Jeffrey Robert Cox

There is a medieval European legend of something called a “night rider”. No, not a talking Firebird; I already have two of those. The story goes, anyone traveling alone at night, especially through a wooded area, was liable to encounter one of these creatures. Apparently, few if anyone actually saw one of these creatures, but he (and it was almost always a he) would feel it. Some *thing* would land on his shoulders. It immediately dug its long, sharp claws into his shoulders, back, and face to maintain its seat, so he couldn’t shake it off. Which was another problem because its weight was immense. The night rider would hiss abuse into the man’s ears, driving him onward toward some destination. The night rider would disappear just before dawn, but by then the man might die of exhaustion. There would seem to be overlap or a cross between this legend and the Scandinavian legend of the *utburd* or *myling* (*mylingr*) who was a vengeful ghost of unwanted baby who was exposed or murdered by the parents - today it might be called a “retroactive abortion” - and thus was unbaptized. The burdened traveler would be forced to carry the myling to consecrated ground such as a cemetery, except the myling would gain weight as they approached the graveyard. The weight could crush the burdened traveler or drive him into the ground; the traveler could die of exhaustion, or just be unable to continue, at which point the myling would become enraged and murder the unfortunate man. If you’re wondering why I don’t look happy in this photo, it’s because Brinkley has dug her claws into my back and shoulders, and it hurts.