G is for Golem

Image is a photo of a statue depicting the Prague golem. Taken from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Clay-golem.jpg

The golem is a creature of Jewish folklore. According to The Golem by Alden Oreck, the term golem means "shapeless mass" in Hebrew. It is made of clay but animated to life. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythical Creatures states that golems can also be made out of wood or mud. However, it is of limited intelligence, and will only follow the directions of its creator. To possess a golem was thought to attribute wisdom and holiness to the owner. In order to be able to create a golem, its creator is closer to God, who is the Creator, than other humans. One of the most famous golems was said to be created to protect the Jewish residents of the Prague ghetto from persecution, created by Rabbi Judah Loew the Maharal. As it gains strength, it goes on a Gentile killing spree.

In many tales, the golem has magic words inscribed on its head to bring it to life. It is said that the one of the names of God is written on a scrap of paper and attached to the golem's head or directly into the clay, will animate it, and when the creator wants to inactivate it, the name is erased. Emet, which means "truth of God" can be written to animate the golem. When it is time to stop its life, the e can be erased to form the word met, which means "death." Another method is to write the name of the creator of the golem in blood on a sheet of calfskin, and to put it in its mouth. Deactivation can be accomplished by removing the paper from its mouth.

It is said that golems must rest on the Sabbath or they will go beserk. And the creator/controller of the golem must take care in the instructions given to the golem, for they will be taken perfectly literately. According to the Maharal story, the golem has magical powers such as invisibility, summoning the dead, and a heated touch.

According to The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythical Creatures, the rabbi who created a golem would often be punished for attempting to "play God." Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a more modern retelling of this cautionary tale.

Golems in Books and Other Media:

• Gustav Meyrink's The Golem, based on the story of Rabbi Judah Loew the Maharal


• Isaac Bashevis Singer also wrote a version of the golem myth


• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon


• The Barmtimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud


• Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett


• Snow in August by Pete Hamill


• The Puttermesser Papers by Cythia Ozick


• Iron Council by China Mieville


• Dragon Tears by Dean Koontz features a villian with the supernatural ability to create golems out of dirt


• Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco


• A Calculus of Angels by Gregory Keyes


• The Tortuous Serpent by Donald Tyson


• The Image Comics title Proof features a golem named Joe


• A series of German silent expressionism movies were made based on the golem myth


• Episodes of Gargoyles, X-Files, and Charmed have been built around the golem myth

The mythical golem is viewed as a sign of wisdom and holiness, revered as a savior for the persecuted Jews, and also can be seen as a sign of reaching beyond one's natural limits. It serves as a powerful metaphor for creation, but can also be used for destruction. The golem is deeply entrenched in Jewish folklore, but it has crossed over into the collective imagination, finding its way into tales enjoyed by many outside of the Jewish consciousness.

References

Golem-Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem. Accessed 28 September 2008. Last Modified 26 September 2008.

Dempsey, Colin. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythical Creatures. Published by Barnes & Noble, Inc., 2006. p. 87-88.

The Golem by Alden Oreck. Published by Jewish Virtual Library, A Division of the Israeli-American Cooperative. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Golem.html. Accessed 28 September 2008. Last modified 2008.

D for Djinn

This image was taken from Amazon.com, http://amazon.com. This is the cover for the first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy, The Amulet of Samarkand, by Jonathan Stroud.

The Djinn, aka jinn, is a supernatural being, an elemental that is said to possess free will. Most of us are most familiar with the term genie, which was first used in English in 1665, with the translation of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights by French translators. The root of the original root of jinn is said to come from the Semitic root "JNN" which refers to hidden or concealed.

Djinn were worshipped as tributary spirits by pre-Islamic Middle Eastern Cultures. They were associated with succubi (demons who take the form of beautiful women). A female djinn is called a "Jinniyah" or "Jinneyeh."

The djinn are mentioned in the Koran, and form an important of some Islamic practitioners' beliefs. They are said to be made from "smokeless fire" by Allah, as humans were made from earth. According to Spirits, Fairies,Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia, by Carol Rose, the djinn were made from the Sharan wind (Simoon). Because of their substance of smokeless fire, they are invisible to humans, and also they possess the ability to fly. Because they have free will, they can follow any religion they choose to follow. Like humans, the djinn will be judged on the Day of Judgment, being sent either to Hell or Heaven, according to their deeds in life. In Islam, the Devil or Satan is a djinn called "Shaitan" or "Iblees."

The djinn also crop up in the Old Arabic and Old Persian Bibles in the following books, Leviticus, 1st Samuel, 1st Corinthians, and the gospels Matthew, Luke, and John, as Jinn or Jaann.

Outside of religious history, they also have a long and powerful history in popular media. How many us watched "I Dream of Jeannie" growing up? Enough said.

Because of their free will, not all djinn are good, and not all are evil. As some djinn possess almost limitless power, I would not like to run into an evil djinn!

Rose states that Djinns may take any shape, even large ones, and can be hideous in form or beautiful. One can tell that he or she is encountering a djinn in human form by the shape of its eye pupils (vertical like goats). But this is probably too late for you to get away at this point!

Benevolent djinn have been known to fall in love with and mate with humans, producing offspring that can walk through walls, fly, and age slowly.

In Morocco, it is believed that every human has their own djinn. Those Earth djinn who are independent live in dark and isolated environments, such as lavatories, drains, and cemeteries. Because they are easily offended, if one disturbs their home, it will cause them to exact a "terrible retribution." Water djinn love to entice people to their watery deaths. In contrast, tree djinns are very benevolent towards humans, with exception of the fig tree djinns, which incite quarrel.

The major types of djinn:

• Marid : The strongest type of djinn, associated with seas or oceans, where it is typically found. Arrogant in nature, it is susceptible to flattery, and can be coaxed to do chores either through summoning via rituals by powerful magicians, via flattery, through imprisonment, or by engaging in battle with it.



• Ifrit: in popular culture, it is represented to embody fire.



• Ghul or Ghoul: probably the most frightening type of djinn. Capable of shapeshifting, it lives in the desert, assuming the form of an animal, and lures unwary travellers into the desert to slay and eat them. It also robs the grave and eats the dead. As such, the term is often used for undead creatures who feed on the dead. They have a life of their own in the fictional words of horror, outside of their djinn origins.

When most of us in the Western world think of djinn or genies, we think of them as wish-giving creatures. This is due in large part to the portrayal of djinn in the story of Aladdin, from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (the genie in the lamp). Another djinn is found in the story of The Fisherman and the Jinni.

When it comes to djinn, it is very important to remember to be careful what you wish. A djinn, much like a faery, will use one's words against that person. Typically your wish will come back to haunt you, or you will use the last precious third wish trying to reverse the prior wishes. If you don't believe me, read "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs.

If I have sparked your interest in the djinn, then you may want to read the following fiction books:

• The Arabian Nights (otherwise known as One Thousand and One Nights. I humbly suggest Tales from the Arabian Nights by Andrew Lang. It's pretty cool in that it uses a story in a story format. Very few of the stories just end cold.



• Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore



• Dog Days by John Levitt features ifrit djinn

• Jadis from the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis thought to be half-djinn.



• Declare by Tim Powers is an intriguing mix of spy story and djinn.



• The Sandman collection: Fables and Reflections by Neil Gaiman has several referrences to djinn.



• American Gods by Neil Gaiman features an ifrit taxi driver



• The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud



• The Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine features djinn as the source of power to the Wardens.



• Dragon Rider by Corneila Funke



• Children of the Lamp series by P.B. Kerr



• Jinn by Matthew Delaney is been described as "Saving Private Ryan meets Alien."



• The Forbidden Game trilogy by L.J. Smith



• Castle in the Air by Dianna Wynne Jones



• The Doctor Who novel The Stone Rose puts a new spin on the idea of a genie, Doctor Who-style.



• Proven Guilty, Book 8 of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher features a jann.

Movies and TV featuring Djinn

• The aforementioned I Dream of Jeannie



• The Arabian Nights miniseries (fantastic)



• The 7th Voyage of Sinbad



• Two episodes of The Twilight Zone: "The Man in the Bottle," and "I Dream of Genie"



• Wishmaster (for the horror movie fans)



• Kazaam



• Special Unit 2 had an episode called "The Wish" with an evil genie who had to carry out wishes physically with disastrous consequences for the wish-maker.



• The Brass Bottle



• The "Je Souhaite" episode of X-Files features a very bored, but impish genie who brings nothing good to the person who acquires her.



• Long Time Dead (An ancient, evil djinn is featured in this horror film)



• The Thief of Baghdad



• A Thousand and One Nights



• Disney's Aladdin



• The "What is and What Should Never Be" episode of Supernatural the TV show has a djinn that does not grant wishes, but merely makes the victim dream his/her wish was granted, and feeds off the person's lifeforce. This djinn is truly horrifying in appearance.

..And djinn also make their appearance in comic books, manga, and the gaming world.

Well I hope that you know a little more about djinn. Remember, if a mysterious being appears after you acquire a certain object and asks you what you desire, remember to think twice what you wish for!

Bibliography

Genie- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djinn. Last modified 29 August 2008. Accessed 2 September 2008.

Ifrit-Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ifrit. Last modified 1 September 2008. Accessed 2 September 2008.

Marid-Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marid. Last modified 9 August 2008. Accessed 2 September 2008.

Ghoul-Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghoul. Last modified 25 August 2008. Accessed 2 September 2008.

Rose, Carol. Spirits, Fairies, Leprechaun, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia. W.W. Norton Publisher. p. 87-88.

C is for Changeling

Image taken from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:The_changeling,_John_Bauer,_1913.jpg

The concept of the changeling is an interesting one for me, but I guess that goes without saying. Imagine tucking your sweet, lovely baby in for the night and going to sleep. Tomorrow morning, when you wake up, there is something else in its place. Something not so human. Any mother or father's nightmare.

This is where the changeling comes in. Faery babes can tend toward sickliness. Or perhaps the Fae finds a human babe to be pretty or wants a little toy to play with until they grow sick of it, or perhaps they just feel like playing a trick on humans. Well, that's no problem. Just take a human babe and swap it with a sickly Fae offspring. Or in some cases, an enchanted piece of wood, called a stock may be placed in the cradle. The Scottish folklore has a more sinister reason for changelings, the human babes as used as a tithe for Hell, as the Faefolk are forbidden from Heaven. In some folklore, an unbaptized child is more likely to be stolen by trolls.

Perhaps initially, the mother or father might not know the difference right away. Until the signs of a changeling manifest themselves. These signs include: voracious appetite, malicious temperament, troubled movement, or unusual wisdom. In Welsh folklore, initially the changeling very closely resembles the human child, but gradually becomes more ill-tempered, unattractive, and malformed, given to screaming and biting. Welsh wisdom offers the following method to tell if your child has been replaced by a changeling: cook a meal in an eggshell. The changeling will become so confounded, it will disappear, and the true human child will reappear in its place. In Irish folklore, left-handed people were thought be be Fae changeling. No wonder I never fit in!

There are more sinister ways to tell if one's child is a changeling, which sound uncomfortably close to child-abuse, and frankly bring to mind Munchausen by Proxy, so we won't go into those. A Scandinavian story cautions against mistreating the changeling. A woman and her husband realize their child has been replaced by a troll-child, but the wife refuses to mistreat the troll-child. Eventually the husband leaves her, and encounteres their true child, who had been freed by the trolls, because of the wife's care of their own offspring. He tells his father that it was good that they treated the troll-child well, because each mistreatment visited upon the troll child would have been visited on the true child.

Protecting one's child from being stolen involved various methods: laying a steel object such as scissors or a knife on the cradle of an unbaptized child, according to Scandavian folklore, and the Irish believed that staring at a baby with envy would leave it vulnerable to being stolen.

Changelings in literature and the media:



Changelings on TV:

• Star Trek had an episode called "The Changeling" in which a earth probe which was damaged merged with an alien probe and wreaks havoc


• So Weird also has an episode called "The Changeling" in which the tv show characters are forced to babysit a changeling


• Supernatural's episode "The Kids are Alright" features a changeling, although their version featured a creature which assumed the form of a children and sucked energy from their parents


• Doctor Who uses a variation of the changeling motif in "Attack of the Graske," in which the Graske attack humans and leave a changeling form of the humans, with eyes that glow

Changelings in Books:

• William Butler Yeats wrote a poem called The Stolen Child about a boy replaced by a changeling
• In H.P. Lovecraft's "Pickman's Model", the subterrean monsters replace human children with their young
• Poul Anderson's story The Broken Sword
• The Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick
• Tithe: An Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black
• The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw
• Low Red Moon and Daughter of Hounds by Caitlin Kiernan
• War of the Flowers by Tad Williams
• Stones Unturned by Thomas Sniegoski and Christopher Golden
• Faerie Baby by Lin Spicer
• Poison by Chris Wooding
• The play A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare has a plot the revolves around Faerie King and Queen Oberon and Titania's fight over a changeling boy

The changeling myth has been pervasive in most cultures, probably because it hits at the heart of a parent's fear that their child is somehow abnormal. The fears of a child that is not healthy. I don't have kids ,but I can imagine how that might feel. And back in ancient times, when the understanding of science and disease was limited, I imagine it must have eased a parent's feelings of guilt to think that the Good People had no small part in their child's ailment.

References

Changeling-Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changeling. Last modified 27 September 2008. Accessed 27 September 2008.

T is For Tulpa

Nightingale's Lament by Simon R. Green features a tulpa, who takes the shape of Rossignol, the young woman that John Taylor is trying to help, and causes much chaos and destruction as it is sent to kill John Taylor.

According to Wikipedia. org, a tulpa is based on the Tibetan occult mysticism concept of an object or being created through sheer willpower. Called a thoughtform, it is a thought brought to life.

Wikipedia quotes Mysteries of the Unexplained, stating that a tulpa can be an apparition that is a perceptible double of a person who is in a trance state, or a ghost that is called up by a magician or yogi of skill. It can also manifest due to the collective superstitious beliefs of a (group) village of people. Evans-Wentz is further quoted to say, that the mind can create any object that it desires. Personally, I find that to be a very scary thought. I don't want to have some of my black imaginations come to life! Evans-Wentz goes onto to say that a skilled magician can dissolve the thoughtform, effectively killing it, as easily as it is created.

Alexandra David-Neel helped to introduce this concept to the Western world in Magic and Mystery in Tibet, published in 1965. It can be explored on a more philosophical level, as one delves into the Tibetan religious beliefs, but that would be far out of the scope of this entry. The tulpa is quite a popular concept, and has continually been used

in fiction of various types. Here are some works that feature tulpas of various forms:

Books:

• Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison (used by the main character to hold in her power during her spells)
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman (diety-like being are created through cultural belief)
• It by Stephen King (the titular character is brought to life in various manifestations through the belief of the townspeople)
• Outcast by Lynne Ewing (features a tulpa created by the main character, appearing in the form of his lost twin brother)
• The Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
• Batman has a story arc called "Tulpa," written by Alan Grant that features a Tibetan man who creates entities to steal for him
• Clive Barker's Candy Man character was created to be a tulpa manifested from a myth

TV

• X-Files episode Arcadia features a tulpa made from garbage that enforces the rules of the very exclusive community of the same name
• Supernatural episode Hell House is about a tulpa manifested by thousands of website viewers in a supposedly haunted house
• Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends features living thoughtforms brought to life by the imagination of children

As you can probably surmise, the tulpa is a very complicated, but interesting piece of the folklorific, or religious pantheon. It frankly goes over my head, but I still found it worthwhile to write of in this blog. My thanks to Simon R. Green for invoking my curiosity, and thanks to Wikipedia, my major source of information about tulpas.

Bibliography

Tulpa- Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulpa. Last modified 3 March 2008. Accessed 14 March 2008.

V is for Valkyrie

This image is The Valkyrie's Vigil by Edward Robert Hughes. Taken from Wikipedia.org, Valkryie: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyrie

I became enchanted with valkyries when I read A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. I had a vague of flying, robust women in armor, brandishing swords, and wearing horned helmets. I definitely got this mental image from Richard Wagner's opera, The Ride of the Valkyries. In the Kresley Cole Immortals After Dark series, valkyries are known to eat lighting, and to cause it when they become enraged. They are depicted as beautiful, passionate, and very dangerous as enemies. They definitely intrigued my interest. But let's talk a little about the origin of the valkryie in folklore.

According to Wikipedia.org, Valkyries hail from Norse mythology. The etymology is val (slain) and kyrja (choose), literally translating as "choosers of the slain." They are also called shield maidens or disir. Their purpose was to select the most noble of warriors who had died in battle on Odin's behalf. They would carry them off to Valhalla so they could fight at Odin's side in Ragnarok, the battle at the end of the world. They would scour the field of the death to reap the best warriors to take back to Valhalla.

We tend to think of Valkyries as beautiful women, but originally they were quite gruesome and war-like in appearance. Instead of riding winged horse, they rode kennings, or wolves. The valkyries are often represented as carrion-eating ravens, according to the website: The Original Valkyries: A History of the Norse Goddesses.

Valkyries are considered to the be demi-goddesses of death in Norse mythology. In the Prose Edda, the valkyries are said to play a role in human conflict, determining who lives and who dies.

The chief valkyrie is sometimes said to be Freja, the Norse goddess of fertility, love, and beauty, but also battle and death. She has the first choice of the dead warriors to claim as her own.

In Valhalla, the valkyries serve the warriors mead, exchanging their armor for pure white robes. They are also Odin's messengers, known to cause the flickering light phenomena called the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights.) Thomas Bulfinch notes that the valkyrie's armor causes the flickering light phenomena.

The valkyrie legend is also tied into the legend of swan maidens, who could be captured and held to obtain wishes. As such, valkyries are often called swan maidens or wish maidens.

It is said that any maiden who dies and becomes a valkyrie, will remain immortal as long as she obeys the gods and remains a virgin. In number, they vary from three to sixteen. Some of the names of the Valkryies mentioned in Prose Edda and sagas (minus punctuation) are:

• Brynhildr
• Kara
• Mist
• Sigrune (Victory rune)
• Gunnr
• Hrist
• Svava
• Rota
• Skuld
• Friagabi

It is said that if you see a valkyrie in battle, you will die in that same battle. And valkyries often ride in troops of nine.

If you have an interest in learning more of the valkyries, read the Prose Eddas and Norse mythology, and for a great series based on the valkyries, check out the Immortals After Dark series.

Bibliography

Valkyrie; Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyrie. Last modified 4 March 2008. Website accessed 4 March 2008.

The Original Valkyries: A History of the Norse Goddesses.
http://www.dolls-n-daggers.com/Valkyrie.html. Accessed 4 March 2008.

K is for Kobold

Image taken from Wikimedia.org: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Kobold_artlibre_jnl.jpg

I first encountered a reference to kobolds in Kinley MacGregor's Knight of Darkness this year. Before that I had never heard of them. According to Wikipedia.org, a kobold is a sprite of Germanic folklore, similar to brownies. They haunt households and can either do some excellent housework, or be mischievous, depending on their moods.

The Larousse Dictionary of Folklore says they are somewhat of habitual pranksters that love to hide things from the homeowner. Fortunately, they will also help the family member to find what is lost. They are easily offended, but will also sing the children to sleep a night. It is important to keep them well-fed to avoid them becoming discontented.

Wikipedia mentions that the element cobalt is named for these creatures, as a common variant dwells in underground caves and mines. This is derived from the fact that poisonous ores of this metal can often pollute other mined minerals.

There are individuals that specialize in plaguing certain types of people. For instance, Hoedeken hounds unfaithful wives, while Goldemar exposes secrets best kept hidden by clergymen.

According to Andrew Keightley's The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People, kobolds, the same beings as the English hobgoblins, haunt the houses of their chosen family as long as at least one member lives. The kobold will actually follow the family to their new dwelling if the family attempts to leave. The maidservants must take care to meet the Kobold's needs, and inform their successors to do the same.

In his book, Mr. Keightley recounts the story of a very famous kobold called Hinzelmann from an abridgement by MM Grimm. In this account, Hinzelmann is known to direct the housekeeping activities of the maids and to scold the housedwelling occupants on ethical and polite behavior. He protested to being exorcised, claiming he had nothing to do with the Devil.

The kobold appears quite frequently both in fiction and videogames. For examples, kobolds are found in the following works of fiction:

• Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
• The Spirit Ring by Lois McMaster Bujold
  
• Fablehaven: The Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull features a kobold in a decidely sinister cast
  
• Revenge of the Shadow King by JS Lewis and Derek Benz has mercenary kobolds working for Morgan Le Fay
• The kobold Hinzelmann shows up as an benevolent protector of a small Wisconsin town in Neil Gaiman's American Gods
• Terry Brooks' Landover series features two different kobolds
• The Forgotten Realms series features kobolds as enemies throughout, nearly on par with goblins
  

If I have awakened your curiosity about kobolds, I have attached a bibliography. Let me close by warning you to be nice to your kobold, and to keep it well fed. It's to your best advantage!

References

Kobold. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobold. Last modified 1 January 2008. Accessed on 2 January 2008.

Jones, Alison. Larousse Dictionary of World Folklore. 262. Published New York, New York: Larousse Kingfisher Chambers, Inc. 1995.

Keightley, Thomas. The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves, and Other Little People. 239-258. Published New York, New York: Gramercy, 2000. Originally published as The Fairy Mythology in 1880.

Here There Be Dragons, Etc! AKA Blog Introductory Post

Did you ever see Clash of the Titans? I saw it when it first came out, at least five times. That was back when they didn't kick you out of a movie, so you could sit there and rewatch it several times. I was captivated. I can't remember if was in love with the myths already then. I was nourished and weaned on fairy tales growing up so I think that was always a part of me. I thought all the creatures and characters were interesting, but my favorite was the Pegasus. Pegasus was a winged-horse who adopted Perseus, the young hero who is a natural son of Zeus. I remember the awe of seeing the beautiful, majestic, white, winged horse and falling in love. I even had a poster of Pegasus on my wall.

Pegasus is not the only mythical beastie I love. There is a long list of them. The purpose of this blog is to dedicate each post to these creatures and characters. I haven't decided if I will have time to post weekly or monthly. I fear that daily is out of my reach. But I will endeavor to post regularly at least. I will include all references for those of a scholarly bent. Consider this the post of many and we will reacquaint ourselves with Pegasus in the near feature. So let the show begin! This picture comes from Mythological Creature Pictures. See the link below.

http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/01666/myth%20creat%20pictures.htm.