Throughout time and throughout many cultures, human kind has been plagued by nightmares and other nocturnal attacks associated with monsters. These creatures have been cited in just about every culture via myth and legend. It has been suggested that the night-mare itself is the origin of all mythology (Kirby, 1901), however I suggest that only some myths are of nocturnal attack origin, since many myths are exaggerations of actual events.

        Nevertheless, who hasn't had at least one nightmare, fleeting glimpse or sensing of a presence. Are there actually "beings" haunting, taunting, watching and feeding (on our emotional energy)? Or are they just some psychological disorder? I suppose the psychological disorder is among the awareness impaired; those who cannot see beyond the façade. Apparently, some type of creature, being or entity exists, rather coexists, in our omniverse. They are beings that can shift between parallel universes or dimensions. Perhaps they are just us interacting with our universe from a higher consciousness. Listed below are many of the names attributed to such creatures...

        In Native American Cherokee mythology there is an evil witch known as the Raven Mocker that takes the form of a spectral bird and shifts into a humanoid, shadow-like phantom. These beings are said to steal the souls of the ill or dying. Such creatures are alleged to fear the shaman or medicine man and so do not enter a home where one resides. A medicine man was sought to watch over the infirm and also to watch over the bodies of the recently deceased, as according to myth once the body was buried the Raven Mocker could not steal the soul.