OooooOOOOOHHHH my proverbial gods-
Someone is talking about niche (at least in the west) mythological creatures and it ended up here for me- YESSSS
I LOVE THESE FRIGGIN THINGS- did you know they even have a Pokémon based after them? I always forget what the Pokémon is called, but it’s an early gen psychic type.
Baku are some of my favorite non-western mythological creatures!!! I believe they are specifically stated (I’m not gonna look this up because I believe my memory will serve me better than google shit-ass overview, but correct me if I’m wrong) to be composed of the face of an elephant/tapir (the trunk-like snout), the legs of a lion/tiger/big cat of some variant, and a tail similar to an ox! Very mix-and-match! And yeah the black and white coloring is a pretty common description, though I’ve seen variations in hair length and coat patterns (spots, stripes, etc).
The one thing I always forget is whether or not these are considered an ill omen or a more positive supernatural creature to encounter. Japanese folklore is filled with some pretty dangerous stuff, so I tend to err on the side of caution, but I’m *almost* certain these guys are a good omen, although I seem to recall something about them eating more than nightmares out of your brain if they’re summoned too frequently.
Never personally had an encounter with one, much to my chagrin, or, at least, not one that I remember.
ANYWAY! Thank you, from your local lover of all things myth, legend, and supernatural. ESPECIALLY SOME AWESOME CREATURES like the lovely, nightmare devouring Japanese Baku!
Tumblr put more non-western supernatural creatures and legends on my dash IMMEDIATELY-
Also please know when I say “non-western” I’m by no means saying that I think western creatures are better, hell no, they’re just like, unfortunately the norm, for better lack of a word. Like every third post I see anywhere is of a European dragon, specifically. It’s like some of yall haven’t opened past that specific page of any monster/creature/cryptid handbook. Like I point at a stylized unicorn in a commercial that no longer even resembles the actual lore of the creature save for the horn and you’re like “ye uni-corn” but I point at like. A Mexican ampithere (I probably spelled that wrong- incredibly large central and South American dwelling feathered species of dragon offshoot with no legs, only massive wings) and you’re like “tf is that.” Like please please please. It’s also important to study the local legends and cryptids in certain areas like, going for the obvious example for westerners here but, THE APPALACHIANS?!!! Like ho you gotta KNOW to not whistle back. Even if you don’t believe in the supernatural, better safe than sorry, and also it’s interesting to learn about stories humans tell! Anyway. My point is western culture in general is not any more important than any other culture and we should really make more of an effort to expand our horizons, especially if your chosen area of interest is something so trans-cultural as mythology. You cannot call yourself a mythologist if you haven’t at least researched SOME wider-world myth and legend than just Europe and North American shit.
That being said!!! PLEASE DIRECT ME TO MORE POSTS/VIDEOS/READS ABOUT MYTHS FROM AROUND THE WORLD!!! ESPECIALLY CREATURES!!!
Man I love a good friggin creature. I love learning about how to placate temperamental spirits, I love learning about how so-an-so outwitted a certain trickster, I love learning world creation stories especially featuring inhuman-formed old gods, I. LOVE. LEARNING. MYTHS.
Also some people are gonna call me a racist for using words like “myth”. I’m boutta piss off a whole other crowd, watch this shit, hold my vodka,: the christian bible is a myth. “OHHHH SHIT it said THE THING!!!!” I know, I know, thank you, thank you, hold your applause, because get ready: ITS NOT EVEN A GOOD ONE *sounds of me getting eaten alive*
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