Those who celebrate Halloween know that this time of year is full of scary attractions, ghost stories, bonfires and corn mazes.
Today is the perfect day to enter the world of ghouls and take a look back at the long history of werewolves, vampires and scary tales of ghostly figures.
The history on vampires dates back to Greek mythology, according to History.com. Vampires were not always seen as garlic hating, blood sucking beings who turned into bats. In Greek mythology, a man named Ambrogio made a deal with Hades to become immortal and reunite with his love Selena. After the lovers combined their powers, anyone who drank the blood would turn into a vampire.
In the case of werewolves, no one quite knows where the legend came from, but “some scholars believe the werewolf made its debut in ‘The Epic of Gilgamesh’ when Gilgamesh jilted a potential lover because she had turned her previous mate into a wolf,” according to History.com.
Like vampires, werewolves also popped up in Greek mythology with the Legend of Lycaon, where Zeus turned Lycaon and his sons into wolves.
Halloween is not complete without good ghost stories to leave shivers on spines of anyone who decides to listen. Gettysburg is a perfect place to dive into spooky tales of ghosts of the Battle of Gettysburg on a ghost tour.
The Sachs Covered Bridge is a location tourist visit the most, being called “one of the most haunted spots in Gettysburg according Gettysburg Ghost Tour, After Dark Investigation and Mark Nesbitt’s Ghost of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tours,” according to Pennlive.com. Soldiers have supposedly been spotted there, as well as at Devil’s Den.
Halloween is a time to lift your spirits, have some fun and of course, get tons of candy. But remember folks, keep an eye out for our friendly, or not so friendly, creatures of Halloween. I am sure they like candy too.
The Slate welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.