By the Gods!
RSSPosts tagged with "Spirits"
The Leshy
Leshies–-creatures from slavic mythology—are male tree spirits who watch over forests and woodland creatures. They have a grudge against humans, believing all of them to be cruel and hateful toward the forest, so you may want to watch out for these leafy spirits.
The Leshy have the ability to shape-shift, but their original form is said to be beings with two horns, green hair, blue skin and great big bushy beards. If you run into a talking mushroom, it’s probably a Leshy, seeing as they’re tricksters and probably get bored easily.
Although the Leshy aren’t said to be evil, they are known for kidnapping young women and making ruffian children lost in the woods. All fun and games to the Leshy folk. They are also known for tickling troublemakers to the point of submission, even death! The horror!
Some Leshies will protect livestock that wanders into the woods, if the farmers that own the livestock make it worth their while. If you can befriend a Leshy, it might teach you its magic secrets and tickling techniques. However, it’s hard to befriend a Leshy, as they often don’t venture far from the forest and are wary of those who enter it.
Hermaphroditus
Yup, you read his name right. And yes, that is where we get hermaphrodite from, so congrats to those of you who figured it out! Hermaphroditus was the son of Hermes and Aphrodite (shocker!). He was raised on Mt. Ida, and when he grew to the age of 15 he grew tired of his surroundings and ventured out into the world. At some point on his little adventure he became fatigued, and stopped to take a swim in a pool; little did he know that this pool belonged to the nymph Salmacis. Salmacis instantly fell in love with Hermaphroditus, ‘cause as we all know, in Greek myth love is instantaneous.
When Salmacis approached Hermaphroditus, he refused her advances and pushed her away. Once he thought she was gone Hermaphroditus undressed and slipped into the pool for a bath. Why wouldn’t he just go to another pool!? SHE’S A NYMPH, MAN! Salmacis, undeterred by Hermaphroditus’ refusal, bum-rushed him and wrapped herself around him, covering him with kisses and bad touches. While her sexual assault was going on she cried out to the gods in prayer and asked that she never be parted from Hermaphroditus. The Gods being what they are and only taking requests at face value did just that: they bound Salmacis’ body with Hermaphroditus’, turning the pair into one body: a woman with male genitalia, or a man with female genitalia (depending on how you look at it). Point is, they had both sets of tools. Hermaphroditus, rather than begging the gods to free him from Salmacis and this new form, asked the gods to turn anyone who entered the pool into a hermpahrodite, just like him, and his wish was granted. From then on Hermaphroditus was the minor god of bisexuality and effeminacy.
Even though Hermaphroditus was male after his bonding with Salmacis, Hermaphroditus is mainly depicted as a woman with male bits.
Mami Wata
The Mami Watas come from West and South Africa, and are inhumanly beautiful water spirits, usually female. They abduct wanderers and travelers and take them to an underwater paradise for a brief stay.
A Mami Wata is an unimaginably beautiful woman (or occasionally a man) with abnormally long, kinky hair, a lighter-than-normal complexion, and a serpent’s tail. If she’s not your dream girl… you must be a normal person. Regardless: a total babe from the torso up. They often carry valued items such as combs, watches, or even large snakes. Nothin’ more valuable than a large snake.
A Mami Wata seduces and beckons travelers towards her river domicile, and if she sees that they are in need of insight, (which is always likely for the traveling type, what with young people today, always “finding themselves”) she takes the journeyer to the underwater spirit world, and it is unknown what happens there. As they say, “what happens in the underwater spirit world stays in the underwater spirit world.” Should she allow them to leave, these travelers end up more successful, beautiful and easy going, likely due to a new understanding of their spiritual connections.
Oni
The Oni are giant horned demons said to have come to Japan from China with the arrival of Buddhism. Buddhist priests perform annual rites in order to expel them, but these evil brutes just keep coming back, it seems. The Oni are cruel and lecherous demons, said to swoop down from the sky to steal the souls of people about to die. They’re like otherworldly vultures, but uglier.
They appear in a variety of colours, and have three fingers, three toes and sometimes three eyes. Their depictions have changed and evolved a great deal over the years, as they are popular subjects for representation in pop culture. Some sources attribute them with the ability to shape-shift. The Oni of the Buddhist hell have the heads of oxen or horses, and hunt down sinners to take them away in their chariot of fire to Emma-O, the ruler of the underworld. Some Oni are held responsible fore illness and disease, and others are said to have been mortal women whose jealousy or grief transformed them into demons.
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism the Bodhisattvas are “enlightenment beings” who are destined to become buddhas. When the moment they finally achieve nirvana arrives, allowing them to escape the cycle of death and rebirth, they decline it. They do this that they might help others along the path to enlightenment. This is a big deal: these guys are sacrificing the ultimate goal of all Buddhists to lend their support to others on the path. Get it straight: they are nice guys.
They are shown robed as princes wearing five-leaved crowns, often sitting on a lotus. Two of the best known Bodhisattvas are Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri, pictured above. According to Mahayana Buddhism, human beings are sometimes able to enter paradise by means of a Bodhisattva’s merits and spiritual power rather than through their own, provided that they call on the Bodhisattva in faith. The Bodhisattvas give up their own chance at nirvana to help others along the path. That’s maybe the nicest spiritual being I’ve ever heard of.
Witte Wieven
The Witte Wieven (or “white women”) are derived from Dutch mythology and are spirits of wise women, or even elven beings. They are the spirits of the deceased herbalists, healers and wise women that help or hinder those around them.
Witte wieven literally translates today to “white woman,” but in dialects such as the low Saxon language it translates to”witty/wise woman”.
These Witte Wieven are draped in white robes as a symbol for their connections with wisdom, and reside near their burial grounds. If one leaves an offering to a Witte Wieven she may help said person as she would have before her bucket was kicked, or she may torment said person incessantly. You never really know how a woman will react to a simple question, am I right fellas? Eh? EH!?
This write-up brought to you by Sarah: totally female.
Kodama
In Japanese folklore the Kodama are spirits that inhabit and represent trees. They aren’t believed to dwell in every tree, but rather occupy specific and significant trees. Cutting down a tree that houses a Kodama is thought to bring ill fortune, and in Japan any such trees are often marked with a special rope. Japanese folklore takes influence from both Shinto and Buddhist beliefs, so it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where and how these spirits originated.
Their depictions vary; some believe them to take the form of a regular-looking human when they wander about beyond their tree, though their most famous representation is seen in the film Princess Mononoke, wherein they are cute as balls. It’s not even fair how adorable those little guys are.
Kitsune.
Kitsune originate from Japanese folklore and are mischievous fox spirits that are equivalent to fairies in European folklore. They are known for having magical capabilities and great wisdom that increases as they mature. Many believe that the Kitsune use these abilities to trick others, while some believe that they use these powers in a protective nature, for the greater good of Japan.
The Nihon Ryakki, suggests that the Kitsune originated by the mating of people and foxes centuries ago, as they used to “live in close proximity as equals.”
There are two different types of Kitsune: the benevolent Zenko, often associated with the god Inari, and the “field foxes,” and the Yako, who are often mischievous and malicious. Both can shapeshift into humans and aren’t limited by the fox’s age or gender.
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