#Beithir

[blairstales]

New Scottish Folklore Statue

Image source and link with more info

This new Scottish folklore statue, “The Beithir” (AKA Bella) is gorgeous!

A Beithir is a great serpent that was said to love caves and had deadly venom. I have a post on it here if you'd like to learn more:

[wickedsrest-rp]

NAME: Beithir

RARITY: ★★★★☆

THREAT LEVEL: ★★★★☆ | Large, powerful, fast, and armed with deadly venom… but only when a storm is brewing or raging. Otherwise, they’re snug in their dens and can’t be bothered to move.

HABITAT: Most frequently found in deep woodlands or mountainous environments. Beithir need a good deal of undisturbed space as well as somewhere they can comfortably burrow and hibernate. 

DESCRIPTION: Beithir are large snake beasts born of magic during lightning storms, especially in areas where reptiles (including lamias) have died. Some theorize they exist to balance some cosmic reptilian scale. Beithir can vary in the details of their appearance, but all take the form of a giant snake with glowing eyes and a stinger at the end of their tail. While variable in size, ones as long as a blue whale have been seen. They’re most active during lightning storms, feeding ravenously on flesh from any living thing, and then defenselessly hibernating whenever the weather is pleasant. They go through these cycles often, hibernating away in caves or crypts when inactive until another lightning storm wakes them and sends them into a feeding frenzy. Experienced monster hunters are aware of this pattern and attempt to locate their dens so they can strike when the beithir is defenseless. Basilisks tend to swarm around beithir nests, meaning that if you see many basilisks in one place, it’s likely there’s a beithir nearby, too.

ABILITIES: Their large size gives them great advantage when in direct conflict with humans. They can easily overpower most people and pose a great challenge for the rangers who typically kill them. They are also surprisingly fast for their size. Additionally, beithir rapidly regenerate from all wounds in a matter of minutes. But the most feared aspect of beithir is the venom that coats its fangs and barbed tail. This venom is lethal to living beings unless the wound is quickly washed in water. Beithir also grow valuable adder stones in their innards, and their scales can be used by spellcasters to create jewelry or garments that can bend or break the recipient’s will and make them prone to obeying commands from others. 

WEAKNESS: The tables turn when the weather is clear and pleasant. Beithir stay holed up in their dens, practically immobile. While they still have their rapid regeneration when they’re hibernating, they will not strike back or barely even move. It’s during this time that it’s easiest to kill them by beheading them. Their venom is powerful, but rapidly dissolves in any kind of water, making it a negligible threat to those who come prepared. Rangers have some degree of immunity to the venom.

OTHER VARIANTS:

Fraus: First described in the texts Roman priests of Mercury, fraus are embodiments of treachery, fraud, and lies. Sometimes a lie or other deception causes enough suffering to gain life of its own. Fraus resemble beithir in that they are large (though not giant) serpents with the tail sting of a scorpion, though they’re not tied to the weather. Despite their fearsome appearance, they’re generally non-aggressive other than stinging people, and prioritize going after the person whose lie gave them life. The poison of fraus’ sting isn’t deadly, but it damages the victim’s ability to trust and accept others. An exception is fae, for whom being stung by pure lies is potentially lethal if not treated quickly. Fraus are harmed by people stating painful truths about themselves. Ouch.

Bolla: When a snake or lamia reaches 50 years of age in areas of high paranormal activity, there is a chance it will mutate into a beast known as a bolla, whose power and form continues to evolve through long periods of hibernation. Functionally immortal unless slain, they spend most of their lives curled up underground in forests, caves, or swamps. They’re distinct for the patches of fur that cover their back, and the poisonous fluid that leaks from their scales. As the Bolla steadily grows larger, this paranormal poison can eventually leak from its lair and become a pollutant that warps the nearby environment with rust colored water and red moss, producing unnaturally toxic flora and fauna; however, it provides health benefits to reptiles. During their periods of activity, they strangle their food to death and then gorge on hearts, before going back to rest for 1-12 years. Intruders who wake up a bolla early will send it into a berserk fury, and their unrelenting rage has historically inspired villages to desperately offer human sacrifices to appease the bloodcrazed serpents' wrath.

(Art credit: Bonhotal William)

[2t2r]

Bella le Beithir, dragon celtique de Glasgow

Nouvel article publié sur https://www.2tout2rien.fr/bella-le-beithir-dragon-celtique-de-glasgow/

Bella le Beithir, dragon celtique de Glasgow

[ferromagnetiic]

// God i saw this and 100% Kid and Mr 3

                    【 𝐔𝐍𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐒𝐊. 】                     @waxgentleman

          ❝ What part aren't ya gettin??      I told ya to get up.      So. Get. Up. ❞

Kid will inspire some viciousness out of this man if it's the last thing he ever does.

[medicus-felini]

@beithirs sent

                  【 Bubblegum. 】      ❝ You have an eyelash — ❞      And without waiting for her to ask any follow up questions, he's extending his hand out to her face to caress his thumb over her cheek to remove the stray hair for her, lest it be drawn towards her eye. His fingers feel typically cold, and her fur remains just slightly damper in the wake of his touch, as if he's only just washed his hands in frigid tap water.      Several swipes of his thumb pad occur, and he looks first initially confused, before paving the way for an expression that demonstrates awkward embarrassment.      ❝ ...Nevermind; it was just your fur. ❞

────────────────────────

   𝙻𝙴𝚃𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚂 .   unprompted interactions ────────────────────────

     Linn struggled to hide the bewildered expression that came oh so naturally with the cabin boy's touch.     One could say she was lucky to have fur covering her skin   —   His wet, icy fingers, however, had an alarmingly prominent aura that bled through the softness of her coat. The cat flinched, if only subtly. Breath caught in her lungs, throat contracting.

  And she stood paralyzed, after Bubblegum took the opportunity to wipe his digit numerous times across her pretty little cheek.

     ❝ Yes, fur. ❞     Came so dryly, it could be easily mistaken as a rare display of annoyance coming from the doctor.     ❝ I appreciate your concern, Bubblegum. However, maybe you should refrain from touching people without their consent. I believe most would not be as forgiving as I am. ❞     Linn handled it professional, even if it was quite the hardship in such situation. Swearing she could still feel the wet imprint on her cheekbone, the feline shivers. That was absolutely unnecessary.

She needs a shower now. A long, uninterrupted, hot shower.

[meowgiciann]

[ Bubblegum ]

❝ Uh... I heard Combo talking about how we found some stray cat in the dumpster and we were gonna adopt it.... ❞

He narrows his eyes until he's squinting hard at the feline-man standing before him. He really didn't fit the bill of the animal Combo had been describing. He had made it sound like some filthy flea bag; old, round, lazy, scruffy, smelly. The man before him was finely dressed, elegant — suave, even. He certainly didn't bear any resemblance to the idea Bubblegum had formed in his head thanks to their head chef's description.

Still. Combo had said they had found a stray cat, and suddenly this person shows up... Maybe this was that very cat after all? It would be a very strange coincidence if that wasn't the case.

❝ ...That you, Meatball? Pspspspsps, C'mere, Meatball...❞

@beithirs

✠ Sadly, the elderly “gentleman” who Faust was feeding the past days wasn’t there; probably moved to a new block since the mice’s population decreased. The magician was about to leave when a stranger’s voice was heard. It’s not the first or last time people mistake him for his fellow felines, he’s used to that treatment due his past, it’s not surprising. Instead of addressing the mistake, the mink simply looves to go along with it to test the limits of human’s stupidity. He shortens their distance. “Cough cough.” He says the words instead of the action, raising a paw. “Meeow meeow.” Mischievously blinking in slow pace, speaking in a humanely tone that doesn't sounds a bit like a cat's meowing. “Meeow meeow.”

[yourfavoritetiefling]

[ Bubblegum. ]

Looks him up and down, checking him out, eyeing him up like a piece of meat.

❝ Nice mustache. ❞

     𝙻𝙴𝚃𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚂 .   unprompted interactions

    Oh, great.     Another one picking up on the mustache joke. How original. No, he won't shave it off. It will grow   !   Just give it a little time   !   His father always told him slow growing facial hair runs in the family. That's his second-biggest faith next to his God anyway.

     ❝ Nice hair. ❞    A short reply from the helmite. Almost spitting the words under his breath.

   ❝ Wait- . . . Did you actually . . . mean that   ? ❞

[butrememberthesong]

i have so many thoughts on the squid entity and i cannot share them with either of my Thoughts People so. skip the tags if you are avoiding endgame spoilers.

[ikkaku-of-heart]

@beithirs asked: 【 Hop. 】           This is the first time Hop has set foot on the Polar Tang. Her eyes are scanning the interior of the submarine as she's trailing behind her Captain, inadvertently hidden by his enormous frame. It's not a frequent occurrence for her to see the inside of another crew's ship, particularly when said crew was one of their most imposing rivals. She's taking in the sights as if she suspects she might never have another opportunity to return, and contemplatively coils a lock of hair around her finger until it twists into a loose ringlet. Her attention is quickly diverted to the birthday girl herself when she sees her. Despite never having met Ikkaku before, she was easy enough to identify, being possibly the only other woman in what was otherwise looking like a bit of a sausage-fest. When Kid and Killer are done introducing themselves to the scene, Hop approaches, striding closer with poised steps on raised heels. Each movement from her long legs is deliberate and distinguished, the steel flooring beneath her shoes serving as an imaginary catwalk. She smiles at Ikkaku in a way that is a little too calculated to be warmly authentic; too perfectly practiced, and lacking sincerity. It's a movie star smile, but does not inspire a sense of congeniality. It is the kind of smile that would drop far too quickly if she believed she didn't have eyes on her.      ❝ Hey, thanks for having me unannounced. ❞ She invited herself, as she was inclined to do. From under her arm she presents a neatly wrapped parcel adorned with a coiled ribbon. It's obviously a book — Ikkaku needn't remove the paper to figure that out for herself. Whenever she does chose to reveal the present, she will be greeted by the front cover displaying an illustration of a man and a woman longingly gazing into each other's eyes, their arms entangled around each other as they lay down together on a bed that's been littered with rose petals. It doesn't take a genius to figure out exactly what kind of novel this is. Erotica. She bought her porn. Something really graphic, too, almost to the point of being needlessly descriptive and just starting to border into being slightly uncomfortable to read. Hop continues to give her that same artificially saccharine smile.      ❝ Happy Birthday. It's nice to finally meet you face to face. ❞ The way in which she specifically depicts the encounter as being nice only seems to further emphasize the counterfeit polite front she's asserting. Birthday Ask

"'Having you unannounced?' Honey, I don't even know who the fuck you are." She could only assume she was a Kid Pirate, given who she arrived with. Ikkaku was seriously going to have to talk to Killer about boundaries, as letting him have Kid as a plus-one was about as much as she could tolerate. At the very least, he could have run it by her. She'd certainly never invite along Penguin or Shachi to the Victoria Punk without asking first, and generally only with a reason like wanting backup in case Kid decided to get violent.

Regardless of whether she was invited or not, Ikkaku already didn't much care for this woman. She exuded arrogance and her thanks and smile didn't exactly feel sincere. Hell, it felt more sarcastic and snarky than anything else. Like she was planning to cause trouble. Kid was forbidden from it tonight, so had he ordered her along to cause it for him? Or had this chick taken it upon herself to be a nuisance because that's what Kid Pirates did?

Still, Ikkaku opted to at least accept the gift, carefully tearing off the wrapping paper to reveal the book within. A dark eyebrow rose, as the engineer was familiar with this book. She'd read it a few times, and while the sex scenes were fairly hot, the plot was only so-so.

"Awwww, cute. You trying to shock me or something? Looking to mortify me or cause a scene? Because I can't think of any other reason to give a stranger porn." Of course Ikkaku had gotten plenty of erotic novels from her friends for her collection, but they were all people who knew her. This chick that she didn't even know the name of? This was either an attempt at a prank or she was woefully socially challenged. Regardless, Ikkaku had no interest in giving more of a reaction than that. This was her party, and she was going to have fun. Though, she would certainly be telling the guys to keep an eye on this party crasher. If she caused issues, Ikkaku would give Killer one chance to handle it himself as first mate. After that, it was up to Law, and that wouldn't be pretty.

Shrugging her shoulders, Ikkaku placed the book next to the bottle of wine Killer had brought. "But a gift is a gift, and my copy does have some coffee stains, so a replacement is appreciated." Standing up, she crossed her arms, mouth set in a hard, thin line. "As for this meeting being 'nice,' let's not get ahead of ourselves. Especially considering how you didn't even bother to actually introduce yourself. So, you'd better be on your best behavior, otherwise this meeting'll be ending with you in time-out. And by that, I mean locked in a morgue drawer until your captain leaves."

[aarcanegrimm]

Phantasm Note 3

Next chapter introduces one of the guilds “beasts” Lorelei Beithir

I’ll give you a hint a little different than Tahlia in Burn Butcher Burn (get it cuz Thalia is smol)

It’s also gonna come across as a fast paced chapter because I have written so many different versions of the exams (aka 3 others lol) and truthfully the only important character in regards to the exam is Lorelei

And just for fun I’m calling them the Beasts because of how strong they are

Floryn, Axel and Hook don’t count

Floryn is the Guild leader, of course she’s powerful plus she’s got a dark past (literally cuz she can’t remember it)

Axel has quite a unique magic, and while it’s not quite the same magic I’ll admit I have made him the cousin of one of the fan favourites

Hook he’s the big papa bear who will go berserk so… yeah can be strong but other wise he can really only give you some nasty burns

Beast One:

Sera Beau, former noble, with trauma to come with it. She’s also fiercely protective of her little brother. (Here’s a little fact after her “injury” she and her brother ran away and changed their last names because their parents just ain’t it) She also has Ice magic

Beast Two:

Lucile Flare, commoner from the forsaken realm with what feels like an unlimited well of mana (she has a limit she’s just got great control) and loves to dance. She has fire magic

Beast Three:

Lorelei Beithir, now she… she I’m keeping under wraps for now too but she has a weapons based magic

I wonder if anyone has guessed what Disney movie’s Floryn is based around just yet? Because I’ll be honest the clues are already there lmao.

But I’ll be nice and tell you this, each love interest / relationship will have one or two Disney films that I’m working around :)

Though you already know about Nebra’s :)

Anyway sorry for the ramble I’m just having so much fun with this story and I’d love it if more people interacted both here on tumblr and on AO3

[blairstales]

Beithir | Scottish Folklore

Within the highlands of Scotland, there was once folklore of a type of great serpent called Beithir.

"Beithir, adder, serpent, thunderbolt, lightning, a destructive deity dwelling in caves, corries, and mountain fastnesses." Carmina Gadelica, Volume 2, by Alexander Carmicheal, [1900]

It was one of the fuath, making it very dangerous, and was so large that it could eat several horses or cattle in one meal.

It preferred to lurk in dark places, such as caves, and had a bite with venom.

"Beithir was a venomous and destructive creature, who lived in dark caves and corries in the mountains. " Highland Mythology by Watson, E. C. (1908)

It was not one specific creature by the name, but instead a species.

Some were said to be killed, such as the one of Islay. It was first tempted by barrels of meat which were hiding spikes to be swallowed, then it was finished off by cannon-fire.

“The big beast of Scanlastle in Islay was one of this kind. It devoured seven horses on its way to Loch-in-daal. A ship was lying at anchor in the loch at the time, and a line of barrels filled with deadly spikes, and with pieces of flesh laid upon them, was placed from the shore to the ship. Tempted by the flesh, the ‘ loathly worm ‘ made its way out on the barrels and was killed by the spikes and cannon.” Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland by John Gregorson Campbell (1900)

There is one other tale in Popular Tales of the West Highlands by J. F. Campbell [1890], that mentions the Beithir. In this story, a boy is cursed by a shirt made of the skin of a Beithir.

The daughter of a wise woman falls in love with the boy, and agrees to several sacrifices in order to save him. So, the mother puts the boy into a cauldron with specific herbs, and the beithir transforms from a shirt, back into a serpant, and attacks the girl(as was expected). The girl cuts the beithir off (and her breast with it) and so the boy is freed from the curse.

They marry, she get’s a golden breast, then they go on adventures together.

Old Macdonald, travelling tinker, told me a long story, of which one scene represented an incantation more vividly to me than anything I have ever read or heard. “There was a king and a knight, as there was and will be, and as grows the fir tree, some of it crooked and some of it straight, and he was a king of Eirinn,” said the old tinker, and then came a wicked stepmother, who was incited to evil by a wicked henwife. The son of the first queen was at school with twelve comrades, and they used to play at shinny every day with silver shinnies and a golden ball. The henwife, for certain curious rewards, gave the stepdame a magic shirt, and she sent it to her step-son, ” Sheen Billy,” and persuaded him to put it on ; he refused at first, but complied at last, and the shirt was a beithir (great snake) about his neck. Then he was enchanted and under spells, and all manner of adventures followed but at last he came to the house of a wise woman who had a beautiful daughter, who fell in love with the enchanted prince, and said she must and would have him. “It will cost thee much sorrow,” said the mother. “I care not,” said the girl, “I must have him.” “It will cost thee thy hair.” “I care not.” “It will cost thee thy right breast.” “I care not if it should cost me my life,” said the girl. And the old woman agreed to help her to her will. A caldron was prepared and filled with plants and the king’s son was put into it stripped to the magic shirt, and the girl was stripped to the waist. And the mother stood by with a great knife, which she gave to her daughter. Then the king’s son was put down in the caldron, and the great serpent, which appeared to be a shirt about his neck, changed into its own form, and sprang on the girl and fastened on her; and she cut away the hold, and the king’s son was freed from the spells. Then they were married, and a golden breast was made for the lady. And then they went through more adventures, which I do not well remember, and which the old tinker’s son vainly strove to repeat in August, 1860, for he is far behind his father in the telling of old Highland tales. Popular Tales of the West Highlands by J. F. Campbell [1890]

[bloodyarn]

Wow, the Babsi simp club will really hate @beithirs . Mark my words.

[dirtwatchman]

PARTIES: Caleb Aesil (@DIRTWATCHMAN) TIME: May 23rd SUMMARY: Aesil's been up to no good. They notice Caleb is feeling a little...conflicted. WARNINGS: Not on the triggers listed but wanted to warn anyway, there's some body horror.

Somebody help me through this nightmare I can't control myself Somebody wake me from this nightmare I can't escape this hell (This animal, this animal)

“I just want to know where you got it.”

A whimper rang out through the night as Aesil rolled the tiny beithir fang around Caleb’s clumsy fingers. It had been fashioned into a necklace, set deep into silver with a matching chain which wrapped around the very fingers the tooth was held. Unfortunately the silver it was encased in made it impossible for Aesil to use this particular piece but if they knew who had made it then they could pay a visit to see if they had any more that were not yet fashioned into jewelry. The girl who was wearing it was being less than forthcoming though, testing the demon’s patience. It didn't matter. It wasn’t like they had anywhere they needed to be. If Caleb’s boss hadn’t fired him by now then they weren’t really sure what they had to do for it to happen. 

“We have all night, you know. I can keep slicing if you’d like.” She was a particularly stubborn one who had endured multiple cuts along her body already, the sight of the blood giving Aesil all the entertainment they needed to drag this out as long as she was willing. Her cries were muffled by the trees that surrounded them on either side, the canopy of leaves blocking the noise from carrying towards the downtown area of Wicked’s Rest. They were louder this time as Aesil dragged their blade’s tip along her collarbone, making sure to press in deep. The C and the A were already formed so now came the L. If this girl lived, which was a big if, they wanted to make sure she knew exactly who had given her these marks. 

She struggled to get out from under the demon that was straddling her, pinning her to the soft dirt of the forest but those delicious screams of hers spurred them on, a wicked gleam in their eye. Caleb was fighting against them, an internal struggle to match the one going on beneath his body, but Aesil had a firm grip on him as well. It was getting easier to push the man’s thoughts and feelings aside in favor of their own and soon enough they wouldn’t have to deal with him at all. He was giving up, fading into the background of his own mind with each life that was taken by his own hand. 

But there was something nagging at Aesil as the screams turned back into whimpers. They watched the tears flow down her cheeks as she sputtered, pinned arms pushing against the weight of their legs in a feeble attempt to get free. They could feel the distaste the zombie held for all of this bleeding through but there was another emotion that was underlying it all, something that Aesil couldn’t quite put their finger on. 

Was it glee? Satisfaction? It sure felt like Caleb was enjoying something about all of this. Every now and then that unidentifiable emotion would bleed into Aesil followed by a huge wave of disgust that they were sure was directed at himself. The zombie was having fun underneath it all even if he didn’t want to. “You really are a sick man, aren’t you Caleb?” The girl beneath him let out hot tears with their murmured words, probably suspecting that the name they had whispered was the one they were currently carving across her chest. It brought Aesil’s attention back to her instantly. “Where the fuck did you get it?”

Finally, she sobbed out an answer that Aesil didn’t want to hear. “An ex-boyfriend gave it to me years ago. I don’t know where he got it!” Fuck these humans and their awful communication with each other. The demon frowned deeply, bringing the knife back to her chest to start carving the E. “What am I going to do with you now? You weren’t helpful at all. I can’t let you live if you can’t give me the information I want.” Instead of the whimper Aesil had been expecting they raised a brow as she screamed, guttural, angry, a scream that could have been intimidating if they had been anyone else. Instead, the demon laughed as they pulled the knife back to examine their work. 

She looked defeated when she saw how amused they were. Tears stained her red cheeks as her body relaxed beneath them. “I know where you can get things like it.” Her voice broke on the last ditch effort to get them to stop and let her live out the rest of her traumatized life in peace and Aesil leaned in closer. The amused gleam in their eye faded as seriousness took over, waiting for her to continue. “There’s a bizarre in town. It pops up in random places and only certain people know where to find it when it’s here. My ex’s family are vendors that frequent it. I can get you in.”

“Or…you could tell me your ex’s name as I finish my masterpiece.” They started the last letter, carving the large B into her skin while she screamed again. Their knees tightened around her body as the human started to struggle, doing everything she could to break free and stop the pain that Aesil was inflicting…that Caleb was inflicting. They were almost done when she screamed the name at the top of her lungs, the demon finishing anyway despite her lack of loyalty to someone she was supposed to care for. Or did she not anymore? Either way, condemning someone to the same fate as hers was cruel in itself. 

They could hear the pain rattling through her heavy sobs, her marred chest heaving as the last carved letter revealed the collarbone beneath. Aesil must have pressed harder than they thought much to their own glee. Their eyes were glued to the open flesh, the demon reaching out to run a finger over the slippery skin as she hissed. “As fun as this has been, I have an ax to grind…or I guess an ex to kill.” Her eyes widened slightly, like she was surprised the psychotic man on top of her was going to maim this ex boyfriend the same way they had maimed her. Aesil tilted his head and sent her a chastising look. “You didn’t really think you weren’t sending him to an early death, did you?” They saw her gulp, that wicked smile they had adopted returning. “Oh, come now. That’s almost as bad as believing you were going to live through this.”

Fear incarnate suddenly appeared before them, Aesil raising the blade with both hands before slamming it into her chest again. And again. And again. Her body twitched with each gash that was made over and over, her blood spattering across both of their faces, until the last ragged breath left her pierced lungs. They could only imagine how much Caleb resembled a madman in that moment as they wiped the blade on the girl’s jeans, trying their best to take away some of the slickness that had coated the whole thing.

In the struggle Aesil had cut themselves but the skin didn’t bleed nearly as much if at all, their head shaking as they examined the wound weaving itself back together slowly. “Perks of being a zombie. Seems you’re good for something, Caleb.” Anger flashed through their mind, their eyes rolling. “Anyone ever told you that you need anger management? I’m so sick of that emotion, what happened to the joy at watching her slow torture?” The extra voice in their head was silent at that. Aesil had shut him up for once, their lips lifting into a smirk. “Don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret.” Again, there was silence on the other end of their connection but the demon paid no mind. They had a body to get back home and a brain to harvest lest they wanted that god awful smell to return.

[medicus-felini]

[ Bubblegum ] 𝚃𝚁𝚄𝚃𝙷 + ❝ Give it to me straight, Miss Linn... Do you think I'm annoying? ❞

@beithirs (Bubblegum, who else.) `♡´ Truth or Dare

He wants a straight answer. Can she provide it? After all, Linn tried to wrap her head around the reasons why Bubblegum was so interested and excited about her work. Maybe there was a hint of a real passion for medicine. Her hopes were high until she remembered that he basically cosplayed a hot nurse the first day on the job.

❝ Sometimes, yes. Also could you stop bringing your figures to my office? I need the space on my desk for my notes... ❞

[predakings-den]

Opinion on the beithir(the mythical creature)? It seems like something that'd be to your liking :)

Have a nice day^^

“Celtic mythology? You humans seem to have a plethora of tales, gods, and creatures stemming from different parts of the world. Lately, I’ve been noticing that historical folklore has been catching my interest, which seems to make sense in some strange way.”

“‘The beithir is described as "the largest and most deadly kind of serpent", or as a dragon (but without certain typical draconic features such as wings or fiery breath).’ And their bites are venomous? Very interesting…”

“This makes me wonder, considering Predacons were a part of the foundation to these mythological creatures and their sightings, if I could ever come across something similar to this beithir one day. I would enjoy testing my strength against it.”

[greywritesrandom]

Legends and Lore - 7 {Monster}

Dragon

Though never proven to exist, dragons have slithered and soared through the myths of countless civilizations, leaving behind a trail of awe and fear. These legendary beasts, often linked to royal power, have been etched into the tapestry of human history, becoming symbols of the unknown and the untamable. From the fire-breathing terrors of the West to the wise, serpentine guardians of the East, dragons have captured our imaginations, taking on many forms and meanings.

In Western mythology, dragons are the embodiment of destruction—massive, winged reptiles with scorching breath and a penchant for devastation. They dwell in dark caves, guarding hoards of treasure, yet their true treasure is the fear they instil in those who seek them out. Their fiery breath and razor-sharp claws are the stuff of nightmares, making them both revered and reviled.

In contrast, Eastern dragons are creatures of deep wisdom and mystique. These serpentine beings, often depicted with four legs and flowing manes, are not merely beasts but celestial beings, symbols of balance and power. They command the elements, bring rain to parched lands, and are worshipped as deities in their own right. But even they possess a dark side, one that whispers of ancient, forgotten powers.

Here are some of the most intriguing dragons and dragon-like creatures from mythology, each with its own tale of mystery and dread:

Ayida-Weddo: A serpent-loa in Dahomey and Haitian Vodou mythology, Ayida-Weddo is the rainbow serpent married to Damballa. She represents the connection between the earth and the heavens, yet her true nature remains elusive, a mix of nurturing and terrifying power.

Bida: In Soninke mythology, Bida was a serpent that protected the kingdom but demanded human sacrifices. When a young warrior defied her, the kingdom crumbled, revealing the dark cost of her protection.

Ninki Nanka: This West African legend speaks of a dragon-like creature lurking in the Niger River, a beast of many forms and descriptions. It is said that those who encounter the Ninki Nanka do not live to tell the tale, their fate sealed by a single glance at this mysterious creature.

Ouroboros: The ancient symbol of the serpent eating its own tail, the Ouroboros is both a dragon and a symbol of eternity. It represents the endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth, a creature that devours itself yet is never truly vanquished.

Kirimu: From the Mwindo Epic, this seven-headed dragon is a creature of nightmare, with black hide, a massive belly, and the tail of an eagle. It made a blood pact with Nkuba, the lightning god, sealing its place in myth as a being of raw, untamed power.

Kulshedra: An Albanian dragon that, after years of growth, reveals its true fire-breathing nature. This creature causes droughts and demands human sacrifices, a force of nature that brings ruin until it is slain by a Drangue, a winged warrior with supernatural abilities.

Tatzelwurm: A creature from Alpine folklore, the Tatzelwurm is a lizard-like beast with the face of a cat and a serpent-like body. It is said to dwell in the dark, remote corners of the mountains, its very existence a mystery shrouded in fog and fear.

Drac: Catalan mythology speaks of the Drac, a serpent-like dragon with poisonous breath and a stench that rots all it touches. These creatures are rarely seen but always feared, their presence heralded by a wave of decay and death.

Beithir: In Scottish lore, the Beithir is a snakelike dragon associated with lightning. Wingless and fearsome, it strikes from the shadows, its very name a whisper of doom.

Peluda: Also known as La Velue, the Shaggy Beast, this French dragon is covered in quills that it shoots like arrows. It is a creature of chaos, bringing death and destruction wherever it roams, feared for its relentless, unpredictable nature.

These dragons, with their diverse origins and terrifying powers, are more than mere legends. They are the embodiment of humanity’s deepest fears and desires, creatures that bridge the gap between the known and the unknown, forever lurking in the shadows of our stories. The dragons of myth are not just monsters—they are the guardians of secrets, the keepers of ancient knowledge, and the ultimate challenge for those who dare to seek them out.