Guest Blog with Dark Poet E.J. Stevens

Hello! My name is E.J. Stevens and I would like to take you all on a journey today for a guided tour into my Bestiary. The creatures here prefer the dark so do be sure to shutter your lanterns and do not stray from the path. Ah, and you may wish to arm yourself with a pouch of rowan berries, garlic and cold iron.

Beware all who enter here!

Ah, yes we have come to the right place! Behind this door lay madness, melancholy, love, lust, and longing. Ready? Splendid!

First we will encounter the creatures of Air and Spirit. See the black dogs to our right? Barghest and Mauthe Dhoog the great beasts of legend. You do see them? How dreadful. You may wish to notify your next of kin since these black dogs are both harbingers of death. Which leads us to our next exhibit The Reaper. Fierce isn't she? Do stay clear of her scythe though. Now then, any men with us today? I highly recommend covering your ears 'till we've passed the Sirens. Perhaps keeping your ears covered a bit longer would be a good idea since you probably do not want to hear what the Woman in White has to say to you. She still hasn't quite got over what her husband did those many years ago.

Do you feel the heat? The creatures of Fire and War are just around the bend. Next we have the Basilisk though I don't recommend looking him in the eye unless of course you don't mind being turned to stone. The Phoenix though is lovely to see as she turns brilliantly to fire and ash only to rise up again. Behind this curtain we have a meeting of the Vampire Court whose daily machinations for power can be felt far outside the walls of The Bestiary. They are a truly intriguing specimen to observe! The Dullahan is next though I do not suggest we loiter since he takes umbrage at those who observe him at his work and is known to take the eyes of those who witness his dark deeds. The Morrigan though are lovely to watch on the battlefield ahead.

The creatures of Earth and Below are just down this passageway. Be careful not to eat or drink anything you find since here dwell many of the Sidhe. Ah, hear that howl? That would be our Werewolf or Loup Garou. I do hope it's the Werewolf pining for his lost love since I would rather avoid the Loup Garou when hungry. Speaking of hungry, perhaps we should walk a bit more quickly as we pass the zombie's grave. He hasn't come out to eat since he crawled into the ground with his wife so he will be bound to be hungry. If we hurry we may catch a glimpse of the beautiful Queen of Elphame astride her white horse.

Lastly we come to the creatures of Water and Ice. Do keep your children from the water's edge since the Grindylow may be hungry. Hear that creak of mast and rigging? The Ghost Ship must be sailing near. If you wait for the mist to clear you may catch a glimpse of the Selkie maidens swimming in its wake. It is time to bundle up now as we approach the land of the Winter Queen. We will visit her throne of ice but do be wary of frost minions and if you see the Wendigo I do suggest you run.

The creatures we visited today are just a few of the magical creatures of folklore, myth and legend that you will encounter in E.J.'s new book of paranormal poetry Shadows of Myth and Legend.

E.J. Stevens is the author of From the Shadows and Shadows of Myth and Legend.

Visit E.J. at http://www.fromtheshadows.info/

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