Bestiary |
Hayagriva
In Hinduism, this is one of the incarnations of Vishnu. A horse, or rather a man with a horse's head (and four to eight arms) was ordered by Brahma to save the Vedas from the hands of two demons.
This happened at the beginning of the world (the exact destination is, because of the constant creation and destruction of universes in Hindu mythology, unclear, probably our universe) and the demons were named Madhu and Kaitabha. They were not good creatures, but they were important for our present existence. When Hayagriva struck them in the waters of the primeval ocean, he not only defeated them and returned the Vedas to Brahma, but he also dismembered the two asuras: two heads, two bodies, four arms, and four legs became the twelve tectonic plates of the earth's lithosphere.
It is proper to note at this point, since we shall not return to them, that according to other accounts, the two demons had Brahma himself in their sights, but failed to kill him; Vishnu was quicker and thus acquired his seventy-third name: Madhusudanah, the Destroyer of Madhu.
Hayagriva's origins lie deep in the past, in the days when the Aryans worshipped the horse as an animal not only fast and strong but also clever. Therefore, in addition to its role as a demon slayer, the Horse's neck is also a protector of knowledge and wisdom.
Lamaistic Buddhists in Tibet and Buddhists in Japan (there under the name of Bato Kannon, where, among other things, it protects against injuries and sudden death) know Hayagriva also - and also in connection with horses and also with water demons, because, among other things, it protects against skin diseases, including leprosy, caused by Nagas. With his roaring-like roar, he drives away demons in general, and especially from horses, of which it is also the protector.
Ilustrace by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
14.8.2024 (9.8.2015)
Chos-skyong
Another transcription of Chökyong. The protector of the teachings, a majestic and menacing figure riding an elephant, defends the Lamaist Buddhists in Tibet from adversaries and evil.
14.8.2024 (9.8.2015)
Survarnabhadravimalaratnaprabhasa
The yellow and white color symbolizes Tibetan Medicine Buddhas. There are usually six of these, in the original version they are called sMan-gyi-bla, or sMan Bla for short. They are characterized by long earlobes.
14.8.2024 (9.8.2015)
Gandharva
Spirits of forests, waters, and mountains. They are all male and their wives are Apsaras. Sometimes they look like hairy dirty creatures, half human and half animal, sometimes they have bird legs and wings or resemble Greek centaurs, being one-half horse. And also - because of their knowledge of music - they are celestial musicians. This nation is ruled by Chitrasena, but the Gandharvas are also subject to Dhrtarashtra, one of the lokapālas, the guardians of the world, who watch over the eastern side at the foot of the Indian Olympus, the sacred mountain of Meru. His color is white and he is fond of playing the lute, his playing purifies human thoughts and spreads peace and tranquillity.
The Gandharvas appear all over India. When the five Pandu brothers were living in exile in the forest of Dvaitavana and their cousin Duryodhana went to mock them, he came across the Gandharvas in those very places. The celestials, led by Chitrasena, gave Duryodhana's army a beating, and in the end, it must have been the Pandavas who defeated the Gandharvas and liberated Duryodhana.
14.8.2024 (28.12. 2003)
Rakshasa
or also Rāksha, is a Hindu demon. They have a reputation for being evil creatures, but nothing is black and white. Some Rakshasas are in the service of the sky god Indra (evil is the best guardian, even the Christian Eden was once guarded by a dragon), and in the legendary story of Rama, whose wife Sita has been kidnapped by the Rakshasa king Ravana, the ten-headed ruler of Lanka, the king's brother Vibhishana intervenes on Rama's behalf, proposing to return Sita. When he is shouted down and booed by the other demons, he flies to Rama with four loyal rakshasas, takes refuge under his protection, and after victory becomes king of Lanka himself.
Otherwise, the Rakshasas do not contradict their reputation. They often fight the gods and do harm. And because it's not so easy with the gods, the demons often turn against the humans. They look like skeletons, or fat birds, or take on the shape of a dog.
14.8.2024 (28.12. 2003)
Yaksha
The Yakshas, semi-divine, semi-demonic creatures, live deep beneath the Himalayas where they guard the earth's treasures. Their leader is the god of abundance, Kubera. They are not evil; Krsna refers to them as sensual in the Bhagavad Gita. Their female counterparts are the Yakshinis.
Even the yakshas are one of the nations guarding Mount Meru. Their lokapāla is Vaiśravana, the most powerful of the lokapālas, and their world party is the North. Vaiśravana's color is green, and in his right hand, he holds either an umbrella or a jewel-spitting rat or a shrine in which Buddhist scriptures have been found. From this, it can be seen that Vaisravana is the Buddhist variant of the Hindu Kubera.
According to Buddhists, one of the yakshas also became a disciple of the Buddha. Before he met the saint, this yaksha lived in Athavi and liked to give people difficult riddles.
14.8.2024 (28.12. 2003)
Naga
Of the nations who guard the world with individual lokapāla, the Nagas are the most famous. At Mount Meru with the devaraja Virúpaksha, they guard the west. King Virúpaksha holds one of them (with the philosopher's stone or Chintamani) in his hand. I still owe you the color - the color of the west is blue.
The Nagas are the serpent or dragon nation of the waters and forests, their kings, the Nagarajahs, guard the sacred Buddhist scriptures in underwater palaces. Or bring beneficial rain, guarding springs and rivers. Sometimes they also cause droughts or floods instead.
Half snakes and half humans. At least in India. In Malaysia, sailors there see them as giant multi-headed dragons, in Java and Thailand, where they are part of the usual decoration of temples (see picture), they have five heads and are gods of the underworld.
In India, they are supposed to live in the underwater palaces of Bhogavati, where they are ruled by Nagaraja Sesha. Other higher-ranking nagas include Manasā, the goddess of fertility and protector against snake charmers, and Ananta, the symbol of eternity.
14.8.2024 (4.1.2004)
Kumbhandas
Literally translated as Those with testicles like pitchers. They are monsters, subject to the command of the High King Virudhaka, guardian of the south side of Mount Meru. Virudhaka, the lord of the south and the blue-colored sword-wielding warrior against the shadows (i.e. ignorance) has a namesake in Buddhism who massacred the noble Shakya family - i.e. the Buddha's kin. For this, he went to hell.
14.8.2024 (4.1.2004)
Pishacha
Pishachas are hideous and evil forest demons by their very appearance, feeding on human flesh and blood. They are ancient creatures, mentioned in the Vedas.
14.8.2024 (4.1. 2004)
Cu Sith
or Fairy Dog, as the Gaelic translation goes. He usually moves through the night in complete silence, only to surprise us with three loud barks. Although de facto a member of the family of phantom canines, known primarily for their black color, he is green by contrast. And fluffy. Its size does not differ, nor does its description - it is as big as a calf, a characteristic found in Brothers Grimm fairy tales as well as in British legends and Czech folk tales.
17.8.2024 (11.1.2004)
Cait Sith
If you brush up on your neglected Gaelic, you'll easily ascertain that Cait Sith simply means Fairy Cat. She haunts the Scottish Highlands, where you can easily come across her: she's the size of a dog, black, with a white patch on her chest. And like any cat, this phantom is dangerous; if you step on its tail or don't offer it a decent portion of Whiskas, you could be intimately introduced to its dangerously large claws.
The illustration from Jacobs' collection More English Fairy Tales, published in 1894, was drawn by John D. Batten / Public domain
17.8.2024 (11.1.2004)
Cuithach
If your travels take you to the Isle of Lewis in the north of Scotland, then don't miss a visit to Dun Borranish. This is because when the ruins there were still a castle, it was home to a giant named Cuithach, who was a true individual of his kind. He terrorised the area, eating people and stealing cattle. And like others of his kind, Cuithach met his destiny. Not a prince or a cat in boots, this giant's fate was the Fian, four guards of a local chieftain. And since then, near the ruins of the giant's mansion, you can see his grave.
17.8.2024 (11.1.2004)
Hecatoncheires
are a fairly well-known trio. They are also quite important, for they were the cause of the palace coup in which Kronos overthrew his father Uranus at the instigation of his mother Gaia. But from the beginning, or ab ovo, as the scholars say, though in this case in the wrong language, since we are of course in Greece and not on the Apennine Peninsula.
The three Hekatoncheires (i.e., the Hundred Arms) were fifty-headed, hundred-armed giants, the oldest descendants of the divine pair Gaia-Uranos. The brothers Briaréos, Kottos (Cottus), and Gýes (sometimes referred to as Gýgés, but that was a different figure altogether), however, resented their father's finesse, and so the supreme god cast the ugly descendants into the underworld, forbidding them to go out. (Taste and standards of behavior are inherited; Uranus' grandson Zeus kicked Hephaestus off Olympus for his looks, not to mention Pan). The mother Gaia (as we know from the Old Testament, only mothers are willing to consider their uglier children handsome) became angry and turned to her other sons for help in avenging herself.
If revenge comes with world domination, there is always a volunteer. In this case, it was the youngest son of Uranus, Kronos.
The Hekatoncheires were not helped by the exchange on the Olympic throne, the new ruler kept them locked up for good measure. He followed in his father's footsteps, learning from his own example to swallow his children. But he did not escape the fate of his youngest offspring, Zeus.
Only Zeus rescued his uncles from Tartarus, for their strength gave the rebel side a not insignificant advantage. And when the Titans of Kronos went to prison after the coup, the Hekatoncheires became their jailers. So they returned to the underworld again, albeit in a different position.
Zeus's trust in the Hundred Hands paid off. When he, too, fell victim to a coup – this time failed – led by Hera with Apollo, Poseidon, and other Olympians, it was Briaréos who was able to quickly untie a hundred knots by which the supreme god was bound.
In addition to their occupation as prison guards, the Hekatoncheires were kings of their nations or countries, and the famous Pillars of Hercules were said to have been formerly called the Pillars of Briáreos (originally, of course, the Pillars of Kronos) because the kingdom of Briáreos extended to them. The king himself is believed to have had at least one descendant, for it is sometimes said that the famous golden belt of Hippolyte, which Hercules was supposed to have brought to Eurystheus, originally belonged to the daughter of Briareus.
17.8.2024 (18.1. 2004)
Leprechaun
Thanks to the Irish, Leprechauns in green dresses and red hats are known around the world. Usually accompanied by a pot of gold. In Gaelic they are called luprachán.
Leprechauns sometimes live and help out on farms, just like Scottish brownies, but they are not as altruistic and occasionally get spotted. When they're done with their odd jobs for the evening, they start having fun. Wildly. They rename themselves Cluricauns and make friends with alcohol. Under the influence, they ride dogs or sheep in the moonlight. Besides working for humans, Luchorpans (which is another version of the name, like Lubrican or Lubberkin) also make shoes for elves. But only one shoe at a time, they never make a whole pair.
The pot of gold or other treasures they hide are very hard to find, the little men will not be tricked in any way. On the contrary. The following story confirms it.
Tom Fitzpatrick was walking in the fields one harvest day when he heard a clatter from a bush. He looked through the twigs and saw a little man cobbling his shoe.
"Now look at that," said Tom to himself in surprise. "I thought that was just a rumor and they really did exist, those goblins."
He kept his eyes on the leprechaun (for they say this is the way to be careful not to let them escape) and saluted politely and loudly.
The little man was not surprised. He didn't even look up properly from his work, just replied to the greeting and continued to mind his own business. Tom, on the other hand, was curious.
Why are you working on a holiday, and what's in that jug over there, and what's this one, and why is that one over there, he poured out curious questions, all the while never taking his eyes off the little man, and approaching him step by step.
"What a speech," laughed the lupruchán, "and meantime your cows have run off into the field and trampled down the corn."
Fitzpatrick did not look back, he grabbed the little man and clenched him tightly in his fist.
"Cows here, cows there, now you show me your gold or I'll wring your neck," he began to threaten. "And don't try to cheat me."
The Luchorpan stared in horror from beneath his crumpled hat, not seeming to give any thought to any trickery.
"All right, all right. I'll show you where my pot of gold is. Just don't squeeze me too hard."
"And you'll slip away," Tom said. He didn't loosen his grip and let himself be led.
They walked across several fields, past a swamp, and through the bush to a large field of boliauns.
"Here," squeaked the little man. "I buried him here under this boliaun. On my word of honor. You can dig it out and may it serve you well."
But a spade was not one of the things Tom usually carried with him. So what now? He scratched his head with his free hand, it wasn't that far to the village, but he was tired of dragging the elf around the countryside. Especially since he already knew what he wanted.
"I'll let you go. But don't you dare dig up the treasure yourself. And don't you dare," he added when he thought the leprechaun's eyes flashed with mischievous glee, "touch this."
He let go of the little man, pulled off one of his red garters, and tied it to the boliaun.
"Not a chance, on my word of honor," said the leprechaun and disappeared.
Tom whistled, already seeing himself as a rich and respected fellow citizen. He raced home, grabbed his spade, and raced back. He supposed the little man would keep his word and not touch the garter since he had promised.
When he returned to the field, he found that he had been correct in his assumption; the luchorpan had indeed not touched Tom's garter.
But he had tied the same red garters on all the boliauns that grew in the field.
23.8.2024 (25.1. 2004)
Kazimír
Some people are really unpleasant. They get the most satisfaction from the misfortune of others, and if they themselves are responsible for the state of their fellow man, they consider it the triple icing on the Sunday cake.
Near the Město Touškov in western Bohemia, one such benefactor lived and haunted after his death. He earned the apt nickname Kazimir in his lifetime, and it remained with him even after the phantom in black, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and high boots, began to cause mischief and bring bad luck.
23.8.2024 (1.2. 2004)
Červený mužíček (The Little Red Man)
The devil takes on different forms and different names. In the South Bohemian town Nová Ves near Křemže, Červený mužíček took on a fancy-free form. No animals, goats, cats, or roosters – he wore a reddish hairy body with yellow horns on his head. He also offered nothing in exchange for a soul, he didn't seduce anyone, he didn't play cards, and he wasn't in the construction business. He'd show up at midnight, and whoever he caught, he'd just cut off their head without saying a word. It was only in the mid-nineteenth century when the number of victims of the Červený mužíček exceeded local standards, that a chapel was built on the site of his operation, which took away the hell-monger's appetite for haunting.
23.8.2024 (1.2. 2004)
Mr. Brodie
When Nanny Cummy couldn't cope with her charge Louis, she scared him with Mr Brodie. In the same breath, she added that it wasn't the real Brodie's ghost coming for him, but the devil in disguise. The spirit of the aforementioned, which at that time wandered about the streets of Edinburgh, haunting and begging forgiveness, probably had not itself the right pedagogical power.
Most ghosts begin their careers with a dramatic ending; in William Brodie's case it was the gallows, where he ended up in 1788 - he tried to survive it, by the way, with the help of a silver tube down his throat. From then on, he began to prowl the streets of his hometown, wailing. Apart from the wailing, this was nothing new to him, for it was creeping through the streets of Edinburgh that brought him to the gallows. And it wasn't just any creeping, no lurking around corners or pickpocketing, William Brodie was a phantom who had been carrying out daring robberies for years, robbing flats, shops, and banks. For twenty years more than a hundred city watchmen had been trying to catch this unknown individual, without anyone having thought to take an interest in the venerable and respected cabinetmaker, city councilman, and Cape Club member. It was not until many years later, when members of his gang were caught, that the surprised town learned of the double life of the esteemed deacon of trades guild. It was some time before Brodie found himself behind bars and on trial. And the gallows. And a ghost in the streets.
He lasted to haunt for more than half a century, slowly slipping into the role of pedagogical boogeyman, as even little Louis could see. It's hard to say whether it was the words of Nanny Cummy or the countless mementos and memories of the controversial criminal that lingered in Edinburgh, what is certain is that at the age of fourteen, Louis wrote a play called Deacon Brodie. It was not worth much, and had it not been the work of a later famous writer, the world would have forgotten it perfectly. But little Louis grew up to be Mr. Louis Stevenson, and William Brodie served him as the subject of one of his most famous stories, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Picture not yet of the Edinburgh ghost: William Creech, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
23.8.2024 (8.2.2004)
Mekala
The Peruvian Aymara don't like her. Mekala, a terrifying supernatural woman, is killing their herds, and the already poor Andean fields stop producing at all after her intervention.
(15.2.2004)
Sedna
In Greenland, Sedna is called Arnakuagsak by the Inuit. In Alaska, Nerrivik, but it's still one single Eskimo goddess. She rules the sea and all its creatures. She lives, as it were, among the whales and marine fauna at the bottom of the ocean, and the Inuit fear her, which is the lot and privilege of all such gods and goddesses. Yet occasionally the shamans will beg her to allow some of her seals to be killed.
23.8.2024 (15.2.2004)
Tsohanoai
A sun-bearer who honestly carries the sun on his back every day, at least according to the Navajo Indians. But the Navajo sun won't be so big, because in the evening, when Tsohanoai's shift is over, he hangs his load on a rack attached to the west wall of his house.
23.8.2024 (15.2. 2004)
Mafdet
An ancient Egyptian cat goddess. In addition to the cat, the mongoose was also dedicated to her, because Mafdet protected against snakes and scorpions, and she cured bites.
As with Bastet, Mafdet's original sacred animal was not a domestic cat, whose popularity came to Egypt much later. While Bastet was identified with the wild desert cat or lioness, Mafdet's cat was probably a leopard, most likely in the melanistic i.e. black form we call the panther.
(22.2. 2004)
Para
Speaking of cats, the house spirits of the old Finns also appeared in that form. But they also took the form of hares, snakes, and frogs, as is customary with such goblins.
23.8.2024 (22.2. 2004)
Mars
The Roman god of war and protector of the state was one of the most revered gods of his country. That alone distinguishes him from his Greek counterpart Ares, which is why I don't keep the two in the same hotel room.
Mars was born on the first of March to lucky parents Jupiter and Juno. It's not an insignificant date, because according to the old calendar, it was the first day of the year – if you count the months, you'll see why September is the seventh month by name. And today's third and then the first month of March was named Martius not because the Romans were so fond of war and dedicated the beginning of the year to the god of that, but rather because Mars was originally primarily an agricultural god and the first month of the year also marked the beginning of spring.
In fact, like a proper ancient civilization, the Romans were not without a number of war gods, worshipping Bellona, later Minerva, and the older Quirinus, in addition to Mars. The latter was later identified with Romulus, the founder of the Eternal City, while Mars was considered the father of Romulus and Remus. They were not, however, legitimate descendants, for the lawful wife of Martius was Neria, while the mother of the famous twins was Rheia Sylvia.
What the Roman Mars inherited from his Greek counterpart were companions. While Ares was accompanied by Deimos and Phobos, Mars by Pallor (Pale) and Pavor (Terror), personifications of the hardships of war.
Mars' sacred animals were the wolf and the woodpecker, and his attribute was the spear.
The most famous of many celebrations was the Suovetaurilia held every five years, performed, of course, on the Campus Martius. Here, selected sacrificial animals were led in military formation three times in succession, the Romans thus purifying themselves of iniquity. But even between censuses, the Roman people did not hesitate to celebrate their protector several times a year, beginning in March and ending in February. They had reason to, for Mars once threw down his shield from heaven to protect the city; together with eleven false ones, so that no one should steal the real one, it was then cherished for a whole year in the shrine of Mars, while on the god's birthday, the first of March, the priests carried it in procession. On the fourteenth the sacred race, the Equirria, was run, and the same glory took place on the twenty-seventh of February. On the nineteenth and twenty-third of March, as well as on the nineteenth of October, the celebration was then again.
All the festivity of a few days in March points to the real origin of Mars, who, as I have already remarked, was, compared with the Greeks, more akin to Dionysus than to the god of furious war, Ares.
1.9.2024 (1.3. 2004)
Ares
The son of the supreme Greek god Zeus and his lawful wife was the god of fierce war, hence a battle with an uncertain outcome. This was reflected in his character and in the fact that, unlike his professional colleague Athena, he was not particularly revered.
He loved to fight for the sake of fighting and cared nothing for the outcome. He didn't care if those he supported won gloriously or ended up in pieces, as long as they had a good fight. To enjoy this pastime as often as possible, he tried to disturb the peace in various ways. As soon as the harsher words were spoken and the swords came out of the scabbards, he was there, so as not to lose anything. With one (and quite significant and interesting) exception, nobody liked him, neither gods nor men. Zeus himself only because Ares was a legitimate descendant.
That exception was the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Zeus married her to the lame and good-natured Hephaestus, which didn't stop the promiscuous goddess from bearing five children to the handsome god of war. The divine smith, however, became aware of everything and acted.
He reported home on a business trip, hid nearby, and when Ares and Aphrodite, sure the coast was clear, threw themselves carelessly into bed, they became entangled in the delicate, but at times unbreakable, net Hephaestus had set for them. Zeus then demanded a divorce and, of course, a financial settlement. But in the end, when his holy indignation threw off some of the gods, declaring that they would not mind being in Ares' position at all, and Poseidon promised to redeem Aphrodite, Hephaestus let it go. Which is what happens to loving, trusting spouses.
With the goddess of love, as mentioned, Ares fathered five children. While Eros and Anterós took after their mother, and Harmonia ended up with her husband Cadmus as a snake or lioness, the other sons, Phobos and Deimos (Terror and Dread), took after their father. They accompanied him to the wars, completing Ares' team. Its foundation was two goddesses: Eris, the goddess of strife, and Enyo, the goddess of war-killing. Eris is best known for being at the origin of the Trojan War, for it was at the wedding of Peleus that she threw the now-fabled apple between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. One Enyo, one of the Graiae, has already been mentioned. But Ares's Enyo resembled the hag in name only. The Romans later likened her to their goddess of war, Bellona, but as has been revealed here, it is in the case of war deities that the 1:1 comparison is misleading. Bellona, on the other hand, is the Greek Athena.
1.9.2024 (7. 3. 2004)
