Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Halloween '17: A Trio of Halloween Links

Been awhile since I last shared some links I found interesting via this blog. As Halloween rapidly approaches, here is trio of links that I felt had a Halloween flavor.


Death and the dead are huge theme of Halloween. You can't swing a stick among Halloween decorations without hitting depictions of graveyards, headstones, and skeletons. One can say Halloween is a holiday during which we grapple with a destination that awaits us all: the grave. However, not all cultures practice the same funeral rites and interact with the dead in the same manner. Here's a National Geographic ARTICLE in which a mortician is interviewed to discuss various funeral rites such as a mummified family member residing in one's home to composting the dead. Very fascinating. Could probably spice up one's tabletop role-playing game too!


Last couple Halloweens, I've mentioned folklore such as the draugr among others. I found this list of creatures from POLISH folklore interesting. The Północnica gives off a Freddy Krueger-like vibe. Nothing more terrifying than a monster that kills us in our dreams. That's just one among a handful. As someone who has game mastered, there's quite a bit here!


Seeing how this is a comics and games blog, I would be remiss not to include something that actually has bearing on an actual game. Polish, and Slavic, folklore permeates the Witcher videogame series. HERE'S how a ghost story from a Polish poem influenced a scene from the Witcher 3. Video games are truly an excellent means to spread stories and cultural elements among other cultures.


Hope you found these three Halloween-related links as interesting as I did. Only six more days until Halloween!


Next time.

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