A wide variety of mythical creatures are found in Burmese mythology. Many Burmese creatures are part human or creatures capable of assuming human form. Most mythical creatures are endowed with humanistic mentalities, ability to converse with humans and also supernatural powers. During the 20th century, the role and diversity of Burmese mythical creatures were diversified by Shwe Thway comics which depicted the life of the Buddha, the

Jataka tales The ''Jātaka'' (Sanskrit for "Birth-Related" or "Birth Stories") are a voluminous body of literature native to the Indian subcontinent which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. Jataka stories we ...

and Burmese history. The most common mythological being is the Belu, an ogre. The popularity of the Belu is due to the

Yama Zatdaw Yama Zatdaw (, ), unofficially Myanmar's national epic, is the Burmese version of the Ramayana and Dasaratha Jataka. There are nine known pieces of the Yama Zatdaw in Myanmar. The Burmese name for the story itself is ''Yamayana'', while ''zatdaw ...

, the Burmese version of the

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

, a very popular play in Myanmar, and also their roles in the Jatakas. Bodleian Ms

List of beings and creatures

The following is a list of beings and creatures in Burmese mythology:

Creatures mentioned in stories, plays and Burmese literature

Deities, demons and spirits

* Athurakal - the lowest form of deities which have pleasure half the day and suffer the other half. Sworn enemies of the Devas (gods). (''Athurakal'' is an alternative synonym for ''

Asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...

'') * Belu - usually man-eating demons capable of shapeshifting. ** Pan-kike Belu - (lit ''flower biters'') Belu with straight fangs which eat humans. Generally malevolent. ** Panswé Belu - (lit ''flower danglers'') Belu with curved or hooked fangs which eat flowers and fruits. Generally benevolent. An example would be Popa Medaw. * Nat sein - ''ghods'', spirits of deceased humans (especially those who died violent deaths). They grant supernatural powers to those devoted to them, but are imperceptible in the mortal world. * Ottsa-saunk or Ottsar-saunk - beings cursed to roam the earth due to their strong attachment to objects or places. * Thaik nan shin - is synonymous with Otta-saunk, glossed by Spiro as "quasi-nat," or "the spirits who, because of their greed for treasure when they were human, have been assigned to guard the treasures of the Buddha". * Peik-ta - ''ghouls'', beings punished with perpetual hunger or thirst. (derived from Sanskrit word ''Preta'') *

Sone The sone () is a unit of loudness, the subjective perception of sound pressure. The study of perceived loudness is included in the topic of psychoacoustics and employs methods of psychophysics. Doubling the perceived loudness doubles the sone ...

- hags or witches * Thayé - ghosts * Yama Yazar - A saint, often claimed as a death lord who rules Hell. (Derived from ''Yama-raj'', Hindu god of death, hell and afterlife judgement) * Yetkhat - benevolent guardians of buried treasures and those hidden in tree roots. (derived from ''Raksha'', Hindu mythical demons) * Zawgyi (alchemist) - a human

alchemist Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...

with supernatural powers who is often seen with a stick and a red hat. * Ma Phae Wah - a female ghost who lead the ghosts and rule the graveyards.

Beasts

;Birds * Galone - Garuda the archbird, nemesis of the serpents '' Nāgas''. * Hintha - Hamsa the Brahmin bird, famed as the bird with most pleasant voice; symbol of the

Mon people The Mon (; Thai Mon: ဂကူမည်; , ; , ) are an ethnic group who inhabit Lower Myanmar's Mon State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Tanintharyi Region, Bago Region, the Irrawaddy Delta, and several areas in Thailand (mostly in Pathum Than ...

Mon State Mon State (, ; ) is an administrative division of Myanmar. It lies between Kayin State to the east, the Andaman Sea to the west, Bago Region to the north and Tanintharyi Region to the south, also having a short border with Thailand's Kanchanabu ...

and

Bago Region Bago Region (, ; formerly Pegu Division and Bago Division) is an administrative divisions of Myanmar, administrative region of Myanmar, located in the southern central part of the country. It is bordered by Magway Region and Mandalay Region to ...

. *

Karaweik Karaweik ( ) or Karaweik Hall is a structure and landmark on the eastern shore of Kandawgyi Lake, Yangon, Burma. Etymology The word ''karaweik'' comes from Pali ''karavika'' (), which is a mythical bird with a melodious cry. History The struc ...

- from the Pali "karavika", a bird with a melodious cry. ;Reptiles * Magan - Makara, a crocodile-like sea monster with prehensile snout. *

Nāga In various Asian religious traditions, the Nāgas () are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. ...

- dragon-like serpents with great powers, enemies of the

Garuda Garuda (; ; Vedic Sanskrit: , ) is a Hindu deity who is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. This divine creature is mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain faiths. Garuda is also the half-brother of the D ...

s, and who inhabit the sea. They are described as being able to swim through the earth as if it was water, and fly in the sky. According to the Bhuridatta Jataka the 6th of the 10 last lives of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

, the Buddha was a

prince. In Burmese legend, Nāga's angry side eye can burn their enemies to ashes. * Ngamoeyeik - a super giant crocodile and character of Min Nandar and Shin Hmwe Loon, the Burmese equivalent of

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

. * Shuu Pyan - a giant beast from Pyusawhti story, who looks like a western dragon. ;Mammals * Kyut - malevolent

pangolin Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: '' Manis'', '' Phataginus'', and '' Smutsia''. ''Manis'' comprises four species found in Asia, while ' ...

armadillo Armadillos () are New World placental mammals in the order (biology), order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are dis ...

like creatures which can assume human form and trick humans in the barren forests. * Sarmaree - vain long-haired yak which values its hair. *

Chinthe ''Chinthe'' ( (); (); ()) is the Burmese language, Burmese word for 'Asiatic lion, lion'. The wiktionary:leograph, leograph of ''Chinthe'' is a highly stylized lion commonly depicted in Burmese iconography and Myanmar architecture, architectur ...

- the

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

, commonly depicted in architecture as a guardian, and associated with myths and legends. * Thaman Kyah - the weretiger, somewhat equivalent to werewolf in European cultures. * Shwe Thamin - a golden deer. ;Spiders * Giant Spider of Pindaya - a giant spider which held 7 princesses captive in

Pindaya Pindaya ( ''Pìñṯáyá myoú'') is the capital of the Danu Self-Administered Zone in Shan State, east-central Myanmar. It is located in Pindaya Township. Mainly famous for its limestone caves called Pindaya Caves where thousands of Buddha ...

region. ;Hybrids * Byala - Rakhine version of the Nawa Rupa. A creature with nine hybrid features. *

Kinnara A kinnara (Sanskrit: Kiṃnara) is a creature from Hindu and Buddhist mythology. They are described as part human and part bird, and have a strong association with music and love. Believed to come from the Himalayas, they often watch ove ...

, male and

Kinnari A kinnara (Sanskrit: Kiṃnara) is a creature from Hindu and Buddhist mythology. They are described as part human and part bird, and have a strong association with music and love. Believed to come from the Himalayas, they often watch over ...

, female - a hybrid of human and bird, often painted as humans with wings in clothing and headdresses; associated with the Shan and Kayah States. * Manotethiha (''Manussiha'' in

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

) - Sphinx-like half-human, half-lion creatures. Their appearances are somewhat similar with sphinxes. What separates them from sphinxes is that they have two lion bodies connected to a single human head. *

Nawarupa Nawarupa (, also spelt nawa rupa; , ), also known as byala ( Arakanese: ဗျာလ or ဗျာလ္လ), is a chimeric creature found in Burmese and Rakhine (Arakanese) mythology. Description The beast is made of 9 animals, possessing the ...

- (lit ''nine features''); a creature made from the amalgamation of parts of nine different animals. * Nāya/ Toe-nāya/ Toe-nāga - quite similar to chimera; hybrids of seven animals including

. No appearance of these creatures is found in mythology. They are artistic designs of a nāga developed by early Myanmar sculptor. * Pyinsarupa - (lit ''five features''); a creature made from the amalgamation of parts of five different animals, mascot of

Myanmar Airways International Myanmar Airways International Co., Ltd. () is a privately owned airline headquartered in Yangon, Myanmar. It operates scheduled international services to destinations mainly in Southeast Asia and is based at Yangon International Airport. Myanm ...

. * Yay Thu Ma -

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are ...

References

* Htin Aung, ''Maung'' ''Folk Elements in Burmese Buddhism''. London, New York: Oxford University Press, 1962.

External links