the.com/monster
the shape fear takes when we'd rather blame teeth than ourselves
means A creature of frightening, often unnatural form — or, by extension, a person of monstrous cruelty or a thing of monstrous size.
from From Latin 'monstrum,' a divine omen or portent — literally something shown or revealed, from 'monere,' to warn (the same root that gives us 'monitor' and 'admonish'). To the Romans a monster wasn't just terrifying; it was a sign from the gods that something had gone wrong. The word came into English through Old French 'monstre,' and over time the warning faded while the teeth remained.
- latin root
- monstrum meant a divine warning or omen
- under beds
- every culture invents one to scare kids
- size matters
- originally just meant anything unnaturally large or deformed
- frankenstein twist
- the monster is the doctor, not the creature
- deep sea
- giant squid were myths until 2004 photos
godzilla — 1954 japanese kaiju film that spawned 32+ movies and became a cultural icon
king kong — 1933 film creature that climbed the empire state building, remade multiple times
frankenstein's creature — 1818 mary shelley novel character, the original modern monster archetype
the thing — 1982 john carpenter film alien shapeshifter in antarctica, cult horror classic