#indian folklore

[thelandswemadeofpaper]

My favorite background character:

https://royal-rebel-pedia.fandom.com/wiki/Background_Characters_of_Ever_After_High

[rrcraft-and-lore]

The demon, Hiranyakashipu, and the Welsh hero, Lleu Llaw Gyffes -- what do they have in common?

Well, something I've talked a lot about before in some other threads that can be boiled down (a touch unfairly and we'll get into that) into the myth/trope of impenetrability or weakness. The idea of a character (usually a hero, sometimes a villain/monster) having "NO" weaknesses (terms and conditions apply - see: they have ONE you just might not know it).

So, Lleu Llaw Gyffes, Welsh hero, he cannot be killed during the day or night, nor indoors or outdoors, neither riding nor walking, not clothed and not naked, nor by any weapon lawfully made.

Interestingly enough Hiranyakashipu has a very similar condition - the demon, manages to get a boon from the creator god, Brahma at first he asks for immortality, which he is denied. However, he manages to sort of work his way there with a loophole (only...that loop was certainly holed back at him - as it often is in old epics and tales).

He wished that he could not meet death by any living entities created by god, that he could not fall during true day time or night, nor on the ground or sky, or by animal or man, and he continues to lay his conditions as such can't be killed by a god, or a demon, or a snake from a lower plane of existence.

Only...enter Vishnu, a god who is not Brahma who did not create the demon, or others. To get around this, Vishnu becomes the incarnation and avatar of himself, Narasimha

Not mortal man, or god, or demon, or full animal. But something between them all, he grabs the demon and places him on his lap - thus he is no longer in the sky or ground, and it is done at twilight (not day or night but between - the transition), and he rips him apart with his clawed hands - not a made weapon, but something natural. Both Lleu Llaw Gyffes and the demon Hiranyakashipu had progenitors and thus grandfathers.

Interestingly enough Lleu is the grandson of: Beli Mawr or Beli the Great. Our demon is the descendent of Mahabali or Bali Maharaj - Bali the Great, Bali the King (demon king in this case).

Now, I've talked about the similarities of myths and tropes and beats in epics and tales out of these two (and other cultures) before and it's likely owing to shared P.I.E. (proto indo european) origins backed up by shared genetic ancestry scientists have discovered linking Indians and Celts to the P.I.E group not to mention the etymological similarities. The differences here are one is a hero, and thus his weakness is not exploited in full and he doesn't die. 

Going back though, we have German story of Siegfried the dragonslayer, who bathes in the blood of Fafnir after killing him (due to a broken scale/exposed weakness in the armor - hi smaug), and thus himself gets invulnerable/impenetrable skin (terms and conditions apply) where the leaf of a linden (lime tree) sticks to his back preventing it from being coated in protective dragon's blood. Later his lover is tricked into divulging his weak spot (something similar happens to Lleu only he survives) and in this case Siegfried is killed. 

This is just one of many connections in shared myths around the world/tropes/beats and how other parts play out differently (some cultures also just love taking things to a much darker place - stares). LIGHTEN UP A LITTLE.

Anywhoooo there's a small fun little myth.

[cosmictardigrade]

NEW FIC ALERT!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63713803

Fandom: The Jungle Book

Words: 1005

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Relationships: General - Mowgli, Bagheera, Humans (Messua, Villagers)

It has been so long I can't believe I sat today out of nowhere and wrote this down. @joekitsu passed on her writing bug to me yesterday and then I WAS UNSTOPPABLE <3

Do people even read obscure fics for such fandoms anymore? I will write anyway-- If you do read it, please leave a review!

[antharmukhi]

~

Mudiyettu;

where stories of valour, sacrifice and triumph are vividly narrated.

where gods, daemons, and mortals intertwine in eternal battles.

[thecreaturecodex]

Silesaloma

Image by John D. Batten and Gloria Carew, in the public domain. Accessed on the Multo (Ghost) Blog here

[Commissioned by @abominationimperatrix​, the last of their Indian monsters. Silesaloma is the Buddhist incarnation of the widespread folklore trope of the “tar baby”, a figure that entangles a character who gets more and more stuck the more and more they fight it. A number of references assume that the story of the Sticky Ogre and Prince Five Weapons is the “original” version, and that the African American version with B’rer Rabbit and B’rer Fox somehow descends from this one. That strikes me as being more rooted in 19th century Orientalism than anything else. The diffusionist idea that all culture originated in one place and then spread through the world is long debunked (the specific focus on India being a popular variant thanks to British colonialism). I think it’s much more plausible that multiple cultures around the world would come up with the metaphor of a sticky problem being literally sticky, and a hero having to think his way out in order to become untangled. Plus, the tar baby that B’rer Rabbit encounters, along with West African and Native American versions that are more likely genuine precedents, isn’t a character. It’s a trap built by another character. Silesaloma can talk and has agency, and even is redeemed at the end of the story!]

Silesaloma CR 11 CE Monstrous Humanoid This creature is vaguely humanoid, with a head like a hawk with a beak and wide staring eyes. Two tusks curve upwards from the corner of its beat. Its skin is scaly, but growing over its body and covering it like a shroud is a mass of thick, tangled hair.

A silesaloma is sometimes called a sticky-haired ogre, for obvious reasons. Its body is covered with a long stringy pelt that secretes thick glue, and the creature is usually partially obscured by pieces of plant matter, dirt and other detritus. Silesalomas are wicked and predatory creatures, killing partially to eat and partially out of a joy for violence. They enjoy lording their strength and defensive properties over other creatures, and often intimidate their victims and play with them a while before going in for the kill.

Fighting a silesaloma with physical weapons is a daunting prospect. Arrows and bolts become stuck in the creature’s hair before they can touch its flesh, and weapons are likely to be similarly entangled and glued to the silesaloma. A silesaloma uses its hair to grapple opponents, who become hopelessly stuck the more they try to escape. On the other hand, silesalomas have little understanding of or defenses against magic. They are also somewhat foolish and prone to believing lies and tricks. Despite their usual cruelty, silesalomas are not irredeemably evil, and there are stories of some of them learning the error of their ways and seeking enlightenment, using their abilities to protect travelers instead of preying on them.

Silesaloma             CR 11 XP 12,800 CE Large monstrous humanoid Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +13 Defense AC 25, touch 13, flat-footed 21 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +12 natural) hp 150 (12d10+84) Fort +15, Ref +12, Will +6 DR 5/- Defensive Abilities improved Deflect Arrows Offense Speed 40 ft. Melee 2 claws +20 (1d8+8 plus grab), bite +19 (1d12+8), or morningstar +19/+14/+9 (2d6+8), claw +15 (1d8+4 plus grab), bite +14 (1d12+4) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Statistics Str 26, Dex 19, Con 24, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 17 Base Atk +12; CMB +21 (+29 grapple); CMD 35 (39 vs. disarm) Feats Dazzling Display, Deflect Arrows (B), Improved Initiative, Intimidating Prowess, Iron Will, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (claw) Skills Climb +25, Intimidate +24, Perception +13, Stealth +17, Survival +13, Swim +21; Racial Modifiers +4 Climb, +4 Stealth Languages Common, Giant SQ adhesive Ecology Environment any forests Organization solitary or pair Treasure standard (Large morningstar, other treasure) Special Abilities Adhesive (Ex) A weapon that strikes a silesaloma becomes stuck fast to the creature's adhesive hair unless the wielder succeeds at a DC 23 Reflex save. A creature adjacent to the adherer can attempt to pry off a stuck weapon with an opposed grapple check. The silesaloma's adhesive hair gives it a +8 racial bonus on grapple checks. It can attempt to grapple a foe without spending an action whenever a creature successfully hits it with a natural attack or an unarmed strike. A silesaloma does not gain the grappled condition when it grapples a foe, nor does it provoke attacks of opportunity when it attempts to do so. Its sticky hair also grants it a +4 bonus to its CMD against disarm attempts. Fire can temporarily burn away a silesaloma's adhesive coating—whenever an adherer takes at least 20 points of fire damage, it loses its adhesive special quality for 1d4 rounds. Universal solvent, alchemical solvent, or a similar fluid removes a silesamola’s adhesive quality for 1 hour if it fails a DC 15 Reflex save, or for 1d4 rounds if it makes the save. The silesaloma’s hair loses its adhesive quality 1 hour after the creature dies. A silesaloma can release anything stuck to it as a free action. The save DCs are Constitution-based. Improved Deflect Arrows (Ex) A silesaloma gains Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat. It can use this feat a number of times a round equal to its Dexterity modifier, and does not require a free hand to use it; the arrows get stuck in the creature’s hair instead.

[jukti-torko-golpo]

Theyyam

The Glimpse of God.

@balladofableedinggod2112 @myopicmeerkat @inexhaustible-sources-of-magic @baadir-ei-smriticharon @your-favourite-skittles @chaoticaindica @callonpeevesie @shukanya1729 @ramayantika @shaonharryandpannisim @shilabalika @burningqueentimemachine @caffeinated-pingu @chaitastrophicpeepalert @bhavyaaaaa @allegoriesinmediasres @snakesofindia-sursesaji @medusasprotegedaughter @stqrmwitch @fineliine @cosmicdreams1111 @strawberryphrogg @rudhirasuryan @jalebi-weds-bluetooth @jugn00 @almondswirls @ruesgf

[doubtspirit]

Strawman / Muria – Gutrapara, Chhattisgarh from Adivasi - A Homage to Tribal India by Montreal-born photographer Marcus Leatherdale.

Adivasi translates to "first dweller, ". There are over 100 million tribals living outside of the Hindu caste society in India. Their origins precede the Vedic Aryans and the Dravidians of the south. The Adivasi still speak tribal languages not understood by the dominant Hindus, and they follow archaic customs foreign to both Hindus and Muslims alike.

[mecthology]

Nishi Dak from Indian folklore.

Almost everywhere in the world and in most parts of India, the supernatural is usually divided into four broad categories of spirits — those that don’t harm or good spirits, evil spirits or spirits that harm, prets or spirits of our ancestors who can either help or harm, and spirits that neither help nor harm and are content to live their spirit existence. The Nishi Dak belongs to the second category which is also the most dangerous category. 

It is believed that the Nishis are spirits of  people who have not had a respectful or a complete release or pind-daan at the time of transition from earth to the astral planes.

At first, the soul which could not get release from earthly bonds, haunts the family as a pret and when they still don’t do anything, it turns into a Nishi, and one by one, lures all the family members to their death.

The Nishi calls out to its victim at night in the voice of a person known to the victim, appears as a form which the victim can’t fully see because it is always in the distance, or appears in the form of the known person whose voice it has used, and keeps beckoning the intended victim to follow it. It walks very fast and at a distance ahead of the victim and usually leads the way to a deserted area where it reveals its true form to the helpless victim, and then almost invariably kills the victim. The killing takes place through different means.

The important thing about the Nishi is that it cannot call out more than twice. That is why, just like the Chalawa which can also assume different forms and voices but can be identified because it cannot keep its eyes focused, the Nishi can be identified if it calls out a person’s name no more than two times and that too only at night.

Follow @mecthology for more scary lores and myths.😈😈 DM for pic credit. https://www.instagram.com/p/CScMFu0Iv–/?utm_medium=tumblr