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Foxy Lady

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Gumiho | Korea

“Nine-tailed fox that freely transforms into a beguiling woman.”

Basic Facts:

  • How does the fox become the woman? It lives a thousand years.
  • The goal of the gumiho (also called Kumiho in Korea) is to seduce boys and lure them off to eat their organs. They focus on primary organs, such as the liver and heart.
  • Since the legend of the gumiho originated in China and also has a sister legend in Japan, the gumiho is differentiated by the item it carries. The gumiho keeps a marble of knowledge but it’s also used to help drain human energy. If a human steals the marble…they gain knowledge!
  • Even though they can turn into a woman, they maintain fox-like features.
  • Hoping for some good news? If the gumiho doesn’t kill or eat any humans…they’ll become human. Don’t forget…they’re spirits, not actual animals.

Nine Imps

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Dokkaebi | Korea

“Impish spirits that transform from inanimate objects.”

Basic Facts:

  • Also called Korean goblins, they like to play tricks on humans (or help them – it can go either way.)
  • Physical descriptions of the dokkaebi can be found on ancient roof tiles but are usually frightening to look at.
  • Into wrestling? So are these spirits! in order to pass them, you should be able to wrestle your way out of their clutches of evil! Their weak spots include their right side and (some of them are one-legged) a simple push will get them down.
  • There are different types of dokkaebi. To be frank, there are nine common types.
  • Sometimes, rituals are hosted to get in the good graces of the dokkaebi but other times.

Be Rewarded

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Pixiu | China

“Winged lion that words off spirits and attracts wealth”

Basic Facts:

  • The Pixiu is a protector of those who practice Feng Shui.
  • A creature well associated with wealth; it is also associated with Earth and Sea elements.
  • There are male and female variations of the Pixiu. They’re referred to as Bìxié (male) and Tiān lù (female). The Bìxié is known to be in charge of the wealth, while the Tiān lù shoos off bad spirits.
  • In terms of the wealth they bring in, they are picky. The prefer gold, silver, and jewelry.
  • As years have gone by, the Pixiu has maintained their love for wealth. Statues are often used in the practice of Feng Shui and the philosophy is: wealth will come. They’re also used in Jade pendants in modern jewelry.

Overlapping Myths and Traditions

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This is the first of our mythological creatures from East Asia and can we just say: we are so excited to share these!

For this week, we’re looking at the traditional Chinese dragon, also known as the East Asian Dragon. This creature is widely known within and beyond Asian history, used as symbols of great strength and honor. But let’s jump right in and see what we could possibly teach you!

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Chinese Dragon | China

“Long, serpentine creature with elemental powers.”

Basic Facts:

  • Don’t be fooled! The serpent-like animal is the more commonly known dragons. They’re also described as turtles and fish.
  • The dragon usually has powers to control water, rainfall, typhoons, and floods (do you see the common trait of strength behind this all?)
  • Scholar Wang Fu of the Han dynasty recorded myths about long dragons having distinct features. It’s an interesting Google search!
  • Depictions of the East Asian dragon sometimes feature a flaming pearl. It’s symbolic of spiritual energy, wisdom, prosperity, power, immortality, thunder, or the moon.
  • Wings? Nope! East Asian dragons fly with the help of their mystical powers, nothing physical helps them soar through the sky.

Creature From The Black Lagoon…?

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We’ve finally made it to the end of European legends and mythological creatures. Next week we’ll be venturing over to East Asia to see what sort of creatures and legends we can inspire you to incorporate into your writing!

Onto this week, though! Could we have found what inspired the Creature from the Black Lagoon?

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Vodník | Czech Republic

Basic Facts:

  • The appearance of the Vodník varies…from a man with webbed hands and gills to a humanoid frog. The description of this creature depends on the location of the myth. His story gets around!
  • On the side of good or evil? The Vodník can be aligned with either. But the bad ones are the recorded ones. They try to drown people who are in their territory!
  • To pass the time, this creature likes to play cards, smoke pipes, or just hang out near the water and overlook their home.
  • Sometimes, fisherman give the spirit tobacco as a trade for fish.
  • They don’t have a mentioned home…but sea water is deadly for them! Just speculating, not confirmed.

A Little More, A Little Less

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Has anyone ever thought “I don’t care what color his eyes are” or “what does the size of her hips have to do this journey?” Or my personal favorites are, “well, what color are his eyes” and “how wide are her hips REALLY?”

You know where this is going: physical descriptions of characters.

Sure, establishing attraction between two characters could use some physical traits to highlight. Everyone has their personal attractions. But besides that, when does describing a character become too much? Or do you feel there is too little to your character altogether?

Sometimes we think of the readers first. Readers come in all shapes and sizes – and we also want to highlight everyone thinks differently. But you knew that already. The way a reader can interpret your characters varies. Some enjoy rich, written word describing every nook and cranny of your world…others envision a movie scene, playing itself out in their head.

But what’s also important to keep in mind is yourself. It’s up to your discretion as a writer if you wish to pursue colorful scenes adorned in magical items or timeless pieces of furniture. Or that may not be the point of the story. Factor in everything (point of view, genre…we mean it.) Some writers feel comfortable with a simple “an average man/woman comes into the crowded bar…” and the reader’s creative mind can take the reins from there.

Get comfortable with your characters for who they are, not they look like.

Ragnarok

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Fenrir | Scandinavia

“Monstrous wolf destined to devour the world.”

Basic Facts:

  • Fenrir is the son of Loki and the giantess, Angrboda.
  • This huge wolf was chained up because the gods knew how powerful he was. He was only going to break free when Ragnarok occurred, which is Doomsday. And no, we’re not going to start talking about the Marvel movies.
  • Fenrir has made more appearances in modern culture than people realize, mainly references in video games but has made an appearance or two in movies and on TV.
  • He’s a father! He has two sons: Skoll (meaning ‘treachery’) and Hati (meaning ‘he who hates’ or ‘enemy’) with the giantess, Hyrrokkin. Though this is just an assumption. Also, like father like son.
  • His other name is “Fenris.”

 

An Eternal Flame

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Phoenix | Greece

“Fire bird that eternally regenerates from its own ashes.”

Basic Facts:

  • There are many different tales which reveal the life expectancy of the phoenix before it is reborn…one being a span of 500 years.
  • The phoenix was considered a royal bird because it had been associated with a place called Phoenicia. Phoenicia was known for producing a rich purple dye which was deemed expensive and used exclusively for the upper class.
  • When we think of the phoenix, we think vibrant colors associate with the sun. In truth, the phoenix has never been described in great detail in original folklore.
  • Phoenix is Greek for ‘crimson’ or ‘purple.’
  • The modern adaptation of the phoenix make claims that the tears of the bird can heal and if they’re nearby, lying doesn’t occur.

Wrong Alps

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When I first saw the name of our next mythological creature, I immediately thought, “how are the Swiss Alps lore?” I would like to confirm, we are not talking about the Swiss Alps. Just regular alps.

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Alp | Germany

“Shapeshifting goblin that evokes nightmares in sleeping victims.”

Basic Facts:

  • Similar to the picture above, an alp appears small and child-like. Most times, elf-like. But don’t be fooled: they’re still goblins! These little creatures are male a good chunk of the time, too.
  • They can be summoned by witches.
  • What’s so threatening about an alp? Well, they wear a little hat which gives them the powers they do use to terrorize people. They come into a person’s home while they’re sleeping. They’ll sit on the person to cause nightmares. Sometimes, they’ll travel through the person’s nostril to gain control of their whole being for a short period of time.
  • These little guys may be bad most of the time, but there’s a reason! The evil eye is what causes the alps to act out. You can remove it…forcing them to lose their evil intent.
  • If an alp is caught in the act of terror by morning, the alp can be asked to leave. They’ll try to bargain so don’t fall for their tricks! Beware!

The Water Fairy

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Xana | Spain

“Exquisite female water nymphs with hypnotic voices.”

Basic Facts:

  • Unlike the ceasg from Scotland, the Xana can be found in fresh water, not seawater. Places like fountains, rivers, waterfalls, or forests with water banks. They also are not mermaid-like creatures. They have legs like me and you!
  • With her charm, no one could reject her. She always gets what she wants whenever she speaks.
  • A xana can also be a beneficial spirit/entity. She can sing songs of peace and love, gift people love water, gold, or silver to those worthy.
  • They can bear children but cannot raise them. Instead, they swap their offspring with human babies (sort of like changelings) and let them live on. They’re called “xaninos” or “xanin” (plural versus singular.)
  • If the name “xana” translated to anything, no one knows what it is. Some think it relates back to the goddess, Diana…but we don’t see the correlation.