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List Of Shapeshifters
This is a list of shapeshifters appearing in legend, folklore and fiction. Human turning into an animal * Berserker (werebear) * Erchitu * Ijiraq (mythology), Ijiraq * Merfolk (other), Merpeople * Nagual * Māui (mythology), Māui * Nanaue (wereshark) - the shark-man of Hawaiian folklore, Hawaiian legendAranda, Lucía.The Representation of Animals in Indigenous Hawai'ian Tales" EF@ Bulations 3 (2008): 1-9. * Nereus * Púca * Skin-walker * Wendigo * Werecat * Werecoyote * Werehyena * Werejaguar * Werewolf Animal turning into a human * Baak (Assamese folklore), Bak (Culture of Assam, Assamese aqueous creature) * Bakeneko (cat) * Boto Encantado (mythology), Encantado (river dolphin) * Jorōgumo (spider) * Kitsune, Huli Jing and Kumiho (fox) * Kushtaka (Otter) * Legend of the White Snake, Lady White Snake, Ichchhadhari Nag and Yuxa (snake) * Myrmidons (ant) * Pipa Jing (jade pipa) * Selkie (seal) * Bake-danuki, Tanuki (racoon dog) * Toyotama-hime (crocodile or shark) * Tsu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shapeshifter
In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shape-shifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through an inherently superhuman ability, divine intervention, demonic manipulation, sorcery, spells or having inherited the ability. The idea of shape-shifting is in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existent literature and epic poems such as the ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' and the ''Iliad''. The concept remains a common literary device in modern fantasy, children's literature and popular culture. Folklore and mythology Popular shape-shifting creatures in folklore are werewolves and vampires (mostly of European, Canadian, and Native American/early American origin), ichchadhari naag and ichchadhari naagin (shape-shifting cobras) of India, the huli jing of East Asia (including the Japanese ''kitsune'' and Korean '' kumiho''), and the gods, goddesses, and demons and demonesses like succubus and incubus and other numerous mytholog ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baak (Assamese Folklore)
''Baak'', ''Bak'' or ''Bák'' (Assamese: বাঁক, IPA: bak is a creature that frequently appears in folktales in Assam. The ''baak'' is believed to live near water bodies and is usually malevolent in nature, troubling fishermen among others. The ''baak'' is fond of fish. Unlike many other creatures which are limited to parts of the state, the ''baak'' finds space in folklore across Assam. Powers and habits The ''baak'' is usually believed to be malevolent in nature. It lives near water bodies and enjoys fish. ''Baak'' can be murderous, drowning its victim to death. It often assumes the form of its victim after death or possesses the victim. It then goes on to live with the victim's family, attempting to kill them too. Carrying a torn fishing net can help avoid ''baak''s, as they are said to be afraid of it. There is a cycle of stories where the ''baak'' assumes the form of a man to live with his wife. Kishore Bhattacharjee notes that this may be associated with unconscious fea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myrmidons
In Greek mythology, the Myrmidons (or Myrmidones; el, Μυρμιδόνες) were an ancient Thessalian Greek tribe. In Homer's ''Iliad'', the Myrmidons are the soldiers commanded by Achilles. Their eponymous ancestor was Myrmidon, a king of Phthiotis who was a son of Zeus and "wide-ruling" Eurymedousa, a princess of Phthiotis. She was seduced by him in the form of an ant. An etiological myth of their origins, simply expanding upon their supposed etymology—the name in Classical Greek was interpreted as "ant-people", from ''murmekes'', "ants"—was first mentioned by Ovid, in ''Metamorphoses'': in Ovid's telling, the Myrmidons were simple worker ants on the island of Aegina. Ovid's myth of the repopulation of Aegina Hera, queen of the gods, sent a plague to kill all the human inhabitants of Aegina because the island was named for one of the lovers of Zeus. King Aeacus, a son of Zeus and the intended target of Hera along with his mother, prayed to his father for a me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yuxa
Yuxa ( Latin: ''Yuxa Yilan'', Cyrillic: ''Юха елан'', Old Turkic: 𐰖𐰆𐰎𐰀), or Sly Snake, is a legendary creature A legendary creature (also mythical or mythological creature) is a type of fictional entity, typically a hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses ... that figures in Turkic folklore. According to popular beliefs, every 100-year-old snakeTürk Söylence Sözlüğü (Turkish Mythological Dictionary), Deniz Karakurt, (OTRS: CC BY-SA 3.0) is transformed into Yuxa. In fairy tales, Yuxa is described as a beautiful damsel who would marry men in order to beget offspring. Yuxa sometimes spelled Yuha, is a legendary creature with a dragon's head, which may be said to breathe fire or possess a venomous bite, a reptilian body, two legs (sometimes none), and a barbed tail. It can turn into handsome young men and beautiful young women to seduce, protect or terrif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Legend Of The White Snake
The Legend of the White Snake is a Chinese legend. It has since been presented in a number of major Chinese operas, films, and television series. The earliest attempt to fictionalize the story in printed form appears to be ''The White Maiden Locked for Eternity in the Leifeng Pagoda'' () in Feng Menglong's '' Stories to Caution the World'', which was written during the Ming dynasty. The legend is now counted as one of China's Four Great Folktales, the others being ''Lady Meng Jiang'', ''Butterfly Lovers'', and ''The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl''. Basic story Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals, disguises himself as a '' tangyuan'' vendor at the Broken Bridge near the West Lake in Hangzhou. A boy called Xu Xian () buys some ''tangyuan'' from Lü Dongbin without knowing that they are actually immortality pills. After eating them, he does not feel hungry for the next three days so he goes back to ask the vendor why. Lü Dongbin laughs and carries Xu Xian to the bridge, where ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kushtaka
Kushtaka or Kooshdakhaa ( lit. "land otter man") are mythical shape-shifting creatures found in the folklore of the Tlingit peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Description They are similar to the 'Watsa of the Ts'msyen people, Nat'ina of the Dena'ina Native Americans of South Central Alaska, and the Urayuli of the Yup'ik in Western Alaska. Physically, Kushtaka are shape-shifters capable of assuming human form, the form of an otter and potentially other forms. In some accounts, a Kushtaka is able to assume the form of any species of otter; in others, only one. Accounts of their behaviour seem to conflict with one another. In some stories, Kushtaka are cruel creatures who take delight in tricking poor Tlingit sailors to their deaths. In others, they are friendly and helpful, frequently saving the lost from death by freezing. In many stories, the Kushtaka save the lost individual by distracting them with curiously otter-like illusions of their family and f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kumiho
A kumiho or gumiho (, literally " nine-tailed fox") is a creature that appears in the folktales on East Asia and legends of Korea. It is similar to the Chinese and the Japanese . It can freely transform, among other things, into a beautiful woman often set out to seduce boys, and eat their liver or heart (depending on the legend). There are numerous tales in which the appears, several of which can be found in the encyclopedic ''Compendium of Korean Oral Literature'' (). Mythology The old Chinese text Classic of Mountains and Seas, the earliest record to document the nine-tailed fox, mentioned that the fox with nine tails came from and lived in the country called Qingqiu (靑丘) three hundreds miles east, the term meaning "green hill" interpreted as the country or region of the east and was later historically used to refer to the region of Korea at least since the era during the Three Kingdoms of Korea. However, the name of Gojoseon (called Joseon in the record), the Korean k ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Huli Jing
Huli jing () are Chinese mythological creatures usually capable of shapeshifting, who may either be benevolent or malevolent spirits. In Chinese mythology and folklore, the fox spirit takes variant forms with different meanings, powers, characteristics, and shapes, including '' huxian'' (), ''hushen'' (), ''husheng'' (), ''huwang'' (), ''huyao'' (), and ''jiuweihu'' (). Fox spirits and nine-tailed foxes appear frequently in Chinese folklore, literature, and mythology. Depending on the story, the fox spirit's presence may be a good or a bad omen. The motif of nine-tailed foxes from Chinese culture was eventually transmitted and introduced to Japanese and Korean cultures. Descriptions The nine-tailed fox occurs in the '' Shanhaijing'' (''Classic of Mountains and Seas''), compiled from the Warring States period to the Western Han period (circa fourth to circa first century BC). The work states: In chapter 14 of the ''Shanhaijing'', Guo Pu, a scholar of the Eastern Jin dyn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kitsune
In Japanese folklore, , are foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser. According to ''yōkai'' folklore, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into human form. While some folktales speak of employing this ability to trick others—as foxes in folklore often do—other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, and lovers. Foxes and humans lived close together in ancient Japan; this companionship gave rise to legends about the creatures. have become closely associated with Inari, a Shinto or spirit, and serve as its messengers. This role has reinforced the fox's supernatural significance. The more tails a has—they may have as many as nine—the older, wiser, and more powerful it is. Because of their potential power and influence, some people make sacrifices to them as to a deity. Conversely foxes were often seen as " witch animals", especially during the Edo period (1603–1867), and were thought of as goblins who could ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jorōgumo
''Jorōgumo'' ( ja, 絡新婦 , じょろうぐも ) is a type of ''yōkai'', a creature of Japanese folklore. It can shapeshift into a beautiful woman, so the kanji that represent its actual meaning are (); the kanji which are used to write it instead, () have a ''jukujikun'' pronunciation that is related to the meaning, but not the sound of the word. In Toriyama Sekien's Gazu Hyakki Yagyō, it is depicted as a spider woman manipulating small fire-breathing spiders. Jorōgumo can also refer to some species of spiders, such as the Nephila and Argiope spiders. Japanese-speaking entomologists use the katakana form of ''jorōgumo'' () to refer exclusively to the spider species ''Trichonephila clavata'', and this has been adopted into English as "Jorō spider". Stories In Edo period writings such as the ''Taihei-Hyakumonogatari'' () and the ''Tonoigusa'' (), there are "jorogumo" that shapeshift into women. ''Tonoigusa'' "Things That Ought to be Pondered, Even in Urgent Times" ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Encantado (mythology)
River dolphins are a polyphyletic group of fully aquatic mammals that reside exclusively in freshwater or brackish water. They are an informal grouping of dolphins, which itself is a paraphyletic group within the infraorder Cetacea. Extant river dolphins are placed in two superfamilies, Platanistoidea and Inioidea. They comprise the families Platanistidae (the South Asian dolphins), the recently extinct Lipotidae (Yangtze river dolphin), Iniidae (the Amazonian dolphins) and Pontoporiidae. There are five extant species of river dolphins. River dolphins, alongside other cetaceans, belong to the clade Artiodactyla, with even-toed ungulates, and their closest living relatives the hippopotamuses, from which they diverged about 40 million years ago. Specific types of Dolphins can be pink. River dolphins are relatively small compared to other dolphins, having evolved to survive in warm, shallow water and strong river currents. They range in size from the long South Asian river dol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
