The Stikini is a creature with origins in the Native American mythology, legend and folklore. In particular, accounts of its existence first arise within the mythology, legend and folklore of the North American Seminole tribes. A Stikini resembles an avian humanoid; in particular, it resembles a strigiform humanoid (that is, a humanoid owl), not unlike legends of the creature called the Owl Man. Some even claim the creature is impossible to tell apart from a regular owl (which lead many to confl
Dive into the epic tale of Ninurta's Return to Nippur, a captivating Sumerian myth that celebrates the heroism of Ninurta.
This is a Public Domain illustration of a mound artifact used at s8int.com to compare to a "Dinosaur": it is obviously a Water Panther (Mishibizhiw) with somewhat exaggerated teeth Stalking Chicago’s Mythological Wildlife http://www.humansandnature.org/blog/stalking-chicagos-mythological-wildlife April 15, 2013 | Art, Mythology, Prairie, Riverways, Wildlife | 8 Comments Posted by Judy Speer My quest in search of the mythological wildlife of the Chicago region began as a search for healing. I was a city girl, immersed in a culture disconnected from nature, and dealing with a protracted illness. I noticed that I felt better whenever I was in my tiny backyard among the plants and critters. That led me to explore the local forest preserves, finding wondrous remnants of native ecosystems, and awakening my inner naturalist. As I gradually learned about native biodiversity and the need to protect and restore it, my inner artist and mystic also spoke up. I had a deep intuition that connecting with the spirit of the land would help me heal. I had opened a door by learning about nature, but mystery took the next step. The question occurred to me, seemingly out of nowhere: “What about mythological wildlife?” Every region has them; they must surely exist in Chicago, too. But who were they? The only ones I had heard of were in urban legends: super-rats or feral crocodiles that live in the sewers and show up in somebody’s toilet on occasion. I knew I had to go to the cultures living here before my immigrant ancestors arrived. At the time, the Native American Educational Services College was in Chicago, and I paid them a visit. When I asked the librarian my question, his eyes grew wide. “Oh, you want to learn about Mishebeshu,” he said, and brought me books with legends about this powerful creature that is believed to dwell under the lakes, rivers, and wetlands. It is described as a panther with horns and a long tail. Each tribe has its own name for the creature. The Ojibwe call it Mishebeshu, which, like the names given to this being by other native peoples, is sometimes translated as Water Spirit or Underwater Panther. I call it the Water Monster. Not long after, at a conference with teachers and elders of many tribes, I asked an Ojibwe elder about Mishebeshu. She said that the people would always acknowledge the Water Monster before embarking on a canoe trip. They would sprinkle tobacco on the water as an offering. If they didn’t, the Monster might sneak up on them and flip their canoes and drown them. Springs and seeps, where water comes from underground, are the portal to their domain: the lowerworld. This is a place where outer and inner landscapes meet. It is full of shadow and mystery, but it should not be confused with European literature and mythologies about hell. Though frightening, this Monster is not regarded as the embodiment of evil. It can be destructive, yet also bestow great blessings, such as healing power. In this Ojibwe story, a young woman refuses to follow her people’s practice of avoiding the Monster, and her confrontation has fortunate results. Many of the Water Monster stories also mention a powerful creature of the sky: the Thunderbird. It’s a huge bird that makes thunder by flapping its wings and lightning by blinking its eyes. The Thunderbird brings rain. It guards and protects people. It gives warriors power. The portal to their upperworld realm is where earth meets the sky, including hills and bluffs. Thunderbirds are usually benevolent but occasionally fearsome, striking people with lightning or kidnapping them. They often battle with Water Monsters, carving out landscape features in the process, and enjoy eating their lowerworld counterparts. My quest led me to sites across southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois where native people sculpted the earth into shapes of creatures. These effigy mounds are between 700 and 1200 years old. Most contain human burials, and may have been used for ceremony and/or as territorial markers. When I heard about the effigy mound in Rockford, Illinois, I went to pay my respects. It was labeled as a “Turtle,” but had a very long tail. I also visited Lizard Mounds near West Bend, Wisconsin, which has many long-tailed mounds called lizards and panthers. I found a book by Robert Birmingham and Leslie Eisenberg entitled Indian Mounds of Wisconsin, which draws from scientific and native sources, and offers the explanation that the long-tailed mounds represent Water Monsters. Many of the mounds in the shape of birds may represent Thunderbirds. The people who probably know the most about the meaning of these mounds are the Ho-Chunk, who are descended from the mound-builders. The information they have shared so far is that the effigy mounds represent a spiritual worldview: that it is the role of the people to bring balance and harmony to the earth by connecting with the spiritual energy of the upperworld and the lowerworld, and making it visible in the world of our everyday existence. Over the past few years I have been experimenting with this wisdom. Exploring the upper and lower worlds helps me to remember that my spirit and soul are woven of nature. One of the ways that I try to make Thunderbird and Water Monster energy visible in the everyday world is through volunteer work as a steward of an oak savanna, restoring ecological balance and harmony to a small piece of earth in need of healing. This practice has brought me a deep sense of belonging to this land, and I am being healed too. When the U.S. government forced the Natives out of this area, the European-American settlers often dug into the mounds, and/or plowed them up. Who knows how many mounds were destroyed before being identified? Did some exist in the land now known as Chicago? And where are today’s Water Monsters and Thunderbirds? I believe they haven’t been extirpated yet, but are waiting for anyone who seeks the wisdom they guard. Many of their portals have been altered since the time that the Potawatomie flourished in this region. Instead of springs and bluffs, urban-dwellers may look to sewer grates (or toilets) and skyscraper rooflines. A walk along the lakefront could turn into an encounter with the lowerworld or upperworld. Just as I didn’t expect an innocent question about mythological wildlife to become a quest for a new understanding of my place in the universe, you never know what might happen if you start becoming alert for a tail twitching in the water or a wing flapping in a cloud! Images (from top to bottom) * Illustration of Thunderbird and Water Monster, by Judy Speer * Woven bag with depiction of Water Spirit, 1840-1880, Potawatomi * Water Monster effigy mound, Rockford, Illinois * Water Monster effigy mound near Burlington, Wisconsin, picture taken in 1927 by C. W. Beemer North American and South American Water Panthers are very much like the South American ones, and the South American Water Panthers are generally conceded to be the same as their giant otters. Mound Builder Water Panthers (Or Waterdogs) Water Panther mounds are at bottom and at top. Some mounds look more like Plesiosaurs and are considered inexplicable. South American giant-otter-print-n2-Georgetown It is good to remember the shape of the giant otter's track because Water Monster tracks can be similarly described as outsized and vaguely feline, or like a small pachyderm (or Hippo)
This is what's written in Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You about Griffins. The regal griffin (also spelled gryphon) is thought to be the offspring of an eagle (king of the sky) and a lion (king of all beasts). Its plumage ranges from cream to deep brown, yet some specimens have feathers with a deep, dark bluish sheen. While many griffins migrated to Eastern Europe from the Middle East in the thirteenth century, most remain desert-dwelling. They roost in high pl
Here are paper dolls from different ancient nationalities to use when you … study Sonlight’s World History, or read stories from these countries, or study different nationalities, or ju…
The Ænigma Project – Mondays 9 PM EST The Ænigma Project is a discussion group focused on the realm of the supernatural, paranormal and mysterious events that sometimes take place in our lives. Thr…
European and North American folklore is rife with beloved horror stories of werewolves, vampires, goblins and demons. Yet China has a rich history that has spanned thousands of years of civilization. And with that legacy comes amazing monster legends. In this account, we discover the monsters, legends and lore of ghouls, beasts and devils important in folk accounts from China. We delve into stories including the legend of the feared Nian that inspired certain Chinese New Year practices designed to ward off the legendary man-eating beast, discover the awful tales of Jiangshi and the hair raising story of an eerie
Selkies are seal creatures that can shed their skin once on land to become human. The mythology comes from Faroese, Irish and Scottish folklore although there are several creature like the shape-shifting selkies in other folklore around the world. The word comes from the old English seolh that was then taken by the Scottish selich, meaning seal. The legends have been found to originate in the Orkney and Shetland islands of Scotland. The selkie's seal skin is what holds their power and if stolen and hidden or burnt they would be under your power, prevented from going back to their water home, they are also like finger prints, unique to each selkie, only one particular skin would work with that one particular selkie, the magic of the skin wouldn't make anyone turn in to a seal if put on. That is why they are so presious. There are a few theories about what happens when the skin is destroyed. they say either the selkie dies or they are doomed to be human until they die, always longing to go back to the ocean but never being able to. The males are said to be extremely handsome and with great seductive powers in their human form, drawing women who typically aren't happy with their lives and/or are waiting for their husbands to return from sea. It is said that if a women wanted to make contact with a selkie she had to cry seven tears into the ocean. The females also being beautiful and seductive, where said to make great wives. Even having children with their human husbands. Males would have to lure one in and steal her seal skin, this would then force the selkie into marriage. The stories and folklore of the selkies are normally romantic tragedies because even though their love of a mortal may be strong, the pull of the ocean is always stronger. Either the stealing of the skins and the force to stay on land or the lover not knowing that they where selkies and waking up one day to find that their love had changed into a seal would also force tragedy into their tales. A selkie also couldn't have contact with the same human once left for seven years, unless said human stole their skins. Although their are a few stories where the selkie female is happy married with a fisherman. This tale always ends with the wife having to change back into her seal form to save her husband from the sea and then never being able to go back to her home on land. There are two types of selkie. Ones from the seelie court (which is said to be the fae that are more on the light side, often helping those in need, although when bored can make lots of trouble, nothing ending in great harm and not into hating humans) are good natured, shy and would help those in need, they are hard to anger but can do if enough is done to them. Were as the selkies from the unseelie court (being the fae of darker things and hating just about everything especially humans, they are out to harm) where said to be the harbingers of storms, one that would sink ships as revenge for the harm of kin.
Unveil the enchanting myth of Inanna and the Huluppu Tree from Sumerian mythology and meet the mythical creatures of chaos.
Aren't you curious to know which Mythological Monster you embody?
EQUAL RIGHTS ADVOCACY “Reconstruction” by German-born American political cartoonist, Thomas Nast illustrates the Southern states being brought back into order with the North under the ancient symbo…
I was contacted in July by Phil Pegum, Senior Producer for BBC Religion and Ethics . He was working on a project for Radio 3 , “the BBC...
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Explore the epic tale of Ninurta's Triumph Over Asag, where the mighty hero battles a monstrous threat, restores peace and prosperity.
Imagine a bird so big it could pick up a full grown man and carry him off never to be seen again
A fast and powerful cat native to Appalachia.Description The Wampus cat was a magical cat native to the United States, specifically Appalachia.[2] It was one of the four house symbols of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[3] Somewhat resembling the mundane mountain lion or cougar in size and appearance, the Wampus cat was native to the Appalachian Mountains. It could walk on its hind legs, outrun arrows, and its yellow eyes were reputed to have the power of both hypnosis and Legilimen
About 100 million year ago, the movement of tectonic plates caused the formation and disappearance of a large inland sea in North American known as the Western Interior Seaway. It brought a tropical climate, lots of wildlife, and left behind fossils of what was once here so long ago.
Legendary monsters live wherever there are people to tell the tales to -including North America, where there are many more than will fit into one post. This is part two of a list that began last week. And there are plenty more scary tales to tell! 1.
The creation of Norse World had some deeply hidden messages that you haven't seen through. Check out this blog post to find out.
From the ancient Greeks to the Aztecs and from the indigenous peoples of Oceania to native North Americans, people across the world have created a rich tapestry of stories, characters and beliefs to explain the mysteries of creation and the forces of nature and death. In this important volume, the mythologies of the ancient worlds are brought vividly to life. Here, one of the foremost experts on world mythology, Arthur Cotterell, brings together a team of authors to depict the world's most significant mythological figures and most enthralling stories. Special illustrated features focus on unifying mythological themes such as Creation and the Universe, Ordering the World, Death and Sacrifice, and Oracles and Prophecies. Illustrated with more than 1500 photographs and works of art, this comprehensive guide to the myths and legends of the world is both accessible and timeless in its universal appeal. 1600 colour illustrations
