Either big or small, frightening or friendly,monsters change depending on how we perceive the world around us. They may help kids get over primordial fears or they may remain echoes of an adult’s darkest psychological fears. Inspired by Romanian folklore, "The Monster Guide" sets off to instruct both children and adults regarding the creatures that inhabit their homes and minds.
A lot of kids go to bed early because of Old Man Ene, or eat all their soup when they hear the Boogeyman knocking at the door. Thus, this guide consists of a journey in the darkest corners of every monster’s psyche. Yes, they may be bad, ugly,grotesque, mischievous and whatnot, but at the same time aren't they the ones that teach you not to steal? That insist you eat everything off your plate? That make you act polite? In a way, you may say that their sole purpose in this world is to help others. All they ask for in exchange is a bit of understanding.
In this book, every monster has:
- a colorscheme
- a story
- a home
- ten personal objects
A lot of kids go to bed early because of Old Man Ene, or eat all their soup when they hear the Boogeyman knocking at the door. Thus, this guide consists of a journey in the darkest corners of every monster’s psyche. Yes, they may be bad, ugly,grotesque, mischievous and whatnot, but at the same time aren't they the ones that teach you not to steal? That insist you eat everything off your plate? That make you act polite? In a way, you may say that their sole purpose in this world is to help others. All they ask for in exchange is a bit of understanding.
In this book, every monster has:
- a colorscheme
- a story
- a home
- ten personal objects
Moș Ene / Old Man Ene
It's hard to drift off to sleep knowing that Old Man Ene may tip toe into your room. He sprinkles very fine sand into your eyes, blows on the back of your neck and then watches you sleep. If he'd know what kids think of him, he'd probably not do things this certain way. Ene has two umbrellas: one with pictures on the inside, for the kids who behave, and another that is gray and ugly, for those who don't. If you earn it, Old Man Ene opens the good umbrella and holds it just above your head for you to dream wonderful dreams. If you don't, you get the bad umbrella and have horrible nightmares all night.
Nobody has ever seen Monster Ene, but if he wouldn't have had such strange methods, he wouldn't have been even considered a monster. His skin is white and his very long beard is also white because he doesn't really like the sun (that's why he lives on the Moon). There are not a lot of things to do there during the day. Every so often, you may find him fishing for stars(his source of light) which he then melts and makes candles, or just keeps as light bulbs. He also collects jars where he keeps his sand, sorted by concentration and he shares his love for darkness with his owl, Paul. His best friend is the Boogey Man (they've known each other since they were kids). Sometimes you may see them sharing a bottle of wine and a meaningful conversation in the Boogeyman's house in the middle of Nowhere.
It's hard to drift off to sleep knowing that Old Man Ene may tip toe into your room. He sprinkles very fine sand into your eyes, blows on the back of your neck and then watches you sleep. If he'd know what kids think of him, he'd probably not do things this certain way. Ene has two umbrellas: one with pictures on the inside, for the kids who behave, and another that is gray and ugly, for those who don't. If you earn it, Old Man Ene opens the good umbrella and holds it just above your head for you to dream wonderful dreams. If you don't, you get the bad umbrella and have horrible nightmares all night.
Nobody has ever seen Monster Ene, but if he wouldn't have had such strange methods, he wouldn't have been even considered a monster. His skin is white and his very long beard is also white because he doesn't really like the sun (that's why he lives on the Moon). There are not a lot of things to do there during the day. Every so often, you may find him fishing for stars(his source of light) which he then melts and makes candles, or just keeps as light bulbs. He also collects jars where he keeps his sand, sorted by concentration and he shares his love for darkness with his owl, Paul. His best friend is the Boogey Man (they've known each other since they were kids). Sometimes you may see them sharing a bottle of wine and a meaningful conversation in the Boogeyman's house in the middle of Nowhere.
Baba Cloanța / Old Lady Cloanța
Old Lady Cloanţa kidnaps children that wander too far away from home and takes them to her cottage. Sometimes parents willingly give up their kids (or threaten them they will if the kids don't behave). Cloanţa is one scary old lady: even her cottage is placed on chicken legs that go wherever they please (but they prefer dark forests). That's why she doesn't have a lot of visitors. She originally only cooked Children Soup but as times passed, she got the hang of cooking and even released her own Recipe Book. It's her passion, she watches all kinds of culinary shows and experiments with flavors. To be fair, her kitchen is also very well equipped. Adults are too stringy for her taste so she prefers to share her wisdom with them: she gives them anti-aging tips and tricks and reads their fortune.
When princes wind up at her door on their way to save the princesses, she helps them with kind words, potions and talismans. Her place is packed full of them. She wears her hair long and uncombed, she doesn't really care about how she looks. Old Lady Cloanţa also has a sister somewhere in Russia who flies around in a magic mortar. They don't see each other all that often, but sometimes they chat on the phone all afternoon.
Omul Negru / The Boogeyman
The Boogeyman is an universal monster. Over here, they call him Bau Bau, but he thinks that name does not represent him in any way. Parents call on him for various reasons, depending on the location (you may find brothers and cousins of his all over the world, under different names). Most of the time, parents invite him over when children don't eat their soup or misbehave. Politely, the Boogeyman knocks on the door to announce his arrival. He never hurts children, he just takes them to his house in the middle of Nowhere and keeps them there until they've learned their lesson (for a dramatic effect, he locks them up in a separate room). While the kids are learning their lessons, he sits in his comfy chair, drinks red wine and reads cheesy romantic novels.
Now and then, he talks on the phone with Old Man Ene, who waves at him when he peaks through his telescope. The Boogeyman is a very refined monster, you'll never see him without his trench coat and hat (that's why nobody has ever seen his face). In the afternoon he either listens to jazz music played on his old gramophone (which he got from his grandfather) or takes a walk through the middle of Nowhere and takes pictures. He says that the light in that certain time of day is best for doing that. He likes taking photographs with his Polaroid camera because he's to impatient to wait for photos on film to be developed.
Now and then, he talks on the phone with Old Man Ene, who waves at him when he peaks through his telescope. The Boogeyman is a very refined monster, you'll never see him without his trench coat and hat (that's why nobody has ever seen his face). In the afternoon he either listens to jazz music played on his old gramophone (which he got from his grandfather) or takes a walk through the middle of Nowhere and takes pictures. He says that the light in that certain time of day is best for doing that. He likes taking photographs with his Polaroid camera because he's to impatient to wait for photos on film to be developed.
Ghionoaia
Ghionoaia is the kind of monster that is set as an example to children, but isn't an active presence in their lives. Originally, Ghionoaia was a girl that was transformed into a bird by her parents, because she misbehaved. Now she lives in a castle and anyone who tries to get near her is killed on sight.
When she was young (before the transformation) she wanted to be a ballerina. She got that from the music box received from her mother (when she still loved her,Ghionoaia says). After the unfortunate incident, depression started to sink in and she started eating a lot of cookies and cupcakes. She's very unhappy with how she looks, so every mirror in her house is broken. She prefers being alone, because sharing her things with others isn't her most favorite thing in the world (not even with her sister, Scorpia). Because of that, she has the tendency to keep a lot of useless things (and is, in fact, a horder).
When she was young (before the transformation) she wanted to be a ballerina. She got that from the music box received from her mother (when she still loved her,Ghionoaia says). After the unfortunate incident, depression started to sink in and she started eating a lot of cookies and cupcakes. She's very unhappy with how she looks, so every mirror in her house is broken. She prefers being alone, because sharing her things with others isn't her most favorite thing in the world (not even with her sister, Scorpia). Because of that, she has the tendency to keep a lot of useless things (and is, in fact, a horder).
Omul Curcă / Turkey Man
Omul Curcă is more of an underground monster that can be spotted in the countryside. Children see him when they go to steal fruit, vegetables or flowers from other people's yards. He's thought to be the garden keeper, he protects the corn fields, grape and pumpkin plantations or apple trees (depending on the season). He never hurts the children, he just turns his hunchback towards them and makes turkey noises (that's the only resemblance he has with this bird). While doing this, he wears a long coat, that's his uniform. Omul Curcă lives in mister Mitică's abandoned barn (another reason why kids are afraid of him).
Mitică also gave him some land so that he can grow and take care of his own garden. In the evening, they contemplate life together and how quickly time passes. Our monster owns all kinds of tools and special potions and never uses chemicals. He feels bad for city folk who don't have what he has, so when his fruit and vegetables are ready, he spreads the joy to others. Not long ago he found himself a hobby: he loves making model-ships, the ones in the pretty bottles. When he's not taking care of his garden, Omul Curcă is happiest when laying barefoot on the grass, under the starlit sky.
