#referencing the sidhe

[dailydemonspotlight]

Leanan Sídhe - Day 74

Race: Femme

Arcana: Lovers

Alignment: Neutral-Chaos

July 18th, 2024

Before doing this series, I never really realized how many demons originate from Ireland. Whether it be Cait-Sith, Dullahan, or even Fionn Mac Cumhaill, a lot of Irish fairy tales influence this series, though I suppose it only makes sense, given that Irish fairy tales also influence almost all fantasy to this day. Concepts of fairies, stories of great battles and legendary heroes, even things as simple as a name- all of them can be passed around, and many of them seem to come from the mystical medieval age of Irish tradition. Today's Demon of the Day is no different, of course- the powerful seductress, Leanan Sidhe, the Fairy Sweetheart.

The concept of a seducer who woos men's hearts is not unheard of, even in this series- a famous pair of demons to come to mind are, of course, Succubus and Incubus- but the Leanan Sidhe are portrayed in a far softer light than those who would suck the life out of their lovers. Instead, a lot of the time, these fairies are marred with tragedy- their love, once met, would lead to an inevitable death, though still one filled with passion.

From what I can tell, the Leanan Sidhe does not originate from one specific myth, and is instead a fairy referenced as common knowledge in most texts. Originating from the lands of Gael, and found referenced along the Manx as well, this fairy is a relatively well-known figure in spite of concrete primary sources due to most of her stories being passed down by word of mouth. The first concrete reference to the Leanan Sidhe, however, comes in the form of a book by Jane Wilde called 'Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland,' which goes over the role of the figure in detail and what she can do. To quote,

The Leanan-Sidhe, or the spirit of life, was supposed to be the inspirer of the poet and singer, as the Ban-Sidhe was the spirit of death, the foreteller of doom. The Leanan-Sidhe sometimes took the form of a woman, who gave men valour and strength in the battle by her songs.

The story also goes into detail about a myth pertaining to the Leanan-Sidhe, talking about a tale in which a king went away from his home for years, only to come back and see it fallen into a home of debauchery. Devastated, he called upon a poetess, whom, unbeknownst to him, was a Leanan Sidhe, and she inspired the man to strike back and get his kingdom back. From this, as well as many other later, additive sources, the Leanan Sidhe was a gorgeous woman who seduced young men and women and gave them inspiration in exchange for a quick path to an early grave. They don't appear to be outright evil, rather wishing to inspire those they come across, in spite of their swift bringing of death. Alas.

In SMT, the demon is portrayed as... well, a beautiful woman. Not much else they can do there. I'm unsure as to the significance of the tongs in her hands, as they may be knitting needles, perhaps signifying creativity and inspiration, but for the most part, she's depicted very well. I don't have much else to say, unfortunately, but overall, I really do enjoy this demon and the small, yet satisfying story behind it!

[seewetter]

List of Mythic Beings by Type

Full alphabetical list of mythic creatures unsorted by type here.

Q: What is this?

A: This is a list of all Wikipedia articles that begin with the letter A and deal with a creature or person or group of people whose existence is found in accounts that don't neatly fit the modern scientific understanding of the world.

The purpose of this list is to be really open. I want writers (artists, LARPers, performers, people with imaginations, people with fun hobbies) to have an overview of the information available on Wikipedia.

Q: Are the categories from Wikipedia? If not, how do they work?

A: The groupings are my own. Their purpose is to let you quickly find tropes. So if you look under "Habitat" and then "Forest" you find Wikipedia articles referencing stories set in the woods. This could be creatures whose literal habitat is the forest, but it can also be a creature that hunts in the forest. I hope that especially groupings like "Changeling", for example, which lists all Wikipedia articles where a creature exchanges infants for their own, helps writers and other artists find what they are looking for. To make things a bit easier I also add remarks like "(some accounts)" which indicates that only some sources portray a creature a certain way and I give a bit more info so that you, dear reader, can compare and contrast creatures in the same category -- in one culture, the Changeling myth might indicate an extremely ableist society, in another culture, the Changeling myth is so abstract it's hard to imagine. I try to give people those kinds of contrasts, although of course what qualities I contrast will reflect my biases.

Q: I noticed some creatures that start with A only mentioned once in this list and not under every appropriate category.

A: I'm winging it. Please let me know when you have spotted an oversight and I'll gladly correct it. :)

TLDR

The following Wikipedia articles were too long for my project and I skipped over them. I have been working on this project for months, so every now and then I just skip articles: Angel, Angels (List), Angra Mainyu, Annunaki, Antichist, Aos Sí, Apophis, Apsara, Archon, Argus, Asha, Asmodeus, Aspidochelone, Atargatis, Aura, Azazel, Azrael.

I intend to eventually cover the above entries as well, but currently would rather like to complete this project for most mythic beings.

Supertype

Supertypes are not species or cultures or anything like that. They are my word for "belongs to a larger group".

Amazon

Agave (Alcibie) (Alcippe) (one Alcippe in Greek myth) (Alke) (one Alke in Greek myth) (Amazonomachy (Event)) (Amazons (List)) (Antandre) (Antibrote) (Antiope) Amazon Queen (Apollo Amazonius) (Areto) (Asteria)

Angel

(Anakim) Nephilim (historical sources speculated) (Armaros) Grigori ("Watchers")

Anito

3 subcategories: bound (to a location); unbound ((Engkanto)); and Aswang

Asura

(Aghasura) (Andhaka) (Asura) (deva are asura by default, according to the Rig Veda; Deva become Deva by being virtuous, asura remain asura by being selfish, according to the Rig Veda) (Asura Lords mentioned on asura page) multiple factions of asura, each with a lord

Aswang

(Amalanhig)

Aufhocker (Creature that jumps on someone's back, holding them down)

(Aufhocker)

Creature that sits on someone's chest, holding them down

(Alp) Sits on Sleeper's Chest (Rides/Mounts Sleeper); crush small farm animals (like geese) to death in pressing attack (Alû) Sits on Sleeper's Chest (Rides/Mounts Sleeper)

Bloodsucker

(Alukah) dies without blood (Asanbosam) (Aswang) subtype: Bloodsucking Woman (example Mandurugo): slow bloodsucking

Centaur

(Amycus) (Anggitay) female centaur (Arktos) (Asbolus) benevolent (Polkan on Ascapart page) Centaur (Russian culture)

Changeling

(Aes Sidhe) (Al) (Al Ana) (Wikipedia has lengthy descriptions of their characteristics, this is a clear extreme use of ableism in the changeling story) (Alan) take drops of menstrual blood, miscarried fetuses, afterbirth, or other reproductive waste and transform them into human children, whom they then raise as their own. (Asrai) (in oldest account by Robert Williams Buchanan)

Colour

(Aitvaras) White or Black Colour (Akabeko) Red (Akaname) Red (Akerbeltz) Black (Aketeko) Red (Akugyo) Gold and Silver Scales (Alicanto) Metallic, depends on ore it eats: golden wings from gold mine, silver wings from silver mine, copper-green / If spotted, turns off colours of its wings, going into dark (Almas) black fur (Aloja - Aloges) gold or red hair, emerald or deep blue eyes (Alphito) White Hair (Am Fear Liath Mòr) Dark Skin, Dark Hair (Amaru) reddish snout (Ambika) golden skin; (South Indian version) dark blue skin (Amomongo) white hair (Amphiptere) green snake, light coloured feathers (Anchanchu) red (Angak) black beard (up to mid-chest) --> represents trails of rain & for Hokywan Angak'china: red beard (Anhangá) (Tupi-Guarani version) white deer (Anito) pale skin (Anito) omen birds, most commonly with green or blue iridescent feathers (Anjana) white skin (Anubis) Black Fur (symbol of Nile River soil, symbol of regeneration and life) (Aoandon) Blue Skin (Aobōzu) Blue Skin and/or Blue Clothes (Okayama Prefecture) (Aonyōbō) Blue Skin (the source Wikipedia uses https://yokai.com/aonyoubou/ directly contradicts the idea that they have blue skin, instead saying that blue in Japanese is like "green" in English, a word for inexperience. For a more detailed explanation, see there.) (Cŵn Annwn mentioned on Arawn page) White Hounds with Red Ears (Archura) Green Hair (made of living grass), Green Beard (made of living grass) (Arkan sonney) white skin, red eyes (some accounts), red ears (some accounts) (Arzhang Div) blue skin (Asag) dark skin (Asanbosam) pink skin, red hair (Asi) deep-blue colour as personified form (Asrai) pale skin (in oldest account by Robert Williams Buchanan) (Aswang) Subtype: Manananggal light skin by day (Augenbrand) (Auriaria) red hair (Azukiarai) yellow eyes (Āṭavaka) blue skin, black skin, red skin (Átahsaia) black and white scales cover arms

Construct

(Anchimayen) created from corpses of children

Corpse-Eater

(Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) (Anhangá) (Aswang) subtype "Ghoul"

Daemon / Daimon

(Aloadae) Ephialtes is a daimon

Daeva / Div

(Arzhang Div)

Demi-God

(Almops) Poseidon and half-nymph (Amykos) (Arjuna) (Auriaria)

Demi-Goddess

(Alcippe) (one Alcippe in Greek myth)

Diminutive

(Afanc) (Agogwe) (Akaname) (Aloja - Aloges) (Alux - Aluxo'ob) (Anchanchu) (Anjana) tiny (15 cm = 0.5") (Aobōzu) (Yamaguchi Prefecture Version) in other accounts, giant (Asrai) 2-4" (Awes-kon-wa) (Aziza) (Azukiarai)

Disembodied Organ

(Aketeko) hand (Aswang) subtype: Manananggal disembodied head (by night)

Div

(Akvan Div)

Doghead

(Anubis) (Egyptian gods don't really have animal heads, they are personalities) (Anubis) brother Wepwawet (Egyptian gods don't really have animal heads, they are personalities) (Anubis) female counterpart Anput (Egyptian gods don't really have animal heads, they are personalities)

Dragon

(Amaru) could be called a dragon; 2 heads; 2 Amarus destroy the land while fighting each other; horns of a taruka, a type of huemul deer; wings; lives in underworld and associated with water; scales

Dvergr

(Alberich) beard / smith

Elemental

(Aitvaras) fire tail (like meteor) (Akuma) flaming eyes, fiery head (Alara) butterfly wings made of light; formed from love tears of 1,000 women (Giant Black Dog mentioned in Almamula or Mulánima) teeth of fire, transformed into this state (Tsé’nagahi on Anaye page) monstrous rock, crushes passersby to death (Anhangá) (Tupi-Guarani version) white deer with fiery eyes (Augenbrand) fire eyes (Azhdaha) flaming eyes (Āṭavaka) enveloped by flame

Elf Clothes

(Archura) left shoe on right foot

Fairy (Petty Fairy, Winged Little Sprite)

(Alara) hovers over lake (Mmoatia the Fairy on the Anansi page) what is the Akan word for the type of being that Mmoatia is? (Iambana on the Anito page) No tiny winged beings like fairies ("petty fairies") in precolonial native Filipino folklore, but lambana are fairies in modern Filipino folklore (Awes-kon-wa) (Aziza) (sometimes & possibly European influence)

Familiar

(Alloces) grants familiars (Amy) grants familiars

Figment / Personification

(Alke) Courage / Battle-Strength spirit (Aloadae) Ephialtes is a Nightmare (Amalur) the Earth itself (Amanozako) originated when Susanoo let his own ferocious spirit (his Aramitama) build up inside him until he vomited her out (Andaokut) born from tears of a grieving mother (Aonyōbō) appears as an ancient court noblewoman, living in a now abandoned house of fallen nobles and ruined families, constantly fixing her hair and applying makeup, expecting possible guests who never show up (e.g. a lover who lost their interest or a husband who abandoned his wife) (Asi) asi is a sword, but has a personified form (Ask-wee-da-eed) personified fire / embodies fire (associated with comets, meteors) (Awelo) embodies the essence of the Tigua people and their customs and morality, monitors their conduct and punishes those who don't behave properly (Azone) universal commonalities of humans, united in worship (Azure Lóng) represents springtime (Aufhocker) Emotional Burdens weighing on one's shoulders (old woman haunted by memories)

Face on Back of Head

(Akerbeltz) (Christian Version)

Fallen Angel

(Agaliarept) (Agares) (Alloces) (Amaymon) (Amy) (Archdemon) rather short Wikipedia page that simply mentions various archdemons by name, often the sin they are associated with or the cardinal direction they preside over / different archdemons in different religious traditions

Flying Head

(Aswang) Subtype: Manananggal hides lower half during nighttime

Green Hair and/or Green Beard

(Archura) made of living grass (Asrai) long green hair (account by Ruth Tongue)

Giant

(Aghasura) Giant Animal (Aido Hwedo) Giant Animal (Akkorokamui) Giant Animal (Akugyo) Giant Animal (Ala - Ale) huge ears (Albruna) (Alcyoneus) a gigantes, NOT ALWAYS a giant, hurls rocks, hurls 12 chariots, hurls 24 heroes, uses mountain as weapon (some accounts) (Alfred Bulltop Stormalong) giant baby, giant adult (Almops) (Aloadae) 16.4592m = 9 fathoms tall at age 9 (Alpos) body reaches the clouds, touches the sun, pulls back the moon; hurl rocks, hurl hills; uses rock as shoulder shield (Am Fear Liath Mòr) over 10" tall (Endriago on Amadís de Gaula page) (Amala) supports the world (Amarok) (Amemasu) Giant Animal (Anakim) (Anathan) (Sasnalkáhi on Anaye page) (Teelget on Anaye page) (Tsetahotsiltali on Anaye page) massive legs (perhaps not a conventional giant, just really long legs) (Yeitso on Anaye page) colossal (but speaks and asks questions when trying to find victims); drinks lake in four gulps; travels across horizon in one step; scalp becomes a peak (Andaokut) (Angalo) (Anguiped) (some examples) (Antaboga) Giant Animal (Antaeus) giant bones entombed within a tumulus (Antero Vipunen) (Anzû) (Ao) Giant Animal (Aobōzu) (Apotamkin) Giant Animal (Apukohai) (Prabu Niwatakawaca (Javanese) on Arjuna page) (Asag) (Asanbosam) 20" wings (not a conventional giant, just huge wingspan) (Ascapart) 30" tall (smallest giant of his land) (Pelucan on Ascapart page) (Ashinaga-tenaga) 3m, 6m, 9m legs (some accounts) (not a conventional giant, just long legs or arms) (Asi) personified form may not be giant, but is described as tall (Athos) crushed under a mountain, died in a fight with a god who hurled rocks at him (Atosis) Giant Animal (Augerino) Giant Animal (Azhdaha) 30 gazes (~30m); Giant Animal (Átahsaia) (Wikipedia page has descriptive size comparisons)

Gigantes

(Alcippe) one Alcippe is daughter of a Gigantes (Alcyoneus) but she may not be (Alcyoneus) [Aloadae] (Alpos) (Antaeus) (Athos)

Glutton

(Ala - Ale) (Aloviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) possessed by ala: huge hunger (Alfred Bulltop Stormalong)

Griffon

(Akhekh)

Haunt

(Alseid) (Am Fear Liath Mòr) presence

Human

(Angalo) the first human (he is also a giant) [Arikura-no-baba] (Atlantes)

Hybrid: Object-Creature

(Akaname) pebble head (Al) clay nose, copper claw, iron teeth (Al Basty) (Armenian Version) iron teeth, brass fingernails (Amaru) crystalline eyes (Anaye) resemble objects (human mothers fornicated with objects)

(Tsé’nagahi on Anaye page) monstrous rock, crushes passersby to death (Asanbosam) iron teeth, iron hook feet (Axehandle hound) axeblade-shaped head, axehandle shaped body, stubby legs, eats abandoned axehandles, travels logging camps looking for next meal

Island Turtle

(Ao) Carries the three islands of the eight immortals (Penglai, Fangzhang, Yingzhou)

Joetunn

(Alvaldi)

Kachina

(Ahöl Mana) (Ahöla) (Ahöla) (Angak) (Angwusnasomtaka)

Long / Lóng

(Ao Guang) (Azure Lóng)

Luminescent

(Alicanto) eyes emit lights (Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) glowing eyes (Aosaginohi) gives off iridescent blue light; releases golden powder into the air that forms heat-less fiery light that eventually dissipates in the wind

Man-Eater

(Afanc) (Agnen) (Ahuizotl) (Aigamuxa) (Akashita) swallows evildoers (Akerbeltz) (Christian Version organizes lunches with witches and elves where human meat is served) (Aku-aku) (Amanesaku mentioned in Akubōzu) (Akugyo) (Ala - Ale) huge mouth, carries spoon, eats at home, home full of children's bones and spilt blood, smells humans (Alpos) (Amai-te-rangi) (Amanojaku) (Amarok) (Amikuk) (Ammit) (Tsenahale on Anaye page) feed people to hatchlings (Anhangá) (Anhang - Anhangá (Spirit) in Mawé culture) (Ao Ao) humans are its only source of food (eats them with clothes) (Ao Ao)'s children, see Ao Ao (Aonyōbō) devours those who trespass in the abandoned house she now occupies (Apotamkin) (Asanbosam) (Aswang) subtype: Silagan: tears out human liver and eats it (Aswang) subtype: Manananggal eats internal organs; eats phlegmatic discharge of the sick, eats fetuses within the womb [Ato-sees] forces humans to find the materials with which he would cook them (Atosis) (Atshen) [Azukiarai] (Azukibabaa) (swallow into bright light) (Gunma Prefecture) (Āṭavaka) (Átahsaia) (Aswang) subtype: Weredog favours pregnant people travelling roads at night

Child Harmer (Boogeyman)

(Maria Enganxa from Aloja - Aloges) takes children (with hook) (Alphito) (Amanojaku) child eater, kidnaps children (Ao Ao) child eater (Aobōzu) (Shizuoka Prefecture Version) kidnaps children (Apotamkin) child eater (Azukibabaa) (Kawagoe City Version) children who fall behind their parents, scoops up people in basket; (Kanagawa Prefecture Version) child eater

Mermaid

(Akugyo) (Amabie) mermaid, merman

Mortal

(Aku-aku) (Arzhang Div)

Multiple Organs

(Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) 3 heads; 2 headed snake form (Alpos) many arms (Amabie) 3 Tail Fins ("3 Legs") (Amabiko on Amabie page) 3 legs, 4 legs, 5 legs, 7 legs (Yamawarawa on Amabie page) 3 legs (Amaru) 2 heads (Ambika) 4 arms (Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) head at each end (Andhaka) 1,000 heads, 1,000-2,000 arms, 2,000 legs (some accounts), 1,000-2,000 eyes (Anpao) 2 faces (Anqa) 8 wings (4 pairs of wings) (Asag) 3 legs, 3 arms, several eyes across body (Ayahos) 2 heads (in snake form) (Āṭavaka) 1 head, 4 heads, 6 heads, 17 heads, 4 arms, 8 arms, 36 arms

Missing Organs

(Alû) no ears, no lips, no mouth (Amabie) no torso (Amikiri) no hindlegs (Binaye Ahani (Eye Killers) on Anaye page) no limbs (Asag) no neck (Astomi) no mouths (some accounts)

Naga

(Apalala)

Nat

(Akathaso)

Nymph

(Agave) Nereid (Alseid) (Anthousai) (Auloniad)

Omen

(Akashita) Bad Luck (Akuma) Misfortune (Anito) omen birds (either a diwata's true form, a diwata's shapeshifted form or servant of a diwata) (Arkan sonney) good omen

One-Eyed

(Amefurikozō) (some accounts) (Arimaspi)

One-Legged

(Aziza) (if sole being of its type)

Oni

(Amanojaku) appearance of a small oni

Pendulous Breasts

(Ajatar) long breasts maybe not pendulous (Al) long breasts (sagging) (Al Ana) large breasts (Anguane) long breasts

Pendulous Breasts Hung Over Shoulder (this category exists because there's a lot of creatures that fit this trope and it will be expanded once we get beyond the letter A.)

(Anguane) throw breasts over backs; carry children in baskets on backs

Psychopomp

(Anubis) guide the dead to the underworld

Rainbow Snake

(Aido Hwedo)

Santa

(Ayaz Ata)

Snakehair

(Al Basty) (Armenian Version) (Alpos) vipers

Tanuki

(Ashi-magari) (some accounts) a trick by tanuki (Azukiarai) (some accounts) a trick by tanuki

Tennin / Tennyo

(Amorōnagu)

Tsukumogami

(Azhdaha) snake reaches 100 years of age and grows to 30 Gazes (~30m in length!)

Tuatha

(Aillen)

Undead

(Aes Sidhe) (sometimes the hosts ("sluaghs"), which are a type of sidhe, are counted as undead) (Ahkiyyini) skeleton (Aitu) (Aku-aku) (Al Ana) (Wikipedia describes all the at-risk groups of women who may return from the dead as Al Ana) (Alp) (in some stories, e.g. stillborn infant) [Alû] Wikipedia calls it a vengeful spirit, so does that mean it's undead? (Amalanhig) (Akhu mentioned on Ammit page) (Anchimayen) created from corpses of children (Ankou) skeleton, black robe, hat conceals face, shadow, scythe (Ankou) first person to die that year (some accounts), last person to die that year (some accounts) (Ankou mentioned on French Mythic Creatures and Saints page) female skeleton (??) (Lil a subtype of Ardat-lilî mentioned on that page) ghosts of young people who died sexually unfulfilled

Utukku

(Alû)

Vampire

(Amalanhig) vampire teeth

Webbed Feet

(Asrai) (account by Ruth Tongue)

Wisdom King

(Āṭavaka) has subjects, including doorkeeper

Wisp

(Akurojin-no-hi) (Anchanchu) fireball (Ayakashi) ghost light

Witch / Hag

[Arikura-no-baba]

Woman Head

(Alkonost)

World Serpent

(Antaboga)

Worm

(Augerino)

Yaksha

(Ambika) (a yakshini) (Āṭavaka)

Youkai / yōkai

(Akashita) (Amefurikozō) (Amikiri) (Aobōzu) (Aonyōbō) (Ayakashi) (Azukibabaa)

Animal

The "animal" section lists animal traits of these beings. If a creature has a goat head, a snake foot, the whole body of a dog etc. it may be listed under that entry.

Some animal features are listed not under the "Animal" section here but instead under the Power section, specifically the "Shapeshift - Animal" section. This means that the being is able to shapeshift into an animal.

Antelope

(Antelope (Real Animal)) Linnaeus didn't think antelopes were real: see Animalia Paradoxa page

Ape

(Aegipan) (Agropelter) (Amabiko on Amabie page) (Amomongo)

Bat

(Amphiptere) wings (Asanbosam) wings, body parts, feet point both ways

Bear

(Sasnalkáhi on Anaye page)

Beaver

(Afanc)

Bird

(Akhekh) wings (Alal) claws (Alerion) no beak, no claws (Alicanto) flightless (too heavy from ore) (Alkonost) woman's head (Alphyn) claw forelegs (Amabie) beak (Amabie) parts (Amaru) condor head (one of its heads) (Amaru) feet, wings (Amikiri) beak (Amphiptere) wings, beak (Anito) omen birds, most commonly with green or blue iridescent feathers (Anqa) long neck, human face (Anzû) (Aosaginohi) (Blue-Crowned Night Heron)

Bison

(Átahsaia) hair on scalp like a bison mane

Butterfly

(Alara) wings made of light

Camel

(Aisha Qandicha) hoofs (Allocamelus) camel body, donkey head

Cat

(Aswang) subtype "Weredog" (sometimes transforms into cat)

Chicken

(Aitvaras) rooster (Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) (Medieval Version) feet

Claws

(Amomongo) long nails (not claws) (Arzhang Div) (Átahsaia) long talons (Aswang) subtype "Ghoul" sharp nails

Cow

(Akabeko) (Akerbeltz) (Christian Version) Ox (Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) Bull

Crab

(Amikiri) claws

Crocodile

(Afanc) (Ammit) head

Deer

(Anhangá) (Tupi-Guarani version) white deer

Dog

(Akerbeltz) (Christian Version) (Alal) ears (Almamula or Mulánima's Victim) transformed into giant black dog (Ammit) body (some accounts) (Anchanchu) (Aralez) (Cŵn Annwn mentioned on Arawn page) White Hounds with Red Ears (Pelucan on Ascapart page) giant with dog parts (Augenbrand) (Axehandle hound) (Aswang) subtype Weredog

Donkey

(Allocamelus) head (but camel body)

Ears

(Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) (Medieval Version) ears

Eel

Elephant

(Airavata) 4 tusks, 7 trunks, pastel white skin (Erawan see Airavata) 3 heads or 33 heads (Aka Manah) elephant head --> mouth filled with tusks instead of teeth

Fangs / Teeth / Tusks

(Al) sharp fangs (Amanozako) large fangs (Amphiptere) snake fangs (Ao Ao) massive fangs (Ao Ao)'s children, see Ao Ao (Aoandon) sharp teeth (Apotamkin) (Arzhang Div) (maybe tusks?) (Asi) sharp teeth as personified form (Azhdaha) many teeth (Átahsaia) yellow tusks (Aswang) subtype "Ghoul": sharp teeth

Feathers

(Amphiptere) light coloured (Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) (Medieval Version) feathered wings (Awanyu)

Fish

(Aegipan) (Akugyo) (Amabiko on Amabie page) parts (Amaru) fish tail (Amemasu) (Asrai) fish tail (account by Rosalind Kerven) (Avatea) left body half is fish

Fox

(Amaru) fox muzzle on the llama head (one of its heads)

Goat

(Aegipan) (Aisha Qandicha) hoofs (Akerbeltz)

Hairy

(Almas) black fur (Amomongo) white hair (Asanbosam) long red hair (Astomi) (Auvekoejak) furry merman (has no Wikipedia page, may be hoax)

Hippo

(Ammit) hindlegs

Hoof

(Alphyn) Cloven Hoof Forelegs (Anguane) (Archura) (some accounts)

Horns

(Akugyo) (Al-Mi'raj) 1 or 2 horns (Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) huge horns (Amaru) of a taruka, a type of huemul deer (Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) (Medieval Version) (Teelget on Anaye page) thick antlers (Anggitay) 1 horn (some accounts) (Aoandon) twin horns (Archura) (some accounts) (Asanbosam) (Awanyu)

Horse

(Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) horse head (on snake body) (Alal) mane (Apaosha) black horse, black ears, black tail (Arion (Horse))

Human

(Akaname) child form (Anansi) human face; human with 8 legs (or other spider features) (Anqa) human face, long neck (Apsonsi) woman upper body (Arimaspi) (Ashinaga-tenaga) (Astomi) (Ato-sees) half human (Avatea) right body half is human

Insect

Leech

(Alukah)

Leopard

(Ammit) forelegs (Aq Bars) snow leopard with wings

Lion

(Alal) head (Alloces) head (Alphyn) hindlegs; thick mane (Ammit) (some accounts) mane, forelegs (Anzû) head (some accounts) (Apsonsi) biped with lion hindlegs

Lizard

(Azhdaha) (some accounts)

Llama

(Amaru) one of the heads (has a fox muzzle)

Mule

(Almamula or Mulánima's Victim) transformed into mule

Octopus

(Akkorokamui)

Orca

(Akhlut) orca parts

Oryx

(Akhekh) with bird wings and snake tail

Peccary

(Ao Ao) (some accounts) (Ao Ao)'s children, see Ao Ao

Pig

(Al) boar tusks (Ala - Ale) shapeshift form (Otherworldly Pigs mentioned on Arawn page) (Arkan sonney) (Aswang) subtype "Weredog" (sometimes transforms into pig)

Porcupine

(Átahsaia) Porcupine Quills --> Chest Hair

Puma

(Amaru) one of its heads

Raccoon

(Azeban)

Rabbit

(Al-Mi'raj)

Raven

(Ala - Ale)

Scales

(Amabie) covered in scales from the neck down (Endriago on Amadís de Gaula page) body is covered in scales (Amaru) crocodile or lizard (Átahsaia) cover arms

Sheep

(Ao Ao) (some accounts) (Ao Ao)'s children, see Ao Ao

Snake

(Agathodaemon) (Aghasura) (Aido Hwedo) (Airavata) (Aitvaras) appearance of "dragon" outdoors (Ajatar) (Akhekh) tail (Al Basty) (Armenian Version) hair (Ala - Ale) (e.g. snake body with horse head) (Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) 2 headed (Amaru) (Amarum) water boa (Amphiptere) (Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) Lifts the head that moves forward, lifts other head to reverse direction; (Medieval Version) small, serpent-headed tail (Ananke) (Orphic Version) incorporeal snake with arms stretching around the cosmos (Anguiped) snake legs (Antaboga) (Apotamkin) snake with long red hair (Ato-sees) half snake (Atosis) giant snake (Awanyu) (Azhdaha)

Spider

(Akkorokamui) once was called Yaushikep, a giant spider (Anansi) spider (some tales); anthropomorphic spider (some tales)

Sloth

Tail

(Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) 12 tails (some accounts) (Alphyn) knotted (Amikiri) (Amphiptere) spiked (Archura) (some accounts)

Tongue

(Alphyn) long, thin (Aswang) subtype: Manananggal Proboscis Tongue (Aswang) subtype: Bloodsucking Woman (example: Mandurugo) Proboscis Tongue

Turtle

(Ao) sea turtle

Peacock

Whale

(Amemasu)

Wings

(Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) huge wings, 6 wings (some accounts) (Zmajeviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) little wings beneath armpits (Alan) (Alara) (Alcyoneus) (some accounts) (Aloja - Aloges) colourful (Amphiptere) (Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) (Medieval Version) feathered wings (Anemoi) (Anjana) nearly transparent (Aq Bars) (Aralez) (Astaroth) (Awes-kon-wa) (Azhdaha) (some accounts) (Aziza) (sometimes & possibly European influence) (Aswang) Subtype: Manananggal wings by night

Wolf

(Akhlut) wolf parts (Amaguq) (Amarok) (Asena)

Body

Look

(Aka Manah) male, long hair (Akaname) long tongue, claws (Akashita) hairy face covered with dark clouds (Aloviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) born covered with the caul (some accounts) (Alan) their fingers and toes point backwards (Alp) (14th Century Version) crooked nose (Alp) meeting eyebrows (Alp) Caused by Weird Birth (caul, hair on palms, pregnant mother scared of animal or biting horse collar) (Am Fear Liath Mòr) thin; long arms; broad shoulders (Amabie) long hair (Amala) supports the world; dirty (Amanozako) long ears, long nose (Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) dull eyes (Angak) specific clothes and decorations, see Wikipedia page (Anito) no philtrum (Anjana) slanted eyes (Ankou) first person to die that year (some accounts), last person to die that year (some accounts) (Ankou mentioned on French Mythic Creatures and Saints page) female skeleton (??) (Anthousai) hair resembles hyacinth flowers (Armaros) painted skin - green cross & 7 keys on forehead (Asanbosam) large, blood-shot eyes (Asi) personified form is described as slim (Azukiarai) grotesque appearance, large head, bald, crooked teeth, thin moustache, large bulging yellow eyes (Átahsaia) long, wild, grey hair; Red Hair (He pushes his hair out of his eyes with this knife, leaving his hair crimson with blood.); mouth from ear to ear; wrinkled, swollen face; bulging eyes; doesn't blink

Sound

(Ahuizotl) deceptive cry for help (Am Fear Liath Mòr) silent; intense high singing note; Crunching Gravel (from walking: Every few steps I took I heard a crunch, and then another crunch, as if someone was walking after me but taking steps three or four times the length of my own.) (Amafufunyana) speak in voices from victims stomach; speak in other language; speak in disturbing tone (Anjana) sweet voice (Azukiarai) like azuki beans being ground or washed; (some accounts) song "azuki togou ka, hito totte kuou ka? shoki shoki." ("Will I grind my azuki beans, or will I get a person to eat? shoki shoki." (Azukibabaa) sounds like azuki beans being ground or washed (Azukihakari) sounds like azuki beans being ground or washed; then like azuki beans being clogged and watered; sounds like 18 litres of beans being processed (Azukihakari) as if someone is stepping over the ceiling

Smell

(Aswang) subtype "Ghoul": rank and pungent smell

Taxonomy / Role

LGBT

(Agrat bat Mahlat) "mistress of the sorceresses" (Aido Hwedo) shares female concubine with her male partner (Akhkhazu) the word in Babylonian is male, but she is described as having a female nature (Ala - Ale) shapeshift into 6 fingered men (Alkonost) comforts Sirin (Aloviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) child of ala and human woman (Alp) Drink Blood (from nipples of men and young children) (Alû) androgynous (Amaru) power over rainbows (Amazons) exclude men, return boy children (Amykos) look at the pictures of his punishment on Wikipedia (Anansi) "Aunt Nancy"; "Nancy"; "Sis' Nancy" all of whom are always male (Angwusnasomtaka) she has two names: Tümas ("Crow Mother") and she is also called Angwusnasomtaka ("Man with crow wings tied on") -- is this because men play her in the ritual? (Anito) choose a shaman (asog or bayok, usually women, often trans women who are classified as bakla, which gives certain rights and obligations) - shaman experiences serious illness or bout of insanity and recovers, having gained an anito as spirit guide (Anito) a subgroup (bound diwata) are genderless (Apsonsi) they are portrayed with nude breasts, sometimes surrounded by jewelry, so something for the sapphics (Aralez) which furry would not like the Wikipedia page for the aralez, where a cute dog with wings is looking at you in a friendly way (Asanbosam) breasts and beard (in many depictions) (Aspalis) cross-dresses as his sister Aspalis. She died but her body had disappeared (strange detail of the story). Kills the tyrant (see Euphemism section). Could be read as a trans man, trans woman or non-binary person. (Asrai) nude (account by Nancy Arrowsmith) (Atosis) love relationships with humans (some versions a woman lures her husbands to water for Atosis to eat, in others the woman falls in love with the snake but does not kill her husband or harm anyone) (Azovka) moans (Aufhocker) I'm being speculative here, but if Aufhocker sometimes transform into beautiful women and frequent targets are old women…I think I'm onto something (Aswang) Female aswang often expose their genitals

Hierarchical Politics

(Aino) old gender politics (Al Ana) old gender politics, ableist (Alebrije) this artform endangers copal trees (Endriago on Amadís de Gaula page) born of incest (Anaye) old Gender Politics: Offspring of women fornicating with objects (Aobōzu) (Kagawa Prefecture Version) kills women (Archura) kidnaps young women (Ardat-lilî) (some accounts) Backstory: Woman Who Died Sexually Unfulfilled or Without Marrying (in other accounts they are young women that died sexually unfulfilled) (Asag) hideously ugly & malevolent (so hideous that fish nearby boil alive in rivers)

Example Names

(Ala - Ale) (female personal names in eastern Serbia: Smiljana, Kalina, Magdalena, Dobrica, Dragija, Zagorka etc.) (Alastor) a common Greek male name (Alke) a common Greek female name (Asteria) (Asura) Vepacitti, Rāhu (Verocana), Pahārāda, Sambara, Bali, Sucitti, and Namucī

Phantom Name (meaning lost to time)

(Albruna) (Attila) (historical person, larger than life character in Norse sagas) name "Atilla" not Hunnic but among his Gothic mercenaries, means "little daddy" in Gothic language; early German myths call Attila the Hun "Etzel"

Namesake

(Asrai) "asrai night" (Athos) mountain and peninsula he created (Azure Lóng) star constellation

Euphemism (name to be avoided)

(Almas) (Alux - Aluxo'ob) naming them aloud will summon a disgruntled one from its home (Anemoi) secret missing entity: Eurus, eastwind (Anito) ("Elder", "Grandparent", "Those Unlike Us", "Dweller of a Place", "Dwellers of the Bowels of the earth" or "Dwellers of the Depths of the Sea") and euphemistic name for the harm they cause: victims were "greeted" or "played with" (Aspalis) fights the villain Tartarus, a human tyrant so cruel that citizens dared not pronounce his real name (which therefore is lost to history)

Name Confusion

(Æsir) Concept Applied To Name Foreign Beings (Æsir applied to gods, including Greek gods)

Joke Character / Fearsome Critter

(Agropelter) too fast to be seen (Alfred Bulltop Stormalong)

Wild Cultural Familiarity

(Amabiko on Amabie page) Speaks Japanese; Worships Buddhist Devas (Tenbu) of the Heavens (despite being sea-dwelling)

Sole Being

(Agave) Amazon (Agave) Nereid (Alerion) only 1 pair life at a time -> parents drown themselves on hatching of eggs, which they lay every 60 years. (Alkonost) (Maria Enganxa from Aloja - Aloges) (Amala) supports the world (Amarok) they hunt alone (caveat: can have lots of cubs) (Amycus) (Andaokut) (Ao) (Apalala) (Ardat-lilî) (Aremata-Popoa and Aremata-Rorua) 2 beings (Arion (Horse)) (Armaros) (Arzhang Div) (Asbolus) (Athos) (Augenbrand) (Aziza) (some accounts)

Umbrella Term

(Aitu) (Anaye) (Anito) (Chura mentioned on Archura page) umbrella term for nature beings (Archura) and household beings (Bichura) (Aswang) (malevolent shapeshifters) (Atua) (Azone) deities that were not the private divinities of any particular country or people. Azones were acknowledged as deities in every country, and worshipped in every nation

Uncertain Identity

(Aegipan) resembles Satyr or Faun (Agathodaemon) (Aitu) (Al Basty) name for Lilith (Anito) Spanish Names: Duende, Encantador / Encanto (Spell Caster), Hechicero (Sorcerer), Sirena (Mermaid), Maligno (Evil Spirit); Islamic Names: Jinn, Saitan (Aosaginohi) sometimes equated with Onibi lights

Intermixing

(Aguara) (Aloviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) aloviti as child of ala and human woman (Zmajeviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) human mother, (Zmaj TLDR) father (Allocamelus) donkey and camel (Aloja - Aloges) marry mortal, but must be kept secret (aloja leaves with man's fortune if relationship is found out) (Anaye) human women and objects (Anito) can mater with humans (children = albinism, syndactyly, unusual beauty or behaviour) (Antaeus) half-giant (Wikipedia doesn't source this Antaeus as a half-giant and it make no sense to me, because the term "half-giant" doesn't seem to mean anything specific) (Asena) impregnated by a boy (an injured child she, as a wolf, nursed back to health); gives birth to 10 half-wolf half-human children (Atonga) half-spirit, half-mortal (Atosis) love relationships with humans (some versions a woman lures her husbands to water for Atosis to eat, in others the woman falls in love with the snake but does not kill her husband or harm anyone) (Aswang) Subtype: Manananggal marry into communities (Aswang) Subtype: Bloodsucking Woman (example Mandurugo) marry into communities; target husband

Unrelated Offspring

(Aitvaras) said to hatch from an egg of a 9- to 15-year-old rooster (Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) gives birth to fairies and winds in mouth (Alberich) Ortnit is Human, Alberich his father (Alcippe) one Alcippe is daughter of a Gigantes (Alcyoneus) but she may not be (Aloadae) father is Poseidon, mother is a mortal, they are both Giants (possibly Gigantes??). (Aloja - Aloges) children with mortals. Comb children's hair and dress them every morning even if they leave their husbands and take the fortune along. (Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) born from Medusa's head (Andhaka) parents are both deva (Angalo) his wife Aran…is she a giant too? Or is she like the ogre's wife in some version's of Jack and the Beanstalk, inexplicably human? And Angalo's father is the god of building. (Antaeus) gods like Gaia and Poseidon birth a giant (Anubis) snake goddess Kebechet is daughter (Note: "snake goddess" and "jackal god" refer to personalities, Anubis personality is like a jackal, hence being portrayed in jackal form or with jackal head…so technically not suited to this category. Same applies to all Egyptian deities.) (Asena) impregnated by a boy (an injured child she, as a wolf, nursed back to health); gives birth to 10 half-wolf half-human children (Ao Ao) born as one of 7 wicked children as result of goddess Arasy's curse against Tau and Kerana (Arion (Horse)) child of Poseidon in horseform and Demeter in horseform (Avatea) father of gods and men

Role - A Mount

(Akhekh) cavalry, flying mount (Ama no Fuchigoma (Horse)) mount of god Susanoo

Role - A Rider

(Agares) crocodile & cockatrice (Ala - Ale) humans, ridden like horses after being chased into gullies (Alp) can ride horses (Amazons) riding skill (Ambika) lion (Astaroth) dragon

Role - A Ruler

(Aibell) queen of the fairies (Ajatar) she is master of (Lempo) and "gnomes" (which may be (Haltija) or (Nisse)) (Akerbeltz) many elf servants (Alberich) elf king (Ao Guang) (Apalala) (Arawn) (Prabu Niwatakawaca (Javanese) on Arjuna page) giant king (Armaros) 1 of 20 leaders of the Grigori, who in that tale number 200 total (Arzhang Div) chief (Auriaria) giant chieftain

Role - A Parent of Divine Forces

(Amalur) Mother of Sun (Ekhi) and Moon (Ilazkhi / Ilargi) (Amanozako) ancestor of all yokai who share her short-fused temper and disobedience (e.g. (Tengu) and (Amanozako)) (Ananke) mother of the Fates (some accounts)

Role - A Servant of a Deity / Attendant Deity

(Amefurikozō) serve rain god Ushi (Anhangá) (Anhang - Anhangá (Spirit) in Mawé culture) followers of Yurupira (Anito) Some animals like crocodiles, snakes, monitor lizards, tokay geckos, and various birds were also venerated as servants or manifestations of diwata, or as powerful spirits themselves (Ardat-lilî) one group are servants of the god Erra; another group are the lil, ghosts of young people who died sexually unfulfilled, subjects of Pazuzu

Role - A Helper of Magic-User

(Anchimayen) serve a sorcerer (a kalku) (Anito) choose a shaman (asog or bayok, usually women, often trans women who are classified as bakla, which gives certain rights and obligations) - shaman experiences serious illness or bout of insanity and recovers, having gained an anito as spirit guide

Human Culture

(Aitu) (Amazons) (Antichthones) (Arimaspi) (Ashinaga-tenaga) Long-Leg Country and Long-Arm Country; Ashinaga-jin (long legs) and Tenaga-jin (or chōhi) (long arms)

Gender

Non-Binary

see LGBT section

Female

(Agrat bat Mahlat) (Ahöl Mana) (Aibell) (Aide) (Aido Hwedo) (Ajatar) long hair (Akhkhazu) (Akka) (Al) wild hair, fat, ugly, old, hairy (Al Ana) old, ugly (Al Basty) (Ala - Ale) (Albruna) (Aloja - Aloges) (Alphito) (Amalur) (Amanozako) (Amazake-babaa) old woman (Ambika) (Amemasu) beautiful (Ameonna) (Ammit) (Amorōnagu) (Ananke) (Anggitay) (Anguane) beauty (Angwusnasomtaka) (Anjana) (Anqa) (Anthousai) (Aoandon) (Aonyōbō) (Arae) (Ardat-lilî) appealing (atypical, since most malevolent beings in Mesopotamian accounts are portrayed as faceless / ever-changing and strange) (Arikura-no-baba) old (Asena) (Askafroa) (Asrai) (in oldest account by Robert Williams Buchanan) (Ayakashi) can assume form of beautiful woman (Azovka) (Azukibabaa) old

Male

(Ahöla) (Aholi) (Aka Manto) (Aloviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) "ala-like" men (Alberich) (Ameotoko on Ameonna page) (Anansi) (Ao Guang) (Arquetu) old (Asrai) (in oldest account by Robert Williams Buchanan & account by Nancy Arrowsmith) (Astaroth) (Athos) (Ato-sees) (Azukiarai)

Habitat

Anthills

(Aziza)

Arctic

(Agloolik) under ice (Atshen) permafrost (Auvekoejak) has no Wikipedia page, may be hoax (not sure)

Beach

(Alkonost) lays eggs on beach (Ayakashi) beach

Cave

(Afanc) (Akerbeltz) (Aku-aku) (Ala - Ale) (Alux - Aluxo'ob) (Amomongo) (Sasnalkáhi on Anaye page) (Anchanchu) (Archura)

Cliff

(Tsetahotsiltali on Anaye page)

Desert

(Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) (Antaeus)

Fairy Fort

(Aes Sidhe)

Fairy Ring

(Aes Sidhe)

Field

(Alux - Aluxo'ob) (Aobōzu) hizuoka Prefecture)

Forest

(Agogwe) (Ajatar) (Ala - Ale) deep forest (Alebrije) (Alkonost) (Alseid) groves, woods (Alux - Aluxo'ob) (Anjana) (Apsonsi) the mythic Himappan forest / Himavanta forest (Archura) woodland (Asanbosam) (Aziza) (Āṭavaka) deep forest (Aswang) Subtype: Manananggal Forest (domiciles deep in the jungle, if not the trees themselves) (Aswang) Subtype: Bloodsucking Woman (example Mandurugo) Forests far from human communities

Grasslands

(Alseid) grassy meadows (Teelget on Anaye page) grassy fields

Hearth

(Akubōzu) the ashes / ash (Amanesaku mentioned in Akubōzu) the ashes / ash

Hidden Remote Places

(Ala - Ale) (Amazons) edge of the known world (often Scythia) (Anchanchu) isolated places (Anqa) the place of the setting of the sun (Antichthones) Opposite End of Earth, South of Torrid Equatorial Climate

Hills / Tumulus

(Aes Sidhe) beneath them (Aibell) beneath a hill or rock (Alven) hill mounds

Household

(Agathodaemon) worshipped (Aitvaras) (Akka) beneath tent (Amazake-babaa) visits homes (Amazake banbā on the Amazake-babaa page) Tries to sell sake and amazake door-to-door (Aka Manto) bathroom (Akaname) bathroom, dilapidated buildings (Aobōzu) Toilet (Yamagata Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture); Vacant Houses (Okayama Prefecture); (Bichura mentioned on Archura page)

Settlements (Villages, Cities)

(Aswang) Self-Domesticated (feral monsters that begin living in close proximity to humans) (Aswang) subtype: Bloodsucking Woman (example Mandurugo) Use village A as hideout, raid nearby villages at night (Aswang) subtype Witch Town Outskirts, Village Outskirts (Aswang) subtype "Ghoul" Gather in trees near cemeteries to exhume and consume fresh burials

Implausible

(Amabiko on Amabie page) Shinji-kōri (fake county in Higo Province)

Island

(Al-Mi'raj) remote island (Amorōnagu)

Lake

(Afanc) (Alara) (Lake Baikal)

Mountains

(Akkorokamui) lived in mountains as Giant Spider named Yaushikep (Ala - Ale) inhospitable (Yamawarawa on Amabie page) (Aobōzu) Mountains (Yamaguchi Prefecture) (Auloniad) mountain pastures; mountain vales (Azovka) (Mt. Azov)

Otherworld

(Aes Sidhe) [Ajatar] Pohjola (Akhekh) Set's Domain of Darkness Guajupiá (Tupinamba), an afterlife of the Tupinamba people ("Land without evils") mentioned in (Anhangá)

Portent

(Almas) empty homes, people have fled their homes because an almas is around (Alven) fishless pond (Anito) Cold Presence (unlike "warm" human spirits); Leave no footprints (unlike human spirits!) (Antaeus) Builds a temple of skulls (from his opponents)

Ravine

(Amorōnagu)

Roads / Paths

(Ala - Ale) crossroads are where Ala hunt for supper (Aufhocker) attack locations: ridges, crossroads, springs, woods, on a path through a hollow, and cemeteries (Aswang) subtype: Weredog favours pregnant people travelling roads at night

Rural

(Akurojin-no-hi) bad roads

Sky / Heaven

(Aerico) (Aguara) stars (builds structure from stars) (Ala - Ale) clouds (house) (Amai-te-rangi) Upper Spirit Realm / Sky (this detail is from the Ngaru Wikipedia article) (Amanozako) (Angiris) (Azhdaha) air

Stone

(Alux - Aluxo'ob)

Subterranean

(Aes Sidhe) (Amikuk) inside the ground (Augerino)

Tree

(Akathaso) canopy (Thitpin Saung Nat found in Akathaso) trunk (Myay Saung Nat found in Akathaso) root (Aketeko) honey locust tree (Ala - Ale) giant tree (Mmoatia the Fairy on Anansi page) fairies often meet in front of odum tree (Asanbosam) attacks from canopy (Askafroa) ash tree (Aziza) silk-cotton trees

Underworld

(Aillen) from Mag Mell (Alkonost) (Alû) (Amaru) [Ammit] Duat [Amycus] Tartarus (Anathan) (Kalug/kaluluwa on the Anito page) a free soul, travelling to afterlife on a boat (Anubis) Lord of Underworld (prior to Middle Kingdom 2055 BC)

Enchanted Place

(Alan) fine houses made of gold and other valuables (Aloja - Aloges) lakes that boil "in anger" when strangers enter

Upper World

(Aiy) (Amai-te-rangi) Upper Spirit Realm / Sky (this detail is from the Ngaru Wikipedia article)

Water

(Ahuizotl) (Aisha Qandicha) near water (ocean, river, drainage canal) (Al Ana) near streams, rivers, lakes (Ala - Ale) lake, spring (Alan) near springs (Aloja - Aloges) near fresh water; they bathe (Maria Enganxa from Aloja - Aloges) wells, cisterns (Alseid) springs of rivers (Altamaha-ha) rivers, streams, abandoned rice fields (Alven) fishless ponds (Amabie) open sea (Amahiko-no-mikoto on Amabie page) rice field (Amaru) bottom of lakes, bottom of rivers (Amarum) water boa (Amemasu) lake (Amikuk) sea (Amorōnagu) pools, waterfall (Anchanchu) river (Anguane) lake (Apalala) river (Vourukhasha mentioned on Apaosha page) is a cosmic sea (Apotamkin) sea (Passamaquoddy Bay) (Apukohai) sea (Aremata-Popoa and Aremata-Rorua) ocean (Ashinaga-tenaga) seashore (Asrai) lake (in oldest account: Robert Williams Buchanan), sea (Atosis) (Awanyu) springs, ponds, rivers, and ultimately the oceans (Ayakashi) water surface (Azhdaha) (Azukiarai) near rivers or bodies of water

Item

(Aeternae) bony, saw-toothed horns (Aholi) colourful cloak (Aibell) magic harp (Power - Cuts Life Short) (Akerbeltz) (Christian Version) horns as candles; eggs/bread/money as offerings (Akkorokamui) Offerings - Fish, Crab, Molluscs (give back what it gave) (Akuma) sword (Al Ana) red hat with fern twig (Zmajeviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) belemnite as lightning bolt (Zmajeviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) flint arrowheads (Alberich) cloak of invisibility (Tarnkappe) (Alberich) magic ring (Alberich) sword Eckisax (made by him) (Alberich) sword Nagelringr (made by him) (Alfred Bulltop Stormalong) huge ship (Alicanto) Leads to Treasure (if follower unnoticed) (Alkonost) egg laid on beach, hatching of egg causes thunderstorm and rough seas that are impossible to traverse (Alloces) spear (Almas) black fur; enormous foot claws; Sacrifices (edible wild roots, wild animal meat) (Aloadae) bronze jar (a storage pithos, similar to an amphora in shape) traps Ares for a year (a lunar year of 13 months) (Aloja - Aloges) fine, rich clothes (Aloja - Aloges) Wand (hazel wood, in Catalan tradition the only wood that allows casting spells) (Maria Enganxa from Aloja - Aloges) Hook to capture children outside her well (Alp) Tarnkappe (cap of concealment, sometimes a veil) -> offers reward for its return (Alpos) uses rock as shoulder shield (Alux - Aluxo'ob) offerings (Alux - Aluxo'ob) an alux house ("kahtal alux") is a 1-2 storey shrine; within 7 years farmer must close the windows and doors of the little house, sealing the alux inside; If this is not done, the alux will run wild and start playing tricks on people. (Amabie) glowing object (underwater light?) (Amadlozi) blood sacrifice: cow, goat, chicken (Amafufunyana) magic potion causes possession if ingested - brewed from ants that fed on buried human corpse Eguzki-lore luze (stemless carline thistle); flower; scares off malevolent spirits (created by (Amalur)) (Amazake-babaa) offerings (likely amazake) (Amazons) Weapon - Battle-Axe (Sagaris) (Amazons) Magic Belt (Hippolyte) (Amazons) bow (Ambika) paper lantern (Amefurikozō) umbrella without central pole (Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae)

Item - Live Amphisbaena Necklace (safe pregnancy)

Item - Amphisbaena Skin (wear item to cure for arthritis and common cold)

Item - Amphisbaena Carcass (or Skin) (nail to tree to keep warm during cold weather & allow tree to be felled more easily)

Item - Amphisbaena Meat (attract many lovers) (Ananke) spindle (Anemoi) blood sacrifice: horse (Anhangá) food offerings (grizzly caveat that doesn't apply in this circumstance: it eats corpses) (Anjana) Stick of Wicker or Hawthorn (Shines in different colour each day of the week) (Anjana) Petals of Happiness (Rose with purple, green, blue or golden petals) grants happiness till day of death (Ankou) black robe, hat that conceals face, scythe (Anzû) Tablet of Destinies (stole this item from Enlil, keeping it on mountaintop) (Ao Guang) Offerings and Sacrifices, Including human sacrifices (Ao Guang) Ruyi Jungu Bang, a magically expanding, gold-ringed iron rod weapon granted to Sun Wukong (originally a tool for measuring the depth of sea water, hence its ability to vary its shape and length; it remained in the sea and became the "Pillar holding down the sea", an unmovable treasure of the undersea palace) (Ao Guang) Golden Chain Mail (Ao Guang) Fenghuang Feather Cap (Ao Guang) Cloud-walking boots (Aobōzu) blue clothes (some accounts) (Okayama Prefecture) (Aonyōbō) Tattered, moth-ridden kimono (Aralez) tower: The dead are placed on top of towers to attract the aralezes (Arjuna) see magical heirlooms and powerful heirlooms (Arkan sonney) brings eternal silver coin to those who manage to catch it (Ascapart) club made from an entire tree (Astaroth) Magic Ring needed to withstand the stench of his breath (Astomi) carry roots, flowers, apples, spray perfume on their victims (Aswang) Subtype: Manananggal hides lower half during nighttime (Átahsaia) flint knife "as broad as a man's thigh and twice as long" (Āṭavaka) Seal(s) and Talismans (many for believers)

Item - Dussāvudha (aka Vatthāvudha) (made of cloth) (Superweapon): if he threw it up into the sky, no rain would fall for twelve years; if he let it fall on the earth, all plants and trees would die and nothing would grow for twelve years; if he threw it into the sea, the sea would completely dry up; it could make Sineru crumble into pieces.

1 of the 4 most powerful weapons

Yama's Nayanāvudha

- Śakra's Vajra

Vaiśravaṇa's _Gadāvudha

Accepts Offerings - Child Sacrifices

pregnant women fled the capital

"Dragon" Sacrifice

variation: the hero converts the dragon (Atlantes) Magic Garden Ringed By Glass (Atlantes) Magic Castle Filled with Illusions (Atonga) canoe transported by birds (Awelo) represented by grandfather and grandmother buffalo masks (Ayaz Ata) magic staff; lots of old clothing (Azhdaha)

Item - Azhdahā Heart

Power - Courage / Bravery

Item - Azhdahā Skin

Power - Heal Wound of Love

Item - Azhdahā Severed Head

Bury Head in Soil

Power - Fertility (for soil) (Aziza) (if sole being of its type) smokes a pipe (Azukiarai) ragged clothes (Azure Lóng) temple statue comes to drink from waterfall at nighttime

Vehicle

(Agrat bat Mahlat) chariot (Power - Flight) (Alven) bubble or broken eggshell boat (Ankou mentioned on French Mythic Creatures and Saints page) cart

Companion

(Agares) pet hawk (Akashita) black cloud (Akerbeltz) snake (Aketeko) 17-18 yo. specter of a young woman, induces trance or fever in passersby (Ala - Ale) Livestock: Owls, Wolves, Badgers, Forest Animals (Aloviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) (version where it is child of ala) snake companion (Alastor) erinyes (Albruna) elves (Almamula or Mulánima) Mule (drags chains, is a transformed victim); Giant Black Dog (teeth of fire, transformed victim) (Archura) grey wolf (close bond) (Asag) his offspring and companions in battle (Wikipedia calls them "Rock Demons" but it says "citation needed") (Ashinaga-tenaga) Ashinaga-jin (long legs) is usually the companion of Tenaga-jin (or chōhi) (long arms)

Morality / Reputation

I'm not doing D&D alignment here. In fact, often the accounts about creatures are contradictory, some stories insisting they are all good and others they are all evil. I just classify them as both in those cases. I'll try and explain all these categories in more detail, but the main point here is to show how the storytellers in communities subjectively feel about these beings: are these beings helpers and we like them? Then probably "benevolent" is what they are considered. Are people calling them dangerous but insisting they are not wicked? Then that should be its own category. That's what this is based on: my best approximation (classifying only creatures where Wikipedia mentions it) of what people tell of these beings.

Ambivalent / Ambiguous

(Aes Sidhe) appeased with offerings (Aisha Qandicha) (Alberich) (probably a human morality, but he plays tricks in Ortnit) (Aloja - Aloges) avoid human contact, Prideful of own beauty, high self-esteem, Gaze at their reflection in lakes on full-moon nights (Anemoi) force of nature (Ankou) force of nature (Anpao) force of nature

Benevolent

(Agathodaemon) (Agiel) (Agloolik) aids fishermen & hunters, blesses hunters with prey (Aguara) (Aitu) (Aiy) (Akashita) (Akathaso) (Akkorokamui) (Alara) (Aloja - Aloges) (Alp) if evil eye of alp is destroyed, so too are their malicious intentions (Amadlozi) guide people's lives towards purpose and integrity (Akhu mentioned on Ammit page) (Angak) (Angiris) (Anhangá) (Tupi-Guarani version) pacifist (Anjana) (Anqa) (Anthelioi) (Anubis) (Apple Tree Man) (Apsonsi) protects from harm (Aralez) (Asbolus) (Asrai) (Awwakule) assists people (Aziza)

Benevolent, with caveats

(Ala - Ale) (caveat: to her favourites) saves lives, grants wealth to her favourites (Alux - Aluxo'ob) will occasionally stop and ask farmers or travelers for an offering, offers boons (good luck or cause enemy to be diseased), Refusal means they wreak havoc (Anito) cause misfortune if angered, disrespected or mistakenly encountered

Trouble or Dangerous

(Aeternae) wild beast (Afanc) wild beast, carnivore (Agropelter) territorial, destructive (Ahuizotl) destructive, carnivore (Almas) (Alp) (Early Medieval Texts) Eerie, Ferocious (Alven) Territorial (befoul cattle and humans who touch their favoured plants) (Amafufunyana) aggressive, can cause suicide (Amanozako) goes against conformity and does the opposite of what is expected by society and social norms. Also, it is said that Amanozako is picky, and will go into an atrocious rage if she does not get what she wants, or if things do not go according to her way. Her wrath cannot be stopped (Amaru) (2 Amarus destroy the land while fighting each other) (Amikiri) Pest (Cuts Fisher's Netting and Mosquito Nets) (Amomongo) (Apotamkin) dangerous but explicitly not always malevolent (Archura) territorial, fight with other archura, knock down trees (Asanbosam) territorial (Augenbrand) predator (see Motivation for nuance) (Ayakashi) vengeful

Harmless

(Aketeko) harmless, minor inconvenience (most accounts) (Anito) a subgroup (bound diwata) ignore human affairs (affairs as in: human matters) (Aosaginohi) flees human contact (Azukihakari) harmless, minor inconvenience; nuisance (drops dirt and paper waste from the ceiling), NOT Malevolent

Judgmental

(Akashita) swallows evildoers (Al Basty) visits the guilty, family of perpetrators of unpunished bloodshed (Al Basty) (Armenian Version) Punishes Unpunished Criminal Women (Ala - Ale) rewards being treated as normal, punishes being treated as weird (Punishment: Chest of Snakes that cause blindness, Eat Person) (parallels (Wekufe)) (Alicanto) leads off cliff (if pursuer is not of good heart) (Amefurikozō) if thieves steal their umbrella, they can't take it off (Ammit) Sentient, Ammit understands the results of the weighing of the heart and does not eat the akhu (the blessed dead who abide by the code of truth (Ma'at)) (Anhangá) (Tupi-Guarani version) avenges animals victimized by insatiable hunters (also describes as pacifist on Wikipedia, so either the accounts differ about pacifism or not (?) or the avenging is done peacefully) (Arkan sonney) misfortune to those who hold on to it for too long (causes good luck and has eternal silver coin) (Armaros) Lends money to those who spend their fortune; If they spend their fortune again, he curses them with eternal poverty (Awelo) morality personified (Aufhocker) targets thieves and criminals that need to be taught a lesson (Āṭavaka) wrathful

Malevolent

(Aeshma) causes animal cruelty, drunken violence, war (Agnen) (Agrat bat Mahlat) destructive (Aguara) (Aillen) (Aitu) (Ajatar) (Aka Manto) (Akaneburi mentioned in Akaname) (Aketeko) (some accounts) tear victims limb from limb (Akhkhazu) (Akvan Div) (Al) (Ala - Ale) (Alal) (Aloadae) attempted rape of Artemis and kidnapping of both Artemis and Hera, kidnapped Ares and contained him in a bronze jar for a year (a lunar year of 13 months) (Alp) (Alpos) (Alû) torment victims for fun (Amai-te-rangi) (Amalanhig) (Amanojaku) (Amanosagume on Amanojaku page) (Anathan) (Anaye) (Anhangá) (Anhangá) (Anhang - Anhangá (Spirit) in Mawé culture) (Aswang mentioned on Anito page) no appeal through offerings, utterly pitiless (Apaosha) (Ardat-lilî) (Arzhang Div) (Asag) (Askafroa) unless appeased through sacrifices on Ash Wednesday does much damage (Asrai) (account by Rosalind Kerven) (Asrestar) (Aswang) (e.g. victimize their own without hesitation) (Atlantes) (Átahsaia) (Aufhocker) they target people travelling alone and old women (Ayahos) (Azhdahak)

Malevolent (Riddle)

(Aka Manto) (Aobōzu) (Kagawa Prefecture Version) life or death question

Mischievous

(Aguara) (Alp) souring milk, elfknots, ride horse to exhaustion, and re-diapering a baby with soiled diaper (Alux - Aluxo'ob) (Amaguq) (Anansi) (Anito) (Archura) imitates human voices (lures wanderers to cave), horribly cry, removes signposts, kidnaps young women (Wikipedia page says this mischievousness is not evil) (Ashi-magari) prevents people from walking by wrapping around person's legs at night (soft thing, like a kitten or wad of cotton) (Asrai) (account by Rosalind Kerven) (Awwakule) harmless pranks (Azeban)

Undergoing Purification

(Apalala) converted by the Buddha

Magic Abilities and Major Non-Magic Skills

Miscellaneous

(Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) you gain power from slaying amphisbaena during full moon if you are pure of heart and mind (Antero Vipunen) magic (very valuable spells and knowledge, uses spells composed of words, see Luotes) (Arikura-no-baba) turned the hot water of an onsen cold by throwing a horse's hoof into it (Āṭavaka) Soften Solids (his glance can make a body soft as butter)

Animals (Power Over Animals)

(Aido Hwedo) snakes

Bliss

(Alkonost) her song causes people to have no more wants (see also Forgetting) (Anjana) Petals of Happiness (Rose with purple, green, blue or golden petals) grants happiness till day of death

Breathe Fire

(Akugyo) (Alloces) (Anzû)

Breathe Poison

(Endriago on Amadís de Gaula page) exhales poison gas (Amaymon) Poison astral breath

Breathe Water / Spew Water

(Anzû)

Cause Disability

(Al Basty) (Armenian Version) blindness in unborn children (Ala - Ale) stepping on an "ala's table" causes blindness, deafness, lameness

Cause Disease

(Aerico) (Ajatar) (Akhkhazu) (Akurojin-no-hi) (Ala - Ale) if Ala turns animal mad and that animal is eaten, it causes rabies (Alp) epilepsy, minor illnesses (Alp) through evil eye (Alux - Aluxo'ob) will do so for people in exchange for offerings (Alven) cattle, humans (Amazake-babaa) smallpox, common cold (Amazake banbā on the Amazake-babaa page) to those who answer the door (Askafroa)

Cause Madness

(Aisha Qandicha) (Akuma) (Al Basty) (Post-partum depression) (Ala - Ale) in animals

Cause Infertility

(Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) of Fields (thwart ripening or prevent fertility)

Cause Miscarriage

(Aisha Qandicha) (Al) (Al Basty) (Armenian Version)

Cause Misfortune

(Alp) through evil eye (Aonyōbō) (possibly, "a spirit of poverty and misfortune" may not cause misfortune) (Arkan sonney) to those holding on to it for too long (Ask-wee-da-eed)

Cause Poverty

(Aonyōbō) (possibly, "a spirit of poverty and misfortune" may not cause poverty) (Armaros) curses with eternal poverty those who lose the fortune he lent them

Cause Good Luck

(Alux - Aluxo'ob) in exchange for offerings (Arkan sonney) to those who manage to catch it

Cause Stillbirth

(Al Basty) (Armenian Version)

Creation

(Airavata) create clouds (Aiy) they collectively created the world and the fabulous land (Alfred Bulltop Stormalong) explains where some things were created (Aloadae) giants who built mountains (Amalur) (Angalo) shapes landscape (Antaboga) (Athos) Created a mountain and peninsula (named after him)

Deadly Gaze

(Binaye Ahani (Eye Killers) on Anaye page) glance kills (some stories)

Deadly Presence

(Asag) so hideous that fish nearby boil alive in rivers

Detection

(Ala - Ale) smell humans (Amanosagume on Amanojaku page) see into a person's heart (Amy) reveal treasures

Drought

(Ao Guang) (Apaosha)

Earthquakes

(Agares) (Ahkiyyini) (Amaru) (Amemasu) when they get tired from holding up the Earth (Angalo) (Ayahos)

Eat Smell

(Aku-aku) (Anito) can eat the vital force (the breath, the odem (ginhawa)) of humans > harmful; annoyed by perfume, salt and spices (Aonyōbō) spoiled and rotten leftover food, otherwise humans (Astomi) no need of food and drink; Apple smell, Flower smell, Perfume smell; die from strong, unpleasant smell (Awelo) represented by grandfather and grandmother buffalo masks, which are fed with smoke

Eat Solids

(Alicanto) eats ore (can't fly, too heavy from ore, faster if no recent meal)

Emotion Influence

(Al-Mi'raj) frightens animals -> they flee (Am Fear Liath Mòr) inspires feeling of unease (Amanozako) possess the hearts of humans and manipulate their emotions and personalities (Anjana) Petals of Happiness (Rose with purple, green, blue or golden petals)

Eternal Youth

(Alara) her beauty and youth depend on water, so you must remain close (Aloja - Aloges) retain youth throughout their long (not eternal) years (Asrai) only age in moonlight (account by Ruth Tongue)

Extreme

(Akaneburi mentioned in Akaname) lick victim down to the bones

Exorcism

(Akerbeltz) is immune to exorcism

Fertility

(Aido Hwedo) (Akerbeltz) (Alux - Aluxo'ob) (Amadlozi) (Anguane) including pregnancy (Ao Ao) (Ao Ao)'s children, see Ao Ao

Fire

(Aido Hwedo) (Aillen) (Ani Hyuntikwalaski) cause lightning fire in a hollow sycamore tree

Flight

(Alan) (Alcyoneus) (some accounts) (Alp) like a bird (Alukah) by releasing its long hair (Alven) (Amanozako)

Fog

(Am Fear Liath Mòr) mists as a cloak

Forgetting

(Alkonost) her song causes people to forget all knowledge (see also Bliss) (Azovka) enchantment so people get lost

Glue

(Amefurikozō) if thieves steal their umbrella, they can't take it off

God

(Æsir) mortal (Aide) (Aitu) (Akka) (Akkorokamui) Octopus God (hard to escape its grasp without permission) (Aku-aku) (Amalur) (Amanosagume on Amanojaku page) (Amanozako) (Amazake-babaa) of smallpox (Ambika) (Amefurikozō) (Ammit) not worshipped (Anammelech) (Ananke) even gods don't fight her (Anemoi) (Anguiped) (Anito) (Anthelioi) (Anubis) (Anzû) feared by all the gods (Apollo Amazonius) (Arawn) (posibly) (Askafroa) (Asteria) (Atua) (Avatea) (Ayaz Ata) (Aziza) (if sole being of its type) (Azone) (Azure Lóng) door god (Aswang) (Bilocano lore) Gugurang (God of Good) and Asuang (God of Evil)

Grant Knowledge

(Agares) languages (Alloces) astronomy, liberal sciences (Amy) astronomy, liberal arts (Anqa) shares wisdom (Astaroth) math, handicrafts, hidden treasures (Aziza) gift practical and spiritual knowledge; fire use; magic for hunters

Grant Strength

(Amarok) by removing bones that weaken person

Growth Spell

(Aghasura) (Aloadae) grow 9 fingers each month, never stop to grow 16.4592m = 9 fathoms tall at age 9 (Alven) Growth Spell (Shrink Spell), can shrink to minuscule size, only to then grow and spread into gorgeous monsters who cover half of the morning sky. (Arkan sonney) grows self

Hail

(Akerbeltz) (Akerbeltz, and the devil, and witches can make hail from the cut beard of a billy-goat) (Aloviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) hail clouds through trance and spirit travel (Amaru)

Heal

(Akabeko) protect from Disease (Akerbeltz) for animals (Akkorokamui) (including mental, but also reminiscent of octopus that self-amputates and regenerates limbs) (Alara) remove hate and greed (Norse Álfar as represented in Álfablót) perform healing spells in exchange for blood sacrifice of animal (Amabie) Avert Disease (use pictures of it) (Angak) (Aswang) heal self (licking others transforms them into aswang)

Illusion

(Alp) (Anito) (Atlantes) castle filled with it

Immortality

(Aes Sidhe) (Alcyoneus) self-resurrection (Andhaka) (Ankou) as a curse

Incorporeal

(Alux - Aluxo'ob) can assume physical form / incarnate / manifest (Am Fear Liath Mòr) semi-corporeal (Ananke) (Orphic Version) incorporeal snake (Átahsaia) at times

Invisibility

(Aerico) (Afanc) undone by adder stone (Aibell) depends on item (Akubōzu) (Ala - Ale) not fully invisible, rather: indistinct shape (Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) but audible hissing in front of dark hail clouds & visible to Six Toed-Six Fingered People (Alberich) Tarnkappe (Alicanto) If spotted, turns off colours of its wings, going into dark (Alp) Tarnkappe (Alux - Aluxo'ob) (Alven) ((Invisibility/See-through) (insubstantial to human eyes)) (Anito) (Ashi-magari) (Astaroth) (Azone) said to be neither visible nor sensible (Azukihakari)

Invincibility

(Aloviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) to guns or arrows, unless gold or silver (Amanozako) can chew metal blades ragged with her fangs (Antaeus) (Antero Vipunen) Antero Vipunen is NOT invulnerable, but like many giants even sharp stakes shoved into his stomach are simply perceived as a stomach ache (Asag) hardened skin, skin feels like rock, almost indestructible (Augerino) indestructible (Átahsaia) Thick Skin --> So Thick That Knuckles Appear Horned

Landslide

(Ayahos)

Levitation

(Aka Manah) (Alara) hovers over lake

Life

(Amadlozi) (Amalur) Holds All Life in the world

Light

(Avatea) eyes are sun and moon

Lightning

(Zmajeviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) also associated with belemnites and flint arrowheads (Binaye Ahani (Eye Killers) on Anaye page) Shoot Lightning from eyes (in some stories) (Ani Hyuntikwalaski) cause lightning fire in a hollow sycamore tree

Longevity

(Aes Sidhe) (Aibell) (Aloja - Aloges) live for millennia (Anqa) 1,700 years, mating at 500 years, chick only leaves egg 125 years after shell breaks (Asrai) (account by Ruth Tongue)

Mind Control

(Alloces) (possibly not mind control) can get summoner the favour of nobles (Amy) (possibly not mind control) cause positive reactions from rulers (Anqa) over animals, feeds the animals it controls (Astaroth) (possibly not mind control) power over serpents

Moon

(Anammelech) (Avatea)

Multiplication

(Amikuk) When Shot, Amikuk multiplies into eight beings (Andhaka) duplicate

Nature

(Aitu) power over nature (Amalur) Withhold Earth's Treasures (can't be found unless Amalur wants) (Asi) personified form's appearance causes earth to shake, turmoils in the oceans, forceful winds to howl and trees to fall and be torn apart while meteors blaze through the skies

Pass Wall

(Amikuk) swim through earth (Anthousai) nymphs of flowers

Poison

(Afanc) (Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) both heads are poison

Portal / Teleportation / Spirit Away

(Amaru) Travel Between Worlds (spirit realm and our world) (Anito) Seduce & Abduct Humans into Spirit World

Possession

(Aisha Qandicha) (Ala - Ale) "sneak" into living humans and corpses and even saints (St. Simeon) (in one account an ala gets into a deceased princess and devours the soldiers on watch) (Alastor) (Christian Version) (Alû) possessed are unconscious / in a coma (Amafufunyana) speak in voices from victims stomach; Possession by spirit horde from multiple cultural groups (Amikuk) (similarities with possession) Swim Upward Into Person's Body, making them weak (Anhangá) (Anhang - Anhangá (Spirit) in Mawé culture) (Anito) (Asrai) (Āṭavaka)

Prophecy

(Aibell) (Aka Manah) can share prophetic visions (Albruna) (Amabie) abundant harvest, epidemic (Amabiko on Amabie page) (Yamawarawa on Amabie page) (Asbolus) augur; reads omens in flight of birds (Atlantes) (Awanyu) harbinger of storms

Rain

(Alux - Aluxo'ob) (Amefurikozō) by waving their paper lantern (Ameonna and Ameotoko) encounter - rain (followed by rain) (Angak) sweet song (Ao Guang) torrential rain (Awanyu) torrential rain

Rebirth

(Ambika) Former Human (reborn as yakshini) (Azure Lóng) reborn as famous human general

Resurrection

(Alcyoneus) self-resurrection (Andaokut) resurrects children abducted by a man-eater by urinating on them (was born from the tears of a woman mourning the loss of one of her children) (Aralez) licks wounds --> the dead are placed on top of towers to attract the aralezes

Self-Replenishing

(Arkan sonney) brings eternal silver coin to those who manage to catch it

Seasons

(Anemoi) and seasonal weather (each has season & cardinal direction) (Ayaz Ata) winter

Shapeshift - Unspecified

(Alven) "shapechangers" (Amikuk) - Sea Shape: Hairless, 4 arms, leathery skin (Anhangá) (Anhangá) (Anhang - Anhangá (Spirit) in Mawé culture) (Anito) (Ao Guang) (Ayahos) (Aufhocker) diminutive mannikin shape (Aswang)

Shapeshift - Human

(Aerico) (Akaneburi mentioned in Akaname) (Ala - Ale) (e.g. 6 fingered men) (Alp) Night-Form of animal or human (person or animal is unaware); result of curse; can be lifted if origin (e.g. witchcraft) is known; injuries or other marks in both forms (Alp) human with meeting eyebrows (Alukah) (Amanojaku) impersonate with flayed skin (Amemasu) beautiful woman (Amikuk) human form called Qamungelriit (Amy) (Anchanchu) (Archura) peasant with glowing eyes (Ayakashi) child walking in the middle of a fire or beautiful woman (Aufhocker) beautiful woman shape (yeah, you can get weighed down by a beautiful woman magically stuck to your back); dead man shape (Aswang) subtype: Weredog impersonates a peddler or construction labourer on travels

Shapeshift - Animal

(Aino) fish (Aitu) (Akhlut) wolf (White Whale mentioned in Akhlut) reindeer (Akvan Div) onager (Ala - Ale) snake, raven (Aloja - Aloges) water blackbird (aka white-throated dipper) (Alp) Night-Form of animal or human (person or animal is unaware); result of curse; can be lifted if origin (e.g. witchcraft) is known; injuries or other marks in both forms (Alp) cat, pig, dog, snake, small white butterfly > always wears Tarnkappe (cap of concealment) (Alukah) wolf (Amaguq) (Anchanchu) red dog (Anito) crocodile, snake, monitor lizard, tokay gecko, bird (Aobōzu) Raccoon Dogs and Weasels are said to disguise themselves as "Blue Priests" (Ayakashi) remora (live sharksucker) that stops boats or sea snake (ikuchi) (Aufhocker)

Shapeshift - Plant

(Aitu)

Shapeshift - Elemental Form

(Aide) breeze, storm (Akvan Div) storm (Al) fiery eyes (Al Basty) (Armenian Version) flame form (Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) dark fog form (Amy) fire (Ankou) shadow form (Ayakashi) child walking in the middle of a fire or ghost light

Shrink

(Archura) (Arkan sonney) shrink self

Sleep

(Aillen) item - music instrument dulcimer (timpán)

Soul Power

(Zmajeviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) fight while body is in trance

Speed

(Agropelter) too fast to be seen (Arion (Horse)) fabulously fast

Spiritual Killing

(Amikuk) Can Jump Through Victim, Causing Them To Lie Down and Die

Steal Souls

(Amarok) store them in icy lake water

Storm

(Akerbeltz) (Amaru) (Anzû) (Ao Guang)

Strength

(Aloviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) (version of aloviti that survived ala's breath or is child of ala) superhuman strength (Alberich) superhuman strength (Almas) great strength (Amala) supports the world (Amazons) strong and agile (Amemasu) supports the world ("holds up the Earth"); when hero struggles with amemasu, it pulls rock he is standing on into lake, creating an island (Andhaka) (Aobōzu) (Yamaguchi Prefecture Version) (Archura) knock down trees

Thunder

(Aido Hwedo) (Aloviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) thunderstorm clouds through trance and spirit travel (Alkonost) egg laid on beach, hatching of egg causes thunderstorm and rough seas that are impossible to traverse (Angalo) (Anzû) thunderclouds

Tireless

(Ao Ao) Stalks over any distance or terrain, never stops till it feeds (Ao Ao)'s children, see Ao Ao

Transform Others

(Almamula or Mulánima) victim behaves on instincts of new form (seducing, murdering, and devouring) (Aswang) subtype Weredog flesh they lick or spit is contaminated and turns anyone who eats it into one of them

Transmutation

(Alan) drops of menstrual blood, miscarried fetuses, afterbirth, or other reproductive waste and transform them into human children, whom they then raise as their own (Amikuk) Turn Earth Surface Into Quicksand; must circle swim around the area first; if victim holds walking stick in this circle, the victim tires out

Trap Souls

(Aku-aku) capture souls (Ankou) collects souls (responsible for death in the community not as a horror monster, but as a force of nature) (Ankou mentioned on French Mythic Creatures and Saints page) collects souls of peasants

Vanish

(Aka Manto) (Akvan Div) hard to catch

Water

(Aido Hwedo) (Alven) (most powerful at night) (Amaru) irrigation, fertility, canals, rivers, springs (Amemasu) Corpse can dam up water, risk of flooding (Awanyu) floods

Waves

(Abaia) tail splash (Ahkiyyini) tidal wave (Alkonost) egg laid on beach, hatching of egg causes thunderstorm and rough seas that are impossible to traverse (Azhdaha) sea waves

Wealth

(Aido Hwedo) (Amadlozi) (Anchanchu)

Power - Extract Minerals

Power - Gatekeeper of Minerals, trades them

appeal to Anchanchu via The Dance of the Horns and other lengthy procedures (Apple Tree Man) reveals buried gold to man who offers his last mug of mulled cider to the trees in his orchard

Weather - unspecified

(Ashinaga-tenaga) ashinaga's appearance always brings bad changes in weather

Wind

(Aide) gentle breeze, storm wind (Aido Hwedo) (Anemoi) (Anzû) south wind

Wisdom

(Amaru) symbol of wisdom (Archura) knows the seasons

Wish

(Aisha Qandicha) (Alara) (Ambika) her favourite tree becomes wishing tree (Anpao) answers prayer

Encounter

(Ao Guang) fought by the Eight Immortals who used magic talismans to defeat him

Animate

(Anthelioi) statues animated by the sun's pneuma (pneuma has it's own Wikipedia page but it's basically the breath and life force, the odem)

Barrier

(Azhdahak) Imprisoned in Mountain

Curse

(Aibell) white cat form (Alastor) personified curse (Ameonna) Mothers of children who got spirited away on a day of rain get turned into ameonna (Arae) female spirits of curses, particularly of the curses placed by the dead upon those guilty of their death (Arjuna) Pandu (Arjuna's father) was under a curse whereby he would die if he had sexual relations with a woman (thus Pandu's wives invoke devas (gods) and Pandu's children are fathered by these devas) > Curse = death by sex (Azovka) (some accounts) cursed Tatar princess, banished to the mountain

Exorcism

(Zmajeviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) exorcizing them means exiling them into wilderness

Petrification

(Akabeko) turned to stone

Prophecy

(Alebrije) alebrije art is based on a vision (Azhdaha) - will be punished by god for their harassment of other creatures - will be cast into the sea - will grow to 10,000 Gazes in the sea - will grow wings in the sea, like a fish (Azhdahak) - will break out of mountain prison at the end of time - destined to be defeated by Fereydun

Protection

(Ambika) As mortal, protected by the gods (from flooding)

Resurrection

(Afanc)

Séance

(Anito) ritual is called Pag-anito (or when its specific to diwata: pagdiwata -- diwata are anito specific to nature, while anito can also be ancestors or deities); makes a visitation

Summoning

(Amadlozi) (Aobōzu) Summoning (if a person stops breathing and spins around 7 times at the base of a certain pine tree, an aobōzu is said to appear and say "don't trample the rocks, don't snap the pine tree") (Nagano Prefecture) (Aswang) subtype Witch making certain objects, such as rice, bones, or insects, come out of the bodily orifices of the cursed

Transformation

(Aino) into mermaid / nixie (Aitvaras) on death becomes spark (Akkorokamui) transformed from giant spider Yaushikep into giant octopus after dragged to sea by a sea god (Amaru) Transformed to Mountains on Death (Binaye Ahani (Eye Killers) on Anaye page) remains become cacti (Sasnalkáhi on Anaye page) remains become yucca (Aosaginohi) Feathers have fused into scales (Apotamkin) a human woman turned into a snake with long red hair (Asrestar) humans originate as transformed Asrestar (light particles (basically the soul) were added to the asrestar) (Atosis) transformed from human (Aswang) subtype Witch from human to aswang witch (powers surpass other witches)

Trapped In Smaller Object

(Aloadae) trap the Olympian Ares and contain in a bronze jar (a storage pithos, similar to an amphora in shape) for 13 months (a lunar year)

Motivation

Clean

(Akaname)

Eat

(Alicanto) eats ore (can't fly, too heavy from ore, faster if no recent meal) (Alp) Drink Blood (from nipples of men and young children); Drink Breast Milk; Drink Cow's Milk (drink cows dry) (Amazake-babaa) request a drink of amazake (Amemasu) eat large prey (deer) (Amomongo) attack livestock (Amphisbaena - Amphisbaenae) ants; (Medieval Version) birds (Mmoatia the Fairy on the Anansi page) fairies eat mashed yams (Anito) attracted to séance ritual (the pag-anito) through offerings and sacrifices (harvests, cooked food, wine, gold ornaments and betel nut, blood from an animal such as pig or chicken --> salt and spices avoided, believed to be distasteful), human sacrifices only among the Bagobo people (Anqa) Elephants, Large Fish, Tannin (Ashinaga-tenaga) catch fish (Átahsaia) eats his own (his fellow malevolent beings)

Follow Orders

(Agares) retrieve runaways

Gain Soul

(Asrai) (in oldest account by Robert Williams Buchanan)

Harm / Suffering

(Apaosha) prevent rain (Asrestar) do evil (e.g. lie) (Atlantes) Stop Conversion to Christianity (Because it will grant an alliance)

Hunt / Stalk

(Amarok) (Amikuk) pursues hunters onto land as it swims through earth (Sasnalkáhi on Anaye page) (Ao Ao) Stalks over any distance or terrain, never stops till it feeds; Digs at roots of tree until tree falls (unless it's a palm tree, see Strange Weakness section) (Asanbosam) entangles unwary hunters with its legs dangling from canopy (Atshen)

Kidnap

(Akashita) tongue hanging from clouds (Anhangá) (Anhang - Anhangá (Spirit) in Mawé culture) (Atosis)

Loneliness

(Augenbrand) search for its dead master

Protect - Unspecified

(Amadlozi) these entities can be summoned for assistance and protection (Amaru) (Ambika) (Angiris) (Arikura-no-baba) stop eruption of a mountain through prayer (Azure Lóng) cardinal direction (East)

Protect City

(Agathodaemon) (Azure Lóng)

Protect Families

(Aitu)

Protect Farms

(Akashita) (Ala - Ale) protector of fields (local ala protects local fields from outsider ala)

Protect Graves

(Anubis) as of First Dynasty 3100 BC

Protect Homes

(Agathodaemon) (Akerbeltz) households (Alebrije) against evil forces (Alux - Aluxo'ob) keep thieves out of homes that sacrifice to them (Anthelioi) guard doorways; charged by sunlight

Protect Nature

(Aes Sidhe) (Agloolik) protects seals (Ahuizotl) protects lake fish (Akathaso) protects sky, Thitpin Saung Nat protects tree, Myay Saung Nat protects earth (Akerbeltz) protects animals (Alven) care for favoured plants (nightwort, elf leaf) (Anhangá) (Tupi-Guarani version) plants and animals (especially female animals with babies: aids their escape from hunters), protects hunters (Anpao) prevent burning of earth by dancing as dawn with Han, the spirit of darkness (Ao Ao) hills and mountains (Ao Ao)'s children: hills and mountains (Apple Tree Man) farm cat (in one story) (Archura) wild animals, birds, forests (Askafroa) protects ash tree (Awanyu) guards waterways

Protect A People

(Aibell) (Aloja - Aloges) try to bring wealth and and well-being to the areas they live in. (Awanyu) Pueblo (Awelo)

Protect Treasure

(Alberich) (Azovka)

Protect Specialists

(Anhangá) (Tupi-Guarani version) protects hunters (Anubis) protects embalmers

Protect Village

(Aitu) (Angak) aid villages: Bring rain and flowers to Hopi villages

Re-Enter Heaven

(Amy) seeks to return to the 7th heaven after 12 centuries

Riches

(Arimaspi) they want the griffin gold

Have Sex

(Agrat bat Mahlat) (Aguara) (Aka Manto) (Akerbeltz) (Christian Version engages in sexual abuses against Christians) (Anito) seduction or rape

Seduce

(Aisha Qandicha) (Alp) (Amemasu) lure into death by drowning in human form (Anguane) (Anito) seduce and kidnap humans to spirit world (Ardat-lilî)

Attack Ships

(Akugyo) capsize ships (Amemasu) capsize ships (Amikuk) attack kayaks, drag hunters into sea

Temptation

(Alal) (Amanojaku) (Astaroth) laziness, self-doubt, rationalization

Theft

(Al Basty) (Alcyoneus) steals Helios' cattle

Seek Gems and Jewels

(Anggitay)

Music

(Ahkiyyini) (Aillen)

Song

(Alkonost) (Azukiarai) (Azukibabaa) (Gunma Prefecture Version)

Dance

(Ahkiyyini) (Akerbeltz) (Christian Version) (Anjana)

Relation

(Al) enemies of "Eve and her daughters" (Ala - Ale) enemies of St. Elijah and his dragon (and eagle?) allies (Zmajeviti mentioned in Ala - Ale) enemies of the Ala (Alfred Bulltop Stormalong) fought a (Kraken) (Alkonost) interacts with Rarog, Stratim, Sirin (Alpos) killed by Dionysus' staff, the Thyrsos (Andaokut) kills (Malahas) (Anjana) foil (outwit) Ojáncanu (Ao Guang) fights the Eight Immortals (Apukohai) defeated with assistance of owl god an the fish Ulu-makaikai by hero Kawelo (Arimaspi) animosity (Prabu Niwatakawaca (Javanese) on Arjuna page) encounters demi-god Arjuna (Auloniad) (some accounts) Eurydice (love of Orpheus) is Auloniad > (some) Auloniads go to Hades when they die > Auloniads can die from venomous serpents (Azhdaha) food for inhabitants of the land of Gog and Magog (Āṭavaka) with naga

Duality / Complementing / Counterpart

(Aido Hwedo) (Alkonost) and Sirin: Joy and Sorrow > Alkonost comforts Sirin (Ananke) (Orphic Version) with Chronos (Time) (Anubis) female counterpart Anput (Apaosha) makes war on the guardian of rainfall, Tishtrya (Apsonsi) Thepnorasi is the male equivalent (Archura) are nature beings, while Bichura are household beings. Both are chort/chura

Strange Weakness

I don't judge, all things that chase off or defeat a monster are classified as "strange weakness" in this list. So don't wonder if some are totally mundane things that would work on humans or animals too. I could call it just "weakness" but I don't know, it's just a quirky classification scheme I guess.

(Afanc) maiden's lap (Agares) can be drawn into crystals (Aigamuxa) blind hunter (eyes on feet) (only sees prey through handstand or lying in sand) (Aillen) (poison counteracts Aillen's sleep spell, keeps poison user awake) (Aisha Qandicha) metal (Al) garlic, metal, onions, prayers, charms (Al Ana) (Wikipedia has complex descriptions of rituals to ward them off) (Ala - Ale) can be defeated by dragons or eagles (Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) Visible to Six Toed-Six Fingered People; House Shakes When they enter in human form (Ala - Ale) (Regional Version) herbs collected in levees and in places on a field where plows turn during plowing, both considered unclean because ala visit them (Ala - Ale) multiple supernatural entities bring hail and rain torrents, so since cause is unclear, custom is to bring large selection of antidotes: to bring a table in front of the house, and to put bread, salt, a knife with a black sheath, and an axe with its edge directed skywards on the table. By another custom, a fireplace trivet with its legs directed skywards, knives, forks, and the stub of the Slava candle were put on the table. (Alal) amulets (Alcyoneus) immortal as long as in his native land (Alp) lead amulet; sign of cross on diaper to stop mischief

Weird Weakness (broomstick under pillow, iron horseshoes hung from the bedpost, placing shoes against the bed with the toes pointing toward the door, or placing a mirror on the chest)

Weird Weakness (must fulfill favour if asked, even impossible favours)

Weird Weakness (plug holes, including keyholes om a room, sealing it --> preventative measure, if done with alp in the room it locks the alp in, as they can only leave through the opening they entered from)

Weird Weakness (keep light on at night)

Weird Weakness (lemon shoved in alp's mouth if alp is caught resting immobilizes or weakens alp) (Amalanhig) they have a stiff body, can only walk in straight lines, so you can run in zigzag direction (Amalanhigs can only run straight due to stiff body) (Amalanhig) if you climb trees or high platforms (Amalanhig) you run into lakes and rivers, amalanhigs fear deep bodies of water (Amaru) can be trapped by storms (Amaymon) consecrated silver ring protects against this poison breath; shows of politeness keeps this demon pleasant (Amazake-babaa) avoids cedar branch (Amazake banbā on the Amazake-babaa page) sign by the door that says "we do not like sake or amazake" (Amemasu) Cold, Clammy Skin in human form, like a fish (Amemasu) can be killed from within (Amikuk) in human form pulls sled across ice, always in straight line (Amikuk) in human form Sit down with back to creature, don't speak to it --> it will offer gifts of increasing value --> stay silent till it offers everything you need or everything on your mind (Binaye Ahani (Eye Killers) on Anaye page) throw salt in eyes, fire arrows from afar (Teelget on Anaye page) attack from gopher tunnel below (Tsé’nagahi on Anaye page) place knives point up in the ground as a trap, then lure it over the knives (Tsenahale on Anaye page) trick them into taking you to their nest, take babies hostage (Tsetahotsiltali on Anaye page) can be pulled off the cliff by hair (Yeitso on Anaye page) lightning bolt (Anhangá) fears fire (Anhangá) (Anhang - Anhangá (Spirit) in Mawé culture) Water (either can't swim or afraid of Sukuyu'wera the protector of waters) (Anito) powers limited by domain (forest diwata has no dominion over the sea) (Antaeus) Invincibility dependent on contact with his mother, the earth (similar weakness to Alcyoneus) (Ao Ao) palm trees have some unknown power against the Ao Ao and protect people who climb them (Ao Ao)'s children, see Ao Ao (Archura) no shadow (Ardat-lilî) a mock marriage (Ardat-lilî) Unlike gods, Mesopotamian malevolent beings are incapable of heeding prayers (Arkan sonney) explicitly does not have the power to shapeshift (can grow or shrink itself) (Asrai) Sunlight melts them into water, can't live on land; fear light (in oldest account by Robert Williams Buchanan) (Astomi) die from strong, unpleasant smell (Augerino) requires dry environment to survive and thus bores holes in dams and irrigation ditches to drain the water (Axehandle hound) dislikes axe handles from red oak (Azukibabaa) holding your thumb will calm you when Azukibabaa sings her disturbing song (Aufhocker) church bells; sunlight; Victim makes it home before dying (Aufhocker) Tear out throats (telltale sign that the culprit is an Aufhocker) (Aswang)

Strange Weakness - power greatly reduced (or totally reduced) during the day

Strange Weakness - averse to noises

Strange Weakness - Holy objects, spices, salt, ash, the tail of a sting-ray, large crustaceans, vinegar, betel nut chew, and urine

Strange Weakness - reverse a ladder leading to the house

Strange Weakness - husband of child-bearing wife remains under the house naked while furiously waving a sword

Strange Weakness - anti-aswang oil (for details search the term)

Strange Weakness - try to dodge blessings during mass

Strange Weakness - witch aswang weak at middle of their back, because they can't reach it with their tongue to lick the wound and heal it

Strange Weakness - see Influences in contemporary society

Weakness - Sharp sticks or bolos inserted between bamboos of house floor

Weakness - stay quiet (don't groan from sicknesses)

Weakness - sick people shouldn't stay in houses with holes

Giveaway - scratching noises from the ceiling

Giveaway - pig with no tail (Aswang) subtype Witch

Giveaway - Eyes reflect images upside down

Giveaway - Elongated Irises

Behaviour

(Aitvaras) steal gold and grain; share stolen goods with family (Ala - Ale) (Regional Version)"drink the crops" i.e. seize the crops of a village and transport them to another place in their huge ears, thereby making some villages poor, and others rich (Amalanhig) Tickle Victim to Death (victim dies both of laughter and terror) (Amarok) preys on lone hunters (Ameonna) (Toriyama Sekien illustration) licking her hand (Asrai) shy (Asrai) speaks in unknown language

Time

Cyclical Appearance

(Aes Sidhe) (Ala - Ale) eves of greater holidays (night-time) (Anjana) Spring Equinox (Cŵn Annwn mentioned on Arawn page) ride through the skies in autumn, winter, and early spring (Asrai) surface once a century (account by Ruth Tongue)

Evening

(Ayakashi)

Diurnal

(Aswang) beautiful woman by day

Nocturnal

(Aigamuxa) (Akaname) (Akurojin-no-hi) rainy nights (Ala - Ale) gather at night on eves of greater holidays (Alicanto) (Aloja - Aloges) (Alp) (Alû) (Amarok) (Amazake-babaa) (Amefurikozō) rainy nights (Anchanchu) (Aosaginohi) (Ashi-magari) (Ashinaga-tenaga) (Asrai) full moon (Axehandle hound) (Aswang) Subtype: Manananggal disembodied head (by night) (Aswang) subtype: Bloodsucking Woman (example Mandurugo) (Aswang) subtype: Weredog (not always dog) nocturnal transformation into creature

Time (Mythic Events)

(Amazons) war on the titans alongside Dionysus (Amazons) - (Attic War (Event)) (Amazons) military expeditions (to Scythia, Thrace, Asia Minor, Aegea) (Amycus) Event - Centauromachy (Anqa) appears once in ages (Ato-sees) Of the Ancient Age (similar to Dreaming, when humans and animals were equal) (Awes-kon-wa) Present Age (when humans and animals are entirely separate) (Azeban) Of the Ancient Age (similar to Dreaming, when humans and animals were equal (Azovka) (some accounts) a queen left by the "Old People" to guard treasure

Time (Century)

6th Century BC

(Amazons) IRL Russian town of Voronetz archaeological find: several generations of Scythian warrior women buried with golden headpieces

5th Century BC

(Agathodaemon)

4th Century BC

(Amazons) NOT THEIR TIME, this is the time period when a lot of doubt is sowed as to their existence, such as Palaephatus

2nd Century BC

(Amazons) Marcus Justinius claims Amazons cut off one of their breasts

1st Century BC

(Albruna)

5th Century

(Alpos)

8th Century

(Akuma)

11th Century

(Alp)

12th Century

(Alukah) (Azovka) (some accounts): cursed Tatar princess, banished to the mountain; (some accounts) enchanted girl stolen by the Tatars (Tatars came to Europe in the Mongol invasions, which I think is roughly in the 12th century?? I need to brush up on my history knowledge.)

15th Century

(Afanc)

19th century

(Asrai) modern 19th century invention

20th Century

[eilinelsghost]

Is there any information you’re willing to share about the ghomennin? It got me thinking of men interacting with masquerading maiar or avari even.

Of course! I love the ghomennin so much. I'm not sure if the ask connects to their presence in Atandil or in Atanatárissë, so I'll answer for both.

When they showed up, I expected them to be a sort of passing reference in Grief in All Her Guises and then once later in a future installment we haven't gotten to yet. But they've ended up becoming a bit of a throughline in Atandil as a whole now, and it was so fun to get to dig into them further in Atanatárissë.

In-world, they are definitely intended to be referencing the Avari. Finrod hints at it a bit in Grief in All Her Guises when he suspects the stories are spread by Morgoth and his servants to set a wedge between humans and Elves. Humans definitely encountered the Avari while east of the Ered Luin and some of this is their own mythological attempts to make sense of that, intermingled with the darker elements that seep in from either their own suspicion or suspicions sown among them. However, I also wanted them to be a vague enough concept that people could read them how they wanted in the narrative - masquerading Maiar is a fascinating read, for example, and I love where all that could go!

Riders of the Sidhe (1911), painting by John Duncan

As far as inspiration, I pulled some of the broad strokes from the Aos Sí legends. There are better and more academic sources you can find, but Wikipedia has a decent overview. I loved the combination of beauty and fright that comes along with those legends, as well as the need to appease them or face consequences - kidnapping etc. That immediately connected for me with Bëor leaving his people to dwell in Nargothrond, which in some senses maps nicely on being abducted to live within the sídhe, or "fairy mound." So tying those myths in this way brought a slight undercurrent of horror to his choice to leave, which I think was important in navigating a) his own fear regarding the decision, b) the weight of his attachment to Finrod in facing that, and c) the confusion and anger that his sons and Estreth feel when he opts for that route.

Sorry this got a bit rambly! Thank you so much for the ask - I'm so fond of the ghomennin and it was fun to get to talk about them a bit!

[merlinbingo]

We're a month into round three, and oh wow have you all hit the ground running! We've already got an amazing 122 participants, 44 of whom shared a whopping 90 fills in February! As ever, there's someone out there determined to skew the curve completely, having already filled over half their card in just 28 freaking days!

Last month you created fills including fic (63), art (16), gifs (6), art that is a gif (2), fanvids (2) and a lovely fic + art combo as well.

Merlin/Arthur are once again top of the ship list (45), but we've also had a fair few people claiming the bonus badge for either a gen work (30) or one of eleven different rarepairs! Remember, you've got until the end of March to claim the gen/rarepair bonus badge, so if there's a rarepair you've been itching to create something for or a gen dynamic you really want to see more of, now is your chance!

And now, on to the thing you actually want to see: the round up! As per usual, fills are sorted by ship and then by rating and hidden below the cut, and we look forward to seeing everything you create next!

Gen/no ships

Fortune Teller by Stelle Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Merlin fanart Summary:

The Starry Night by willowsmarika Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Morgana Pendragon, Painting, Inspired by art, van Gogh, The Starry Night Summary: Morgana "painted" in the style of van Gogh's The Starry Night

little bird by jopzer Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Drabble, Mother-Son Relationship, Implied/Referenced Childbirth, Hunith's very short reflections on meeting her son and what Balinor is missing Summary: Hunith carries the weight of the beginning, and the weight of an end.

He Can't by TravelAgentForGuiltTrips Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Episode: s05e02 Arthur's Bane, Missing Scene, Cuddling & Snuggling, Caring Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Cold Weather Summary: Trapped in the cold, Merlin and Arthur take drastic measures to keep warm. Cuddling.

Dragon Part 1 by Stelle Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Merlin comic, fanart, fancomic Summary:

baby Aithusa by kairennart Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Digital art Summary:

Merlin in Triplicate by Madlady2 Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Merlin gets a hug, Fluff, Clones, No pairs Summary: Merlin clones himself times three because there is so much work.

Portrait of Gwen in soft pink by Nivelle Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: flowers Summary: A digitally drawn portrait of Gwen wearing a pink dress with equally pink flowers.

1 Million Subscriber Message by EvannaWebb Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Youtuber AU, Drabble, Merlin is a Little Shit Summary: To celebrate 1 million subscribers on Youtube, Merlin comes out of the closet. Literally.

Gwaine by Stelle Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Gwaine, fanart Summary:

Rewriting your worldviews, one death at a time by DSabian Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: After Camlann, BAMF Merlin, Arthur Lives, Arthur owes the Sidhe unknown and dubious favours now Summary: Arthur has been stabbed at Camlaan. Morgana has delayed them, and Arthur can feel himself slip away. Merlin’s having none of it though, whipping up the wind and chanting to the heavens. Arthur would really rather his friend just come and sit with him though. Possibly wouldn’t even mind that hug, now, at the end of things.

She Is A Fickle Mistress by willowsmarika Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: poker, french-suited playing cards, no pair Summary: A no pair poker hand illustrated by guest characters

Lost by demitimelord42 Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: drowning, dreams and nightmares Summary: Arthur has a dream after the Sophia incident

Gwaine Edit by Vivirki Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Summary:

Portrait of Queen Guinevere by monoisbored Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Digital Art, Gwen Summary:

Summer Solstice by KingAni Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Summary: A brief comparison of Merlin's approach to the celebration of the Summer Solstice by the ways of the Old Religion in Ealdor and in Camelot.

A Thousand Cuts by demitimelord42 Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: angst, hurt no comfort, character study Summary: Gwaine thinks on his friendship with Merlin

Daughter Of The Rain And Snow by willowsmarika Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: lady of the lake, water symbolism, blue color palette Summary:

Mithian | The Archer by pyjamacryptid Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: #tribute #characterstudy Summary: Mithian has been both the archer and the prey

Dragon shadow by AmeliaDogwood Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Watercolor painting Summary: Dragon flying over a forest.

Turning a blind eye by archaeologist_d Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: fluff, canon era, aithusa is cute, arthur is a softee Summary: Arthur knows that Merlin steals his food. The question is why. It wouldn't be because of a certain baby dragon sitting on Merlin's bed, would it?

One Less Lonely Year by chaosgenes Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Post-canon, Modern, Arthur Pendragon returns, Children, Hopeful Summary: After more than a handful of centuries, Merlin, now an infamous local hero, sees a familiar face, or, rather, faces, in the crowd one cold night.

Bwnyfacys by Jockles Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Humour, Dragons, Protective Arthur, Merlin is a cryptid Summary: Arthur goes on a journey to find Merlin at the Tavern... except by all accounts he's never been there.

Not Where, but When by TyalanganD Rating: Teen Warnings: Major character death, Canonical Character Death, angst, moral ambiguity Major tags: Canon divergence, time travel, fate and destiny, references to Dark (TV series) Summary: The Lochru said: "unless you act quickly, Emrys, even you cannot alter the never-ending cycle of Arthur’s fate..." But Merlin tries.

He is a Revelation by feuxx Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Summary:

it hurts like a knife to her side by FracturedSoupe Rating: Teen Warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings, mental instability, (implied) self-hatred, just a kinda disturbing read overall Major tags: Stream of Consciousness, this is a messy and experimental one, she is aromantic and is not okay with this emotion being forced onto her Summary: Vivian, still under the influence of the love potion, tries to understand emotions she has never had to deal with before. In doing so, she toes the boundaries of her sanity as her mind fractures into smaller fragments.

If You Give a Writer a Bingo Card (Chapter 1) by VikingSong Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Humor, homage to Douglas Adams, Crack Treated Seriously, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence Summary: Evil sorcerers with anger-management issues are tired of Emrys foiling their plots to assassinate King Arthur. To facilitate their latest round of assassination attempts, they perform an experimental spell that splinters Arthur’s consciousness, scattering the pieces across parallel universes—because surely Emrys can’t protect all the pieces at once, right? (Wrong.) As always, Merlin will do whatever it takes to gather up the pieces and bring Arthur home again. And maybe, just maybe, Arthur will put some pieces together, too. Or: In which the author attempts to piece all 24 bingo prompts into a single plot line.

The Price by TyalanganD Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply, Past violence, scars, disfigured face Major tags: Canon divergence, art, scars Summary: The price of saving Arthur's life is revealing Merlin's magic. The price of the magic reveal is the stake. The price of Arthur saving Merlin from the fire is living with the consequences.

Gilli by cabbageheadss Rating: Not rated Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Summary:

N/A by hazelands Rating: Not rated Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Summary:

Gwen/Morgana

finally on dry land. kinda by kairennart Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: mermaid au, digital art Summary:

Gwen/Leon

Cherish by archaeologist_d Rating: Teen Warnings: major character death long ago Major tags: grief, agnst, gwen marries leon, memories Summary: Sometime the grief of Arthur’s death hangs over then both but there is also peace in acceptance.

Elena/Mordred

In the Stalls, a Beginning, chapter 1 by archaeologist_d Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: canon era, elena/mordred, rare pair, horses Summary: Mordred was doing it all wrong. Elena knew about horses, but men were another thing entirely.

Gwaine/Morgana

Spellbound by archaeologist_d Rating: Mature Warnings: Major character death Major tags: angst, canon era, Gwaine loves Morgana, longing Summary: Meeting Morgana a long time ago, Gwaine couldn’t help remembering their one night together, even as she plotted his death.

Merlin/Morgana

Your Magic is My Drug of Choice by MerthurAllure Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Addiction, Smut, Sex Magic, Painplay Summary: Morgana’s mind wanders as she and Merlin partake in some magic and sex.

Merlin/Arthur/Gwen

An Heir and a Spare (and a spare, and a spare...) by Jockles Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Kidfic, 5 + 1 Things, Domestic Fluff, Polyamory Summary: Five Times Merlin held Arthur's hand, and one time he realised he'd been holding Gwen's hand the whole time.

Gwaine/Percival

Private Time by Stelle Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: perwaine fanart Summary:

Gwaine/Lancelot

Disaster Date by Nivelle Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: fluff, candlelight cuddles, dating Summary: Gwaine and Lancelot on a date that does not go well. First, Gwaine not only almost set his kitchen on fire while cooking, but the tomato sauce explodes all over the place, forcing them to go out to have dinner. When they come back, the electricity is gone and they have to rely on candles for light.

Merlin/Leon

Agent Merlin of EMRYS: Destination Pendragon Estate by sleepygecko Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Musician AU, Spy Merlin, BAMF Merlin, Fluff and Angst, Modern With Magic AU Summary: Merlin, aka Agent Falcon of the England Magical Recon Youth Sector, is called to attend a summer camp for musical prodigies at the Pendragon Estate to spy on Uther Pendragon, the leader of a secret organization attempting to wipe out magic-users from England. He works with Leon, aka Agent Lionheart, to monitor the situation. Drama and romance ensue.

Merlin/Gwaine

Vday texting with Mergwaine 💖 by willowsmarika Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Valentine's Day, Texting, Gwaine being Gwaine, Annoyed Merlin Summary: Gwaine keeps bothering Merlin with silly Valentine's Day messages

Ghost by Stelle Rating: General audiences Warnings: Major character death Major tags: Ghost AU, Victorian AU, fanart Summary:

It's been a long day by Nivelle Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: bed sharing, established relationship Summary: Merlin fell asleep reading. Gwaine fell face first into their bed, dead to the world as soon as his head hit the pillow, after removing a griffin from a vegetable patch.

Merlin/Lancelot

Silhouettes by Stelle Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: fanart Summary:

with these tender hands (love me gently) by Imagined Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Merlin's Magic Revealed, Protective Lancelot, Friends to Lovers Summary: It’s not that Lancelot thinks he’s entitled to anything. It’s not even that it burns to watch the two people he loves most revolve around a man he highly respects. Truly, it has nothing to do with either him or Arthur, he considers, watching Merlin quietly clean the knights’ swords by the light of the moon. It’s just that he thinks Merlin deserves better, sometimes.

Merlin/Arthur

Not so Sweet Dreams by thetreeofwillow Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Urequited love, Unrequited Love, Episode: s02e10 Sweet Dreams (Merlin), Love Potion/Spell, Vivian gets the ending she should've gotten, Minor Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin Summary: Before getting Gwen to kiss Arthur to break Trickler's spell, Merlin tries himself. It doesn't go well.

Piano Sonata No. 1 "Con Amore" by mithian Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Musicians AU, Modern era, Established Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff Summary: When Merlin returns home after a difficult day, his boyfriend Arthur is there to comfort him.

Thunder by funkiemoon Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Light Angst, Arthur Pendragon Needs a Hug, Arthur Pendragon Gets a Hug, King Arthur Pendragon, Court Sorcerer Merlin Summary: Arthur was scared of the thunder as a child. But now that he's King, it isn't so bad.

You Keep Me Safe by AmeliaDogwood Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Episode: s01e04 The Poisoned Chalice, Merlin's magic revealed, can be read as romantic or platonic Summary: What if Arthur had been able to hear all those things Merlin was yelling in his sleep?

Holding Hands by AmeliaDogwood Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Drabble, Modern Era Summary: Quick drabble about Merlin being happy that Arthur is back.

Sandcastle by archaeologist_d Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: angst, fluff, sandcastle building, a day at the beach Summary: Arthur was always getting into trouble but when he shot the unicorn, it was as much of a mess as Merlin had ever seen.

Le Beau Chevalier sans Merci by schweet_heart Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Merthur, Merthur fanart, Merlin fanart Summary: Wandering Camelot after a battle, Arthur encounters a mysterious knight at the edge of Lake Avalon.

treat me right (i want to tell you everything) by heartsocold Rating: General audiences Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: established relationship, modern era, emotional hurt/comfort, insecure arthur, Summary: And Arthur’s so tired. He’s tired of being afraid, of always always waiting for the shoe to drop. He’s tired of always hiding himself from Merlin, of trying to be the person he thinks Merlin wants him to be—the person he thinks Merlin would like best. He’s tired of restraining himself. He’s tired of constantly burying the things he wants in fear that it will push Merlin away.

Loch Avalon by TheManTheMythTheLazy Rating: Teen Warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Major tags: Episode:s05e12-13 The Diamond of the Day, POV Arthur Pendragon, Sad boi hours Summary: Arthur knew he was going to die when Merlin told him he had magic. After all, when a dishonest man tells his truth, there's no ignoring anything anymore.

Kiss Me Once by Camelots_Daffodil Rating: Teen Warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Major tags: Court Sorcerer Merlin, Banter, Protective Arthur Pendragon, Pre-Slash, Non-Consensual Kissing (Light-hearted) Summary: Someone spreads a rumour claiming that a kiss from Emrys is worth immeasurable good luck to any sorcerer so lucky to share one. Unfortunately for Merlin, no one bothered to tell him about it. Arthur, and the court of Camelot, will have to improvise in order to save Merlin from the kingdom's ill-fated romantic pursuits.

To long and to yearn by feuxx Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Summary:

That Burning Torch of Kingship by Imagined Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Insomnia, Temporary Character Death, Canon Era Summary: He always wakes up with his heart pounding out of his chest in the middle of the night, when he has the dreams, and loathes his father more than anything when he does. He only recalls a flash of midnight blue eyes; perfectly arched lips that could tilt into a disrespectful grin; unblemished pale hands that touched, touched, touched. But at least he remembers on those days, even if the dreams fade. All Arthur is left with is this crushing sense of loss and the cursive glances of the court; they all whisper of the prince who loved a sorcerer so much that the king resorted to magic to make him forget. The heresy. The hypocrisy. The burning shame; Arthur is the one who can still meet his father’s gaze and his father is the one who drops his own. This is not the king that Arthur will be.

Justice Shall Be Delivered by lavender_spice Rating: Teen Warnings: Major character death Major tags: execution, uther pov, unhappy ending Summary: Uther Pendragon will not tolerate a sorcerer in the heart of Camelot. The evils of magic have infected his kingdom once again, and he will eradicate them without mercy.

The First Kiss, And The Last by royal_spud Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: canon era, angst, love potion, drabble, heartbreak Summary: It came like a dream and swept him in a wave of fantastical brilliance. It stitched his heart into a tapestry of love and happiness and everything that he had once deemed too good to be true in the life of a warlock living in the midst of his hunters. Yet he kissed him still, when the moment arose, unbidden, one night. But what is a love story couldn't last a hundred words, than a tragedy in itself?

merlin's big fat crush by Vivirki Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: fluff, crushes, Diary, Pov merlin, first person pov Summary: An entry from Merlin's diary where he talks about his current problem in Camelot.

If I Had My Druthers by TheManTheMythTheLazy Rating: Teen Warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Major tags: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, 5+1, Merlin Is A Little Shit, Merlin Is So Done, Oops I got some angst in my crackfic Summary: 5 times Arthur walks out of Avalon at the wrong time + the 1 time he gets it right

A Heart Like Yours by Camelots-Daffodil Rating: Teen Warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Major tags: Drowning, pining, protective Merlin, knight quest, mild hurt/comfort Summary: King aren't supposed to be afraid, they're not supposed to have fears. But Arthur Pendragon is afraid of the water, and that's not all he fears, either. When his worse fear comes to life while out on a quest, he's lucky to be surrounded by people who love him, through and despite it all.

Like-Hate-Love by Imagined Rating: Teen Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Social Media AU, Getting Together, Humor, Enemies to Friends to Lovers Summary: When Arthur drunkenly kisses a stranger at a party, he doesn’t expect to ever really see him again. That is, until two years later, when he accidentally likes a picture on Instagram and somehow starts an online rivalry with him. Or: In which Arthur is a bit of a prat (and, worse: a prescriptivist), Merlin has no issues at all calling him out on it, Morgana is the world's least-sympathetic sister, and Uther is no help whatsoever.

Homewrecker With A Heart Of Gold by lavender_spice Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: infidelity, fluff, banter, modern au Summary: A private moment between two people who were never supposed to fall in love.

His Most Treasured Possession by Zaharya Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Ygraine's Sigil, Marriage Proposal, Canon Era, Court Sorcerer Merlin, Romantic Arthur Pendragon Summary: Merlin thinks he lost Arthur's sigil, when in reality Arthur stole it in order to propose with it properly this time.

The Greatest Surpriser to Ever Walk the Earth by teachinghimpoetry Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Canon au; cocks; warm ones; the author apologises for nothing; but she does beg your forgiveness Summary: In which Arthur knows that Merlin is up to something

and you held me tightly ('til the morning) by Imagined Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Druid Leader Merlin, Arranged Marriage, Mutual Pining, Demisexual Arthur Pendragon, Secret Identity Summary: Merlin ducks forward, grabbing Arthur’s hands. His are cool and soft, and Arthur is surprised by the feel of Merlin’s palm over his own rough knuckles. “Arthur,” he says pointedly. “I know my duty, and I don’t need you to remind me. Are you always like this?” “Like what?” “Annoying,” Merlin says, and leans back, appraising him more thoughtfully than his tone suggests. “So concerned with your honour.” Or: Arthur must marry Lord Emrys for a year to create an alliance between their people. Except it isn't Emrys who comes to marry him, but the young druid Merlin, who soon turns all of Camelot upside down—and Arthur with it.

Flare up by TyalanganD Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply, self-harm references Major tags: Modern setting, angst and hurt/comfort, scars, insecurity Summary: Merlin almost wants to do this. To take off his shirt and watch as Arthur gets repulsed by him. Push him away. He doesn't expect Arthur's reaction.

Chemistry chapter 46 by archaeologist_d Rating: Mature Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: angst, plague, Uther is a monster, modern with magic Summary: Uther isn't listening to Arthur at all. He blames magic on Ygraine's death.

Nothing, Something, Everything- Chapter 01: At first, Nothing Happened by royal_spud Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, minor character death, mild or implied sexual content, bad attempts at humor Major tags: Alternate universe- modern with magic, crime and criminals, borderline psychopathic Merthur, violence, plot twists Summary: Ever since Arthur came back from the war, all he had known was war flashbacks, forced therapy and immense boredom. And with a therapist breathing down his neck, forcing him to write a blog about his experiences "just as an exercise", and practically having nothing to write about, Arthur found that the idea of putting a bullet through his head had never felt so compelling. But one day, when a long lost friend introduces him to a deranged stranger with the concentration of a fruit fly and a strange obsession with magic and crime, Arthur is thrown to the dead center of a magical adventure, completed with talking skulls, strange land ladies, serial murders, assassins and all too friendly neighbors who insist on the two of them being a couple. Secrets come out. Trust is broken, worst enemies killed and best friends betrayed... and for someone who had complained about nothing happening to him, Arthur thinks that all that happens to him all at once is a perfectly adequate compensation.

Destiny Continued Continues by chaosgenes Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Smut, Post-canon AU, Modern Era, Fluff, Slow Dancing Summary: Sequel to "Destiny Continued." With no other dooming matters at present, Merlin and Arthur resume their life together on Albany Estates. (The bingo fill only applies to the last chapter, the epilogue, for slow dancing. Most chapters can be read in any order.) Epilogue Summary: Arthur and Merlin slow dance in their cottage on a lazy morning.

Not Even My Own Kin by SauraUnderscore Rating: Explicit Warnings: Wounds, Blood Major tags: Wounded Arthur, Wounds, Blood, Morally Grey Merlin, Based in Art Summary: Arthur falls mortally wounded by a magical beast attack he shouldn’t have faced. Merlin’s magic lashes out to protect him.

On a Knife's edge - chapter 4 by archaeologist_d Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence Major tags: A/B/O, uther is a monster, arthur is a hero, angst, attempt at castration Summary: Uther is less than pleased when he realises that Merlin is alpha to Arthur’s omega. He would have to do something about it, something that Arthur might object to, but Uther would do what he must. For Camelot and the Pendragon legacy.

the sola noche tango by insane-ohwhyfandoms Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: modern au, dancing, explicit sexual content Summary: Arthur just wants to spend a quiet night moping with his friends, but unexpectedly, they're in the middle of hosting one of their parties. An unexpected encounter may mean the night isn't a total loss after all.

Chemistry chapter 44 by archaeologist_d Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence Major tags: angst, modern AU with magic, Arthur reincarnated, magic users being hunted, plague Summary: In this chapter, Freya and Will end up at Merlin's place, hiding from the Anti-Magical League.

True Love by SauraUnderscore Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: A/B/O Dynamics; Angst; Angst with a happy ending; Forced Infidelity; No Actual Infidelity Happens; Explicit Rough Sex; Mpreg; Summary: Merlin was sure that after bonding with his Soul Mate his body would stop misbehaving. But it hadn’t. It’s been two years and it’s obvious by now that he can’t give Arthur an heir. Hence, the Pendragon Clan has come up with a solution: give Arthur another Omega to breed.

And a Resolution for the New Year by Sage_Owl Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Reincarnation, The Isle of the Blessed, Dreams & Nightmares, Modern Setting, Happy Ending Summary: Merlin, Arthur, Morgana and Gwen finally figure out what's been happening to them since Halloween.

Pet by lairofthedragon Rating: Explicit Warnings: Rape/non-con Major tags: Modern Era, Master/Pet, Collars, Spanking, Punishment Summary: Good boy, Arthur says, resting his hand atop Merlin's head. He cards his fingers through Merlin's hair for a moment, before tugging on it, forcing him to look up. "I'm very pleased with you," he says, smiling again as Merlin's tense muscles relax upon hearing the praise. "But you did wake me, and I believe that I deserve some sort of recompense."

Pride by s0mmerspr0ssen Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Top Merlin, Bottom Arthur, BDSM, Dom/sub Summary: Emrys might not have been the dom Arthur had expected, but it turns out he is exactly the dom he needs.

For Life by SauraUnderscore Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Modern-AU; Tattoos; Scars; PTSD-Merlin; Doctor Merlin; Cat Aithusa; Explicit Sex; Summary: Arthur’s new neighbour is a mystery. The guy keeps odd hours and he seems to be fully covered in intricate tattoos. He’s extremely handsome, too, despite not being the kind of guy Arthur would ever go for, plus their incredibly terrible start. An incident in the building would uncover Merlin’s secrets and he’ll turn out to be absolutely irresistible to Arthur.

Fog by s0mmerspr0ssen Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting,, Dom Merlin (Merlin), Sub Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), BDSM, Dom/sub Summary: Arthur’s second session with Emrys gets off to a rocky start, but Emrys is nothing if not professional.

Really Simple by SauraUnderscore Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Modern AU; Fluff and Smut; Topping from the Bottom; Explicit Sex; Sex on the Office; Based in Art Summary: Merlin won’t be Arthur’s trophy husband. So Arthur is Merlin’s trophy husband instead. Does it look complicated? No. It’s really simple.

Nailed by Ravenwilds Rating: Explicit Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: smut, mirror sex, dirty talk, guys wearing nail polish Summary: Merlin just isn’t the kind of person who likes being pampered: it’s not that he thinks all men who have a skincare routine are automatically self-absorbed prats (though Arthur is definitely one, concrete example of that!) - but it’s not for him. Or ... Merlin and Arthur get their nails painted and then have sexy times in front of a mirror.

Unconventional by SauraUnderscore Rating: Explicit Warnings: Dub-con Major tags: A/B/O non-traditional dynamics, dubious consent, explicit sex, rough sex, alpha rut, Omega heat, Summary: Arthur is about to go into rut, and although he’d love to mate with Merlin in his time of need, he would never do something against Merlin’s wishes. He is the leading Alpha, he has duties; but Merlin simply doesn’t want to be depending on his Omega biology. Stopping his suppressors, bonding for life and playing housewife for Arthur is something Merlin is not sure he can do.

Sun King by cabbageheadss Rating: Not rated Warnings: No archive warnings apply Major tags: Merthur Summary:

[consultingjedi]

the sleep no more excerpt dropped, and i… have a lot of thoughts. too many thoughts. nearly two thousand words of thoughts under the cut (though half of those are quotes).

!!! huge spoilers for all of the october daye series !!!

(some details referenced from the wiki. thank you wiki contributors, you're amazing.)

> The two Moving Days, when the least among us—those ranked even lower than changelings like myself—are free to pack up their lives and move along to their next home.

whee, starting off immediately fucked up. the moving day description is very "the exception that proves the rule" – apparently fae can only leave at this time.

also, no doubt that changelings' lots are even worse now than they were before.

> Oberon himself has granted his blessing

has he? has he, titania? is he even around, by choice or otherwise?

> the levels of hospitality required by Oberon’s decree and not a crumb or comment more

color me unsurprised that amandine holds to the mere letter of the law and no more.

> I felt shamefully as if I held some actual station in our house.

toby fought so hard for recognition. this is a triple punch of her no longer having that recognition, still wanting that, not feeling that she deserves it.

> one of the children glanced back over her shoulder with glossy eyes and a quivering lip, making me wonder whether they had first sought sanctuary in my uncle’s halls. Fools.

well, sylvester (or some… facsimile of him) is probably around and acting terribly. rest in (hopefully temporary) peace, sylvester's character development. i wonder how much of this is luna, though.

> The bread was rich with herbs he had grown himself, and I sometimes suspected he enchanted it in some small way, to give petitioners luck on the journey yet ahead of them.

simon <3 also the back door = simon's space, front door = amandine's space is… interesting.

> removed changeling children from the household they were born to serve was not a violation of the rules, but it was unseemly at the very least, and unwise by any measure.

i will yell about this more later but. sounds bad!

> the comforting scent of smoke and roses.

on the one hand: comfort in august (and maybe simon's) magic scents! on the other hand. roses, mm, mixed connotations those have had.

> The word was devoid of context in my mind, and I opened my eyes, blinking into the dimness. What was a lawn?

and here we have the first (maybe only) evidence of leak through from the… non-titania world, whatever that may be. at the very least toby knows some things she shouldn't.

> thank Oberon and his beautiful bride

bride? singular? titania what are you doing…

> There is no shame in standing by the rules of your house.

honestly this feels like the most out of character thing for toby yet. toby, breaker of rules and shirker of authority, expressing obedience? oof.

> My blood and magic clearly felt the same, for they had never been inclined to illusions, however hard I struggled to master and call them forth. Nothing in me wished to lie.

this is… a lot. does toby know she's dochas sidhe, not daoine? if she does, does she know what that means for her in terms of magical strengths and abilities?? and "nothing in me wished to lie" – hahahah, except for the huge lie of her entire fake life that titania has forced upon her.

> The kitchen is and has always been Father’s domain. [...] I have always felt most comfortable in the kitchen and the kitchen garden.

simon and toby <3 <3 <3

> I am better left behind the scenes, protected and anonymous. Father sees that need in me, and has always done his best to nurture it.

whiplash! ouch, terribly, no good, very bad. i wonder how much of this on simon's part is an attempt to protect toby-the-changeling from the awfulness of titania's faerie, and how much of it is the changelings-as-servants mindset from that very same… (there is some interesting similarity here of toby not really enjoying the limelight/public speaking/etc, but she's no shrinking violet by any means.)

> A direct descendant of Melia, then, most likely, only two generations removed from Maeve’s dishonor.

i have many questions. is this a reference to a specific act on maeve's part or something else? a real action twisted into something else by titania or something made up entirely?

> The children of the Firstborn are meant to know better, to be better as an example for all of Faerie.

here, i wonder how much of this is amandine versus how much of it is titania.

> neither of which I was authorized to give

the difference between toby in her own home providing shelter to so many, and here in amandine's tower not having any autonomy… ow.

> It would have pained me to lie to them. I would have done it anyway, of course. I knew my duty almost as well as I knew my place.

no comment. just… fucked up.

> We dwell here, between demesnes, because [amandine] has no desire to guide or guard a holding, only to live in peace with her family and be left alone.

well, that doesn't seem like it's changed. though obviously amandine's idea of peace doesn't usually jive well with anyone else's happiness.

> Mother had taught me they were the best Maeve could do in imitating her better sister, and should be pitied but never trusted.

ah, the usual Yikes(™).

> “Golden Shore,” said Maia. “We have heard that such as we can be welcome there.” [...] it was the best any changeling born without a promised place could hope for.

interestingly, golden shore seems to be approximately equivalent to earlier canon. maybe worse in reputation, but they did take in changelings and supply food. 

> As [amandine] also refused to allow any member of her family to shop in mortal lands, we had to purchase our eggs from Golden Shore

first, wow amandine you controlling asshole. second, i bet this extends not just to shopping but to leaving the summerlands entirely. makes me wonder if titania is primarily exerting control over the summerlands and/or the kingdom of the mists, but not the rest of faerie? even for one of the Three, this must be quite an exertion of power (though it likely depends on the physicality + how many people are caught up in it, of course).

> had not Maeve so cruelly cut us off from the deeper lands of Faerie.

ahaha but oberon did that, not maeve. perhaps this is the 'dishonor' referred to earlier.

> the [changeling] children they claim rarely last a handful of seasons. They break.

fuuuuuucked up. 

> “Your kindness is noted, and will be remembered,”

toby's still toby, even after it all 😭

> The lives of changelings were short and brutal, better than humans only because they could see the glories of Faerie, worth less than both humans and fae in every other possible way.

did i say fucked up? well. fucked up. and the degree to which toby has internalized this is extra fucked up.

> Who was I, orchestrated, wanted, and beloved, to pretend at understanding what they suffered? [...] If Mother tired of me and cast me out before August was ready to establish a household of her own, I had little doubt that I wouldn’t survive the year. [...] Mother has made sure I knew that well and truly.

toby, the fact that you have a legitimate concern about this directly contradicts what you just said. subconsciously she knows that amandine doesn't love her. (also, the later offer from the hamadryad for toby to leave with them is just. even strangers can see there's a fucked up dynamic here.)

> I had never lived a day outside this tower, and Oberon willing, I never would.

hahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahaha (sarcastic). again, though, really reinforcing (via steel chair to the face) how much this is not our toby.

> My mother, Amandine, is daughter to Oberon himself, and my father, Count Torquill, keeps no noble Court because he is sworn alchemist to the Rose of Winter

first, interesting that amandine is being open about her firstborn status now. second, simon no :((((((((. third, oh fuck me sideways evening may be awake. (though, interestingly, if this is a dream world, she may still be more 'real' than other folks if she's asleep but sharing the dream-reality.) (also, 'rose of winter' – evening may also be open about her firstborn status? presumably because titania is around to favor her daughter.)

> I was simply a girl who knew her place, who was content where she was, who understood her limitations.

[screams]

> More tired than I should have been after such a brief encounter

i wonder how much of this is emotional, versus how much might be toby being tired from pregnancy?

> My name, as I have now stated twice, is October. That is all.

[SCREAMS LOUDER] did i say steel chair? sorry, i meant a wrecking ball. toby is always, always, always introduced as october daye, the knight of lost words. often with additional titles. she is never just october.

> My mother’s trick is in changing the balance of someone’s blood.

so toby knows what her mother can do, but does she know what she herself is capable of? i bet not, if amandine is trying to keep her contained.

> they rendered our social customs unstable and unsustainable, for any changeling child could get their hands upon one such and remake themselves in Titania’s image without intervention or consent.

in titania's image, hmm? also interesting, this is just like the early rhetoric around hope chests as being items of legend, unavailable to modern fae.

> Her services are but one of the many reasons changelings are better off within the Court system rather than hiding in hovels with parents who should have known better than to bear them without.

so much internalized hatred for changelings! also, amandine openly using her power in addition to being known as firstborn – doubly wild.

> I will never marry, never have a household or children of my own.

haha. hahahahahhaha. but. also. toby, i weep. she's going to be so fucking confused.

> Each noble house and each among the Firstborn is asked to do their duty, to provide a pair of hands to press into the service of greater Faerie.

this is both uhhh kind of gross and so extremely titania-esque. this hatred of changelings as lesser and yet also 'ready made servants.' forcing everyone to have kids. yikes.

> whose daughter, January, still dwelt in her father’s halls in Briarholme.

interesting, given we know jan's dad is dead and has been for almost a century. perhaps this means that january inherited the place, or that in this version of faerie her dad is… someone else?

> A pureblood could no more offer insult to a changeling than a cat could look at a king

as pointed out by many on the discord server… a cat can look at a king. but, apparently, not in titania's faerie.

> strong against iron, which would be the preferred means of disciplining an unruly commoner who somehow offended a noble.

… if i recall correctly, iron exposure is considered torture normally? and now it's used as common discipline? fucked up!

> If August left without me, my death would be the likely outcome.

hmm. yikes! i would like to think that simon and august would not let that happen, but between titania and amandine… to reiterate: yikes.

> I slumped into one of the uncomfortable couches Mother insisted were appropriate for the sitting room

it amuses me that amandine has shit taste in interior decorating.

> Something was terribly wrong, if Faerie’s children were so afraid of their own homes, their own places. I frowned to myself, a private expression. Such thoughts were unbefitting. 

more cracks in the wall! toby cares, and toby knows this is fucked up, even if both her conditioning and her conscious mind are trying to tell her otherwise.

> Nothing was wrong. Nothing could be wrong, not in Titania’s Faerie. [...] To fail her was to fail Faerie.

[screams EXTREMELY loudly] this is going to go so well (dripping sarcasm).

closing thoughts: toby is in quite a bad place, but she's still herself underneath it all, and there are already some cracks showing. amandine's situation may be different but her attitude towards toby and the rest of her family clearly hasn't changed from treating them as playthings that she owns. titania seems to be... as fucked up as expected.

honestly i can't wait for this book i am so excited to see how this all catches on fire.

[perkwunos]

I’ve been having vivid dreams, which I’ve only just started to remember and write down. Here is one from a few nights ago:

In my dream I was at school with a friend. A professor came up to us and told us that a zoom talk we referenced and criticized in a canvas discussion page never actually got to happen. Meaning, she knew we completely BS’d our discussions. She took it in good spirits but we were both ashamed.

Later we were in a parking lot, in his car, when I spotted a bear nearby. I anxiously told him to make sure the doors and windows were closed and locked but he wasn’t responding. I noticed a bear’s snout start to poke through a small hole somewhere in the car’s ceiling above me, but then it started to descend further and further until it was almost touching me. I got out of the car and ran away, climbing over some trash.

It seemed like I was inside a warehouse, walking by stacks of boxes and furniture.There were cops screaming and pinning people down, saying they’re looking for someone. They did not bother me, however, and I was able to keep walking. Eventually I turned back in the direction to the parking lot, but many people were setting up tables, chairs, other random objects to block the way so that I had to climb over them.

The next night I would have this dream:

In my dream I was back in Mexico City. I was with my family eating at a Chinese restaurant, and people from high school were working as waiters there. I looked out a window and thought I saw UNAM (the big university’s) library, but checking google maps it not only didn’t seem to be it, but I couldn’t find anything on the map that resembled what I was looking at. Later I was walking around the streets still in Mexico City, alone, and trying to look up on google maps where UNAM’s campus was. It seemed very far from where I was, too far to walk, so I gave up on that. I noticed I passed by a red headed American woman (or at least, someone talking in American English), and then I stopped by a fountain where a blonde woman put her face into the fountain’s water and seemed to drink from it; I was put off by this unhygienic act. Now the perspective in my dream altered somewhat, and it was like I was looking at the selfies of this blonde woman—who had an Instagram model kind of look—that she’d taken in different parts of Mexico City. Things started to be narrated by another man, and we ended up in what looked to be an indoor mall where he met up with another guy, as they talked about how this mall visually demonstrated the set of all possible geometrical objects.

The figure of the absent university library is curious, and then there’s the underworld-like role of the warehouse and mall--places of commodities and capital--which both these dreams terminate in, although in the former it is outwardly violent while in the latter there is the promise of what is on the face of it infinite knowledge.

I just recently started a full-time job, and now every morning on my way there I walk by an old, enchanted-looking house. There is some type of fortune telling machine on the porch, next to a witch’s broom, and then painted on the fence nearby is what looks to be a fairy queen: a pale, purple-red-haired woman with a silver crown studded with jewels, holding a sign that says “caer sidhe” (which, as far as I can tell, is combining a Welsh and an Irish word together). The only living thing I’ve seen at that house is a cat, who will meow a lot at me as I pass by but runs away if I stop to pet it. I think constant contact with this fairy house has been making me dream.

This past week, on the evening of the autumnal equinox it suddenly started pouring rain and dropped 10 degrees (F) in a matter of minutes. Since then it’s been significantly cooler, so that it really does feel like fall got ushered in all at once. Walking back home from work Friday evening the air was crisp and slightly chill, but the sun was still out strong, the foliage still mostly green but with accents of brown and red, and there was something like nostalgia in the air; I started thinking about the ‘90s.

[noctilionoidea]

I made a Halloween and folklore themed painting I’m pretentiously calling The Veil Discarded. Because Halloween is a deeply important holiday for me in a variety of ways. This’ll be a long one folks.

Halloween is my favourite holiday. I loved reading about, as a child, how my ancestors (a huge and crazy concept to someone who wasn’t being raised with much of any cultures) would ward off spirits during the time when the veil thinned/lifted. I thought it was really, really amazing and just so cool. Then with the addition of several other holidays, it really just feels like an appreciation for the dead and shoving my face full of sweets surrounded by creepy things. Halloween is also great because it fuels my obsession of buying fake human skulls. Is it weird? Yes. Shut up. Also I’m a goth so it’s just a great season to find things. My mom and I like to go Halloween shopping and I recently found out that she likes doing it because of how excited and happy I get at all the creepy, “witchy” looking things and just... I love my family so much!

Anyways, there’s a lot going on background wise here. I struggle to get into the symbolism, like that woman is a faerie but like also a ao sidhe which has clear connotations and so you probably know who she’s meant to represent if you know mythology and this is referencing a specific Irish myth about samhain too but only vaguely cause it’s symbolic??? So nothing should be taken seriously whatsoever in a myth context.

A little cropped out, but also I put Jack o’ lantern, the ghost that explains the stories of will o wisps! He’s actually how I found out about will o wisps, wish those happened here in New England… but I mean we have a demonic state park here in Mass so I guess it’s an okay trade off.

basically, this shitty asshole named Jack is gonna go to hell and the devil’s come to collect his soul, but he cons the devil, making them get drinks first. Then he makes the devil turn into a coin to con the employees at the pub (a cardinal sin in my eyes tbh) and then has him drop in his pocket. THEN JACK JUST… DROPS HIS CRUCIFIX ON THE MAN. Utterly hilarious I swear. Anyways Jack makes the devil swear that he’ll never go to hell. And he doesn’t! But he’s a dick, so heaven doesn’t let him in, so the devil just gives him a fire to keep him warm in the in between. That’s the version I heard at least. I’ve heard it twice from separate sources that way so I think that’s how it goes.

I’m so fuckin ready the trees are turning and my mother’s garden is dying a natural death for the coming winter and just aaaaaa I love fall in New England so much. But advice, if you’re going to Salem go in another season! Even when I go in summer it’s very tight because Salem is still very traditional in its layout, so all the tourist areas are tighter cobblestone streets. But there’s a lot that the movies don’t show about Salem, like the nautical history. It’s gonna be cheesy, and the witch trials were basically just people selecting the impure (those they hated) to be eternally ruined, so it’s not… tonally fair? But it’s so wonderful and fun, and just the biggest fuck you to the puritans. Look what happened to your theocracy. Bitch.

[lailoken]

Grimalkin & the Cat Sìth

Grimalkin (also spelled a Greymalkin) is an archaic term that was often used to describe cats; particularly haggard, female cats. The term stems from the color “grey" and the archaic word "malkin", which was a term with various meanings and was derived from a hypocoristic form of the given name Maud. Debate surrounds the etymological evolution of the term from woman to cat, but regardless, Grimalkin eventually came to be referenced in Scottish legend as a Faerie Cat that prowled the highlands. Though mythological sources are scarce, The Grimalkin is consistently identified with the Cat Sìth (or Cat Sidhe) of Celtic folklore, and is generally represented as a demon or shapeshifter. In line with Celtic Faerie-lore, Grimalkin is described as a Spectral Cat the size of a wolf or horse, who stalks the Scottish hills and moors.

According to legend, the Cat Sìth is said to appear as a large black cat with a white spot on its chest. Further cementing the role of Grimalkin as a ferocious Faerie of the Cat Sìth is the fact that virtually all Scottish legends surrounding the beings make reference to their size, ferocity, and propensity for the highlands. Some of the more common folklore suggested that the Cat Sìth was not a faerie at all, but, in fact, a witch who could transform into a feline guise nine times. The tales indicate that, while a witch could transform freely between her humanoid and feline forms, she had only eight opportunities to do so; if she were to transform a ninth time, she would be doomed to spend the rest of her days as a cat. It is believed by some that the idea of a cat having nine lives originated with this folkloric concept.

As with the dangerous reputation of the Grimalkin, the people of the Scottish Highlands were often untrusting of the Cat Sìth. This was largely, in part, because it was believed that a Cat Sìth was able steal a person's soul before it could be claimed by the gods, needing only to pass over a corpse before burial to claim the soul for its own. Therefore, protective watches called the Feill Fadalach (Late Wake) were performed through both night and day, in order to keep at bay any Cat Sìth that might appear to claim a person’s spirit. Methods of "distraction" were frequently employed to keep the Cat Sìth away from the room that housed the body of the deceased, such as games of leaping and wrestling, offerings of catnip, musical performance, and the telling of riddles. Aditionally, no fires were to be lit in the vicinity of the body, as it was widely believed that, much like mundane cats, the Cat Sìth were attracted to the warmth. Even though most folk in the region were distrusting of the Cat Sìth, certain rites were to be performed in their honor. On Samhain, for instance, it was said that a Cat Sìth would bestow blessings upon any house that left out a saucer of milk for it to drink. Those who did not leave offerings of milk, however, were at risk of being cursed by the Sìth with scarcity; particularly in the form of their cows’ milk running dry. Contrasted with their menacing reputation throughout the Scottish highlands, one of the less daunting accounts the Faerie Cat can be found in the British folktale “The King of the Cats.” In it, a man comes home to his wife and housecat, Old Tom, and explains enthusiastically that he had seen nine black cats with white spots on their chests carrying a coffin topped with a crown. The man relays that one of the cats told him to "Tell Tom Tildrum that Tim Toldrum is dead." The cat then exclaims, "What?! Old Tim dead! Then I'm the King o' the Cats!" before climbing up the chimney to never be seen again. It would seem, then, that the vast majority of the tales regarding the Cat Sìth which might lend themselves to the figure of Grimalkin arose in Scottish folklore.

Another practice related to the Cat Sìth, which illustrates certain connections to the Grimalkin, is the grizzly ceremony that was known as the Taghairm. Sometimes translates as "spirit echo," the Taghairm was an ancient Scottish method of divination reviled throughout much of the Hebrides. The defined requirements of the ceremony varied, but always involved the torture of animals or people, and sometimes included animal sacrifice. One variation of the Taghairm, aiming to raise the Devil for the sake of fulfilling dark wishes, called for the roasting of live cats, one after the other, for several days without eating or sleeping. This was said to summon a horde of shrieking devils who appeared as black cats, with their master at their helm. Another version of the ritual was said to summon a Great Demonic Cat known as “Mòra Cluasan” (Big Ears,) who would answer any question and grant any wish of the summoner. Both these variations on the Hebridean ceremony make reference to a mighty demonic cat, vicious even amongst the Cat Sìth, which ties in clearly to multiple aspects of the figure known as Grimalkin.

While reading a Norse magical text, I once came across multiple references to Grimalkin, or Grimalkyn, in Scandinavian mythology and folklore. However, I have not been able to find any source to corroborate that mythological connection as of yet.

[hekatepoetryxxwriting]

How is the transgression of boundaries explored in ‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter and ‘Carmilla’ by J. Sheridan Le Fanu?

In ‘Carmilla’ by J. Sheridan Le Fanu and ‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter, the idea of female oppression being thwarted by the women’s self-awareness of their sexuality and their ability to use it as a form of power is explored through various boundary transgressions in both novels. ‘Carmilla’ be Le Fanu was influenced by real life Countess Elizabeth Bathory and was the predecessor to Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’. ‘Carmilla’ is also referenced in Angela Carter’s short story ‘The Bloody Chambers’ (it is the name given to one of the Marquis’ previous wives), thus linking the two novels together.

In another one of Carter’s stories, ‘The Company of Wolves’, there is a transgression of gender roles regarding the girl in the story. In the Gothic genre, women usually fall into three types: The Trembling Victim, The Femme Fatale, and The Crone. However, the child in this story is none of these, and displays strength that defies the stereotypes in her confrontation with the werewolf as seen when she ‘burst out laughing; she knew she was nobody’s meat’[1], which is itself is sexual symbolism that makes the ‘meat’ a metaphor for the sexual objectification of women’s bodies, which she rejects by laughing. Her laughter is also a mockery of the patriarchal expectation of submissiveness that men believe all women possess. It suggests that the girl is aware of the power her sexuality carries, much like a femme fatale. The same could also be said for ‘Carmilla’, where Laura’s father ‘won’t consent to you leaving us’[2]even though he has no familial ties to Carmilla. In both stories, the fathers seem to be in a superior position within the family, and evidence of this can be found not only in that quote from ‘Carmilla’, but also from the line ‘Her father might forbid her’[3]in ‘The Company of Wolves’. The verb ‘forbid’suggests that he hold powers over his daughter and is able to control her actions. This is a reflection of the patriarchal family systems which were in place up until the late 1970s, when men were considered the breadwinners. Angela Carter, a feminist, was part of the movement that broke down those family systems; Carroll Davids referred to this in her review of Angela Carter; “Angela Carter’s portrayal of husbands and fathers not only reflects the ideals of her time, but also contradicts them on occasion with the femininity of the men.”[4]

There is also a transgression of gender through the empowerment of female characters in ‘Carmilla’ and ‘The Werewolf’. In both of these texts, the female character succeeds through her own means, rather than relying on a man to support her. In ‘Carmilla’, it is through death that Carmilla is able to gain power. This idea is strengthened through Laura’s speech to Carmilla in Chapter 4, where she asserts that ‘Girls are caterpillars while they live in the world, to be finally butterflies when the summer comes’[5]. The use of this metaphor suggests that girls are only free of the constraints that surround women when they have died, a suggestion that is supported by Colleen Damman’s analysis of the novel “as a woman, Carmilla can only claim her sexuality after death. Thus, vampirism is the only way she can express her own carnal desires. Besides marriage, becoming a vampire is one of the only ways that female sexuality is licensed in the Victorian era”[6]. Meanwhile, in ‘The Werewolf’, the child represents the New Woman and is pitted against her grandmother, who represents the generation of women who have fallen under the thumb of a patriarchal society. The final line states ‘Now the child lived in her grandmother’s house; she prospered.’[7]which implies that the child benefits from the downfall of the previous generation and is able to live happily without a husband or children. This conclusion suggests that women can live complete and fulfilled lives without needing to be married. Angela Carter’s feminist views on empowerment were controversial during her lifetime, including negative reviews for her book ‘The Sadeian Woman’ due to its defence of the Marquis de Sade, who wrote violent erotic novels that many consider sexist and inspired the word ‘sadism’. In regards to the empowerment in ‘Carmilla’, Elizabeth Signorotti states that “Le Fanu allows Laura and Carmilla to usurp male authority and to bestow themselves on whom they please, completely excluding male participation in the exchange of women”[8].

The inclusion of the female ‘Monster’ in ‘The Lady of the House of Love’ and ‘Carmilla’ also transgresses the boundaries placed around gender and the roles women play in society. The Countess is a vampire, much like Carmilla, and bears similarities to Elizabeth Bathory, the acclaimed ‘Blood Countess' who was rumoured to be a relation of Vlad the Impaler. The Countess in Carter’s tale embodies the idea of a Gothic Femme Fatale through the description ‘Everything about this beautiful and ghastly lady is as it should be, queen of night, queen of terror’[9]- the repetition of ‘queen’ places emphasis upon her position within the story. She is the highest authority within the text, being the queen, and is not subject to male dominance. In ‘Carmilla’, the monster is humanised at its death by Laura ‘a sharp stake was driven through the heart of the vampire, who uttered a piercing shriek at the moment, in all respects such as might escape from a living person in the last agony.’[10]and a simile is used to liken the monster’s pain to that of a human’s, implying that Carmilla is not actually that different from human beings. It seems that Le Fanu, like Carter, is suggesting that women who are free from male dominated societies are not monsters but are in fact just as human as everyone else. Le Fanu’s decision to focus on a female vampire may have been influenced by the legends he would have known growing up, namely the stories of the Leanan Sidhe and the Dearg-Due. These myths revolved around female vampiric creatures that preyed upon Irish youths and left a lasting effect on the victims even after the creature’s death (Laura never fully recovers from the effect of Carmilla, and often imagines she will return.). A connection between Le Fanu and the myths of the Leanan Sidhe and the Dearg-Due can be made as his mother read Irish folk tales to him when he was a child.

The continued transgression of gender moves onto the reversal of gender roles in ‘The Erl King’ and ‘Carmilla’. In ‘The Erl King’, the titular character defies the stereotypical role of men in literature as it states that ‘He is an excellent housewife.’ -[11]Carter ironically using the feminine spousal term for him. Aside from this, he has long hair he frequently combs and he takes part in activities that were frequently considered feminine, such as cooking, basket weaving and collecting flowers. Carter may have taken elements from the traditional Pagan god ‘The Green Man’ and his myth; he completed a loop in which he would conceive a child with ‘The Goddess’, die, and then be reborn as the child he created. Certainly, the Erl King is similar in appearance, as well as the narrator of the story stating ‘I would lodge inside your body and you would bear me’[12]. This is a metaphorical reference to birth, something only females are capable of, which juxtaposes the idea of the Erl King birthing the narrator. ‘Carmilla’ does the opposite, as Le Fanu gives Carmilla masculine qualities, the most obvious being her inhuman strength ‘and unscathed, caught him in her tiny grasp by the wrist.’[13]The use of the adjective ‘tiny’juxtaposes the power Carmilla is able to demonstrate. Moreover, a less obvious trait of masculinity is Carmilla’s lesbianism which was , in Le Fanu’s time, sinful in Ireland, and sexual desire for women would have only been acceptable from men. The inclusion of homoerotic features in ‘Carmilla’ points towards Le Fanu’s possibly relaxed view of homosexuality, as pointed out by Christy Byks, who states “Le Fanu, one of the godfathers of Gothic, appears to draw upon features that women would not have been given during his era, and his writing of Carmilla and her inability to fit in with most female Gothic characters would likely have been a topic of controversy within Ireland, a country ruled by religion.”[14]. This idea is supported by the introduction of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, which takes many ideas from ‘Carmilla’. Many literary theorists suggest that Bram Stoker wrote ‘Dracula’ as an answer to the female centric ‘Carmilla’, choosing to re-focus the story upon men, with women being forced back into smaller, weaker roles.

Further transgressions of boundaries, including the transgression of religious boundaries, can be viewed in ‘The Company of Wolves’. This story mocks religion through an intrusive narrator who informs you ‘you can hurl your Bible at him and your apron after, granny… and all the angels in heaven to protect you but it won’t do you any good.’[15]This is the intruding narrator mocking the two key aspects that Carter believed held women back, that being the ‘Bible’and the ‘apron’, which is a not just a symbol of stereotypical femininity; a feminist literary study showed that almost every female character in a fairy-tale wears an apron, referencing their roles as the housewife. seems to be Carter herself, who openly stated that she thinks “Mother Goddesses are just as silly a notion as father gods. If a revival of the myths of these cults gives women emotional satisfaction, it does so at the price of obscuring the real conditions of life. This is why they were invented in the first place.”[16]Rather similarly, in ‘Carmilla’, Le Fanu presents Carmilla’s aversion to religion, and portrays a fight between Carmilla and Laura’s father, which could represent an argument about nature versus God. Carmilla speaks against Christianity ‘”Creator! _Nature! _” said the young lady in answer to my gentle father. “And this disease that invades the country… and under the earth, act and live as Nature ordains? I think so”’[17]. The caesura used between the words ‘creator’and ‘nature’ not only symbolises her anger, but in placing a caesura here, Le Fanu separates God from Nature, and therefore denies religion the claim of creating everything. This scene contrasts with Le Fanu’s own background, whose father brought up the entire household with strong Catholic beliefs.

This questioning of religion perhaps suggests why there is also a transgression of moral boundaries in both texts. The ‘Trembling Victims’ within ‘Carmilla’ and ‘The Lady of the House of Love’ are Laura and the Soldier. Both texts include a similar juxtaposition of feelings towards the ‘monster’. In ‘Carmilla’, Laura portrays the Gothic feature of ‘The Uncanny, in people’s reaction to her; “but there was also something of repulsion. In this ambiguous feeling, however, the sense of attraction immensely prevailed.’[18]This shows that Laura subconsciously knows that something is wrong with Carmilla, because like most Victorians of the time, she reflects the belief that the appearance of a person was an indicator of their moral standing. Carter’s ‘The Lady of the House of Love’ has a similar scene in which ‘Her huge dark eyes almost broke his heart with their waiflike, lost look; yet he was disturbed, almost repelled, by her extraordinarily fleshy mouth’[19]The descriptive imagery and modified noun phrases work to emphasise the Countess’ appearance and how the soldier is affected by this, and it also represents the notion of the ‘Male Gaze’, the theory presented by Laura Mulvey, that women are either sexual objects there to satisfy men, or the housewife. The two notions are represented in the Gothic genre as the Femme Fatale and the Trembling Victim, and the Countess in ‘The Lady of the House of Love’ has facial features that are stereotypical of both women. Her ‘huge dark eyes’ and ‘waiflike, lost look’ are used often in the description of innocence, whilst her ‘extraordinarily fleshy mouth’ is a sign of sexualisation. Freud’s theory of ‘The Madonna and the Whore’ also comes into play here, as the Countess and Carmilla both bear qualities (both physically and metaphorically) of innocence and sexuality. The presentation of the soldier as a Trembling Victim links with Angela Carter’s view that not only should women become more masculine, but that men should also embrace femininity.

Laura in ‘Carmilla’ transgresses the sexual boundaries placed around her by choosing to refuse medical treatment from her father and the doctor. In doing so, she rejects the idea of curing her illness, which is a metaphor for lesbianism, and becomes free to make her own decisions in regards to her body. She takes on the dominant role in saying ‘I would not admit that I was ill, I would not consent to tell my papa, or to have the doctor sent for’[20]by making her own decisions regarding her wellbeing. The first-person pronoun ‘I’ is used so that the readers understand that Laura is the sole maker of these decisions. Through this illness, she has been able to gain freedom from her father. According to Christy Byks, Laura’s illness is a visualisation of what Victorian’s believed homosexuality was: a disease that needed to be cured. Byks says “Two ideas are at work in this passage. First is Laura’s father’s attempt to control the women who are becoming “ill” and dying; the men want to “cure” her (Laura) by making her well and keeping her among the living, for it is in death that the women break free… By making these interactions with Carmilla a medical problem, the situation can be contained and defined, thus still under the control of men”[21]. Angela Carter also provides transgressions of sexuality when placing women in the dominant position. In ‘The Company of Wolves’, it is the girl who makes the first move towards sexual intercourse, as suggested by the removal of her clothes in the extract ‘The thin muslin went flaring up the chimney like a magic bird and now came off her skirt, her woollen stockings, her shoes, and on to the fire they went, too, and were gone for good[22]’. A simile is used to present the girl’s clothes as a ‘magic bird’, and this personification of her clothing suggests that by removing her clothing, the girl, like a bird, is free to go wherever she wants to. The use of listing used within this quote also suggests that layers are being removed, eventually revealing the girl’s real desires beneath. Angela Carter herself believed that women were not given an equal role in sex, as stated in her book ‘The Sadeian Woman: The Ideology of Pornography’. In her comparison of Justine and Juliette, she states “Women do not normally fuck in the active sense. They are fucked in the passive tense and hence automatically fucked-up, done over, undone.”[23]and it is clear that this idea of a preference of submissive women over dominant ones had a large influence on how Angela Carter shaped her female protagonists and their attitudes to sexual desire, especially in regards to ‘Wolf-Alice’, who’s title character, like the Marquis De Sade’s Justine and Juliette, was originally housed in a convent after being found with the wolves.

The portrayal of the convent in ‘Wolf-Alice’ itself does not conform to the traditional view of religion, and instead transgresses religious boundaries by presenting the nuns not as kind, helpful religious figures, but instead as oppressive matriarchs; the nuns’ only purpose in the story is to attempt to integrate Wolf-Alice into the human society they live in, evidenced when ‘The nuns poured water over her, poked her with sticks to rouse her’[24]and ‘Therefore, without a qualm, this nine days’ wonder and continuing embarrassment of a child was delivered over to the bereft and unsanctified household of the Duke’[25]. When they find they are unable to manipulate her into becoming like everyone else, their choice is to pass her off to a male figure instead, whose house is described as ‘bereft and unsanctified[26]’, which is ironic, as it means the nuns, extremely religious beings, abandon their ward in a house that is considered unholy. This irony serves the purpose of being a metaphor for how society treats outcasts as whole, by isolating them from those considered normal. Angela Carter herself believed religion to be mythical, and stated “I’m interested in myths because they are extraordinary lies designed to make people unfree”.[27]The second transgression of religious boundaries in ‘Carmilla’ is during the funeral scene where Carmilla states ‘Besides, how can you tell your religion and mine are the same… everyone_must die; and all are happier when they do.’[28]and uses a caesura, perhaps to indicate the way she views life. The use of ‘Why you must die--_everyone_must die’[29]indicates how short life is, and the suddenness of death is reflected in the caesuras. Furthermore, the use of ‘your religion and mine’ seperates the two, and conflicts with Victorian ideas of religion. Christianity was considered the one true religion, and therefore Carmilla suggesting she followed another religion would have been heresy. As well as this, her pain at hearing religious hymns in the line ‘”There! That comes of strangling people with hymns!”’[30]presents the idea of a supernatural aversion to religion and foreshadows the reveal of Carmilla’s vampiric nature.

In conclusion, the varied transgressions presented within the two novels provide solid evidence of both authors’ awareness of the problems that are faced by females within traditional literary roles, and both Carter and Le Fanu are able to present their arguments using a variation of language features and characters whilst managing to keep a strong theme of female sexuality at the forefront of their stories.

[1]‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter [2]‘Carmilla’ by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu [3]‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter [4]Carroll Davids on: How Does Angela Carter Deconstruct Conventional And Repressive Gender Identities In The Bloody Chamber [5]‘Carmilla’ by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu [6]Colleen Damman on: Women's sexual liberation from Victorian patriarchy in Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla [7]‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter [8]Elizabeth Signorotti on: Repossessing the Body: Transgressive Desire in Carmilla and Dracula [9]‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter [10]‘Carmilla’ by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu [11]‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter [12]‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter [13]‘Carmilla’ by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu [14]Christy Byks on: Women's sexual liberation from Victorian patriarchy in Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla [15]‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter [16]‘The Sadeian Woman: The Ideology of Pornography’ by Angela Carter [17]‘Carmilla’ by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu [18]‘Carmilla’ by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu [19]‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter [20]‘Carmilla’ by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu [21]Christy Byks on: Women's sexual liberation from Victorian patriarchy in Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla [22]‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter [23] ‘The Sadeian Woman: The Ideology of Pornography’ by Angela Carter [24]‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter [25]‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter [26]‘The Bloody Chambers & Other Stories’ by Angela Carter [27]Angela Carter on: Religion by SlideShare [28]‘Carmilla’ by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu [29]‘Carmilla’ by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu [30]‘Carmilla’ by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

[witchwood-inn]

Irish Folk Magic

Just wanted to share some bits and pieces of irish folk magic that I’ve been collecting! I’ve adapted some ideas for modern practices! I’ve referenced Ancient Cures, Charms and Usages of Ireland by Lady Wilde for this collection! More to come soon.

🌿The Hazel, Rowan, Willow and Yew trees were the most sacred trees in Ireland. The Hazel tree banishes and wards evil spirits, witches and demons. A stick made out of Hazel cut on Bealtaine morning can be used to cast circles to protect against them.

🌿The Rowan tree is very protective, and hanging a branch over your door keeps evil spirits and evil hands away. (Great for witches ladders and protects against hexes and curses)

🌿A stick of Blackthorn can banish unwanted spirits or demons.

🌿Mix 9 pinches of dried mountain moss with 9 pinches of hearth ash. This mixture is said to help against inflammation (Maybe add it to a poppet in the inflamed area or to spell sachets/ jars for healing purposes)

🌿Healing charm:

“May thou be healed in blood, marrow and bone. And may the (issue) die in thee in the name of (your deity/ god of healing) So it shall be!”

🌿A horse tooth rubbed on the jaw is said to ease toothaches, or carried in your pocket to protect against toothaches. (I’d say a horse tooth as a spell ingredient can help with issues of the mouth like public speaking, interviews etc)

🌿A horse shoe cleansed with fire (made red hot) then tied up over the entrance to your home is said to protect against bad luck. It must never be taken down. The horse shoe also protects against the Sidhe (Fairies) and witchcraft.

🌿Lusmore (Foxglove), vervain and mountain ash are good against witchcraft (breaking hexes/ curses etc) Vervain is best gathered on the rising of the Dog-Star (Sirius). Offer fruit and honey to the earth in return.

🌿Spiders tied up in a bag and carried with you wards off illness.

🌿The bones of a black cat can render you invisible, if the bone appears invisible in a mirror. (Perhaps a black cat bone can be useful in glamours to draw attention away from you) Black cat hair also wards evil spirits and witchcraft (hexes, curses)

🌿Honey, Milk and a pinch of salt drunk from a sea shell was said to be the cure for madness. (If you enchant this drink to help with emotional imbalances/ irrational thoughts etc it could be useful!)

🌿Wolf skin worn around the body as a girdle wards illness. (Wolf hair could be used in protection sachets/ jars against illness)

🌿The cure for deafness (perhaps for boosting clairaudience) Take cowslip roots, blossom and leaves- clean them well and bruise/press them in a linen cloth. Add honey and store in a bottle. Rub on the ears when needed (you could probably eat a spoon full or take it as a tea too)

🌿If you feel that someone is giving you the evil eye, say at once “The curse be upon thine eye”. The evil eye is cast strongest on Bealtaine. To cure the evil eye, drink holy water. (Moon/ sun water created on May Eve/ Bealtaine)

🌿Finding a 4 leafed clover brings you luck in all things, so long as you never show the clover to anyone else.

🌿It’s lucky to cut your hair on the new moon!

🌿Milk is often given as an offering to the Sidhe (the fae), in hopes that they will not disturb the home. The offering is left on dressers or by the hearth at night. But never give away milk, butter or fire on Bealtaine for it could mean you give away your luck.

🌿Primroses placed on the threshold (by your door) keep the Sidhe away.

I hope these little snippets of irish folk magic is useful to you! I’ll probably write more once I research more! Thanks for reading.

[delldarling]

Hi! I was wondering which creatures are truly classed as fae - and you seem like the perfect blog to ask!! Like kelpie, changelings, (normal fae) - is there a set list? I can't find anything anywhere, if you know or have a rough idea pleaseee let me know!

So, to start off my frame of thinking, I’m going to be referencing this post that I answered a while back, about what the definition of fae is/how I go about writing for Fae, etc - I’ll reblog it for good measure, just in case links are being a huge pain. 

Truly classed as Fae/faerie though? Most cultures the world over have some sort of equivalent (getting into etymology, you can break down base words into meaning: strange, or spirit etc), but in my personal case, I use Fae/Faerie/Fairy as an umbrella term for magical beings/spirits from Celtic-ish lore. 

Kelpies, changelings, dullahan, Court Faeries, selkies, trooping Fae, The Wild Hunt... The most widely known stories that I’m familiar with stem from Celtic roots, but there’s a healthy dose of overlap when it comes to Slavic and Germanic tales.  Stories like these are the ones that have and continue to inspire me, so my use of Fae branches out to plenty of beings that some might never associate with the word.

Goblins and elves, for example. When researching, they hit that Fae/otherworld box for me, even though the thought of them appearance-wise is hugely different. I know without a doubt that some would read what I just said and go excuse me, no: Not Faeries and I agree but also... They’re still kin, of sorts, even if it’s distantly.  And then you can also get into stories of Fae and spirits being a way to try to water down old deities when a new faith took over an area!

So again, I don’t know if I couldn’t call any of the aforementioned beings truly Fae when it depends on how deep you want to get into research and what area you’re looking into. Bringing up that other post though: I’m willing to bet that at least nine times out of ten, people will hear pixie/pisky and think of small winged fairies. Taking a casual search through stories about the Tuatha de Danann, Gods from Irish myth, will bring up plenty of tales that link them to what most people would consider Faerie. If you go looking for Brownies in folklore, they’re always listed as a type of Faerie too, despite no mention of wings. There are Banshee, or Bean-sidhe, which translates to “woman/women of the faerie mound/hill” but when you look up definitions or stories, they’re always linked to spirits and ghost types. 

Giving any of these beings a hard classification type is difficult, and most encyclopedias I have, or have read in the past, don’t always agree. I have encyclopedias for Faeries alone that include all of the above, but then I have books that include Kelpies under “spirits”, and Dullahan could classify as “undead”. Selkies could be grouped with skin-changing lore because they have similarities with Japanese Tenshi, or stories like Six Swans or Seven Ravens - but my first reading of stories including selkies was folktales based in Orkney, and then I think of Manannan Mac Lir and then my brain cycles back to Tuatha de Danann and = Faerie.  A Faerie tied to the sea, but Fae all the same. 

Actually, if you want to get REALLY into classifying things in folklore, look into The Motif-Index of Folk-Literature or the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index. You’ll probably have better luck looking in a library, as the books to buy are $70 per volume on amazon (and ATU Index is $250 plus), but there is some free info lingering around the net. Hoo, boy. I hope this helps a bit! I don’t know that I really gave a definitive answer, as everything I’ve written kind of boils down to: It depends, but still! 

Also, apologies for the wall of text lol

EDIT: Actually, if you want to take a look at the indexes, here’s a fairly good online version: Index!

[inspirationdivine]

What constitutes as a person, to you?

//we’re treating this as a meta because my answer is hopefully more interesting than Lydia’s, which would be something evasive like “This seems self evident, no?”

So the obvious thing is that to Lydia anyone human is not a person, and anyone non-human is a person. You get bitten by a werewolf and now have fun on the full moon? Person. Bitten by a zombie and died? Person. Bitten by a zombie and not died? Not person, probably (We’ll get there in a little bit). 

Lydia is far from the only character that thinks like this, or thinks like the opposite of this. Liz made this comparison earlier:  

Lydia: “Humans always feel like people. They think like people, too. That doesn’t change what they are, ever.” VS 

Kaden: "You’re right about one thing, though. They don’t stop being humans on a full moon because they weren’t human before or after either." 

But perhaps (and I don’t want to misinterpret anyone’s characters here) what makes Lydia different than some of those characters is her knowledge about humans. Lydia has an exceptional insight into what it’s like to be a human, and is incapable of forgetting it. To feel like a human, to think like one. Not because she’s ever been one, but because Leanan-Sidhe develop an emotional bond with their long term meals, and when the human is close to death, they develop a psychic bond. While it’s a biased group because she has a significant impact on their emotional and mental state, she experiences a nearly full range and depth of human emotion and thought. The emotion pretty much constantly, and the thoughts a significant proportion of her life. Lydia is extremely intimately aware of how similar humans are to fae. 

In a headcanon I’ll be posting some other time but have referenced a fair bit is that Lydia’s attitude is only partially due to her upbringing. She is by far the least human friendly of her immediate family, and the only one who abducts humans into her home. Seeing Fae as superior to other species is a common string in fae society, but her views are very strong even considering that. These opinions grew over decades.

Lydia’s refusal to see humans as people isn’t about ignorance or an absence of empathy, but the active choice to consider their existence as less valuable as hers despite all this. They’re prey.  

So what about the species humans can become, werewolves, zombies, vampires?  Lydia generally considers them people, but they rank lower in her hierarchy than most other species (but still miles before humans). The truth is that Lydia has never really experienced a before and after. She doesn’t socialise with humans, period. So her feelings have never been challenged by that process, right?  The closest we’ve come is Morgan, who Lydia first heard about when she was a dead human, but is now a zombie. While Lydia has her malicious moments (and the fairy ring is messing with her  attitude), she’s generally pretty supportive of the two and tries to put her reservations about it aside. But she never knew Morgan before. if she had, this would be a whole other ball game. If there was anything that could splinter her views, it would be through personally experiencing a human being turned into another species. 

Even then. I don’t see Lydia ever changing her mind on this.

[inkandglitter21]

Looking at Danu

My mother goddess is Danu. Google and various authors have a lot to say about her. I’ve done some digging into literature about her and examined some of the myths’ source material. 

Danu herself, at least under that name, is not real. The name Danu was a mistaken linguistic construct or guess. There are figures though that can be thought of as Danu/the origin of Danu. 

Lebor Gabala Erenn

According to Lebor Gabala Erenn, Danu is not the entire tribe’s ancestor; they are descendants of the biblical Noah. The writers of the manuscripts Lebor Gabala Erenn is based on were Christians who were creating a history, albeit a faux history, for Ireland. They altered the myths to fit a Christian lense. Lebor Gabala Erenn says the Tuatha took their name from three specific gods who were the three gods of Dana, their mother being Danand/Donann. With this in mind, there is a “Danu” figure, mother of three gods.

On the other hand, in the Welsh tales of the Mabinogion, there is a goddess, Don, who is a mother to several deities, not just three male gods like the Irish Danand. In Hinduism, there is a goddess named Danu who gives birth to a whole race of asuras, called the Danavans, enemies to the devas. The etymology of Danu is of Indo European origins and means river or waters.

Deities of the same etymology or function are not the same deity necessarily, but if this goddess is the same figure repeated in different cultures, perhaps Danand is Danu, the Irish Danu did exist, or Danu can be constructed as the mother of the tribe of Irish gods. A writer and scholar of Celtic myth, Peter Berresford Ellis, does just this.

A Constructed Danu

Peter Berresford Ellis claims there was an Irish Danu known as “the divine waters of heaven."

He does this in his two works, The Druids and Celtic Myths and Legends.He removes the Christian influence from the Irish origin stories by discarding the biblical ancestry.He then looks toward the ancestry of other pantheons, using the etymology, Indo European background, and Hindu concept of Danu to infer an Irish Danu’s existence.

Ellis also uses the fact that the Celtic people lived around the Danube river which is said to have the same etymology as the name Danu. However, in the Roman pantheon, it is said the Danube is associated with a male deity, Danuvius.

In his book Celtic Myths and Legends, Ellis creates a new origin myth inspired by the Celts’ sister cultures. In this tale, Danu, as the waters of heaven, comes and brings the barren earth to life. An oak tree, the god Bile, grows. They form a union, and Danu births the Dagda and Brigid.

Danu vs. Anu

An article published by Harvard, “Mater Deorum Hibernensium: identity and cross-correlation in early Irish mythology” by Sharon Paice MacLeod, examines a source that predates the Lebor Gabala Erenn. This source is The Glossary of Cormac.

MacLeod says Danu is in fact Anu, the namesake for the Paps of Anu, two breast-like mountains in Ireland. In The Glossary of Cormac, the Tuatha De Dannan are not called by this name. They are known as the “aes side,” people of the sidhe mounds or are referenced as the people of the goddess. Anu is named as mater deorum hibernensium: mother of the gods of Ireland.

MacLeod says the three gods of Danand from the Lebor Gabala Erenn were really the ���tri dee dana,” the three gods of skill. She says they were mistakenly turned into the three gods of Danand in linguistic confusion. She says the name Danand/Dannan was not found before the Lebor Gabala Erenn. She suggests the name is a corrupted form of domnann, the name of another tribe of legend.

MacLeod tells us the Anu name is associated with wealth and abundance, connecting her to the land. This name has been known as a name for Ireland and this goddess the embodiment. In various sources, people often associate Anu with or as Danu and call the paps by the name Danu as well. This is debated and argued by various sources. It has been suggested  the writer of the Glossary possibly imposed his region’s mother goddess, Anu, onto the goddess of the Tuatha. If MacLeod’s argument and sources are correct, this may provide a possible foundation for this notion of Danu being Anu.  

Conclusion

Perhaps the Tuatha are the people of the earth goddess Anu, who was turned into Danand and Danu. Then through the Indo European etymology of Danu and Hindu influences, she became a goddess of the waters. Or perhaps she is Danand/Danu, the goddess of the waters like the Hindu counterpart. Either way,  there is a mother goddess figure who this tribe is associated with. I have my ideas and perception of her. 

Image: Maxine Miller Danu statue, by John Beckett, patheos.com

[zuppizup]

For the writer’s ask - #s 3, 8, and 20 please! If I can ask all three at once? 😅

Oh yes! Ask away! 3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

Oh, hmm… well, I don’t tend to ever really give up on my WIPs and most of my ‘scenes’ end up as a WIP so... I either put them on the shelf, thinking I’ll eventually get around to them or I find a way to repurpose them into other stuff. I have a lot of WIPs on the go and I hope to eventually get around to posting most/all of them. I don’t want to spoil too much but I guess a few I like but still seem a long time away would be

Arranged marriage AU - Callum and Rayla bonding while learning to dance·      

Arranged marriage AU – Rayla showing Callum her Moonshadow powers while they sneak away with some Moonberry wine·      

Random scene that now has no place – Callum having no option to but leave Rayla behind while she fights off [redacted] and the conflict it causes in him.

Maybe someday these scenes will end up somewhere but for now, they are a bit orphaned.

8. Is what you like to write the same as what you like to read?

I guess? I generally prefer other people’s fluffy stuff to my own. I love angsty dramatic plotty stuff of all varieties.

I did start writing for this fandom because I consumed pretty much all the fics and wanted more. And by and large, I found many of the fics to be fluffly, when I really enjoy gritty stuff. 

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Oh hmm, I don’t want to give away too many spoilers with my WIPS. I do tend to incorporate Celtic mythology into my stuff.

I think one I liked but was super obscure was Medb’s Promontory from Zoom-mates, which was a bit of an in-joke from Discord. There is a mountain in Ireland called Sawel Mountain, which in Irish is a bit naughty. When I needed a location for Callum and Ezran’s hike, it seemed like a good idea to use that as a basis for the name.

Most of OC names are Celtic in origin.

Ethari and Runaan’s cat is Sidhe in reference to cat siths or cat sidhe from Celtic folklore.

My ‘big’ WIP, Purgatory, is in some ways, based around an idea from an Ursula K. Le Guin story and so I have referenced that in the text. I’m super excited to see if anyone picks up on it.

My work environment enforced references, so I tend to do a lot of research for even random part of my fics. If you have a question about an obscure part of my story, I probably have a decent amount of research to back it up.

[ao3feed-malec]

Like an Arrow Through Time

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2Oms6VD

by ToTheStarsWriting

At nineteen years old, the life Alexander Lightwood had been building for himself was ended in one fell swoop. Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, Alec is left deruned and banished, with no one to stand at his side. Not even his sister or his ex-parabatai. He’s stuck living a life on the run, constantly trying to avoid the demons who hunt after his angel blood, and the Downworlders seeking revenge, all while trying to figure out a way to clear his name.

But it’s not something he’s going to be able to do alone. Alec's going to have to learn how to trust the very people he was raised to believe were less than him if he wants to have any hope of finding out what’s going on.

Before it’s too late.

Words: 4456, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Shadowhunters (TV)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane, Ragnor Fell, Catarina Loss, Original Characters, Isabelle Lightwood, Jace Wayland, Lydia Branwell

Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood

Additional Tags: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Trials, Murder, discussion of, Child Murder, but not graphically, Past Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, dark themes, but again, not graphic, Hurt Alec Lightwood, Mundane Alec Lightwood, Deruning, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Magnus Bane, Protective Alec Lightwood, Magic, Downworlders, Discrimination Against Downworlders, Seelie, Unseelie, Sidhe, Use of legends, adapted to suit my needs, where it concerns the seelie/unseelie/sidhe, selective mutism

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2Oms6VD

[lailoken]

Sign of Arawn:

The Wilding Bow

—

This is a sigil I devised within my practice for the purpose of convoking and conducting the influence of Arawn—Wilding Lord and King of the Faeries.

In Welsh mythology, Arawn (Ah-row’un,) whose name most likely translates as “Exalted,” is known as the king of the Otherworld—the Faerie realm of Annwn, (Ah-noon,) sometimes called Annwfyn (Ah-new-vin.) He appears prominently within the first branch of the Mabinogi, and is frequently alluded to in the fourth branch. However, in later traditions, the position of the Faerie King was largely attributed to the Welsh psychopomp, Gwynn ap Nudd (G’win-app-nith,) whose name transates as something close to “The White/Shining Son of the Mist”—a possible kenning for the god's true name.

Gwynn ap Nudd remains an important figure in Welsh folk beliefs, hailed as the ruler of the Tylwyth Teg, or Fair Folk. He is often described as the “Lord of the Wild” and the “Warrior of the Blackened Face,” and is intimately tied to the traditional beliefs surrounding the Wild Hunt (a spectral procession of mythological entities, referenced in the folkloric traditions from Celtic, Germanic, and Scandinavian cultures.) One aspect of the Wesh legends pertaining to the Faerie King and his role as psycopomp / leader of the Wild Hunt, is that of the Cŵn Annwn (Coon-ah-noon,) or "Hounds of Annwvyn." They were said to be massive, phantasmic black dogs who served Arawn / Gwynn. They ride through the skies in the Autumn, Winter, and early Spring, tasked with the duty of shepherding a quarry of lost and wandering souls to the realm of Annwn. Later on, the myths were Christianised to describe the "capturing and damnation of human souls to the Otherworld", with Annwn equated with the Christian concept of Hell. Likewise, Arawn / Gwynn was later depicted as Demon King, Death Lord, and God of the Underworld through the lens of Christian theology.

While the figure of Gwynn ap Nudd took prominence over Arawn in many later Welsh works, and though the two have generally been accepted as analogous figures, the memory of Arawn has been retained in both myth and folk traditions, with one such example being a traditional saying found in a Cardigan folktale:

Hir yw'r dydd a hir yw'r nos, a hir yw aros Arawn

Long is the day and long is the night, and long is the waiting of Arawn

As an ancient Celtic deity with roots in the mysteries of nature and the hunt, Arawn has also been compared to various other deific figuress, such as the Gaelic Cernunnos, the Greek Pan, the Gallo-Roman Arubianus, the Norse Odin, and The Green Man, among others.

The Wilding Bow, Sign of Arawn, is a glyph imbued with the fierce and primordial magic of Nature. It came to me years ago, in a time of need, and helped guide me through the Twilit Passage of my own Awakening. It spoke to me of my power—the depths of which I had been made to fear—and led me through the Wilding Dance of accepting my own exalted nature. This sigil channels the ferocity and grace of Annwvyn, the Gloaming Realm of Faerie, and as such should be used exclusively when working with the Fair Folk, whether you call them Elf, Troll, or Sidh—so long as they be of the Twilight Brood. However, those rare few who practice the Welsh ways of Y Tylwyth Teg may find particular strength in calling upon the aid of the Faerie King. Employ the Sign of Arawn when working with the genii of the Plant Kingdom—as all plants exist simultaneously in our realm and the Otherworld—or draw on its power when working with the spirits and secrets of Nature’s Beasts—for they too are intrinsically linked to the mysteries of the Faeries.

Additionally; while my practice prevents me from the taking of animal, unless doing so is required for the continued safety and/or survival of me or another, it was communicated to me with no uncertainty that the Wilding Bow will lend its power to any righteous hunter who acts with reverence and respect for the natural world. For the taking of life can be a sacred act too—so long as the sanctity of that life is recognized.