Now...onto the monsters!
I chose a monster who opens my current WIP, one you've likely never heard of: The GOG Monster.
"GOG" stands for Garden of the Gods, the Colorado Springs location of this particular beastie. GOG is a sasquatch-like monster, often sighted by teens who have snuck into Garden of the Gods after hours to have some drinks or get some jollies. He is said to have glowing red or yellow (or reddish-yellow) eyes and red fur (the better to blend in with the red sandstone surrounding him). He is about 8 feet tall and ever so shaggy. A real knuckle dragger, they say.
There have been no reports of him harming anyone. Indeed, perhaps he is just a sentry, guarding what was once sacred ground to the Utes who lived in the foothills in this area. It may not be so sacred anymore, but what's a big furry monster to do when his only job is removed? Perhaps insure that drunken kids don't graffiti the ancient walls and structures within the park. Yes, I think that may just be it.
What's your local beastie? Any monsters in your books? Are you participating in this blog hop? If so, what did you write about? Leave me a link!
May you find your Muse.
28 comments:
unfortuantely, I'm not participating in this one. Too much going on. And I'm supposed to pace myself. Doctor's orders.
Hugs and chcocolate,
Shelly
Love that GOG monster! I've always been fascinated by Sasquatch creatures. My favorite monster is the werewolf. Blame it all on Lon Chaney, Jr. and The Wolfman.
First time I've ever heard of the GOG monster. And my choice is posted today.
not participating
Love the GOG and I'm sure someone will turn it into a killer!
This is a great blog hop as I am learning all about new monsters!
I shared my most recent.
Fantastic! When I first read this I thought you were going to talk about the Gog and Magog of myth, but this is much more fun.
Where I grew up we had the huge Mobil Chemical plant outside of town. Kids used to talk about how the plant was dumping toxic waste in one of the local creeks and it gave birth to MoMo or the Mobil Monster.
I heard a lot about Momo when I was little, but never anything after that. I have no idea if kids there still think of Momo.
Great monster. Thanks for participating!
That's why I always felt wierd going there after dark! The GOG is already on its way to becoming one of my favorites :)
What a fun hop! And the GOG sounds awesome! Sounds like he'll be a fabulous dynamic to the story! :D
Love your monster pick. I'm not participating. However, back in Connecticut, we had The Hopyard Devil. If you traveled on Hopyard Road around dusk, dawn or at night, a three foot devil follows you staying just off the road in the woods. You could pick up speed and The Hopyard Devil with also pick up speed. But, don't get out of your vehicle as legend has it that if you do, he will take you away.
I had never heard of the GOG monster before. Learned something new today.
My monster is called the 'olm'. It's a subterranean lizard that lives in one place on earth: the underground rivers beneath a national park in Croatia.
The olm is interesting because its head looks like a baby dragon, and it has no color, no eyes, and no ears. When I first came across it in my research, I knew he had to make an appearance in my book.
~Debbie
My monster is from a traveling fair ...
Popped in from the Monstrous Monday blog hop.
thriftshopcommando.blogspot.com
Never heard of this critter before, like Tim above there, I thought for sure you were going to cover Gog and Magog, but this is much more interesting --a monster derived from contemporary, local folklore. Cool.
So far, all of my books have monsters, but, then, you know that.
Ooh, what a creature to open a book with! I don't think we have a local beastie in our area. I posted about a shoggoth today.
Cool monster~ someone's got to watch those sacred places! I did one today too. Also not a normal monster...
Tina @ Life is Good
http://kmdlifeisgood.blogspot.com/
I'm sharing an evil of the mind-control persuasion. But your beastie is pretty beastie. LOL. Good choice, Shannon.
Shelly, always follow doctor's orders! But do you have a local myth?
Melissa, I've always been fascinated by sasquatch and related creatures, too. For the longest time, I had some sort of magazine article all about bigfoot/sasquatch.
Alex, that was my goal! It's a true myth around here, but not one I figured would be duplicated.
Becca, do you have any local myths?
Yolanda, oh, I'm sure they will. I wouldn't be surprised if there were already local myths out there about him trying to harm others. I love monsters!
Tim, you need to bring MoMo back! I love local myths/legends like this. Thanks for an entertaining blog fest!
T, yay! Great to hear. I like to drive through Garden of the Gods in the evening when there's no one else there, but ever since I started writing about this guy, I look at it with entirely new eyes. Plus, I keep an eye out for GOG.
Morgan, I hope so! He's a relatively small part, but I couldn't pass up mentioning a local legend in Myth Stalker.
Donna, he sounds freaky! Thanks for sharing him.
Debbie, I hadn't heard of him until I read Weird Colorado. That's a great book; I highly recommend it! I got it for Oregon, too, and I'd like to get it for Maryland, where I also lived for a number of years. Maybe Texas. Haha, I'm a little addicted. The olm definitely sounds interesting! Is he in your fairy tale? Very cool!
Tami, ooo, sounds interesting!
Garrison, I definitely came across lots of information about Gog and Magog, but I was hoping to cover something no one else would.
Andrew, I do!
Christine, I haven't heard of a shoggoth! Will be along shortly.
Tina, abnormal monsters are the best! ;-p
Joylene, ooo, mind control!
I'm pretty sure there's a Sasquatch up on Pikes Peak, lol! But seriously, Garden of the Gods is gorgeous and should be protected by GOG. I live in your area - up in Florissant:)
Lots of monsters in my books. I like yours. I have a nephew in his late 20s who is still afraid of bigfoot. He's sure he exists.
Ha! So loving the GOG. Nicely thought out. ^_^
And all my books have 'monsters'.
Garden of the Gods is a beautiful place, but I can see how it could have a creepy side. Great locale for a monster legend.
Lee
Tossing It Out
The GOG sounds pretty cool :) I don't think we have any local monsters around here, which is a shame.
Jamie
I don't much write about real monsters. More about people who do monstrous things. Those are scarier to me.
Have a great week!
I'll echo the commenters saying this is more interesting. The idea of a monster having a role is a fine one anyway, but the creature evolving that role over time, maybe observing our changes in the landscape, is something else.
Gwen, I wouldn't doubt it. And I love Florissant! I really like that whole area out there. My goal is to someday live away from it all.
Susan, I'm not convinced he doesn't exist!
Aldrea, every book should have a monster! Or maybe I'm just in Halloween mode.
Lee, in the right frame of mind, those rock formations can be anything, hide anything. But, truly, I'm not afraid of Garden of the Gods. Such a peaceful, wonderful place.
Jamie, that IS a shame! You should invent one.
Carol, I agree that people are far more frightening than any monster.
Porky, I like how you put that. How interesting would it be to observe that?
I've been to the Garden of the Gods a few times (my surviving uncle lives in Colorado), and I never heard that story before. Now I'm going to try to see if it's real next time I'm there!
Carrie-Anne, if you see GOG, you must let me know!
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