#toba mythology

[nogetron]

Kasogonagá, a weather goddess of the indigenous Toba people of Argentina. She takes the form of either an ant eater or elephant, being able to transform into whatever form suits her fancy at the moment, but is always clad in a rainbow of colors. She lives in the clouds above, shooting thunderbolts out of her mouth. Many stories of her benevolence have been told. One of which starts with a young man who found Kasogonagá on the ground, she explained that she had accidentally fallen from her cloud and needed help getting back up. The young man helped her make a bonfire, using the smoke given off to rise back into the sky. She thanked the young man, promising him and his family protection and fertile land, with the man becoming her shaman. Her most interesting myths come from her presence in relatively modern events. In the first story six Toba women were captured and sent to a concentration camp, but with the help of Kasogonagá they were able to escape. Another legend tells of how Argentinian police were sent to evict a group of indigenous Toba in a school. However when the Police went inside, Kasogonagá created a powerful lightning storm that trapped them indoors, the storm lasted long enough for the group to block the roads around the school trapping the police. With Kasogonagá’s help the Toba were able to escape the police.

Most people tend to divorce mythology from reality, like the events in fiction. But Mythology is intrinsically tied to reality, often times shifting the religious beliefs along with the flow of time. Kasogonagá greatly illustrates this as during the colonization era of Argentina, the Toba’s religious practices were demonized by the government. The violent tensions between the Toba and the Argentinian government led the Toba to greatly resist the government’s usurpation. These times were reflected into Kasogonagá, with her providing support to the discriminated Toba.

[1five1two]

[iroissleepdeprived]

If you get this ask, tell us a story from the folklore or mythology of YOUR COUNTRY (e.g. if you are German, tell us a German myth). Then send this ask to ten people! Just want to see more people talking about lesser known myths ;)

Oh, this is cool :O

Well, there aren't many complex things here in Argentina that are related to mythology/folklore, but the legends we have are cool!

"Luz Mala" i's a creature/being that appears in the driest times of the year, crying as if grieving the loss of something while dancing around barren landscape. They say this light lures you to step closer and closer towards it, embraces you and only bones remain after that. If this thing appears at the foot of a hill, there's a treasure buried there, but you have to face challenges to get to it.

And the indigenous group Toba had some interesting beings related to natural disasters and weather. The Qasoǵonaǵa is the owner of storms and the embodiment of lighting. It's small and has a long snout, like a shrew. It has rainbow-colored hair and tiny feet. As the legends say, when it gets angry, thunder and lighting comes from its mouth, and when it's happy/calm it sends rain down to earth. It often falls from the sky and can't go back without human intervention, so people build a bonfire to place Qasoǵonaǵa on top of it. The smoke goes up to the sky and it can return home safe.

To be honest, there's a long list of myths and legends, but they aren't specifically from Argentina as the indigenous tribes who created them were all over the place. I'm not an expert in this either, so if you're interested you should look some of things up and have fun!

[whentranslatorscry]

Translator’s Afterword

The recent splitting of the Killing Stone (Sessho-seki) in Japan sparked much discussion, especially given its place in Japanese folklore. On March 5, 2022, the stone was found completely cleaved in two, likely due to natural weathering over time. According to legend, the stone contained the spirit of a nine-tailed fox demon. The breakage led to speculation on the internet that the demonic spirit had now been freed to torment Japan. It seems Nisio has been liking his references to real world events lately.

In mythology, the nine-tailed fox Tamamo-no-Mae once transformed into a beauty to seduce Emperor Toba, causing his illness. After the Onmyoji Abe no Yasunari forced Tamamo-no-Mae to reveal its true form, the Emperor sent 80,000 soldiers and Abe no Yasunari to destroy the demon. Though eventually killed, its lingering resentment caused the corpse to become a huge stone which spread poisonous gas to kill everything around it. A famous monk then used a ritual rod to shatter the stone into fragments scattered all over Japan. In fact, Japanese volcanoes are very active, and stones near volcanoes easily adsorb toxic gases, killing nearby animals and birds. Therefore, the “killing stones” are marked with monuments.

For a little more context, you were able to read this story early thanks to my good friend xziomal0321xpl2, who generously provided me with a copy of the book and was part of my motivation, nudging Nisio Isin’s point about the power and value of human connections. Shoutout also to Studentofethereum, who helped proofread the chapters. And thank YOU for reading my amateur attempt at translating a Nisio novel.

Conmal

[indianetzonecom]

Kekaya: An Ancient Kingdom of India

Kekaya, an ancient name linked to the Punjab region of India, holds a significant place in the historical and mythological narratives of Bharat (India). Scholars posit that Kekaya, also referred to as Kaikaya or Kaikeya, was an important kingdom situated near modern-day Toba Tek Singh in Pakistan.

[fmp20jemuelgallaza]

Killing stone - The Life-Taking Stone (殺生石 Sesshōseki) was a large stone contained in the Kamiki shrine. It contained the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit which was regularly quelled by the efforts of the High Priestesses of the shrine. It had the power to kill anything that neared and revived anything dead.

A Japanese-English dictionary explained that it is believed Sessho-seki “kills anyone who comes into contact with it”.

prediction of Dark forces being unleashed by an evil Vixen hung over Social media in Japan on Monday after famous Volcanic Rock said to kill anyone who comes into contact with it was found split into two

According to the mythology Surrounding the Sessho-seki, or killing stone, the object contained the Transformed corpse of Tamamo-no-mae, a beautiful woman who had been part of a Secret plot hatched by a feudal warlord to kill Emperor Toba, who reigned from 1107-1123

Legend has it that her true identity was an evil nine-tailed fox whose spirit is Embedded in the hunk of Lava, Located in an area of Tochigi prefecture, near Tokyo, famous for its Sulphurous hot Spring.

its separation into two roughly equal parts believed to have Occurred within the past few days, has spooked online users who noted that, according to folklore, the stone continually spews poisonous Gas- hence its name.

while the stone was said to have been destroyed, and its spirit exorcised by a Buddhist monk who scattered its pieces across Japan, many Japanese prefer to believe that its home is on the slopes of Mount Nasu.

Visitors to the area, a popular sightseeing spot, recoiled in horror at the weekend after Witnesses posted photos of the Fractured stone, a length of rope that had been secured around its circumference lying on the ground.

[seewetter]

Mythic Creatures by Culture & Region

Part 2: Settler (Colonial) & Diasporic Tales of Australia & the Americas

Overview here.

• Australian Settler Folktales Drop Bear; Easter Bilby; Oozlum Bird (oozlum bird also in Britain)

Canadian Settler Folktales

Cadborosaurus B.C.; Cressie; Igopogo Barrie; Manipogo; Memphre; Mussie; Red Lady; Thetis Lake Monster; Turtle Lake Monster

USAmerican Settler folktales including African diaspora

Agropelter, Maine & Ohio; Alfred Bulltop Stormalong Massachussets; Altamaha-ha in Georgia, U.S.A, see Muskogee; 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; Red Ghost (Arizona camel with skeleton on its back); Augerino western USA, including Colorado; Axehandle hound Minnesota and Wisconsin; Ball-tailed cat; Beaman Monster; Bear Lake Monster; Beast of Bladenboro; Beast of Busco; Bell Witch; Belled buzzard American South; Bessie northeast Ohio and Michigan; Bigfoot; Black Dog; Blafard; Bloody Bones; Bloody Mary; Boo hag; Br'er Rabbit; Brown Mountain Lights; Cactus cat American Southwest; Calafia Amazon Queen (Caliph) that California is named after; Champ; Chessie; Dark Watchers; Demon Cat Washington D.C.; Dewey Lake Monster; Dover Demon; Dungavenhooter Maine, Michigan; Emperor Norton; Enfield Monster (NOT Enfield); Flathead Lake Monster; Flatwoods Monster; Flying Africans; Fouke Monster Arkansas; Fur-bearing trout; Gallinipper; Gillygaloo; Glawackus; Gloucester sea serpent; Golden Bear; Goofus Bird; Gumberoo; Hidebehind; Hillbilly Beast of Kentucky; Hodag; Honey Island Swamp Monster; Hoop Snake; Hudson River Monster; Hugag; Jackalope; Jersey Devil; Joint Snake; Jonathan Moulton; Lady Featherflight; Lagahoo; Lake Worth Monster; Lava bear Oregon, appear to have been real animals but not a unique species; Letiche (Cajun folktale, from descendants of the Acadian expulsion) Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp; Loveland Frog; Ludwig the Bloodsucker; Mãe-do-Ouro; Mami Wata also African; Maryland Goatman; Melon-heads; Michigan Dogman; Milton lizard; Mogollon Monster; Momo the Monster; Mothman; Nain Rouge Detroit, Michigan; New Jersey folktales; North Shore Monster; Onza; Ozark Howler; Pope Lick Monster; Proctor Valley Monster; Railroad Bill; Red Ghost; Red Lady; Reptilian; Resurrection Mary; Sharlie; Sidehill Gouger; Signifying monkey; Skunk Ape; Snallygaster; Snipe Hunt; Snow Snake; Splintercat; Squonk; Tahoe Tessie; Tailypo; Teakettler; The Witch of Saratoga; Tuttle Bottoms Monster; Two-Toed Tom; Walgren Lake Monster; Wampus Cat; White River Monster; Wild Man of the Navidad

Latin American Folklore

Aido Hwedo, Haiti & also in Benin; Alebrije (born from a dream, Mexican paper mache folk art); Baccoo could be based off Abiku of Yoruba lore; Bestial Beast bestial centaur; Boiuna; Boto and Boto_and_Dolphin_Spirits; Bruja; Bumba Meu Boi; Burrokeet; Cadejo; Camahueto; Capelobo; Carbuncle; Carranco; Chasca El Salvador; Chickcharney; Ciguapa Dominica; Cipitio; Damballa; Day of the Dead; Death; Douen; Duende; Duppy; El Sombrerón Guatemala; Folktales of Mexico; Headless Mule; Hombre Gato; Honduran Creatures; Huay Chivo; Ibo loa (also Igbo in West Africa); Jumbee; Kasogonagá (Toba in Argentina); La Bolefuego; La Diablesse; La Llorona; La mula herrada; La Sayona; Lang Bobi Suzi; Madre de aguas; Mama D'Leau; Minhocão; Mono Grande; Monster of Lake Fagua; Monster of Lake Tota; Muan; Muelona; Nahuelito; Obia also a word for a West African mythological creature (see article); Papa Bois; Patagon aka Patagonian Giant; Patasola; Phantome (Trinidad, Tobago, Guyana); Pishtaco; Princess Eréndira; Quimbanda; Romãozinho; Saci; Sayona ; Sihuanaba; Sisimoto; Soucouyant; Succarath; Tapire-iauara; Tata Duende; The Cu Bird; The Silbón; Tulevieja; Tunda; Zombie Bolivia; Abchanchu; Acalica; El Tío Colombia; Colombian Creatures; El Hombre Caimán; Tunda

Please note that some of these beings (those from Latin America or from diasporic African religions like Santeria, Vodun and Candomble) are sacred and be responsible about their use in art (writing etc.).

Notify me of any mistakes or to add disclaimers when something is considered sacred and off-limits.

[famousinuniverse]

Creation Story from Lake Toba, Sumatra, Indonesia

Where the Batak people came from.

Sideak Parujar was a goddess who escaped from her lizard-like intended husband. She descended on a spun thread from the sky – the world of gods – to a middle world which then was still made only of shapeless waters. It was not comfortable there, but she resolved not to return back to the sky. Her caring grandfather sent her a handful of earth which she spread in such a way that it became broad and long. Unknowingly, she spread the earth on the head of a monstrous dragon, Naga Padoha, who lived in the waters of the underworld. The monster was not pleased and attempted to get rid of the earth by rolling around, making her life quite miserable. Resourceful Sideak Parujar plunged a sword into his body, up to the hilt and immobilized the monster. Every time Naga Padoha twists in his restraint an earthquake rumbles throughout the land.

And there is a twist to the story. Sideak Parujar’s former lizard-like suitor, in disguise, followed her to the Earth. The goddess married him and they were blessed with two children, twins, a boy and a girl. When the children had grown up the divine parents returned back to the god’s world in the sky. The children formed an incestuous but happy union which resulted in humankind populating the Earth. The couple decided to settle on Pusut Buhit – a volcano on the western shore of Lake Toba – where they founded the village of Si Anjur Mulamula. One of their grandchildren, Si Raja Batak is the mythological ancestor of the Batak people.

'Batak' is a useful, but not universally accepted name, encompassing a number of cultural groups such as the Toba, Karo, Simelungun, Pakpak, Angkola and Mandailing who occupy the wide region around Lake Toba in northern Sumatra. Although these groups and languages – all of the Austronesian family - display local variations there are strong cultural similarities in architecture, ancestral beliefs and customs. The majority of the people are Christians while the Angkola and Mandailing adopted Islam from the early nineteenth century. Throughout history, Indian influence has trickled into local cultures and is visible in the Sanskrit-based Batak script - now rarely used - and some concepts of the ancestral beliefs (Sibeth 1991). Many of these beliefs are reflected in the symbolism and meaning of Batak textiles.

Creation Story from Lake Toba, Sumatra, Indonesia - The Australian Museum

Indonesia Mythology of the Heavenly Princess Sideak Parujar

In this Indonesian folklore among the Batak people, this goddess literally ran to a distant planet covered in water, harassed the dragon living there and created Earth just because she didn't want to get arranged married because she says the dude was too ugly.

Check out our latest South East Asian Anthology featuring 44 stories from all 11 of the countries in the region.

[dragoncreator312]

[petepaintswarhammer]

Not a headline I expected to read this morning… @spiritspodcast

“As if the world doesn’t have enough problems, people are now worried that an evil demon locked in a rock for almost 1,000 years is on the loose.

The so-called ‘killing stone’ that kept the malevolent spirit imprisoned all this time has split in two, sending believers into a state of panic.

Japanese legend has it that anyone who comes into contact with the rock will die.

According to mythology, the volanic rock – officially called Sessho-seki – is home to Tamomo-No-Mae, aka the Nine-Tailed Fox.

The demon apparently took the form of a beautiful woman, who was part of a plot to kill Emperor Toba, ruler of Japan from 1107 to 1123.

Located in the mountainous northern region of Tochigi, near Tokyo, the rock is something of a tourist hotspot – but now visitors are fearful.

Some speculate that the evil spirit may have even been resurrected to wreck havoc once more.

“I feel like I’ve seen something that shouldn’t be seen,” one visitor said on Twitter.

Others have commented, saying: “Here I thought 2022 couldn’t get worse.

“Now a furious Japanese spirit is freed from its ‘killing stone’.”

But another joked: “My guess is the demon is going to look around at 2022 and want to go back into the rock for another millennium.”

Local reports suggest the rock actually started cracking a couple of years ago.

It’s thought rainwater may have got inside causing the damage.

Officials are now mulling over what to do with the rock’s remains and could attempt to restore it.”

[theparanormalperiodical]

A few weeks back, Japan’s ‘killing stone’ split open. Let’s talk about that.

Japanese horror films are world renowned for their artistic prowess, intricate stories and folkloric-inspiration. But no one really talks about the latter. From my research for previous blogposts, I’ve fallen down many a rabbit hole and gotten lost in ancient stories that inspired our favourite scary movies, like The Ring and The Grudge.

So, when I saw that a paranormal Japanese legend had hit the press, last week, I knew what today’s blog would be about.

Turns out, the ‘killing stone’ - or Sessho-seki - has split in half, releasing the demon spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae after 1000 years.

dun dun duuh

Of course, what’s really happened here is that the volanic rock has been splitting over several years due to weathering. And its lethal name? Probably because of the poisonous gases it emits.  

And science, yeah, is cool, right. But today we’re talking about some spooky shizz.

Let’s get started.

*snaps latex glove*

The legend of Tamamo-no-Mae

I was about to say that our story starts sometime between the 14th or 16th century - with the Muromachi period, where Tamamo gets her first mention. But we actually need to go all the way back about 3400 years (*m3nt4l m4th5*) to the Shang dynasty in China. Well, right to the end of it: when the last king, King Zhou, shacked up with a woman named Daji. But according to legend, a fox spirit killed and impersonated her.

Fox spirits are entities from Chinese (and East Asian) mythology. These foxes are mischievous tricksters with magical powers. And most of the time, they can disguise themselves as beautiful women. Transforming into Daji, therefore, wasn’t too much of a challenge.

But this fox spirit caused hell of a lot of trouble when it brought on a ‘reign of terror’, resulting in a rebellion that ended the Shang dynasty. After this, it hot-footed it to ancient India to become another partner of a royal figure, influencing him to execute thousands of men. After its second defeat, it returned to China (8th century BC) to play out the same pattern of impersonate, marry and create chaos.

Now we’re in the 14th century AD. 2200 years later (?), the fox heads on over to Japan for the first time, appearing as Tamamo-no-Mae. She was clever, beautiful and Emperor Toba’s favourite partner. But after he became ill, an astrologer was brought in to diagnose the problem. The astrologer sniffed the fox out pretty easily. So, the emperor asked some warriors to kill the fox in the town of Nasu.

When the deed was done, the spirit embedded itself in a nearby rock, becoming Sessho-seki.

A Buddhist monk visited the rock a few hundred years later, exorcising the spirit and claiming it was now at peace.

So, what is it about magical foxes?

Turns out, foxes and humans used to live quite close together, back in ancient Japan. They used to believe that any fox - or kitsune - can shapeshift into human form, and that they possess paranormal abilities that increase as they age.

Kitsune liked to possess young women by entering them beneath their fingernails on through their breasts (yeah, no idea how, either). Much like spirit possession in other cultures, you could be exorcised by a priest.

Today, people can suffer from kitsunetsuki, where they believe they are possessed by a fox. They crave rice, sweet beans, aren’t interested in anything, are restless and can’t keep eye contact.

But its not just in Japan or East Asia that foxes are associated with supernatural powers.

According to Native American legends, foxes are born tricksters that were able to remove their fur and become women. The Celts thought they were cunning, sly creatures. In Scandinavian mythology it is even believed that foxes created the Northern Lights.  

If you liked this post, let me know by liking, reblogging or following this blog!

[callsignvenus]

That’s an Aguará Guazú. They’re beautiful creatures. In Toba mythology (Argentina) it is considered a sacred and protective being and father to all dogs

maned wolf in Brazil 

(via)

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Nearly 130 years ago, Italian explorer Elio Modigliani arrived at a natural history museum in Genoa with a lizard he’d reportedly collected from the forests of Indonesia.

Based on Modigliani’s specimen, the striking lizard — notable for a horn that protrudes from its nose — got its official taxonomic description and name, Harpesaurus modiglianii, in 1933. But no accounts of anyone finding another such lizard were ever recorded, until now.

This illustration of Modigliani’s nose-horned lizard was made in 1933 based on the original lizard first found in 1891. That specimen turned pale blue due to how it was preserved.

CREDIT: C.A. PUTRA ET AL/TAPROBANICA: THE JOURNAL OF ASIAN BIODIVERSITY, 2020, ANNALI DEL MUSEO CIVICO DI STORIA NATURALE DI GENOVA 56, PL. VI 

In June 2018, Chairunas Adha Putra, an independent wildlife biologist conducting a bird survey in a mountainous region surrounding Lake Toba in Indonesia’s North Sumatra, called herpetologist Thasun Amarasinghe. Near the lake, which fills the caldera of a supervolcano, Putra had found “a dead lizard with interesting morphological features, but he wasn’t sure what it was,” says Amarasinghe, who later asked the biologist to send the specimen to Jakarta.

It took only a look at the lizard’s nose-horn for Amarasinghe to suspect that he was holding Modigliani’s lizard. “It is the only nose-horned lizard species found in North Sumatra,” he says.

Wooden arts and folktales of the Bataks — indigenous people native to the region — show that lizards have a special place in the people’s mythology. “But simply there was no report at all about this species” following Modigliani’s, says Amarasinghe, of the University of Indonesia in Depok.

He asked Putra to get back to the caldera to see if there was a living population. After five days, Putra found what he was looking for one evening, “lying on a low branch, probably sleeping,” according to the biologist. He took pictures of the lizard and measured the size and shape of its body parts, such as the length of its nose-horn and head. He also observed its behavior before finally releasing it the same night.

A Modigliani’s nose-horned lizard is typically bright green and yellow (top), but the reptile turns brownish-orange under stress (bottom).

Credit: C.A. PUTRA ET AL/TAPROBANICA: THE JOURNAL OF ASIAN BIODIVERSITY, 2020

Using this data, Amarasinghe compared the lizard with the one described in 1933, and concluded that the living lizard and the dead one that Putra had stumbled across were in fact Modigliani’s nose-horned lizards. The Genoa museum’s dead specimen is pale blue due to preservation, but it’s now known that the lizard’s natural color is mostly luminous green. Its camouflage and tree-dwelling behavior are similar to African mountain chameleons, Amarasinghe, Putra and colleagues report in the May Taprobanica: The Journal of Asian Biodiversity.

The reptile belongs to the Agamidae family of lizards, which are commonly called dragon lizards and include species such as bearded dragons (SN: 6/14/17). Shai Meiri, a herpetologist at Tel Aviv University, has previously shown that many dragon lizards live in small, hard-to-access areas, making the reptiles difficult to study. There are 30 agamid species that have never been seen since they were first described, and 19 species which are known from just a single specimen, Meiri says.

While thrilled with their find, Amarasinghe and Putra are worried about the lizard’s future. “The living dragon was found outside a conservation area, and massive deforestation is happening nearby,” Amarasinghe says.

But the rediscovery offers a glimmer of hope for the lizard’s conservation, Meiri says. Before the reptile resurfaced, no one knew where exactly Modigliani’s lizard lived, or whether it had already gone extinct, he says. But now, “we can study it, understand its conservation needs and hopefully implement conservation measures.”

[eye-you]

Predictions of dark forces being unleashed by an evil vixen hung over social media in Japan on Monday after a famous volcanic rock said to kill anyone who comes into contact with it was found split in two.

According to the mythology surrounding the Sessho-seki, or killing stone, the object contains the transformed corpse of Tamamo-no-Mae, a beautiful woman who had been part of a secret plot hatched by a feudal warlord to kill Emperor Toba, who reigned from 1107-1123.

Legend has it that her true identity was an evil nine-tailed fox whose spirit is embedded in the hunk of lava, located in an area of Tochigi prefecture, near Tokyo, famous for its sulphurous hot springs.

[worldhammerer-old]

wikipedia tabs i have open as of 11/30/2020

Stoma

History of printing

History of candle making

Kerosene lamp

Sauce boat

Creamware

Staffordshire

Book of the Dead

Book of Rites

Death mask

Canopic jar

Three-field system

Toba catastrophe theory

Amulet

Parish

Record of Lodoss War

Covenant (biblical)

Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness

Ismail al-Jazari

Offset printing

Computer program

Wizardry

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Lycophyte

Urmahlullu

Yangshao culture

Tiamat

Echidna (mythology)

Kalanchoe daigremontiana

Mušḫuššu 

Ningishzida

Ishtar Gate

Galatea (mythology)

Illegalism

The Library of Babel

Language family

Uralic languages

39 Melachot

Flatidae

A Deer of Nine Colors

[evartandadam]

Inktober Day 3- Tamamo no Mae

Beautiful evil...

Tamamo no Mae is one of the most famous kitsune in Japanese mythology. A nine-tailed magical fox, she is also one of the most powerful yōkai that has ever lived. Although she may not have succeeded in her plan to kill the emperor and take his place, her actions destabilized the country and lead it towards one of the most important civil wars in Japanese history. For that reason, Tamamo no Mae is considered one of the Nihon San Dai Aku Yōkai—the Three Terrible Yōkai of Japan.

Read more:

Tamamo no Mae was born some 3,500 years ago in what is now China. Her early life is a mystery, but she eventually became a powerful sorceress. After hundreds of more years she became a white faced, golden furred kyūbi no kitsune—a nine-tailed fox with supreme magical power. In addition, she was an expert at manipulation. She used her charms and wit to advance her standing and influence world affairs.

During the Shang Dynasty Tamamo no Mae was known as Daji. She disguised herself as a beautiful woman and became the favorite concubine of King Zhou of Shang. Daji was a model of human depravity. She held orgies in the palace gardens. Her fondness for watching and inventing new forms of torture are legendary. Daji eventually brought about the fall of the entire Shang Dynasty. She managed to escape execution, and fled to the Magadha kingdom in India in 1046 BCE.

In Magadha, she was known as Lady Kayō, and became a consort of King Kalmashapada, known in Japan as Hanzoku. She used her beauty and charms to dominate the king, causing him to devour children, murder priests, and commit other unspeakable horrors. Eventually—whether because she ran out children to eat or because Kalmashapada began to turn away from her and towards Buddhism—she fled back to China.

During the Zhou Dynasty she called herself Bao Si, and was known as one of the most desirable women in all of China. In 779 BCE she became a concubine of King You. Not satisfied as just a mistress, she manipulated the king into deposing his wife Queen Shen and making Bao Si his new queen. Though she was beautiful, Bao Si rarely ever smiled. In order to please his beautiful new wife, King You committed acts of such evil and atrocity that eventually all of his nobles abandoned and betrayed him. Eventually, King You was killed and Bao Si captured and the Western Zhou Dynasty was brought to an end in 771 BCE. Somehow Bao Si managed to escape again; she went into hiding for many years.

Little is known of her activities until the 700s, when she resurfaced disguised as a 16-year old girl named Wakamo. She tricked the leaders of the 10th Japanese envoy to the Tang Dynasty—Kibi no Makibi, Abe no Nakamaro, and Ganjin—as they were preparing to return home to Japan. Wakamo joined their crew and took the ship to Japan, where she hid herself away for over 300 years.

In the 1090s, she resurfaced once again. This time she transformed herself into a human baby and hid by the side of the road. A married couple found the baby and rescued it, taking her in as their daughter and naming her Mikuzume. She proved to be an exceedingly intelligent and talented young girl, and was so beautiful that she attracted to attention of everyone around her. When she was 7 years old, Mikuzume recited poetry before the emperor. His imperial majesty immediately took a liking to her and employed her as a servant in his court.

Mikuzume excelled at court, absorbing knowledge like a sponge. There was no question she could not answer, whether it was about music, history, astronomy, religion, or Chinese classics. Her clothes were always clean and unwrinkled. She always smelled pleasant. Mikuzume had the most beautiful face in all of Japan, and everyone who saw her loved her.

During the summer of her 18th year, a poetry and instrument recital was held in Mikuzume’s honor. During the recital, an unexpected storm fell upon the palace. All of the candles in the recital room were snuffed, leaving the participants in the dark. Suddenly, a bright light emanated from Mikuzume’s body, illuminating the room. Everybody at court was so impressed by her genius and declared that she must have had an exceedingly good and holy previous life. She was given the name Tamamo no Mae. Emperor Toba, already exceedingly fond of her, made her his consort.

Almost immediately after she became the emperor’s consort, the emperor fell deathly ill. None of the court physicians could determine the cause, and so the onmyōji Abe no Yasunari was called in. Abe no Yasunari read the emperor’s fortune and divined that he was marked by a bad omen. After that, the highest priests and monks were summoned to the palace to pray for the emperor’s health.

The best prayers of the highest priests had no effect, however. The emperor continued to grow worse. Abe no Yasunari was summoned again to read the emperor’s fortune. This time, to his horror the onmyōji discovered that the emperor’s beloved Tamamo no Mae was the cause of his illness. She was a kitsune in disguise, and was shortening the emperor’s life span in order to take over as ruler of Japan. Emperor Toba was reluctant to believe the diviner’s words, but agreed to test Tamamo no Mae just to be sure.

To save the emperor’s life, Abe no Yasunari prepared the Taizan Fukun no Sai, the most secret and most powerful spell known to onmyōdō. Tamamo no Mae was ordered to perform part of the ritual. They reasoned that an evil spirit would not be able to participate in such a holy ritual. Though she was reluctant to participate, the emperor’s ministers persuaded her. They told her that it would increase her standing an admiration among the court. She had little choice but to accept.

When the ritual was performed, Tamamo no Mae dressed even more beautifully than normal. She recited the holy worlds as expected and played her part extremely well. But just as she prepared to wave the ceremonial staff, she vanished. Abe no Yasunari’s divination was confirmed. The court flew into an uproar.

Soon after, word arrived that women and children were disappearing near Nasuno in Shimotsuke Province. The court sorcerers determined that Tamamo no Mae was the cause, and it was decided that she must be destroyed once and for all. The emperor summoned the best warriors in all of the land and then charged the most superb of them, Kazusanosuke and Miuranosuke, to find Tamamo no Mae. The warriors gladly accepted the honor. They purified themselves and set out with an army of 80,000 men to slay the nine-tailed kitsune.

Upon reaching Nasuno the army quickly found the kitsune. The warriors chased her for days and days, but the fox used her magical powers and outsmarted them time and time again, easily escaping. The army grew weary, and frustration set in. It seemed that nothing they did was working. However, Kazusanosuke and Miuranosuke would not accept the shame of defeat and vowed to press on. They practiced harder, honing their tactics, and eventually picked up the kitsune’s trail.

One night, Miuranosuke had a prophetic dream. A beautiful young girl appeared before him, crying. She begged: “Tomorrow I will lose my life to you. Please save me.” Miuranosuke adamantly refused, and upon waking the warriors set out again to find Tamamo no Mae. Sure enough, the next day they caught her. Miuranosuke fired two arrows, one through the fox’s flank and one through its neck. Kazusanosuke swung his blade. It was over, just as the dream had said.

However, Tamamo no Mae’s evil did not end with her death. One year after she died, Emperor Konoe died, heirless. The following year, her lover and former Emperor Toba died as well. A succession crisis ignited between forces loyal to Emperor Go-Shirakawa and forces loyal to former Emperor Sutoku. This crisis started the Fujiwara-Minamoto rivalry that led to the Genpei War, the end of the Heian period, and the rise of the first shoguns. As if that were not enough, Tamamo no Mae’s spirit haunted a massive boulder which killed every living thing that touched it. (from Yokai.com)