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All Critters of Myth beginning with D-E-F will be placed here when found. |
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Dahu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The dahu is an imaginary creature [1] well known in France, in Switzerland [2] and in the north of Italy.
French pranksters often describe the Dahu as a mountain goat-like animal with legs of differing lengths. It becomes stranger as it is described further.
Regional variations on its name include dahut or dairi in Jura, darou in Vosges or darhut in Burgundy; also called a tamarou in Aubrac and Aveyron). The dahu cub is called a dahuot. |
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Dangga or Agitot
In Panitan(Panit'an) Capiz, there is a myth of the Dangga or Agitot. This type of aswang is typically funny because some say it is a handsome gay man that hunts women during the night and eats fresh blood like a vampire. |
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NYMPHS IN MYTHOLOGY:
DAPHNE
Daphne was beloved by Apollo, like many other nymphs in mythology. As usual when the gods are in love there was trouble. Due to some insulting remarks Apollo had made about Eros, the god of love had shot Apollo with a golden arrow that caused him to fall in love with Daphne. However, Eros shot Daphne with an arrow made of lead so she could never fall in love anyone. Apollo also had a rival for Daphne by the name of Leucippus.
Apollo, being the god of prophecy, discovered a secret about Leucippus. In order to be near Daphne, he had disguised himself as a girl and joined her troop of nymphs. Apollo cleverly revealed Leucippus' secret by suggesting to the nymphs that they bathe naked. When the nymphs discovered that Leucippus was a man they tore him to pieces. The nymphs in mythology are often short tempered.
One day Apollo spoke to her directly about his love but before he could finish Daphne ran away. The sight of her fleeing through the woods was so charming the god could no longer resist and began to chase her. Seeing that the god would eventually catch her, Daphne prayed to Mother Earth who snatched her away in the nick of time. To fool Apollo Mother Earth left in her place a laurel tree. Thinking that Daphne had been transformed into the tree Apollo took the tree as his own symbol. He made a crown of laurel leaves for himself, which was used as the crown of victory up till Roman times.
Daphne, meanwhile, was taken to Crete were she became known as Pasiphae. There she married King Minos and gave birth to the minotaur.
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Encantado is a word in Brazilian Portuguese that roughly translates as "enchanted one." The term is used for creatures who come from a paradiasical underwater realm called the Encante. It may refer to spirit beings or shapeshifting snakes, but most often it designates dolphins with the ability to turn into humans. Although belief in them is starting to wane, there are still plenty of South Americans who believe in their existence ardently, and claim to have seen and interacted with them, or even that they are related to them. They share the most of the same themes and features as the fairies of European folklore.
Most commonly, the stories involve a type of freshwater dolphin which lives in the Amazon River called the Boto. It is larger and more primitive-looking than the other type of Amazonian dolphin, the Tucuxi.
There are three elements that best characterize encantados: superior musical ability, their seductiveness and love of sex (often resulting in illegitimate children), and their attraction to parties. Despite the fact that the Encante where they come from is supposed to be a utopia full of wealth and without pain or death, the encantados crave the pleasures and hardships of the human world.
Transformation into human form seems to be rare, and usually occurs at night. The encantado will often be seen running from a Nesta, despite protests from the others for it to stay, and can be seen by pursuers as it hurries to the river and reverts back to dolphin form. When it is under human form, wears a hat to hide its proeminent forehead, that does not disappear with the shapeshift.
Besides the ability to shapeshift into human form, encantados frequently wield other magical abilities, such as the power to control storms, "enchant" or haunt humans into doing their will or becoming encantados themselves, and inflict illness, insanity, and even death. Shamans and holy men are often needed to intervene and ameliorate the situation, but sometimes the spell is so great that it can not be completely cured.
Kidnapping is also a common theme in such folklore. Encantados are said to be fond of abducting humans they fall in love with, children born of their illicit love affairs, or just anyone near the river who can keep them company, and taking them back to the Encante. The fear of this is so great for many Brazilians that many people, children and adults alike, are terrified of going near the water, especially alone. Some who have encountered encantados out in canoes have been said to have gone insane, although the creatures seem to have done little more than follow their boats and nudge them from time to time. | | |
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| The Fachen (also spelled Fachan or Fachin)(also known as Peg Leg Jack [1]) is a creature with only half a body in Scottish and Scots-Irish folklore. Supposedly its appearance, which includes a mane of black feathers tufted at the top and a very wide mouth, is so frightening that it induces heart attacks. It can destroy an orchard with a chain in its strong, singular, withered arm, in a single night. A story in John Francis Campbell's Popular Tales of the West Highlands features a Fachen named Nesnas Mhiccallain being defeated in a race by the story's hero, Murachadh Mac Brian, who became king of Ireland. It is also known as Direach Ghlinn Eitidh, or the Dwarf of Glen Etive (also spelled Fachan or Fachin)(also known as Peg Leg Jack [1]) is a creature with only half a body in Scottish and Scots-Irish folklore. Supposedly its appearance, which includes a mane of black feathers tufted at the top and a very wide mouth, is so frightening that it induces heart attacks. It can destroy an orchard with a chain in its strong, singular, withered arm, in a single night. A story in John Francis Campbell's Popular Tales of the West Highlands features a Fachen named Nesnas Mhiccallain being defeated in a race by the story's hero, Murachadh Mac Brian, who became king of Ireland. It is also known as Direach Ghlinn Eitidh, or the Dwarf of Glen Etive |
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FAIRIES
DEFINITION AND MEANING
The Spanish word hada comes from the Latin fata which, in turn, derived from fatum, meaning fate or destiny. In the Middle Ages, it was defined by the gentiles as a divinity or unknown force which had a fascinating effect on the other divinities and on men and events. The French word fée has a similar origin and resulted in the English words fey and fairie which, as time went by, suffered spelling variations from fayerye, fayre, faerie, faery, and fairy. According to its ethimology, it is a fantastic being pictured as a woman known to have magical powers. For the Saxons, the word ferie refers to the world of fairies as an entity, being a geographical location. In Spanish it turned out to be féerico, depicting something wonderful or fantastic, as applied for example to música féerica (fairy music).
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INTRODUCTION TO THE WORLD OF FAIRIES
Leaping Fairy by Myrea Pettit Copyight© 2004 Fairies World At the outset of the third millennium, in a globalized world concerned more about geopolitics and amassing large fortunes, and supported in an imposing technological development, inhabited by a man immersed himself in city stress and an endless whirl of activities, you might as well ask why speak about something so far away from the real world, making up the universe of illusion and fantasy? May be the answer is that those magical beings encourage the hope that the innocent imagination of childhood is still present in our hearts just drowsy awaiting for a fresh breeze of a pure heart, deprived of all evil to find the ideal conditions to see, talk and believe again in fairies like when he was a child.
Could anyone ever introduce us to a fairy? Or are they who freely decide whether they accept a human being or not?
The world of Fairies is a mixture of a mysterious enchantment, a charming beauty, but also of a huge ugliness, of insensitive shallowness, humour, malice, joy and inspiration, fear, laughter, love, and tragedy. It is richer than what we are usually induced to think by literature. In addition, extreme caution should be exercised to penetrate into this world, as nothing is more irritating to fairies than several human beings curiously moving around their extraordinary dominions, like spoiled tourists. Love, but also abandonment and death, may follow under their spell. Like human beings, they live in a universe of contradictions
As stated by the brilliant English playwright William Shakespeare in his Hamlet, there are on earth more things than those that can be perceived by imagination. It could also be added that, by a high percentage, the fantastic is invisible to the naked eye. The belief in the existence of fairies is common to the most diverse cultures. It origin dates back to myths and legends of each culture.
One of those legends assures that fairies are fallen angels or dead pagans not good enough to be admitted in the Eden, or not wicked enough to go to hell. That is why they were compelled to live eternally halfway.
Another legend read that once Eve was on the bank of a river bathing her children when she heard God who spoke to her. Fearful, Eve hid her children who had not been bathed so that God could not see them. God, who sees everything, asked her whether all her children were there. Eve lied and bowed. God warned her that those children that had been hidden from Him would be ever after hidden from the eyes of men. Those where the children who turned out to be fairies or elfs. |
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Other Fantastic Animals
Another fantastic animal of ancient Egypt was a double-headed bull, which was pictured once on both a palette and a magic wand. However, several other animals remain somewhat fuzzy in their classification. One animal among those illustrated at Beni Hasan was almost identical in all respects to the canine that was usually considered to be the manifestation of the god Seth. An unknown creature from the "Two Dog's Palette" However, while its general stance was that of a dog or other canine animal, it had triangular ears and an elongated snout, together with an arrow in the guise of a tail. This animal was also represented on magic wands where it wore a collar. The collar is also evident from carefully engraved hieroglyphic examples of the Seth-animal inscribed during the Old Kingdom. In texts related to this animal, it is not known called Seth, and was known as a desert dweller. A group of these Seth-animals (a modern term) was also supposed to haul the solar bark.
Occasionally, we do find other fantastic animals, though their representations seem to be very limited and we have very little if any texts that provide us much information on their nature. A good example of an object that contains a few additional fantastic animals, though also griffins and Serpopards is the ancient "Two Dog Palette" discovered at Hierakonpolis.
Other composite animals may have belonged to this group of fantastic animals, but grew into a higher form of gods. For example, a hippopotamus with a crocodile back and tail, Taweret, though represented on magic wands, was beginning in the New Kingdom, a great goddess, worshiped in temples with her own cult. |
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FIURA
An ugly little woman with foul breath she lives in the woods dressed in moss. She is coquettish and likes to bathe in cascades, grooming her thick long hair with a comb of crystal. After bathing she sits naked for hours on a bed of moss.
A shameless women and lover of single men, she casts a spell of sickness upon those that rebuff her, be they animals or men. To many she is the daughter of a she-devil and from this come expressions indicating temptation or possession by an evil feminine spirit. Fiura is an irresistible seductress and having satisfied her sexual appetite drives her victims insane. The power of her breath can scar or turn animals lame. A person may be mocked by calling "donde va ese "Fiura", as if to say: "what's up with that scarecrow?" |
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