The Haunted Vessel: Objects

Since I’ve discussed items being used in magic to embody a person, I think the next logical step is to look at items which actually do embody a person: haunted items. There is a wide-spread belief in the paranormal world that spirits remain here because of their attachment to physical things; be it a person, place, or even possession. This could be for any number of reasons…perhaps it was involved in their death, or had a special meaning in life.

There’s actually a show out right now that explores this concept, Haunted Collector. Now as a disclaimer, I really don’t like the show. I find it entertaining, but lacking any real scientific or moral backing. There’s a lot of controversy around it right now, as many believe the participants to be defrauding their “clients.” However, that aside it is entertaining and does discuss the idea of haunted objects.

Rather than the entire house of an individual being haunted, it may just be that there is an object within that a ghost has attached to. Haunted dolls often fall into this category, such as Robert or Anabelle. The Haunted Collector website has a virtual museum of its pieces, discussing the origins and supposed supernatural abilities of each.

If you Google "haunted object" you'll get a metric ton of websites devoted to everything from dolls and paintings to music boxes and even pieces of clothing. Here are a few of my favorites of the most publicized ones.

"The Hands Resist Him"

Some may recognize this painting from its internet fame as "that haunted eBay painting!" I remember coming across this several years ago when it was first making the rounds, and it's still at the top of my list. If nothing else the painting itself is creepy. Serious child? Check. Creepy expressionless doll? Check. Strange, somewhat horrifying background with disembodied hands? Check!

However the painting gained its fame when it was sold on eBay with the details that it was haunted. The sellers claimed to have had odd experiences, as well as feeling ill when in its presence. Also, as was confirmed by the artist himself, several people in connection with it died not long after coming in contact with it. Either way it's a very creepy painting!

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Mirror

This hotel is known not only for its historical guests, but for some apparently spiritual ones as well! A mirror which currently hangs in the hotel was previously installed in the favorite suite of the one and only Marilyn Monroe. She had a great fondness for the Roosevelt, and supposedly she hasn't left yet. Hotel staff and guests alike are said to have seen Marilyn's reflection when looking in "her" mirror. She is also purported to haunt their ball room as well.

Of course no haunted object post would be complete without including both Robert the doll and Anabelle. I've discussed these two in their own entries, so if you don't know much about either, go check them out!

More information on "The Hands Resist Him."

Haunted Roosevelt Hotel mirror: Wiki, article.

The Haunted Vessel: My favorite voodoo doll.

The above title is from Voltaire's song "Don't Go by the River," a piece that sings of New Orleans and its darker side. I've done Haunted Vessel pieces in the past about the purpose of dolls in magic and religion, but I don't think I fully explored it enough.

I won't delve too deeply into magical theory, but the branch of interest for this post is something called "sympathetic magic*." Basically sympathetic magic is the use of an item (or items) as a representation of the person/thing you wish to do magic for. A practical example would be the use of poppets or voodoo dolls. The item is made in the image of the person, sometimes using personal identifiers (hair/nails/etc.). Once you have the doll created, magic is then worked on that, with the understanding that through this method it is also worked on the individual the doll represents.

Obviously this is most famous in some voodoo practices, but this kind of magic has been worked by all different cultures for many, many years. The ancient Romans and Greeks for example had something called curse tablets*, which used a form of sympathetic magic. The individual would create a tablet of varying materials, and inscribe words on it detailing a curse. Sometimes these would be made in the image of a person, but more often they remained in a general tablet shape. The words themselves though would specify a certain person or thing that the individual wished to curse.

Poppets are found in movies and literature as synonymous with witches and/or magic. Ranging from works like The Crucible to more contemporary venues like anime. Ghost Hunt which I have discussed here before, illustrates the use of sympathetic magic in two sets of episodes: After School Hexer and Forbidden Pastime. In both cases sympathetic magic is used in conjunction with "dolls" formed in the shape of a person and named. I won't spoil the endings, but if you're interested you can catch Ghost Hunt on Hulu.

As I mentioned above, voodoo dolls are the epitome of sympathetic magic at least where popular culture is concerned. Voodoo itself is far more multi-faceted than that, but generally most people recognize it for this practice. A voodoo doll is an item made in the image of a certain person, frequently using specific items to connect it to that person. Be it hair or skin or otherwise, these pieces are believed to create a stronger connection/focus with the individual in question. Of course these days you can go out and buy your very own "voodoo doll" in any number of mass-marketed kits, giving everyone the opportunity to do some sympathetic magic should they wish.

*If you're looking for more information on sympathetic magic, Elfie Music (of Paranormal State fame) has a great article here.
**Curse tablet information here. Above tablet picture from this site.

Anniversary

Tomorrow will mark the one year anniversary of Uriel coming home (aka his first "birthday)! I hope to get out and take some pictures with the birthday boy and Fumi, as I've been quite remiss so far. The decimation of my computer by that virus really knocked me for a loop. I lost everything, doll photos and Haunted Vessel pieces included. :(

However I am starting to get back on my feet and I expect to feature a few HV pieces at once for your reading pleasure. :)

Update: Virus

The Haunted Vessel posts have been delayed a bit by a virus that completely devastated my computer. It deleted everything (programs, files, etc.) in under a minute. :( However the system is almost back up and running, so expect posts again soon!

Tattoo update!

Just a quick update concerning my most recent tattoo. It was my birthday this week, and it's my tradition to try and get some art on or around my birthday. This year I chose to get a Voltaire-themed tattoo. If you're unfamiliar with Voltaire, he's a goth musician who is also a bit of a renaissance man. He's done everything from stop-motion animation to toy designs to music of all kinds. He's a fantastic artist, and also a very down to earth, nice person.

I actually went to see him last week as a sort of early birthday celebration, and after such an amazing show, I felt a tattoo was appropriate. :) The piece was done by the very talented Frankie at Scorpion Tattooing. I credit him with the real design work, as I basically brought in a mock up and he turned it into something really amazing.

Jewelry Review

I occasionally throw in posts here about things other than dolls. I think that jewelry can fall under the category of a "vessel." These are two of my newest pieces that I just received, one of which was made for me while the other was a happy accident I stumbled upon.


This first piece is made by a jeweler I have worked with before, for my vampire ring. I contacted ChYMieRa in the hopes of having a pendant made to resemble the one Paksenarrion has in the book The Deed of Paksenarrion*. Said book is my favorite book ever (which is saying something), and I wanted to do a loose Girdish** warrior cosplay for King Richard's Faire this year. So I got in touch with ChYMieRa with my design idea, and after a few days I was sent pictures of this beautiful piece.

The pictures really don't do it justice, in person the crescent is amazingly shiny and so perfect. I couldn't be happier with the product, and as usual ChYMieRa was an absolute pleasure to work with. If you're looking for some unique jewelry or to have a piece made, check out the Etsy shop here.

This next piece was the "happy accident" one. I have a habit of just browsing Etsy from time to time, using certain keywords. In particular I tend to look for Sailor Moon and Buffy items. So imagine my glee when I searched "Buffy" and came up with this stunning piece. It speaks to the goth in me, but it's not over the top. I also am fond of the rosary style necklace, as long as it's not actually a rosary. This one has enough of a mix that I loved it.

An added bonus to the beautiful jewelry was that the Feral Strumpet was fantastic to work with. I have a general rule that I don't buy a lot from overseas simply because of the extra costs and problems that can arise with shipping. This time however I took a chance on her great feedback, and was very satisfied. The item shipped quickly, and she kept in touch even after it was sent. It arrived about when I expected, but even that was quick for overseas shipments. It was beautifully packaged (which is a weakness of mine I admit) and came with a great little bookmark as an extra gift. I am just tickled pink at the whole transaction, and will definitely be buying again. Please check out the Feral Strumpet's shop for more beautiful jewelry!

*The Deed of Paksenarrion is by Elizabeth Moon, and is sort of a "Middle Earth" style story involving paladins, elves, gods, and monsters. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.
**Gird is one of the main gods/saints in the book, and by far my favorite.
Photos are credited to their respective creators. I use the photos from the actual item listings.

Back from hiatus/vacation finally!

I'm back! Life tends to throw me curve balls when I least expect it...often right before I have a planned vacation as well. So here I am, refreshed and ready to blog once more!

This post will just be a "coming attraction" for the next few weeks. I've got Fumi pictures uploaded and ready to go, new pictures of Uri in his Vocaloid outfit, a traveling Vessel doll report, and a jewelry review! Not to mention the fact that October is fast approaching and that means the Haunted Vessel shall return with weekly posts. So keep your eyes peeled...or don't because that sounds positively gross. :P