M.J. Rose

From our friend Nancy over at the A Bloody Good Read blog comes a wonderful post about necromancy and more…

FROM HOMER TO THE HOBBIT: THE HISTORY OF THE NECROMANCER

By Nancy Bilyeau

Vampire. Witch. Zombie. Werewolf. Yes, they have us surrounded.

In films, books and TV series, it seems as if the supernatural run the show as never before. I admit to having my favorites.

When it comes to the fanged ones, I like to get down with Dracula, whether it’s in the hands of the one-and-only Bram Stoker, the gifted Elizabeth Kostova (The Historian) or the audacious Francis Ford Coppola in his adaptation (fantastic soundtrack). Anne Rice, Charlaine Harris and Justin Cronin have taken the vampire myth in fascinating directions. And, yes, I admit it: I’m a Twilight mom…

Please click here for the rest.

Now here is a theory that makes sense!…

Photograph by Randy Olson

Easter Island Mystery Solved? New Theory Says Giant Statues Rocked

National Geographic News

“For centuries, scientists have tried to solve the mystery of how the colossal stone statues of Easter Island moved. Now there’s a new theory—and it rocks.

The multiton behemoths traveled up to 11 miles (18 kilometers) from the quarry where most of them were carved, without the benefit of wheels, cranes, or even large animals.

Scientists have tested many ideas in the past, figuring that the islanders must have used a combination of log rollers, ropes, and wooden sledges. Now a pair of archaeologists have come up with a new theory: Perhaps the statues, known as moai, were “engineered to move” upright in a rocking motion, using only manpower and rope…”

For the complete article click here.

Watch video: Easter Island statues rocking forward…

I find the pre-historical origins of man to be beyond fascinating. It really seems like there is so much we don’t know yet, so many bizarre and amazing things to be discovered. There also may be some cover-ups. Did you know that skeletons of a prehistoric race of giants have (possibly) been found in the Americas?

If you’re interested in this stuff, there is a TedX lecture that will blow your socks off:

“Jim Vieira’s research over the last 20 years has led him down a bizarre road of intrigue and mystery surrounding the races and built structures of Ancient America. Vieira has compiled thousands of accounts of giant skeleton reports from the New York Times, Smithsonian Ethnology Reports, American Antiquarian, Scientific American as well as town and county histories to make the case that the history of our past has not only been deliberately covered up, but is vastly different then what we are told.”

Click here to watch it. And if you are still aching for more information on this, click here for much more on the race of giants and an intense old tale of how a group of them were slain by a tribe of Paiute indians.

P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF M.J.’s READERS!