Folklore
Broomstick - anagram Dance of Death – popular belief that the
dead rose and danced to tempt the living
Jack O’Lantern – originally hollowed from a turnip, now
more commonly from a pumpkin Trick or treat - anagram |
Films
The Exorcist, film directed by William Friedkin, starring Linda
Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb The Wicker Man, film directed by Robin Hardy,
starring Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland,
Christopher Lee
Ghostbusters,
film directed by Ivan
Reitman, starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis The Witches of
Eastwick, film directed by George
Miller, starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer |
History
The Witch of Endor, through the ghost of Samuel,
foretold Saul’s death in battle The Witches of Salem, 20 young women in 17th
Century Massachusetts accused of witchcraft and executed Devil’s Island, former French penal colony off French
Guiana in South America to which Alfred Dreyfus was sent |
Literature
Dr Faustus, play by Christopher Marlowe
Macbeth, play by William Shakespeare
Halloween, poem by Robert Burns Ghosts, play by Henrik Ibsen
|
Mythology
Quetzalcoatl – descended to
hell and retrieved human bones, which he resurrected with his blood Osiris – became god of the dead after he became the
first of the gods to die, murdered by his brother Loki – represented evil and was responsible for the death of Balder, god of light
and joy
Hecate – also goddess of sorcery and witchcraft Pluto – after the defeat of the Titans, was awarded
control of the Underworld |
Nature
Devil fish – common name for the manta ray Dust devil – name applied to whirlwinds occurring over
deserts or semi-arid plains Tasmanian Devil – a carnivorous
and scavenging marsupial now restricted to Tasmania Witch hazel – family of trees whose species produce
various extracts (including gum) used in cosmetics and liniments Devil’s Triangle – alternative name for the Bermuda Triangle |