#magianthropology

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

Dwarvish culture centres first around mining and metalworking. This is, after all, something they are well known for, and that has caused innumerable historical conflicts with Goblins until the recent Treaty of Trade between the two groups. Beyond this, Dwarves put a lot of effort into feeding themselves, with large farms both beneath the ground and above it, cultivating plants, fungi and livestock equally. They also love the hunt, and are known to husband herds of deer and even encourage wild boar onto their territory specifically for hunting.

It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that dog breeding is a not insignificant part of Dwarven culture. Dogs often turn up in the detailing of dwarf-made items, their currency features a dog on the opposite side of the monarch’s face, and it is rare indeed to see a Dwarf family without some breed of dog, be it dwarf-bred or human-bred. Indeed, the Dwarvish group which currently manages nearly all handling, training and breeding of Dwarvish dogs is a clan who’s translated name is Kennelking.

Below you will find a brief summary of some of the most popular and well known Dwarven dog breeds, and as the chapter continues we shall delve into their place, not just in Dwarven society, but also how they interact with other cultures.

Terrirenott - A kind of small hunting hound, bred to go down burrows and tunnels and work independently. Similar in many ways to Jack Russells, though they are notoriously silent, with almost perfect night vision and are usually a solid dark brown in colour.

Ashspot - A kind of Dwarvish pointer. Similar in appearance to liver-flecked German Short-haired Pointers, Ashspots are used to sniff out fresh air as well as to warn for poison gasses when mining. They are also used when hunting game, and tend to form strong bonds to the Dwarves who take them on such hunts.

Brassback - Huge dogs used as mounts for the long underground roads between Dwarven cities. Brassbacks were carefully bred over centuries to prevent joint problems despite their large size and use as mounts. They are also sometimes used in hunts, both as mounts and as independent hunters.

Acweorn - The smallest of all dogs bred by Dwarves, Acweorn are the most noticeably magical, having handlike paws that they use to climb - hence their name, etymologically linked to Squirrels. While originally used to check the ceilings of caves for valuable veins of ore, they are also phenomenally popular just as pets.

--Excerpt from Chapter 15: Dwarven Dogs of Aubrey de Witt’s Man and Magic’s Best Friend.

War dog and friend. by BenWootten

(I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR MY CAPTION.) 

[swynlake-rp]

“Stop! That girl is part of the mosquito food chain. Here! Educate yourself!“

FULL NAME: Dr. Wendy Pleakley BASED ON: Pleakley (Lilo & Stitch) FACE CLAIM: Up-to-Player PRONOUNS: Up-to-Player BIRTHDAY: Up-to-Player CURRENT STATUS: Open

Character Information

Professor of Magick History and Magianthropology

One of Pride U’s top experts and draws to the school

Dr. Pleakley is especially known for her work in fairy communities

However a recent controversy has risen around some of her work

She’s scared the controversy will bring other aspects of her past to light…

✓   Passionate, pragmatic, particular

✖   Secretive, sensitive, neurotic

Character Suggestions

Trans woman

Current Relationships

None

Possible Relationships

click here!

Magical Abilities

None

[displacedprincess]

The Scepter Of Light

Excerpts from the book Avalor: A Kingdom Nursed By Magic by Dr. Eduard Francisco Balenciaga Cañizares, a book from which at least a few excerpts are typically required reading for any intro to magianthropology student, and the entire book is basically your Bible if you’re a magianthropology major enrolled in a class about magic in South America. Oh, and you’re an international relations student concentrating in Magick-Mundus relations on a global scale? This book is your best friend.

*this excerpt was added in the republishing published in 2013

Contents:

Maruvians

Gifting to Juan Marquillo Flores Buendía in 1637

Dormancy

*Awakening in Princess Elena Débora Castillo Flores’ hands

Maruvians

The Maruvians were the Amerindian group who originally inhabited the land that would eventually become Avalor. For a brief period of 100 years, they had the beginnings of an empire of their own, dominating smaller civilizations and tribes in their sector of the Andes, but by around 1390 the Maruvian people saw the might of the Inca was too strong to challenge, so the Maru leaders peacefully met with Inca leaders and the Maruvian empire and Incas forged a peaceful coexistence. By 1438 however, the Maruvians were grandfathered into the Incan empire due to pressure from the Inca, but otherwise peacefully.. Though they were under the Incan empire, the Maruvian culture lived on. The Maruvian language, however, slowly died off and became a language that only the elites and magicks - typically one and the same - used, while the Inca language Quechua became the lingua franca and the main language of mundus. By the time the Spanish conquered the last Inca stronghold in 1572, the Inca were so ravaged by Spain that the Maruvian fell away from them naturally. Some Inca magicks who escaped the purge of a particularly zealous conquistador were taken in by the Maruvians, and the same went for other peoples ruled by or in proximity to the Inca. Records of the Maruvians as early as 1600 seem to show a ceasing of the language altogether. Today, only the highest wizards of Avalor learn the language - but it should be noted that anybody has access to learn Maruvian.

......

Prior to about 1530, jaquins were a presence in the region but not exactly the integral guardians they are now. It wasn’t until the Spanish took over the continent and genocided the indigenous population through intentional disease-spreading and outright murder - with an extra brutality reserved for magicks in many cases - that jaquins moved into their current role. Jaquins are bound by a code of honor that dictates they must refrain for harming any human whenever possible, that their job is mostly to guard against magic threats, but they can aid their human charges in warding off an enemy. By 1572, that is what they did. They fiercely guarded the Andean villages that would later become Avalor’s mountain region.

It wasn’t just Maruvians, Incas, and other Amerindian people who sought refuge with the jaquins. Magick Spaniards, Africans, Portuguese, and other settlers found their way into the villages, expanded westward toward the ocean, and by 1640, much of Avalor’s modern day east-to-west length had been claimed as magick-haven territory. However, surrounded by Spanish-ruled South America and under constant seige or threat of seige by the Spanish, the loosely connected magick villages and towns were not quite the save haven that they were meant to be. 

Also by that time, African, European, and Mestizo magicks and magick-friendly mundus outnumbered the Amerindian populations in what will soon become a united Avalor. One magick man in particular, earned the favor of the Maruvian High Wizard, the last Maruvian owner of the Scepter of Light.

Gifting to Juan Marquillo Flores Buendía in 1637

Juan “Marquillo Flores” Buendía was born in 1612 near what is modern day Caracas, Venezuela, to a Mestizo woman of Amerindian, African, and Spanish-Jewish descent, and a Spanish Catholic sailor. Marquillo Flores’ mother was a closeted magick even well into her marriage to Geraldo Flores, but rather than turning her away once he found out, he decided to flee to the rumored safe villages with her and their seven children. Marquillo Flores was seven years old when he first arrived in the village of Cumbre de Esperanza and the following year he showed signs of magick himself.

.....

Marquillo Flores went to the largest village, the closest thing to a capital for the nascent country, to study magic under the great in the year 1632. Twenty year old Flores was taken on as a pupil of the Maruvian High Wizard and soon surpassed his disciples of decades. After some conflict between Flores and Maruvian magicks, Flores was accepted as the future leader of the High Wizard’s pupils.

...

[1637] As Flores’ mentor lay dying, he extended the Maruvian Scepter of Light to the young man and ordered him to keep the killing men away, to create a nation for magicks and magick-loving mundus to live in harmony. Flores sent for his eldest brother, the closest thing their “country” had to a general at the time, and charged him with the impossible task of building an army.

...

Flores died in 1661 before he could see a united and free Avalor, but his son Alejandro Flores Izquierda would see to it that their collection of villages could become a country for them. 

Alejandro Flores declared Avalor an independent cohesive country in 1688. Over the coming decades, a monarchy was established, and the Flores family have been in power since 1715, and arguably, prior.

Dormancy

The last record or the Scepter of Light showing any sign of magic occurred in 1903 - and it should be noted that it was not a member of the Flores bloodline who held it. A Flores monarch has not been seen wielding the Scepter with signs of magic since 1890. Despite extended family members showing signs of magic, the main branch’s seems to have diluted, or is being hidden.

*Awakening in Princess Elena Débora Castillo Flores’ Hands

Princess Elena Débora Castillo Flores was crowned the Crown Princess of Avalor on June 21st, 2010, approximately five months after King Raul and Queen Lucia were slain in Venezuela. Too young to be crowned Queen, Princess Elena by Avaloran law appointed a Grand Council to aid in her rule. The Scepter of Light unexpectedly glowed in her hand, like the legends and historical records stated.

Little is known about the extent of the princess’ magic and whether or not she is a magick. Skeptics believe that the scepter itself is magic enough to act on its own. The Princess and the Palace’s press office have both remained vague on statements regarding the Princess and her magic or lack thereof. 

[hogwartslessons-blog]

Mythology| Friday. June 15th, 2018| Lesson Two: Cults and Creation Myths

The Emergence of Cults

Before we begin exploring the various creation myths from Ancient Egypt, there are a few things we need to understand about how the various cults emerged. The cults were based on the worship of a particular god in each province, or nome, in the earliest dynasties. There were 42 of these nomes, and each of them had their own “universal” god who had been in existence since (or even before) time began. These universal gods organized the world as the cults knew it and created all living beings; however, that is quite often where their similarities ended, as you will see when we begin to compare the origin myths.

Another factor to keep in mind when we are looking at these myths and beliefs is that they were generally passed down by word of mouth. Without early records of these myths, much of what we now know has been cobbled together from various stories passed down through the ages. There is a distinct possibility that the myths we know today are significantly different from what the original myths depicted. Since not even a Time-Turner could safely return us to the 3rd Dynasty of Egypt, we will have to rely upon magiarchaeological and magianthropological research to understand the beliefs of these ancient people.

The Myths of Origin

While there were most likely numerous myths of origin throughout the region of Ancient Egypt, there are four primary myths that have had historical and long-lasting impacts on the religion of the people.

The Heliopolitan Cult & Myth of Origin

Most cults and their corresponding beliefs are generally named after the location in which they were founded, and the Heliopolitan cult was no different. This cult developed sometime before the 3rd Dynasty in Heliopolis, located near the head of the Nile Delta, which is the wide green space you can see in the map below.

Lower Egypt

The Heliopolitan cult and its particular beliefs center around the god Atum, whose name meant “the Whole” or “the Complete,” and consisted of nine gods and goddesses. It is called the “Ennead,” meaning group of nine.

In the beginning, according to Heliopolitan beliefs, Nun (or Immense Chaos) was all that existed. Inside of Nun was a sense of consciousness that was named Atum. Atum, by some supernatural force, created a male and a female offspring; Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture) respectively.

Shu and Tefnut in turn had two children, Geb (Earth) and Nut (Sky). Geb and Nut then had four children of their own, all gods and goddesses of the Earth: Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys. At this point Shu stepped in and separated Geb and Nut by raising Nut above Geb, forever separating them (just as our atmosphere separates the Earth from the “sky”).

Eastern Desert Region in Egypt

The gods and goddesses associated with this particular myth are called “The Ogdoad” as there are eight of them. They are based on the four elements of chaos: Nun (male) and Naunet (female) are the primordial waters; Heh (male) and Hehet (female), also referred to as Huh and Hauhet respectively, are infinity/formlessness; Kek (male) and Keket (female), or Kuk and Kauket respectively, are darkness; and Amun (male) and Amunet (or Amaunet - female) are air/mystery.  The Ogdoad are considered the Fathers and Mothers who created the light, with the males depicted with the heads of frogs and the females depicted with the heads of serpents.

Depending on which recounting of the myth you read, either the gods and goddesses emerged from the chaos-created “Island of Flame,” or the gods and goddesses created the Island of Flame on which to base the world. In either case, an interaction between all eight of their heads created an incredible burst of energy that allowed creation to take place.

At this moment of creation, one of the most popular versions states that, the sun (represented by the god Horus) arose from the ocean above a lotus flower (represented by the goddess Nefertum).

The Memphite Cult & Myth of Origin

The Shabaka Stone

The Memphite myth of origin is another example of a gradual evolution of the world. In this myth, first the divinities are created, then men, animals, plants, and minerals, and finally law and justice - a concept that was not present in the previous two origin myths - were created.

The Memphite myth centres around the god Ptah, who existed before everything else. He interacted with Nun (the primeval ocean, or chaos) and from that union eight personifications (not offspring) emerged.Think of these personifications as a splitting of one being to create others. One of these personifications was Ur, meaning “great,” who is fairly comparable to Atum in the Heliopolitan cult; however, Ur was the manifestation of the heart (thought) and tongue (speech) of Ptah. Ur can also be further personified into two other gods: Horus (thought) and Thoth (speech). Through Ur (as well as Horus and Thoth), Ptah created all things using wood, clay and stone to act as bodies for the spirits or divine power (ka). These creations were all brought into being by Ptah declaring their names - for, as you know, names have power.

The Theban Cult & Myth of Origin

Upper Egypt

The Theban cult is the only one of the four cults we are looking at today that was located in Upper Egypt, and emerged significantly later than the others. Around the 11th Dynasty, Thebes became the capital of the Egyptian Kingdom, and a merging of belief systems occurred, leading to a modified version of the Hermopolitan myth becoming the predominant belief.

In this particular version, Amun (one of the original Hermopolitan Ogdoad) is elevated to the King of the Gods and the Master of Thebes. His interaction with the goddess Mut (meaning Mother) resulted in the birth of Khons, the moon god. From this original triad, the world was created. This cult also incorporated many of the gods and goddesses from other cults into their belief system, and its popularity spread over much of the surrounding area as it was championed by the Pharaohs of the time.

As you can no doubt see, there are similarities and differences between all of these different cults and what they believed; however, some features are similar in all of them, namely that there were multiple gods and goddesses involved, in some way, in the creation of the world and all of its inhabitants.

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

Dwarven society exists in several ranks, though these are sometimes hard to see and certainly not as clearly codified as the surname system held by Goblins. Rather, it is to do with what clan a Dwarf belongs to, as well as what family within that clan, and what jobs they fulfil. Clans can be large and span multiple Dwarven settlements, while families generally exist only in one settlement. Though at first this seems straightforward, it can rapidly become confusing.

Dwarves practice absolute adoption within their clans: if a Dwarf is unable to fulfil the tasks assigned their family they may instead be adopted by another family within the clan who’s tasks they can fulfil - and are considered to be fully of their new family. This is sometimes even done between clans as well, though doing so requires the approval of the reigning monarch. Success in this area depends not only on the monarch and the application, but also the power and influence of both the adopting clan and the clan which will lose a member - the Kennelkings which breed the majority of Dwarven dogs rarely have trouble adopting new members, while other Clans are often expected to offer something in trade for the Dwarf they mean to adopt.

-- Excerpt from Athelbert Goldhammer’s An Introduction To Dwarvish Customs.

(Image One, Image Two)

(I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR MY CAPTION.) 

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

The secession of the Fae is attributed to any number of things but generally is though to have begin with the expansion of the Roman Empire across Europe and reaching its final state with the thorough Christianisation of Europe - specific dates of course varying from country to country. In Britain, it is generally held that the Fae secession was ongoing from the fall of Boudicca and finalised by 1066 with the Norman invasion, though this is considered phenomenally Anglo-centric by the Scottish, Welsh, Irish and Manx, humanocentric by many non-human Beings within Britain, and a romanticised-beyond-reason interpretation by any scholars of merit.

Studies currently indicate that the Fae Secession started long before with the increase of iron-smithing throughout Europe. While the Secession was almost entirely complete in Britain, it is more scattered in Europe due to the existing areas with far less human influence - though rarely none. Thus, though the Courts of the British Isles seceded almost entirely until the rise of the Rust Queen, some two and a half thousand years after the start of the Iron Age, the Huldrekin of Germany and Scandinavia have never fully left, while Slavic Leshy have have lingered in as many forests as they can.

-- Excerpt from Feasting with Fae by Joyce Hill.

Stock 247 Fairy Glen by Einheit00

(I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR MY CAPTION.) 

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

The fashions of merpeople, both on land and in their home of water much vary from our own. Mer do not feel shame over their bodies as most human societies have us feel, Mer do not feel the cold quite as we do, and thus the clothing of Mer is often much more minimal than that of humans. Oh, they will cover themselves up if they seek to befriend humans made uncomfortable by their nakedness, but many mer will wear sheer shawls and wraps made of spell-sung cloth, dotted with pearls and fishscales, and evidences of their artistry far more than any attempt at modesty.

Indeed, in some mer cultures, clothes are done away with entirely, with jewellery being the primary display of artistry carried with migratory groups - cloth could too easily hinder them if attacked - and in others their artistry is in tattoos that coil from their faces, around their necks and all the way down to their tails and hair styles that they carefully fashion to show their skills. On land, shawls and drapes, nigh-sheer robes and tunics may be worn to put humans more at ease, in those variants of mer able to take on a humanoid form, and those unable to so transform may still have a pair of glasses to aid their sight when out of water.

But fashions? Mer fashion is something that humans remain often remarkably unaware of, for it does not exist in a way most humans understand. There are no clothes, no carefully woven and stitched pieces, but there are shawls and wraps made of spell-sung cloth and dragon-silk, ears pierced with fishbone and seashell, pearls and fishscale made into pendants, spellsung bands of coral as bracelets, octopus ink tattooed into fishscale patterns, or seaweed inks to mimic the colours of poisonous animals.

Understanding the sheer variability of fashion, you see, is essential for developing you own.

-- Introduction from Belladonna Smoke’s hit book So You Want To Be A Magidesigner?

(Image Source)

(Much inspired by This wonderful piece by @amortentiafashion. I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR MY CAPTION.) 

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

It is a known fact that for all the beauty of the Veela they are never entirely considered to be people. The reasons for this vary. Most say that Veela are so judged as they are beasts, are monsters, especially when they transform. Others argue that due to the beauty of Veela they are never allowed to simply be people, that they are objectified and when they do not let themselves be objectfied when they turn into their birdlike forms, they are hated.

Many Veela are of the opinion that wixes are bigoted bastards.

It is an interesting note that none of these opinions necessarily excludes any of the others.

-- Excerpt from Birds and Beasts: an elaboration on the societal treatment of Veela by quarter-Veela Jeannette LaFee, published in Magizoology Monthly.

Veela by Light-Schizophrenia

(I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR THE CAPTION.)

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

The fangs of Vampires all seem to have originated from one primary point. Originals, around the world, were people infected with the Vampiric Virus’ (not to be confused with the deadly and highly dangerous Vampire Virus) earliest form and who, instead of dying to it or fending it off, instead absorbed and assimilated it, making the disease a symbiotic and essential part of their genetic and physiological make up, adjusting for the differences the disease wished to wreak upon their bodies. 

Perhaps, then, it is unsurprising that among the various Originals around the world several had mixed human and non-human ancestry while another, Astarte, one of the two originals found in Mesopotamia, was a Metamorphmagus. Her sister Ereshkigal, likewise an Original, while not a Metamorphmagus, was a bat Animagus instead, and this skill in transformative magics, in both cases incorporated into the sister’s biologies, likely facilitated their transformation. 

Fang sets vary hugely depending on Original, bloodline, and subsequent divergence. Venom in some form exists for almost all variants, though the venom of Yuki-onna is unique in that it is not transformative (as all other venoms are capable of being) likely due to the presence of Yokai magics, which render them capable of having biological offspring, removing the necessity of viral infection. 

The above map details significant known vampire strains around the world. The map is, these days, a bit out of date, as European strains of vampire now infest North America, new bloodlines and hybrid lines have established themselves across Africa, a number of Russian vampires with their own unique variations have come forward, and it is certain that Australia does have vampires... even if they only reveal themselves when they kill foreign vampires attempting to establish themselves in Australia. At present, the only vampires in Australia appear to be those born and turned there, and they have never condescended to speak to the wixes who they blame for the plight of their non-vampire kin.

As we go on, each of the fang sets - and some of the traits of the attendant bloodlines - will be detailed.

1 - The Rabisu, Originals of Mesopotamia 

One of the oldest known and identified bloodlines, the twin sisters Ereshkigal and Astarte could not be more different in fang sets and are known for rarely getting along. That said, the pair will defend one another when called to - they are, in the end, sisters, and will protect one another from external attack, and then go back to sniping at each other, lethally or otherwise, in times of peace.

Astarte’s fang sets are uniquely elegant, consisting of two pairs of catlike fangs which only descend during feeding, venom administration, or threat displays. Attached directly to a venom sac, some Astarteen Vampires will have the venom sacs removed in order to openly mark themselves as non-threatening and having no intent to turn others. This is less of a sacrifice to Astarteen Vampires than many other bloodlines, however, as Astarteen Vampires are known to be uniquely fertile, with many of them capable of having biological offspring with little complication. They only have a chance to have offspring around once a decade, and pregnancies can last a year due to the slow maturation of the offspring - be they Dhampir or full Vampire - but this trait makes them much prized, and highly regarded by most other Vampire lines, for whom the trait is much rarer - and indeed, in some, non-existent.

Ereshkigal’s fang sets, to compare, are a mess; a large violent splaying of teeth coated with venomous saliva. Very few Ereshkigaleen can feed cleanly - though it can be done, with excess toothed skin latching on around the bite to create a seal, ensuring envenomed saliva enters all wounds and ensuring they will close and heal correctly. Fearsome when angry, Ereshkigal herself, and those directly descended of her, are highly adept at hiding their unusual fang sets due the transfigurative magic innate to her bloodline, though they burn readily in sun - a fact Ereshkigal resents of her sun-resistant sister. Nonetheless, Ereshkigaleen Vampires share that rare but precious trait with Astarteen Vampires, being capable of having biological offspring, though it is a much rarer and extended process for this bloodline than it’s sister.

2 - Sub-Bloodlines of Mesopotamia

While none of the sub-bloodlines directly mentioned here were actully created in Mesopotamia, they collectively mark themselves as “born of” Mesopotamia, being sired, albeit distantly, by the above-mentioned Rabisu twins.

Bastet was the first and likely most notable of these sub-bloodlines, their originating head still in existence. Although directly turned by Astarte herself, Bastet was able to diverge so rapidly due to Astarte’s Metamorphmagus ability and her own Animagus ability, giving her, in combination with the transformative power of the vampiric virus, a huge potential for change - which her biology gladly took. Bastet’s fangs, and those turned directly by her (other than the entry immediately following) are a single set, smaller than Astarte’s, and lodged directly into the front of the jaw, retracting only slightly, leaving the well-known sharp-toothed smile, common to several bloodlines. It’s worth noting that Bastet is of a special type amongst venom-sac vampires, with her venom sacs hiding inside the bone, in a cavity above the teeth, making it very hard for most Bastet-bloodline vampires to have their venom sacs removed.

The Lady Carmilla Karnstein was also directly turned by Bastet, and again, it was the combined pre-existing transfigurative magics of the bloodline combining to a latent transfigurative ability in her (Mircalla could, even prior to her Turning, take the Animagus form of a large black panther) allowing her to change once again from the sub-bloodline which sired her. This animagus ability has a lasting effect on Mircallan Vampires - many have feline Animagus forms as a result. Note the still-smaller and yet still-catlike fangs, and the much reduced size of the external venom sac. 

The first Dracul, Voivode Vlad Țepeș or Vlad II Dracul, was turned late in life and, perhaps due to his muggle status, has had a notable lack of variation in his bloodline. Almost all Dracul-bloodline Vampires have nigh-identical fang sets (identifiable as different when carefully observed, of course, but clearly and uniquely their bloodline). As you can see, they too share envenomed saliva with their granddam, and have multiple layers of teeth, whittled down to solely around the front of the jaw. These teeth will collectively emerge when feeding or during threat displays, and it is for this reason that untrained Draculs can be very messy eaters. Even among their more civilised elite most prefer to tap a vein and extract a suitable amount to drink than to drink directly from the flesh.

Erzsébet Báthory is a unique Vampire, in that she was turned by both of the Rabisu sisters. Only possible due to the sisters having enough genetic similarity to render their blood and venom compatible in turning Erzsébet, there are, at present, no other known and verified two-Vampire turnings, though there are several such claims. Erzsébet’s fangs are wonderfully different to others of the Rabisu bloodlines, with her venom dual in origin, both from venom sacs and envenomed saliva, and her forefangs catlike thanks to Astarte but having additional molar fangs thanks to Ereshkigal. Those few Vampires she personally made, the Blood of Báthory, also share such traits, and her bloodline like both Astarteen and Ereshkigaleen Vampires, are known to be capable of having biological offspring.

Nosferatu are the last significant sub-bloodline born of Mesopotamia. Technically a hybrid line, Nosferatu were the result of a Dracul-bloodline Vampire and a Báthory-bloodline Vampire having a child together, creating a particular mingling of their fang types. While largely more similar to Dracul-bloodline teeth than Báthory-bloodline they retain a particular grace and elegance more common to the Báthory-bloodline, and, interestingly, no Nosferatu Vampire has ever gone blood-mad, intoxicated by too much (or any) human blood - indeed, no Nosferatu has ever gone rogue for love of blood, only for genuinely chosen maliciousness, and Nosferatu Dhampir are much prized in America as there is no chance of them going blood-mad when hunting the rogue blood-mad vampires so sadly common to North America.

3 - Asian Bloodlines

There are three main and known bloodlines here, many other Vampiric creatures in this range such as the Churel, Lang Suir and Vetala, actually came about through utterly separate means, and should not be mistaken for “True” vampires - that is, ones that came into being due to the vampiric virus. Nonetheless, these creatures are not entirely apart from their virus-caused haemophagic kin, just as Baobhan Sith are similar enough to virus-vampires to be immune to their viruses, and there are stories of small, hidden, hybrid sub-bloodlines.

Further North, Russian bloodlines exist, but the Originals of them are hard to find. Instead there are several sub-bloodlines with curiously fishlike fangs, due to the presence of Rusalki in amongst those first Turned, and several with more substantial fangs, midway between Pishacha and Drakul, which are often decorated with golden inlay. However, neither such sub-bloodlines have yet been fully examined nor incorporated into this map.

Pishacha Vampires are one of the most well-known of the bloodlines found throughout Asia, and one of only three formally recognised. A hybrid bloodline, Pishacha were supposedly born when a Vetala met an Ereshkigaleen Vampire who travelled towards India with Alexander the Great, got bored, and decided to stay and explore India on their own. As you may remember, Ereshkigaleens can have biological offspring, and thus the first Pishacha came to be. Said first Pishacha much prefers to keep to herself, with only her parents, direct offspring and the Rabisu being considered close enough to call her by name, however she has Turned several humans - who in turn have Turned many of their own - as well as had biological offspring enough to have Pishacha Vampires be well-established throughout India, tusk-like lower fangs and jaggedy curving Ereshkigaleen upper-fangs included.

Kukudhi are a sub-bloodline born of Pishacha, not detailed on the map above, and are known to be similar in jaw structure though their fangs are somewhat smaller. Originating in Albania, the bloodline is know common throughout Russia, and are known to decorate their fangs with metal and small gemstones when they can. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a blood-drunk Kukudhi is considered a considerable prize by many Hunters.

Jiangshi are also known as Hopping Vampires and are found throughout China. Most Jiangshi are considered “True Undead”, as all Jiangshi die infected with the particular venom of their Sire or Dam, and are then given blood and chi from their Sire or Dam once their heart stops, the sheer energy of the transference completing their Turning. The fangs of Jiangshi are notably smaller than most other Vampire bloodlines, but are noticeably jagged, worn and sharp, and many are somewhat discoloured - due, many a mature Jiangshi will say, to the grave dirt. Jiangshi bloodlines are believed to be at least as old as that of the Rabisu, and their Original is believed to be in hibernation at present, as the Jiangshi Vampires do not report having heard from their progenitor for several hundred years - but no one has yet claimed to have killed and consumed them.

Yuki-onna are considered a borderline Vampire bloodline in the eyes of many, and some would say they are vampirism-mimicking creatures like their magical cousins the Baobhan Sith. However, where Baobhan Sith, being Fae, long ago diverged from humanity and were never infected with vampirism to gain their haemophagic tendencies, Yuki-onna are, technically speaking, a sub-bloodline of Jiangshi which adapted to utilise the cold and snow of Japan’s mountains and winters, and, in doing so, developed the Yokai magics that now set them apart from all other virus-vampires. The fangs of Yuki-onna are small and dainty, barely even noticeable to most who meet them, and rarely, if ever, used. Due to their divergence from virus-vampires with their Yokai magics, Dhampir descended of Yuki-onna are capable of something only otherwise seen in Part-Fae descended of Baobhan Sith - they can, if infected by another vampire, force the Turning to make them into a Yuki-onna instead of whatever bloodline or sub-bloodline their would-be Sire or Dam is of.

4 - African Bloodlines

In recent years, some few sane Sasabonsam have chosen to have offspring with the Bastet-bloodline and Astarteen Vampires found in North Africa, creating new hybrid sub-bloodlines. However, these vampires have not yet been properly catalogued and, besides which, Sasabonsam remain the most persistent type of Vampire found in the rest of the continent, dominating huge swaths of Africa in a way their kin can never hope to - Sasabonsam, you see, are immune to the sun, and while Astarteen vampires are resistant they cannot withstand it as the vast majority of Sasabonsam can, and even the hybrid sub-bloodlines are nowhere close.

Sasabonsam were sired by Píèsíe, the still highly active Original of the entire bloodline. Supposedly, Píèsíe has never gone into hibernation, and been on hand to cull those of his bloodline who went insane or wild, to guide those more feral away from destroying human settlements (lest their prey supply run out) and to educate and advise those who remained sane as he is. Píèsíe is also capable of some degree of shapeshifting, and has said he could do this even prior to his infection and transformation into a Sasabonsam, making him likely one of the earliest known examples of a Metamorphmagus, just as Astarte is. Indeed, the Rabisu sisters have stated that Píèsíe was active in Africa long before they arrived, and while Píèsíe himself has no specific idea of how old he is (or to be more specific “I don’t care,” is what he told one Vampirologist) some believe that he may actually be the oldest of the known bloodlines.

Sasabonsam fangs are most curious, with the enamel bonding to the iron in the diet to create long jagged spikes of teeth that will even extend out of the jaw from the root end - it is believed that the pain of this first happening during transformation may, in some way, contribute to the insanity found in a number of Sasabonsam, though Píèsíe and those utterly sane Sasabonsam say that the pain is not so considerable as that.

Adze Vampires are closely related to Sasabonsam and have very similar jaw structures, albeit with tidier teeth. Most of their differences are actually found in the rest of their physical form and in their magical capabilities, oddly enough.

Estrie Vampires are a type that it’s hard to pinpoint the origin of. However their eldest specimen, Alukah, is known to spend much of her time in Israel and North Africa, and so the Bloodline is classed here. Estrie are known to have large long and slender fangs throughout their jaw, excellent for piercing and drinking. However, many have personal and religious issues with doing so, and prefer to subsist on human food and a great deal of meat where possible, only drinking rarely.

5 - American Bloodlines

A hard and confusing one to pin down, one bloodline dominates both North and South America, with three sub-bloodlines to supplement it. Once, says Coatlicue, Original of the Americas, there were many Originals and many small bloodlines to be found throughout the North, but many of these Vampires seceded with what remained of their non-vampire kin when the losses they were taking from Europeans became too much. The hidden lands kept in folded space these Vampires seceded to remain under tight lockdown, and none have yet been found, let alone entered. To make matters worse, European bloodlines now litter North America - and some areas of the South - most often originating from Vampires who preferentially chose to feed on animal blood as opposed to human. Those who were then Turned by these Vampires are uniquely susceptible to blood-madness, and it’s believed this ill reputation drove the last of the unique North American bloodlines into hiding, lest they be wrongfully attacked using their status as native and vampire as an excuse.

Coatlicue is the one remaining Original of the Americas, but speaks of hidden Originals in South America, and has untold stories regarding the lost Originals of North America. Originally from Mesoamerica, Coatlicue has since moved southwards to avoid too strong a presence of Europeans, whom she is distinctly unfond of. The fangs of Coatlicue and her bloodline are wonderfully different, and many examining the fangsets of her bloodline have speculated that she may be a snake Animagus, or, perhaps a Nagual with a preference for snakelike forms. 

Coatlican fangs form in what Vampirologists refer to as an “external pharyngeal jaw”, which is a contradiction in terms; a pharyngeal jaw actually being a secondary jaw found in the throat. However, the term has stuck and is an adequate enough explanation that no new term has yet stuck. To explain in less clinical terms - the fangs of Coatlican vampires are part of a secondary jaw system hidden on the inside of their cheeks which comes forwards, the fangs descending, when they open their mouths to feed or make a threat display. It’s believed that manifesting these fangs is part of what makes the Turning of Coatlicans so excruciatingly painful, as their bodies try desperately to find sufficient reserves of calcium.

Civatateo are rather simpler, and have a much less painful transformation. Instead of a secondary jaw, they instead have two sets of snakelike fangs embedded in their upper jaw which descend when they wish to feed or make a threat display.

Soucouyants have similar but straighter teeth to their Sub-bloodline kin - Civatateo and Soucouyants would be most accurately described as sibling bloodlines; they were not a string of changes as with the Astarte-Bastet-Mircallans, but two distinct bloodlines unrelated to one another.

North American Mercies are something else entirely, the result of a number of Vampires of various types forced into drinking human blood and Turning individuals to avoid killing them. Their teeth are like overlarge human teeth supplemented with small straight teeth which emerge to feed

6 - Australian Bloodlines

Are known to exist however, have never been encountered. It is definite fact that there are Aboriginal Originals, however none have ever been encountered, though the results of them keeping out other Vampire bloodlines have been seen - several times Vampires from elsewhere have arrived, settled in, and even lived for many years with no incidents... until they seek to turn someone. At this point, they invariably go missing, only to be found days later, drained of all blood, fang marks in their neck.

While there have been attempts to reconstruct the fang sets based on the bite marks, the fang marks do differ a lot on a regional basis, suggesting that there are a number such Vampires who remain gladly secretive.

(@agarthanguide)

(Read about Pharyngeal Jaws in actual zoology over Here. The art here is all from the fantastic and amazing @agarthanguide. We have plans to release the full map as a print soon, so keep an eye out for that! I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR MY CAPTION.)

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

Ok so I have a few more questions about Vampires. I'm talking about the regular European Vampires. In another post, you talked about scents and bloodlines, and I was wondering 1)What are some bloodlines of Vampires? 2)What special quirks(for example, the scents) does one get when part of a particular blood line? 3)Lastly, if you're a wix and you get turned by a vampire part of a particular bloodline, does you're magic differ from a vampire that was a wix but turned from another bloodline?

I’m gonna state here and now, that my interpretation of vampires is not “regular European vampires”. There are... a lot of those? And so I’ve gone with something that meshes with HP Canon, and a few known stereotypes and added in a few quirks I quite like (some bloodlines being allergic to roses, for example) and had them trace back to Mesopotamia. Because birthplace of civilisation y’all.

1)What are some bloodlines of Vampires? 2)What special quirks(for example, the scents) does one get when part of a particular blood line?

(Combining these two to one because it’s simpler)

I’m still fleshing out these ideas, I’m afraid, so I can only be vague. I trace all vampires as going back to Mesopotamia, the birthplace of civilisation and of agriculture. Here, at least two (I’ve headcanoned two, it’s possible there may be more) Original Vampires, occurred naturally, these known two being Ereshkigal and Astarte, sisters with slightly different traits. Astarte tends towards beauty and flowers and can be shockingly violent when provoked, and her bloodline is unique in it’s reliable ability to have live offspring. Ereshkigal prefers shadows, burns more readily in the sunlight but can come a lot closer to death with fewer consequences; they can go without blood for longer than other bloodlines, and can withstand greater physical damage without lasting problems. 

Astarte and Ereshkigal each have sub-bloodlines, Astarte’s granddaughter-by-blood the Lady Karnstein (blood-child of Bastet, blood-child of Astarte) which has differentiated a lot due to Karnstein being a black panther Animagus before being turned, which reacted with the similar Animagism magic of Bastet and as a result left a chunk of transfigurative magic in the bloodline thenceforth. Ereshkigal’s sub-bloodline is that of the Drakul - the original, specifically, but as all who’ve held the title since the original Drakul went into hibernation were turned by him, the point is moot. Due to a tendency of feeding on one another for power plays, their magic has, in a way, turned in on itself, created a volatile kind of power, which often expresses itself in unexpected outbursts. However, most gain a handle on this by the time they’re a century old. Both Astarte and Ereshkigal turned, together, the Countess Báthory, as one of the very few times blood from one source and venom from another succeeded in turning an individual to create a child of two bloodlines. It is believed that they were successful because the pair were both Originals and sisters, genetic similarity and the absolute ancestors of their own lines allowing it to work in a way which it might not for others.

There’s certainly another Original in Africa itself which is the progenitor of Sasabonsam, I think this one may have had a few physical quirks that resulted in the way Sasabonsam look today. There is also, I think, another in coastal Turkey who emerged later than Ereshkigal and Astarte. I also think there’s another Original in South America with snakelike traits, most notably in their fangs, I think this one may be a Parselmouth, though whether their offspring are as well would vary. 

There’s at least three bloodlines across Asia, and that Russia itself also has at least three bloodlines, though whether Russia’s are all Original, all sub-bloodlines, or a combination is hard to pin down. At least one, however, is speculated to be an Original who is also biologically descended from another Original. While speculation says Astarte, who is known for her bloodline’s ability to have biological offspring, others say they may be descended of a Russian Original who has gone into hibernation.

Oceania has a few Originals, but as few of these have Turned offspring, pinning down traits is even harder than locating them.

North America did have several Originals, but their bloodlines were almost eradicated by various diseases brought over by Europeans. How many of the Originals themselves survive is hard to pin down; many have seceded from the magical world and mundane both. Instead, America is littered with the bloodlines of various European sub-bloodlines, who travelled the ocean to get away from Vampires who thought little difference in feeding directly from humans or bleeding humans for later, taking moral issue most especially with feeding from sapient beings - even willing ones - when they could safely feed on animals to no detriment. Due to avoiding feeding on humans for many blood-generations, many American Vampires descended of these European Vampires are instead easily intoxicated by human blood - rather as European vampires can be intoxicated by Fae blood.

3)Lastly, if you're a wix and you get turned by a vampire part of a particular bloodline, does you're magic differ from a vampire that was a wix but turned from another bloodline?

You’ll gain traits of your bloodline which yes, may set you apart from those of other bloodlines, though how much can vary on a case by case basis, as well as by age - some traits become more prominent over time - and which vampire turned you. If the vampire which turned you was closer to baseline with fewer bloodline quirks then you yourself are likely to be close to baseline; the same may not be true for someone turned by another vampire of another bloodline.

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

Right, now that horridullness is dealt with: I’m sorting out what I should do posts on for the new year: anyone have any images you want to see headcanoned (don’t worry @colorfuloddity, I have the image you @’d me for)? Do you have any creatures I haven’t done yet that you want to see me do? Any weird bits of biology, botany, magizoology or magianthropology you’d like examined? Anyone wanting to know more about the eggs of magical birds and various dragon species?

Anyone got meta asks for @happenydreams?

Send it all in!

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

The nature of Fae Children is odd. Many can be almost a hundred years old and still immature, while others are truly the age they appear to be. Most are, generally, considered to be malicious or at least as tricksy as many Fae are, which has created an unfortunate stigma for even part-fae children. Many Fae children are left with their own kind for company - which is hard enough given how rare such children are - leaving most Full-Fae children alone, and many Part-Fae with only muggle company, with the exception of Part-Fae Fae twins who only have on another, which usually only exacerbates the naturally high degrees of closeness between Fae twins, adding to the incestuous rumours which surround them due to the essential mirroring and interdependence of their magic.

While some studies have been done regarding the magic of Fae Children (usually like whichever parent they most take after, though some Fae, especially those of the Courts are much more mingled in their magic) an unfortunately small number of magizoologist, magibiologists and magianthropologists care to even try, and due to their rarty among the Fae, and how closely Fae Courts keep their children it has left them poorly understood by near-all magical sentients, even in this day and age.

 -- Excerpt from the paper “Maturity in Inhuman Humanoids” by the half-Veela Jocasta Hebe, published in Magizoology Monthly and Quis? Ego, the Magical Beings and Sentient Magicals journal.

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(Image is of Peter Pan from the TV Series Once Upon A Time. I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR MY CAPTION.) 

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

The Rust Queen, Of The London Court

Queen of the Fae Court hidden beneath muggle London, the Rust Queen is known for one fantastic thing: of all Fae she alone is utterly immune to the deleterious effects of Iron. Known for wearing rusted and partially rusted coils of iron wire, cable and even rebar as jewellery, as well as iron nails as earrings and pendants, and ordinary jewellery, the Rust Queen attributes this to a combination of her ancestry -  an interesting combination of Coblynau, Fire Fae, Earth Fae, Ljósálfar and Ghillie Dhu heritage - and a long and arduous process of exposing and immunising herself and her magics to iron. It is likewise due to these ancestries that provide her particular skin tone - dark and metallic, with visible gold and silver veins which catch the light. The influence of the protective Coblynau and the caring nature of Ghillie Dhu and Earth Fae also affect her nature, in that she is one of very few Fae to open her court to part Fae children in order to help those with conflicting heritages.

Her home is found deep beneath London, only accessible through a Fae Gate at the closed Aldwych Tube Station, should one touch the tube map there while holding a rowan twig. Despite this apparently easy entrance, compared to other Fae Courts, the Rust Courts defences are formidable, with a threefold protection laid by the Rust Queen herself and then reinforced by a number of Earth Fae that live there, who can tap into the rock and soil around them. For none is this more true than the Rust Queen herself, who has, according to the stories of her court, woven the metal veins of her skin through the caverns of the court in order to protect them. These magics, it is said, are in triplicate, which may explain the odd triple-asking the queen is known to do, often asking those who come to entreat the court for aid “Why do you come to us, what would you ask of us, what do you bring us, you who disturbs our peace?”

While the Queen and her Court do seem largely unconventional (largely unhindered contact with humans despite the secession, the presence of iron, acceptance of outcasts, the Rust Queen wearing iron even to meetings with the other Fae rulers) there is one thing in which they are not, having a distinct rigidity when it comes to names. Where most Fae rulers will select a name to go by the Rust Queen is only ever that - the Rust Queen - and answers only to that title. Her rigidity to certain Fae rules can seem bizarre when compared to others - she does not, for example, fear iron - but she has ruled her Court successfully for more than fifty years, and shows no sign of weakening or being beaten by a would-be successor.

(Image Source)

(The Rust Queen is utterly my invention, and one of the only posts on this blog I would like people to ask permission before referencing or using. Of all the creatures I do invent here, please do not use the Rust Queen without first asking me. Image commissioned from the wonderful @lyannamartells, along with the already posted Blibbering Humdinger and the soon-to-be-posted Double-Ended Newt. You may also see this image on their blog Here, and you may learn of @lyannamartells commission details Here. I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR MY CAPTION.) 

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

It is in the nature of centaurs to divide quite thoroughly. While some are wild and dangerous, others are more civilised, with a leaning towards learning. Thus the Centaur race is broadly divided (albeit with some few subsections) into Chironid Centaurs, which, though capable of violence and trained in the art of war, are scholars of the skies and of the nature that surrounds them, and the Nessite Centaurs: wild drunken brawlers, who see little use in study which does not get them the food and fun they so desire. 

Of the few subsections the most notable are the Eurytid Centaurs, the wildest of the Nessite herds, known not only to fight as they please but also to rape as they please, occasionally producing unfortunate half-centaur offspring which require careful treatment to heal the malformation of the bones of their lower quarters. Another relatively well known subsection - of the Chrionids this time - is the Asbolean Centaur herd, great scholars and seers who are often called upon to better educate those Chironid Centaurs eager to learn some art their herd is not learned in. Another known type is the Cyllarene Centaur herd, distinct from both of the main two, which invite Centaurides to travel with them in safety, often forming familial reproductive groups within the herd. There is also the Dictyd Centaur herd, which tend to be oddly philosophical Nessites, by-and-large, with a fatalistic approach to life. Lastly are the Pholid Centaurs, which, though well trained in armaments and battle tactics as all Nessites are, are a very strategic herd, which remain stubbornly sober, despite the nigh-enchanting nature of alcohol to them.

Most separate of all are, of course, the Centaurides of the Foloi Oak Forest and a few other well-hidden herds. The female centaurs spend much of their life voluntarily sequestered away from the males of their species, behind powerful Unplottable and Muggle-Repelling Charms, with a specific layer of enchantment designed to keep adult male centaurs from locating them. Instead, when a female centaur wishes to mate and have offspring she, and some of her companions, venture out instead, seeking Chironid or Nessite as they choose, and returning home to bear their offspring, raise them and, in the case of male offspring, send them out into the world to chose to become Nessite or Chironid on their own.

 -- Excerpt from Centaur Culture by Epona Chestnut-Coltsfoot.

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(Read about Chiron Here, Nessus Here, Eurytus Here, Asbolus Here, Cyllarus Here, Dictys Here, and Pholus Here. I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR MY CAPTION.)

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

Most female centaurs live distant, unrecorded lives, far from any males of their species. Indeed, this appears to be how they prefer it, maintaining a distance between the clear divide amongst the males of their kind, between wild uncouth fighters, and more civilised star-scholars. Both, the survivalist and common-sense Centaurides believe, are full of vim and folly.

 -- Excerpt from Iasonus Kyrkos’ 1932 study on the female centaur tribe of the Foloi Oak Forest.

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(Read about female centaurs in myth Here. I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR MY CAPTION.)

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

It is not so terribly surprising that Werewolves, of all creatures are so bad tempered come the full moon. After being forced through weeks of stress as their bones prepare to change as tugged by the tides and the moon, they are eventually forced through an agonising transformation, from human to wolf. Add to that the very nature of the Lycanthropic Virus - believed to be a cousin to Rabies - and their violent fury towards the humanoid form they changed from becomes at least partially natural and understandable.

This is not to say that one is ever wholly safe around an un-Wolfsbaned werewolf - even those under Wolfsbane have been known to lash out at those nearby as they transform due to the pain - but it does explain at least the start of the fury a Werewolf feels. They awaken with no human mind, no human memory, in pain, from pain, and smelling their own human scent around them. Their desire, when without Wolfsbane, to lash out at those which smell human is thus fuelled, and all the virus need to is encourage it.

 -- Excerpt from Lunatics and Lunacy: Werewolves and Moon-madness an article in Magizoology Monthly by Argenta Ramson-Silver.

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(I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR MY CAPTION.)