Rantas () is a

mythical 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 (including myths and legends), but may be featured in historical account ...

from

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Barua ...

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, r ...

- a female with long hair, pointed teeth, long nails, and inverted feet who ventures out during heavily snowy nights. She is invoked to frighten children into staying safely at home during winter. Rantas is said to abduct men, keeping them prisoner and later marrying them, due to sorrow over the loss of her lover. In stories, she wanders and wails on moonless nights, walking on feet which are turned backward. She only ventures out during heavily snowing nights and kidnaps young men who she gets infatuated with. A famous story of Love-Lone and Rantas is quite popular in Kashmir urban legend which usually revolves around a man named Lav Lone who was kidnapped by the creature Rantas disguised as a beautiful woman in the Nallah Ferozpora which some people doubt in the plot-location. Some sources however argue the story originated in the forests of Anantnag (Islamabad) while some others differ the location. In January 2021, a clip was broadcast by a local news channel which had the audio of a female screaming and which were rumoured to be of a Rantas.

References

{{reflist Kashmiri culture South Asian legendary creatures Female legendary creatures Bogeymen Kashmiri Folklore

See also

References