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Mythic Humanoids
Mythic humanoids are legendary, Folklore, folkloric, or mythological creatures that are part human, or that Anthropomorphism, resemble humans through appearance or character. Each culture has different mythical creatures that come from many different origins, and many of these creatures are humanoids. They are often able to talk and in many stories they guide the hero on their journey. Africa * Jengu – (West African) Beautiful, mermaid–like creatures. * Werehyena – Hyena, Hyaenidae Shapeshifting, therianthropic creature common in the folklore of North and East Africa, and West Asia. * Mami Wata – Mermaid–like water–dwelling humanoids from West African mythology * Ogbanje – (Igbo) spirit who is born into the same family repeatedly and dies young on purpose to drive them into grief. Americas * Adlet – Dog-like humanoids in Inuit religion, Inuit folklore. * Anung Ite – (Lakota) female spirit with two faces and spikes protruding from elbows. Variations from oth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ciguapa
The Ciguapa ( ; ) is a mythological creature of Dominican folklore. It is commonly described as having human female form with brown or dark blue skin, backward facing feet, and a very long mane of smooth, glossy hair that covers her body. Its home is the high mountains. Overview The creature is nocturnal. Because of its backward feet, it is hard to be sure which way it has gone by looking at its footprints. Some believe that it brings death, and it is said that one who looks it in the eye risks being bewitched permanently. Its only vocal sound is a kind of whine or chirp. The ciguapa can appear lovely to some, yet horrendous to others. She is compared to a mermaid: beautiful, yet cruel and deceitful and ready to capture the wayward traveler. She is said to lure men into the forest to make love, only to kill them afterward. On the other hand, some sources have suggested that she can be benevolent and harmless. Even today one can find inhabitants who confirm having sighted the ci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mapuche Mythology
Mapuche religion is the traditional Native American religion of the Mapuche people. It is practiced primarily in south-central Chile and southwest Argentina. The tradition has no formal leadership or organizational structure and displays much internal variation. Mapuche theology incorporates a range of deities and spirits. One of the most prominent deities is Ngünechen, sometimes equated with the Christian God. Communal prayer ceremonies are termed ''ngillatun'' and involve the provision of offerings and animal sacrifice. Various different ritual specialists were historically active among the Mapuche, but in the 20th century many of these died out, leaving the ''machi'' as the main kind. These ''machi'' are tasked with overseeing healing and divination, tasks accomplished through their communication with spirits. Historically, the Mapuche were politically independent and prevented conquest by the Incan and Spanish Empires. In 1883 the Chilean military defeated the Mapuche and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chilote Mythology
The Chilote mythology or Chilota mythology is formed by the myths, legends and beliefs of the people who live in the Chiloé Archipelago, in the south of Chile. This mythology reflects the importance of the sea in the life of Chilotes. Chilote mythology is based on a mixture of indigenous religions and beliefs from the natives (the Chonos and Huilliches) that live in the Archipelago of Chiloé, and the legends and superstitions brought by the Spanish conquistadores, who in 1567 began the process of conquest in Chiloé and with it the fusion of elements that would form a separate mythology. Chilota mythology flourished, isolated from other beliefs and myths in Chile, due to the separation of the archipelago from the rest of the Spanish occupation in Chile, when the Mapuches occupied or destroyed all the Spanish settlements between the Bío-Bío River and the Chacao channel following the disaster of Curalaba in 1598. Hierarchy of mythical creatures The highest rank belongs to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kalku
Kalku or Calcu, in Mapuche mythology, is a sorcerer or witch who works with black magic and negative powers or forces. The essentially benevolent shamans are more often referred to as '' machi'', to avoid confusion with the malevolent kalku. Its origins are in Mapuche tradition. The word kalku is a borrowing from Puquina language. Its adoption by Mapuches fits into a pattern of parallels in the Mapuche and Central Andean cosmology ( Inca religion) dating back to the times of Tiwanaku Empire when Puquina was an important language. Description The ''kalku'' is a semi-mythical character that has the power of working with '' wekufe'' "spirits or wicked creatures". An example of a ''wekufe'' is the Nguruvilu. The ''kalku'' also have as servants other beings such as the Anchimayen, or the Chonchon (which is the magical manifestation of the more powerful ''kalku''). A mapuche ''kalku'' is usually an inherited role, although it could be a ''machi'' that is interested in lucrative ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shapeshifting
In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existent literature and Epic poetry, 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. Examples of shapeshifters are vampires and werewolves. Folklore and mythology Popular shapeshifting creatures in folklore are werewolf, werewolves and vampires (mostly of European, Canadian, and Native American/early American origin), ichchhadhari naag (shape-shifting cobra) of India, shapeshifting fox spirits of East Asia such as the huli jing of China, the obake of Japan, the Navajo skin-walkers, and gods, goddesses and demons and demonesses such as the Norse mythology, Norse Loki or the Greek mythology, Greek Proteus. Shapeshifting to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ijiraq
In the Inuit religion, an ijiraq ( or ) is a shapeshifting creature said to kidnap children, hide them away and abandon them. The inuksuk (or inukshuk) of stone allow these children to find their way back if they can convince the ijiraq to let them go. Description In North Baffin dialects ''ijiraq'' means Shape Shifter. While '' Tariaksuq'' appear like a half-man-half-caribou monster, an ijiraq can appear in any form it chooses, making it particularly deceptive. Their eyes will always stay red, no matter what they shapeshift into. Their real form is just like a human, but their eyes and mouth are sideways. ''(The book of Dutch writer Floortje Zwigtman says only the shaman knows the real form of the Ijiraq).'' When you are hunting somewhere that Ijirait (plural) inhabit, you will see them in the corner of your eye for a fleeting moment (like tariaksuq, shadow people) ''(following another reference, you see a strange caribou in the corner of your eye instead of a normal shadow'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thunderbird (mythology)
The thunderbird is a mythological bird-like spirit in Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American indigenous peoples' history and culture. It is considered a supernatural being of power and strength. It is frequently depicted in the art, songs, and oral histories of many Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, Pacific Northwest Coast cultures, but is also found in various forms among some peoples of the American Southwest, East Coast of the United States, US East Coast, Great Lakes, and Plains Indians, Great Plains. Description The thunderbird is said to create thunder by flapping its wings (Algonquian), and lightning by flashing its eyes (Algonquian, Iroquois). Across cultures, thunderbirds are generally depicted as birds of prey, or hybrids of humans and birds. Thunderbirds are often viewed as protectors, sometimes intervening on people's behalf, but expecting veneration, prayers, and gifts. Archaeologically, sites containing depictions of thunderbirds hav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heyoka
The heyoka (, also spelled "haokah," "heyokha") is a type of sacred clown Shamanism, shaman in the culture of the Sioux (Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota people, Dakota people) of the Great Plains of North America. The heyoka is a contrarian, jester, and satire, satirist, who speaks, moves and reacts in an opposite fashion to the people around them. Only those having visions of the thunder beings of the west, the , and who are recognized as such by the community, can take on the ceremonial role of the heyoka. Social role The is thought of as being in charge of above and below, or are more in charge of the dead, instead of the living. This manifests by their not always doing everything like the others. For example, if food is scarce, a may sit around and complain about how full he is; during a baking hot heat wave, a might shiver with cold and put on gloves and cover himself with a thick blanket. Similarly, when it is freezing he might wander around naked, complaining that i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chilean Mythology
Chilean mythology includes the mythology, beliefs and folklore of the Chilean people. Evolution Chilean mythology covers of a large collection of myths and legends from the beliefs of Chile's indigenous groups (Mapuche, Tehuelche, Changos, Diaguitas, Picunches, Pehuenches, Huilliches, Poyas and more). Their mythology shows a significant influence by European colonization, mainly during the Spanish colonial period. These influences have helped Chilean mythology to evolve and become distinct from other local mythologies such as Chilota mythology. The variety of sources of these beliefs has in some causes caused syncretism or the fusion of different beings, coming from these diverse mythological origins, complimenting and differentiating Chilean mythology. Similarly, the differences in landscapes and climates in the Chilean territory have configured defined geographical areas that experienced different historical circumstances. This favored the appearance of different and new b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiura
In the traditional Chilote mythology of Chiloé, Chile, the Trauco is a humanoid creature of small stature—similar to a dwarf or goblin—who lives deep in the forest. It has an ugly face and legs without feet. Legend The Trauco is a mythical entity that inhabits the woods of Chiloé, an island in the south of Chile. It is a child of the snake god Coi Coi-Vilu. It has a powerful magnetism that attracts young and middle-aged women. According to myth, the Trauco's wife is the wicked and ugly Fiura. The Trauco carries a small stone-headed hatchet that he uses to strike trees in the forest to symbolize his sexual potency. Upon being chosen by him, any woman—even if she is asleep—will go to the Trauco; bewitched and helpless against his sexual allure, she falls at his feet and proceeds to engage in sexual intercourse with him. Some men of Chiloé fear the Trauco, as they believe his gaze can be deadly. When a single woman is pregnant and no one steps forward as the father, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amazon River Dolphin
The Amazon river dolphin (''Inia geoffrensis''), also known as the boto, bufeo or pink river dolphin, is a species of toothed whale Endemism, endemic to South America and is classified in the family Iniidae. Three subspecies are currently recognized: ''I. g. geoffrensis'' (Amazon river dolphin), ''I. g. boliviensis'' (Bolivian river dolphin) and ''I. g. humboldtiana'' (Orinoco river dolphin). The position of the Araguaian river dolphin (''I. araguaiaensis'') within the clade is still unclear. The three subspecies are distributed in the Amazon basin, the upper Madeira River in Bolivia, and the Orinoco basin, respectively. The Amazon river dolphin is the largest species of river dolphin, with many adult males reaching in weight, and in length. Adults acquire a pink color, more prominent, in males, giving it its nickname "pink river dolphin". Sexual dimorphism is very evident, with males measuring 16% longer and weighing 55% more than females. Like other toothed whales, they have a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
