Monsters vs Animals
Posted by: Nick Redfern on July 29th, 2013
My latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com deals with the usage of the highly emotive term of “monster” when it comes to creatures of the cryptozoological kind.
It begins like this:
“When is a monster not a monster? Well, I’ll tell you: when it’s a monster-sized animal. Within the field of Cryptozoology, when someone uses the term ‘monster’ they are usually referring to a creature of definitively unknown origin and identification. But, sometimes, the word is used to describe something that may be a regular animal, but one of unusually massive proportions.
“A classic example is the Loch Ness Monster – or, more correctly, the Loch Ness Monsters, since it’s absurd to think that the lore of the loch is based around just one long-lived animal. For the Scottish tourist board – Visit Scotland, as it’s known – it would be an absolute dream come true if the Nessies were proved to be plesiosaurs, those famous, long-extinct marine reptiles.”
About Nick Redfern
Punk music fan, Tennents Super and Carlsberg Special Brew beer fan, horror film fan, chocolate fan, like to wear black clothes, like to stay up late. Work as a writer.
Forget plesiosaurs already…
Monsters are animals all the same. We as lifeforms should stop trying to divide ourselves. Killers of are own species are described as “monsters”. Animals that only due natural things are called “monsters” if they hurt people. Creatures rumored to exist that aren’t yet proven are called “monsters”.
As a horror writer “monster” has become a term that encompasses too much. In fiction the monster is often the vicious beast or killer that is there in the story for specific reasons. In real life though monster is merely a way of throwing something under the bus for doing things the caller doesn’t find to be what’s best for them.
MattPriceTime;
As a writer, know that our refers to ownership and are refers to being. Also, do refers to action and due refers to debt and your syntax is a little shaky. Nevertheless, you are correct in your averment regarding the assignment of the term “monster”.