Bestiary |
Frau Holle
A close relative of the pagan goddess Hulda, or rather Hulda herself, working from the underground of the Christian world. Stripped of her divine status, but still a powerful protector. She keeps a protective hand over domestic animals and children, supervising births and spinning. In short, she represents the usual states of the Triune Goddess, but during Frau Holle's existence, no one knew anything about them. She was also known as Perchta or Berchta, so she also acted as the successor to other pagan goddesses (although they themselves were probably originally one and the same).
Almost all of her activities were directed towards women. Whether it was supervising spinners, fertility, and children, or in a less commendable form, as the patron saint of witches (but more on that another time, lest we ruin Frau Holle's reputation).
As the White Lady, she sometimes appeared at springs and wells. Although recorded stories speak of regular hauntings, sometimes and somewhere, young women took cold baths in Holle's springs to ensure their fertility.
She also retained a certain form of control over winter, including a layman's explanation of meteorological phenomena: snow as the shaking of pillows, fog as smoke from her fireplace.
Under the name Frau Gode (Fru Gaue), she leads the Wild Hunt, and also acts as a vegetation demon, and farmers throughout northern Germany proved that they were not so far removed from the original pagan belief when they made sacrifices to Frau Gode during the harvest, for example by leaving a few stalks of grain uncut and decorated with flowers, or by scattering a handful of grain back onto the field as Fru Gaue's share. And so on and so forth, each region with slightly different customs, but one former goddess.
The accompanying image "Holda, die gütige Beschüzerin" comes from the book Nordisch-germanische Götter und Helden by Wolhelm Wägner. Otto Spamer, Leipzig & Berlin 1882, drawn by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (1845-1921), the full version can be found on Wikipedia, licence public domain.
3.3.2026 (9.9.2012)
Holle
Holda, sometimes known as Hulda and Holle, was a Norse goddess. She also represented the ancient triad of Virgin – Mother – Crone.
Her marriage to the Winter King Holler is associated with the well-known story of the bride dressed/undressed, riding/walking, accompanied/alone, and so on. Of course, she met the requirements: she put on a net, sat on a donkey with one foot touching the ground, and set off to arrive before His Majesty at dusk, surrounded by twenty-four wolves.
She fulfilled the conditions, so that from a virgin with half her face black, she could become a mother, patroness of fertility and growth. As an old woman, she is the Winter Queen. In Holland—which is said to have been named after her, Holle's land—when it snows, they say: Mrs. Holle is shaking her duvets.
Her name probably comes from the Old Germanic halja, which was also the name of the Scandinavian ruler of the underworld, Hel. There are other connections between them besides linguistic ones. The goddess Holda gave rise to many folkloric characters and was one of the models for the well-known White Lady. She remained in her purest form in Germany, where she became Frau Holle.
3.3.2026 (9.9.2012)
Näkki
Näkki is a wonderful and interesting combination of European water sprites. I am tempted to use the word convergence, so beloved by biologists and ethnographers.
Why? Because he haunts Finland, which is a bit out of the way for legends from different cultural areas to merge. Of course, there is no need to look too deeply into water sprites; water has always been dangerous, and the inhabitants of other elements could be wild, hostile, or kind; water creatures were simply uncompromisingly different. I wouldn't even say that most folkloric representatives of this kind reflected old customs and myths in which water and the dead merged into one cult; rather, it was the empirically proven cruel inevitability of fate that was at work here. Contracts with the devil were usually made for a longer period of time; wind creatures could lose interest, many demons could simply be outwitted, but not water. Water is definitive. Anyone who has ever drowned (and not drowned) knows what I'm talking about.
What the näkki took from its close Swedish relative, the naecken, is nakedness, as it usually walks around unclothed, with long hair and a beard. Some say that en face it is handsome, while from behind it is ugly to the point of horror. What is certain is that it mainly drowns children.
He uses the tactics of the British kelpie or noggle, grazing on the banks in the form of an animal, and when an unsuspecting victim climbs on his back, he runs into the depths. In such a case, saying his name or a prayer will help to safely rid him of his power. Other favorite locations where the water sprite likes to settle are springs (wet, slippery stones are a great trap), wells, fords, and under bridges. Therefore, it is not recommended to walk on railings or look at your own reflection on the water surface. Like many other creatures, as we can see, the näkki has entered into a contract with human parents, but this is an ancient agreement, not one of those enforced contracts that many supernatural creatures have had to enter into in modern times.
3.3.2026 (4.3.2007)
Yamata no Orochi
Some stories grow in any soil, regardless of geographical location and cultural conditions. The story of Yamata no Orochi is one such story. The name means Eightfold Serpent, due to its eight heads, eight tails, and size, which allowed its body to cover eight hills and eight valleys. To refine the description, I will add that its belly was always covered in blood, and trees grew on its back.
Monsters from various parts of the world often indulged in select human flesh, whether it was the Minotaur or the dragons of legends and fairy tales. This is a reminder of a time when it was not cattle that were sacrificed to the gods, but real people, and when this applied not only to prisoners of war, but above all to kings, whose ritual death was supposed to ensure the running of the world. Therefore, it is no surprise that Orochi had similar tastes. He specialized in the eight daughters of one clan. For seven years, he decimated the female descendants of a certain royal family, until the eighth summer came, and it was time for the last princess, named Kushinada.
This is precisely the moment when the Hero enters the story.
He was Susanoo, the god of storms, the underworld, disease, agriculture, etc., one of the most interesting members of the Shinto pantheon. A bit like the Japanese Loki.
At that time, he was not particularly favored by his divine colleagues and was essentially in exile when he met Kushinada's parents, and they confided in him about their troubles. Susanoo listened to them, looked at the poor victim, and took action. First, he asked for the princess's hand in marriage, and after receiving permission, he transformed Kushinada into a comb to hide her in his hair from Orochi, then surprised everyone with his perfect plan.
He built a gate with eight openings, behind which were hidden eight vessels filled with strong alcohol. And Yamata no Orochi fell for it. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Egyptian Sachmet, also drunk on strong beer, but in her case, it was not a single girl, but all of humanity. Under the influence of alcohol, Sachmet forgot Ra's somewhat ill-considered order to destroy humanity. But back to Japan.
The eight-headed snake dipped its eight mouths into the eight jars, drank their contents, and, like anyone after such an alcoholic feat, fell asleep. For the last time, because Susanoo immediately cut off its heads. In its tail, he found the sword Kusanagi no tsurugi (also known as Ame no murakumo no tsurugi), a weapon of the same significance as Excalibur in Britain, still the sacred sword of Japanese emperors today.
All this took place in Izumo, which subsequently became the center of the Susanoo cult.
Susanoo, destroying the Eight-Headed Serpent Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
3.3.2026 (24.3.2007)
Magical animals
Myths, legends, and later fairy tales are full not only of heroes, gods, and monsters, but also of quite common animals, which often play an important role in the story. Since the dawn of time (or rather, totemic beliefs), they have been equal partners and adversaries. After all, as that hunter says, that crocodile is definitely my great-grandfather.
Specific animals are often the target of heroic expeditions, whether for their characteristics – the strongest, the fastest, whoever catches or defeats them is a real man – for a prize, or for a body part that is needed for the further development of the story. Another important function of representatives of well-known fauna is, of course, foreshadowing.
In the Welsh myth of Kilhwch and Olwen, the seventh tale from the Maginobi, both can be found. The target here is the boar Twrch Trwyth. But I don't want to dissect either the story or the boar (who was originally a king). I will just mention that it is essentially a series of quests – in order for Kilhwch to get to Olwen, he must find this or that thing. Somewhere in the middle is the search for Mabon, the miraculous hunter who is the only one who can catch the boar. And it is in this quest that a number of animals appear, representatives of species that are still common today.
First, however, it is necessary to find a certain Gwrhyr Gwalstawat Ieithoedd, a polyglot who not only knows all human languages, but can also communicate with other vertebrates. Because we are in Welsh mythology, King Arthur himself and the Round Table are involved, and the whole event has a grand epic scope. The group, led by Gwrhyr, began their search for Mabon by asking the oldest creature they knew, the Ousel of Cilgwri. But the black bird disappointed them:
"When I first came here, there was a smith's anvil in this place, and I was then a young bird; and from that time no work has been done upon it, save the pecking of my beak every evening, and now there is not so much as the size of a nut remaining thereof; yet the vengeance of Heaven be upon me, if during all that time I have ever heard of the man for whom you inquire.“
he replied, at least according to my edition of Mabinogion, which dates from 1877 and was translated by translated by Charlotte Guest. Not wanting to stick to the familiar metaphor of eternity, the blackbird offered to lead them to an animal even older than himself, the Stag of Redynvre. Unfortunately, the result is the same.
"When first I came hither, there was a plain all around me, without any trees save one oak sapling, which grew up to be an oak with an hundred branches. And that oak has since perished, so that now nothing remains of it but the withered stump; and from that day to this I have been here, yet have I never heard of the man for whom you inquire.“
Fortunately, even the stag knows someone older than himself—namely, the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd. Arthur's messengers learn from her that:
"If I knew I would tell you. When first I came hither, the wide valley you see was a wooded glen. And a race of men came and rooted it up. And there grew there a second wood; and this wood is the third. My wings, are they not withered stumps? Yet all this time, even until to-day, I have never heard of the man for whom you inquire.“
This was to be expected, as was the offer that the owl would lead the travelers to the Eagle of Gwern Abwy, a creature even older. The bird of prey is also talkative.
"I have been here for a great space of time, and when I first came hither there was a rock here, from the top of which I pecked at the stars every evening; and now it is not so much as a span high. From that day to this I have been here, and I have never heard of the man for whom you inquire...“
Same old story. With one change. The eagle did not remember an even older creature, but a battle he once fought with the Salmon of Llyn Llyw, a large fish that once nearly drowned him and against which he then led an army of his kin. There was no war at that time, the peace talks were successful, and during them, the eagle removed fifty harpoons from the salmon's back.
The salmon also heard Gwhryr's question, and this time there were no copies of eternity.
"As much as I know I will tell thee. With every tide I go along the river upwards, until I come near to the walls of Gloucester, and there have I found such wrong as I never found elsewhere; and to the end that ye may give credence thereto, let one of you go thither upon each of my two shoulders."
To prove his words, he took two human passengers and brought them to the incriminating place. From the change in the monotonous repetition so popular in many myths (remember, for example, the Babylonian Anzu), it is clear that the story—in this case, only one part of it—is coming to an end. Yes, the evil that Salmon had never experienced before was Mabon's imprisonment, from which he could only be freed by fighting. Arthur and his knights promptly arrive, attack the castle, and while the attention of its inhabitants is diverted by the defense, Gwhryr and his cousin Kei ride again on the salmon's back, break through the prison walls, and free Mabon.
3.3.2026 (1.4.2007)
Endless Feast
For more animals from the mythological zoo, we will head north and beyond the borders of the known world to the Scandinavian paradise of warriors, Valhalla. As is well known, the souls of brave warriors wander here to revel in a seemingly endless feast until the moment they are needed. That is, until the Last Battle.
Supplying this afterlife banquet would pose a certain problem for mortal catering agencies, but the world of the gods has certain advantages. First of all, its inhabitants tend to have uniform tastes; think, for example, of the Olympian nectar and ambrosia.
The menu of the fallen Norsemen contains only one item, and the drink menu is not extensive either. Therefore, everything can be handled by a single chef – Andhrímnir, equipped with the magical cauldron Eldhrímnir, in which he cooks pork every day. The meat comes from the boar Sahrímni; he is large, but not so large that one slaughter would last (almost) forever, so every night he comes back to life to be slaughtered, cooked, and consumed in the morning. Drinks are provided by the goat Heidrún, who lives on the roof of Valhalla and feeds on the leaves of a tree called Laradr; her udder provides enough mead to fill a large barrel.
The feast of the fallen warriors is presided over by Odin himself, but he only drinks and distributes his portion of pork among his two wolves, Geri and Freki, whom we will avoid for now, even though they would fit into a zoological excursion. Let us conclude today's story with a quote from Gylfaginning, part of Sturlusson's Prose Edda,
Five hundred doors and forty more
So I deem stand in Valhall;
Eight hundred champions go out at each door
When they fare to fight with the Wolf. *)
The Wolf is, of course, Fenrir, but something else is important for today – a simple calculation reveals how large Sahrímni is, as well as the barrel into which the goat is milked; an arithmetic calculation of the above verses reveals that there are 432,000 warriors.
*) STURLUSON, Snorri. The Prose Edda. Translated by Arthur Gilchrist BRODEUR. Oxford University Press, 1916.
3.3.2026 (9.4.2007)
Marsyas
The gods do not know how to lose. A whole host of characters from various myths have learned this the hard way; the smarter ones, however, understood that even if you cannot defeat them, with a little luck and skill, you can outwit the gods.
Today's case corresponds word for word to the sentence before the semicolon. The Greek Marsyas – a silenus or satyr, ancient authors often had problems with these races – was not very clever. That is why he became the tragic hero of a tragic story.
He came from Phrygia, which is the clearer part of his curriculum vitae, and his parents are most often considered to be the river god Oiagros and Cybele, the Phrygian Supreme Goddess, later identified by the Greeks with Gaia; however, as is often the case, there are more candidates for paternity.
Marsyas' curse, which brought him out of the crowd of nameless beings into the consciousness that has lasted for centuries, was a double flute that Athena once made from deer bones and played at an Olympus banquet. Although the music was not bad, the goddess did not like how Hera and Aphrodite were subtly sneering at her. So she tried playing alone in the Phrygian countryside, leaning over the calm water, from whose reflection she discovered that although beautiful sounds were coming from the flute, the player's face was not so beautiful when playing music. And she threw the flute away. With a rash curse that would fall on anyone who picked it up.
Marsyas picked it up. At that time, he was a member of Cybele's troupe, and thanks to the instrument he found, he began to excel. He soon became a favorite of the Phrygian peasants, who declared in one breath that even Apollo's music could not match Marsyas's. And the flute player did not refute them.
As a result, the offended god challenged Marsyas to a musical duel to be judged by the Muses, with the loser at the mercy of the winner.
Marsyas agreed.
Surprisingly, the competition was very close, and even the Muses could not decide which of the musicians was better. Apollo therefore resorted to a nasty trick, turning his lyre upside down, playing it, and asking his opponent to do the same. It was decided that it was impossible to play the flute like this (and sing as well; Apollo had thought it through in great detail). The victorious god then skinned Marsyas and nailed his skin to a plane tree (or pine tree) near the source of a river, which has borne the satyr's name ever since.
Judged through today's prism, this does not put Apollo in a favorable light, but the myth conceals a piece of real history—it reveals how the Hellenes conquered Phrygia and brought their culture, which featured stringed instruments, unlike the original Phrygian culture. The cruel skinning is explained, for example, by Robert Graves as a common ritual in the killing of a sacred king, or by the less bloody but no less mystical technique of removing the bark from a willow branch to make a whistle; the willow is a magical and often divine tree.
There is another, better-known story related to Marsyas's story (although it is usually associated with a similar musical competition in which Apollo competed with Pan). One of the spectators was King Midas, who had been cured of his gold-making powers, but not of his stupidity. After loudly and incessantly proclaiming that Apollo's rival's playing was much better, the god could not restrain himself and pulled the king's ears so hard that they turned into donkey ears. And you know the rest.
3.3.2026 (29.4.2007)
Hara Ke
The Niger River, flowing through West Africa, is an important lifeline for the entire region, so it can be safely assumed that, in addition to the usual members of the animal kingdom, it is also inhabited by various gods and supernatural beings.
In the areas inhabited by the Songhai people, the goddess of fresh water is Hara Ke, who resides in the Niger with her two dragons, Godi and Goru. And somewhere in the depths of the river is paradise – a city to which human souls travel after death.
3.3.2026 (8.5.2007)
Oya, Oshun, and Oba
The Yoruba people populated the Niger River and surrounding waters with their own deities. The three ladies in the title share not only their faith, but also their husband, as they married Shango, the first king of gods and men and a great warrior, one after the other. The first wife, Oya, has quite a wide range of powers; in addition to being the goddess of fire, wind, and thunder, as well as a warrior, she is also the protector of the Niger River. Her animal is the buffalo, and her attribute is horns, most likely representing the moon goddess in a later, subjugated form. When she gets angry, it is really noticeable because her rage is vented in tornadoes.
Oshun, Shango's second wife (originally his sister-in-law, because Shango kidnapped her from his brother, the blacksmith god), is the goddess of love, beauty, money, and medicine, as well as a teacher who taught people how to cook well. Her river is one of the tributaries of the Niger – Oshun.
The third legal partner, named Oba, is now a dangerous river goddess whom people fear; her character probably changed when Shango banished her. Oba cooked him soup from her own ear because she feared that the king was falling out of love with her.
3.3.2026 (8.5.2007)
Njugl
A relative of the noggle and thus another of the water sprites of the British Isles. You can encounter him north of Scotland in Shetland, and as is customary with this extensive family, most often in the form of a horse. It runs along the shores of lakes, on waterlogged meadows and muddy ground, looking well-behaved, luring potential riders to a ride with an unexpectedly wet ending. Yes, just like the noggle, kelpie, ceffyl dwr or each uisge a little further south.
Because it is a close relative of the Noggle, it teases millers just like they do. It also sometimes takes on human form, but such reports are not very common. When it comes to defense, it is not easy, but there are certain possibilities. There is a story in which a certain traveler, who recognized the danger in time, began shooting at the supernatural horse; all the shots missed until he loaded his gun with silver. After being hit with the usual anti-werewolf ammunition, there was a thunderous bang and the njugl evaporated in a blue flash.
3.3.2026 (13.5.2007)
Nykur
It is not far from the Shetland Islands to Iceland or Norway, and in those parts, you can encounter a close relative of the previous creature – another of the water horses, Nykur.
Essentially, the same applies to it as to the previous water sprite, including the obligatory luring of unsuspecting victims for a ride. However, there is a certain way to escape from this dangerous situation. It applies generally, not only to horse riding, the Nykur disappears when it hears its name, or at least a sound similar to that word.
While Central European (and other) water sprites, who primarily prefer human form, like to get involved with human girls, Nykur, whose basic nature is four-legged (although it can transform into anything living or non-living, as long as it does not contain barley or lamb's wool), sometimes mates with a horse. The offspring looks like a horse, behaves like a horse, but when it comes into contact with water, it tends to throw itself on the ground.
In Iceland, this gray horse is also associated (quite logically, given the geographical altitude) with ice – when the ice cover on the lakes begins to crack, Icelanders know that it is the cry of the Nykur and that they must be very careful when crossing seemingly solid ground.
According to Lake Kumbur, located below Skardsfjall in Landsveit, one of the local Icelandic forms of Nykur is apparently called Kumb. Legend has it that a gray horse sometimes runs out from under the surface of Kumbur, chasing local mares on dry land, and that a large, fat (and gray) cow also climbs out of the water onto the shore. Its hooves are inverted, which is one of the main distinguishing features of the Nykur, even in its horse form.
3.3.2026 (13.5.2007)
Mishipeshu
Although its name translates as "Great Lynx," it has nothing to do with felines. Nor with mammals. At most, it is related to vertebrates, because it is a large horned snake that, according to the Canadian Ojibwe, lives in lakes and rivers. It is said to have connected them all with a network of tunnels so that it can move unnoticed to any body of water. Sometimes it even crawls from water to water over land, completely soaking the ground beneath it, leaving swamps and quicksand in its wake.
He can raise the water level or turn a lazy river into white water (he is also responsible for the flood of the world), so it is not a bad idea to offer him a small gift before sailing on the lake, such as a pinch of tobacco.
In northern Ontario, it is said that Mishipeshu is the forefather of all snakes. Once, when it was sailing across the surface during a storm, it was struck by lightning and broken into small pieces, from which the snakes known to zoology today were created. At Lake Superior, it was the patron of the local copper mines. Occasionally, he would bestow magic upon someone, but as is often the case in such situations, the gift was double-edged, and the initial positive effect was usually followed by an unpleasant negative reaction.
3.3.2026 (20.5.2007)
