#manasa

@sundaralekhan day 1: folklore/local myths

Manasa sketch + Mavira as kid

Assamese mythology

Bordoisikhla/Bordoisila: A spirit storm goddess. She's also the goddess of nature, rain and wind. The term is derived from the Bodo (and other Tibeto-Burman languages) where 'bor' = 'wind', 'doi' = 'water' and 'sikhla' = 'girl'. The Bordoisila wind marks the beginning of the spring season, and the Assamese month of Bohag. In Bengali and Odia this wind is usually known as Kalboishakhi.

Kecaikhati: Flesh-eating tribal goddess of the people of Mayong. She's the daughter of Bura-Buri/Gira-Girasi, the Primordial Parents who later got sanskritised to Shiva and Shakti (literal meaning- 'the Old Ones') and the younger sister of Pisadema. Initially, she offered human flesh to her parents for introducing sin into the world, but eventually the priests (called the Deori, and hence forms the Deori community) started sacrificing humans to her instead.

Luit-Dehing: A powerful and benevolent river goddess associated with the Brahmaputra River, popular among the people who live near the banks.

The entire Bathou pantheon (religion of the Bodo people)

The entire Ahom pantheon (religion of the Ahoms)

Non-Hindu deities who are now assimilated into Hinduism:

Kamakhya: Originally a tribal goddess.

SHE LOOKS SO COOL

Is she singing something tho?

I really like the highlights in her hair and the snake tattoo (once upon a time I wanted that lol) and the blue tongue detailing is even better!!!

Publishers’ Binding Thursday

This week for Publishers’ Binding Thursday I am sharing Indian Fairy Tales, selected and edited by New South Wales-born folklorist and writer Joseph Jacobs (1854-1916) with illustrations by English painter, illustrator, and printmaker John D. Batten (1860-1932). Jacobs is best known for popularizing well-known versions of classic children’s tales like “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” Batten illustrated a series of books by Jacobs, all focusing on folk and fairy tales. 

The binding features an illustration of who I think may be the Hindu goddess of snakes, Manasa, resting in a lotus flower on the 7-headed snake demigod Shesha printed in red on tan book cloth. According to good old Wikipedia, Manasa is often pictured under the hoods of 7 cobras, not necessarily the multi-headed Shesha. On the reverse is the god Ganesha also printed in red with a little mouse at his feet. I believe the cover illustration to have been done by Batten, as there is a B near the bottom left of the cover image and the image of Ganesha is featured on the Wikipedia page for Batten. Of course, please take this information with a grain of salt, as most of this was researched on Wikipedia and we all know things on the internet can be wrong.

This book is from our Historical Curriculum Collection, which features books for children. I’ve included illustrations and details from the book that I personally love, like the little historiated letter O with a mouse in it, the serpent in the shape of the letter N, the kitty cat, and of course, the old hag. 

View more Publishers’ Binding Thursday posts.

View more posts from our Historical Curriculum Collection.

Another line of original Digimon designed and drawn by me (unfortunately). All members of the line are virus attribute and I tried to tell a bit of a story with the evolutions.

Snakemon, Rookie/Child level. It is a reclusive and shy Digimon that is rarely seen and hard to befriend. It prefers to live in dry environments and defends itself with venom that can cause enough pain to drive away even Champion/Adult-level Digimon. The golden band around its neck is said by some to be proof that it is the descendant of a species that wore a holy ring but is not longer holy. Others believe it is simply decoration. Its special moves are Little Fang (where it bites an enemy and injects them with venom), and Toxic Bubble (where it spits a bubble of caustic venom).

Snakemon evolves to Cobramon. Cobramon is a powerful and dangerous reptile Digimon known for its extremely violent temper. While Cobramon will fly into a rage at the slightest provocation, in its rare moments of calm, it desires something more than an existence of combat. The twisting golden patterns and glimmering gems on the underside of its hood mesmerize any who see them, leaving them easy pickings for Cobramon's venom. Its special moves are Venom Fang and Venom Shot (where it bites its foe or spits venom, respectively), and Coil Crusher (where it wraps its foe in its body, simultaneously constricting them and cutting them apart with the blades that cover its body).

Cobramon evolves to Nagamon. In its desire to overcome the violent nature it had as Cobramon, Nagamon sought out wise elders Digimon like Kongoumon and Shakamon to learn from. I now practices discipline and meditation to reach enlightenment. While it avoids conflict, it is deadly when it fights. Its sword injects venom into anything it cuts, causing numbness and paralysis. The eye on its forehead allows it to see the weak points of its enemies. It's attacks are Serpentsword Strike (where it attacks with its sword, paralyzing and wounding its foe), and Nadi Tarangah (Where it conjures forth a gout of water to wash away its foes. That means 'surging river' in Sanskrit according to the online translator I used).

Nagamon evolves to Sheshamon. Sheshamon has obtained enlightenment and stands alongside Shakamon in the Digital World's hierarchy. Despite being a virus attribute, it works to support the structure of the network and is existence is said to be Vital to the continued existence of the Digital World. Ancient texts claim that a previous iteration of the Digital World descended into chaos and was reset by a legendary warrior, leaving Sheshamon as the only survivor who helped build the Digital World's current iteration. The ring that hovers behind its back contains a geocentric solar system that is believed to be the Digital World in miniature. The ring rotates throughout the day, with the sun being on top and noon and the moon being on top at midnight. The cobras living on the rim maintain the solar system's balance. Its attacks are Celestial Strike (where it attacks with its twin blades. The blades warp spacetime as they are swung, allowing them to target the foe's Digicore without harming their body) and Mantavara (where it warps spacetime to age its foe to dust in an instant).

This line contains the most mythological references I've put into any of my Digimon. Not so much in the first two, which are just a snake and a cobra, though Cobramon includes the alleged snake ability to hypnotize their prey. Nagamon is based on a naga, mythical half-snake/half-human beings found in multiple south Asian cultures, most famously in India. To be more accurate, it is a nagini, a female naga. Nagas were generally seen as benevolent or at least peaceful if appeased. Nagamon is going through a spiritual journey I based on Buddhism. Starting as a violent Cobramon, it seeks enlightenment through meditation and determination, seeking to overcome its violent nature. Nagamon's clothes are based on historical Indian clothing given a Digimon twist and the sword it carries is an Indian sword called a talwar. Nagamon's eyes being covered is feirly standard for human-faced Digimon while having one eye in the middle of the head is a reference to Sahasara, the crown chakra that is the basis for new age ideas about the third eye.

Bronze figure of the snake goddess (Manasā)

Early Pala Dynasty, 8th Century