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mountain

08-01-2011, 07:36 PM

Been wanting to start a thread about mythical and fantastical creatures for some time now. I have also gotten some inspiration from another member Sh3lly who has created the 'Everything About Aliens' thread in the UFO section.

Often we come across stories and fables with many curious beings and places. I always wondered whether or not they were really fictional or actually based on real interactions with strange beings. It could be a li'l of both. Either way, I am fascinated by the idea that a diversity of beings and creatures live amongst us, residing in a dimensional plane within this one and in remnants of the past.

This is a thread for all who share a fascination for elves, faeries, gnomes, dryads, dragons, lamias, mermaids and other mystical creatures as well as places. Feel free to post images, personal accounts and snippets of lore, there are no limits :)

I will begin with Medusa ..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/bf55ab83.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Here we have the classic Clash of the Titans version..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/9286c98a.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

... and the 2010 version ..
http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/ecb768e7.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Artwork by David Bovey ..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/5d769fbe.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Yunalesca of Final Fantasy X ..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/95ec4bb4.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Pet Shop of Horrors ..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/0cc79065.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/b5b6556e.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Medusa, one of the three Gorgons, daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. She was the only one of the Gorgons who was subject to mortality. She is celebrated for her personal charms and the beauty of her locks. Neptune became enamoured of her, and obtained her favours in the temple of Minerva. This violation of the sanctity of the temple provoked Minerva, and she changed the beautiful locks of Medusa, which had inspired Neptune’s love to serpents. According to Apollodorus, Medusa and her sisters came into the world with snakes on their heads, instead of hair, with yellow wings and brazen hands. Their bodies were also covered with impenetrable scales, and their very looks had the power of killing or turning to stones. Perseus rendered his name immortal by his conquest of Medusa. He cut off her head, and the blood that dropped from the wound produced the innumerable serpents that infest Africa. The conqueror placed Medusa's head on the shield of Minerva, which he had used in his expedition. The head still retained the same petrifying power as before, as it was fatally known in the court of Cepheus. . . . Some suppose that the Gorgons were a nation of women, whom Perseus conquered.

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/bogan/medusamyth.htm

metacomet

08-01-2011, 08:49 PM

Good thread mountain :)

I'd like to post some nature spirits!

Dryads and hamadryads are two types of wood nymphs in Greek mythology. These female nature spirits were thought to inhabit trees and forests, and they were especially fond of oak trees. Dryads were often depicted in myth and art accompanied - or being pursued by - their male counterparts, the satyrs.

First pic is by one of my fav artists Boris Vallejo! I have some of his other pics in one of my profile albums (http://davidicke.com/forum/album.php?albumid=555).

http://www.paleothea.com/Pictures/DryadsVallejo.jpg

http://www.heandfi.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/dancer_tree.jpg

They are pursued (in greek mythology) by Satyrs, minions of Dionysus, who are most often depicted being with Nymphs.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/2303516454_7c6348b89b.jpg
http://www.terminartors.com/files/artworks/2/9/2/29225/Bocklin_Arnold-Nymph_and_Satyr.normal.jpg
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/3249/theodoregericaultnympha.jpg

Seems to me that Nymphs, Dryads and Satyrs etc. are personifications of the spirit of sex in a natural setting (not so much debauchery or carnal settings, although Dionysus is given credit for the drunken orgies of roman times etc).

The Dryads, Nymphs etc. personify feminine sexuality in nature -
The Satyr obviously personifying the male aspect.

Separate from the sexual nature of the natural feminine / natural male avatars you have the spiritual nature of the fairies:

http://www.josephinewall.co.uk/fairies/fairys_fairy.jpg

They are nature spirits as well. Not just tiny little winged people but actual earth energies expressed as conscious entities.

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/5914/ecetifairies.jpg

The reason fairies are depicted as little beings with wings is obvious. They are energy bodies in the form of rotating little spindles of light. They are like orbs except that they are especially close to the natural world and I believe are seen only in some locations. ECETI ranch in Washington obviously being one of them :p I experienced something following me around in the field at night by myself out there, I do believe them when they say they have nature spirits. And I take the idea of gnomes and fairies a little more seriously in light of that. It's not a cartoonish notion but a spiritual one.

They are actual entities that exist closer to nature than we do and are very protective of it. James Gilliland said that they express appreciation towards people who protect or love nature because they are kindred spirits - and that some human beings have actual past lives / alternate identities as these nature spirits. Some people are more elf/gnome/fairy than human and some of us have met such people before! Or we could be one ourself :)

Gnomes are the male expression of the fairy nature, sort of like Satyrs are the male expression of Nymphs.

mountain

08-01-2011, 11:13 PM

Thanks Metacomet :) Lots of great info you presented here! I have just recently been introduced to James Gilliland. I really like the vibe that I get from him, along with his accounts.

mountain

09-01-2011, 12:02 AM

NÄga () is the Sanskrit and PÄli word for a minor deity taking the form of a very large snake, found in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. The use of the term nÄga is often ambiguous, as the word may also refer, in similar contexts, to one of several human tribes known as or nicknamed "NÄgas"; to elephants; and to ordinary snakes, particularly the King Cobra and the Indian Cobra, the latter of which is still called nÄg in Hindi and other languages of India. A female nÄga is a nÄgÄ«.

Nagas in Hinduism

Stories involving the nÄgas are still very much a part of contemporary cultural traditions in predominantly Hindu regions of Asia (India, Nepal, and the island of Bali). In India, nÄgas are considered nature spirits and the protectors of springs, wells and rivers. They bring rain, and thus fertility, but are also thought to bring disasters such as floods and drought. According to some traditions nÄgas are only malevolent to humans when they have been mistreated. They are susceptible to mankind's disrespectful actions in relation to the environment. Since nÄgas have an affinity with water, the entrances to their underground palaces are often said to be hidden at the bottom of wells, deep lakes and rivers. They are especially popular in southern India where some believe that they brought fertility to their venerators. Some believed that the legends of nÄgas may have originated with some kind of tribal people in the past.

Varuna, the Vedic god of storms, is viewed as the King of the nÄgas. nÄgas live in PÄtÄla, the seventh of the "nether" dimensions or realms [1]. They are children of Kashyapa and Kadru. Among the prominent nÄgas of Hinduism are Manasa, Shesha or Sesa and Vasuki.

The nÄgas also carry the elixir of life and immortality. One story mentions that when the gods were rationing out the elixir of immortality, the nÄgas grabbed a cup. The gods were able to retrieve the cup, but in doing so, spilled a few drops on the ground. The nÄgas quickly licked up the drops, but in doing so, cut their tongues on the grass, and since then their tongues have been forked.

The name of the Indian city Nagpur is derived from NÄgapuram, literally, "city of nÄgas".

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/8175dc2b.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

NÄgas in Buddhism

Traditions about nÄgas are also very common in all the Buddhist countries of Asia. In many countries, the nÄga concept has been merged with local traditions of large and intelligent serpents or dragons. In Tibet, the nÄga was equated with the klu (pronounced lu), spirits that dwell in lakes or underground streams and guard treasure. In China, the nÄga was equated with the lÃ³ng or Chinese dragon.

The Buddhist nÄga generally has the form of a large cobra-like snake, usually with a single head but sometimes with many. At least some of the nÄgas are capable of using magic powers to transform themselves into a human semblance. In Buddhist painting, the nÄga is sometimes portrayed as a human being with a snake or dragon extending over his head.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/53b26e0d.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

NÄgas both live on Mount Sumeru, among the other minor deities, and in various parts of the human-inhabited earth. Some of them are water-dwellers, living in rivers or the ocean; others are earth-dwellers, living in underground caverns. Some of them sleep on top of anthills. Their food includes frogs.

In Buddhism, the nÄgas are the enemies of the minor deities resembling gigantic eagles, who eat them. They learned how to keep from being devoured by the by eating large stones, which made them too heavy to be carried off by the .

The nÄgas are the servants of (PÄli: VirÅ«pakkha), one of the Four Heavenly Kings who guards the western direction. They act as a guard upon Mount Sumeru, protecting the devas of from attack by the Asuras.

Among the notable nÄgas of Buddhist tradition is Mucalinda, protector of the Buddha.

Other Naga traditions

For Malay sailors, nÄgas are a type of dragon with many heads; in Thailand and Java, the naga is a wealthy underworld deity. In Laos they are beaked water serpents.

Nagas in Cambodia

In a Cambodian legend, the nÄga were a reptilian race of beings who possessed a large empire or kingdom in the Pacific Ocean region. The NÄga King's daughter married the king of Ancient Cambodia, and thus gave rise to the Cambodian people. This is why, still, today, Cambodians say that they are "Born from the NÄga". The Seven-Headed NÄga serpents depicted as statues on Cambodian temples, such as Angkor Wat, apparently represent the 7 races within NÄga society, which has a mythological, or symbolic, association with "the seven colours of the rainbow". Furthermore, Cambodian NÄga possess numerological symbolism in the number of their heads. Odd-headed NÄga symbolise the Male Energy, Infinity, Timelessness, and Immortality. This is because, numerologically, all odd numbers come from One (1). Even-headed NÄga are said to be "Female, representing Physicality, Mortality, Temporality, and the Earth."

Nagas in Nagaland

The Naga people of Nagaland are said to have believed themselves to be descendants of the mythological "NÄgas", but to have lost this belief due to Christian missionary activity.

Prehistoric Nagas

Legends similar to the Cambodian legend exist amongst the tribal Hindus of Southern India (Adivasis) and the aboriginals of Australia. In this version of the legend, the Nagas inhabited a massive continent that existed somewhere in the Pacific Ocean region. The continent sank and the remnants formed the Indonesian archipelago and Australia. These Nagas are said to have developed a subterranean or underwater civilization technologically more advanced than ours and they are thought to possess superhuman powers.

http://www.associatepublisher.com/e/n/na/naga_(mythology).htm

Phanom Rung, Buri Ram Province, Thailand

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/da4c5aad.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/5706e845.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)
Krishna dances over the subdued Kaliya Naag in river Yamuna, while his wives are praying to Krishna for his mercy. Also seen on the banks are people of Gokula, Krishna's father Nanda Baba and his brother Balarama. From a Bhagavata Purana manuscript, c. 1640.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/da562abf.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/d12694fd.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

mountain

09-01-2011, 12:19 AM

Since I am already on the subject of naga type beings mind as well mention Lamia ...

The ancient Greeks believed that the Lamia was a vampire who stole little children to drink their blood. She was portrayed as a snake-like creature with a female head and breasts. Usually female, but sometimes referred to as a male or a hermaphrodite.

According to legend, she was once a Libyan queen (or princess) who fell in love with Zeus. Zeus' jealous wife Hera deformed her into a monster and murdered their offspring. She also made Lamia unable to close her eyes, so that she couldn't find any rest from the obsessing image of her dead children.

When Zeus saw what had be done to Lamia, he felt pity for her and gave his former lover a gift: she could remove her eyes, and then put them on again. This way, though sleepless, she could rest from her misfortune. Lamia envied the other mothers and took her vengeance by stealing their children and devouring them.

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/l/lamia.html

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/44396162.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/fae66347.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/c73e1232.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/eec1737c.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/7bd2d615.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

:eek:

torus

09-01-2011, 12:35 AM

I like alot of Roger Dean's mythical places. I've always wanted to climb this spiral rock.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/108/307827182_d408d2518e.jpg

mountain

09-01-2011, 12:47 AM

A favourite character of mines ...

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/b70ab333.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Deis (pronounced DAY-iss) is a recurring character in the Breath of Fire series. Due to a translation issue, she was known as 'Bleu' in the original SNES releases of the first two games.

Unlike Ryu or Nina, the other two continually recurring characters of the series, Deis is always herself. While Ryu and Nina are descendants or reincarnations of their previous selves, Deis is always the same character, who lives for thousands of years, to the point of near immortality. As a sorceress, she can take many forms, but her favourite is half-woman, half-snake - a Naga. This may be said to be her 'natural' form, since she always reverts to it. However, it is entirely possibly that it is simply the one she likes best. This becomes more likely when one considers that, when Deis is unconscious and imprisoned, she reverts to a human form.

Deis has long dark blue hair (easily past the start of her tail), and in the first two games, wears a hooded purple cape with gold trim, held in place by a heavily jewelled, wide gold brooch which stretches across her collar bones. Beneath this, she wears a purple wrap-around top, slit almost to the waist, held firmly in place with a golden belt. This top covers the top of her tail, falling in a v-shape, decorated, again, with jewels. All of Deis' jewels are red or green.

Deis' tail is green, with a white underbelly. It starts off fairly thick, and tapers to a slim point. When she sleeps, she curls up on top of it.
http://breathoffire.neoseeker.com/wiki/Deis

mountain

09-01-2011, 12:58 AM

I like alot of Roger Dean's mythical places. I've always wanted to climb this spiral rock.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/108/307827182_d408d2518e.jpg

Very beautiful, Torus :) It sort of reminds me of this place in the game Final Fantasy VII, City of the Ancients, Forgotten Capital ...

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/48e49a3c.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/2cb8c849.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/9c1cdea3.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

torus

09-01-2011, 01:10 AM

I think that Dean inspired some of the Avatar floating lanscapes.

http://www.linesandcolors.com/images/2006-05/dean_450.jpg

mountain

09-01-2011, 01:32 AM

I think that Dean inspired some of the Avatar floating lanscapes.

http://www.linesandcolors.com/images/2006-05/dean_450.jpg

Lovely! Here's another Dean one ..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/cd29fb30.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Here is a brief summary of a tale of floating islands that I found in a person'a blog ..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/da77cb3d.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Laputa is a floating island from the classic novel Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. It is one of the many strange lands that Gulliver travels to in his journey. Laputa is an island with a bottom made entirely of adamantine, and the people of Laputa can direct where the island floats to by manipulating the magnetic fields of the metal. It is populated by a patriarchal society made up of scientists and mathematicians, except the people are not particularly logical in the way they go about things like design—for example, using a compass or a quadrant to try and design clothing, rather than a measuring tape.

The king of Laputa also ruled the lands below it, mainly by fear. If a land below rebelled, he would threaten to float the island directly above them, and thus cutting them off from all sunshine or rain, and ultimately creating a famine there. In some cases rocks were thrown off of Laputa onto the cities below—which is supposedly the first idea of aerial warfare. In extreme cases, Laputa could be made to land on unruly cities, crushing them out of existence.

The society is male-dominated, and because of this women had to request to be able to visit the lands below Laputa, which requests were often denied because of the extreme possibility and likelihood that they wouldn’t want to come back. (I wonder why!)

So all in all, while the idea of a floating island is really a magical and wonderful one (at least in my mind), I don’t know that Swift’s Laputa is the one you’d want to visit. Of course, Laputa was also the inspiration of Hayao Miyazaki’s film of the same name, also called Castle in the Sky in the U.S., a movie that comes highly recommended from yours truly.

http://hollowtreetales.wordpress.com/2010/06/

armoured_amazon

09-01-2011, 01:37 AM

Fun thread. :)

size_of_light

09-01-2011, 01:39 AM

I've always dug the mimi spirits of Northern Australia:

The Mimi are tall, thin beings that live in the rocky escarpment of northern Australia as spirits. Before the coming of Aboriginal people they had human forms. The Mimi are generally harmless but on occasions can be mischievous.

When Aboriginal people first came to northern Australia, the Mimi taught them how to hunt and cook kangaroos and other animals. They also did the first rock paintings and taught Aboriginal people how to paint.

http://i51.tinypic.com/2ci8g7o.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/vff2qg.jpg
Aboriginal rock painting of Mimi spirits in the Anbangbang gallery at Nourlangie Rock

Many paintings of what are called "Mimi spirits" are located high up on the rock and it is unclear how human beings could have reached the area to paint them. The Aboriginal people claim that their Mimi rock pictures were painted by the Mimi spirits themselves. The Mimi are very thin and fragile and are said to live in the nooks and crannies of the rocky landscape. The Mimi are seen not only as the artists of their self-portraits, but also the Dreaming ancestors who taught people to paint, hunt, dance and compose songs.

The stories connected to these artworks are known only to certain Aboriginal people.

http://i51.tinypic.com/rhibee.jpg

mountain

09-01-2011, 01:56 AM

Fun thread. :)

Thanks AA! YAAAAAY :)

mountain

09-01-2011, 01:57 AM

I've always dug the mimi spirits of Northern Australia:

http://i51.tinypic.com/2ci8g7o.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/vff2qg.jpg
Aboriginal rock painting of Mimi spirits in the Anbangbang gallery at Nourlangie Rock

http://i51.tinypic.com/rhibee.jpg

That is very interesting! Thanks Size :)

I will have to look more into the Mimi people, never heard of them before until now ..

torus

09-01-2011, 02:00 AM

Fun thread. :)

outrageous avatar!!:eek: To this woman I say, "you look delicious when you're in that mood!"

forgive this interruption, carry on. :)

mountain

09-01-2011, 09:14 AM

NINGYO- The Story of Japanese Mermaids, Part 1

By- Brent Swancer

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/f989a676.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Mermaids. The word conjures up images of magical half human, half fish beings with beautiful maiden bodies atop elegant fish tails. These types of beings have been common fixtures in much folklore, myth, and legend around the world. Sailors from every corner of the Earth have long reported seeing and being enchanted by these enigmatic creatures in the waters of the far flung corners of the Earth.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/554f263d.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

As a nation surrounded by the sea, it is perhaps no surprise that Japan too has its own long tradition of mermaids. These creatures are known to the Japanese as ningyo (人魚), literally “human fish,” as well as gyojin (魚人), “fish human,” and hangyo-jin, (半魚人）or “half-fish human.”

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/37428612.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Stories of fish-like humanoid beings have been reported around Japan for centuries. It is said that the first recorded account of mermaids in Japan dates all the way back to the year 619 during the reign of Empress Suiko, when one was allegedly captured in Japanese waters and brought before the court of the Empress herself.

Physical descriptions of Japanese mermaids vary, however they generally differ in appearance from the typical image of the beautiful maiden torsos with fish tails common to traditional European mermaid lore. Before the influence of foreign lore somewhat changed the image of mermaids in Japan, the Japanese ningyo had little in common with their Western counterparts.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/80760a36.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Although they were often described as having full heads of hair, the ningyo were typically depicted as more bestial and grotesque looking than the European variety, with an appearance more like a cross between a fish and a monkey than that of a beautiful woman. Often the mermaids had barely human scaly arms ending in claws. In many local traditions, these Japanese mermaids had no appendages, and were often said to be just a humanoid head upon a fish body instead of possessing full human torso. The heads were sometimes depicted as being horned, or possessing prominent fangs. Some stories tell of a more relatively normal looking human head, only attached directly to a full fish body. In some traditions, the mermaids retained a form reminiscent of the more familiar version of mermaids, but with a more demonic appearance or having distorted features. Japanese mermaids were sometimes said to have alabaster white skin and high, musical voices that sounded like a skylark or flute.

Many mystical qualities were attributed to the mermaids of Japan. The ningyo were believed to cry tears of pearl, and it was thought that eternal youth and beauty would be imparted upon any human being who consumed a mermaid’s flesh. Many legends tell of women eating the flesh of a ningyo and miraculously ceasing to age, or reverting to a younger, more beautiful form. Like many Japanese folkloric animals, merfolk were also said to have shape-shifting abilities. Mermaids taking on the form of human beings or other creatures are often mentioned in much folklore concerning the creatures. For instance, in the 1870s lighthouse keepers at the Cape Nosaapu Lighthouse in northeast Hokkaido believed that mermaids could turn into deadly jellyfish. These mermaids were thought to masquerade as beautiful, kimono clad women on shore that would lure men into the sea, upon which they would transform into giant jelly fish and kill anyone foolish enough to have gone for a swim with them.

For many Japanese in earlier eras, as in other parts of the world, mermaids were not figments of the imagination or the stories of crazed fishermen, but rather a very real feature of the ocean. Japanese fishermen were well acquainted with them, with sightings being fairly commonplace. Throughout the 16th to 19th centuries, it was not considered particularly unusual for fishermen to tell of seeing these enigmatic beings swimming alongside their boats or attempting to steal fish from their nets.

More relatively modern accounts exist as well, such as a case in 1929, when a fisherman by the name of Sukumo Kochi captured a fish-like creature in his net that had a human face upon the head of a dog. The creature broke free of the net and escaped.

Western explorers also gave accounts of seeing mermaids in Japanese waters. In 1610, a British captain saw one such mermaid from a pier at the port of Sentojonzu. The creature was cavorting in the water nearby and reportedly came quite close to the pier where the bewildered captain stood. The mermaid was described as being the head of a woman atop a body that was all fish, with a dorsal fin running down the middle of the upper body. Sea traders from the west would make note of mermaids in Japanese waters on many occasions in their logbooks.

Not only were ningyo regularly sighted by various seafarers, but tales abound of them being captured by fishermen all over the country, either by accident or by those looking to gain the purported immortality bestowing meat. In the 1700s and 1800s in particular, mermaids were often reportedly brought in by fishermen around Japan. The captured mermaids in some cases were said to have the ability to speak, and would try to trick their captors or talk the fishermen into releasing them. Although many of these mermaids managed to break free, not all were so lucky.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/7f706012.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Among the Ningyo successfully caught by fishermen, some were said to be exhibited in sideshows. In 18th and 19th century Japan, sideshow carnivals known as misemono were quite popular among the populace. These events were like festivals of sorts that featured a wide range of attractions such as acrobatics, dance, fortune telling, and arts and crafts. One very popular type of attraction were exhibitions of strange natural phenomena. These were typically booths comprised of a “cabinet of curiosities” type exhibitions showcasing bizarre animals, plants, and other exotic wonders of nature from all over the world. These booths can be seen as being in many ways similar to the circus sideshows of the U.S. and Europe, attracting curious onlookers with their displays of the mysterious, strange, and sometimes downright freakish.

One of the biggest draws of the misemono sideshows was when mermaids were displayed. These typically dead and preserved specimens drew in huge crowds of people clamoring to get a glimpse of a real mermaid, and many of the exhibitors became wealthy from such shows. Whether any of these specimens were in fact real mermaids or not is not known for sure, but they certainly were quite real to those that saw them. Most common people of the time already considered mermaids to be real, and seeing one in front of their eyes only reaffirmed this notion.

The success and popularity of the misemono sideshow mermaids increased the demand for such attractions. A significant amount of money was changing hands, and some enterprising fishermen consequently began to see an opportunity to make some good extra money by crafting their own mermaid specimens. After all, why go out and go through the trouble of catching a real mermaid when you could make your own? Typically these fake mermaids were cobbled together from the upper torso of monkeys and the lower bodies of fish, as well as all manner of parts such as fur, skin, and membranes, joined in such a way as to avoid detection by the naked eye. These fakes turned out to turn quite a profit, and the increasing presence of more Westerners in Japan willing to pay exorbitant prices for these specimens only increased the trade in fake mermaids.

With regards to trying to discern any grain of truth behind these first mermaid exhibits, it is unfortunate that the one thing Japan became known for concerning mermaids was their ability to manufacture them. The Japanese, long known for mermaid exhibitions in their own country, became renowned overseas for being master craftsmen of fake mermaids, and there is much evidence to suggest the regular manufacture of such curios.

It may sound as if anyone who could be convinced by a such a monstrosity as a monkey sewn to a fish must be extremely gullible, but that would be underestimating the skill and ingenuity some Japanese displayed in these creations. At the time, many Japanese fake mermaids were incredibly convincing to the majority of those who saw them, and even some experts were confounded. An issue of The American Journal of Science and Arts from 1863 describes the craftsmanship of these fake mermaids thus-

“We should judge that the Japanese must have considerable knowledge of the lower animals to be able to produce factitious congeries, so nearly agreeing with nature and so well calculated as to deceive even practiced naturalists.”

As their popularity increased, Japanese mermaids began to pop up all over the place. A typical description of a Japanese made mermaid is written of in the book Curiosities of Natural History by Francis Trevelyan Buckland, in this letter from 1866 from a correspondent of Land and Water.

“Captain Cuming, R.N., of Braidwood Terrace, Plymouth, has returned from Yokohama, bringing with him a great variety of curiosities. Amongst them is a mermaid. The head is that of a small monkey, with prominent teeth; a little thin wool on the head and upper parts; long attenuated arms and claws, below which the ribs show very distinctly; beyond these latter the skin of a fish is so neatly joined that it is hardly possible to detect where the fish begins and and the monkey leaves off. The fish has large scales, spines on the back, a square tail, and appears to be a species of chub. It is quite perfect except the head, which only seems to have been removed to make the joint. Total length about sixteen inches; color of monkey, dull slate; the fish, its natural colour; and the whole in excellent preservation.”

It’s interesting to note the praise given to the craftsmanship on display, a common sentiment regarding the fake mermaids of Japan. Also noteworthy is the small size of the specimen. Most Japanese made mermaids were far from human size, with most being under three feet long.

Another well known specimen was shown at the Oriental Warehouse of Farmer and Rogers in Paris that was 25 inches long. It was described by one observer as follows:

“The lower half of her body is made up of the skin and scales of a fish of the carp family, neatly fastened to a wooden body. The upper part of the mermaid is in the attitude of a sphinx, leaning upon its elbows and forearm. The arms are long and scraggy, and the fingers attenuated and skeleton-like. The nails are formed of little bits of ivory or bone. The head is about the size of a small orange, and the face has a laughing expression of good nature and roguish simplicity. I cannot say much for the expression of her ladyship’s mouth, which is a regular gape, like the clown’s mouth at a pantomime: behind her lips we see a double row of teeth, one rank being in advance of the other, like a regiment of volunteers drawn up in a line. the hind teeth are conical, but the front ones project like diminutive tusks. I am nearly certain as I can be that these are the teeth of a young cat-fish- a hideous fish that one sometimes sees hanging up in the fishmonger’s shops in London. Her ears are very pig-like, and certainly not elegant, and her nose decidedly snub. The coiffeur is submarine, and undoubtedly not Parisian: it would, in fact, be none the worse for a touch of brush and comb.”

The observer later goes on to describe the following:

“At the back of her head we see a series of nobs, which run down the back till they join with a bristling row of 24 spines- evidently the spines of the dorsal fin of the carp like fish. The ribs are exceedingly prominent.”

An issue of the Saturday Magazine of June 4th, 1836 describes another such specimen that was displayed in a glass case in London that had “the skin of the head and shoulders of a monkey, which was attached to the dried skin of a fish of the salmon kind with the head cut off, and the whole was stuffed and highly varnished, the better to deceive the eye.”

Although this particular mermaid was allegedly taken by a Dutch crew from a native Malacca boat, it is likely that it was Japanese made due to the apparent quality of the craftsmanship.

Many of these faked mermaids were exceedingly clever and creative in their design, with the artists using all manner of various animal parts and often taking great artistic license with their creations. One specimen shown at Picadilly in London was found to be made up of a fish tail, ape body, the jaws of a wolf fish, the skull of an ape, and the fur of a fox. Some even had wings attached that were apparently fashioned from those of bats. Again, the quality of construction was so good as to require very careful examination and a keen eye to discover even the vaguest signs of human tampering.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/428d4b70.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

It was quite common for Japanese mermaid specimens to be carried around in special wooden boxes. One such box that contained a mermaid had an inscription in Japanese claiming that the specimen had been captured and kept alive for two days before dying, suggesting that live specimens were sometimes obtained and exhibited as well. Indeed, as spectacular as the exhibitions of stuffed specimens were at the time, there was even a case of a purported live Japanese mermaid put on display. In 1825, a supposedly living mermaid from Japan was shown at Bartholemew’s Fair in London. The attraction brought in droves of amazed, gawking onlookers who could nt believe their eyes. The creature seemed truly spectacular until closer inspection determined that the “mermaid” was in fact a woman with the skin of a fish painstakingly, artfully, and no doubt uncomfortably, stitched to her skin.

http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/japanese-feejee-i/

For Part 2 go here --> http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/japanese-feejee-ii/

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/a7957a77.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/6d1dca1a.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/c90b3b77.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

211200

09-01-2011, 10:27 AM

Theseus and the Minotaur

http://www.108fineart.com/artists/paul_reid/Theseus(Well).jpg

http://www.nem.tku.edu.tw/courses/modernity/2B/image/Vase_Perseus&Minotaur_09.jpg

torus

09-01-2011, 09:52 PM

YES - The Calling

Feel the calling of a miracle
In the presence of the word.
Now we hold the right to rearrange
How the stories can be heard.

In the beginning is the future,
And the future is at hand;
I'll be calling voices of Africa
Be the rhythm to the plan.

From the Congo to Lenasia
Be the writing on the wall.
I'll be calling the colors of India
See the Asian life explode.

Head in to the headlight.
Don't turn from the rain.
There's a fire raging somewhere near,
Like a longtime friend who's
Seen it darker than ebony.
Take off on the turnpike
(Asking for the first call)
Give me more of the same
(Asking for a song)
There's a fire burning in my heart again.

I'll be calling the dragons of China;
See the dancers of the Nile.
See the wings of change are on display
This revelation mine.

Feel the calling of a miracle
In the presence of the word.

Head in to the headlight.
Don't turn from the rain.
There's a fire raging somewhere near,
Like a longtime friend who's
Seen it darker than ebony.
Take off on the turnpike
(Asking for the first call)
Give me more of the same
(Asking for a song)
There's a fire burning in my heart again.

Feel the calling of a miracle,
The revelation mine.

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

mountain

10-01-2011, 12:57 AM

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/7997ce5b.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

The Qilin (Chinese: 麒麟; pinyin: qílín; Wade–Giles: ch'i-lin,騏驎), also spelled Kirin (from Japanese) or sometimes Kyrin, is a mythical hooved Chinese chimerical creature known throughout various East Asian cultures, and is said to appear in conjunction with the arrival of a sage. It is a good omen that brings rui (Chinese: 瑞; pinyin: ruì; roughly translated as "serenity" or "prosperity"). It is often depicted with what looks like fire all over its body. It is sometimes misleadingly called the "Chinese unicorn" due to conflation with the unicorn by Westerners.

The earliest references to the Qilin are in the 5th century BC book Zuo Zhuan.[1][2] The Qilin made appearances in a variety of subsequent Chinese works of history and fiction.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/577a3743.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/31aa690c.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

In legend, the Qilin became tiger-like after their disappearance in real life and become a stylised representation of the giraffe in Ming Dynasty.[3][4] The identification of the Qilin with giraffes began after Zheng He's voyage to East Africa (landing, among other places, in modern-day Kenya). Zheng He's fleet brought back two giraffes to Beijing, and they were referred to as "Qilins".[5] The Emperor proclaimed the giraffes magical creatures, whose capture signalled the greatness of his power.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/6c004d75.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)
A Qilin in the dragon, fish, and ox style of the Ming Dynasty. Note the pair of horns.

The identification between the Qilin and the giraffe is supported by some attributes of the Qilin, including its vegetarian and quiet nature. Its reputed ability to "walk on grass without disturbing it" may be related to the giraffe's long, thin legs. Also the Qilin is described as having antlers like a deer and scales like a dragon or fish; since the giraffe has horn-like "ossicones" on its head and a tessellated coat pattern that looks like scales it is easy to draw an analogy between the two creatures. The identification of Qilin with giraffes has had lasting implications; even today, the giraffe is called a "kirin" by the Japanese and Koreans.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/4dc2473e.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

It is unlikely that giraffes and qilin were regarded as the same creature in pre-modern times however. For example, typical depictions of the qilin have much shorter necks than giraffes. However, the Chinese characters of Qilun 麒 and 麟 both carry Chinese radical 鹿, suggesting that the eyewitness described them deer like animal, or perhaps an antelope.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/18ee53c8.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Although it looks fearsome, the Qilin only punishes the wicked. It can walk on grass yet not trample the blades and it can also walk on water. As it is a peaceful creature, its diet does not include flesh. It takes great care when it walks never to tread on any living thing, and it is said to appear only in areas ruled by a wise and benevolent leader (some say even if this area is only a house). It is normally gentle but can become fierce if a pure person is threatened by a sinner, spouting flames from its mouth and exercising other fearsome powers that vary from story to story.

Some stories state that the Qilin is a sacred pet (or familiar) of the deities. Therefore, in the hierarchy of dances performed by the Chinese (Lion Dance, Dragon Dance, etc.), the Qilin ranks highly; second only to the Dragon and Phoenix who are the highest.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/a11629c0.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

In the Qilin Dance, movements are characterised by fast, powerful strokes of the head. The Qilin Dance is often regarded as a hard dance to perform due to the weight of the head, stances and the emphasis on "fǎ jìn" (traditional Chinese: 法勁) — outbursts of strength/power/energy.

mountain

10-01-2011, 01:14 AM

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/f74c61d6.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/1dca5094.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/4fa4c65d.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/7a968582.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/c4a92eeb.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/db77d585.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/3a1d4e88.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

mrindigo

10-01-2011, 02:20 AM

Very cool thread, Mountain. It makes me wonder where the ideas of these creatures came from? Some may be inspired by star constellations. Others seem a bit less easily explained... I'd like to add a little contribution. ;)

The Pukwudgies have haunted the forests of Massachusetts since before the first European Settlers ever thought about setting out for a new land. For centuries they tormented the local Native Americans and crept their way into their creation myths and oral history. They could easily be passed of as legend, and in fact, their physical description is much like mythological creatures from other cultures in other times. The difference is these demons jumped from the page and evolved as the people around them changed, changing from reluctant helpers to evil tormentors. The difference is these demons are still seen by people today.

http://www.masscrossroads.com/pictures/scan0003.jpg

I only quoted a small portion of the website, so here's the link to the full article if anyone is interested.

http://www.masscrossroads.com/pukwudgies.html

mountain

10-01-2011, 02:32 AM

Theseus and the Minotaur

http://www.108fineart.com/artists/paul_reid/Theseus(Well).jpg

http://www.nem.tku.edu.tw/courses/modernity/2B/image/Vase_Perseus&Minotaur_09.jpg

Thanks for contributing :) Please post more :cool:

mountain

10-01-2011, 02:33 AM

mountain

10-01-2011, 02:38 AM

Very cool thread, Mountain. It makes me wonder where the ideas of these creatures came from? Some may be inspired by star constellations. Others seem a bit less easily explained... I'd like to add a little contribution. ;)

I only quoted a small portion of the website, so here's the link to the full article if anyone is interested.

http://www.masscrossroads.com/pukwudgies.html

Thank you, Mr. I :) OoooOOooo chilly willies .. ;)

I wonder the same! Star constellations, vivid imaginations? I am not sure. I am beginning to think there may be some truth in them and if so, the world was indeed interesting in olden times.

biblegirl

10-01-2011, 02:40 AM

5 stars mountain! thank you for bumping the crypto section with awesomeness :)

211200

10-01-2011, 11:33 AM

The Lambton Worm is a legend from the Southern part of the North East of England in the UK. The story is one of the area's most famous pieces of folklore, having been adapted from written and oral tradition into pantomime and song formats.
The story revolves around John Lambton, a heir of the Lambton Estate, County Durham, and his battle with a giant worm (dragon) which had been terrorising the local villages. As with most myths, details of the story change with each telling.
Origin of the worm
The story states that the young John Lambton was a rebellious character who missed church one Sunday to go fishing in the River Wear. In many versions of the story, while walking to the river, or setting up his equipment, John receives warnings from an old man that no good can come from missing church.
John Lambton does not catch anything until the time the church service finishes, at which point he fishes out a small eel- or lamprey-like creature with nine holes on each side of its salamander-like head. Depending on the version of the story the worm is no bigger than a thumb, or about 3 feet long. In some renditions it has legs, while in others it is said to more closely resemble a snake.
At this point the old man returns, although in some versions it is a different character. John declares that he has caught the devil and decides to dispose of his catch by discarding it down a nearby well. The old man then issues further warnings about the nature of the beast.
John then forgets about the creature and eventually grows up. As a penance for his rebellious early years he joins the crusades.
The worm's wrath

Worm Hill, Fatfield, Washington.
Eventually the worm grows extremely large and the well becomes poisonous. The villagers start to notice livestock going missing and discover that the fully-grown worm has emerged from the well and coiled itself around a local hill.
In some versions of the story the hill is Penshaw Hill, that on which the Penshaw Monument now stands, but locally the credit goes to the nearby Worm Hill, in Fatfield. In most versions of the story the worm is large enough to wrap itself around Penshaw Hill 7 times. It is said that one can still see the marks of the worm on Worm Hill.
The worm terrorises the nearby villages, eating sheep, preventing cows from producing milk and snatching away small children. It then heads towards Lambton Castle where the Lord (John Lambton's aged father) manages to sedate the creature in what becomes a daily ritual of offering the worm milk of nine good cows, twenty gallons, or a filled wooden/stone trough.
A number of brave villagers try to kill the beast but are quickly dispatched. When a chunk is cut off the worm it simply reattaches the missing piece. Visiting knights also try to assault the beast but none survive. When annoyed the worm would uproot trees by coiling its tail around them. It then created devastation by waving around the uprooted trees like a club.
The vanquishing of the worm
After seven years John Lambton returns from the crusade to find his father's estates almost destitute because of the worm. John decides to fight it but first seeks the guidance of a wise woman or witch near Durham.
The witch hardens John's resolve to kill the beast by explaining his responsibility for the worm. She tells him to cover his armour in spearheads and fight the worm in the River Wear, where it now spends its days wrapped around a great rock. The witch also tells John that after killing the worm he must then kill the first living thing he sees, or else his family will be cursed for nine generations and will not die in their beds.
John prepares his armour according to the witch's instructions and arranges with his father that when he has killed the worm he will sound his hunting horn three times. On this signal his father is to release his favourite hound so that it will run to John, who can then kill the dog and thus avoid the curse.
John Lambton then fights the worm by the river. The worm tries to crush him, wrapping him in its coils, but it cuts itself on his armour's spikes. As pieces of the worm are chopped off they are washed away by the river, preventing the worm from healing itself. Eventually the worm is dead and John sounds his hunting horn three times.
The Lambton curse
Unfortunately, John's father is so excited that the beast is dead that he forgets to release the hound and rushes out to congratulate his son. John cannot bear to kill his father and so, after they meet, the hound is released and dutifully dispatched. But it is too late and nine generations of Lambtons are cursed so they shall not die peacefully in their beds.
This curse seems to have held true for at least three generations, possibly helping to contribute to the popularity of the story.
1st generation: Robert Lambton, drowned at Newrig.
2nd: Sir William Lambton, a Colonel of Foot, killed at Marston Moor.
3rd: William Lambton, died in battle at Wakefield.
9th: Henry Lambton, died in his carriage crossing Lambton Bridge on June 26, 1761.
(General Lambton, Henry Lambton's brother, is said to have kept a horse whip by his bedside to ward off violent assaults. He died in his bed at an old age.)

http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/english/lambton/images/curse.jpg

http://dragons.monstrous.com/Pictures/Dragons_warriors_15.jpg

http://www.history-for-kids.com/images/picture-Lambton_worm2.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/22/Page_facing_202_illustration_in_More_English_Fairy _Tales.png/220px-Page_facing_202_illustration_in_More_English_Fairy _Tales.png

http://myths.e2bn.org/library/1180419881/lamptonworm_edited1.teach.jpg

http://www.slofshive.co.uk/content/art/worm2.jpg

metacomet

10-01-2011, 05:31 PM

The Thunderbird

The Thunderbird is argued to be either a giant bird or a pterodactyl, and there are many different accounts of giant birds that I think could be related to the Thunderbird legend.

The story of two indian boys climbing the thunderbirds mountain to view it, which was taboo - and upon reaching the top one of the boys stood back and watched his friend turn the corner on the cliff. He heard a crack of thunder, saw some lightning and then saw his friend fall off the cliff into the clouds below.

http://www.cryptomundo.com/wp-content/uploads/soaring148.jpg

http://www.canadianindianart.com/site_assets/cia-staging.jammicron.com/images/dynamic/3268.JPG

http://www.cryptomundo.com/wp-content/uploads/thunderbird_in_kerala.jpg

There are so many giant bird myths around the world that, like other reoccurring themes (lake monsters, sea monsters, wildmen/bigfeet) I would have to assume there were in fact giant birds seen in ancient times as well as today.

Monsterquest has done some coverage of the topic, they interviewed a man who as a boy was picked up in his backyard by a giant bird. His mother watched as the bird dropped the boy about 15 feet and then landed on the top of a tree.

There was also an account of a man who saw a bird on top of a telephone poll the size of a car.

metacomet

10-01-2011, 06:16 PM

Giants / Titans

http://twitchfilm.com/news/TrollHunterStill.jpg

http://images.gfxartist.com/images/ArtworkItem/full/172775.jpg

The Titans of Greek Mythology were born of the Earth, one of the Titans (Cronos) gave birth to the God Zeus and failed to eat him along with the rest of his children. Zeus lead an uprising against his father and the rest is history, the Titans were locked away in the Earth.

I like the idea of elemental giants. Not just giant humanoids but beings made of earth, stone, wood, etc. Walking mountains.

kingmob

11-01-2011, 08:33 AM

This thread got some really old school posters :) Very nice as Borat would say!

Metacomet, where you been?

mountain

11-01-2011, 12:22 PM

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/9aa03599.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

In Burma (Myanmar), kinnara are called keinnaya or kinnaya (ကိန္နရာ, [kèiɴnəjà]). Female kinnara are called keinnayi or kinnayi (ကိန္နရီ, [kèiɴnəjì]). In Shan, they are ၵိင်ႇၼရႃႇ (IPA: [kìŋ kǎ ràː]) and ၵိင်ႇၼရီႇ (IPA: [kìŋ nǎ rì]) respectively. Burmese Buddhists believe that out of the 136 past animal lives of Buddha, four were Kinnara. The kinnari is also one of the 108 symbols on the footprint of Buddha. In Burmese art, kinnari are depicted with covered breasts. The Myanmar Academy Awards statue for Academy Award winners is of a kinnari.[2] The kinnara and kinnari couple is considered the symbol of the Karenni people.[3]

Cambodia

In Cambodia, the Kinnari and Kinnara are known as Kennorey (Khmer: កន្នរី)and Kennara(Khmer: កន្នរា). The Kennorey is depicted in arts and literature more often than its male counterpart, the Kennar. The function of Kennorey is mostly the same as that of its Thai counterpart; it is used in temple decorations and is a symbol for beauty and grace; but although very similar, the Kennorey has been used in arts since the Angkor period, and has less of a symbolic meaning than the Apsara.
There also once a famous which also concludes in Royal Ballet of Cambodia in title of Robam Kennorey.

India

Kinnaras are one of the exotic tribes of Ancient India mentioned along with Devas (including Rudras, Maruts, Vasus and Adityas), Asuras (including Daityas, Danavas and Kalakeyas), Pisachas, Gandharvas, Kimpurushas, Vanaras, Suparnas, Rakshasas, Bhutas and Yakshas. They along with others, were inhabitants of the Himalaya mountains. The people of the Gangetic Plain looked upon them with wonder and considered them as super-human.
Kinnaras were mysteriously linked with horses. Puranas mention them as horse-headed beings. Puranas mention about an Asura with a horse head, who was known as Hayagreeva (which in Sanskrit means the horse headed one; Haya = horse and greeva = head) This Asura was killed by an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who took the similar form of a horse-headed human figure.
The epic Mahabharata mentions Kinnaras, not as horse-headed beings but as beings who were half-man and half-horse i.e. like a Centaur. Mahabharata and the Puranas describe regions north to Himalayas as the abode of Kinnaras. Another reference in the epic considers them as a sub-group of Gandharvas.

Indonesia

Kinnara (male), Kinnari (female), Apsara, and Devata guarding Kalpataru, the divine tree of life. 8th century Pawon temple, Java, Indonesia.
The images of coupled Kinnara and Kinnari can be found in Borobudur, Mendut, Pawon, Sewu, Sari, and Prambanan temples. Usually, they are depicted as birds with human heads, or humans with lower limbs of birds. The pair of Kinnara and Kinnari usually is depicted guarding Kalpataru, the tree of life, and sometimes guarding a jar of treasure. A pair of Kinnara-Kinnari bas-reliefs of Sari temple is unique, depicting Kinnara as celestial humans with birds' wings attached to their backs, very similar to popular image of angels.
There are bas-relief in Borobudur depicting the story of the famous kinnari, Manohara.

Thailand

Sculpture of a kinnari which was decorated in the royal crematorium of Princess Galyani Vadhana at Sanam Luang, Bangkok, Thailand (2008).
The Kinnari, (usually spelt 'Kinnaree' as noted below) (Thai: กินรี) in Thai literature originates from India, but was modified to fit in with the Thai way of thinking. The Thai Kinnari is depicted as a young woman wearing an angel-like costume. The lower part of the body is similar to a bird, and should enable her to fly between the human and the mystical worlds.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/c1d55e27.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)
Statue of a kinnara in Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok (Thailand).

The most famous Kinnari in Thailand is the figure known as Manora (derived from Manohara) in a Thai tome entitled Panyasa Chadok. Part of this literature is a dance called Manorah Buchayan, which is one of the most esoteric among the high classical dances of Thailand.
Thai Airways International publishes a monthly magazine with the title Kinnaree.

The male counterpart of the female Kinnari is a Kinnon (Thai: กินนร).

Tibet

In Tibet the Kinnara is known as the 'shang-shang' (Tibetan: ཤང་ཤང; Wylie: shang shang) (Sanskrit: civacivaka). This chimera is depicted either with just the head or including the whole torso of a human including the arms with the lower body as that of a winged bird. In Nyingma Mantrayana traditions of Mahayoga Buddhadharma, the shang-shang symbolizes 'enlightened activity' (Wylie: phrin las). The shang-shang is a celestial musician and is often iconographically depicted with cymbals. A homonymic play on words ia evident which is a marker of oral lore: the 'shang' (Tibetan: གཆང; Wylie: gchang) is a cymbal or gong like ritual instrument in the indigenous traditions of the Himalaya. The shang-shang is sometimes depicted as the king of the Garuda.
Kinnara - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/64129865.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/4eeb32d2.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/3f1da75a.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

mountain

11-01-2011, 12:31 PM

Thanks 211200 and Metacomet! Much appreciated and many blessings :)

Here are a few more Thunderbirds ..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/cf33b1ba.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/7771f610.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/11abfd27.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/69b8a518.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

211200

11-01-2011, 02:13 PM

http://www.santharia.com/pictures/quellion/quellion_pics/phoenix.jpg

A phoenix is a mythical bird that is a fire spirit with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet (or purple, blue, and green according to some legends). It has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, near the end of which it builds itself a nest of twigs that then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again. The new phoenix is destined to live as long as its old self. In some stories, the new phoenix embalms the ashes of its old self in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis (literally "sun-city" in Greek). It is said that the bird's cry is that of a beautiful song. The Phoenix's ability to be reborn from its own ashes implies that it is immortal, though in some stories the new Phoenix is merely the offspring of the older one. In very few stories they are able to change into people.

http://hornconcerto.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/phoenix_rising.jpg

Most beings spring from other individuals; but there is a certain kind which reproduces itself. The Assyrians call it the Phoenix. It does not live on fruit or flowers, but on frankincense and odoriferous gums. When it has lived five hundred years, it builds itself a nest in the branches of an oak, or on the top of a palm tree. In this it collects cinnamon, and spikenard, and myrrh, and of these materials builds a pile on which it deposits itself, and dying, breathes out its last breath amidst odors. From the body of the parent bird, a young Phoenix issues forth, destined to live as long a life as its predecessor. When this has grown up and gained sufficient strength, it lifts its nest from the tree (its own cradle and its parent's sepulchre), and carries it to the city of Heliopolis in Egypt, and deposits it in the temple of the Sun.

http://chriscaillouet.com/phoenix-fire-blaze-heat.jpg

drakul

11-01-2011, 03:13 PM

mountain

11-01-2011, 04:00 PM

5 stars mountain! thank you for bumping the crypto section with awesomeness :)

Thank you, Biblegirl :) I really appreciate that!

Hope to see you posting some stuff here!

mountain

11-01-2011, 04:09 PM

Great thread. I found the NAGA part especially interesting. David Icke has put his finger on something with his Reptilian theory. If you research it, nearly every ancient culture has a legend of the serpent people. Not just that they existed but that modern man EVOLVED from the `Nagas'.

The Greeks for example believed that the half man half serpent Cecrops taught them writing and agriculture, IOW civilization. Cecrops, along with another `Naga' Erechthonius founded Athens. For generations the Athenians called themselves Cecropidae in honor of the `Reptilian' king, Cecrops.

http://www.theoi.com/Heros/Kekrops.html

Thanks :)

I am particularly interested in nagas myself (its obvious I guess :p) and I agree that Icke touched on that very well in his Children of the Matrix book especially.

He also mentions how many Native tribes are named after serpent ancestors and often translate to 'People of the Serpent' and 'People of the Snake'. I have not looked much into that to offer my own opinion on that, but I shall sometime soon when I have time. I shall be looking into that Cecrops character sometime as well.

mountain

13-01-2011, 06:08 AM

pixie_shhh

13-01-2011, 09:07 AM

amazing thread :D

mountain

14-01-2011, 03:52 PM

Wendigo is a mythical creature appearing in the mythology of the Algonquian people. It is a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans. Those who indulged in cannibalism were at particular risk, and the legend appears to have reinforced this practice as taboo. Wendigos were alien like embodiments of gluttony, greed, and excess; never satisfied after killing and consuming one person, they were constantly searching for new victims. In some traditions, humans who became overpowered by greed could turn into Wendigos; the Wendigo myth thus served as a method of encouraging cooperation and moderation.

http://www.smashinglists.com/30-famous-mythical-humanoid-creatures/

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/553197b3.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

The Wendigo (also known as Windigo, Weendigo, Windago, Windiga, Witiko, Wihtikow, and numerous other variants)[1] is a mythical creature appearing in the mythology of the Algonquian people. It is a malevolent cannibalistic spirit into which humans could transform, or which could possess humans. Those who indulged in cannibalism were at particular risk,[2] and the legend appears to have reinforced this practice as taboo.

The Wendigo is also the state mythical creature for Wisconsin.
Wendigo psychosis is a culture-bound disorder which involves an intense craving for human flesh and the fear that one will turn into a cannibal. This once occurred frequently among Algonquian Native cultures, though has declined with the Native American urbanization.[3]

Recently the Wendigo has also become a horror entity of contemporary literature and film, much like the vampire, werewolf, or zombie, although these fictional depictions often bear little resemblance to the original entity.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/f29100b0.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/5bd5ebb2.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

In Algonquian mythology

The Wendigo is part of the traditional belief systems of various Algonquian-speaking tribes in the northern United States and Canada, most notably the Ojibwa/Saulteaux, the Cree, and the Innu/Naskapi/Montagnais.[4] Though descriptions varied somewhat, common to all these cultures was the conception of Wendigos as malevolent, cannibalistic, supernatural beings (manitous) of great spiritual power.[5] They were strongly associated with the Winter, the North, and coldness, as well as with famine and starvation.[6] Basil Johnston, an Ojibwa teacher and scholar from Ontario, gives one description of how Wendigos were viewed:[7]

“ The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tautly over its bones. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets, the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. What lips it had were tattered and bloody [....] Unclean and suffering from suppurations of the flesh, the Wendigo gave off a strange and eerie odour of decay and decomposition, of death and corruption. ”
At the same time, Wendigos were embodiments of gluttony, greed, and excess; never satisfied after killing and consuming one person, they were constantly searching for new victims. In some traditions, humans who became overpowered by greed could turn into Wendigos; the Wendigo myth thus served as a method of encouraging cooperation and moderation.[8]

Among the Ojibwa, Eastern Cree, Westmain Swampy Cree, and Innu/Naskapi/Montagnais, Wendigos were said to be giants, many times larger than human beings (a characteristic absent from the Wendigo myth in the other Algonquian cultures).[9] Whenever a Wendigo ate another person, it would grow larger, in proportion to the meal it had just eaten, so that it could never be full.[10] Wendigos were therefore simultaneously constantly gorging themselves and emaciated from starvation.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/e05ff297.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Human Wendigos

All cultures in which the Wendigo myth appeared shared the belief that human beings could turn into Wendigos if they ever resorted to cannibalism[2] or, alternately, become possessed by the demonic spirit of a Wendigo, often in a dream. Once transformed, a person would become violent and obsessed with eating human flesh. The most frequent cause of transformation into a Wendigo was if a person had resorted to cannibalism, consuming the body of another human in order to keep from starving to death during a time of extreme hardship or famine.[11]

Among northern Algonquian cultures, cannibalism, even to save one's own life, was viewed as a serious taboo; the proper response to famine was suicide or resignation to death.[12] On one level, the Wendigo myth thus worked as a deterrent and a warning against resorting to cannibalism; those who did would become Wendigo monsters themselves.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/db1d3b9c.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Wendigo ceremony

Among the Assiniboine, the Cree and the Ojibwa, a satirical ceremonial dance was originally performed during times of famine to reinforce the seriousness of the Wendigo taboo. The ceremonial dance, known as a wiindigookaanzhimowin in Ojibwe and today performed as part of the last day activities of the Sun dance, involves wearing a mask and dancing about the drum backwards.[13] The last known Wendigo Ceremony conducted in the United States was at Lake Windigo of Star Island of Cass Lake, located within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota.[14]

Wendigo psychosis

The term "Wendigo psychosis" (also spelled many other ways, including "Windigo psychosis" and "Witiko psychosis") refers to a condition in which sufferers developed an insatiable desire to eat human flesh even when other food sources were readily available,[15] often as a result of prior famine cannibalism;[16] Wendigo psychosis is identified by Western psychologists as a culture-bound syndrome, though members of the aboriginal communities in which it existed believed cases literally involved individuals turning into Wendigos. Such individuals generally recognized these symptoms as meaning that they were turning into Wendigos, and often requested to be executed before they could harm others.[17] The most common response when someone began suffering from Wendigo psychosis was curing attempts by traditional native healers or Western doctors. In the unusual cases when these attempts failed, and the Wendigo began either to threaten those around them or to act violently or anti-socially, they were then generally executed.[18] Cases of Wendigo psychosis, though real, were relatively rare, and it was even rarer for them to actually culminate in the execution of the sufferer.[18]

One of the more famous cases of Wendigo psychosis involved a Plains Cree trapper from Alberta, named Swift Runner.[19][20] During the winter of 1878, Swift Runner and his family were starving, and his eldest son died. Twenty-five miles away from emergency food supplies at a Hudson's Bay Company post, Swift Runner butchered and ate his wife and five remaining children.[21] Given that he resorted to cannibalism so near to food supplies, and that he killed and consumed the remains of all those present, it was revealed that Swift Runner's was not a case of pure cannibalism as a last resort to avoid starvation, but rather of a man suffering from Wendigo psychosis.[21] He eventually confessed and was executed by authorities at Fort Saskatchewan.[22] Another well-known case involving Wendigo psychosis was that of Jack Fiddler, an Oji-Cree chief and shaman known for his powers at defeating Wendigos. In some cases this entailed euthanizing people suffering from Wendigo psychosis; as a result, in 1907, Fiddler and his brother Joseph were arrested by the Canadian authorities for murder. Jack committed suicide, but Joseph was tried and sentenced to life in prison, he was granted a pardon, but died three days after in jail, without knowing about it.[23]

Fascination with Wendigo psychosis among Western ethnographers, psychologists, and anthropologists led to a hotly debated controversy in the 1980s over the historicity of this phenomenon. Some researchers argued that Wendigo psychosis was essentially a fabrication, the result of naïve anthropologists taking stories related to them at face value.[24] Others, however, pointed to a number of credible eyewitness accounts, both by Algonquians and by Westerners, as proof that Wendigo psychosis was a factual historical phenomenon.[25]

The frequency of Wendigo psychosis cases decreased sharply in the 20th century as boreal Algonquian people came in to greater and greater contact with Western ideologies and more sedentary, less rural lifestyles.[3] While there is substantive evidence to suggest that Wendigo psychosis did exist, a number of questions concerning the condition remain unanswered.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/942e4a7e.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

References in popular culture

While Wendigos have been referred to in literature for many decades (most notably in Algernon Blackwood's 1910 story "The Wendigo," which introduced the legend to horror fiction,[26] and in Stephen King's novel Pet Sematary[27]), recently they have become something of a stock character in horror and fantasy films and television, along the lines of werewolves and vampires, usually bearing very little resemblance to the Algonquian spirit. Appearances include the movies Wendigo,[28] and Ravenous, and in episodes of the television series Charmed,[29] Supernatural,[30] Blood Ties,[31] and others. They also appear as characters in a number of computer and video games, including Final Fantasy,[32] The Legend of Dragoon,[33] and the Warcraft Universe,[34] as well as role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons.[35] Additionally, there is a Marvel Comics character known as "Wendigo". Native American singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie's song "The Priests Of The Golden Bull" asserts that the "money junkies" of the world are Wendigos.[36]

Wendigo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/3ab966fa.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

mountain

14-01-2011, 04:05 PM

amazing thread :D

Why thank you, Pixie :)

mountain

14-01-2011, 04:16 PM

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/d1276e1b.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/5802d75e.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/d4d024c0.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/89dd4edf.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/bda9834b.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/5eca5ca2.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/76729921.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/f46447ea.png (http://nowpic.com/)

:D

mountain

14-01-2011, 04:31 PM

Encantado
Dolphin-man of the Amazon River

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/170774a0.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

It’s festival time on the Amazon River; the handsome young stranger in the spotless white linen suit glides through the noise and music of the party with liquid grace. The girls can’t take their eyes off him, but he seems to have eyes for one girl only. They dance the night away, and sometime shortly before midnight they slip from the festivities for a walk along the river. Neither the girl nor the mysterious young man is ever seen again. The next morning, a pair of shoes and a discarded party dress will be found on the riverbank. The old folks will turn to each other and whisper: “Encantado.”

The encantado -- Portuguese for “enchanted ones” -- are river-dwelling spirits who can take either human form or the form of a boto, the bizarre long-beaked freshwater dolphins of the Amazon. In human form they are pale-skinned and graceful, dressed usually in bright clothes in an old-fashioned style. Their transformation is never fully complete, however: an encantado will always have a bald spot on the top of its head where its dolphin blowhole remains. For this reason, the encantado always keeps his head covered, usually with a broad-brimmed straw hat. The encantado is better at assuming its dolphin form, though strange boto with flippers ending in human hands have been reported.

The encantado are curious about human society, and they are particularly fond of festivals and parties where they can enjoy music and dancing. It is not unheard-of for an enchanted one to dwell on land long-term, making a living as a musician. This fascination with people shows its dark side when a lovestruck encantado abducts a human girl back to its home in the underwater city called the Encante. Most of these girls never return from this mystic place, and those that somehow escape their abductors are never quite right in the head. Many return pregnant; this happens often enough that it’s common in some areas for any child whose father is unknown to be called a “child of the boto.”

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/b5ae7012.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

The encantado have great powers of hypnosis and suggestion, and will place victims under their spell before taking them away. It is of critical importance to keep the victim away from the river, using restraints if necessary; they will be drawn to the water, pulled irresistibly by the power of the encantado. To break the spell, a medicine man or wise woman must cast a magical powder -- a mixture of manioc flour and dried crushed chile peppers works well -- over the water where the encantado is known to appear. This powder will usually break the spell and drive the creature away, and any gifts it may have given the victim, such as jewelry or fine clothes, will revert to their true forms: rotting leaves and other river trash.

http://monsterguide.blogspot.com/2006/02/encantado-dolphin-man-of-amazon-river.html

Encantado is a word in Portuguese roughly translating as "enchanted one", and is also a commonly used greeting in Spanish meaning "enchanted", as in "enchanted to meet you". The Brazilian term is used for creatures who come from a paradisiacal underwater realm called the Encante. It may refer to spirit beings or shapeshifting snakes, but most often it designates dolphins with the ability to turn into humans. Although belief in them is starting to wane, there are still plenty of South Americans who believe in their existence ardently, and claim to have seen and interacted with them, or even that they are related to them. They share the most of the same themes and features as the fairies of European folklore.

Most commonly, the stories involve a type of freshwater dolphin which lives in the Amazon River called the Boto. It is larger and more primitive-looking than the other type of Amazon dolphin, the Tucuxi. The stories also involve snakes, whose kinds can vary from the common type to coral snakes.

There are three elements that best characterize encantados: superior musical ability, their seductiveness and love of sex (often resulting in illegitimate children), and their attraction to parties. Despite the fact that the Encante where they come from is supposed to be a utopia full of wealth and without pain or death, the encantados crave the pleasures and hardships of the human world.

Transformation into human form seems to be rare, and usually occurs at night. The encantado will often be seen running from a festa, despite protests from the others for it to stay, and can be seen by pursuers as it hurries to the river and reverts back to dolphin form. When it is under human form, it wears a hat to hide its prominent forehead, that does not disappear with the shapeshift.

Besides the ability to shapeshift into human form, encantados frequently wield other magical abilities, such as the power to control storms, "enchant" or haunt humans into doing their will or becoming encantados themselves, and inflict illness, insanity, and even death. Shamans and holy men are often needed to intervene and ameliorate the situation, but sometimes the spell is so great that it can not be completely cured.

Folklore

Kidnapping is also a common theme in such folklore. Encantados are said to be fond of abducting humans they fall in love with, children born of their illicit love affairs, or just anyone near the river who can keep them company, and taking them back to the Encante. The fear of this is so great for many people who live across the Amazon rivers area that many of them, children and adults alike, are terrified of going near the water in certain hours like 6 PM or basically alone. Some who have encountered encantados out in canoes have been said to have gone insane, although the creatures seem to have done little more than follow their boats and nudge them from time to time.

Encantado - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/2f7b8684.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

sh3lly

15-01-2011, 05:12 AM

Salamander, the fire elemental.

(I'm a fire sign. Leo.)

Of all the traits ascribed to salamanders, the ones relating to fire have stood out most prominently in salamander lore. This connection probably originates from a behavior common to many species of salamander: hibernating in and under rotting logs. When wood was brought indoors and put on the fire, the creatures "mysteriously" appeared from the flames. The 16th-century Italian artist Benvenuto Cellini (1500–1571) famously recalled witnessing just such an appearance as a child in his autobiography. According to some writers, the milky substance that a salamander exudes when frightened and which makes its skin very moist gave rise to the idea that the salamander could withstand any heat and even put out fires.

Early commentators in Europe often grouped "crawling things" (reptiles or reptilia in Latin) together, and thus creatures in this group, which typically included salamanders (Latin salamandrae), dragons (Latin dracones or serpentes), and basilisks (Latin basilisci), were often associated together, as in Conrad Lycosthenes' Prodigiorum ac ostentorum chronicon of 1557.

The salamander is mentioned in the Talmud (Hagiga 27a) as a creature that is a product of fire, and anyone who is smeared with its blood will be immune to harm from fire. Rashi (1040–1105), the primary commentator on the Talmud, describes the salamander as one which is produced by burning a fire in the same place for seven years. According to Sahih Bukhari (810–870), Muhammad said that salamanders are "mischief-doers" and "should be killed".

Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) wrote the following on the salamander: "This has no digestive organs, and gets no food but from the fire, in which it constantly renews its scaly skin. The salamander, which renews its scaly skin in the fire,—for virtue." Later, Paracelsus (1493–1541) suggested that the salamander was the elemental of fire, which has had substantial influence on the role of salamanders in the occult.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamander_%28legendary_creature%29

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/salamander.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/fire-salamander-worn-by-mavi.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/FFT_Salamander.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/salamanderfirefull.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/Anima__Salamander_Tail_by_Wen_M.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/fire-elemental.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/fire.jpg

The salamanders are the spirit of fire. Without these beings, fire cannot exist. You cannot light a match without a salamander's being present. There are many families of salamanders, differing in size, appearance, and dignity. Some people have seen them as small balls of light, but most commonly they are perceived as being lizard-like in shape and about a foot or more in length.

The salamanders are considered the strongest and most powerful of all the elementals. Their ruler is a magnificent flaming being called Djin. Those who have seen him say that he is terrible, yet awe-inspiring in appearance.

Salamanders have the ability to extend their size or diminish it, as needed. If you ever need to light a campfire in the wilderness, call to the salamanders and they will help you.

It has also been said that salamanders (and the other elemental beings) can be mischievous at times. For example, a fiery temper and inharmonious conditions in a person's home can cause these beings to make trouble. They are like children in that they don't fully understand the results of their actions. They are greatly affected, as are all nature spirits, by human humankind's thinking.
http://www.crystalinks.com/nature_spirits.html

Some neat bits about elemental Salamanders:

* They rule the element of fire
* They hail from the direction South
* It's typically agreed they take on a lizard-like form
* They are fabled to have taught ancient man how to create and use fire
* The elemental concept of, and the term salamander was coined by Paracelsus, a highly respected physician of the 16th century.

The fire elementals Salamander is no real relation to the amphibious salamander. Although, amphibian salamanders do live in moist logs and villagers of days gone by observed throwing logs on a fire caused salamanders to scurry out from the logs. Ergo, some of our more naive ancestors figured fire as the birth-giver of the salamander (rather than running to save their sweet little skins) and here we find a lore-connection to our fire elemental salamander.

The lore continues to weave in and out of collective imagination as we learn elemental Salamanders were attributed for the presence of coronas or points of discharge. Commonly known as St. Elmo's Fire, salamanders were thought to produce electric fields of energy, and sometimes great glowing orbs of fire.

Other ancient accounts tell of fire elementals living in volcanos. Dormant volcano's indicate contented, slumbering salamanders. When erupting, the salamanders' wrath has been incurred, and their lava tongues come to lick up everything in their path.

The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures cites the salamander to be a poisonous beast of mythology.

Far from poisonous, my minds eye sees elemental Salamanders as high-spirited, cantankerous beasties. Being a fire sign (Sagittarius), I can relate to that :-).

If we can imagine fire as having a personality, we can start to pick up clues about what Salamanders are really like. Here are a few symbolic attributes of fire that might help in the identification process:

* Wild
* Bold
* Sultry
* Feisty
* Lively
* Energizing
* Impetuous
* Passionate
* Consuming
* Enlightening
* Illuminating
* Commanding

In this light, the symbolic meaning of the salamander as a personification of the fire element takes on a new energetic tone.
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/fire-elementals-salamanders.html

211200

15-01-2011, 09:34 AM

Thank you for sharing Sh3lly ~ I too am a Leo (Fire Sign) :)

http://www.metalsucks.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/lion.jpg

sh3lly

15-01-2011, 03:50 PM

Thank you for sharing Sh3lly ~ I too am a Leo (Fire Sign) :)

http://www.metalsucks.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/lion.jpg

I remember. We have the same birthday! :)

mountain

15-01-2011, 05:28 PM

I remember. We have the same birthday! :)

Omigawd, we must be triplets because you and I have the same birthday :)

mountain

15-01-2011, 05:30 PM

Salamander, the fire elemental.

(I'm a fire sign. Leo.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamander_%28legendary_creature%29

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/salamander.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/fire-salamander-worn-by-mavi.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/FFT_Salamander.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/salamanderfirefull.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/Anima__Salamander_Tail_by_Wen_M.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/fire-elemental.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/inthepink/aliens-spiritual-conspiracy/fire.jpg

http://www.crystalinks.com/nature_spirits.html

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/fire-elementals-salamanders.html

Great post as always, Sh3lly :) From a lioness to another <3 ;)

mountain

16-01-2011, 12:31 PM

The nagumwasuck are fairy creatures known in the foklore of the Passamaquoddy indian tribe.

Nagumwasuck are sad faced little people, 7" tall, and unspeakably ugly with twisted faces. Very thin and conservative in dress (generally dressing in softened bark cloth), the Nagumwasuck have little hair, large pointed noses, and deep-set eyes. They are rarely seen, since their ugly appearance makes them very self-conscious. So whenever there is a human about they quickly dodge out of sight.

These spirits though ugly, are very helpful and create good luck in all of the tribe's activities.

The Nagumwasuck are the guardian spirits of the Passamaquoddy Indians of the Northeast and used to live a lifestyle much like that tribe's traditional one. While their territory once spread from Nova Scotia through Maine, the Nagumwasuck have suffered from the fall of the native Indian customs and beliefs. It is why the few that are said to remain are sad most time, living on their reservations and attempting to maintain the Nagumwasuck blessing of at least better fortune over the tribe. Mostly they enjoy engaging in nostalgia for the long ago old times with tribal elders.

http://www.monstropedia.org/index.php?title=Nagumwasuck

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/cf4a3a9e.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

mountain

16-01-2011, 12:43 PM

Hawaii is said to be populated by a tiny magical race of beings called the Menehunes. They were believed to have actually been the first inhabitants of Hawaii. All the beautiful trees and plants of Hawaii were said to have been planted by the Menehunes. They are very jolly little creatures and take pleasure in doing good things that help the people and islands of Hawaii. The native peoples of Hawaii were said to have been fed and nurtured, when they first arrived there from Tahiti, by these little people. The native people of Hawaii say that the Menehunes have taught them many things. These little people use seagulls to fly around the island of Hawaii. They ride around on their backs. The next time you see a seagull he may have a Menehune on his back! See if his feathers are ruffled. The Menehunes wear tiny horns around their necks. They use these to call the seagulls if there is ever any trouble. There are many stories and descriptions of these little people and their adventures.

One belief is that the Menehunes are very shy and do most of their good deeds during the night when they can't be seen. They also will only allow very special people to see them. A Menehune must give you a special juice which will allow you to see him or her. Either this or you must be a descendant of these little people and have some of their blood to be able to see them. However, many people have been said to have heard the hum of their voices.

They are also said to be protectors of Hawaii and its inhabitants. A long time ago a huge wave was coming towards Hawaii and the King of the Menehunes saw it and began to blow on his horn. The Menehunes came running from all over the island and formed a line by holding hands. The Menehunes are powerful little magical creatures and this terrified the wave so he broke up and became the Kaneohe Bay.

The people of Hawaii don't have to worry about sharks either because the Menehunes protect them from these ferocious creatures. The Menehunes patrol the islands on the backs of seagulls looking for sharks. When a shark gets too close to the islands a Menehune who spots him will blow his little horn and Menehunes from all over the islands will get into their tiny canoes and paddle out to where the shark is. They will beat him with their paddles until he takes off. Most creatures know better than to challenge the powers of the magical little Menehunes.

http://faerymists.tripod.com/fytales/hawaii.htm

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/98166c96.gif (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/d29ee489.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

mountain

16-01-2011, 12:58 PM

Xana

The xana is a character found in Asturian mythology. Always female, she is a fairy nymph of extraordinary beauty believed to live in fountains, rivers, waterfalls or forested regions with pure water. She is usually described as small or slender with long blonde or light brown hair (most often curly), which she tends to with gold or silver combs woven from sun or moonbeams. The origin of the Asturian word xana is unclear, though some scholars see it as a derivation from the Latin name for the goddess Diana. References to where the mythological xanas lived are still common in Asturian toponyms.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/4494c5c6.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Besides exchanging other women's children for their own, the xanas promise treasures and can be disenchanted. Some xanas also attack people and steal their food. They live in fountains and caves[1].

A xana can be a beneficial spirit, offering love water[clarification needed] to travelers and rewards of gold or silver to those found worthy through some undefined judgment. Their hypnotic voices can be heard during spring and summer nights. Those who have a pure soul and hear the song will be filled with a sense of peace and love. Those whose souls are not pure will feel they are being suffocated and may be driven insane.

Xanas are usually depicted in one of two ways. In one, they appear as young Nordic girls, very beautiful, with long blonde hair. This image is usually associated with xanas who possess a treasure or those under a spell. In contrast, in tales in which the xanas steal children and enter homes to bite or steal, the xanas are small, thin and dark-colored[2].

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/ad89eb06.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Xaninos

Xanas have children, which are called xaninos, but because they cannot take care of them—xanas cannot produce milk to feed their babies—they usually take a human baby from his cradle and put their own fairy child in instead (see changelings). The human mother realizes this change when the baby grows up in just a few months. In order to unmask the xanín, one must put some pots and egg shells near the fire, and, if the baby is a changeling, he will exclaim, "I was born one hundred years ago, and since then I have not seen so many egg shells near the fire!"

Tales involving xanas

The stories about xanas can be divided into four broad categories. First, stories in which the xana has a child. In these stories, the xana switches her baby for that of another woman. Second, stories of xanas who suffer spells. In these stories, an act performed according to a secret norm can disenchant them. Third, xanas who possess treasures and riches. The xana may have acquired the riches accidentally, or through donation or theft; sometimes the human character of the tale obtains the treasure, but most of the times he does not. Finally, stories about xanas who are malicious. The most important tales of this category are those in which the xana enters a home through a keyhole; those in which the xana takes and enchants someone; those in which the xana transforms into animals; and those in which the xana provides a magic belt.[3].

Xanas in Literature

Cuban writer Daína Chaviano uses the xana motif in her acclaimed novel The Island of Eternal Love. When one of the characters encounters a xana while she is combing her hair, the dialogue between them will mark a crucial twist in the plot.

Xana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

metacomet

16-01-2011, 09:15 PM

211200

16-01-2011, 10:13 PM

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A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head and torso and the tail of a fish. Mermaids have a broad representation in folklore, literature, and popular culture.

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The word is a compound of mere, the Old English word for "sea", and maid, a woman. The male equivalent is a merman.
Much like sirens, mermaids sometimes sing to people and gods and enchant them, distracting them from their work and causing them to walk off the deck or run their ships aground. Other stories depict them squeezing the life out of drowning men while attempting to rescue them. They are also said to carry humans down to their underwater kingdoms. In Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, it is said that they forget that humans cannot breathe underwater, while others say they drown men out of spite.[citation needed]
The sirens of Greek mythology are sometimes portrayed in later folklore as mermaid-like; in fact, some languages use the same word for both bird and fish creatures, such as the Maltese word 'sirena'. Other related types of mythical or legendary creatures are water fairies (e.g., various water nymphs) and selkies, animals that can transform themselves from seals to humans.

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nuka

17-01-2011, 09:11 PM

Crystal links has a lot of info on mythology from various beasts to greek gods. I spent a whole afternoon reading the folk lore on this page a while back. here is the site http://www.crystalinks.com/directory.html

martg

17-01-2011, 09:22 PM

great thread mountain :)

mountain

20-01-2011, 08:29 PM

mountain

20-01-2011, 08:29 PM

great thread mountain :)

Thank you :) Please post some stuff!

martg

20-01-2011, 08:44 PM

Thank you :) Please post some stuff!

:o I have to admit I don't really have anything interesting to add.
my sister has an interesting book on Anglo-Saxon/English mythology, next time I see her I will ask to borrow it, then maybe I can add something.

mountain

20-01-2011, 11:45 PM

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PEGASOS (or Pegasus) was an immortal, winged horse which sprang forth from the neck of Medousa when she was beheaded by the hero Perseus. Pegasos was tamed by Bellerophon, a Korinthian hero, who rode him into battle against the fire-breathing Khimaira. Later, after the hero attempted to fly to heaven, the gods caused the horse to buck, throwing him back down to earth. Pegasos continued to wing its way to heaven where it took a place in the stables of Zeus.

The horse was also placed amongst the stars as a constellation, whose rising marked the arrival of the warmer weather of spring and seasonal rainstorms. As such he was often named thunderbolt-bearer of Zeus. In the constellation myths, Pegasos ("Springing Forth") may have represented the blooming of spring whilst Khimaira ("Frosty Air" ?) (perhaps winter-rising Capricorn) was the cold chill of winter.

PARENTS
[1.1] POSEIDON & MEDOUSA (Hesiod Theogony 278, Apollodorus 2.32 & 2.42, Hyginus Fabulae 151 & Astronomica 2.18, Ovid Metamorphoses 4.781 & 6.119)
[1.2] MEDOUSA (Pindar Olympian Ode, Nonnus Dionysiaca 24.270)
ENCYCLOPEDIA

PE′GASUS (Pêgasos). The famous winged horse, whose origin is thus related. When Perseus struck off the head of Medusa, with whom Poseidon had had intercourse in the form of a horse or a bird, there sprang forth from her Chrysaor and the horse Pegasus. The latter obtained the name Pegasus because he was believed to have made his appearance near the sources (pêgai) of Oceanus. Pegasus rose up to the seats of the immortals, and afterwards lived in the palace of Zeus, for whom he carried thunder and lightning (IIes. Theog. 281, &c.; Apollod. ii. 3. § 2, 4. § 2 ; Schol. ad Aristoph. Pac. 722; comp. Ov. Met. iv. 781, &c. vi. 119). According to this view, which is apparently the most ancient, Pegasus was the thundering horse of Zeus; but later writers describe him as the horse of Eos (Schol. ad Hom. Il. vi. 155; Tzetz. ad Lyc. 17), and place him among the stars as the heavenly horse (Arat. Phaen. 205, &c.; Hygin. Poet. Astr. ii. 18 Ov. Fast. iii. 457, &c.).

Pegasus also acts a prominent part in the fight of Bellerophon against the Chimaera (Hes. Theog. 325; Apollod. ii. 3. § 2). After Bellerophon had tried and suffered much to obtain possession of Pegasus for his fight against the Chimaera, he consuited the soothsayer Polyidus at Corinth. The latter advised him to spend a night in the temple of Athena, and, as Bellerophon was sleeping, the goddess appeared to him in a dream, commanding him to sacrifice to Poseidon, and gave him a golden bridle. When he awoke he found the bridle, offered the sacrifice, and caught Pegasus, who was drinking at the well Peirene (Pind. Ol. xiii. 90, &c. with the Schol.; Strab. viii. p. 379). According to some Athena herself tamed and bridled Pegasus, and surrendered him to Bellerophon (Paus. ii. 4. § 1), or Bellerophon received Pegasus from his own father Poseidon (Schol. ad Hom. Il. vi. 155). After he had conquered the Chimaera (Pindar says that he also conquered the Amazons and the Solymi, Ol. xiii. 125), he endeavoured to rise up to heaven with his winged horse, but fell down upon the earth, either from fear or from giddiness, or being thrown off by Pegasus, who was rendered furious by a gad-fly which Zeus had sent. But Pegasus continued his flight (Hygin. Poet. Astr. ii. 18 ; Pind. Isthm. vii. 6; Tzetz. ad Lyc. 17; Eustath. ad Hom. p. 636). Whether Hesiod considered Pegasus as a winged horse, cannot be inferred with certainty from the word apoptamenose; but Pindar, Euripides, and the other later writers, expressly mention his wings.

Pegasus lastly was also regarded as the horse of the Muses, and in this capacity he is more celebrated in modern times than he ever was in antiquity ; for with the ancients he had no connection with the Muses, except that by his hoof he called forth the inspiring well Hippocrene. The story about this well runs as follows. When the nine Muses engaged in a contest with the nine daughters of Pierus on Mount Helicon, all became darkness when the daughters of Pierus began to sing ; whereas during the song of the Muses, heaven, the sea, and all the rivers stood still to listen, and Helicon rose heavenward with delight, until Pegasus, on the advice of Poseidon, stopped its rising by kicking it with his hoof (Anton. Lib. 9); and from this kick there arose Hippocrene, the inspiring well of the Muses, on Mount Helicon, which, for this reason, Persius (Prol. 1) calls fons caballinus (Ov. Met. v. 256). Others again relate that Pegasus caused the well to gush forth because he was thirsty; and in other parts of Greece also similar wells were believed to have been called forth by Pegasus, such as Hippocrene, at Troezene, and Peirene, near Corinth (Paus. ii. 31. § 12; Stat. Theb iv. 60). Pegasus is often seen represented in ancient works of art and on coins along with Athena and Bellerophon.

Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
THE BIRTH OF PEGASUS

Hesiod, Theogony 280 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) :
"But when Perseus had cut off the head of Medousa there sprang from her blood stout-hearted Khrysaor and the horse Pegasos so named from the pegai (springs) of Okeanos, where he was born."

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2. 42 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"When he [Perseus] saw Medousa, he beheaded her. As soon as her head was severed there leaped from her body the winged horse Pegasos and Khrysaor, the father of Geryon. The father of these two was Poseidon."

Lycophron, Alexandra 840 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.) :
"The harvester [Perseus] who delivered of her [Medousa’s] pains in birth of horse [Pegasos] and man [Khrysaor] the stony-eyed weasel whose children sprang from her neck.”

Strabo, Geography 8. 6. 20 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Pegasos, a winged horse which sprang from the neck of the Gorgon Medousa when her head was cut off."

Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 151 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"From Medusa, daughter of Gorgon, and Neptunus [Poseidon], were born Chrysaor and horse Pegasus."

Ovid, Metamorphoses 4. 786 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"While deep sleep held fast Medusa and her snakes, he [Perseus] severed her head clean from her neck; and from their mother's blood swift-flying Pegasus and his brother [Khrysaor] sprang . . . he [Medousa], it's said, was violated in Minerva's [Athena’s] shrine by the Rector Pelagi (Lord of the Sea) [Poseidon]."

Ovid, Metamorphoses 6. 119 ff :
"As a bird [Poseidon mated with] the snake-haired mother of the flying steed ."

Ovid, Fasti 3. 449 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Men believe it [Pegasos] sprang with its blood-spattered mane from the butchered Medusa’s pregnant neck. As it glided above the clouds and beneath the stars, the sky was its earth and wings were its feet."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 31. 13 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) :
"As Medousa was slain [by Perseus], the neck was delivered of its twin birth, the Horse [Pegasos] and the Boy [Khrysaor] with the golden sword."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 24. 270 ff :
"[Perseus] shore off the snaky swathe of one Medousa, while her womb was still burdened and swollen with young, still in foal of Pegasos; what good if the sickle played the part of childbirth Eileithyia, and reaped the neck of the pregnant Gorgon, firstfruits of a horsebreeding neck?"

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[I]Pegasus at the spring, Apulian red-figure vase
C4th B.C., Tampa Museum of Art

PEGASUS & THE SPRING OF HIPPOCRENE

The Hippokrene was the spring of the Mousai (goddess Muses) on Mount Helikon in Boiotia. It was said to have burst forth beneath the hoof of the winged horse Pegasos.

Aratus, Phaenomena 206 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek astronomical poem C3rd B.C.) :
"The huge [constellation] Horse (Hippos) . . . He [Pegasos] it was, men say, that brought down from lofty Helikon the bright water of bounteous Hippokrene. For not yet on Helikon’s summit trickled the fountain’s springs, but the Horse smote it and straightway the gushing water was shed abroad at the stamp of his forefoot, and herdsmen were the first to call that stream the fountain of the Horse. From the rock the water wells and never shalt thou see it far from the men of Thespiai; but the Horse himself circles in the heaven of Zeus and is there for thee to behold."

Strabo, Geography 8. 6. 20 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"The same horse [Pegasos], it is said, caused Hippu-krene (Horse Fountain) to spring up on Helikon when he struck with his hoof the rock that lay below that mountain."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 9. 31. 3 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"Ascending about twenty stades from this grove [of the Mousai on Mt Helikon, Boiotia] is what is called the Hippokrene (Horse’s Fountain). It was made, they say, by the horse of Bellerophon striking the ground with this hoof."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 31. 9 :
"Among the means of cleansing [by ritual purification] which they say they [the people of Troizenos, Argos] used to cleanse Orestes was water from Hippokrene (Horse’s Fountain}; for the Troinzenians too have a fountain called the Horse’s, and the legend about it does not differ from the one which prevails in Boiotia. For they, too, say that the earth sent up the water when the horse Pegasos struck the ground with his hoof, and that Bellerophontes came to Troizen to ask Pittheus to give him Aithra to wife."

Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 9 (trans. Celoria) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"When the Mousai (Muses) sang, heaven, the stars, the sea and rivers stood still, while Mount Helikon, beguiled by the pleasure of it all, swelled skyward till, by the will of Poseidon, Pegasos checked it by striking the summit with his hoof."

Callistratus, Descriptions 7 (trans. Fairbanks) (Greek rhetorician C4th A.D.) :
"On Helikon--the spot is a shaded precinct sacred to the Mousai (Muses)--near the torrent of the river Olmeios and the violet-dark spring of Pegasos, there stood the [statues of the] Mousai."

Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 18 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"Pegasus, offspring of Neptunus [Poseidon] and the Gorgon Medusa, who on Helicon, a mountain of Boeotia, opened up a spring by striking the rock with his hoof. From him the spring is called Hippocrene."

Ovid, Fasti 3. 449 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"It [Pegasos] had only just protested its strange bridling [by Bellerophon], when its light hoof dug Aonia’s spring [the Hippokrene of Mt Helikon]."

Ovid, Metamorphoses 5. 254 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Helicon, the Musae’s mountain home. Alighting there she [Athena] stopped and thus addressed the learned sisters [the Mousai] : `there has reached my ears a tale of a new fountain that burst forth beneath the hooves of flying Medusaeus [Pegasos]. That is my journey‘s purpose, my desire to see the miracle. I saw that horse brought into being from his mother‘s blood. Uranie replied : `Whatever cause may bring you to our home, you find our hearts most welcoming. The tale indeed is true; the author of the spring is Pegasus.’ She led Pallas [Athena] to the sacred spring. The waters issuing from his hoof‘s hard stroke long held her wondering eyes; then she gazed round at the green bowers of the ancient woods, the caves and grottoes and the spangled lawns with all their countless flowers."

Propertius, Elegies 3. 3 (trans. Goold) (Roman elegy C1st B.C.) :
"I dreamed that lying in the soft shade of Helicon, where flows the fountain of Bellerophon’s horse [Pegasos], I possessed the power to proclaim my lyre’s accompaniment Alba’s kings and their deeds."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 44. 6 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) :
"A fountain [Hippokrene] bubbled on the spot where the horse’s [Pegasos’] wet hoof scratched the surface of the ground and made a hollow for the water which took its name from him."

PEGASUS & BELLEROPHON

Hesiod, Theogony 325 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) :
"But Khimaira was killed by Pegasos and gallant Bellerophon."

Hesiod, Catalogues of Women Fragment 7 (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) :
"And when he [Bellerophon] began to roam, his father [Poseidon] gave him Pegasos who would bear him most swiftly on his wings, and flew unwearying everywhere over the earth, for like the gales he would course along. With him Bellerophon caught and slew the fire-breathing Khimaira."

Pindar, Olympian Ode 13. 63 ff (trans. Conway) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) :
"[Bellerophon] once strove in vain beside Peirene's spring, and suffered much, seeking to yoke the snake-haired Gorgo's offspring, Pegasos. Till Pallas [Athena], goddess maid, brought him the bridle and golden headband, and behold a dream was truth. `Sleep not, Aiolid king,' said she, `but take this charm of steeds, and offer the Horse-Tamer, your sire, a snow-white bull, and show to him this bridle.' Such words, as he lay slumbering in the dark, it seemed the maiden of the shadowy aegis spoke unto him, and he leapt to his feet and seized the magic bit, that lay beside him on the ground; and went with joy to find the prophet of his country's people the son of Korianos. And he made known to him the whole issue of this strange matter--how that he had lain the whole night through upon the goddess' altar, as the seer had foretold him, and how the child of Zeus whose sword is lightning, in her own hands brought him the golden charm that tames the savage spirit. And the prophet bade him obey at once the magic vision, and to Poseidon, the earth-holder, to sacrifice the strong-limbed bull. Then too that he should build an altar with all speed to Athene, queen of steeds. Yet the gods' power can lightly bring to pass such things as will deny both the sworn word and all the hopes of men. Thus with all zeal mighty Bellerophon seized the winged steed, setting between his jaws the soothing charm, and mounting him, in his bronze panoply played him in sport, to try his pace. And once, with him, he smote the Amazons, from the chill bosom of the lonely air, that archered host of women-kind; and felled Khimaira breathing fire, and slew the Solymoi. His fate--'twere best unspoken. But Pegasos dwells in the ancient stalls of Zeus upon Olympos."

Pindar, Isthmian Ode 7. 44 ff :
"Pegasos winged high threw down to earth his lord Bellerophon, who thought to reach the abodes of heaven, and share the company of Zeus. Sweets gained unrightly await an end most bitter."

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 2. 32 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"Bellerophon mounted Pegasos, his winged horse born of Medousa and Poseidon, and flying into the air brought down the Khimaira with his bow and arrows."

Strabo, Geography 8. 6. 20 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Peirene [a spring of the city of Korinthos] was wont to rise over the surface and flow down the sides of the mountain. And here, they say, Pegasos, a winged horse which sprang from the neck of the Gorgon Medousa when her head was cut off, was caught while drinking by Bellerophon. And the same horse, it is said, caused Hippu-krene (Horse Fountain) to spring up on Helikon when he struck with his hoof the rock that lay below that mountain."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 1. 9 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"Among the reliefs on the base of the statue of Poseidon [at his main sanctuary on the Isthmos of Korinthos] are the sons of Tyndareus, because these too are saviours of ships and of sea-faring men. The other offerings are images of Calm and of Sea, a horse like a whale from the breast onward, Ino and Bellerophontes, and the horse Pegasos."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 3. 5 :
"The Korinthians have baths in many parts of the city . . . The most famous of them is near the Poseidon. It was made by the Spartan Eurykles, who beautified it with various kinds of stone, especially the one quarried at Krokeai in Lakonia. On the left of the entrance stands a Poseidon, and after him Artemis hunting. Throughout the city are many wells, for the Korinthians have a copious supply of flowing water . . . but the most noteworthy is the one by the side of the image of Artemis. Over it is a Bellerophontes, and the water flows through the hoof of the horse Pegasos."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 4. 1 :
"Athena, they say. Was the divinity who gave most help to Bellerophontes, and she delivered to him Pegasos, having herself broken in and bridled him."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 31. 9 :
"They [the people of Troizenos in Argolis], too, say that the earth sent up the water when the horse Pegasos struck the ground with his hoof, and that Bellerophontes came to Troizen to ask Pittheus to give him Aithra to wife."

Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 57 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"Iobates was reluctant to kill the hero [Bellerophon], but sent him to kill the Chimaera [Khimaira], a three-formed creature said to breathe forth fire. Likewise : forepart lion, rearpart snake, middle she-goat. This he slew, riding on Pegasus, and he is said to have fallen in the Aleian plains and to have dislocated his hip."

Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 18 :
"[Proetus] knowing that he [Bellerophon] had the horse Pegasus, sent him to the father of Antia (some call her Sthenoboea), for him to defend his daughter’s chastity and send the youth against the Chimera, which at that time was laying waste with flames the country of the Lycians. Bellerophon was victor, and escaped, but after the creation of the spring, as he was attempting to fly to heaven, and had almost reached it, he became terrified looking down at the earth, and fell off and was killed. But the horse is said to have flown up and to have been put among the constellations by Jove [Zeus]."

Ovid, Fasti 3. 449 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"[Pegasos] had only just protested its strange bridling [by Bellerophon], when its light hoof dug Aonia’s spring [the Hippokrene of Mt Helikon]."

Apuleius, The Golden Ass 8. 16 ff (trans. Walsh) (Roman novel C2nd A.D.) :
"I reflected that it was panic more than anything which had induced the celebrated Pegasus to take to the air, and that the tradition that he had wings was justified because he leapt upward as high as heaven in his fear of being bitten by the fire-breathing Chimaera."

Oppian, Cynegetica 1. 225 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd A.D.) :
"To Horses beyond all mortal creatures cunning Nature has given a subtle mind and heart . . . A horse [Pegasos] carried above the clouds him [Bellerophon] that slew the Khimaira."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 11. 142 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) :
"Quickwing Pegasos threw Bellerophontes and sent him headlong down from the sky, although he was of the seed of Earthshaker [Poseidon] and the horse himself shared the kindred blood of Poseidon."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 28. 167 ff :
"Pegasos flying high in the air as swift in his course as the wandering wind, threw Bellerophontes."

PEGASUS THE CONSTELLATION & HORSE OF ZEUS

Hesiod, Theogony 280 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) :
"Pegasos, soaring, left the earth, the mother of sheep flocks, and came to the immortals, and there he lives in the household of Zeus, and carries the thunder and lightning for Zeus of the counsels."

Pindar, Olympian Ode 13. 92 ff (trans. Conway) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) :
"Pegasos dwells in the ancient stalls of Zeus upon Olympos."

Plato, Phaedrus 246 (trans. Lamb) (Greek philosopher C4th B.C.) :
"A pair of winged horses and a charioteer. Now the winged horses and the charioteers of the gods are all of them noble and of noble descent . . . Zeus, the mighty lord, holding the reins of a winged chariot, leads the way in heaven, ordering all and taking care of all; and there follows him the array of gods and demigods, marshalled in eleven bands [the twelve Olympians]."

Aratus, Phaenomena 206 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek astronomical poem C3rd B.C.) :
"The huge [constellation] Horse (Hippos) [is Pegasos] . . . the Horse himself circles in the heaven of Zeus and is there for thee to behold."

Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 18 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"Constellation Horse. This sign Aratus and many others have called Pegasus, offspring of Neptunus [Poseidon] and the Gorgon Medusa . . . As he [Bellerophon] was attempting to fly to heaven, and had almost reached it, he became terrified looking down at the earth, and fell off and was killed. But the horse [Pegasos] is said to have flown up and to have been put among the constellations by Jove [Zeus]."

Ovid, Fasti 3. 449 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Now when stars spangle the deep blue heavens, look up: you’ll see the neck of the Gorgonian horse [the constellation Pegasos]. Men believe it sprang with its blood-spattered mane from the butchered Medusa’s pregnant neck. As it glided above the clouds and beneath the stars, the sky was its earth and wings were its feet. It had only just protested its strange bridling [by Bellerophon], when its light hoof dug Aonia’s spring [the Hippokrene of Mt Helikon]. Now it enjoys the sky, which it wings sought before, and gleams resplendent with five stars and ten."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 37. 265 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) :
"Pegasos flying on high quickly cut the air on his long wings."

THE PEGASI HORSES

Pegasoi or winged horses (hippoi pteretoi) occur in ancient art drawing the chariots of various gods included Helios the sun and Selene the moon. The hero Pelops was also given a chariot drawn by winged horses by the god Poseidon. A species of winged horse also occurs in Greek legend. The animals were said to be native to the mysterious southern land of Aithiopia. See Pegasoi Aithiopikoi for more information.

Plato, Critias (trans. Lamb) (Greek philosopher C4th B.C.) :
"Here [in the temple of Poseidon on the mythical island of Atlantis] was the [statue of the] god himself standing in a chariot--the charioteer of six winged horses [Pegasoi]."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 5. 17. 7 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"[Amongst the scenes depicted on the chest of Kypselos dedicated at Olympia :] Oinomaos is chasing Pelops, who is holding Hippodameia. Each of them has two horses, but those of Pelops have wings."

Pausanias, Description of Greece 5. 19. 8 :
"[Amongst the scenes depicted on the chest of Kypselos dedicated at Olympia :] Next come two-horse chariots with women standing in them. The horses have golden wings, and a man is giving armour to one of the women. I conjecture that this scene refers to the death of Patroklos; the women in the chariots, I take it, are Nereides, and Thetis is receiving the armour from Hephaistos."

http://www.theoi.com/Ther/HipposPegasos.html

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Clash of the Titans 2010
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mountain

21-01-2011, 12:29 AM

Final Fantasy VII Gongaga Village ..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/20de78fd.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Final Fantasy VII City of Midgar ..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/f1e42f27.gif (http://nowpic.com/)

Final Fantasy X Besaid Village ..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/543ef90d.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Final Fantasy IX Black Mage Village ..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-01/33009570.png (http://nowpic.com/)

sh3lly

21-01-2011, 02:10 AM

I always loved the winged horse and unicorn stuff... I will try to find something to post when my daughter goes to bed. ;)

pixie_shhh

29-01-2011, 01:02 AM

Here is a Disinformation video on the subject :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qgMFO0KU-I

mountain

08-02-2011, 02:07 PM

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-02/37c8d96c.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Depiction of Itzpapalotl from the Codex Borgia.
In Aztec mythology, Itzpapalotl ("Clawed Butterfly" or "Obsidian Butterfly") was a fearsome skeletal warrior goddess, who ruled over the paradise world of Tamoanchan, the paradise of victims of infant mortality and place identified where humans were created.[1] She is the mother of Mixcoatl and is particularly associated with the moth Rothschildia orizaba from the family Saturniidae. Some of her associations include birds and fire.[2] Her nahualli was a deer.

Itzpapalotl's name can either mean "obsidian butterfly" or "clawed butterfly", the latter meaning seems most likely. It's quite possible that clawed butterfly refers to the bat and in some instances Itzpapalotl is depicted with bat wings. However, she can also appear with clear butterfly or eagle attributes. Her wings are obsidian or tecpatl (flint) knife tipped.[3] (In the Manuscript of 1558, Itzpapalotl is described as having "blossomed into the white flint, and they took the white and wrapped it in a bundle.") She could appear in the form of a beautiful, seductive woman or terrible goddess with a skeletal head and butterfly wings supplied with stone blades. Although the identity remains inconclusive, the Zapotec deity named Goddess 2J by Alfonso Caso and Ignacio Bernal may be a Classic Zapotec form of Itzpapalotl. In many instances Goddess 2J, whose image is found on ceramic urns, is identified with bats. "In folklore, bats are sometimes called "black butterflies"".[4]

Ritual

Itzpapalotl is the patron of the day Cozcuauhtli and Trecena 1 House in the Aztec calendar. The Trecena 1 House is one of the five western trecena dates dedicated to the cihuateteo, or women who had died in childbirth. Not only was Itzpapalotl considered one of the cihuateteo herself, but she was also one of the tzitzimime, star demons that threatened to devour people during solar eclipses.[3]

As the legend goes, Itzpapalotl fell from heaven along with Tzitzimime and several other shapes such as scorpions and toads. Itzpapalotl wore an invisible cloak so that no one could see her. At some times, she was said to have dressed up like a lady of the Mexican Court, caking her face with white powder and lining her cheeks with strips of rubber. Her fingers tapered into the claws of a jaguar, and her toes into eagle's claws.

Mythology

According to the Manuscript of 1558, section VII, Itzpapalotl was one of two divine 2-headed doe-deers (the other one being Chimalman) who temporarily transformed themselves into women in order to seduce men. Itzpapalotl approached the two "cloud serpents named Xiuhnel and Mimich", who transformed themselves into men (so as to disguise themselves when all the others of the Centzonmimixcoa had been slain in the ambush?). To Xiuhnel, Itzpapalotl said ""Drink, Xiuhnel." Xiuhnel drank the blood (menstrual?) and then immediately lay down with her. Suddenly she ... devoured him, tore open his breast. ... Then Mimich ... ran and ... descended into a thorny barrel cactus, fell into it, and the woman fell down after him."[5]

Popular culture

In Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series, the ninth book is named Obsidian Butterfly and involves a vampire named Itzpapalotl, who was once an Aztec priestess and believes herself actually to be the goddess of that name. She also runs a nightclub named Obsidian Butterfly, in keeping with Hamilton's tradition of naming books after businesses encountered within them.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-02/cb1eca72.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

mountain

08-02-2011, 02:45 PM

In Belgian folklore, a water spirit which roams the Flemish country side. This creature, called Kludde, hides in the twilight of dawn and sunset and attacks innocent travelers. Warned travelers listen for the only sound which betrays that Kludde is in the vicinity: the rattling of the chains with which the spirit is covered.

Kludde usually appears in the shape of a monstrous black dog that walks on his hind legs. The faster one walks, the faster this monster follows, often swinging through the trees like a giant snake. No one can ever hope to outrun or escape this creature. The dog is not the only shape in which it can be seen. It can also assume the shape of a huge, hairy, black cat or a horrible black bird.

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/k/kludde.html

http://i52.tinypic.com/2doxgk.jpg

Kludde usually appears in the shape of a monstrous Black Dog that walks on its hind legs. It can also assume the shape of a huge, hairy, black cat, a horse, or a horrible black bird.
Behavior

Kludde is said to hide in the twilight of dawn and sunset and attacks innocent travelers. Travelers would listen for the only sound which betrays that Kludde is in the vicinity: the rattling of the chains with which the spirit is covered. The faster one walks, the faster this monster follows, even able to outpace a victim who ran in a zigzag. It could also be identified by blue flames that floated in front of it.

As a horse, Kludde would sometimes offer travelers a ride and, once they were mounted, would go at a breakneck pace, leading the victim on a terrifying ride. In this form it was little more than a prankster, since it would release its victims by throwing them into a pool of water and laugh at their misfortune, leaving them humiliated and angry but otherwise unharmed.
Kludde was at its most malicious in the form of a black dog. It would walk alongside travelers, jumping onto their backs and crushing them, much like Oschaert. Only dawnbreak or the sound of church bells could drive off Kludde and save the victim from a gruesome death. Other times it would stand on its hind legs, rising up until it could tear out a victim's throat.

Kludde or Kleure is the name of an evil spirit which plays its pranks in a great part of Brabant and Flanders. With respect to its form it is a perfect Proteus; for which reason the peasants are so fearful of him, that they will not for any consideration venture into a forest, a field, or a road, which, according to common report, is haunted by Kludde.

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This spirit often transforms himself into a tree, which at first appears quite small and delicate, but soon raises itself to an immeasurable height, and is lost in the clouds, while everything around it on earth is thrown into confusion. Another time he will clothe himself with the skin of a great black dog, and so run on his hind legs, at the same time rattling a chain that is round his neck, and will spring suddenly on the neck of the first person he meets; and when he has thrown him on the ground, entirely vanish. But Kludde oftenest appears as an old, half-starved horse, and as such is a bugbear to all grooms and horse-boys, who relate that when they leave their horses in the field at night, it frequently happens that, instead of their well-known horse or mare, they set themselves on Kludde, who instantly runs off with them at full speed, until he comes to some water, into which he pitches his terrified rider. While the poor fellow is struggling to save himself, Kludde lays himself with his belly flat on the ground and sets up a fiendish laugh, until his victim, sullen and angry, shall have worked himself out of his bath.

Occasionally Kludde assumes the form of a cat, a frog, a bat, or any other animal. His approach may be known by two little blue flames, which fluttering and dancing go before him. These flames are, as far as can be ascertained, the eyes of the spectre. It is difficult to escape from Kludde, even by running from him at the utmost speed in a zigzag; for, like a snake, he will wind in all directions with equal rapidity.

When this spectre takes his flight, he cries : " Kludde, Kludde!" whence comes his name.
- E. Lumley, 1852

http://www.monstropedia.org/index.php?title=Kludde

http://i52.tinypic.com/2m3k26q.jpg

mountain

14-02-2011, 05:45 PM

In Indian mythology we find the Garuda. He is depicted having the beak, wings, talons, and tail of an eagle, and the body and legs of a man (sometimes having four arms). Garuda was semi-divine, as he was the mount of Vishnu. Garuda personifies the sun, as well as being the enemy of snakes.

http://www.crystalinks.com/phoenix.html

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The Garuda (Sanskrit/Javanese/Balinese/Indonesian: garuḍa गरुड, eagle; Pāli garuḷa; Burmese: ဂဠုန်, [ɡəlòuɴ]; Tamil: karutan; Thai/Lao/Khmer: ครุฑ khrut; Malay: geroda; Mongolian: garid гарьд) is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.
From an Indian perspective, Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila and the Brahminy kite is considered to be the contemporary representation of Garuda.[1]

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Other nations adopt a more stylistic approach to the Garuda's depiction, where it depicts an eagle (being much larger than a kite).[2]

In Hinduism

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In Hindu religion, Garuda is a lesser Hindu divinity, usually the mount (vahanam) of Vishnu. Garuda is depicted as having the golden body of a strong man with a white face, red wings, and an eagle's beak and with a crown on his head. This ancient deity was said to be massive, large enough to block out the sun.

His stature in Hindu religion can be gauged by the fact that an independent Upanishad, the Garudopanishad, and a Purana, the Garuda Purana, is devoted to him. Various names have been attributed to Garuda - Chirada, Gaganeshvara, Kamayusha, Kashyapi, Khageshvara, Nagantaka, Sitanana, Sudhahara, Suparna, Tarkshya, Vainateya, Vishnuratha and others. The Vedas provide the earliest reference of Garuda, though by the name of Śyena, where this mighty bird is said to have brought nectar to earth from heaven. The Puranas, which came into existence much later, mention Garuda as doing the same thing, which indicates that Śyena (Sanskrit for Eagle) and Garuda are the same. One of the faces of Śrī Pañcamukha Hanuman is Mahavira Garuda. This face points towards the west. Worship of Garuda is believed to remove the effects of poisons from one's body. In Tamil Vaishnavism Garuda and Hanuman are known as "Periya Thiruvadi" and "Siriya Thiruvadi" respectively.

In the Bhagavad-Gita (Ch.10, Verse 30), in the middle of the battlefield "Kurukshetra", Krishna explaining his omnipresence, says - " as son of Vinata, I am in the form of Garuda, the king of the bird community (Garuda)" indicating the importance of Garuda.

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Garuda plays an important role in Krishna Avatar in which Krishna and Satyabhama ride on Garuda to kill Narakasura. On another occasion, Lord Hari rides on Garuda to save the devotee Elephant Gajendra. It is also said that Garuda's wings when flying will chant the Vedas.

In the Mahabharata

Birth and deeds

The story of Garuda's birth and deeds is told in the first book of the great epic Mahabharata.[3] According to the epic, when Garuda first burst forth from his egg, he appeared as a raging inferno equal to the cosmic conflagration that consumes the world at the end of every age. Frightened, the gods begged him for mercy. Garuda, hearing their plea, reduced himself in size and energy.

Garuda's father was the creator-rishi Kasyapa. His mother was Vinata, whose sister was Kadru, the mother of serpents. One day, Vinata entered into and lost a foolish bet, as a result of which she became enslaved to her sister. Resolving to release his mother from this state of bondage, Garuda approached the serpents and asked them what it would take to purchase her freedom. Their reply was that Garuda would have to bring them the elixir of immortality, also called amrita. It was a tall order. The amrita at that time found itself in the possession of the gods, who guarded it jealously, since it was the source of their immortality. They had ringed the elixir with a massive fire that covered the sky. They had blocked the way to the elixir with a fierce mechanical contraption of sharp rotating blades. And finally, they had stationed two gigantic poisonous snakes next to the elixir as deadly guardians.

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Undaunted, Garuda hastened toward the abode of the gods intent on robbing them of their treasure. Knowing of his design, the gods met him in full battle-array. Garuda, however, defeated the entire host and scattered them in all directions. Taking the water of many rivers into his mouth, he extinguished the protective fire the gods had thrown up. Reducing his size, he crept past the rotating blades of their murderous machine. And finally, he mangled the two gigantic serpents they had posted as guards. Taking the elixir into his mouth without swallowing it, he launched again into the air and headed toward the eagerly waiting serpents. En route, he encountered Vishnu. Rather than fight, the two exchanged promises. Vishnu promised Garuda the gift of immortality even without drinking from the elixir, and Garuda promised to become Vishnu's mount. Flying onward, he met Indra the god of the sky. Another exchange of promises occurred. Garuda promised that once he had delivered the elixir, thus fulfilling the request of the serpents, he would make it possible for Indra to regain possession of the elixir and to take it back to the gods. Indra in turn promised Garuda the serpents as food.

At long last, Garuda alighted in front of the waiting serpents. Placing the elixir on the grass, and thereby liberating his mother Vinata from her servitude, he urged the serpents to perform their religious ablutions before consuming it. As they hurried off to do so, Indra swooped in to make off with the elixir. From that day onward, Garuda was the ally of the gods and the trusty mount of Vishnu, as well as the implacable enemy of snakes, upon whom he preyed at every opportunity.

Descendents

According to the Mahabharata, Garuda had six sons from whom were descended the race of birds. The members of this race were of great might and without compassion, subsisting as they did on their relatives the snakes. Vishnu was their protector.[4]

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As a Symbol

Throughout the Mahabharata, Garuda is invoked as a symbol of impetuous violent force, of speed, and of martial prowess. Powerful warriors advancing rapidly on doomed foes are likened to Garuda swooping down on a serpent.[5] Defeated warriors are like snakes beaten down by Garuda.[6] The field marshall Drona uses a military formation named after Garuda.[7] Krishna even carries the image of Garuda on his banner.[8]
As the national symbol of Indonesia, it is somewhat intertwined with the concept of the phoenix.

The Garuda Pancasila is coloured or gilt gold, symbolizes the greatness of the nation and is a representation of the elang Jawa or Javan Hawk-eagle Nisaetus bartelsi. The black color represents nature. There are 17 feathers on each wing, 8 on the tail and 45 on the neck, which represent the date Indonesia proclaimed its independence: 17 August 1945. The shield it carries with the Indonesian Panca Sila heraldry symbolizes self-defense and protection in struggle.[2]

In Buddhism

In Buddhist mythology, the garuḍa (Pāli: garuḷā) are enormous predatory birds with intelligence and social organization. Another name for the garuḍa is suparṇa (Pāli: supaṇṇa), meaning "well-winged, having good wings". Like the nāga, they combine the characteristics of animals and divine beings, and may be considered to be among the lowest devas.

The exact size of the garuḍa is uncertain, but its wings are said to have a span of many miles. This may be a poetic exaggeration, but it is also said that when a garuḍa's wings flap, they create hurricane-like winds that darken the sky and blow down houses. A human being is so small compared to a garuḍa that a man can hide in the plumage of one without being noticed (Kākātī Jātaka, J.327). They are also capable of tearing up entire banyan trees from their roots and carrying them off.

Garudas are the great golden-winged Peng birds. They also have the ability to grow large or small, and to appear and disappear at will. Their wingspan is 330 yojanas (one yojana being 40 miles long). With one flap of its wings, a Peng bird dries up the waters of the sea so that it can gobble up all the exposed dragons. With another flap of its wings, it can level the mountains by moving them into the ocean.

There were also the four garuda-kings : Great-Power-Virtue Garuda-King, Great-Body Garuda-King, Great-Fulfillment Garuda-King, and Free-At-Will Garuda-King, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants.

Garuda in the way to Tirumala, Tirupathi

The garuḍas have kings and cities, and at least some of them have the magical power of changing into human form when they wish to have dealings with people. On some occasions Garuḍa kings have had romances with human women in this form. Their dwellings are in groves of the simbalī, or silk-cotton tree.
The garuḍa are enemies to the nāga, a race of intelligent serpent- or dragon-like beings, whom they hunt. The garuḍas at one time caught the nāgas by seizing them by their heads; but the nāgas learned that by swallowing large stones, they could make themselves too heavy to be carried by the garuḍas, wearing them out and killing them from exhaustion. This secret was divulged to one of the garuḍas by the ascetic Karambiya, who taught him how to seize a nāga by the tail and force him to vomit up his stone (Pandara Jātaka, J.518).

The garuḍas were among the beings appointed by Śakra to guard Mount Sumeru and the Trāyastriṃśa heaven from the attacks of the asuras.
In the Mahasamyatta Sutta, the Buddha is shown making temporary peace between the Nagas and the garuḍas.

The Sanskrit word garuḍa has been borrowed and modified in the languages of several Buddhist countries. In Burmese, garuḍas are called galone (ဂဠုန်). In Burmese astrology, the vehicle of the Sunday planet is the galone.[9] In Kapampangan the native word for eagle is galura. In Japanese a garuḍa is called karura (however, the form Garuda ガルーダ is used in recent Japanese fiction - see below).

For the Mongols, the garuḍa is called Khan Garuda or Khangarid (Mongolian: Хангарьд). Before and after each round of Mongolian wrestling, wrestlers perform the Garuḍa ritual, a stylised imitation of the Khangarid and a hawk.[citation needed]

In the Qing Dynasty fiction The Story of Yue Fei (1684), Garuda sits at the head of the Buddha's throne. But when a celestial bat (an embodiment of the Aquarius constellation) farts during the Buddha’s expounding of the Lotus Sutra, Garuda kills her and is exiled from paradise. He is later reborn as Song Dynasty General Yue Fei. The bat is reborn as Lady Wang, wife of the traitor Prime Minister Qin Hui, and is instrumental in formulating the "Eastern Window" plot that leads to Yue's eventual political execution.[10] It is interesting to note The Story of Yue Fei plays on the legendary animosity between Garuda and the Nagas when the celestial bird-born Yue Fei defeats a magic serpent who transforms into the unearthly spear he uses throughout his military career.[11] Literary critic C.T. Hsia explains the reason why Qian Cai, the book's author, linked Yue with Garuda is because of the homology in their Chinese names. Yue Fei's style name is Pengju (鵬舉).[12] A Peng (鵬) is a giant mythological bird likened to the Middle Eastern Roc.[13] Garuda's Chinese name is Great Peng, the Golden-Winged Illumination King (大鵬金翅明王).[12]

As a cultural and national symbol

Garuda according to Ida Made Tlaga, a 19th century Balinese artist
India uses Garuda as military symbols:

Garud Commando Force is a Special Forces unit of the Indian Air Force, specializing in operations deep behind enemy lines.

The Brigade of the Guards of the Indian Army uses the Garud as their symbol.
The elite bodyguards of the medieval Hoysala kings in Karnataka, India, were called Garudas, because they served the king in the way that Garuda served Vishnu.

In both Kerala and Andhra pradesh,its state road transport are using Garuda as the name for Volvo buses.

Indonesia uses the garuḍa, Garuda Pancasila as its national symbol.
The Indonesian national airline is Garuda Indonesia.

Indonesian Armed Forces United Nations peacekeeping missions is known as Pasukan Garuda or Garuda deployments.

Thailand uses the garuḍa (Thai: ครุฑ krut) as its national symbol. One form of the garuḍa used in Thailand as a sign of the royal family is called Krut Pha, meaning "garuḍa acting as the vehicle (of Vishnu)."

The garuḍa, known as Khangarid, is the symbol of the capital city of Mongolia, Ulan Bator.[14] According to popular Mongolian belief, Khangarid is the mountain spirit of the Bogd Khan Uul range who became a follower of Buddhist faith. Today he is considered the guardian of that mountain range and a symbol of courage and honesty. The bird also gives its name to Hangard Aviation and Khangarid (Хангарьд), a football (soccer) team in the Mongolia Premier League.

Garuda - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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mountain

28-03-2011, 03:23 AM

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-03/e239556b.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

In Greek mythology the Sirens or Seirenes (Greek Σειρῆνας) were Naiads (sea nymphs) who lived on an island called Sirenum scopuli, or in some different traditions,some place them on cape Pelorum others in the island of Anthemusa, and others again in the Sirenusian islands near Paestum, or in Capreae which was surrounded by cliffs and rocks. Approaching sailors were drawn to them by their enchanting singing, causing them to sail into the cliffs and drown. They were considered the daughters of Achelous or Phorcys. Homer says nothing of their number, but later writers mention both their names and number ; some state that they were two, Aglaopheme and Thelxiepeia; and others, that there were three, Peisinoe, Aglaope, and Thelxiepeia or Parthenope, Ligeia, and Leucosia. Their number is variously reported as between two and five, and their individual names as Thelxiepia/Thelxiope/Thelxinoe, Molpe, Aglaophonos/Aglaope, Pisinoe/Peisinoë, Parthenope, Ligeia, Leucosia, Raidne, and Teles. According to some versions, they were playmates of young Persephone and were changed into the monsters of lore by Demeter for failing to intervene when Persephone was abducted. The term "siren song" refers to an appeal that is hard to resist but that, if heeded, will lead to a bad result.

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-03/7f16cc99.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

Within the tales of Greek Mythology there were a couple documented cases where the siren song was thwarted. The first were the Argonauts whom had Orpheus play a tune louder than they, the second was Odysseus' men who plugged their ears with beeswax. Odysseus alone volunteered to hear the song whilst tied to the ship's mast. This second escape resulted in the Siren's killing themselves out of shame. It was because of this that later writers would say the Siren's were fated to die should a person hear their song and escape unharmed.

http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Siren

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-03/8acb43c1.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-03/902106c0.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

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Two Final Fantasy depictions ..

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-03/66c93acc.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-03/59114974.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

mountain

16-04-2011, 06:07 PM

Leviathan (Hebrew for "Twisted; coiled") was a Biblical sea monster referred to in the Old Testament (Psalm 74:13-14; Job 41; Isaiah 27:1). The word leviathan has become synonymous with any large sea monster or creature. In the novel Moby-Dick it refers to great whales, and in Modern Hebrew, it means simply "whale".

Judaism

Leviathan, Behemoth and Ziz
According to legend, Leviathan origionally had a mate, Taninim (Hebrew for "sea monster, crocodile or large snake"). God created a male and female Leviathan, then killed the female, for if the Leviathans were to procreate the world could not stand before them.

The Leviathan was a monstrous fish created on the fifth day of Creation. The Leviathan will be slain and its flesh served as a feast to the righteous in [the] Time to Come, and its skin used to cover the tent where the banquet will take place."
There is another religious hymn recited on the festival of Shavuot (celebrating the giving of the Torah), known as Akdamut, wherein it says: "...The sport with the Leviathan and the ox (Behemoth)...When they will interlock with one another and engage in combat, with his horns the Behemoth will gore with strength, the fish [Leviathan] will leap to meet him with his fins, with power. Their Creator will approach them with his mighty sword [and slay them both]." Thus, "from the beautiful skin of the Leviathan, God will construct canopies to shelter the righteous, who will eat the meat of the Behemoth [ox] and the Leviathan amid great joy and merriment, at a huge banquet that will be given for them." Some rabbinical commentators say these accounts are allegorical (Artscroll siddur, p. 719), or symbolic of the end of conflict.
In a legend recorded in the Midrash called Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer it is stated that the whale which swallowed Jonah narrowly avoided being eaten by the Leviathan, which generally eats one whale each day. In a hymn by Kalir, the Leviathan is a serpent that surrounds the earth and has its tail in its mouth, like the Greek Ouroboros and the Nordic Midgard Serpent.
Legend has it that in the banquet after the end of conflict, the carcass of the leviathan will be served as a meal, along with the behemoth and the ziz.
Leviathan may also be interpreted as the sea itself, with its counterparts behemoth being the land and ziz being the air and space. Some scholars have interpreted Leviathan, and other references to the sea in the Old Testament, as highly metaphorical references to seafaring marauders who once terrorized the Kingdom of Israel. Others liken the mention to Tiamat and other similar monsters who represented the sea as a foe to the gods in myths of nearby cultures.
The Biblical references to Leviathan appear to have evolved from the Canaanite Baal cycle involving a confrontation between Hadad (Baal) and a seven headed sea monster named Lotan. Lotan is the Ugaritic orthograph for Hebrew Leviathan. Hadad defeats him. Biblical references also resemble the Babylonian creation epic Enûma Elish in which the storm god Marduk slays his mother, the sea monster and goddess of chaos and creation Tiamat and creates the earth and sky from the two halves of her corpse.

Leviathan in rabbinic literature
Creation of Leviathan According to a midrash, the leviathan was created on the fifth day (Yalkut, Gen. 12). Originally God produced a male and a female leviathan, but lest in multiplying the species should destroy the world, He slew the female, reserving her flesh for the banquet that will be given to the righteous on the advent of the Messiah (B. B. 74a).

Size The enormous size of the leviathan is thus illustrated by R. Johanan, from whom proceeded nearly all the haggadot concerning this monster: "Once we went in a ship and saw a fish which put his head out of the water. He had horns upon which was written: 'I am one of the meanest creatures that inhabit the sea. I am three hundred miles in length, and enter this day into the jaws of the leviathan'" (B. B. l.c.). When the leviathan is hungry, reports R. Dimi in the name of R. Johanan, he sends forth from his mouth a heat so great as to make all the waters of the deep boil, and if he would put his head into paradise no living creature could endure the odor of him (ib.). His abode is the Mediterranean Sea; and the waters of the Jordan fall into his mouth (Bek. 55b; B. B. l.c.).

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-04/665c84a0.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

The body of the leviathan, especially his eyes, possesses great illuminating power. This was the opinion of R. Eliezer, who, in the course of a voyage in company with R. Joshua, explained to the latter, when frightened by the sudden appearance of a brilliant light, that it probably proceeded from the eyes of the leviathan. He referred his companion to the words of Job xli. 18: "By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning" (B. B. l.c.). However, in spite of his supernatural strength, the leviathan is afraid of a small worm called "kilbit", which clings to the gills of large fishes and kills them (Shab. 77b).

http://nowpic.com/upload/files/2011-04/dd825bf5.jpg (http://nowpic.com/)

In a legend recorded in a Midrash called Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer it is stated that the whale which swallowed Jonah narrowly avoided being eaten by the Leviathan, which generally eats one whale each day. Legend has it that in the banquet after the end of conflict, the carcass of the leviathan will be served as a meal, along with the behemoth and the ziz.

http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Leviathan

mountain

03-07-2011, 07:12 PM

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mountain

03-07-2011, 07:18 PM

Deriving from the Gaelic word murúch the Merrow is the Irish equivalent of the mermaid and mermen of other traditions. These beings are said to appear as human from the waist up but have the body of a fish from the waist down. They have a gentle, modest, affectionate and benevolent disposition.

There are other names pertaining to them in Gaelic - Muir-gheilt, Samhghubha, Muidhuachán, and Suire. They would seem to have been around for millenia because according to the bardic chroniclers, when the Milesians first landed on Irish shores the Suire, or sea-nymphs, played around them on their passage.

The merrow were capable of attachment to human beings and there are reports of them inter-marrying and living among humans for many years. However usually they eventually return to their former homes beneath the sea.

Merrow-maidens are reputed to lure young men to follow them beneath the waves where afterwards they live in an enchanted state. Merrows wear a special hat called a cohuleen druith which enables them to dive beneath the waves, if they lose this cap it is said they have no power to return beneath the water. Sometimes they are said to leave their outer skins behind, to assume others more magical and beautiful. The merrow has soft white webs between her fingers, she is often seen with a comb parting her long green hair on either side. Merrow music is often heard coming from beneath the waves.

An old tract found in the Book of Lecain states that a king of the Fomorians, when sailing over the Ictean sea, had been enchanted by the music of mermaids until he came within reach of these sirens .... then they tore his limbs asunder and scattered them on the sea.

From Dr. O'Donovan's Annals of the Four Masters - Entered in the year 887 ad. there is a curious tale of a mermaid cast on the Scottish coast - Alba - She was 195 feet in length and had hair 18 feet long, her fingers were 7 feet long as was her nose, while she was as white as a swan.

Most of the stories are about female beings however there are some about mer-men who capture sailors and keep them in cages under the sea.

http://www.shee-eire.com/magic&mythology/fairylore/The-Merrow-Folk/page%201.htm

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