at the command of the Magician he putteth on the shape of a Man with Dog’s teeth beset in a head like a Raven; or else like a Man with a Raven’s head (simply). He telleth all things Past and to Come. He procureth feuds and reconcileth controversies between friends. He governeth 40 Legions of Spirits. His Seal is this which is to be worn as aforesaid, etc.”

You think me a savage beast? Unlike you, I preside over forty legions of squabbling beasts, thirsty for gore and viscera. Whatever your position is, I am a mountain to your anthill.

Aamon



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Adlet Northern Monster

The Adlet
Artwork by Mary Farnstrom

Date of Discovery

Discovered by Europeans during the late nineteenth century, 1888 to be exact when ethnological studies were being performed across the far northern reaches of North America and Greenland.

Name

Known as the Adlet (ah-dlit), also known as the Erqigdlet (urk-kig-dlit) in Greenland.

Comparable to the well-known werewolf of popular culture.

Physical Description

Even though the Adlet is considered a close cousin to the werewolf, there are certain differences that are apparent through the stories that were passed down through generations of oral storytelling. The Adlet is a half-man, half-wolf hybrid that has razor-sharp teeth, a pronounced canine snout, pointy ears, piercing yellow or red eyes, a wolf-like tail, and rusty red fur.

Origin

The Adlet comes from the oral culture of the indigenous people of the arctic circle, Greenland, and Canada–the Inuit people in particular, but it is shared amongst many of the different indigenous people of the area. The Adlet is not a shapeshifter, nor does the moon have any effect on it. As the lore goes, the Adlet is the product of the unnatural mating between an Inuit woman and a dog/wolf. The woman birthed a litter of ten, five were full dogs and the other five were the half-human, half-canine monsters that became known as Adlets.

Mythology and Lore

The following is the story of the Adlet, which came from an oral tradition–recorded by ethnologists that were researching the traditions of the arctic circle.

Is the Adlet the Werewolf of the Far North?

Uinigumissuitoq married a dog. One night she was found outside the hut sleeping with the dog. She gave birth to ten children, one half of them dogs, the other Adlet. The children grew up. Every time their grandfather had got a seal, he loaded it upon his kayak and carried it to them. His grandchildren were very voracious. Therefore, he selected an island for their place of abode and carried them over there, his daughter, the dog, and the children.

Their father, the dog, swam every day to the old man’s hut to fetch meat in a pair of boots which he had hung around his neck. One day the grandfather filled them with stones instead of meat and thus drowned the dog. When he was drowned their grandfather continued to send them food.

The mother, however, said to her children, “Watch your grandfather, when he goes out in his kayak, and attack him!” They killed him. Then she searched for her children, and after having cut a sole for herself, she transformed it quickly into a boat, in which she ordered them to travel across the ocean. She sang, “Angnaijaja. When you have arrived on the other side, you will make many little things. Angnaija.”

Excerpt from Journal of American Folklore v. 1-2 (1888-1889): Eskimo Tales and Songs



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Ahool

Brown Bat in Flight
Photography by James Wainscoat


Date of Discovery

Stemming from yet another oral culture, the first reported case of the Ahool is not very likely to be the first sighting to have ever occurred, but it was the first date that its existence was entered into the record.

First reported by Dr. Ernest Bartels in 1925, who was the son of the noted ornithologist M.E.G. Bartels.

Name

The Ahool got its name from the slightly onomatopoetic sound that is created by this bat-like creature; the Ahool calls, “a-hool!”

Physical Description

Reported to be a bat-like creature, it is said to have a body structure that is of similar size to a one-year-old child, with a wingspan of roughly twelve feet in length. The Ahool has short, dark grey fur, large black eyes, and flattened forearms which support its leathery wings. Despite being described as a bat, the Ahool also reportedly possesses the head of a primate, with a flat, human-like face.

A sub-species of the Ahool is found on the island of New Guinea, which goes by the name of the Ropen; this sub-species has a long snout, large wings, and a long thin crest. Its face is a combination between a bat’s and a chimp’s, with bulbous dark eyes. The skin of the wings is a ruddy reddish color but otherwise covered in grey fur, with large claws protruding from its forearms. The Ropen is said to have a wingspan of between 18 and 28 feet (6-9 meters) which is 3 to 4.5 times the size of the largest known bat, the Flying Fox.

The diet of both the Ahool and the Ropen is mainly fish, but they have been known to attack humans because of their extremely territorial nature.

Origin

Said to live in the deepest parts of the jungles of Java as well as across most of Indonesia–considered the world’s thirteenth largest island, Java was formed mostly as the result of volcanic activity. Said to be one of the world’s most densely populated regions on earth, with roughly 124 million inhabitants; its overpopulation has resulted in the disappearance of most of the rainforests, with Gunung Halimun National Park as one of the last remaining lowland forests on the entire island. Despite a loss of space and biodiversity in the region, Java’s rainforests still harbor a wide range of wildlife, with over twenty-three distinct mammal species, over two hundred species of birds, as well as over five hundred species of plant life. One more species, so far officially remaining unidentified, is the winged creature known as the Ahool.

Mythology and Lore

In some reports, it has been known to be seen squatting on the forest floor with its wings closely pressed against its body–it is believed to be a nocturnal creature, so it spends its days concealed in caves located behind or beneath waterfalls, then spends its nights fishing out of the rivers within its habitat.

In 1925, the first official written report of an Ahool sighting occurred when Dr. Ernest Bartels a naturalist was exploring a waterfall on the slopes of the Salek Mountains when this giant unidentified bat flew directly over his head. Two years later, in 1927 at approximately 11:30 pm, Bartels came across the Ahool for a second time, while he was laying in bed in his thatched house in western Java near the Tjidjenkol River. He was listening to the sounds of the jungle surrounding his home when he heard the strange call of the Ahool. Bartels immediately sought to investigate the noise and less than twenty seconds later he heard it’s vocalization again, which was headed downstream near the river.

Bartels later conjectured that it may not have been a bat at all, but possibly a very large species of owl, however, this theory was not met with much agreement with his peers who believed in no uncertain terms that they could distinguish the differences between a bat and an owl. Cryptozoologist Ivan T. Sanderson was passed down the accounts that Bartels left behind of the Ahool by Bernard Heuvelmans and after much research and exploration eventually concluded that the Ahool is an unclassified species of bat. He took a special interest in the Ahool after encountering a creature he believed was similar in the Assumbo Mountains of Cameroon in western Africa. While he believed that what he encountered was a different giant bat-like species, he surmised that the Ahool could be an Oriental form of what he witnessed, which was known by the African natives as the Kongamato.

Pterosaur (Pterodactylus) Illustrated by Charles Dessalines D' Orbigny (1806-1876)
Pterosaur (Pterodactylus) Illustrated by Charles Dessalines D’ Orbigny (1806-1876)

There are some researchers who believe that the Ahool is actually a small surviving population of a pterosaur, a flying reptile who was believed to have gone extinct around the time of the dinosaurs, roughly 65 million years ago. Although the description of an Ahool does match what we know about the pterosaur species, including large forearms and leathery wings, however, the shape of the head of an Ahool doesn’t match the description of the pterosaur at all. The majority of investigators seem to agree that the Ahool is most likely a form of unclassified giant bat species, as the reptilian face structure goes against the reported evidence. A third theory, that is more accurate as far as the reported facial features, is that the Ahool may actually be the world’s first reported case of a flying primate.



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Alaska Triangle

Date of Discovery

Unknown

Name – Alaska Triangle

Description

If you draw a line from Barrow in the Northernmost region of Alaska stretching down to Anchorage and then East to Juneau you create the area known as the Alaska Triangle. The triangle is made up of some of the most remote wilderness on the planet.

Haunting trees

Origin

Unknown

Lore

20,000 people have gone missing in the triangle in the last 50 years making it one of the highest missing persons location in the world. Aside from missing people it is said that over 2,000 airplanes have also gone missing within the triangle.

Inuit legends like Keelut or the Qalupalik are amongst the reasons the locals believe people go missing. Tlingit Indian lore talks about shapeshifting demons called Kushtaka (aka the Ottermen) that also take humans. Some are likely lost hikers, adventurers, and hunters taken by severe weather but the sheer numbers suggest something else. In 1972 House Majority Leader Hale Boggs’ Cessna went missing. The plane was carrying 5 men and a pilot U.S. House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, Alaska Congressman Nick Begich, an aide, Russell Brown, and their bush pilot Don Jonz. After months of searching neither the plane nor the passengers were ever found.

Akin to the Bermuda Triangle some believe the area contains an electromagnetically influenced “vile vortex.” This negative energy is believed to create confusion, nightmares, health issues and is said to distort electronic signals causing plane crashes and equipment malfunctions.

There are also stories of unexplained lights, creatures that cannot be explained, and even alien/UFO sightings.

  1. Anomalies in the Sky: One of the most compelling aspects of the Alaska Triangle is the consistent reports of strange lights and unidentified flying objects. Witnesses, ranging from seasoned pilots to curious residents, have shared accounts of bizarre aerial phenomena. These sightings often involve unconventional flight patterns, otherworldly lights, and objects moving at speeds that defy explanation. Could these sightings be attributed to natural occurrences, secret military tests, or is there a more extraordinary explanation lurking in the shadows?
  2. The Kenji Terauchi Incident: Perhaps the most renowned UFO encounter within the Alaska Triangle occurred in 1972 when Japanese pilot Kenji Terauchi’s small aircraft had a close encounter with a colossal, metallic object. Terauchi, a seasoned pilot with a flawless record, reported being tailed by this mysterious craft, which seemingly defied the laws of physics. His airplane experienced electrical malfunctions during the encounter. Officially, the incident was attributed to electromagnetic interference from a military radar station, but to this day, it remains a focal point for UFO enthusiasts.
  3. The Quest for Answers: While the accounts of UFO sightings in the Alaska Triangle are numerous and intriguing, tangible scientific evidence remains elusive. Some speculate that the remote, isolated nature of this Alaskan wilderness makes it an ideal location for clandestine government experiments. Others insist that the phenomena have extraterrestrial origins.

Finally rumors of Bigfoot have also been cited as possible reasons why so many people go missing.

Modern Pop-Culture References

TV Shows

Alaska Monsters 2014 –

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