lady-deviant

[lady-deviant]

Yeah, well, I’m crazy, but I’m not stupid, hopefully. And I think we’re all a bit crazy if we do anything that’s deviant. I’ve studied a great deal on deviance and aberrant behavior. Most of the interesting people I’ve ever met have been deviant in one form or another.

Anton LaVey (via lady-deviant)

[lady-deviant]

The Necronomicon is a fictional book appearing in the stories by writer H.P Lovecraft and his followers. It was first mentioned in Lovecraft’s 1924 short story “The Hound”. The book contains an account of the ’old ones’ and the means for summoning them.

The line between fact and fiction was blurred in the late 1970s when a book claiming to be a translation of “the real” Necronomicon was published. This book, by the pseudonymous “Simon” had little connection to the fictional Lovecraft Mythos but instead was based on Sumerian mythology. It was later dubbed the “Simon Necronomicon”. Going into trade paperback in 1980 it has never been out of print and has sold 800,000 copies by 2006 making it the most popular Necronomicon to date.

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The lead sprinkler… Basically a ladle on the end of a handle. The top half of the sphere could be taken off and the lower half was filled with molten metal, boiling oil, boiling water, pitch or tar. The perforated top half was then re-attached. Shaking or flicking the sprinkler towards the victim showered him or her with the boiling contents of the lead sprinkler.

[lady-deviant]

Amongst a collection of medical oddities housed at the Surgeons’ Hall Museum in Edinburgh lies a tattered pocketbook. It is dark brown—nearly black—with a pebbled texture and gold lettering that has begun to fade with age. Upon closer inspection, the words ‘EXECUTED 28 JAN 1829’ and ‘BURKE’S SKIN POCKET BOOK’ come into focus, revealing the item’s true origins. This is a book bound in the skin of William Burke, the notorious murderer and body snatcher of Burke & Hare fame.

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In 2009, the world’s only known complete ball and chain, dating back to the 17th or 18th century and believed to have once been attached to a convict who drowned trying to escape was found in the Thames River.

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Senseless To Sense God

In 1983 a man was tested to see if he could sense god if all his senses were taken away. Every sense nerve in his brain was disconnected. He could not feel, hear, see or smell. He began reporting he could hear the voices of the dead and gave precise details that he could have not known. He then said he could see them and began clawing at his eyes, it turned to screaming and biting chunks of his flesh off. His last words were "I have spoken with God, and he has abandoned us” and died.

[lady-deviant]

The Occult

The occult (from the Latin word occultus "clandestine, hidden, secret") is "knowledge of the hidden". In common English usage,occult refers to "knowledge of the paranormal", as opposed to "knowledge of the measurable", usually referred to as science. The term is sometimes taken to mean knowledge that "is meant only for certain people" or that "must be kept hidden", but for most practising occultists it is simply the study of a deeper spiritual reality that extends beyond pure reason and the physical sciences. The terms esoteric and arcanehave very similar meanings, and in most contexts the three terms are interchangeable.

[lady-deviant]

That's the "Scold's Bridle," a gruesome mask used as punishment for "rude, clamorous woman," who are considered to be spending too much gossiping or quarreling in the Medieval times. It came complete with a bell on top, no less: Time spent in the bridle was normally allocated as a punishment by a local magistrate. The custom developed in Britain in the 1500s, and spread to some other European countries, including Germany. When wearing the mask it was impossible to speak. This example has a bell on top to draw even more attention to the wearer, increasing their humiliation. It was used until the early 1800s as a punishment in workhouses

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Stockholm Syndrome

Stockholm syndrome, or capture-bonding, is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness. The FBI's Hostage Barricade Database System shows that roughly 8% of victims show evidence of Stockholm syndrome. Stockholm syndrome can be seen as a form of traumatic bonding, which does not necessarily require a hostage scenario, but which describes "strong emotional ties that develop between two persons where one person intermittently harasses, beats, threatens, abuses, or intimidates the other." One commonly used hypothesis to explain the effect of Stockholm syndrome is based on Freudian theory. It suggests that the bonding is the individual's response to trauma in becoming a victim. Identifying with the aggressor is one way that the ego defends itself. When a victim believes the same values as the aggressor, they cease to be a threat.

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Black Widows

Shahidka, or Black Widow, is a term used to describe a collection of Islamist Chechen female suicide bombers. The women are believed to be connected to the Riyad-us Saliheen, which is a small force of Islamic militants. The term Black Widow originated from the distinction that some of the women are widows of men killed or imprisoned by the Russian forces in Chechnya. In the late 1990s, the concept to recruit single females and children for terrorist activity was developed by the Chechen rebel movement commander, Shamil Basayev. Basayev would seek out unstable women and often refer to them as “Brides of Allah.” The ranks of the Shahidkas are filled mainly with 15 to 19-year-old girls. According to journalist Julia Jusik, many of the women have been sold by their parents, while others have been kidnapped or tricked. In some cases, recently widowed individuals have been targeted by the terrorist groups. Many of the female bombers are prepared for the attacks with drug disassociation techniques. They are given very little training and no knowledge of the bomb. The Black Widow terrorist usually doesn’t detonate her own explosives. Females and children are primary used because police don’t suspect them as suicide bombers. This is a practice that is quickly changing in Russia. Islamist terrorists often use cheap unused mobile phones as detonators. The Shahidka handler will explode the weapon by sending the linked cell phone a text message. This is done at a time when it is thought the terrorists can inflict maximum casualties, and the female bomber doesn’t know exactly when the event will occur. After Chechen militant Islamist Shamil Basayev was killed, in 2006, the Shahidkas program was cancelled, but since 2009, the female terrorists are back in Russia. On March 29, 2010, 37 people were killed when two suicide bombers detonated explosives on the Moscow subway. The event was linked to the Shahidkas. On January 24, 2011, an explosion occurred at Domodedovo International Airport, which is Moscow’s busiest. The bomb was targeted at foreign travelers and killed at least 37 people, injuring some 180 citizens. The source of the attack is still unclear and a 20-year-old man has been identified as a main suspect. According to Russian newspaper accounts, the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers, a man and a woman. A disturbing event involving a Black Widow bomber occurred on December 31, 2010. In preparation for a New Year’s Eve Moscow terrorist attack, a female bomber was killed when her weapon was prematurely triggered by a spam message sent by her mobile phone operator. The text was wishing her a Happy New Year and it detonated her suicide belt. The damage was extensive and if the explosion had occurred near Red Square on New Year’s Eve, hundreds of people would have been killed. In most cases, the terrorist’s cell phones are kept switched off until the very last minute, but in this instance, Russian security sources believe, the terrorists were careless. The unnamed Shahidka is thought to be connected with the same group that struck Moscow’s Domodedovo airport 25 days later.

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Galvanic Reanimation of the Dead: The exploits of nineteenth century scientists with electrical batteries and corpses. Experiments were performed on the corpse of Matthew Clydesdale (a freshly killed murderer) at the Glasgow University anatomy theatre, by Dr. Ure and Prof. Jeffray on the 4th November 1818.

[lady-deviant]

This is one of five known X-rays of Hitler's head, part of his medical records compiled by American military intelligence after the German's surrendered and declassified in 1958. The records also include doctor's reports, diagrams of his teeth and nose and electrocardiograms.

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Summum Mummification Services

If the mummies of ancient Egypt fascinate you, then you are going to love this – you can sign up to be mummified too! Summum Mummification Services is the only company of its kind in the world, perfectly preserving human and animal bodies after death.

The company, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, was set up in 1975 by Claude Nowell. He now goes by Summum Bonum Amon Ra, or Corky Ra, for short. “We’re the only ones worldwide who do modern mummification,” he said. Summum’s mummification method is actually a lot more advanced than the ancient Egyptians’, taking only 90 days to complete. First, the blood is drained out of the body and the organs are taken out and cleansed. Then the body is hydrated for over 70 days in a tank full of chemicals that Corky Ra calls his ‘secret formula’.

After the soaking is complete, the body is doused in lanolin and wax, and covered in layers of cotton gauze. About a dozen coats of polyurethane rubber are put on, which dry as tough as a tire. Then come the layers of fiberglass bandages, which set the body in the desired position. Once the mummy is ready, it is encased in a bronze or steel casket.

“The chemicals we use are so permeable that if a drop was put on the hand, just seconds later it can be tasted in the mouth,” said Ron Temu, a counsellor at Summum. “The olden day mummies look very dry and that’s because it was believed the best way to preserve them for the afterlife was to completely dehydrate them. We do the opposite and believe that hydrating the body fully is the best way to preserve it. That’s why the bodies will still look like the day they died, even thousands of years later.”

Corky Ra began practicing and perfecting his mummification techniques in the ‘70s, practicing on 30 cadavers contributed by a local medical school. At first, he had to open the mummified humans after 18 months to check on their progress. And according to state law, he had to incarcerate the bodies, once opened. After years of practice, he got a patent for his procedure and showed off his first creation at a national funeral directors’ convention in Las Vegas in 1985. Their reactions were not what he was hoping for.

“Getting a funeral director to do something different is like moving a mountain,” said Ra. “And this is really different.” But he persisted and the attitude towards his work gradually began to change, especially when cloning became a reality. Ra claims that it is feasible for DNA to be removed from his mummies at a later date by drilling into the casket.

“Being able to take out DNA at a later date has real appeal for people. People started looking at it differently, especially in the funeral industry, to the extent that we have a lot of people calling us now saying, ‘Hey, maybe I can have my DNA preserved.’ People like the idea of being able to clone themselves.”

Looks like it’s true, given the fact that Summum has had over 25,000 inquiries and 1,500 have signed up for the service. It’s not just humans, Summum mummifies people’s pets as well – dogs, cats, finches, peacocks and even rats. “As we have clients from all around the world, if a pet dies, then a vet packs it in ice and it is transported to us straight away,” said Temu. “Some people do like having their mummified pets in their own homes – even animals as small as a rat or a finch. What is amazing is that these animals, like everything else we mummify, looks exactly like the day it died. We test some of the pets after they have been mummified for years and they are perfect,” he added.

Temu also said that a lot of people who signed up in their 30s and 40s are now in their 50s and 60s so there’s a lot of work for Summum to do. According to Gracey Ra, Corky’s wife, “The people that consider being mummified do it for a lot of different reasons. Some of them do it because they don’t like options. Some do it because they think they’ve done something so important in life they want to leave a monument of their accomplishments.” Others, like the Ras, believe that the mummification ceremony helps ease the spirit’s transition into afterlife.

There are also those who sign up without really giving it much thought. Like Sue Menu, who runs a meditation class. “It just felt like it was what I wanted to have done,” she said. “To be honest, I hadn’t really thought that much about it because I was fairly young and I hadn’t really even thought about death.”

But Summum’s mummification services aren’t exactly cheap, so you wouldn’t make a hasty decision unless you were rolling in some cash. It costs US $6,000 to preserve just one cat, while dogs are done for $25,000. Human mummification starts from $40,000, but could cost more for ‘larger adults’.

[lady-deviant]

Start you own oddities collection today!

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A child’s skull showing both baby and adult teeth

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Reptilian Humanoids

David Icke, is a former professional football player, BBC television sports presenter, and British Green Party national spokesperson. Since 1990, he has been what he calls a “full-time investigator into who and what is really controlling the world.”: reptilians. 

He dresses only in turquoise and sustains that the world was ruled by a secret group called “The Elite”: a race of reptilian humanoids, known in ancient times as the Babylonian Brotherhood, and that many prominent people are descended from them, including George W. Bush, Queen Elizabeth II, and Kris Kristofferson. He believes that descendants of the reptiles engage in child molestation and Satanism. He is the author of 15 books explaining his views. After a five-hour speech to students, he received a standing ovation at the University of Toronto in 1999.