The skull is home to the mind, to thought, to ideas. It holds much mystery. What is the power of this bone structure that houses the personality of the living and what is its personality in death? What role can a skull play in your fantasy, horror, or Gothic story?
Skull Descriptors
- the skull may be: human, humanoid, monstrous, dragon, neanderthal, alien, futuristic,
- adult, aged, child, infant, fetal, middle-aged, teenaged, adolescent, ancient, elder,
- bone, cartilage, wooden, stone, exoskeletal, plastic, glass, crystal, ebony, obsidian, horn, tusk, ivory,
- smashed, crushed, cracked, broken, fractured,
- painted, carved, patterned, etched, embossed, covered in glitter, dyed, covered in dripped wax,
- spotted, mottled, dotted, striped, patterned,
- smelly, stinky, fetid,
- moldy, musty, rotting, infected, affected,
- drilled out, burned, cut into,
- mummified, dried, petrified, boiled, cured, emaciated,
- complete, whole, pure, preserved,
- written on, scripted, lettered, coded, covered in dark poetry, scarred with symbols,
- corrupted, defiled, desecrated,
- honored, sanctified, respected,
- grotesque, deformed, disfigured,
- chained, boxed, tied to a rope,
- shrunken, enlarged,
- deconstructed, dismantled,
- gilded, silver-gilt,
- covered in fabric, mesh,
- tufted with sacred grass,
- has horns (or one horn), antlers, tusk (grafted or biological),
- has fake eyeballs, preserved eyeballs, glass eyes, magic crystal eyes, cursed ruby eyes,
- has pieces of skin, flesh, hair, hide,
A skull may be…
- good, evil, sanctified, diabolical, abysmal, dire, religious, holy, satanic, demonish,
- relevant, meaningful, important, significant, special, prized, worth a lot of money, expensive,
- an artifact, relic, treasure,
- frightening, scary,
- ominous, prophetic,
- holographic, illusory, a mirage, delusory,
- symbolic, representative of ___, part of ____,
- an ancestor, familial, filial,
- of your house, order, guild, line,
- animated, magical, enchanted, cursed, blessed,
- a talisman, ward, warning,
- coated with contact poison, booby trapped (see more TRAPS here), a trigger device,
- loaded with a magic sorcery (see SPELLS here for ideas), cursed, blessed,
- revered, respected, feared, honoured, cherished,
- a device for teleporations, mana, scrying, seeing, clairvoyance, glimpsing the future, reading minds, ESP, psychic projection, ethereal travel,
Stuff around Skulls
- a body, skeleton, corpse, mummy,
- bones, ribs, knuckles, a strung together hand,
- tiny personal treasures: beads, trinkets, buttons, a key, a lock of hair, necklace, ring, coins, token, gold nugget, silver locket,
- pewter mug, keg, wineskin, horn of ale, bottle of wine, mickey of whiskey, snuff box, tobacco, a pipe,
- a letter, note, script, scroll,
- freize, fresco, mural, tapestry, painting, cross-stitch,
- idol, icon, totem, medicine bag,
- candle, taper, matches, incense, tinderbox, torches, lantern, scented candles, tallow,
- mice, vermin, bugs, beetles, spiders, caterpillars, worms,
- magic scroll, ring, potion, tome, locket, amulet, holy symbol, sword, weapon, staff, hat, gourd, chimes, brazier, bag, box,
- containers, box, crate, pouch, purse, sack, jug, barrel,
- feather, hide, skins, pelt,
- food, rations, hard cheese, provisions, bread, salt,
Characters around Skulls
- ghost, spirit, poltergeist, UNDEAD,
- cleric, holyman, shaman, medicine man,
- warrior, soldier, guard, sentinel, guardian,
- barbarian, savage, wildling, outcast, frontier creature, outsider, hill tribesman, edger, frontiersman,
- warlock, necromancer, sorceress, witch,
- wizard’s familiar, animal spirit, shapeshifter,
- divine messenger, angel, demon, devil, archangel, high spirit,
- witch, pagan,
- hermit, seer, oracle,
… and whose skull is it?
- family member, ancestor, relative, family pet,
- celebrity, famous dude,
- caveman, neanderthal,
- animal, ape, monster, dragon,
- explorer, adventurer, hunter, ranger, scout, traveler,
- missing person, Jane Doe,
- sacrifice, slave,
- a wino, homeless, street person, prostitute,
Skull Environments
- crypt, mausoleum, vault, burial plot, sacred ground, ancient barrow,
- old battlefield,
- lab, facility,
- sanitorium, asylum, old shut-down wing of a hospital,
- wizard’s quarters, necromancer’s library, priest’s steamer trunk,
- makeshift grave in the woods,
The marks, decoration, or writing on a skull may be…
- a code, key, password,
- symbolic, figurative, a motif, pattern,
- a clue, secret, evidence,
- warning, omen, prophecy, dire prediction,
- a spell, chant, conjuring word, evocation, summoning,
- part of a ritual,
- a ward, protection, spiritual barrier, guardian spell, force of good, holy wall,
- a cryptic note, incomplete note,
- a treasure map, directions, a compass,
- the beginning of a scavenger hunt,
- one part of a puzzle,
- a grocery list, phone number, lottery numbers, recipe of the colonel’s eleven herbs and spices (finally revealed!),
- an ancient ritual,
- cosmic message,
- lyrics to a song, poetry,
- a suicide note, last words, a desperately scrawled warning,
- written backwards, mirror writing,
Story Developments for Skulls
- when a character touches a skull, a spirit of some form takes possession of them.
- a skull of an ancient charmer can be used to draw forth great power of influence (may lead to political intrigue)
- … and then the skull began to speak.
- a skull is found in the edge of a pond leading to the reopening of a cold case — a grisly murder that some in the police force would like to leave to… Rest In Pieces.
Notes and Ideas for Skulls
- a skull could be a prophetic symbol and what is done with it may lead to freedom or oppression, apocalypse or salvation, good or evil (see FORCES CONCEPTS for more ideas on these big-ticket ideas)
- skulls may belong to strange MONSTERS, long gone from the world… or so it is thought.
- catacombs can be filled with literally thousands of skulls; what might be the collective aura of all of them together?