#Tikoloshe

[allmythologies]

day 20 of horror mythology: tikoloshe

tikoloshe are a mischievous and evil spirit that can become invisible by drinking water or swallowing a stone. tokoloshes are called upon by malevolent people to cause trouble for others. at its least harmful, a tokoloshe can be used to scare children, but its power extends to causing illness or even the death of the victim. 

[spinooc]

Doodles ✏

[errantsquam]

birthday gift for @spinoone, of his ocs and a couple of pokeymans! happy birthday my dude :y

[inspofromancientworld]

Legendary Creatures: Tikoloshe

The Tikoloshe (also known as Tikolosh, Tonkolosh, Tonkolosi, Tokoloshe, Tokolotshe, Thokolosi, or Hili) is a Nguni (also known as Zulu) creature. It is a dwarf-like mischievously evil water spirit. It is said to do things from as mild as scaring children to causing death.

The creature came from the Bantu people as a way of explaining carbon monoxide poisoning and death from people sleeping on the floor in rondavels (round houses with cone shaped roofs made of stone) with fires going and poor circulation. As people realized that people who slept on platforms avoided the curse, the Tikoloshe was described as a short man, unable to reach those who slept above hip-height.

To invoke the curse, someone who is jealous (usually) will approach a sympathetic (evil) witch doctor and promise the soul of a loved one, though they cannot chose who, as payment to the Tikoloshe. A dead body is found for the Tikloshe to possess, and its eyes and brain are pierced with an iron 'so hot it cannot think for itself', then sprinkling of powders and shrinking of the body.

To avoid the curse, one needs to elevate one's bed above hip-height so that the Tikloshe cannot reach the person while they sleep. Spiritual leaders such as traditional healers or pastors on the side of good can also banish the Tikloshe, though they must be well attuned to their divine figure(s).

[briefbestiary]

To evade a tokoloshe, one should elevate the legs of their bed. To capture and banish the creature, one would have to ask for help from a spiritual healer.

[letsgethaunted]

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Episode 103: Ariel School Aliens aka The Ruwa UFO Incident Photodump

Image 01: Diagram of Ariel School Image 02: Alleged site of UFO landing Image 03: UAP/UFO child drawings 1 Image 04: UAP/UFO child drawings 2 Image 05: UAP/UFO child drawing 3 Image 06: Alien child drawing 4 Image 07: Tikoloshe/Tokoloshe Image 08: Podcast host Max Moszkowicz asks former Director of AATIP, Lue Elizondo, what his thoughts are on the Ruwa Zimbabwe case. His response is cryptic, but interesting. Image 09: Mount Nyangani Image 10: Map of 10 of the 12 Vile Vortices, one of the vortices is located in “The Megaliths of Zimbabwe”

[engeorged]

Aster's Maze

Follow up to Obi's Place, Santa’s Otto and The Sugarman’s House

Art by @badoobers

Words by @engeorged

I know it’s been over a year since I posted, but it’s been quite a journey for me. One I’m not even sure if I’m ready to talk about. The encounter with Obi changed me somehow and I’m not the same person I was. I can’t quite seem to settle anywhere for very long any more. I feel restless, and to be blunt, like I’m not quite fully present wherever I am.  My mind is always in a different place?

Let me go right back. By now, you’ve probably read about my encounter at Obi’s place. I’m not gonna lie, I was a wreck for a few days. It was like a hangover meets a sausage casing? The amount of food he’d packed in me took days to digest. I was swollen for 72 hours, not really able to do anything but sleep and go to the toilet. (I’ll spare you the details although I’m aware a few of you out there will want them you dirty bastards!!) I didn’t check my messages the whole time but after my last post, a lot of you had reached out to me. Turns out there’s quite a few of these guys around and they don’t fuck about! The pictures you all sent me were quite eye opening! (That's maybe for another post!)

The whole thing felt like a dream, but on reflection I realised it was a pretty good dream. I hate to admit it, but being able to eat that much food was quite a turn on. I tried for months to find him again and ask what he did to me. I’ve not been able to repeat it by myself, and trust me, I’ve tried. I can’t really even eat half of what he put into me. Every few weeks I would sit down in a restaurant or a buffet place and just block the afternoon out and eat as much as I could to see what would happen. Now I’m a big guy (and getting bigger!) and I could probably out eat most people if it came down to it but there’s just no way I can get as full as I did that morning. My belly is definitely increasing in size and capacity but still, without whatever magic he was using I can’t do it again. 

To cut a long story short, I ended up travelling. The few stories you sent me (that weren’t totally nuts) were fascinating, but from all over the world. I’ve been searching for trolls in Norway, piscies in the UK, dragons in china, tikoloshes in Africa. Nothing! Not a single bite. I was starting to believe that maybe it was a hallucination from being so over tired. Maybe the stripes on the road had hypnotised me as I drove or something. 

I’m currently living in Greece for a bit. I’ve pretty much run out and so I found a casual labour job on a building site in Greece. It’s a bit of a shit show to be honest,  but all I have to do is turn up and lay bricks for a few hours in the afternoon and I get paid! The extra bit of timber I’d put on means I break a sweat the second I get up, as even though it’s early autumn, here it’s still 24 degrees by midday! 

It was coming up to lunch time on the site when I started feeling a bit faint. I realised I’d not had anything to drink for a few hours and I was super dehydrated. I grabbed my water bottle and when lifted to my lips, only a few drips came out, so I had a scan of the area and saw a guy with a cart selling gyros and beers. Usually the street food was pretty good around here so I headed over, still wearing my tight high viz vest. As I got close to the stand I started to realise how hot the guy was selling them, now I’m newly ‘out’ and so I don’t still fully know what my type is but I can tell you reader, this guy was everyone’s type. He was stacked, his arms were like ripe watermelons and as I got close I realised how huge he was. I’ve told you I’m 6’5, but this guy towered over me. He must have been 7 feet easily. His hair was everywhere and he had this crazy medallion around his neck with a symbol on it I recognised from somewhere. 

Now, I know my story has ended up on some niche websites and blogs, so I know what you pervs are all waiting for. So here it is. His gut was potentially the hottest thing I have ever seen. It was huge. He was so tall it was practically oval. Firm and round and pushing against the buttons in his shirt. It was like he wasn’t even tempted to hide it. In fact, as I approached, he lifted his arms above his head to stretch which meant that there was a good three or four inches of furry dome poking out from underneath. He looked as stuffed as I was at Obi’s. As I got nearer I started to regret my decision to go over. I must have looked like an absolute state. I was wearing my battered work jeans and fluorescent jacket, covered in brick dust and sweat and I absolutely stank. A 280 lbs slab of man like me working in 30 degree heat is a recipe for funk, and I was dripping with it. He looked up and saw me so there was no going back, I committed and walked up trying to look cool. Something about him made me want to melt into a puddle. I said ‘Yasass’ in my best Greek accent and he replied with a bass filled ‘Hello, how can I help you’ in perfect English. His accent was vaguely British with a hint of Greek overlayed. The rumble of his voice made something shift inside me. I think I was in love. 

I ordered two beers and paid him. Lifting it to my lips, thirst took over and downed one on the spot. I didn’t really want to leave, I wanted to try and get his number or something. I downed the second beer and I could see it must have impressed him as he leant forward in his cart and offered me another. I ordered two and offered him one which he took. We stood chatting about the weather and what I was up to and as we chatted he started putting together a huge gyro full of amazing smelling meat. There was a hint of salad at the bottom but the thing was packed as tight as his shirt. He wrapped it up with his strong hands and offered it to me. I took it immediately and took a big bite, within minutes the thing had gone. It was the best tasting thing I’d ever had. When I finished I realised he’d just been watching me eat it, not saying anything. His dark eyes focussed on me making me feel very seen. He had very keen eyes that looked deep into my soul. (I know how pretentious that sounds, don't worry, but you’ll see I’m right in a minute!)

I jokingly said I could eat another one and before I’d finished my sentence he had one there in his large paw! I won’t bore you with the details because there will be a lot more later but suffice to say I ate 3 of his huge gyros. I was substantially full, my own belly was beginning to push out against my work clothes and I’m pretty sure I lost a button  I offered to pay but he wouldn’t take it. He just said he’d see me again. I went back to work on the site very full and very horny!

I stopped by for lunch every day for the next week and a half. In the evenings I discovered he owned a small but very cool restaurant bar selling the same food but with the addition of a whole selection of spirits and cocktails. It was a full two weeks before I plucked up the courage to ask him out. There was just something about him that drew me in. Reflecting back I don’t know if we actually spoke about much. Even now I know very little about him. All I remember is his huge belly, round and tight, every day staring at me. Perfection in a fursuit. I remember that he had a few piercings. The medallion round his neck had chains coming off it connecting to nipple piercings. He also had a heavy gold nose ring, which, if I wasn’t thinking with my dick, might have been a bit of a clue. I was looking out for whatever Obi was, not whatever he was. And is, I guess? 

On reflection, and with what I know now, he was strategically increasing my already substantial belly capacity for the game. (More on that later) Every meal, he would give me a little bit more food. A bag of stuffed vine leaves here, some baklava there, extra meat in the wrap, a special sauce, larger wraps. Before I knew it I was eating 6 of his gyros twice a day with whatever accompaniments he palmed off on me that day. Every evening I would spend bloated and swollen, nursing my aching stomach whilst thinking of Aster. (Oh I forgot, one thing I did get out of him was his name) I guess I should add that I didn’t twig what was happening in case that’s not obvious. I was bewitched by everything about him to the point where I didn’t realise he was testing me out for something much bigger. 

A few weeks in I had a penny drop moment, I’d just finished my 6th evening gyro and he was making me one more to finish me off. My belly was huge, packed with the supply of food he’d been encouraging me to eat. I was wearing a now painted-on shirt and I was standing in the street at 5pm obediently stuffing myself silly with his street food. I’d gone past full a few gyros ago and it was now simply pushing and stretching my stomach more and more. The feeling of the stretch (as some of you probably know) is exquisite. I’d experienced it fully with Obi and I’d been chasing that feeling all over the world to get to that place of total engorged capacity and it dawned on me suddenly I was there again. Something about that day made me realise I'd met another one of these creatures. Aster wasn’t human. 

I swallowed down my last bite and took the next one from his massive hairy hand. I looked at him properly for maybe the first time. Looking past my own lust and attraction and I saw that he wasn’t quite ‘right’. His hair was shaped in such a way that hair didn’t really grow. His side burns were much more than a side beard and that ring in his nose was huge because his nose was so large and flat. And his belly! No human belly would ever be that size and rounded shape when it was that big. It would be sagging down over his belt, not sitting proudly on top of it defying gravity. I started eating the food he’d made me and asked him outright. ‘Who are you?’ He looked me in the eye and said with a slightly crooked grin ‘Obi said you could eat.’ 

I stood back aghast. He was one of them. I had so many questions. But before I could ask any of them he started packing up his cart. I found myself rooted to the spot while he packed away. I literally couldn’t move. As he grabbed the handles he turned to me and put his large hand on top of my distended stomach and winked. And that’s when I saw it. The little purple twinkle in his eye. With that, he was gone and I was finally able to move. The fullness I was not noticing yet hit me and I nearly sat down on the pavement where I stood but I managed to pull myself together and make it back to the site where I did very little work. He’d fed me as much as Obi had done but without me noticing. And I let him! 

I could hardly wait for opening time at the restaurant that evening.  Still full from lunch,  I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to ask him out or just demand some answers. When I saw him behind the bar, cleaning a glass with a tea towel I knew what I wanted. I marched right up to the counter but before I had a chance to speak he pulled out a single purple rose which he handed me. As I looked at him in the low light, I realised all his confidence had fallen away and he was genuinely a little nervous. Turns out he’d fallen for me too. He ended up asking me on a date. Who knew a 7 foot tall Minotaur would be such a hopeless romantic. (Yeah I just dropped that in. I didn’t know how else to say it really! It is what it is?) He told me that he finished around midnight but that he had somewhere he wanted to take me and would that be alright. I agreed, obviously! And parked myself on a table by the window to wait for him. 

Even though the restaurant was pretty busy, he found time to be quite attentive. Every hour he brought me another rose and a plate of something to eat. By the time it was midnight I had a vase full of flowers and a belly full of Greek food! Bear in mind I was stuffed from lunch and I arrived at the restaurant at 6. So do the math to work out how full I currently am. That’s important for the rest of the story! As the final customers left I watched as he whipped round the place lifting the chairs and sweeping up as fast as he could. It was kind of cute to see how keen he was. When it was all done he explained to me that he wanted to take me somewhere that was special to him, somewhere he thought I would enjoy. He looked a little sheepish but I agreed. We walked through town (slowly I might add, I was basically round at this point) as he held my hand. Not many people can make me feel small but walking around holding this giant's hand was quite humbling. At this point I think my belly was bigger than his but he was still over half a foot taller than me. Being near him calmed my stomach too. It was like I was just pleasantly full when I was near him, not dangerously packed to bursting. We chatted a little bit but we mainly walked in silence, happy in each other's company.

We arrived at a sort of park on the edge of town. There were a few ruins we walked past but we ended up at the edge of what looked like a small cave. In any other setting I would have run a mile but he has been so tender with me I just felt super safe. In the moonlight, at the edge of the cave we stood looking into each other's eyes. He slowly leant in to kiss me and I let him. As he leant back I felt myself rooted to the spot again unable to move. He started walking backwards into the cave and as the dark consumed him he winked again and beckoned me to follow him. After a minute the effects of whatever it was wore off and I was able to slowly walk into the cave. After a few steps I discovered that  it was lit all along by torches and it started to become more of a corridor. There was no sign of Aster but I carried on into the maze. As I walked I felt a little rumble in my stomach. I brushed it off as just digestion starting and kept going. After a few turns it saw a few petals in the ground. The massive softie had left me a trail to follow. 

Eventually, I came across a small recess in the wall with a little table set into it and a candle. I sat down on one of the chairs and Aster emerged from out of the darkness with two heavy cloched plates. He sat down and put the plates in front of us. He pulled the cloches off to reveal a sizeable plate of oysters. I smiled and he smiled back. I found myself inexplicably hungry and went to take my first one, but he leant over and stopped me. He picked up a large oyster and lifted it to my lips. I smiled and opened my mouth and titled my head back. If I’m totally honest I’ve never eaten oysters before but I’d seen it in films. I knew I was supposed to swallow them whole so fortunately I didn’t make a tit of myself. I don’t know if you’ve had them before but I’m not gonna lie, they taste good but they are like swallowing snot! Being fed them was hot though! Knowing I had the full attention of this slab of man was really doing it for me! He fed me a few and then sat back and I did the same for him! Watching his heavy Adam's Apple bob up and down as he swallowed was a surprising new kink I discovered in that cave! 

Suffice to say, it was like time worked differently in that cave. We’d only been there a few minutes and there were a fair few oysters on each of our plates. Maybe 3 dozen each? They didn’t really take long to eat but it felt like we were there for hours. I wasn’t counting the oysters but by the time we’d cleared the plates, my belly had advanced quite a way. Like way more than a few dozen oysters would have done. It was still tight and round but it was a lot bigger and heavier. It appeared that my tank top had ripped at the edges and so I just took it off. Even though we were underground it wasn’t cold so I was happy in just my jeans. 

I looked at Aster and he had the biggest grin on his face. His own belly was beginning to blow out from our oyster binge. I could see even more of his substantial furry belly pushing out from his shirt. I wasn’t sure if he looked taller at that point? Everything about him was larger in some way and he was meatier and hairier too. (Yes every part of him was bigger. I won’t say more than that!) He was absentmindedly rubbing the underneath of his belly curve as he watched me readjust to my new bloated mass. His eyes were both kind and predatory at the same time. We stood there for a little while admiring one another until he winked and shimmered like Obi used to. With that he was gone and the chase was back on. I lumbered on further into the maze of tunnels, my swollen midsection slowing me down considerably. The path twisted and turned as I was led deeper in. 

I couldn’t tell you how long it was until I found him. At first, I began to hear running water and so, for want of any other clues, I followed the noise. The walls of the maze were beginning to look less constructed by human hands and more cave-like, I guess? Stone bricks giving way to actual stone. I even thought I saw a few flashes of gemstones here and there but I was more interested in my next meal. Even though I must have eaten a week's worth of food so far, I was still inexplicably hungry. I don’t know if I can describe how it felt. My insides felt packed full. Like totally solid. There was very little give to my belly. And yet I knew I wanted more. Actually I needed more. The stretched feeling I have when I’m around these guys is something I’ve never experienced before. 

Eventually, the water got louder and louder until I walked through a stone archway and found myself in a cavernous expanse. The sound of water turned out to be an underground waterfall, the water cascading down into a piercing blue lagoon. The ceiling was lit with some sort of glowing insects which were making a melodic rhythmic chirping sound. I searched around the expanse until I found him. He was sitting with his legs in the water next to a fire where he seemed to be grilling fish. It was the first time I’d seen his legs and they were indeed as you would imagine them to be. Covered in thick black hair. I couldn’t see his feet as they were in the water but I am guessing he didn’t have five toes at this point. It seemed that he was becoming more of his true self the closer we got to the centre. I made my way round and joined him sitting by the water. It was one of the most beautiful places I’d ever been. We sat there for a few moments in silence. Enjoying the beauty. I realised after a while that he was holding my hand.  He turned his attention to the fire and pulled out a perfectly grilled fish which he placed next to himself and he began to break off pieces of the succulent meat and began feeding it to me. The fish melted in my mouth. It was so succulent and tender. I ate the whole thing quickly and he brought a second fish over and put his hands back on the floor as a signal for me to feed him. I obliged, tenderly placing it into his mouth. We did this for a while until all the fish he was cooking had gone. He leant forward and I thought he was going to kiss me again but instead he plunged his hand into the water and pulled out more fish. I’m no expert but I know one of them was a Salmon, and a pretty big one at that. And I think there was a rainbow trout and something else sort of blue? We carried on eating and cooking and eating and cooking for hours. The time weirdness means I have no idea how long we were there or how many I ate at this point, but looking at the both of us we were both much bigger. I don’t know if it’s part of the atmosphere or I genuinely ate that much but there it was.  My own belly was enormous. Way bigger than I had been in the diner. His gut was spectacular. Round and hairy and now totally free from his shirt. Bear in mind he was nearly 8 feet at this point.

He reached over and tenderly began to massage my own swollen stomach. His hands, surprisingly gentle, but firm. I closed my eyes and relaxed and basically let him do what he wanted to me. All of my senses seemed to be heightened, every little touch was like a wave of ecstasy flowing across my skin. His smell was heady, strong and potent and filling my nostrils. Eventually, I realised he’d gone but I stayed there for a little while longer. Partly because it was so beautiful but also partly because I could hardly move. 

I pulled myself to my feet, hauling my cantilevered belly up. It was still self supporting and jutting straight out from me into the air. I wished there was a mirror somewhere so I could have seen it properly. I saw an opening in the wall near the waterfall so I followed it through into a darker and more narrow part of the maze. The walls were closer than before and there were a few parts where I was worried I might not get through with my newly ballooned gut. After a while I started to smell the aromatic smell of cooking pork which made me instantly hungry again. I followed the smell and found three doors with a riddle written above it. I can’t remember the riddle but it was something about liars and guessing the way. You can probably guess that I’m not the smartest guy, I’m not dumb, but when it comes to stuff like riddles I’m out. My belly was rumbling loud at this point too so I was distracted. I decided to just listen at each of the doors. Door one I could hear a whistling noise which I reckoned was some sort of drop. Door two was a distinct growling snore. Although Aster was super stuffed I was pretty sure it wasn’t him asleep, and having met some of these guys I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a cute teddy bear behind there! I approached door three and had a listen. I could just about hear a sizzling sound and with the smell of pork I couldn’t handle it so I threw the door open. I wasn’t disappointed! 

The room was a small stone cell with a fire pit sunk in the bottom. On top of it was a decently sized pig on a spit. I couldn’t see Aster so I stepped in gingerly. The door closed behind me and as I turned it dissolved into the wall. There was no way out. I stepped into the room and looked into the shadows at the edges.  And there he was, taller than ever. As he stepped out into the light of the fire I could see he’d changed more. The first thing I noticed were the horns that had now sprouted from the top of his head. They weren’t massive but they were slightly curved and protruding from his thicker hair. The hair wasn’t just thicker on his head either. He’d now taken off his shirt and I could see the extent of it. He was pretty much covered in thick black hair all over his arms and sides. Virtually the only skin visible was across his bloated sphere of a belly. And that had a decent covering all along the bottom of the curve stretching up to a thick happy trail that snaked up to his hairy pierced pecs. The thick gold chain connects to his medallion. 

He spoke with a deep gravelly voice that I could literally feel in my feet. He told me under no circumstances was there to be any pork left before we left this place. Under any other situation I would have laughed. The pig had to be 200 lbs of meat. That would literally have taken any normal person a few weeks to eat. But here, with him, I knew right there that we would do it. I was apprehensive to think about how much my stomach would distend after that but I knew that whatever this place was it would be ok. I walked up to him and put my hands firmly on the sides of his thick belly and looked up. He looked down at me and bent his head to kiss me on the lips again. I smiled and sighed with contentment. Something special was about to happen. 

He pulled back and handed me a sharp knife, and took out one of his own and cut a slab of meat. The juices were rubbing down his arm. He pulled off the crackling and greedily began to eat it, crunching and swallowing it down. He offered me the meat and I eagerly opened my mouth to receive it. It tasted even better than it smelt and within minutes the whole slab had disappeared into me. We continued to feed one another the pork for a while, taking it in turns to slice off large chunks of flesh and sharing the delicious meat. We were soon covered in the stuff, our bellies continuing their rapid expansions. As we progressed, instead of slowing down we began to speed up. We even abandoned the knives and took to simply ripping off our next portions and guzzling down our haul. He fed me and I fed him and we ate ourselves. The boundaries of reality slipped away as we gorged on the meal together. (Yes I know that sounded a bit twatty but that’s how it felt. How many pigs have you shared with a fucking Minotaur?)

We didn’t take any breaks in our gluttony, the pig simply ended up inside both of us. I’d guess Aster ate more, simply because he is a good few feet taller than me but I didn’t notice him actually eating more. By the time the pig was reduced to bones we were both insanely swollen. My own gut was packed so big I couldn’t see anything else when I looked down. The skin tightly stretched over the vast quality of food it held inside itself. If I thought for a second about how much food I contained I’m not sure my brain could handle it. I looked like someone had slipped an air compressor up my arse and turned it on for a good half an hour. Physics had to be different in there because there was no way I’d have been able to stand up without some supernatural help. Looking at Aster, he was the same. Comically swollen, his huge abdomen surrounded by a sea of hair. The only difference between us is that you could still see some of his muscle definition.  The power and strength he contained was tangible when you looked at his animal-like frame. 

Covered in grease and bits of food we sat back admiring each other's new size. I wanna keep the story a touch modest, but he was clearly aroused by our efforts. I won’t go into details because I never kiss and tell, but fuck me he was a big boy! I’m glad there was magic in the site because after what we did next I could have ended up in hospital! 

After we had, erm, cuddled, we lay back with our heads next to one another. Our engorged stomachs stuck high into the air, solid and packed with food, unyielding in their size and volume. We stayed for a period of time and chatted about our lives. Aster clearly wasn’t wanting this to be a one off encounter. He was surprisingly affectionate and romantic for a half man half bull. He wanted to know all about me and my life and what my plans for the future were. It was such a tender moment I could have stayed there forever but Aster had one more plan up his sleeve. He pulled himself up easily and offered me a hand to help me up. I just about managed to get to my feet, helped by his superhuman strength I assume! Kissing me again he led me by the hand into the shadows where we found a new door. Fortunately, it was a double door as neither of us would have fit through anything smaller at this stage. We walked into a vast cavernous space. I didn’t think it was possible but it was even more beautiful than the underwater lagoon where we ate the fish. The glowing insects were back and this time other glowing creatures joined them. Small colourful lizards darted from rock to rock making patterns in the water that filled half the floor. Several smaller waterfalls fed this one, each framed by cascades of glowing plants with brightly shining flowers falling down.  Alongside the water was a long banqueting table covered with food. There were golden bowls and plates full of oversized fruits and bread. Huge slabs of roasted meats and wheels of cheese. At the end there appeared a large ornately decorated cornucopia which seemed to be the source of the food. Aster led me to the table and sat us both down in large oversized thrones. We’d made it to the centre of the labyrinth!

As we sat down, our swollen bellies resting on our legs I realised he had plans to carry on eating. Whatever magic was present meant I definitely felt hungry but there was no way I could physically move to get the food. I was practically pinned down underneath the sheer ridiculous size of my own belly. I was about to say this to Aster when I heard something move in the water. I looked across to see six men emerge from the water. I say men, we both know they weren’t that. If I had to guess I would say they were some sort of water nymphs? They had a pale bluey green tinge to their skin which had a faint shimmer to it as well. They were lithe and incredibly beautiful, their muscles and sinews visible underneath their skin. Their tight shorts left very little to the imagination and their eyes looked as hungry as I felt. They were here to feed us. 

I don’t know whether we were there for a few days or weeks or months. The food from the cornucopia kept coming and we kept eating. Non stop gorging, all enabled by the blue dudes. Their dexterous long fingers feeding us food and massaging our swelling bellies. We both ended up the size of trucks, our inhumanly swollen bellies stretching way past what was physically or morally possible. 

At some point we were done and we were pushed or rolled to the edge of the water. I slipped in and sank heavily to the bottom. Whether I was magically able to breathe underwater or whether I somehow didn’t need to breathe, I’m not sure, but Aster and I were able to move freely under the water. We swam for a while through caverns and caves, snaking away from the maze. When we surfaced we found ourselves on a small island just off the coast of the town. Away from the magical influence of the labyrinth, Aster was back to his more human form and his belly was vastly reduced but still clearly swollen. I was the same, my belly was huge, but it at least was obeying the laws of physics. Again, I don’t want to make the story any more r-rated than it needs to be so let’s say we spent some time with each other there. We needed some time to digest and recover as well. 

Friends, I don’t know whether what happened was a dream or some sort of vision, but I do know I’ve gained 50lbs in a few days. I have a very definite and prominent ball belly now, which I’m not unhappy about. I also have a new boyfriend. Unlike Obi, Aster was happy to stick around, so I do know that something happened. I don’t really want to ask too many questions from Aster because I don’t really mind if it was real or not. I know he’s here and I know we ate a shit ton of food and I know he’s not going anywhere

For the rest of my stories click here

[piltover-sharpshooter]

I wonder if an exorcist of a specific religion is just fucked/useless if they meet a spirit that's outside their jurisdiction. A Catholic priest throwing holy water onto a Yuki-Onna to no effect, a Buddist monk reciting prayers to an unimpressed Tikoloshe, etc.

[barbiegirldream]

Anywayssss reminder that Goblin a European creature meant to depict the grotesque charictures of Jewish people because of the hatred for us from the Christians. 

The Tokoloshes are a creature from South African Folklore they’d describe as a water sprite. The Zulu people in a few interviews with Journalists have said they learned about the Tokoloshes from the Xosha. Word of mouth transference of culture and spiritual practices is very common in Africa and until Journalists and Anthropologists become committed to taking down their history in respectful good faith the ones of the past burned any and all literature. 

Taking something spiritual that the Zulu truly believe in and writing it off as mythology because it does not align with Christian or Atheistic values is a very tried and true method of cultural genocide. Don’t do this. Their beliefs are not in anyway affecting your life. 

Anyways the Tokoloshes are malevolent creatures who wreak havoc and can cause storms as well is used as a way to frighten children into behaving. Original Xosha descriptions of the Tokoloshes describe them as short hairy all over men like a baboon but squished. In Zulu tradition it is described more like an apparition or ghost like creature. 

They have evil powers such as calling storms as in 2000 journalists were told Tokoloshes summoned the tornado that wrecked a neighborhood. And many say looking into their eyes in a mark for death. The Tokoloshe are an evil spirit that must be banished to protect people. 

In 1933 a man became so frightened of what he was convinced was a Tokoloshe he killed his young cousin he mistook for the Tokoloshe. The high courts argued in defense that he had a mistake of fact his cousin for the creature but the courts argued it must be a mistake a reasonable man could make. However determining he was not a reasonable man they took his sentence from death to impriosonment. This was of course during apartheid and any cultural beliefs were written off as fantasy and myth where as belief in God was absolute. The racist split between myth and religion. 

I tell these stories to make it clear that the Tokoloshe are a very real creature in Xosha and Zulu cultures. And there are lots of modern accurate and apartheid inaccurate accounts of them. If you wanted to depict them as a creature who comes to wreak havoc I imagine it would be possible to do so in a respectful way. But that would require respect for these spiritual beliefs to be there in the first place which in most cases I trust it is not.  

Sources: 

The Tikoloshe and the Reasonable Man: Transgressing South African Legal Fictions by Patrick Lenta

Tokoloshe Tales: Reflections on the Cultural Politics of Journalism in South Africa by Leslie Fonda Green 

These two are sources I double checked today there are other bits I remember from actively learning in my pre colonial africa class. And if you look there are likely more modern pieces as well

[joyboyish]

ykw strawhats monster high au bc im whimsical except i couldnt find many creatures that matched them so a lot of them are demi gods

luffy - son of meri - this one is kind of obvious, luffys brazilian and meri is considered the sun god to the bororò people, an indigenous ethnicity in brazil. nika is based on a lot of different cultures. the one piece wiki has some guesses in its trivia section as to what inspired nika u should def check it out,

zoro - son of enma - another obvious one since one of his swords is named enma.. enma is the king of buddhist hell.. idk if its true but ive seen a few people associate enma with the moon so theres some more sun/moon symbolism for you

nami - the daughter of apsaras - according to the wiki "apsaras or apsara is a member of a class of celestial beings in Hindu and Buddhist culture. They are originally a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters, who later plays the role of a 'nymph' or 'fairy'." and that just feels very nami

usopp - son of the tikoloshe - the tikoloshe are mischievous water spirits in south african mythology, if you cant tell im trying to have the characters of color be the kids of myths from their own culture and usopp is just a mischievous little lad

chopper - son of airmids - the celtic goddess of healing herbs!

robin - daughter of saraswati - the indian goddess of knowledge, she also has six arms and since robin can grow those it made sense to me

franky - son of hephaestus - the greek god of black smithing and craftsmanship, just made sense to me

brook - son of ihy - the egyptian god of music!

jinbe - son of the varuna - the indian god of the water, he is the lord of justice and truth, and the way jinbe vouches for fishman everywhere reminded me of that so

[seewetter]

Mythic Creatures by Region & Culture

Part 9: Africa

Here is the overview of global creatures.

Cross-Cultural (across multiple but not all cultures)

Amadlozi of the Nguni people in South Africa; Anansi is Akan (which includes the Agona, Akuapem, Akwamu, Akyem, Anyi, Ashanti (!!!!!!!), Baoulé, Bono, Chakosi, Fante, Kwahu, Sefwi, Wassa, Ahanta, and Nzema) also found in African American lore; Asanbosam is Akan (which includes the Agona, Akuapem, Akwamu, Akyem, Anyi, Ashanti (!!!!!!!), Baoulé, Bono, Chakosi, Fante, Kwahu, Sefwi, Wassa, Ahanta, and Nzema) also found in Jamaican slave lore; Death; Jengu various peoples in Cameroon; Madam Koi Koi; Mami Wata; Mazomba; Mbombo; Mbuti Mythic Creatures; Mbwiri; Nandi Bear; Ninki Nanka; Nyami Nyami; Obambou; Obia also name for a creature in Latin American folklore (Garifuna of Bay Islands, Honduras); Ogun; Oshun; Shetani; Somali myth; Werehyena; Yumboes Wolof; Zār; Zuhri

allegedly African

Aegipan; Amphisbaena, in Greek myth, Perseus flies over Libya with head of Medusa…blood creates Amphisbaene; Catoblepas; Cerastes; Crocotta; Dingonek East Africa 1907-1918; Ethiopian pegasus; Forest Bull; Gold-digging ant; Griffon; Hypnalis; Leontophone; Lycaon; Macrobian; Pard; Pygmies; Rompo; Scitalis; Seps; Struthopodes maybe??; Syrbotae; Tarand; Theow; Wild Man, Wild Woman ; Wild Men, Wild Women; Yale

Angola

Kishi

Ashanti

Anansi; Asanbosam; Obayifo

Benin

Aido Hwedo, also in Haiti

Canary Islands (Guanches)

Guayota; Maxios; Tibicena; Witches of Anaga

Congo

Abada; Bunzi; Eloko ; Biloko; Jengu also known in Cameroon, called Bisimi with the Bakongo; Mfinda; Nkisi; Nkondi; Simbi

Dahomey

Aziza

Dogon

Nommo

Ethiopia

in the Quran, an Aksumite (Ethiopian) siege is averted by birds dropping stones: Ababil; Buda (Ethiopia & Eritrea, were-hyena & evil eye); Ethiopian superstition; Holawaka (Oromo, Ethiopia);

Igbo

Ibo loa also Haiti

Nkomi & Bakalai, Gabon

Koolakamba

Ghana

Abonsam, also Gold Coast; Adze, possessing "vampire" who stalks prey as firefly among the Ewe of Togo and Ghana

Gold Coast

Abonsam, also in Ghana

Kalenjin, Kenya

Kalenjin Mythic Creatures

Khoikhoi

Aigamuxa

Lingala

Mokele-mbembe

Lugbara (Congo to Sudan)

Adroanzi, "angels", benevolent children of the god Androa, but if you turn around to look at them you die

Malagasy

Kalanoro; Vazimba; Yateveo (Plant) alleged

Mozambique

Agogwe sighted by 2 Europeans in 1926-1927 but existed prior as a word & creature in indigenous oral traditions

Songhay

Hira; Zin Kibaru

Sotho, South Africa

Kammapa; Monyohe

South African Folktales Grootslang

Tswana

Matsieng

Uganda

Jok (among Acholi of Uganda and South Sudan); Lukwata (Baganda of Uganda);

West Africa

Adze, possessing "vampire" who stalks prey as firefly among the Ewe of Togo and Ghana; Ekpo Nka-Owo (Ibibio, Southern Nigeria); Wereleopard; Zin;

Xhosa

Amafufunyana (possession, schizophrenia); Uhlakanyana

Yoruba

Abiku; Egbere; Emere; Shango; Yemọja

Zambia

Ilomba among the Lozi people

Zanzibar

Popobawa

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Bird

Zulu

Inkanyamba; Isitwalangcengce; Lightning Bird; Tikoloshe; Uhlakanyana; Umamba; Usiququmadevu; Zulu religion

Ancient Egypt

Aani; Abezethibou, Testament of Solomon, acted during Book of Moses in Egypt; Abtu; Abyzou; Akhekh; Ammit; Anubis; Apophis; Ba (personality); Bennu; Griffon; Hieracosphinx; Isfet; Medjed; Mehen_Board_Game_Snake_God_Egypt; Meretseger; Nemty; Serpopard; Set animal; Sphinx; Taweret; Teka-her; Unut_Egypt_Rabbit-Snake-Lion_Goddess; Uraeus; Wadjet

allegedly Ancient Egyptian

Cynocephali; Phoenix

Notify me if there are mistakes or if any of these creatures, beings or figures should not be used in art or fiction. (Note that every artist & writer should consider whether use of these figures is appropriate whether someone has complained or not).

[naufragiorolero]

Bestiario de Ylat: Tikoloshe

Tikoloshe Descripción Este ser peludo y raquítico, con rostro de rata, orejas de murciélago y cuerpo de chimpancé, forma parte del folclore de la región de los Arrozales. Se alimenta de pensamientos negativos y de la sangre de adolescentes.  Es capaz de trepar y caminar por superficies verticales utilizando sus garras palmeadas. Cuando no ha comido en un tiempo, presenta una perturbadora…

[spinooc]

more old doodles

[ijustreallywantagrilledcheese]

@hnnickname asks a really good question and it deserves an answer, which actually, I DO have!

Hi, hnnickname, this is my kinda everything goes blog, alexplayssimsnstuff is my main, I haven't had a lot of time to switch it so THIS is my main but that will be done.

The answer to your question is more complicated than your question makes it seem, but I hope this helps!

First off, most cultures have some form of goblin in their folklore. They're not always CALLED goblins, but they oftentimes have similar features, being:

Small and usually slender creatures

Appearances vary but they're always described as unappealing or ugly.

They're hostile to humans, and can be either outright murderous or just a little mischievous and take merriment in annoying people.

They live in caves or somewhere out of the way from humans, or in abandoned buildings.

In Wampanoag culture, they're known as the Pukwudgie.

(Photo source: Scott Purdy @ Deviantart)

In Japan, they're the tengu or kappa.

(Tengu source: jiraiyanaruto.creatuforo.com)

(Kappa source: kyōka hyaku-monogatari, captured from japan-experience).

In Greece and Cypriot folklore, they're known as Kallikantzaros.

Image source: tags/kalikantzaroi-gr.html)

In Zulu mythology, they're called Tikoloshe, among other variants.

(Image source: Djeison Canuto)

The type of goblins present in Harry Potter folklore are most similar to the British and Welsh folklore of the fae, that meaning that goblins are the polar opposite of the fae.

The term "goblin" was coined in an uncontested reference to these creatures starting at around the 14th century, but the roots of the word go back to the medival Latin "gobelinus", which was first used in the Oderic Vitalis, a chronicling of events going on in the region of Normandy in the 11th and 12th century. The term "gobelinus" was used specifiy in describing a series of hauntings that people believed was coming from a devil or demon in Evreux. This is thought to be the origin of what would become the British goblin, though it's likely the concept of the creature in general came from pagan folklore in the area before Christianity arrived in England in 597 AD.

Now, to address the much less pleasant part of your question:

Anti-Jewish sentiments has existed in Christianized countries since the beginning of Christianity. Despite the fact that Jesus Christ was killed by Romans, many took Biblical accounts of Christ's death and misinterpreted it to mean that the Jewish people were responsible. Most believe this is because it was mistranslated because Pontius Pilate was stationed in Judea at the time.

Its likely that the later arising Holy Roman Empire was more than happy to perpetuate the rumor that the Jewish were responsible for Christ's death. Jews were already scattered after the Roman destruction of Jewish temples shortly after Christ's death.

The early Christian church portrayed Jews as being deceived by Satan for not accepting Jesus Christ as the Messiah, and called them agents of the Devil. Early depictions of the Jewish in Christian artwork show Satan closing the eyes of the Jews.

Now, this is important to remember, because goblins were seen as demons and devils themselves, and were seen as evil spirits.

Fun Fact: the Catholic church officially blamed the Jews for the death of Christ until 1960, when, during the Second Vatican Counsel, they officially recanted that accusation. 1960--15 years after the dispersion of Jewish Concentration camps by Nazi Germany.

This meant that for centuries, it was seen as technically and religiously acceptable to blame the Jews and to mistreat them--despite the entire point of Christianity is to forgive others and its alleged that even Christ Himself pleaded with God to "forgive them, for they know not what they do." But bad people will use any religion to justify their bad deeds, and always have.

Now, we need to talk about the Protestant reformation, because that's important in this whole thing.

See, the separation of the Christian church into the Catholic sect and Protestant sect started when Martin Luther wrote his 99 theses on the Catholic church and nailed them to church house doors. The separation of Protestant Christians from the Catholic church was primarily because the people saw that the Catholic church was no longer about religion and those running the church at the time were not living as they preached, and they were taking advantage of the people. This is where the concept "practice what you preach" arose from.

Martin Luther believed that the Jews would be converted to his cause and accept Jesus as the Messiah, but when they didn't, he turned to the age-old Jewish hatred.

However, because one of the foundations of Protestantism was to act as Christ did, it became commonplace for people to forgive others, and not be vengeful or hold grudges. Thus ended the open Christian animosity towards the Jews.

Obviously, this did not end anti-Jewish sentiments. As I said before, bad people will use religion, or really any straw, to justify their prejudices. It wasn't until the 18th century and the age of Enlightment that it really became socially acceptable to advocate for Jewish rights--with the common stipulation that they should reject their Jewish traditions. By today's standards, that's not really advocacy, but in those days even suggesting that would mark you as a fanatical liberal. There was still a lot of prejudism against Jews, but they were seen as irrational and the source of all irrational religious belief. They were allowed to integrate and live alongside Christians.

In 1894, a Jewish Frenchman named Cpt. Alfred Dreyfus was accused and convicted of selling military secrets to Germany. Despite the fact that he was later proven innocent, Dreyfus was still punished as the evidence was covered up to prevent ousting of military corruption.

It wasn't until about 1900 exactly that the classic Nazi antisemitism propaganda began--conspiracy theories that the Jews were going to attempt to take over the world using money and smarts against Christians. It's believed that Dreyfus's arrest and guilty conviction was what started this powder keg. Russian forces even forged a document used to "prove" that there was a takeover plot. "The protocols of the Elders of Zion", the name of the forged document, is still circulated despite it long being since proven to be a forgery.

Believe it or not, but Germany was not the birthplace of what is considered Nazi antisemitism--that would be Russia. Jews were blamed for the death of Czar Alexander II in 1881, 13 years before Dreyfus's conviction. This was followed by 30 years worth of rampages against the Jews in an attempt to either wipe them out or chase them out of the country.

Actually, in reality, the term antisemitism itself has anti-Jewish roots. The 19th century was the century of racist scientific development, and it was declared that the Jews were actually one entire race, known as the Semites. This was done in an attempt to further separate them and to dehumanize them. The term itself rose as the concept of the Aryan race grew more popular.

This is why up until now, I haven't used antisemitism to describe anti-Jewish sentiments, because Antisemetism subscribes to that ideology that the Jews are part of a separate race, which didn't arise until the late 1800's-1900.

After World War 1, Germany, having accepted these beliefs and adopting them from Russia, blamed the Jews for their downfall and their restrictions imposed on them by the Treaty of Versailles. This was largely adopted by the Nazi party, fronted by the Loud Mustache Man himself.

Thus bringing actual, as @hnnickname phrases it, "Anti-semetic Nazi propoganda."

Actually, if you have the stomach to look at the propoganda, yes, this is where the old stereotypes of Jewish people being hunchbacked and having long noses and their obsession with money. Which is where most modern people get the idea that Harry Potter goblins are antisemetic--they're supposed to be goblins, right??

Actually--no. They're not. Goblins weren't known for having long noses and an affinity for gold or money at this time--up until the Hobbit came out in 1937, and revolutionized the fantasy genre forever, specifically goblins, like the English/Welch variety, were believed to be demons or other spirits. Even after the Hobbit came out, goblins weren't considered how we see them today--they were described as something completely different, and are, in Tolkien fiction, the same creatures as orcs.

Here is a screencap from the 1977 cartoon adaptation of the Hobbit, where Bilbo is caught by the Goblins after they captured the dwarves.

As you can see, this goblin looks VERY different from what is perceived as a goblin today, especially in Harry Potter. No long nose or long, slender fingers anywhere to be found on this guy.

It wasn't until the publication of the Hobbit that goblins began to be perceived by western folklore as a humanoid species with a physical body instead of just mischevious spirits, at least in the British folklore.

Before then, if a goblin was given a physical form, it actually looked like this:

(Source: John Baten, "English Fairy Tales)

Really, the only thing they had in common in appearance were pointed ears.

So, in the Era of Nazi Germany and antisemetic propoganda, what WAS a cryptid described as a long-nosed, hunchbacked, bargaining, agents of the Devil, and sinful by nature?

Witches.

Fun Fact about witches: did you know that the idea of witches flying on broomsticks came from other cultures and the idea that women who were "seduced by Satan" would fly in the backs of animals with Pagan gods and they traveled by night?

Also, these conceptions of witches didn't start until the 1400s, during the Renaissance, 100 years before the Protestant Reformation, when it was still commonplace for Christian theology to openly harass Jewish people and to accuse them of being agents of Satan--just like they accused the Jews.

So, if there are any anti-semetic creatures in Harry Potter, it would be witches themselves. They use cauldrons, they fly brooms, they wear the hats, many are described as having long noses (Dumbledore, for example), and the fact that Voldemort was a metaphor for Hitler and muggleborns were the metaphor for the Jews and victims of the Holocaust.

I mean, Hitler was a brown haired, brown eyed Austrian man who was short and he convinced people that tall, blonde hair, and blue eyes were genetically superior, just like Voldemort was a half-blooded wizard with a pureblood mother and a muggle father who grew up in a muggle orphanage who convinced people that pureblood wizards were genetically superior.

Now, to discuss where the Harry Potter image of goblins come from:

To be quite honest, the first instance I've found in all my research on the topic of a British folklore Goblin with the long, crooked nose, long, slender fingers and a fascination for gold is actually Dungeons and Dragons. Which, in themselves, are inspired by Tolkien goblins--not by appearance, but by personality. Anyone who has read Tolkien's works knows that he has never described goblins the way they have been described since 1974, when D&D first released.

Now, whether to say that means that the creators of D&D were antisemetic and used the stereotypes of Jewish appearance, I can't say. Really, only they know, but I will admit it is suspicious.

Nevertheless, one cannot ignore the impact that D&D has also had on modern high fantasy. The creatures as described in D&D have been the inspiration for many fantasy works in the decades since release. Even if you've never played it, you've likely seen a piece of fantasy inspired by it, Tolkien's works, or both.

It's almost a certainty that JK Rowling knows Tolkien's works and has read it herself. I actually don't have the foggiest idea if she has any experience with D&D, but it's likely that at the very least, she had seen media that was inspired by D&D while or before writing the Harry Potter series.

That being said, never in LITERALLY almost a thousand years have goblins ever been associated with Jewish stereotypes and antisemitism, and it really was never even considered until the controversy behind Hogwarts Legacy started.

How can goblins arise from antisemetic stereotypes when other cultures who advanced their folklore without JudeoChristian interference describe creatures with similar features?

The kappa originated during the Edo Era from 1603 to 1867, during which time, Christianity was banned from Japan.

The tengu actually came from a legend originating in India, coming to China, and spread to Japan with the spread of Bhuddism by the 13th century. Christianity came to Japan 400 years later.

The Origins of the Pukwudgie are a little more difficult to find, considering the Wampanoag people lived in modern-day Massachusetts, Delaware to Prince Edward island for 12,000 years. Pukwudgies were the enemies of the giant Mashoup, the entity they credit with the geological formations of the area, who left the Wampanoag tribe for being too reliant on him.

The tokoloshe is also more difficult to pinpoint. The legend of the tokoloshe is much older than the Zulu tribe, which started in 1574. The people that became the Zulu were part of the Nguni (isizwe people) from the Bantu migrations, which existed so long ago that the migrations themselves are considered a hypothesis, but I've seen dates as far back as 100,000 BCE.

Now, to be honest, I think the D&D goblins were inspired by the tokoloshe in appearance. Which means that the goblins of Harry Potter have a closer connection to Zulu mythology than antisemitism, but I will agree that yes, at first glance, it is suspicious.

And, to put an answer to @hnnickname's initial question--goblins, by a good 90,000 years.

I love how I thought I was gonna lose followers but I've actually gained more than I've lost.

Neat.

[spinoone]

Mythologia! (Page 1)

---

What's funny is that this comic, fully finished, has been sitting on my hard drive since March 2021. I just thought "lemme do nice stylish pics for all the characters first and then I'll post it". So yeah...

[logi1974]

Tikoloshe Afrika In den 1980er Jahren lernte Paul Goldbach auf einem Bauernhof im Norden Namibias Paulo Cashinga kennen, einen erfahrenen Holzschnitzer aus der Region Kavango. Goldbach begegnete dem Schnitzen von Wurzeln zum ersten Mal in Südamerika. Als er sah, wie Cashinga einen traditionellen Springbock aus einem Baumstamm schnitzte, war er so beeindruckt, dass er sich entschied, mit ihm eine Geschäftsidee auszuprobieren. In seiner Freizeit leitete Paul das Startup, während Paulo Cashinga eine erstaunliche und faszinierende Vielfalt namibischer Fauna hauptsächlich aus den Wurzeln von Senfbaum, Tamboti und Eisenholz schnitzte. Leider ist Paulo Cashinga 2012 verstorben, aber seine charakteristischen wurzelgeschnitzten Skulpturen schmücken weiterhin Haus und Heim im In- und Ausland.

------------------------

Tikoloshe Afrika In the 1980-ies, on a farm in north-central Namibia, Paul Goldbach met Paulo Cashinga, a skilled woodcarver from the Kavango region. Paul first encountered root carving in South America, but when he witnessed Cashinga carving a traditional Springbok out of a tree trunk, he was so impressed that he decided to try out a business idea with him. In his spare time Paul managed the startup, while Paulo Cashinga carved an amazing and fascinating variety of Namibian fauna mainly from the roots of Mustard tree, Tamboti and Ironwood. Unfortunately, Paulo Cashinga passed away in 2012, but his characteristic root carved sculptures continue to decorate house and homes, nationally and abroad.