Fan art by @bugcthulhu

Narajin / Ganejin / Alkonoth / Jhalaragon / Mokwa

The Pantheon Colossi from DAIKAIJU YUKI

Part of the idea behind these guys was the notion that they could conceivably have had their own series of more “traditional” kaiju stories at some point in the distant past, but that time has long since ended. Their legends now permeate five distinct nations of which they’ve become gods. Thousands of years later, it’s finally time to round up the old gods for another rumble.

Narajin is an amalgamation of Narasimha, the Hindu lion god, and jin/shin which is “god” in Japanese, an alternate reading of “kami,” familiar to kaiju fans as it was used famously in Daimajin’s name. Given that translation, one could read his name as “Nara god,” with Nara being the ancient capital of Japan, but that’s optional. It could also be “Narai god,” with Narai being the fictional country in which he resides, a word that basically doesn’t mean anything.

Ganejin has the same “jin” suffix, since he’s meant to be Narajin’s “brother,” but mashed up with Ganesh or Ganesha. This connection was much more overt, since Ganesha is the “remover of obstacles” in Hinduism, so a big smash-happy heroic kaiju with a direct connection to his etymology seems like a perfect fit.

Alkonoth is a cross between Alkonost, a female bird spirit in Slavic folklore, and Thoth, the ancient Egyptian ibis god.

Jhalaragon is a mix of “Jhalara” which means “frilled” and the traditional kaiju suffix “gon” as in “dragon,” or “Baragon.”

Mokwa is literally “bear” in Algonquin. As stated in one of the disclaimers at the front of the book, elements of Mokwa’s backstory were inspired by the Ojibwe folktale of Sleeping Bear Dunes, which I encourage everyone to look into. I wanted a creature that was distinctly of this area of the world, so there you have it. I hope it encourages people to check out the history behind that story, both as a piece of First Nations folklore and part of our National Park system, and you can even visit Mokwa’s resting place in real life.

Daikaiju Yuki is a global story, about people and non-human lifeforms from all over the Earth breaking down boundaries and coming together. That’s why different cultures and kinds of people are represented, because the narrative deals with everyone and our place as a part of the Pantheon that is life on this planet.