#indus worm

I know I have said before that oceans get all the clout and legends when it comes to water bodies, with maybe swamps coming in at second place. There are many obvious reasons for that, but I want to remind folk that there can be fascinating and dangerous things lurking in any water body! Lakes were brought up in some previous entries, with mentions of the Glutwort and Berberoka being terrors found within. I mean, it could be said that lakes and ponds are just mini, salt-free oceans, and that the largest of these types can net the same horror stories and tales of mystery as the sea. But what about rivers? Certainly they deserve some mention as well! There are some neat things found in their depths and rapids! However, I feel the most I see on rivers and streams is them blocking paths and sweeping away fools who dare cross unprepared. The river is an obstacle, and less so a place of intrigue and discovery. What incredible legends are told about these water bodies? What tales of adventure and monsters are centered around such a location? None! None at all, and it is an absolute shame! (Bold claim for someone who doesn't read anything besides dusty tomes and research papers. Maybe one day you could stomach the idea of enjoying some different literature.) There is plenty to be found in these serpentine roads of water! Don't think the sea is the only one that has the monsters people crave! I know some folk in a certain region would happily inform you that the river can, indeed, harbor frightening beasts.

Below the white water and churning current, waiting in the dark muddy depths, is a great pale serpent. Its body can reach over three meters long, and its width is like that of a tree trunk. It has two powerful teeth that it uses as deadly weapons, dooming all it sinks them into. Now it may sound like a vicious viper, a truly monstrous water snake! However, this is no reptile! The beast I am describing is the Indus Worm, which is....well, a worm! And one of impressive size! The description I gave to you earlier was no lie, it is truly that big and it is a pale thing that lives in rivers. The two teeth I mentioned, which you probably envisioned as "fangs," are actually much thicker and broader. Like sharpened boards or a hefty beak, these nasty teeth are not known for venom but sheer strength. A single chomp can punch a hole through your body with ease, and bone turns to pathetic shards when met with this force. What a set of chompers! Wonder what they use those for?

In their early years, these hefty teeth are not really used for carnage. Their diet is mainly algae scrapped from rocks, eventually growing big enough to start gnawing on mussels and hard-shelled foods. At a small size, the teeth also serve as tools for carving holes and grooves into stone, which serve as a good place to hide from the current and predators. Though not big at devouring flesh at these stages, they are still capable of a nasty bite when threatened. Fishermen who haul one up from an accidental snag are sure to keep their fingers clear of their snapping jaws, lest they lose them. When the Indus Worm becomes an adult, that is when the diet gets more meaty. They are ambush hunters, slithering through the mud and murky water in search of prey. Shellfish are still on the menu, and help keep the belly full til something nice and big comes by for a drink. When a large animal stalks close to the water's edge, the Indus attacks. It bursts from the water and seeks to sink its massive teeth into the flesh of its victim. Unless the prey is quick to react and fast in movement, if the bite lands then it is typically over in an instant. Skulls are crushed, organs are punctured, and an entire limb may go missing if the assault misses its mark. Losing limbs and chunks of meat are the "lucky" option if you are able to move vitals out of range in time. Yes, dodging the bite entirely is preferable, but if you are being ambushed at such close range, you don't really get a say if that happens or not.

When the teeth latch on, prey is either dead or mortally wounded. From there, the Indus Worm drags them back into the river with it, where it may dine. With such powerful jaws, the Indus eats everything it can, gorging quickly before scavengers and unwanted guests show up for a free meal. If you are caught by an Indus Worm, just know that there will be nothing left to bury. Unless in your struggle it happens to lop off an arm and leave that behind at the scene. Due to bodies being reduced to paste in their jaws, some wonder how many disappearances near the river are from being washed away versus being taken by a worm. Honestly sounds like a scary story for the saplings already! Stay away from that river or else the worm will get ya! But in this case, the tale isn't a fictional one that conjures a boogeyman to be a stand-in for real life dangers. Seriously, don't go near the river because there actually is a worm!

Their presence makes these water bodies dangerous to those who live nearby, as any muddy shore could be hiding an Indus. They not only attack people, but are perfectly capable of dragging down camels and cows. So when your livestock or beasts of burden stop by for a drink, you have to be on your toes! You fail to secure the area and you could be losing an animal, or yourself! So to avoid this fate, folk will carry ropes with large hooks on the end, and throw them into the waters they wish to use. The movement may trigger an attack, or the barbs being pulled back to shore may snare a hiding worm. In most cases, the thrower will not have the strength to haul in such a catch, and merely cut the line to let the angered worm go. Its writhing and rage will spoil the hunt and make it leave, while also giving a brief window of safety for this section of water. It certainly isn't a perfect system, but I suppose it is the best they got at the moment. Nets are occasionally used, but that way is pretty costly as they are always torn to ribbons in the struggle. Some advice suggests seeking very shallow and clear waters, as it makes the worm easier to spot.

Now it may seem like people want nothing to do with these giant worms, avoiding them entirely. However, Indus Worms are actually hunted pretty frequently, as they fetch a high price! While the huge teeth may make fine trophies or carving material, what people actually want is their oil. What oil you ask? Well, you see, the Indus Worm is a pretty squishy soft thing, which makes it vulnerable to sharp rocks, toothy predators and parasites. So to protect itself, they possess bulbous glands running alongside their body that secretes an oil that coats their form. This oil easily survives water, is pretty bitter and is thick enough to ward off jagged points and hungry parasites. The coating is great for protection, but there is one detail that really gets people's attention: it is flammable.

Indus oil burns intensely, creating a potent flame that sears through anything caught in it. Due to the oily nature, it clings to people, armor and siege weapons, and is even capable of surviving water! The flames cannot be doused with water, they must be smothered, making them very hard to snuff out during battle or chaotic situations. This makes it a highly prized substance for war, sabotage and arson. Indus Worms are caught, killed and strung up above clay vessels, so that they can catch every drop of oil that falls from their sliced bodies. The demand and difficulty in obtaining this oil makes it very expensive, said to only be affordable for royalty and nobles. This oil also gives the Indus Worm a fatal weakness: stick it with flame and the whole beast will go up like dry tinder! However, this obviously consumes the oil, which renders the whole hunt pointless. With how much hypothetical money goes up in smoke when you burn one of these worms, I think folk may throw you in the river with the dying serpent in anger if you choose this method.

Chlora Myron

Also known as the "Skolex" in the Indus River Valley region., W. indicus is a very large species of saw-toothed worm, closely related and morphologically similar to its closest cousin, the now-extinct marine worm W. armstrongi.

Monster Month: Indus Worm

Indus Worm Here we are at the final day of monsters.  I remember stumbling onto this guy years ago, but promptly forgot.  For any fans of modern fiction, the Indus Worm might make you think of the Graboids from ‘Tremors’ or the sandworms from ‘Dune’ or ‘Beetlejuice’.  Odd combo there.  So, what is the mythological version? These white worms live in the Indus River and appear in ancient Greek…

The skōlex, also known as the Indus worm, is a monster from ancient Greek mythology. Described as an enormous white worm, it was believed to live in the Indus River in the Indian subcontinent.

Said to be the only creature living in the Indus River, the skōlex is carnivorous, eating cows, donkeys and camels at night. During the day, it burrows into the mud at the bottom the river. Valuable, flammable oil could be harvested from the skōlex, and was used by Indian kings as a weapon.

Image source.

Monster master list.

“Indus Worm” © Joe Holdsworth, accessed at his deviantArt gallery here

[The Indus worm comes to us from Greek writings about India. Following the exploits of Alexander the Great, there was a whole slew of books about India, and the adventures of Alexander persisted as a genre well into the Middle Ages. The manticore is the most famous of the Greek monsters placed in India, but by no means the only one. I love how shaggy, saggy and gross this Indus worm looks. The name “skolex” is Ancient Greek for worm, and survives to the present day as the name for the attachment organ of tapeworms. The hollow stinger is inspired by the breathing apparatus of numerous families of aquatic fly larvae, the mosquitoes the most notorious]

Skolex CR 5 N Aberration This creature resembles a beady-eyed maggot larger than a horse. It has a vertical beak for a mouth, and a stinger on its tail. An oily slime oozes from its every surface.

The skolex, or river worm, is a monstrous maggot, an offshoot of insect development gone awry. They usually form in response to the larvae of giant vermin consuming the corpse of a highly magical entity, but they can also form from mundane insects exposed to arcane energies or alchemical runoff. They are ambush predators, feeding on animals, humanoids, or anything else they can sink their two oversized teeth into.

A skolex constantly oozes a pale slime, which assists its movement over land and makes it difficult for possible predators to grab onto. It can cause this grease to spurt in enormous gouts around it, making the ground incredibly slippery. They preferentially attack prone victims. This grease is very flammable, which makes using fire attacks around a skolex dangerous—the monster can catch on fire and burn to death, but so might all other creatures in the area. They are sometimes hunted in pursuit of this grease, or even kept in captivity, but both of these strategies are quite risky.

A skolex spends most of its time underwater. They must breathe air, but their stingers are hollow and act as snorkels, allowing them to be almost completely buried in mud or water for much of the time and still breathe. They tolerate each other’s presence when times are good, but during lean seasons turn on each other cannibalistically. They are sterile but long lived, surviving decades if unmolested. Thus, populations of skolexes can boom in response to magical pollution, and disappear for extended periods if the conditions for their creation are not met.

Name: Indus Worm

Alternate Names: White Worm, River Worm

Mythology: Medieval European Mythology, but its name suggest it comes from South Asian Folklore or Myths

Size: Huge, the Ice Worms are even bigger

Environment: Muddy Rivers, Swarms, Streams, Lakes

In Mythika: When camels and horses go missing around muddy rivers it is often the work of the White River Worms called Indus Worms. These horrible white worms grab large drinking animals from the shores and drown them in the waters so they can swallow them whole. Indus Worms produce a white oily substance which catches a high prize on the black market, but it is very hard to get it as Indus Worms aren’t easy to kill enemies.

Ice Worms (Second Picture, also known as Lagarfjlot Worm) are related to Indus Worms, they swim through ice and cold water and are among the Tundra’s most notorious predators, attacking even Kokogiak and Akhlut when given the chance. These enormous ice worms mostly feed on ice so their bodies are very cold. When you kill one of these worms they completely turn to ice and shatter into a million pieces of sharp ice shards which fly into every direction often killing the creatures that killed the worm.