#bhuta

[thetalamhclisteach]

Undead of Naraka

[legend-collection]

Bhoota/Bhuta

A bhoota or bhuta is a supernatural creature, usually the ghost of a deceased person, in the popular culture, literature and some ancient texts of the Indian subcontinent. Interpretations of how bhootas come into existence vary by region and community, but they are usually considered to be perturbed and restless due to some factor that prevents them from moving on (to transmigration, non-being, nirvana, or swarga or naraka, depending on tradition). This could be a violent death, unsettled matters in their lives, or simply the failure of their survivors to perform proper funerals.

Belief in ghosts has been deeply ingrained in the minds of the people of the subcontinent for generations. There are many allegedly haunted places in the subcontinent, such as cremation grounds, dilapidated buildings, royal mansions, forts, forest bungalows, burning ghats, etc. Ghosts also occupy a significant place in the Bengali culture. Ghosts and various supernatural entities form an integral part of the socio-cultural beliefs of both the Muslim and Hindu communities of Bangladesh and Indian states of West Bengal. Fairy tales often use the concept of ghosts and references to paranormal activity are found amply in modern-day Bengali literature, cinema, radio and TV programmes. In Pakistan, the word jinn is used to refer to both the Arabic Jinns as well as bhootas. Influenced by Arabic and Persian mythology, bhootas in the Pakistani society have a more varied and fluid identity, ranging from Jinns from another realm made of fire, to ghosts of humans who died painful deaths.

Bhūta is a Sanskrit term that carries the connotations of "past" and "being" and, because it has connection with "one of the most wide-spread roots in Indo-European — namely, *bheu/*bhu-", has similar-sounding cognates in virtually every branch of that language family, e.g., Irish (bha), English (be), Latvian (but) and Persian (budan).

In Hindustani, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Bengali, Sindhi and other languages of the northern subcontinent, the concept of bhoots is extensively used in idiom. To be "ridden by the bhoot of something" (bhoot sawaar hona) means to take an obsessive interest in that thing or work unrelentingly towards that goal. Conversely, to "dismount a bhoot" (bhoot utaarna) means to break through an obsession or see through a false belief that was previously dearly held. "To look like a bhoot" (bhoot lagna) means to look disheveled and unkempt or to dress ridiculously. A house or building that is untidy, unmaintained or deserted when it should not be is sometimes pejoratively called a bhoot bangla.

The word has travelled far into Southeast Asia: it entered Javanese through Sanskrit as buta generally referring to a malevolent spirit/demonic giant which haunts places, it also refers to the genre of evil giants in wayang stories such as Buta Cakil. It has also undergone an evolution in the Malay world to mean a jinn-like creature mentioned in the as Malay Annals; there is a legend of such a creature that dwells in the plains of the Perak River with similar traits albeit of gigantic size giving its name to a town in north of the Malay Peninsula named Bota.

Bhootas are able to shape-shift into various animal forms at will, but are most often seen in human shape. However, their feet often reveal them to be ghosts, since they face backwards. As the earth is regarded as sacred or semi-sacred in many traditions of the Indian subcontinent, bhootas will go to great lengths to avoid contact with it, often floating a fraction above it, although sometimes as much as a foot off the ground. Furthermore bhootas cast no shadows, and speak with a nasal twang. They often lurk in the branches of specific trees and prefer to appear in white clothing. Sometimes bhootas haunt specific houses (the so-called bhoot banglas, i.e. bhoot bungalows), which are typically the places where they were killed or places which hold some other deep significance for them.

Many ghost stories in the region combine these elements. For instance, they might involve a protagonist who fails to flee or take countermeasures when they run across a bhoota. Instead, they unwittingly accept the bhoota's companionship (e.g., keep the ghost company as he/she walks through a forest, or (if a man) picks up the ghost in his car because it looks like an attractive woman waiting by the roadside at night). They become progressively aware that their companion is dressed entirely in white and has a strangely nasal voice, before the horrifying realization dawns on them that their companion's feet are turned backwards, or he/she is not casting a shadow in the moonlight, or is walking without actually touching the ground. Bhootas are said to seek out milk and immerse themselves in it. Consuming bhoota-contaminated milk is considered a typical route for bhoota- possession of humans, which has also been a frequent plot element in bhoota stories.

A particular kind of bhoota, that of a woman who died during pregnancy or childbirth, is known as a churel (dakini in Nepal and eastern India). Churels look like human women, but their feet are turned backwards or other features are turned upside down. They can change their forms at any time. Churel often try to lure young men at road crossings and fields or similar places. If a man is enamoured of a churel, it is believed that she will cause his death. There are, however, stories of people living with a churel, or even marrying one.

In many regions, bhootas are said to fear water and objects made iron or steel, so keeping either of these near at hand is believed to afford protection against them. The scent of burnt turmeric is also said to ward them off - as are the fibres of the Apiaceous herb bhutkeshi ("bhoota's hair"). As is typical of ghosts throughout the world, invoking the name of holy figures and deities is also said to repel bhootas. In some regions, sprinkling earth on oneself is said to shield against bhootas. According to Hinduism and all Dharmic Religions, the soul cannot be destroyed by any means. As a bhootaa is just the lost, or angry soul of a deceased person, Hindu exorcists will not (or cannot) destroy them, but perform instead a ritual from the Atharva Veda called atma-shanti which is just a modified shraadh (death anniversary) carried out by those haunted by a bhoota, promising it that they will do everything in their power either to ensure the rebirth of the bhoota or to finish the works left incomplete by it (or both). Such actions provide the bhoota with what it wants, causing it to cease haunting its victim for good.

The Bhutas, spirits of deified heroes, of fierce and evil beings, of Hindu deities and of animals, etc., are wrongly referred to as "ghosts" or "demons" and, in fact, are protective and benevolent beings. Though it is true that they can cause harm in their violent forms, as they are extremely powerful, they can be pacified through worship or offerings referred to as Bhuta Aradhana.

[philoursmars]

Retour à mon projet de présenter la plupart de mes 53880 photos (nouveau compte approximatif !)

2014. Marseille au printemps. A la Maison de l’Artisanat et des Métiers d’Art (la MAMA, désormais disparue hélas) il y eut une expo “Marionnettes et Théâtres d’Ombres d’Asie”.

- Takara - Karnataka, Inde

- Rama - Maharashtra, Inde

- un bhuta, esprit totémique - Inde

- Hanuman - Bali

- Taw Belu, Ogre de la Jungle - Rangoun, Birmanie 

- Fujian

- Pékin

[fanastyfinder]

I did a 3 Word Challenge collab with Pastel Berrie over on YouTube and she gave me the words Moonlight, Sari, and Ghost.

So I created the pure white, feet-facing-backwards, Southeast Asian ghost called a bhoot (which I had never heard of before but am all for learning new folklore)

Go watch my video to see how she was made:

https://youtu.be/HiKfJA6KT78

[dailycharacteroption]

Material Manipulator (Mesmerist Archetype)

They say that reality is perception in many ways, that how we view the world around us affects how it will affect us in turn. Some take this a bit further by questioning whether there actually is an “objective” reality at all, which varies in insightfulness between a cosmic reevaluation of how reality works, and the ramblings of those who think they are cleverer than they really are.

There are those, however, who take this to its most literal extreme. Unlike a transmuter or shadow-mage, however, they do this not through traditional magic, but by imposing their own perception upon reality to the point that reality actually changes to match. In short they take the power of what is normally considered a purely mental class and applying it to the real world.

These material manipulators remind me a bit of the mages from Mage the Ascension in this regard, since Magick in that setting is based upon their ability to alter reality according to their whims. The Cult of Ecstasy in particular reflects this due to their tendency to use altered states of mind as the foci for their spells.

 Reality is a plaything of these mesmerists, and this is apparent in their spells, for in addition to the sort of magic that mesmerists can learn, they also learn how to cast forth glamering illusions, quasi-real shadow spells, and even very real transmutation effects.

Their more uncanny ability, however, allows them to reshape the reality of other beings and themselves, temporarily altering them physically. At first, these are minor changes like height and weight, but then they begin to be able to alter physical features, apparent gender, physical age, and even altering the species and fundamental nature of the being, fully shapeshifting them. The more powerful they are, the longer such a transformation can last, with the most powerful among them able to hold a creature in a form as long as they like.

The end result is a mesmerist with a little something extra in their arsenal. Certainly they have many ways to bend the minds of foes, but they also can affect the real world in multiple ways, and provide all sorts of disguises or even battle-forms for allies. As such they can fulfil some new roles not normally possible for the class, controlling the battlefield, providing more ways to buff and more illusionary utilities, and even catching what few shadow spells the class doesn’t already get. Consider that when building.

 I can see this archetype supporting a few different personality types, namely the blissful sort that is fascinated by perception and the mutability of reality, often helping others experiment with their own identity, or the imperious dominators, not content to bend the wills of others, but reshape them as they see fit, twisting the minds and bodies of foes to make them insignificant or more appealing.

  Elbri Star-Chaser has been experimenting with themselves for as long as they could remember, trying out new identities, genders, and appearances as whim takes them. It was only a matter of time before they sought out the mystic power to enhance their skill. Anyone willing to pay her fee can expect a full makeover for a short while, both in terms of magical illusion and physical transformation.

 Normally, a mortal cannot be possessed by a bhuta, as their power only extends over animals. However, when a reality-warping mesmerist leaves to try living as a tiger in the wild for a while, she returns not herself, harboring the dormand spirit of the bhuta trapped inside, gaining the possessed corruption.

 Rescuing the prince from Er Bhara, easily one of the most powerful mesmerists in the world, will be difficult indeed, for while she has forgone permanently ruling the minds of others, she is an expert at reshaping others into other forms, using her magic to slowly reshape their mind to match their new form. Any of her servants could be the young royal in disguise, under mental compulsion.

[arjuna-vallabha]

Panjurli Bhuta mask, Karnataka

[ngurahsuryakusuma]

Ogoh Ogoh Ganesha Hanoman Bhuta Kala Rahwana Bali

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Ogoh Ogoh Ganesha Hanoman Bhuta Kala Rahwana Bali

[ngurahsuryakusuma]

Ogoh Ogoh Bhuta Kala Bali

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Ogoh Ogoh Bhuta Kala Bali