This week: In your wildest nightmares Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
Quote for the week:
“Walls have ears.
Doors have eyes.
Trees have voices.
Beasts tell lies.
Beware the rain.
Beware the snow.
Beware the man
You think you know.
-Songs of Sapphique”
― Catherine Fisher, Incarceron
|
| ASIN: 0995498113 |
|
Amazon's Price: $ 19.95
|
|
A nightmare is a disturbing or frightening dream that causes the dreamer distress and usually awakens them. Even though the second syllable of the word "nightmare" sounds like the word for a female horse, the word origin has nothing to do with horses. The Old English word "maere" actually referred to an evil spirit from Germanic or Slavic folklore that was said to walk on people's chests as they slept, causing them to have bad dreams.
The maere was said to torment both humans and animals in their sleep which left them exhausted and covered in sweat. The evil spirit was said to tangle the dreamer's hair resulting in "marelocks."
In other folk tales, the nightmare spirits were witches who took the form of animals when they went into a trance and sent their sprits out. The animals included frogs, cats, dogs, birds, horses, oxen, birds, bees, or wasps.
In Croatian folklore the nightmare spirit was called a mora. The mora was said to enter the room through a keyhole, sit on the sleeper's chest, and try to strangle them. To repel moras, people would sleep facing the window, make the sign of the cross on the pillow, place a broom upside down behind their door, leave their belt on top of the sheets, or recite an elaborate prayer or poem before going to bed.
Occasional bad dreams are a normal occurrence, but some people suffer from frequent nightmares that disrupt their sleep and interfere with their work or other daytime activities. Both children and adults who have had frequent nightmares might begin to fear going to sleep.
Nightmares are an excellent subject for horror stories, because everyone has had them and can identify with the terror they bring.
In the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series of movies, the child murderer Freddy Krueger was burned alive by his victims' parents after he was acquitted on a technicality. Freddy's vengeful spirit returns from the grave to stalk other members of the community in their dreams.
In Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" graphic novels and the TV series based on them, Morpheus, the personification of sleep and dreaming is captured by an occult ritual and held prisoner for more than 100 years. During the time of his captivity, the world suffers from an epidemic of "sleeping sickness."
Something to try: Write a horror story that includes dreams or nightmares. |
Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
Don't forget to support our sponsor!
| ASIN: 1542722411 |
|
Amazon's Price: $ 12.99
|
|
| Question for next time: What subjects would you like to see in future horror newsletters? |
| ASIN: B07K6Z2ZBF |
Product Type: Kindle Store
|
Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
|
|
To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.
|
Horror/Scary: April 24, 2024 Issue [#12520]
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
