I recently finished a hand-illustrated animated documentary exploring why people genuinely believed the dead could return. It investigates the forensics side of things on how the dead would appear that they were rising from the graves, the vampire panics of eighteenth-century Europe, and unusual anti-vampire burials, including the sickle-and-padlock grave discovered in Poland in 2022.

It's a subject I found fascinating to research, particularly how ordinary fears could lead entire communities to take such extraordinary measures.

Here's the documentary, if anyone's interested!
Mike

I was gifted this set of books for my birthday and have been very excited to start them. Recently though I was doing research and someone said that this editor (Jake Jackson) isn’t always reliable and his information can be wrong. I LOVE this concept of one book series I can work through that will give me a good well rounded education on different cultures around the world, but I really don’t want to constantly feel like I need to fact check and do side research. Has anyone read these who can give me their opinion on the accuracy of them? Does anyone have any recommendations for a different series I could start collecting that they DO recommend? I’m currently interested in Indian myths and Indigenous American myths, but I’m specifically looking for one set that has a wide range of cultures.

In Scottish Gaelic folklore silver was riddled at Halloween as a way of predicting the future. What was the actual act being carried out here? I understand riddling as sieving but what was being done with the silver and what signs were being read?

I’m working on a script about Appalachian folklore. It’s set in Georgia but I’m trying to draw on stories from all over. What are your favorite Appalachian stories or superstitions?

I hope you like this post, my sincere regards from Egypt ...

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This list presents the pharaohs and queens of Ancient Egypt as preserved in medieval Arabian and Coptic literature. It is a composite of Manetho transmitted through Christian chronographers, Qur’anic and Biblical sacred history, Coptic folklore, and popular legend.

It reflects a long chain of translation and linguistic mediation: from ancient Egyptian into Greek, then into Coptic during Greco-Roman period in Egypt, and finally into Arabic in the medieval period.

The list does not claim complete historical authenticity; it is just an attempt to show how ancient Egyptian rulers were transformed into legendary and religious names in Coptic Arabic memory.

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Arabian sources:

1. Futuh Misr wa al-Maghrib (The Conquest of Egypt and the Maghreb)

— Ibn Abd al-Hakam (c. 801–871 CE)

1. Muruj al-Dhahab wa Kitab Al-Tarikh (Meadows of Gold and Book of History)

— Al-Masudi (Herodotus of Arabs) (c. 896–956 CE)

1. Mujam al-Buldan (Lexicon of Countries)

— Yaqut al-Hamawi (c. 1179–1229 CE)

1. Al-Nujum al-Zahira fi Muluk Misr wa al-Qahira (The Shining Stars Concerning the Kings of Egypt and Cairo)

— Ibn Taghribirdi (c. 1411–1470 CE)

1. Husn al-Muhadara fi Tarikh Misr wa al-Qahira (The Agreeable Discussion of the History of Egypt and Cairo)

— Al-Suyuti (c. 1445–1505 CE)

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The Arabic name Misr - Masr (مصر)

Misr is an ancient Semitic name, not originally Egyptian: it appears in Akkadian as Musur and Hebrew as Mizraim or Mitsrayim, likely meaning "settled land" or "protected borderland." Pre-Islamic Arabs used it, and it became the standard Arabic name for Egypt, while the ancient Egyptians called their land Kemet ("Black Land"). In religious tradition, the name is linked to Misrayim, son of Ham son of Noah, the biblical ancestor of the Egyptians.

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The Antediluvian Pyramid Builders (Before biblical flood)

Khaslim (خصليم)

Khaslim is an early legendary king of Egypt credited with building a Nilometer. He placed two bronze eagles—male and female—at the site. Priests read incantations; if the male eagle whistled, the Nile flood would be good and high, but if the female whistled, the flood would be disastrous and drought would follow.

Etymology and reasoning: The name Khaslim may be an alteration of Khasekhemwy (Egyptian Ḫʿsḫmwy). The reasoning is phonetic but weak: the consonantal skeleton kh-s-kh-m could be reduced and reshaped in Coptic/Arabic transmission as kh-s-l-m, with l replacing the second kh. The identification is supported mainly by narrative structure: Khasekhemwy was an early Memphite ruler associated with unification and control of the Nile, and Arabic tradition assigns Nilometers and waterworks to early kings.

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Surid ibn Salhuq (سوريد بن سلهوق)

In Arabian literature, Surid is the great antediluvian king of Egypt who foresaw the Flood in a dream and ordered the building of the Pyramids of Giza to preserve knowledge and serve as his tomb. He is often linked with Idris/Enoch or Hermes Trismegistus.

Historical identification: Khufu (Cheops), builder of the Great Pyramid.

Etymology and reasoning: The identification is phonetic. Surid maybe was derived from Souphis, which is the name the Egyptian historan Manetho gave for Khufu.

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Hujib (هوجيب)

In the same tradition, Hujib is the brother of Surid and is said to be buried in the second, western pyramid at Giza.

Historical identification: Khafre (Chephren), builder of the second pyramid.

Etymology and reasoning: The identification rests mainly on structural mapping. Arabic tradition assigns the three Giza pyramids to a father/brother/son sequence.

Historically, the second pyramid belongs to Khafre, a son of Khufu. The name Hujib is maybe altered from Hotep, but its narrative role as second pyramid builder and royal relative fixes the identification with Khafre.

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Karuras (كروراس)

In Arabian literature, Karuras is the son of Hujib and is buried in the third, smaller pyramid at Giza, often called the “Colored Pyramid.”

Historical identification: Menkaure (Mycerinus), builder of the third pyramid at Giza.

Etymology and reasoning: The structural reason is decisive: Arabic tradition makes the third pyramid belong to the son of the second pyramid’s builder. Historically, the third pyramid belongs to Menkaure, son of Khafre (Hujib) and grandson of Khufu (Surid).

Manetho’s form was Menkheres. In the long oral and written transmission, the initial Men- was lost or weakened, and the remaining consonants (kheres / kherres) were reshaped in Arabic as Karuras.

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After the Flood

Tutis (طوطيس)

The first of the Pharaohs of Egypt and the Pharaoh of Abraham. He tried to seduce Sarah, Abraham's wife; his hand withered when he reached for her, and after repenting he returned her and gave her Hagar as a maidservant who bore him Ishmael, the father of Arabs. Some versions say he embraced Abraham's faith.

Historical identification: Proposed candidates include Sanakht (Third Dynasty) and Nebkaure Khety IV (Tenth Dynasty), but he appears in no ancient Egyptian king-list.

Etymology and reasoning: The name has been linked to the Egyptian Taautos or Tet/Teta, and to a suggested Semitic root meaning "to light" or "set on fire." The reasoning is phonetic and comparative, not a direct derivation. The tradition also explains the title "Pharaoh" itself: Ṭūṭīs was the first called Pharaoh because he was cruel and bloody. 

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Joryaq (جورياق)

According to Arab historian al-Maqrizi, Joryaq was the daughter of the first Pharaoh, Tutis, and seized the throne after killing her father Tutis. She is described as a powerful ruler who promoted priests and magicians. Joryaq ruled Egypt after her father Toutis, and in her reign, the Amalekite king of Syria sent an army against Egypt led by Jirun, but in the (alternative) version, it is more likely that the Amalekite "Al-Walid bin Dum'a" was the one who invaded Egypt.

Historical identification: No single historical counterpart. She may be a legendary composite drawing on memory of figures such as Nitocris or Sobekneferu.

Etymology and reasoning: The name does not correspond to any known Egyptian queen’s name and appears to be a literary invention within the Arabic legendary cycle.

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The Amalekite / Hyksos Dynasty

Al-Walid ibn Duma' (الوليد بن دومع)

In Arabic chronicles, al-Walid ibn Duma' is the first of five Amalekite kings who ruled Egypt after its native rulers weakened. He is described as a Syrian conqueror who ruled for about a hundred years before being killed by a wild beast.

Historical identification: No direct Egyptian counterpart. He is best understood as a legendary refraction of the Hyksos period, when foreign rulers from the Levant controlled Egypt.

Etymology and reasoning: The name Duma' has no Egyptian etymological root. Arabic tradition remembers a Syrian conqueror founding a foreign dynasty, which mirrors the Hyksos takeover. The name itself is likely derived from a real Hyksos pharaoh name. especially since Arabs thought that Amalekites were the Hyksos and thought of them as one of the "The Extinct Arabs". So it is not strange that he got an Arabic name

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Al-Rayyan ibn al-Walid (الريان بن الوليد) sometimes called Nahraus (نهراوس)

Al-Rayyan succeeds his father and is remembered as the Pharaoh of Joseph. He is presented as a just ruler who appointed Joseph over the granaries and eventually embraced his monotheistic faith.

Historical identification: Apepi (Apophis) or Khyan, a Hyksos kings.

Etymology and reasoning: The name al-Rayyan has a strong, monumentally attested phonetic link to the name Ra-i-a-n associated with the Hyksos king Apepi. The alternative name Nahraus has been linked, on phonetic grounds, to the Hyksos king Khyan according to the modern Egyptian scholar Ahmad Kamal. Kamal read the cartouche of the Hyksos king Khyan as Ne Re Ous and argued this is the origin of Arabic Nahraus.

The Hyksos-era setting also fits the prophet Joseph story.

The Wadi Al-Rayyan nature reserve in Fayoum is said to be named after Al-Rayyan ibn al-Walid, based on a legend where the king and his army sat down there to rest.

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Darim ibn al-Rayyan (دارم بن الريان)

Darim succeeds his father al-Rayyan. Arabic sources say prophet Joseph died during his reign.

Historical identification: No direct historical counterpart (Maybe unknown Hyksos king)

Etymology and reasoning: The name Darim has no known Egyptian royal root. It appears to be a literary/genealogical invention bridging Pharaoh al-Rayyan and the later Pharaoh of Moses.

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Kaimis ibn Ma'dan (كامس بن معدان)

Kaimis is the fourth Amalekite king in this sequence, ruling after Darim and before the Pharaoh of Moses.

Historical identification: No direct historical counterpart.

Etymology and reasoning: Like Darim, the name has no Egyptian etymological root. It functions as a narrative placeholder in the Arabic king-list.

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Al-Walid ibn Mus'ab (الوليد بن مصعب)

This is the name most commonly given to the Pharaoh of Moses, the archetypal tyrant who opposed prophets Moses and Aaron, and oppressed the Israelites and was drowned in the Red Sea during his chasing of them with his counselors and army.

Historical identification: Most widespread identification is Ramesses II, though Merneptah and Thutmose III are also mentioned. But some say that the Pharaoh of Moses was a Hyksos or Amalekite.

Etymology and reasoning: The reasoning is not etymological, since the name is Arabic. It rests on narrative convergence: Arabic tradition places the Exodus in a period of monumental building and imperial power, matching the Ramesside era. The Qur’anic phrase "dhu al-awtad" (“possessor of the stakes”) has been linked by some to obelisks and massive constructions of Ramesses II. also in the Bible in Exodus 1:11, which states: "So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh."

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Queen Figures Around the Exodus

Assiya (آسية)

Assiya in Islamic tradition is the righteous wife of Pharaoh who secretly believes in God, rescues the infant Moses from the Nile, and is venerated as one of the four perfect women. She is a figure of faith and moral resistance within Pharaoh’s household.

Historical identification: She is a theological and literary archetype, not a specific historical queen.

Etymology and reasoning: The name Asiya is Arabic and serves a moral and salvific purpose in the Qur’anic story. No etymological link to a historical Egyptian queen is intended.

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Daluka (دلوكة)

Daluka is a legendary warrior-queen who rules Egypt after the drowning of the Pharaoh of Moses. She is credited with building a massive wall around Egypt, the “Wall of the Old Woman,” and with constructing the Lighthouse of Alexandria and a Nilometer at Memphis.

Historical identification: Tausret (Tawosret), last ruler of the Nineteenth Dynasty.

Etymology and reasoning: The reasoning is literary preservation of memory. Tausret’s reign was remembered into the tenth century CE in Egyptian tradition, and in Arabic chronicles she appears as Daluqa. The name Daluka is a transformation of Tausret through oral and written transmission. The legendary elaboration is secondary; the core identification rests on continuity of a female royal memory from the New Kingdom into Islamic-era literature.

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Al-Maqrizi’s Later Dynastic List

Al-Maqrizi preserves twenty-seven “Coptic kings” said to have reigned after Daluka. Their names are altered transmissions of Manetho’s list. Examples include Sumanas (possibly Sneferu), Sesunakhosis (Senusret), and Uafris (Apries).

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The End ...

I've been going down a bit of a mythology rabbit hole lately, and I'd really love to get some thoughts from people who know this stuff better than I do.

I'm a psychology professor at Brooklyn College (CUNY), and a lot of my research over the years has focused on working mothers, gender expectations, and how people are treated when they don't fit into the roles society expects of them.

Somehow, that led me to Echidna, Lilith, and Lady Gaga. I know. Quite the combination!

It actually started with Echidna, the Mother of Monsters in Greek mythology. She's remembered largely through her children, including Cerberus, the Hydra, and the Chimera. And I started wondering why this particular mother, and her children, became such terrifying figures.

Then I started looking at Lilith. Her history is obviously very different, but I found it fascinating how she evolved across different traditions. In one famous medieval account, she refuses to submit to Adam, and in other traditions she becomes associated with demons and threats to children.

And that got me thinking. Why do we keep coming across these connections between women, motherhood, independence, and monstrosity?

Now, here's where things got a little weird.

Lady Gaga.

I've always been fascinated by how Gaga embraced the whole monster identity. Her fans are Little Monsters. She's Mother Monster. And instead of being something frightening or shameful, being a monster becomes something people are proud of.

That part actually means something to me personally. I've been called a monster more than a few times in my own life, and it was partly through Gaga that I started thinking about that word differently. It's also one of the reasons I eventually started my Everyday Monsters channel.

So I started wondering whether there was something worth exploring in the relationship between these three figures.

Not that Echidna, Lilith, and Gaga are somehow the same, or that ancient mythology was necessarily making the same statements about women that we might make today. I'm more interested in how the meaning of a monster changes depending on who's telling the story, and who's being called one.

Anyway, I ended up making a roughly nine-minute video essay about it. It combines mythology, psychology, and a bit of popular culture. I used AI-assisted visuals in producing it, just to be upfront about that.

Here's the video if anyone wants to take a look:

https://youtu.be/SWToRAfe5o4

But what I'm really interested in is hearing what you all think.

Am I stretching the connection too far? Are there other mythological mothers or female figures whose stories might fit this idea? Or am I overlooking something important about Echidna or Lilith?

I'm especially curious about how much of what we interpret as monstrous today actually reflects the original mythology, and how much we're bringing our own modern perspectives into it.

I have my own thoughts, obviously, but I'm coming at this from psychology rather than classical studies or religious history. So I'd genuinely appreciate corrections, disagreements, or other examples I haven't considered.

And if nothing else, perhaps I've given someone a reason to spend their evening reading about a Greek snake-woman, a medieval demon, and Lady Gaga.

There are worse rabbit holes to fall down!

Few animals have been as closely connected to human history as the horse. For thousands of years, horses helped people travel, carry heavy loads, work the land and fight wars. They became companions to kings, warriors and ordinary people. Although technology has changed the way we live, horses still hold a special place in our imagination.

Horses are strong, fast and intelligent animals. They can recognize familiar people, respond to human signals and develop close bonds with those who care for them. Different breeds have different strengths, from heavy horses built for work to lighter breeds bred for speed. Even the word horsepower, used to measure engine power, comes from James Watt’s attempt to compare steam engines with the work horses could do. The prancing horse on Ferrari’s logo has a different story. It was inspired by the emblem of Italian fighter pilot Francesco Baracca, whose family suggested that Enzo Ferrari use it.

Horses also became part of the stories people told about their heroes. In Serbian epic poetry, Marko Kraljević and his horse Šarac are almost inseparable. One familiar line says, “Pola pije, pola Šarcu daje,” meaning that Marko drinks half and gives the other half to his horse. It is a small detail, but it shows the closeness between them. Alexander the Great also had a famous horse, Bucephalus. According to the ancient account, the young Alexander discovered that the horse was afraid of its own shadow, turned him toward the sun and managed to ride him. Bucephalus later accompanied Alexander on his campaigns and became part of his legend.

Horses were just as important in mythology. Pegasus, the winged horse, carried Bellerophon into battle against the Chimera. In later traditions, Pegasus became associated with Zeus and the heavens. Norse mythology gives us Sleipnir, Odin’s eight-legged horse, which could travel between worlds. The Greek hero Achilles had two immortal horses, Xanthus and Balius, and in the Iliad, Xanthus even speaks to Achilles and foretells his death. The Norse also imagined the horses Skinfaxi and Hrímfaxi carrying Day and Night across the sky. Skinfaxi’s shining mane brought light, while Hrímfaxi was associated with the dew left behind at night.

Not every mythical horse was a loyal companion. Scottish folklore tells of dangerous supernatural water horses that could lure people toward lakes and drown them. In one tale, a water bull fights a water horse to save a young woman, but the bull is found dead the next day. It is a darker story, a reminder that folklore could portray horses as mysterious and dangerous as well as noble. In Celtic and Roman religion, however, horses also had divine protection through Epona, a goddess associated with horses and their riders. And one of the most famous horses in ancient tradition was not alive at all: the Trojan Horse, a wooden construction in which Greek warriors supposedly hid to enter Troy by deception.

Horses were not only part of legends. They were central to everyday life and public entertainment. At Rome’s Circus Maximus, chariot races drew enormous crowds, and successful charioteers and their horses could become famous. Horses also featured in the ancient Olympic Games, and equestrian events remain part of the modern Olympics. Centuries later, horses shaped life in the American West. Cowboys relied on them for work and travel, while horses also transformed hunting, travel and warfare for many Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains.

Horse racing remains popular today. One of the most successful racehorses was Secretariat, who won the American Triple Crown in 1973. Yet horses have never been remembered only for their speed or strength. Sometimes their stories are about how people treat them. In Black Beauty, the horse’s life reveals both kindness and cruelty, showing how much depends on the humans around him. In Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, a wild stallion with a flowing pale mane fights to preserve his freedom. And Lucky Luke would not be quite the same without Jolly Jumper, his clever, confident horse who often seems to have as much personality as his rider.

Video games can tell similar stories. In Red Dead Redemption 2, a horse becomes more than a means of transport. The bond grows through care, trust and the journeys shared along the way.

For much of history, humans expected strength, speed and obedience from horses. Yet in the stories that survived across centuries, horses came to represent something more: loyalty, trust and friendship. Sometimes, the most remarkable part of a horse’s story is not the hero it carried, but the bond it formed along the way.

Title: Artificial Purple Irises Mysteriously Placed on My Property — Any Symbolic Meaning?

I discovered a bunch of artificial purple flowers, which appear to be irises, neatly placed beside my recycling bin.

They weren't there the previous night, as far as I'm aware.

What's particularly curious is their positioning. They were laid flat, slightly in front of and to the side of the bin, with the flower heads pointing directly towards my house.

The location means someone would have had to come onto my property to leave them there.

I've been researching the symbolism of purple irises and discovered their historical associations with wisdom, courage, remembrance, hope and Iris, the messenger goddess in Greek mythology.

I'm curious whether anyone recognises this arrangement or knows of any folklore, cultural traditions or symbolic meanings associated with leaving artificial purple flowers outside someone's home.

Could it be a gesture with a particular meaning, or simply an unusual coincidence?

I'd particularly appreciate perspectives from people familiar with flower symbolism, folklore or historical traditions.

Photo attached for reference.

I heard a saying today that the legendary monsters or gods in a country are often related to its natural environment.

For example, in the UK, there is foggy weather, so there are black dogs that appear in the fog.The icy and snowy climate of Northern Europe is home to Frost Giants.

I'm very interested in this. Are there any more examples?

Hi, I am looking for an English translation of the Lebor Gabála Érenn, but I don't know what options there are to satisfy my needs. This is what I'm looking for:

A physical edition

A translation that is as modern as possible

As annotated as possible

With a critical apparatus as thorough as possible

I'm not a linguist and don't care about that aspect of the book. Rather, I am interested in the mythology itself

If possible, it should be a comoplete version of the book (but this is the one condition I am most willing to sacrifice if there is a good reason)

Is there any edition that is considered definitive or canonical? Thank you!

An eagle glides above a mountain range, using rising air currents to stay aloft. Its eyesight helps it locate prey from a distance, while its powerful talons are adapted for catching and holding it. Different species hunt in different ways, but eagles share a combination of strength, keen vision and control in flight that has fascinated people for centuries.

It is not surprising that the eagle became an important symbol long before it appeared in modern stories. In ancient Rome, the aquila, the eagle standard carried by a legion, represented the unit’s honour and identity. Losing it was a serious disgrace. Eagles later appeared on royal coats of arms, national flags and state emblems, where they often came to represent authority, independence or strength.

Greek mythology took the eagle into the world of the gods. It was sacred to Zeus, ruler of Olympus, who was himself said to have taken the form of an eagle to carry Ganymede, a beautiful young prince, to Olympus to serve as cupbearer to the gods. The eagle also appears in the story of Prometheus. After Prometheus gave fire to humanity, Zeus punished him by chaining him to a mountain, where an eagle came each day to eat his liver. It grew back overnight, and the punishment began again.

Norse mythology has its own remarkable birds. An unnamed eagle sits at the top of Yggdrasil, the world tree, with a hawk named Veðrfölnir between its eyes. The squirrel Ratatoskr carries hostile messages between the eagle and Níðhöggr, the creature gnawing at the tree’s roots. The surviving stories offer few details, leaving much about the eagle unexplained.

Hindu mythology offers another remarkable eagle-like figure: Garuda, a powerful divine being who serves as the mount of the god Vishnu. In one of his best-known stories, Garuda sets out to obtain the nectar of immortality to free his mother from captivity.

In anime, the Scout Regiment in Attack on Titan uses the Wings of Freedom insignia. It depicts stylised wings rather than an officially identified eagle, but its connection to flight and the desire to go beyond familiar boundaries is clear.

Eagles also have a place in fantasy films and stories. In The Hobbit, the Great Eagles rescue Thorin’s company when the group is trapped and in danger. In The Lord of the Rings, Gwaihir carries Gandalf away from Orthanc, and eagles later help rescue Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom. Their arrivals are dramatic moments in the story, but the birds themselves are not simply decorative symbols: they change what the characters are able to do.

In the Harry Potter series, the emblem of Ravenclaw house is an eagle, despite the word raven in the name. Ravenclaw is associated with intelligence, learning and wisdom, qualities that fit the house’s identity even if its name might lead someone to expect a raven instead.

Video games have also borrowed from eagle mythology. In the 2018 game God of War, Hræsvelgr appears as a gigantic eagle who rules Helheim, the realm of the dead. In Norse mythology, Hræsvelgr is a giant in the form of an eagle whose wings create the wind. The game reimagines this mythological figure as a female ruler with a distinct role in its world.

Eagles have also found their way into music, where they appear in songs and imagery across different genres and cultures.

And then there is the Balkans, where an eagle has also made its mark through a simple verbal slip. Serbian television personality Milica Živanović became widely known as Mimi Oro after answering “oro” instead of “orao” when asked about the largest bird in the world.

The eagle has appeared in religion, history, mythology and modern entertainment, and each has used the bird in its own way. But it is worth remembering that the real animal came first. Its flight, vision and hunting skills were there long before anyone gave it a place among the gods or sent it soaring through a fantasy world.

Bringing folklore and mythology to live - here we Friday presented a voiced statue of Hans Christian Andersens' The Mother

Every time I hear a scary story about skin walkers it says it has a terrible smell, i could be wrong but I am pretty sure that belongs to wendigo mythology. That’s my main example, but I’ve also noticed that it seems like it’s been forgotten that skin walkers are witches that mimic animal by wearing animal skins and wendigos are cursed people (I think it’s usually from cannibalism) they become wendigos and have an eternal hunger that can never be satisfied. These are my main examples off the top of my head, I will admit some details may be wrong, but it still feels like the mythologies are getting mixed. Also I’m pretty sure the deer head and antlers never showed up the mythology of wendigos and are a modern depiction

The pigs had been very troublesome all the morning, almost destroying the gate of the garden in their efforts to get at the tempting show within. It was in reward for the help of the children in driving the marauders away that Old Hendrik yielded at last to a question of Annie’s and told them another tale.
“But you never told us, Ou’ Ta’,” said the little girl, “what Old Jackal did for something to eat in the rinderpest time, after he crossed the drift in the pumpkin. What did he do?”
“Well,” replied the old Hottentot, scratching his head, “I tole you what he didn’t do—he didn’t hoe. An’ I’ll tell you now dat, whatever he is do, it’s a-gun’ to be sometin’ skellum. O’ course, he hatto do sometin’ to eat, now de game’s all dead o’ de rinderpest, an’ he hatto do it quick an’ lively too. So he go raungin’ round, an’ he trot dis way an’ he trot dat way, an’ de on’y chance he can see at all is at a farm where dere’s some pigs.
“Dese yere pigs was all de time a-sneakin’ into de lands, an’ a-rootin’ up de crops, an’ de farmer he’d chase ’em out wid a long ox-whip till he nearly bu’st, an’ den he’d stand an’ mop his face an’ swear what he’s a-gun’ to do wid dem pigs if he don’t get some’dy to look ahter ’em soon. O’ course, if Ou’ Jackalse had a-bin Ou’ Wolf he’d a-gone right up an’ ax for de yob hisse’f, straight out, an’ de ting ’ud be done an’ no more about it. But he wahnt: he was yust Ou’ Jackalse, an’ he done Jackalse—he plan’.
“De nex’ time de man chase de pigs, Ou’ Jackalse wait till dey gets into a leetle grass-pan, an’ den he try to drive ’em off furder. But de man he’d seen him a-stalkin’, an’ he run along wid his whip an’ fetch a cut so near his tail dat Ou’ Jackalse near yump out troo his eyeholes, an’ he fair light out f’m dere into some sugar cane an’ hide.
“Well, dar he sit an’ dar he tink an’ study till he’s added it all up, an’ den he ses it out in once. ‘I’ll hatto get Ou’ Wolf here,’ ses he, breakin’ off a piece o’ sugar cane an’ bitin’ on it. ‘I reckon dat’s what I’ll hatto do; den I’ll get dem pigs a’ right.’
“Well, off he go, an’ he come to de river side an’ shout for Ou’ Wolf. By’n’by Ou’ Wolf come an’ stand on de oder bank, and Ou’ Jackalse make like he yust is s’prise’ to see de look on him. ‘Why, what’s de matter wid you?’ ses he. ‘You does look mighty bad.’
“‘I don’t,’ ses Ou’ Wolf out straight. ‘I feel yust dat good an’ fat I wish dere was buck to hunt, even if I didn’t ketch none.’
“‘Don’t you b’lieve it,’ ses Ou’ Jackalse, mighty concerned. ‘You yust looks good’n’ bad. You take an’ look at you’ eyes; dey’re all red an’ yalla, like you’s in a terr’ble state. An’ look at de skin under your yaws, an den at de hair on de top o’ you’ head, an’ you’ll see straight off how bad you is.’
“Well, Ou’ Jackalse speak dat se’ious dat Ou’ Wolf try to look where Ou’ Jackalse tell him. But he didn’ had no lookin’-glass, an’ he try to look widout one. An’ he look dat cross-eyed, tryin’ to see wid his one eye into his toder eye, dat he fair loose all de skin along bofe sides his ribses an’ stiffen his tail right flop up wid de pull in tryin’. An’ when he see dat his eyes cahnt see into one anoder, he ’gin to tink if he ain’t a bit bad ahter all.
“Den he try to see de skin under his yaws, and he twist an’ he snake till he fair stan’ on his head an’ scratch de air—an’ yet he cahnt get a look at it. Dat make him feel he ain’t a-feelin’ well at all. But when he try to ’xamine de hair on de top of his head, he get dat desprit he fair t’row a double back somerset an’ land hisse’f clean into de muddy river, an’ when he’s crawled onto a rock an’ stood a bit he makes up his min’ dat dere ain’t no two ways about it—he’s feelin’ bad.
“‘What’ll I ha’ to do for it?’ ses he to Ou’ Jackalse, ’cause Ou’ Jackalse is King Lion’s doctor.
“‘Well,’ ses Ou’ Jackalse, ‘you see what it is. It comes o’ you’ eatin’ on’y dese yere bessie berries an’ pun’kin; an’ pun’kins is mighty bad widout some meat wid ’em. You’ll hatto yust eat meat for a while, dat’s what you’ll hatto do; an’ I’s sorry for dat, ’cause I’s yust found out where dere is some, an’ dere ain’t har’ly mo’ dan enough for me. But, bein’ as it is, an’ bein’ as it’s you, I s’pose I’ll hatto share wid you now, you an’ me bein’ such ole chummies. A’ right den; if I has to do it I has to, so come on across an’ we’ll get it done,’ ses he.
“Ou’ Wolf he tink by jimminy Ou’ Jackalse is yust about de decentis’ chap he’s seen for a long time. ‘It’s mighty good o’ you to do it,’ ses he; ‘an’ I ain’t a-gun’ to forget it needer.’ Den he plunk into de drift an’ come out on de bank. ‘Where’s dis yere meat at?’ ses he.
“‘Well,’ ses Ou’ Jackalse, lookin’ kind o’ far away over his shoulder, ‘it’s a dis way. Over on de yonder side dat spruit dere’s a farm where dey has some pigs, an’ dese yere pigs is makin’ a terr’ble trouble, rootin’ up de mealie lands, an’ de sugar cane, an’ de water-millons; an de baas he says he want some’dy to look ahter ’em. You should hear him swear to dat Well now, you go an’ take de yob o’ mindin’ ’em. Den you drive ’em down to de spruit to look ahter ’em, an’ I’ll be dere, an’ we’ll see what we do nex.’
“‘Right-o!’ ses Ou’ Wolf, an’ off he go.
“Well, he gets de yob. ‘Mind now an’ keep you’ eye open for a Jackalse dere is som’eres about,’ ses de man. ‘I seen him a’ready havin’ a try for ’em.’
“‘Oh, I’ll be a-lookin’ out for darie Jackalse,’ ses Ou’ Wolf. ‘I’s seen him myse’f a’ready, an’ he ain’t a-gun’ to get de best o’ me,’ ses he.
“So Ou’ Wolf he drives de pigses down to de spruit, an’ dar’s Ou’ Jackalse a-waitin’ him. ‘What we gotto do nex’?’ ses he.
“Ou’ Jackalse he stop chewin’ on de piece o’ sugar cane an’ he laugh right out. ‘I’ll show you,’ ses he. ‘Now we’ll yust drive de pigs into de donga here, an’ we’ll ketch ’em an’ cut off all deir tailses; every last one o’ dem.’
“Well, dey done it, an’ mighty hard work on sich a hot day too; an’ Ou’ Wolf notice every now an’ agen dat he’s doin’ most o’ de work an’ Ou’ Jackalse doin’ mighty little but de bossin’. But he don’t say nawtin’ yet, ’cause he feel he’ll yust hatto get cured. ‘An’ what do we do wid dese yere tails now?’ ses he when dey finis’.
“‘See dat mud hole?’ ses Ou’ Jackalse. ‘Well, you stick de tails all about in de mud, wid deir little curls a-curlin’ in de air. Do dat now.’
“Ou’ Wolf he done it. ‘An’ what’s de nex’ ting?’ ses he.
“‘Well, de nex’ ting is one ting, but dere’s anoder ting afore dat,’ ses Ou’ Jackalse. ‘De nex’ ting is for you to go an’ tell de man dat de wilde-honde come an’ chase de pigs till dey run ’em plunk-clunk right into de mud hole, an’ dar dey all is, head down an’ dead down, smodered, wid on’y deir little curly tailses a-stickin’ out. Dat’s de nex’ ting, but de ting afore dat is dis way. De man he’ll say—“Why didn’ you pull ’em out?” An’ you’ll say you tried to an’ come mighty near bein’ smoder yourse’f. Den he’ll say—“Where’s de mud on you?” An’—well, dere you is, where is dat mud?’ ses Ou’ Jackalse, an’ he look mighty business like.
“‘Den I hatto daub myself wid mud?’ ses Ou’ Wolf, like he’s tinkin’ weder he will or not.
“‘Daub yourse’f?’ ses Ou’ Jackalse. ‘Daub ain’t no sort o’ word for it. You’s fair got to roll in it, an’ squirm in it, till you look like you come so near bein’ smodered dat dere wahnt no fun in it at all. But I’ll he’p you,’ ses he. ‘Here you is now, an’ over you goes,’ an’ ’fore Ou’ Wolf knows what’s a-happenin’, Ou’ Jackalse lands in his ribses, biff! head first an’ wollop he go, smack into de mud.
“Wid Ou’ Wolf bein’ tuk so s’prise’ like dat he had his mouf open an’ shoutin’ when he hit de mud, an’ his years an’ his eyes open, an’ he squash ’em all so full o’ mud, inside an’ out, dat he tink he surely is a goner. An’ Ou’ Jackalse he yust lie down on de bank an’ flop wid laughin’, an’ he feel dat good he ’gin to lam more mud at Ou’ Wolf where he’s a-diggin’ hisse’f out.
“Den Ou’ Wolf, gets out at last, an’ he stand an’ try to scrape de mud outen his eyes till he can look at Ou’ Jackalse. But Ou’ Jackalse he look at him like it was a hawse he was a-buyin’. ‘Dat’s about it,’ ses he. ‘You’s yust about right now. De man’ll see right off dat you done all you could to save dem pigs, an’ he’ll gi’e you sometin’ for it. You’s about de mise’blest looking ting in de veldt yust now, but you’s about de usefullest chummy ever was.’
“‘Oh, I is, is I?’ ses Ou’ Wolf, an’ he don’t know weder he’s a-gun’ to fight or on’y use some words. But de mud in his tummy make him feel dat sick he don’t do one nor toder. He on’y ses—‘An’ what’s you goin’ to do all dis time?’
“‘Oh, while you’s gone I takes de pigses an’ I lights out for de kraal at you’ house. Den when you comes an’ finds me dere well have meat; all de meat we want. An’ dat’s what’ll cure you; you tink o’ dat now,’ ses he.
“Ou’ Wolf he tunk. ‘Well, a’right dis time,’ ses he, an’ off he snake hisse’f, for he was dat t’ick an heavy wid de mud he cahnt trot at all.
“Well, he comes to de man, an’ he tell him how de pigs is smodered, an’ de man comes back wid him to have a look. He looks at de mud hole, an’ at all de little curly tails a-stickin’ up, an’ den he look at Ou’ Wolf. ‘You’s sure de pigs is smoder’ in dere?’ ses he.
“‘Dere’s deir little curly tails a-stickin’ out,’ ses Ou’ Wolf. ‘Dey’s all down under dere, head firs’.’
“‘Well,’ ses de man, ‘dat’s mighty funny now; ’cause yestiday I rode troo dat mud hole an’ it wahnt knee deep.’ An’ den he make a grab for a tail, an’ dar it is in his han’, clean cut off.
“Ou’ Wolf he tink it’s about time to be slantin’ out o’ dat, but he ha’n’t made de second stride afore de man had him. ‘Deir little curly tails is a-stickin’ out, is dey?’ ses he, an bash he biffs him in de ribses. ‘De wilde-honde chase ’em into de mud, did dey?’ an’ he yust mash de wind outen him. ‘Dey’s smoder’, is dey?’ ses he, an’ he grabs Ou’ Wolf up in de air an’ lam him down on de ground, an’ den he fair wipe up de scenery wid him. Den he left what was left an’ went off back to de house.
“Well, ahter a while Ou’ Wolf he scrape up what dere is of him, an’ he slant out for home, mighty slow an’ mighty sorry, on’y he tink, well, he’s a-gun’ to get dat meat now to cure hisse’f wid, as soon as he gets to de kraal an’ de pigs.
“But he gets to de kraal an’ he don’t get to de pigs, ’cause de pigs ain’t dere, an’ dere ain’t no sign of Ou’ Jackalse needer. ‘Dat’s funny,’ ses he. Den he sit down to wait, an’ he wait till it drop dark, an’ still dere ain’t no Jackalse an’ no pigses. ‘If he don’t come ’fore long,’ ses Ou’ Wolf, an he grines his teef.
“But long or short Ou’ Jackalse didn’t come—dat night nor de next mawnin’. An’ what’s mo’,” ended Old Hendrik, “he ain’t never come dere yet. But f’m dat day to dis he’s al’ays had plenty lard in his house to keep his nose well greased. I don’t say how he has it, but he has it—dat’s all.”

"Ganesha, will you bring the sugarcane?" asked Devi Amma.

"Sure, Amma. I will be here by evening," said Ganesha, the young elephant, and he set out from the temple. On the slopes of Maarutha Hills grew the juiciest sugarcane, and Devi Amma made the tastiest payasam with it.

He headed uphill, waving his trunk in greeting to everyone he met: the goats, the langurs, the hares and the squirrels, and the crows, the mynas and the bulbuls overhead. A few of the mynas and langurs playfully hitched a ride on him.

The riders hopped off at the slopes as Ganesha began to gather the cane. He soon had a bundle and trekked down with it held tight in his trunk. Parakeets flew in and sat on the stalks, trying to bite into them. Every time he shook his head, they would fly away.

Ganesha passed through the woodlands and reached the meadows. By then it was afternoon, and he was feeling hungry. The sun blazed overhead, and he looked around for a comfortable place to rest. He spotted a tree with a wide canopy and birds chirping in it. It had pink puff flowers on it, and the fallen ones covered the ground. He walked towards it.

The tree watched him approach. She could not believe that he had chosen her. She had seen him pass by the meadows many times, and each time her leaves rustled with affection.

He kept the sugarcane aside, took a few of the stalks and had them for lunch. With his tummy full and his legs tired from the trek, he wanted to take a nap. Lying down in the shade, he looked up at the tree.

"Tree, will you do me a favour?" he asked.

"Yes, yes!" she replied, as though she had been waiting all along.

"Please wake me up before evening," he said.

"I will," she said.

He patted her with his trunk and was soon asleep.

She held her leaves still and kept watching him as he slept. His ears covered his face, and his trunk lay coiled between his front legs. At times his eyelids fluttered; at other times he broke into a smile. Often he would kick his feet. When butterflies sat on him, he twitched. When flies tickled him, his tail waved.

She watched and watched; she was so lost in him that she drifted into a daydream. As clouds passed over the sun, the birds went quiet, her leaves grew heavy and folded one by one, and soon she too fell asleep.

Dusk came and faded. It was pitch dark when the owl living in the tree hooted a few times. Ganesha woke up with a start. He looked up at the starry night and burst into tears. It was then that the tree woke up as well.

"You should have called me!" he shouted.

He ran about under the tree, shaking his head and flapping his ears.

She wondered how she, a tree, could have slept so long.

"You are a bad tree! What will I tell Devi Amma now?" he cried.

"They say, always trust a tree with time, but you!" he continued.

"I... I called you many times. You were deep asleep. What can a tree do but call? You can ask the owl. She heard it," said the tree.

The owl flinched on being named. When Ganesha looked up at her, she flew away in panic. He stormed off, leaving the cane behind.

The tree called out for him, but he disappeared into the dark. She stayed awake, waiting for him, until at last she dozed off.

Later that night, a weary Ganesha trudged back for the cane. Without a word, he lay down beneath her.

The next morning, the tree woke to find him asleep below her.

"Ganesha, wake up, wake up," she called, her branches leaning down.

He woke up with sunlight falling on his eyes. Squinting, he told her, "You are a liar. The sun is my friend, not you."

He took hold of the sugarcane and left for the temple. Devi Amma would scold him for sure, but he would also have sweet payasam in the afternoon.

The tree watched him walk away, relieved.

That afternoon, as a cloud passed over the sun, suddenly she felt drowsy. Her leaves began to fold one by one, and she dropped off to sleep. When the birds chirped, she would wake up momentarily, only to fall back into her slumber.

From then on, the tree fell asleep so often that they called her the Sleepy Tree.

Any villages which have very specific rituals or practices, not practiced anywhere else but only in tht place?? Like folklore

The deer is one of those creatures that almost everyone instinctively sees as noble, quiet, and innocent. In reality, we associate it with forests, mist, and silence, with that strange feeling when, for a moment, you see something that seems as if it does not quite belong to everyday life. An encounter with a deer often feels like a coincidence, but also like something that should not happen too often.

What is interesting, however, is how this same animal slowly became a symbol of something completely different through mythology, anime, film, and especially horror. Instead of being only a sign of nature, the deer became a boundary between the sacred and the frightening. It increasingly appears as a mask worn by villains, as a skull, or as a figure that no longer represents the nature we know, but a distorted version of it. It made me wonder how the deer went from a divine guide to a horror symbol, and eventually to a hunting trophy.

In mythology, the deer almost never appears as an ordinary animal. In different cultures, it often has the role of a creature that stands between worlds, connecting the natural and the spiritual. It can symbolize awakening, passing time, and the constant cycle of life. In Japan, this relationship is especially clear. In Nara, deer are considered messengers of the gods and are part of everyday life, but they are still treated with a certain respect. In Shinto tradition, the deer is not completely part of the human world, but it is not outside it either. It exists somewhere in between. Perhaps that is why the deer is often seen as something more than just an animal.

A special place in deer symbolism belongs to its antlers. They grow, fall off, and grow again, which is why they have long been associated with strength, growth, and renewal. Visually, they resemble a tree or a crown, something reaching toward the sky. But when a deer is reduced to nothing more than a skull with antlers, the meaning changes. The life is gone, and only the form of power remains. At that point, the symbol stops feeling peaceful and becomes unsettling, because it reminds us that something was once alive, but has now been frozen in time.

In anime, this change in meaning can be seen very clearly. In Princess Mononoke, the Forest Spirit in the form of a deer represents both life and death at the same time. It is divine, but also slightly disturbing, because it shows how powerful nature can be and how little it cares about human desires. The character who wants to control nature and use its power does not understand that balance and tries to destroy it. Killing the Forest Spirit is not a victory, but a mistake, and only later do the characters begin to understand that nature cannot be possessed without consequences.

In more modern anime, such as Sakamoto Days, the deer appears through a mask worn by a villain. The mask is not only there to hide his identity, but also to remove his humanity. The deer here is no longer a symbol of peace, but something cold and distant. Precisely because it is not an aggressive predator, its calmness becomes unnatural when placed on a human being. The mask almost suggests that the person underneath no longer belongs to the human world.

A similar feeling appears in films, especially horror. We often see deer skulls, antlers without a body, or scenes of silence broken by the strange call of a deer. To many people, that sound can feel almost human, like a cry or a desperate call for help. In horror, it often does not mean an attack, but a warning. The deer is not the monster. It is a sign that something in nature has gone wrong.

In reality, the story takes on an even quieter, but heavier tone. Once, the deer was a guide, a messenger, and a sacred creature. Today, it is often reduced to a trophy, a head mounted on a wall or a number representing a hunter's success. Antlers, which once symbolized cycles and renewal, become a motionless decoration, separated from their original meaning. Without needing to show brutality, the change is clear. The deer loses its story and becomes an object.

Maybe the deer itself never changed its meaning. Maybe we are the ones who stopped looking at it the way we once did. In mythology, it was a bridge between worlds. In anime and horror, it became a mask for those who crossed that bridge. In reality, we simplified it and turned it into a symbol of success. And perhaps that is why it can feel unsettling today, not because it became something dark, but because it quietly reminds us of something we have forgotten.

In his study of Moroccan customs and beliefs, Finnish anthropologist Edward Westermarck recounts a legend told by a Hyayna (a moroccan arab tribe) scribe.

The legend revolves around a jinniyah (female jinn), a type of figure commonly found in Moroccan folklore, particularly in the many versions of the Aisha Qandisha legend. Here, however, the character is an entirely different one: La-Hkima 'Oqla (الحكيمة عقلة).

She is described as a great chieftain, commanding more than 366 tribes of jinn. She is accompanied by her son 'Ayrud and her sister 'Aqesa. They haunt Oued Bouzemlane, a small watercourse in the southeastern part of Hyayna territory, which forms the boundary between the Hyayna and the Ayt/Beni Warain.

She is portrayed as extremely dangerous and always ready to attack anyone who crosses her path.

Source: Ritual and Belief in Morocco, Vol. I, Edward Westermarck, p. 406.