#838 Blame the Stranger

Amelius on Jan. 11, 2010

Oh, you have no idea how long I've waited to use that pun!

Techinically, a “mara” is a different (though similar) creature to the alp, but alps are mistakenly referred to by this name because of their similarity (maras tend to be female, usually a hag or a beautiful woman, I don't think they wear hats; alps tend to be male, are short and dwarf/hobgoblin/elf-like, and wear hats.) Both of these creatures delight in the giving of nightmares, making people sick, suffocating people in their sleep, and on occasion having their way with someone, though by all accounts for the alp this is pretty rare. As for the succubi comment, remember that *you know what* is not the only thing succubus/incubus are known for. They were also blamed for nightmares, which is what Hex was mostly referring to. However given the context of their sickness, the implications are still there regarding her flirtatious nature! But since the alp and mara are often likened to the incubus/succubus, it's not something that would have gone under the radar for Hex.
Hope that makes sense! So a mara is just the feminine name for a female alp, just to tell the difference(since they're rare) but it's an incorrect name nonetheless.

The evil eye thing is indeed part of alp lore however! It's the one on the right. Apparently, putting out that eye will effectively pacify an alp. And yes, it can make people sick, but only if the alp stares them down with it.


Oh, and 3 updates this week to make up for last week's missed page! I'll probably update that on Friday.