From ancient Indians,
Celts, and Christians – Boo! Six Weeks of Weird Halloween Words ~ Introduction
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| Painting by Richard Hook |
Halloween’s witching season is just around the next dark corner, as we peruse the discounted, mondo bags of candy in the stores, trying to ignore their enchanting aroma.
Much
of Halloween’s mystique is fueled by folklore
– which brings me to one of my Words With Friends entries to lead off the ghostly
season.
MANITOU (manʹɘ tōōʹ; also manitu or manito):
n. Folklore among the Algonquin
Indians, any of various spirits or supernatural forces variously conceived of
as nature spirits of both
good and evil influence.
Spirits have influenced
our cultures since the beginning of societies. The advent of storytelling
fueled mesmerizing tales of life after death and exploration of the
supernatural – and we still don’t know what, if any, is “real.” What should we believe?
