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bugcthulhu · 6 years

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Spanish/Iberian mythical creatures: Lots of Bogeymen and other weirdos edition

Calzadilla Lizard: A crocodile-like beast that went around slaughtering entire flocks of sheep until a shepherd killed it by shooting its open throat with a magical shotgun. Its spirit cursed the shotgun to break on the spot so that it would never slay anything again

Patinga: A newt/salamander that is not only intensely poisonous but makes parts of one’s body disappear just by touching them

Lusitanian Dragon: Ocean-dwelling and snake-like, with green scales. A heraldric beast associated with Trebaruna, a pre-celtic goddess of home, battle, death and water currents

Machu Lanu: A bulky, shaggy, bipedal goat with enormous horns and a deformed human face. Can speak, but its voice is terrifyingly loud.

Tiznau: Though considered a kind of goblin, it is gigantic in size, with black skin and clothes. Bad-tempered, controls the weather

Oiulari: Unseen being that announces its presence with a distant bellow. Answering back typically earns death by huge rock thrown at your direction. Leaves ten-fingered handprints on what it touches

Deminyo: Small servile demon created by injecting a drop of blood on an egg laid by a black hen, then incubating the egg in a pile of dung. Causes terrible maladies by entering people’s bodies. Independent ones are known as “Demachinyos” and far more dangerous. Only a skilled witch can hope to control them

Long-Teats Dog: Exactly what it sounds like. This obscene female canine appears at night and is considered an omen of death. Can imitate the sounds of other animals and transform into either crow or a wool yarn. Splits in two or three if struck.

Ahari: A cave ram. Noted as being servants of Mari, (goddess of earth and consort of the evil dragon god Sugaar), who takes naps on their woolly bodies as pillows and spins with their horns

Peeira: Feral nymphs that protect, live with, and usually lead packs of wolves. Sometimes said to have the power to cure lycanthropy

Lehen: Benevolent sea serpent that guides lost sailors

Etsai: Dragon of devilish disposition that teached science, arts and letters to whoever came to him, with the “payment” that at least one disciple would have to stay in his cave and serve him forever. Under him studied Atarrabi and Mikelatz, the rival sons of Mari and Sugaar

Akerbeltz: A protector of animals that appears as a male black goat, kind-hearted despite his sinister appearance and possessing healing powers. The arrival of christianism lumped him with the devil and witch covens.

Maruxaina: A sea nymph/mermaid with luminous eyes. Some tales have her as helpful and warning about incoming storms, but oftentimes she’s malicious, luring sailors towards her death. Her charming ability is such she can make raging whirlpools appear to her victims as calm waters.

Mulachini Del Cielu: Baby-like beings with only one eye that play in storm clouds and throw lightning bolts

Camunyes: Extremely frightful, enormous and filthy bogeyman with shiny eyes, long skeletal claws and huge sharp teeth to gnaw bones with. Partly based on the popular figure of a guerrilla that terrorized French soldiers to avenge the unfair death of his brother.

Carlanco: Hissing, nondescript goat-eating monster that appears in some fairy tales of Spain and Brazil in a similar vein to the Big Bad Wolf. Claims to have enough strength to tear apart mountains, but tends to be rather ineffective and easily thwarted.

Jampon: Goblin that sneaks inside houses and eats all the food within

Traganarru: Sea dragon with power over storms and waterspouts, sinks ships and devours whoever approaches the coast.

Llufa: Wind spirit/fairy, invisible and silent. Stalks those they perceive as naïve to prank them and laugh at them

Maru: Subterranean humanoids with two horns that kidnap people and cattle close to their domain

Pericó: Tiny spirit associated with metal that grows into a giant of solid iron when exposed to fire, smashing all in its wake. Blacksmiths strike their anvils three times before work in order to keep it at bay

Simanya: Female bogeyman of monstrous appearance and boundless appetite for human flesh, their lairs bursting with the bones of past victims. Frequent mountainous areas traditionally held as belonging to ogres

Black Bubota: A ghost that takes the form of a black doll to frighten children

Rabeno: Tall, thin humanoid with pale skin and a short tail. Though it watches over animals, it is a lascivious being that wanders towns to abduct women. Believed to spread leprosy and other severe skin diseases

Trastolillo: A particularly restless goblin with horns and black fur, making a nuisance of itself on nearby houses and constantly snickering. Particularly fond of making terrible moans at night, startling families awake. Loves milk and might be bribed with it, but it’s just as likely to steal it.

Manlleu Serpent: A huge snake sporting a hairy mane and a large diamond on its head. Slain by a child that stole the diamond while it was distracted and hid it in a mortar; Trying to get it back, the snake constricted the mortar over and over until it died of exhaustion

Urco: A large dog with horns, long ears and clad in chains. Emerges from the sea at night, howling furiously.

Tinyosa: A beautiful, transparent woman that appears in densely fogged areas. A child eater that “sucks” on prey until she eventually swallows it whole

Aborteiro: Tiny insect that enters the bodies of pregnant women and does exactly what you think it does

Grunyu: A dark, demonic beast with a guttural voice. Lives in caves by day, roams the forests at night. Hard to see, but if anyone walks past it they will be cursed on the spot and their personality will change for the worse

Eate: Entity that embodies fire, floods and hurricanes. Incredibly destructive and merciless, but sometimes its fury can be directed by someone holding “rainbow grass”

Fumera: Bogeyman with seven eyes (4 front, 3 in the back of the head) that appears on Christmas and keeps watch on children, taking away those that succumb to gluttony

Cul Pelat: Ferocious being that appears in days of strong wind, using it to hide its presence and kidnap children. For some reason its name translates to “Shaved Butt”

Pollastre: A bogeyman in the form of a foul-tempered rooster that eats the legs off naughty children

Bofarull: Small demon/goblin that appears within and controls whirlwinds

Maridillo: “Little hubby”. A multi-colored toad, either velvety in texture or actually wearing small clothes, given to witches as a familiar. Constantly demands food, but also vomits a stinking, black-green liquid useful for poisons and spells

Cuine: Red-and-white gnomes that live in trees or burrows in fields, watching over children. Rather than talk, they either whistle melodiously or squeal like piglets

Cazamentides: A really tall bogeyman with iron arms and hooks for fingers. Knows when children have told a lie, and snatches them by the dozen to eat them at sea.

Currucuca: A bogeyman best described as a disgusting mound of hair. So hairy, in fact, it keeps tripping over itself

Momerota: Beast between bull and horse that launches fireworks from its horns. Chases after people, but is in turn killed for its wine-like blood.

En Micó: A spirit of brine that turns everything it touches into salt, living beings included

Bilbiana: Half-woman, half-otter bogeyman. Takes beating her with wooden clubs to drive her away.

Ceocrobol: Strange beings described as riding enormous birds covered in grass that they feed upon, and thus rarely touch the ground

Goja: Water nymphs sometimes shown with dragonfly wings. Their ethereal clothes grant good luck and prosperity to the owner, but get caught stealing them and you’ll be turned to stone. Known to marry mortals now and then: end up vanishing forever the moment their significant others blurt out their true nature

Mascard Bull: Black and wreathed in flames, runs around mountains.

Furtaperas: A grotesque, humanoid bogeyman that actually craves pears above all things, only turning to children if it can’t find any

Peladits: A tall, thin ogre covered in black hair that controls armies of lice.

Marmajor: Mountain-dwelling bogeyman apparently so good at what it does it is ALWAYS encountered gnawing on children, and carries so many upon its back it leaves a trail of wounded toddlers in its wake.

Trubinco: Goblin that enters houses and makes a mess of things unless the owners offer them their favourite toy: A pinecone slathered in tar

Malacosa: Black, pointy-headed being of great size that does nothing but follow people anywhere they go, even waiting outside if they take shelter

Gops: Extremely violent giants that not only prey on humans but also their own dead and wounded. Have disgustingly matted hair, long beards growing out of their nose, and a single fang

Taranganyo: Goblins that enter the bodies of children and give them rickets.

Peirot: Bogeyman that appears monstrously bloated from all the children its swallowed. Constantly dancing

Carpia: A ghostly bird that brings bad luck, sometimes appears as a thin, wrinkled hag

Drago: Enormous, has a human-like head an arms but the body of a snake or basilisk. Enslaved an entire region, threatening the locals via terrible bellows to feed its bottomless hunger. After having devoured all the cattle they had to offer, it went on to consume every last human in the vicinity. Beyond that its ultimate fate is unclear: some say it starved to death, where others claim it left to Africa.

Moixina: Female bogeyman that stalked water springs. Some describe it as a beautiful nymph, while others claim it’s some kind of cat-like animal

Seven-Headed Cuca: Bogeyman that might be either a giant worm, or a dragon

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dragonkingancalagon · 7 years

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Western and Eastern dragons - similarities and differences

Introduction

First thing that has to be considered here is that image of dragons evolved through time. Much like Chinese dragons, Western dragons in Antiquity were seen as benevolent creatures. They were protectors of fertility, crops, and were generally associated with the element of earth, whereas eastern dragons are associated with the elements of air and water. This only changed with the arrival of Christianity, which associated dragons and other pagan imaginery with Devil, and correspondingly associated dragons with the element of fire. This "modern", Christian dragon archetype is best seen in Tolkien's dragons, who far from being benevolent spirits of nature, are devils embodied, evil supernatural entities given physical form.

Western Dragons

Antiquitiy

Dragons in Ancient Greece were large, constricting snakes. Typhon was a human-snake hybrid, with head and torso of a human on snake's tail. He fought Zeus for dominion, but was defeated. Second dragon, Ladon, was a serpent who guarded a tree with golden apples, and might represent an archetype of a treasure-hoarding dragon. If so, there is a significant difference in that Ladon was a guardian, but not the owner, of the treasure. Ladon was slain by Heracles. Lernaen Hydra was a water dragon with poisonous breath as well as blood, and anywhere from five to a hundred heads. It lived in a swamp, terrorizing folk nearby. Later stories added a regeneration aspect where Hydra would regrow two or three heads for each one that was cut off, necessitating burning of the wounds by Heraclus' nephew Iolaus. The Python was a serpentine earth-dragon of Delphi, and an archnemesis of Apollo who killed it at Delphi.

Colchian dragon, defeated by Jason, was another dragon which guarded treasure. Again, dragon is depicted as a giant serpent. Jason was rather unlucky in that this dragon never slept, necessitating a fight. Its teeth were harvested by King Aeetes, and Jason sowed them into the field of Ares, upon which a tribe of warlike men (Spartoi) sprang fully grown from earth. Similar myth exists about Ismenian Drakon of Thebes. Important aspect of the Colchian dragon was its gaze – it could not be avoided, making stealing the Golden Fleece an impossible task. Other writers also detailed its devotion to gold and anything golden. How dragon is defeated varies – in some versions of the story it is lulled into sleep by magic, in others it is killed through brute force. In former versions, it is Medea who charms a dragon into sleep through a sleeping draught. Dragons also pulled the chariot of sun god Helios.

In Bible, Revelations, dragon is used to depict devil. This dragon has seven heads and ten horns, and is trying to eat the Child. Dragon "and his angels" also said to accept combat against Michael and his angels. Since fallen angels are associated with Devil, this clearly identifies the dragon as Satan. In the end, Dragon – Satan and his angels are cast down on earth. Dragon starts chasing the woman, but she was given wings and allowed to fly away. This again shows that Dragon cannot fly, and is in fact described as a serpent. Dragon tries to drown woman in water, but ground helps the woman and swallows the water.

Middle Ages

During Middle Ages, dragons are typically shown with a lizerd-like body, or a snake with lizard-like legs, and able to breathe fire. They often have wings and are able to fly, as can be seen with Welsh dragons. Dragons are typically portrayed as evil, with the exceptions of Welsh and Asturian folklore, possibly as a result of surviving aspects of Celtic mythology in these areas. They hoard gold, and tend to live in caves – a holdover from their original nature as creatures of earth. Dragons are also often called wyrms (worms), indicating a snake type, as opposed to modern lizard-like depiction.

Germanic Lindworms, or serpents, are giant wingless serpents with dragon head and two clawed arms. They slither along the ground like a snake, but also use their arms to help themselves move. Ragnar, king of Denmark and Sweden, frees a girl or a young woman from a dragon that had taken her hostage. They eat cattle and people, sometimes invading cementeries and eating corpses. Germanic folklore also has sea serpents. In Norse mythology, Jormungandr is a sea serpent which encircled the entire world (Midgard, Middle-earth). Saint Olaf is said to have killed a sea serpent.

In Wales, dragon is the symbol of Celtic struggle against invading Anglo-Saxons. In the story Llud and Llefeys, from Mabinognion, the red Welsh dragon fights against an invading white dragon. Both dragos were eventually captured at Dinas Emrys.

Slavic dragons also originated as snakes. This is preserved in etymology: Croatian zmaj (dragon) is phonetically very similar to zmija (snake), and two are sometimes used interchangeably. Dragons in Bulgarian mythology represent forces of agriculture. East Slavic Zmey Gorynych has three heads, is green, walks on back paws and spits fire. Another type of Slavic dragons, alas (aždaja in Serb) are exclusive to Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serb folklore. Dragons are only one depiction of alas; other types can also be observed, as ala is a demon of bad weather. Slavic dragons are typically intelligent, demanding tribute from villages in form of food (maidens) or gold. They have one to seven heads, and heads may regrow unless burnt. Wawel dragon from Poland terrorized Krakow until being defeated, either killed by sons of King Krak – Krakus II and Lech II – or by a boy who offered it a sheepskin filled with sulphur and tar, making dragon so thirsty it exploded upon drinking too much water.

Iberian dragons are evil and immortal, and live in caves. In those caves, they usually guard treasures and keep nymph-like xanas or anjanas as prisoners. Some of them, such as a dragon that dwelled in Pena Uruel mountains near Jaca could mesmerize people with their glance. Said dragon was killed when a youth used a shiny shield to deflect dragon's glance back upon the dragon himself. Basque mythology has Herensuge, "the last serpent", killed by St.Michael. Catalan dragons are enormous serpents with two and rarely four legs, and sometimes a pair of wings. They are also fire breathers, and emit fetid odor which can rot away anything it touches. Another type of Catalan dragon is vibria or vibra, a female dragon with two breasts, two claws and an eagle's beak.

Italian dragons are usually evil, and present demons in Italian mythology. Many Italian saints are depicted as slaying dragons, such as Saint George, Saint Mercurialis etc. According to The Golden Legend, Saint Margaret the Virgin was swallowed by Satan in the shape of a dragon, but managed to escape alive when the cross irritated dragon's innards. This incident reaffirms the connection between dragons and the Devil. Another dragon, Thyrus, besieged the city of Therni in the Middle Ages. After a knight killed the dragon, the city accepted dragon in its coat of arms. Another place, village of Fornole, was saved by pope Sylvester I who pacified the dragon.

Other than classical dragons, English mythology also has cockatrice, a dragon with a rooster's head. It only appears in fourteenth century. Cockatrice is the product of an egg laid by a cock (a male chicken) and incubated by a toad; it eventually came to be seen as an equivalent with a basilisk. It has the ability to kill people by looking at them, breathing at them or touching them. It will however die if it hears a rooster's crow, or sees itself in the mirror.

Dragon's blood often has magical properties. Siegfried is left invulnerable after bathing in blood of the dragon – except for the part where a leaf stuck to his back. It also allows him to understand the language of the forrest bird.

Eastern Dragons

China

Chinese dragons can be turtles or fish, but are typically depicted as snake-like beings with four legs. They have no wings, and instead fly through usage of magic, sometimes sitting on clouds. They are also typically associated with water, controlling rainfall, typhoons, floods, as well as skies – unlike Western dragons who are associated with earth. They are a symbol of power, strength and good luck for people worthy of it, and thus also became a symbol of the Emperor of China. Five-clawed dragons were reserved for use by the emperors only. In the Quing dynasty, dragon appeared on the first Chinese national flag. Unlike European dragons, Chinese dragons are spiritual and cultural symbols representing prosperity and good luck. They are also rain deities and foster harmony. It is also a national, and was state, symbol of Cina.

The ancient Chinese identified themselves as "descendants of the dragon". Unearthed dinosaur bones were referred to as dragon bones, and modern Chinese word for dinosaur is konglong, translated as "terror dragon". Name used for a variety of dinosaurs discovered in China, mei long, means "sleeping dragon". During Han dynasty, Chinese dragon had three joints (head-shoulder, shoulder-breast, breast-tail) and nine resemblances (stag-like antlers, camel-like head, demon-like eyes, snake-like neck, clam-like bellycarp-like scales, eagle-like clawstiger-like soles and cow-like ears). However, variations of nine resemblances exist. They have 117 scales, of which 81 of yang (positive) and 36 of yin (negative) essence, making them forces of good – benevolent, wise and just, until Buddhism introduced the concept of some dragons being evil. Unlike Western dragons, most Chinese dragons can fly despite having no wings, as their ability to fly is mystical, and not physical.

Chinese dragons are heavily associated with water and weather, and are thought to be rulers of moving bodies of water. The Dragon God is the dispenser of rain, and four major Dragon Gods represent four seas: the East Sea, the South Sea, the West Sea and the North Sea. Minor "dragon kings" were seen as protectors of individual villages and had temples dedicated in their honor. Because weather patterns depended on dragon's temper, Chinese would burn incense and sacrifice plates of food to appease a dragon during bouts of bad weather. Exception to air/water association are fucanlong, underworld dragons which guard buried treasures, and create vulcanoes when they report to Heaven. These fucanlong are likely the closest thing to Western dragon that China has.

Due to importance of dragons in Chinese culture, they were associated with imperial authority. The first legendary ruler, the Yellow Emperor, is said to have been immortalized into a yellow dragon, and ascended into Heaven. Another story credits him with creating a dragon symbol by adding an element of totem animal of each defeated tribe to his own. The other legendary ruler, the Yan Emperor, was born through his mother's telepathy with a mythical dragon. Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Western Han dynasty, was born after his mother was impregnated by a dragon while sleeping by riverside. The Imperial throne was referred to as the Dragon Throne, and in general Chinese emperors did everything to associate themselves with the dragons. Chinese themselves are said to have descended from two dragons, Fuxi and Nuwa.

Chinese mythology has various types of dragons: tianlong (heavenly dragon), guardian of heavenly palaces; shenlong (god dragon), a god of weather; fucanlong (hidden treasure dragon), underworld guardian of precious metals and jewels; dilong (earth dragon), controller of rivers and seas; yinglong (responding dragon), winged dragon associated with rains and floods; jiaolong (crocodile dragon), a leader of aquatic animals; panlong (coiled dragon), a lake dragon; huanglong (yellow dragon), a hornless dragon symbolizing the emperor; feilong (flying dragon), winged dragon that rides on clouds and mist; quinglong (azure dragon); zhuilong (torch dragon), solar deity; chilong (demon dragon), a hornless dragon or mountain demon; longwang (dragon kings), divine rulers of the four seas; longma (dragon horse); hong (a rainbow dragon), shen (a sea monster), bashe (an elephant-eating snake), and teng (a flying dragon or a snake).

Dragons are sometimes classified into colors. Azure dragons are compassionate kings; vermillion dragons bestow blessings on lakes; yellow dragons hear petitions; white dragons are pure and virtuous kings; black dragons dwell in the depths of mystic waters.

Nine sons of the dragon are used as ornaments based on function: the pulao, dragons which like to cry, serve as bell handles; the quiniu, which like music and adorn musical instruments; the chiwen, which like swallowing and are placed at the ends of roofs to swallow evil influences; the chaofeng, lion-like beasts which like precipices and are placed at four corners of the roof; the yazi, which like to kill and are engraved on sword guards; the bixi, who are fond of literature and are represented on the sides of the grave monuments; the bi'an, which like litigation and are placed over prison gates to keep guard; the suanni, which like to sit down, are represented upon the bases of Buddhist symbols, and the baxia, big tortoises which like to carry heavy things and are placed under grave monuments.

The Chinese believe that all Eastern dragons originate from the Chinese ones. The further away the dragons flew, the more toes they lost. Hence, Korean dragons have four and Japanese have three toes.

Japan

Japanese dragons are heavily influenced by Chinese ones. Japanese dragons are water deities, and their breath turns into clouds which produce rain or fire. They are depicted as large, wingless, serpentine creatures with clawed feet. Indigenous Japanese dragons are Yamata no Orochi, "8-branched giant snake", an eight-headed and eight-tailed dragon slain by the god of wind and sea Susanoo. Watatsumi, "sea god", also known as Ryujin - "dragon god", was the ruler of the seas and the oceans. Toyotama-hime, "Luminous Pearl Princess", was Ryujin's daughter and ancestor of Japan's first emperor. Wani was a sea monster, either a shark or a crocodile. Mizuchi was a river dragon and a water deity; emperor Nintoku had to offer human sacrifices to Mizuchi angered by his river engineering projects.

Later dragons were influenced by Chinese and Indian myths. Kiyohime, "Purity Princess", was a teahouse waitress who transformed into dragon to kill a Buddhist preist who had rejected her. Nure-onna or "Wet Woman" was a dragon with woman's head and snake's body, who would wash her hair on a river bank and would kill humans when angered. Zennyo Ryuo, "goodness-like dragon king" was a rain god, depicted as a dragon with a snake on his head, or a human with a snake's tail.

Japanese also took dragons from Chinese mythology. Among others, Japanese had counterparts for Four Dragon Gods: Goko (Aoguang), Dragon King of the East Sea; Gokin (Aoqin), Dragon King of the South Sea; Gojin (Aorun), Dragon King of the West Sea; Gojin (Aoshun), Dragon King of the North Sea. Unlike Chinese long dragons, who possess four or five fingers, Japanese ryu dragons have three.

Some dragons also arrived with Buddhist monks from China, who transmitted Buddhist and Hindu legends from India and China to Japan. These are Naga, rain deity and a protector of Buddhism (perhaps better known through Fire Emblem series of games); Nagaraja, snake king or dragon king; these invariably show Chinese influences such as undersea "dragon palace". Additional examples are Hachidai ryuo, "eight great Naga kings", Mucharinda, a Naga king who had protected Buddha; Benzaiten, a goddes Saraswati, who in Japanese mythology created Enoshima island to protect people from a five-headed dragon, and Kzuryu, nine-headed dragon, deriving from a multi-headed Naga king.

Dragons are believed to live in lakes and rivers near Buddhist temples, and temple names frequently involve dragons. A Buddhist temple in Asakusa holds an annual dragon dance. Japanese dragons are also associated with Shinto shrines. Itsukushima shrine is believed to be the abode of sea-god Ryujin's daughter, who empowered Emperor Antoku to ascend the throne because his father had offered prayers at Itsukushima and declared it his ancestral shrine. When Antoku drowned himself after being defeated at Dan-no-Ura, he lost the imperial Kusanagi sword.

Other

Vietnamese dragons bring rain, and represent the emperor, power and prosperity of the nation. They also represent the universe, life, existence and growth. The first dynasty of Vietnam was held to be the descendants of Shennon, king of the dragonkind. Vietnamese dragons combine the image of crocodile, snake, cat, rat and bird.

Korean dragons are closely related to Chinese dragons. Like Chinese dragons, Korean dragons bring rain and clouds, and protect agriculture. They are said reside in watery bodies. Ancient texts mention sentient speaking dragons, capable of understanding complex emotions such as devotion, kindness and gratitude. Korean mythology includes imugis, lesser dragons which resembled gigantic serpents and sought to become full dragons. Imugis are large, benevolent, python-like creatures that live in water and caves, and their sighting is associated with good luck. Korean mythology also has an equivalent of European cockatrice, called gye-long, literally "chicken-dragon". They are sometimes seen as chariot-pulling beasts for important legendary figures.

Modern portrayal and influences

Modern European dragons are typically big, scaly, winged and fire-breathing. However, possibly due to Eastern influences, they are also often shown as benevolent or at least ambivalent beings, no different from humans (eg: Temeraire, A Song of Ice and Fire, Inheritance Cycle). They typically have leathery wings, four legs, horns and spikes. In oldern modern portrayals such as Lord of the Rings, dragons retain their medieval characteristics of evil, greed and cunning. Specific to LotR is the portrayal of dragons as being snake-like, much in keeping with their ancient-medieval portrayal and unlike lizard or crocodilian portrayal of more modern dragons. In fact, Tolkien's underground-dwelling dragons are heavily inspired by the Old English epic "Beowulf".

In China today, dragon is typically not seen as a national symbol, but as a symbol of Chinese culture. Old symbolism continues as well.

Conclusions

In both Western and Eastern traditions, dragons had started out as serpentine creatures (contrary to more recent attempts to equalize dragons to giant sea crocodiles). Early Western dragons are not inherently evil; rather, they are agents of the gods, or are themselves gods. However, with arrival of Christianity, Western dragons become associated with Satan, demons and thus evil.

One theme which is present in all stories is association with elements. Greek dragons are associated with earth and water, while medieval dragons are almost exclusively associated with earth and fire. Chinese dragons are associated with water and air. This neatly completes the four-element setup, even if by coincidence.

Short comparison can be seen here:

http://library.taiwanschoolnet.org/gsh2009/gsh5567/e-1-4.html

Further reading:

http://colchiandragon.blogspot.hr/

#dragons #comparison #western #eastern #european #chinese #korean #european dragon #chinese dragon #korean dragon

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nyklifsondiviiportfolio-blog · 7 years

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Reading Summary 2, Dragon Myths

April 25, 2017

Dragon Myth Global Symbols of Power

Tarasque

The Tarasque is supposedly a leviathan. A leviathan, according to different versions of the bible, is a sea monster. Having a turtle shell in that context makes sense, but what about the multitude of heads? Or the bear claws for teeth? This is a historical othering. This dragon is deeply entrenched in alienating heathens and those who stray from faith. In the festival the dragon will be slain by the townsfolk yelling “a ben fa” or well done when limbs fall off. What is the role of aggression in worship? And how does that apply to these dragon myths? Is this a fear mongering tactic? In some versions of this myth Saint Martha was in a shipwreck. In some she merely landed with her siblings. This is interesting. Is this dramatising the story for a better dragon cryptid? Or for a more rags to riches story of a saint? Did this sea monster cause her ship to be destroyed?

In Hacinas there is one of the biggest Tarascas carnivals. Eight men are chosen every year to work a mechanical nightmare that terrorizes the town. It steals women and they are sexually assaulted inside the monster. The only way to get them back is if their man tells dirty jokes to the Tarascas or fights it. After three days of children throwing stones and pretending to be demons, the Tarasca admits defeat, wilts, and withdraws meekly to the outskirts of town, where it is killed by the mayor wielding a wand What is the wand made from? What does he say to kill it? This carnival had been majorly unsupported by the church, but it is such a town tradition that three days of heathen festivities still take place. This is a public consumption terror, similar to the church speaking of what happens to those who stray from god’s light. A large doll will be placed upon the dragon as a stolen women or the whore of babylon, the myth differs in the symbolism of the woman atop this beast. Her clothes are specially picked out new every year. She is saved once the monster is dead. The Tarascas has a horse skull or jaw bone for a head and a long neck connected to it. The men who control and create this monstrosity have a very laddy way of building fires together and bonding do “men’s” work to prepare. Sometimes a man will be abducted during festivities and he will have salt thrown down his pants to hurt his nether regions. This all seems fairly misogynistic, which is weird since Martha killed it? Shouldn’t this be a powerful story where females fight back against terror and win? Also the fear of female sexuality in these festivities, the implied castration of men is very odd. This dragon has been made into both a man-eater and rapist. Is the Tarasca meant to scare women from being sexual? And possibly men from being sexual with other men?

Saffron Walden Basilisk

Some say that there is a crown of bones on it’s head or just spikes protruding from its skull. It is truly a creature of darkness. A basilisk can be created in many different interesting ways, one is when an old cockerel lays an egg. The age of the bird ranges from 5 to seven years. A cockerel is a rooster. The warmth of a toad, snake, or dung is what helps these eggs to hatch. That version of the myth has queering of gender create monstrosity. A basilisk lives in the dark, sometimes caves. If a basilisk can also be killed by the crowing of a cock, does that reinforce masculinity? That a deemed male bird can take out the birthing of a beast that is the offspring of a gender mishap. In addition, these creatures are terrifying despite their small size, which is different from modern interpretation of basilisks such as Harry Potter and Cornelia Funke’s Dragon Rider. A common way Basilisks are killed is by the their own reflection, similar to medusa in greek mythology. The Basilisk creating a desert and being of either yellow or dark coloring seems to be a racist product of the crusades. It could have been an emotion-dump for harming Turks. So a dragon lay siege to this city. That is one reason they must arm themselves. One way the Saffron Walden creature was killed, after many people had died (possibly in the crusades or from plague), was a knight covering his armor in crystals to kill the beast. It saw it’s reflection and the rest is put into a pamphlet in the library in Saffron. The dragon pamphlet also speaks of the Monstrous Serpent of Henham, a town close by. This is just a sunbathing lizard that scared townsfolk.

Other odd basilisk in history include sewers under rome that are said to hold a dead basilisk. Alexander the great built these and the myth seems to go back that far. A dead venomous creature could account for the smell. There is a goddess of cobras in Egyptian mythology, Renenutet. Apparently her gaze was either deadly or could bring a surplus of good crops. Her followers lived closer to craggy parts of the desert where her baby snakes are found. There are many other versions of a basilisk, especially within Europe. The town Basal, Switzerland has this type of serpent holding its coat of arms. This Basilisk is thought to be the cause of an earthquake in 1356. It is a poisonous worm, that most want dead.

Hydra of Lerna

In classical mythology, the Hydra of Lerna lake is slain by Herakles during his second labour, possesses the power to spontaneously replace any single head that the hero manages to lop off with two new ones. The Lerna swamp nearby is said to be where this evil was created, out darkness of tree groves. It lived in a cave near the lake shore and had been known to sun itself, like other lizards, on the rocks. A real lizard that resides in this area is the Balkan Green Lizard. These can be found all over Athens and are some of the larger reptiles in the area. One myth says that there originally were seven heads and one immortal one on the hydra. Herakles did not get credit for this labor because he required the help of Iolaus to cauterize the beheaded stumps. When he took out the immortal head he put it in a hole and covered it with a rock. Today there is a sculpture on top of a rock where the head is supposedly buried. What can be learned from this myth? What could this be an analogy for? The persians? Is this a water monster?

Buccoleon

In the town of Ghent, Belgium is an image of a very caring dragon. The dragon cried tears over the graves of those who died in the crusades which then bloomed beautiful flowers. These were named “Turk’s Turban”, that of course through colonization are taken back to the town of Mordiford and sold. This dragon could be considered a pillaging of middle eastern gold. One interesting part of this myth is that the dragon is not on a coat of arms, but a weather vane. The history of vanes goes back to windsocks made in prehistoric times out of sticks and fur, then being made from bones and antlers. The oldest known weathervane was on the acropolis in Athens, greece. It is known as the Tower of Winds which served in the 2nd century BCE as an early clock tower. Around the same time as this serpent was put up, 1313, other towns used roosters or crosses to top their churches wind vanes. A dragon would need to know how winds work to fly, so having the Buccoleon show the changing wind directions seems logical. His death was out of greed for his beautiful golden scales.

Maracco

The Ilergetes lived on the Iberian peninsula and were originally colonized by the Carthaginian and Roman invasions. There are festivals that still commemorate this dragon, which is incredible considering the colonization efforts to stamp out their culture. The festival includes Lo Marraco, a 8.5 meter long dragon puppet that participates in flower wars with the crowd. In these festivities are reenactments of Roman soldiers taking out the Moors, which goes to show who wrote history. Could not find a lot of information on this myth, but here is a video of kids acting out the life of this cryptid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwKTrVPUSKk

Bibliography:

Maracco:

https://www.revolvy.com/topic/Ilergetes&item_type=topic

Simonis, Damien. Catalunya & the Costa Brava. Barcelona, Spain (2003).

Let’s Go Inc. Let's Go 2008 Spain & Portugal. St. Martin’s Press, New York (2008).

Hydra of Lerna:

Magnanini, S. (2005). Foils and Fakes: The Hydra in Giambattista Basile's Dragon-Slayer Tale, "Lo mercante" Marvels & Tales, 19(2), 167-196. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41388749

Tarasque:

http://bibleandscience.com/bible/books/genesis/genesis1_leviathan.htm

Gutch, M. (1952). Saint Martha and the Dragon. Folklore, 63(4), 193-203. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1257108

MAGNANINI, S. (2008). Foils and Fakes: Manufactured Monsters and the Dragon-Slayer. In Fairy-Tale Science: Monstrous Generation in the Tales of Straparola and Basile (pp. 117-143). University of Toronto Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3138/9781442688087.10

"Tarasca": Ritual Monster of Spain Author(s): David D. Gilmore Source: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 152, No. 3 (Sep., 2008), pp. 362-382

Saffron Walden Basilisk:

http://allaboutdragons.com/dragons/Saffron_Walden_Basilisk

http://allaboutdragons.com/dragons/Monsterous_Serpent_of_Henham

Mythic Motifs to Sustained Myth: The Revision of Rabbinic Traditions in Medieval Midrashim Author(s): Jeffrey L. Rubenstein Source: The Harvard Theological Review, Vol. 89, No. 2, (Apr., 1996), pp. 131-159

Mordiford Wyvern:

DeKirk, A. (2006). Dragonlore: from the archives of the Grey School of Wizardry. Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page Books.

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herpsandbirds · 1 year

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Vandelii's Worm Lizard aka Central Iberian Worm Lizard (Blanus vandellii), family Blanidae, Lousada, Portugal

Some herpetologists refer to this as B. rufus.

photograph by Marco Caetano

#amphisbaenian #blanus #blanidae #worm lizard #legless lizard #reptile #herpetology #animals #nature #europe

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animals-animals-animals · 12 years

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European Worm Lizard (Blanus cinereus) (by J. Gállego)

#European Worm Lizard #Worm Lizard #Iberian Worm Lizard #Legless Lizard #Lizard #Reptile #Animal #Animals

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herpsandbirds · 1 year

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European Worm Lizard aka Iberian Worm Lizard (Blanus cinereus), family Blanidae, Málaga, Spain

Photograph by ^ozo^

#worm lizard #amphisbaenian #lizard #reptile #blanus #blanidae #herpetology #animals #nature #europe

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walterjenkel · 3 years

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©photography by Walter Jenkel 2022 Iberian worm lizard (Blanus cinereus cinereus) WALTER JENKEL @WalterJenkel walter_jenkel

#iberianwormlizard #culebrillaciega #blanuscinereus #walterjenkel

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bugcthulhu · 6 years

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Spanish/Iberian mythological creatures: So Many Goblins edition

Marraco: Wingless dragon with a very wide mouth and stomach. While said to swallow people whole, it is also treated as a spiritual guardian

Ayalga: Nymphs that guard vast treasures in caves or palaces, alongside dragons. Some were cursed into the role, but many just do it from the get-go. Only go outside during a single night of every year, and may offer some of their riches to the men that seek them out if they follow certain rituals. A dragon whose Ayalga has abandoned them for good succumbs to despair and abandons the land.

Crespell: Cave-dwelling, child-eating monsters covered in warts that spew flames from their eyes. Always appear in groups of seven: six tiny ones and one gigantic.

Ollaparo: A man-eating cyclops with an additional eye on the back of its head

Xacio: Amphibious beings that live at the bottom of rivers. Usually presented as merfolk, but sometimes they have the lower bodies of lizards.

Carmenco: A creature covered in woolly black hair that prowls the mountains. Settles in abandoned houses and prevents them from falling to disrepair, but spotting one brings years of bad luck. Can be driven away by throwing stones at the house its chosen.

Nonell: Horse-sized dog of dense, flowing white fur and black eyes. Its arrival precedes the fall of snow in mountain areas.

Cucala: Black birds that dislike being seen and emerge in droves during the darkest nights. Extremely dangerous, and really noisy

Sacauntos: “Grease puller” A bogeyman that carves children open to remove and devour their body fat. Carries its bounty around in a sack

Maruga: Tiny critters that swim in rivers and ponds. Their bite makes women pregnant, but what they are pregnant with is not specified.

Lambiron: Demonic being with the power to poison sources of water, make fields go dry and ruin crops

Mouro: Dark-skinned, really tall humanoids (sometimes flat out giants) that live underground. Extremely skilled in mining and metallurgy, to the point everything they own is made of gold, and are immensely rich. Often made deals with humans with gold as payment, but humans had to never reveal the source of said gold, or else it would turn to coal….or the Mouros would kill them straight away. Said to love wine, and have outstandingly beautiful women

(The Mouros are a really tricky one because their name sounds almost exactly like Moro, which is the word for the ancient muslim invaders of Spain, and a modern-day derogative slang to refer to muslims. Coupled with everything else about them… yeah)

Serpe: Very much like the Cuelebre in that they’re giant snakes with bat wings and extraordinarily hard scales, usually guarding the treasures left behind by the Mouros. Other times they’re women cursed into the form of huge white snakes, waiting for someone to break their curse

Zarronco: A child-eater that usually takes the form of a huge insect

Bloody Pirico: Bogeyman that resembles a bloody, skinless humanoid. Steals lost children.

Half-Face: Another child-eater, appears as a figure with a single arm, a single leg and a single eye, like a body that’s been bisected.

Malismo: The Spanish answer to norse trolls, a drooling, excessively hairy, stinking, hideous and malicious monster that dies when exposed to sunlight. Though said to be on the small side, they are noted as extremely dangerous due to their knowledge of sorcery

Trasgo: The quintessential Spanish goblin, usually depicted with a hole in the palm of each hand. Though not evil, it is an obnoxious prankster that loves playing tricks on the people it shares a house with. May sometimes take a shine to said families, which means it’ll follow them wherever they go. Extremely hard to get rid of

Trasno: Similar to the trasgo in many aspects, the trasno is also said to assault people in forests, and stalk travellers to bring misfortune upon them

Martinico: Benevolent and helpful goblin, though terrifying if upset. Has the ability to shapeshift into animals

Tardo: Unlike its brethren, a genuinely evil goblin with green skin and sharp teeth, usually carrying a small sword. Causes nightmares

Quarantamaula: Half-man, half-chicken, half-vulture. Jumps from roof to roof to make noise and scare children.

Cerdet: Snaggle-toothed hairy pig that spooks travellers at night, loves riding horses

Goncho: A beautiful male giant that takes wives away from their husbands, appearing only when said wives want him to do so

Maragassa: Female figure that causes anguish and grief on women.

Pardalot: Bird that feeds its chicks with human children and enjoys the warmth of fire and smoke, entering houses through the chimney

Man of the Noses: Self-explanatory, a man possessing as many noses on his body as days there are in a year. Benevolent, but in some areas it is treated as a bogeyman that can be bribed away with money.

Aneto: A giant that refused to help Jesus when he arrived exhausted and hungry to his domain, was punished by being transformed into a mountain. Only recovers his conscience on stormy days, and all he does is wail about his fate.

Meiga Xuxona: Blood-sucking witch that takes the form of a bumblebee.

Falugue: Tiny being similar to the Nyitus that enters the bodies of humans and devours the inner ear, rendering them deaf

Avelainya: Spectral butterfly that can be black or white depending on whether it brings good or bad omens. Might be related to Cuques, glowing worms that appear at night and are likened to the souls of the dead

Famelier: A goblin with a huge head and mouth, and a terrible voice, born from containing a certain kind of ephemeral grass inside a black bottle. Constantly asks for either food or work, will indulge the former if not given the latter.

Boet: Another servile entity, except this one will go out of its way to NOT do any tasks after begging its master for some.

Freba: Small, shiny fairy that uses crickets and/or legless lizards as steeds. So beautiful anyone who spots one falls into lovesick melancholy

Joanet: Luminous goblins that can be summoned to find hidden treasure

Barruget: Goblins of elongated heads and immense strength that usually live deep in wells, but might emerge in groups on days of bad weather to play in the raging waves. A prankster that can be placated by offering it bread with cheese.

Martinet: Born from mushrooms, extremely fast, easy to anger, and outrageously powerful, capable of changing the course of rivers or altering mountains. Is repelled by snake drool

Negret: Black goblin that turns into a pile of coins if someone touches it while holding a candle

Telles-Melles: Invisible goblin that watches over children and plays with them.

Follet: Sometimes said to be a goblin, sometimes just said to be a special gift. Either way it is tied to an individual person and grants them powers.

Rotlla/Rotlan/Errolan: A version of the fictional Sir Roland, wielder of Durendal, in which he is an heroic giant. Rode an equally gigantic one-eyed horse that could chew through mountains.

Pesanta: Sometimes a huge dog, sometimes a huge cat, both with legs made of iron. Enters houses from under doors or through walls and sits on people as they sleep, giving them nightmares and great pain

Pupieirinya: Forest fairies that love bread crumbs, very quick and very silent. Can hear the voices of children that are too young to speak, and bring them gifts.

Lavandeira: Old woman that sits by rivers washing clothes and calls for passersby to help. Ignoring her pleas or folding the clothes in the same way she does nets you extreme bad luck, if not guaranteed death.

Canouro: Vaguely defined evil entity associated with water. Fond of mortally wounding children on the arms of their parents

Butoni: Hairy bogeyman with claws, horns and two faces that enters houses through keyholes

Aideko: Wind spirit said to be responsible for every disease and disgrace that cannot be explained by conventional means. An even more malevolent variant, the Aidegatxo, also controls storms. Can only be driven off through magic.

Es Vedra Giant: Sea-dwelling. Hunger for human flesh only surpassed by his love of octopi. Will eat until it can’t move anymore

Saint Llorenc’s Dragon: Brought to the land by foreign invaders, originally very small but grew to monstrous proportions by devouring everything in its path, and soon claimed an entire mountain. Survived what should’ve been a fatal sword strike, forcing its slayer to call upon divine intervention to finally smite it down

Altzuruku Dragon: Enormous and fierce. A knight called SIR GASTON fought it to a stalemate for weeks, some say months, and finally had to resort to feeding it an ox skin filled with gunpowder to do the trick, blowing its head off.

Espillet’s Dragon: Considered one of the dracs, of deadly all-rotting stench. Terrorized the city of Valencia until a man called Espillet slayed it in return for avoiding life-long prison and reuniting with his lost love. In one version, however, the dragon merely scared people away to live in peace, and the city blamed it for all sorts of kidnappings. Espillet had no choice to kill it anyway, even if he felt pity for the beast.

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bugcthulhu · 6 years

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Spanish/Iberian mythological creatures: Summer Edition

Peix Nicolau: A human child so infatuated with the sea that his mother unwittingly cursed him into a half-fish form. Usually treated as sort of sea goblin, playing pranks on sailors, sometimes he is said to share the secrets of the sea with whoever will listen, and in some versions has terrifying red eyes, making the hair of whoever looks at them go white with fear

Mular: An absolutely massive cetacean, capable of spewing water through its nostrils with enough power to destroy ships. Said to be all extremely old, and unable to die of natural causes; the sea will become violent in the event one is actually killed. Bear offspring in groups of seven, carrying them on their backs

Ruixamantells: A goddess of the sea similar to a mermaid, decked in pearls, shells and coral. Will sink ships and drag men to her underwater lair…but not out of malice, but because she falls in love easily

Vellmarí: “Sea Old Man” Chubby, with human-like features and covered in short hair. Tends to follow ships and is really fond of music, imitating songs with its own voice. Its hide makes for a powerful amulet, thus sailors lure it for capture with musical instruments.

Percolet: A sea goblin that takes the form of a white bird, playing around ships. Brings good luck.

Pedra Snake: A giant man-eating snake that terrorized the Morvedre region and resisted all attempts at killing it until a passing old lady transformed it into stone. Said to occasionally return to its former self, devouring whoever is near.

Saint Eudald’s Dragon. Referred as both a dragon and a “lizard”. Capable of both flying and swimming, laid waste to the whole region. Killed by a knight who left several mirrors at the entrance of its cave, tricking the dragon into believing it was being attacked by multiple foes and thus too scared to defend itself.

Patriarch’s Dragon: Supposedly a gift from a Peru viceroy to a certain archbishop, who went on to name it “Lepanto”. After it died of old age, the archbishop had the dragon’s body stuffed and mounted on the School of the Patriarch, in Valencia, where children are warned to stay quiet in its presence, lest the dragon get them. A popular tale has the same dragon in a more classic role, making its den in a riverbed and described as too fast for most would-be-slayers to lay a finger on it.

In reality, old Lepanto was almost certainly an alligator.

Biosbardo: A being in the spirit of the American “snipe”, extremely hard to catch and extremely hard to describe, although the most common interpretation is that of an extraordinarily beautiful bird. Whoever manages to capture one will be rewarded with good luck for the rest of their lives, as long as they never, ever reveal it to anyone else.

Cerval Wolf: A beast that combines “the cunning of the cat and the brutality of the wolf”. Rules over and commands regular wolves, and rather than eat meat, it beheads cattle in order to drink all their blood. Believed to be a wild exaggeration of the Iberian lynx.

Magoria: Mysterious creature that lives below the ground and only ever exposes its tail, which is extremely similar to the mistletoe plant. Grants good luck when offered food, but every day it demands more, and should it go hungry it will reverse all that good luck into misery

Caro: A bird with the head of a bearded old man that flies at night, hunting for goats lost by shepherds

Gorga Rooster: Black-feathered, large and ferocious. Formerly demons, cursed into this form for engaging in dog fights.

El Gosset: “The Little Dog”. A seemingly ordinary, if really ancient carob tree that spawns a rabid, deformed mass of a dog when anyone approaches it

Zunguluteru: Goblin that induces gas and stomach pains on people by blowing air in their ears as they sleep, as well as “counting their ribs”, somehow causing them to wake up terribly in the mornings

Encoruja: Malicious witch that enters houses as a ball of light. Takes babies from their cribs, only to leave them in the least likely places, like stables.

Bastardo: A horned, hairy snake with a huge thirst for the milk of cows and goats. Not only it has a deadly bite, but can defend itself by whipping its tail real hard.

Pomporrilla: Grotesque, black-skinned female goblin, with a toothless mouth and a single withered breast. Loves acorns

Garganta Goblin: Stole a woman’s fertility in the eponymous municipality, and the neighbours gave chase in the hopes of killing it and breaking the curse. Described as being a vivid green that glowed at night, and running around on all fours in a zig-zag pattern

Rupiano Serpent: A snake-like dragon of terrifying visage and a single eye said to be so massive its tail remained deep in its cave whenever it emerged to hunt. Like a reptilian Polyphemus, a group of monks managed to feed it drugged bread, then took chance of its stupor to stab it through the eye with a sharpened log.

Fragosa Giant: Described as both translucent and gelatinous, like a white blur that moves gracefully, spinning left and right. Makes constant bell-like sounds

Chiquita: A small snake raised on a diet of cow milk by a shepherd who eventually was drafted into war. After his return, he looked for Chiquita in the cave she usually stayed in and called out for her….and Chiquita had grown up into a ferocious dragon that tore him to shreds

Golden Hand: Self-explanatory. Shepherds that find it in the wilderness and bring it home will soon find the hand going on a killing spree among their livestock, leaving a handprint burned into the animals’ flesh

Etxejaun: Domestic goblin or spirit that watches over the house while its human owners sleep. Though benign, it becomes enraged should the house be neglected or no food offerings are made.

Puigmal: Guardian of mountains and all that lives in them, appearing as a giant perpetually coated in snow. Knows how to make a magical, endlessly-regenerating cheese.

Argiduna: Goblin made of light, similar to the evil-dispelling Guargi. Wanders at night helping the lost or those in need, and whoever stumbles upon the temples they gather in will find objects they thought lost.

La Pesga Beast: Described by supposed eyewitnesses as a massive thing between boar and bear, with a long snout and enormous tusks. Mutilates prey in bizarre ways (ears and hindquarters are gone) and leaves no recognizable tracks.

Emmi Serpent: A snake sporting a hairy mane that did away with the cows of a local villa, releasing them after they were drained of milk. When it was finally found and shot by the owner, it transformed into a woman and cursed the villa to be forever ruined.

Intxixu: Half man, half black bull, very thin, very hairy and of small stature. Lives in caves and mountains, but due to its agility and elusiveness it is rarely seen. Sometimes said to have great magic powers, while others say it has immense strength, but only at night

Tenae Imp: Reddish, bat-sized goblin that typically lives in open fields but takes shelter in barns during the coldest months. Blows grass into the faces of people and livestock to make them sneeze

Aralar Dragon: Took residence in a cave atop its namesake mountain and demanded a human sacrifice every day. A noble Lord Theodosius offered himself in place of the newest victim….and as soon as the dragon seized him in its jaws, he prayed for Saint Michael to come and slay it, which he did.

Arrasate Dragon: Its appetite for young maidens proved its downfall after trying to eat a wax replica, gumming up its jaws and allowing the local blacksmiths to shove a hot iron down its throat.

Llivia Dragon: Single-handedly almost decimated an entire village’s worth of people until killed by a knight with a cross-bearing shield, the sight of which terrified the dragon.

Fute Canela: Horrendous female bogeyman that claims the eyes of children.

Xuan Canas: Aquatic goblin found in both rivers and deep wells, watching close whoever wanders near, be they adult or child, and pull them underwater if they drop their guard. Sometimes treated as the male counterpart of the xana

Maxio: Ethereal being similar to a white cloud believed in the Canary Islands to be a form taken by long-dead ancestors to help their descendants. Their presence amounts to a good omen.

Zanca Parranca: A long-limbed, deformed woman that sometimes devours children but mostly spooks them and causes chaos and mischief in the houses it enters, driving the women inside to madness. Her own innards bulge out of her throat

Gusarapa: Nocturnal child-eater whose poisonous spit causes a lethal stomach ache. Its name is also used as a slang for worm-shaped things

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