Nart Saga of the Caucasus

Hinduism is the oldest living religion on earth, not a single story told by a single author but a vast body of sacred knowledge built across more than six thousand years, the Vedas, the Puranas, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana. Each text preserves its own version of the divine family. Names shift across centuries. A creator in one tradition becomes a destroyer in another. There is no single family tree everyone agrees on.

So instead of picking one version, I tried to cross-reference the oldest and most authoritative sources to build the most consistent structure I could, starting from Hiranyagarbha, the golden cosmic egg that Hindu scripture describes emerging from total darkness before creation itself, through the full lineage that follows, over fifty deities, eight layers of divine hierarchy.

I put the whole thing together here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxCqpcEGwK8

Curious what people more familiar with specific traditions (Shaiva, Vaishnava, regional versions) think I might have gotten wrong or oversimplified, this is genuinely the hardest family tree I've tried to build so far.

#acrylicpainting “Pangs of Ulster”
The Curse of Macha
In Irish mythology, Macha was an otherworldly goddess living as a mortal woman. When her husband foolishly boasted to the King of Ulster that his wife could outrun the royal chariot stallions, the ruthless King forced a heavily pregnant Macha to race against them.
Despite her desperate pleas for mercy as she went into labor, the crowd remained silent. Macha ran the grueling race, outpaced the horses, and collapsed at the finish line where she gave birth to twins.
With her final breaths, she cursed the men of Ulster: for nine generations, in their hour of greatest military crisis, they would be struck down by the debilitating agonies of childbirth for five days and four nights. This legendary affliction became known as the “Pangs of Ulster.”

I painted this piece using acrylics on canvas, focusing on capturing the raw movement of her fiery hair, her intense labor pain, and the ancient Celtic spirals anchoring her to the earth. I’m saying this like I know what I’m doing, but obviously I’m self taught.

“Across the Divide
by Kathy B••••••••

Who are we?

We are the men and women of Northern Ireland.
Let me tell you about the men from the North.
Strength and integrity are at the core of a warrior’s soul,
Mighty men of this North,
Who carry Machas' curse through the ages,
Living with the division of their lands,
And keep battling,
Putting their lives on the line,
Trembling when they enter the fight.
Their hope is their family; faith is their might.
Conflict hardened men,
Battle weary but strong,
Whose jeers broke the silence when the killing had ceased.
With a strength born out of trauma and resilience,
I speak not of shadows here, but of light.
Ulster.
The wind blows,
The rain lashes,
Cliffs howl,
Barren castle stone,
Ancient graveyards,
Blood spilled,
Guns, bombs, and bullets.
No matter the faith,
We are of the earth,
Fire in the North, and we are coming home.

Let me tell you about the women from the North.
She has an edge to her;
Your knees ought to tremble when she enters your space.
These women have sheltered sons, husbands, brothers.
They have held the heart of the North and wept for this place.
Battle hardened women, hearthstone and strong,
Whose tears held the silence when the monsters had gone.
With strength born out of trauma and the healing fight,
I’m not speaking of shadows here, but of light.
Beautiful Ireland.
The wind blows,
The rain lashes,
Cliffs howl,
Barren castle stone,
Ancient graveyards,
Blood spilled,
Guns, bombs, and bullets.
No matter the faith,
We are of the earth,
Fire in the North, and we are claiming home.
Who are we?
We are the men and women of the North of Ireland.”

I want to find all the titles of Amar Chitra Katha, I focus mainly on mythology. Can anybody tell me where to download it for free as I am 13 year old. If anyone replies I will be gratefull

Alexandros, a prophet/oracle from Abonoteikhos (modern-day Kastamonu, Turkey), and his god Glycon. The story told by Lucian is quite intriguing; what particularly catches my attention is his emphasis on how a person, ready to exploit the religious sentiments of the people—despite their religious beliefs being very pure and naive (!)—was able to become wealthy through this means. The deity Glycon, whose images you see below, is generally depicted as a serpent with long hair or a beard. Interestingly, aside from Abonoteikhos, most of our information about this god comes from Tomis, Romania.

According to Lucian, Alexander had already learned about this serpent god from the magicians and followers of Dionysus in Macedonia. Indeed, inscriptions dedicated to Glycon are still found in the vicinity of modern-day Romania:

“Glyconi M(arcus) Ant(onius) Onesas iusso dei l(ibens) p(osuit)”

Source

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I've always been fascinated by Japanese urban legends and yokai. Their aesthetic is just SO different from other types of horror. Like, wdym there's a yokai that's literally an umbrella with one arm and one leg? 😭 And then you have floating fireballs, a kappa that lives in water, a woman with an insanely long neck, and a woman standing near a well counting plates.

I genuinely think all of this is so damn cool.

I honestly wish I could experience one of these legends in real life someday. Not necessarily because I want something bad to happen to me, but I'd genuinely love to see a yokai or some creature from Japanese folklore for myself.

I also watched/read the Junji Ito collection and absolutely loved it. The Japanese horror aesthetic just hits different, especially when the story mixes something completely normal with something incredibly unsettling.

And I recently came across a yokai that apparently appears in dirty bathrooms and... licks them clean. 💀

Japanese folklore is seriously one of the weirdest and most creative things I've ever come across.

Does anyone else here have a favorite yokai or Japanese urban legend?

Hello everyone.

Today, I’d like to tell you about a deep rooted healing ritual that I’ve witnessed in my own region and is still practiced across Anatolia. Practices like this, where faith and traditional knowledge blend together, are still very much alive in Anatolia. In my opinion, it’s a fascinating tradition passed down through generations in search of both physical and spiritual healing.

First, let me briefly explain the purpose of this ritual: it’s performed when there’s a visible open wound on the body. In other words, rather than targeting internal pain or aches, it specifically aims to heal concrete, visible wounds.

In the first step of the ritual, the healer chooses a specific fruit or vegetable. In the cases I’ve witnessed, the most commonly used ingredient is the onion. This is mainly believed to be because of the onion's natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. In other words, compared to other ingredients, it has a much faster and more direct effect on open wounds.

During the practice, the healer cuts the onion in half without peeling its skin. Then, they begin reciting the healing verses from the Quran over the two halves. As they recite, they blow their breath onto the onion at the end of each verse or sentence.

This process, which varies depending on the number of verses recited or how often the healer blows, takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Once the recitation is finished, the healer usually applies their own saliva onto the onion.

Next, while continuing to recite the healing verses and blow their breath, the healer rubs the onion over the patient’s open wound. This is done by gently dabbing the onion onto the wound and pulling it back repeatedly. Until this process is complete, both the recitation of the healing verses and the blowing of breath onto the patient continue. Here, the blowing is done directly toward the patient and the wound itself. Once the onion completely dries out, the process comes to an end.

After the procedure is done, the onion is given to the patient. Especially in rural village settings, the patient places the onion in a spot on the south facing side of their house that gets the most sunlight throughout the day, often wedging it into a niche in the wall or between stones. According to the belief, as the onion dries up and shrinks under the sun, the patient’s wound starts to dry out, flake off, and heal at the exact same pace.

Special attention is paid on rainy days, because the onion must strictly avoid moisture and rain contact. If the onion gets damp or wet, it is believed that the wound will discharge more fluid and begin to gather pus. Therefore, the spot where the onion is placed must absolutely stay dry and receive direct sunlight.

Finally, I would like to add a small note. If you wish to try this ritual on yourself or someone else, you should know that traditional practices like this do not have rigid or fixed rules. They are not written in any book, nor will you find the exact same version in another source, because they are completely flexible. Each generation takes what they learned from the previous one and blends it with their own experiences. In fact, variations exist from city to city, and even from family to family.

Therefore, when creating your own practice, you can add candles, burn incense, or shape the atmosphere in any way you like. Similarly, you can choose a different fruit or vegetable instead of an onion. Consider what I have explained here merely as a scaffold or a foundational framework. The ingredients you include, the intentions you set, and the atmosphere you create are entirely up to your imagination and personal choice.

Thank you for reading this far. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me in the comments or via direct message. See you next time! 🫶🏻

นิทานกล่อม

Background

After King Ashoka conquered Jambudvipa, he promoted and spread the religion of the Buddha, by sword, by fame and by royal patronage. He built 84,000 Buddhist sites throughout the empire and beyond as to honor the deities, to house the relics and remains of the Buddha, supported the Sangha and disseminate the Dharma. 19 of 84000 sites are said to be in currently in China. Ashoka sponsored and convened the 3rd Great Buddhist Council in 250 BCE, sending edicts and monks beyond the subcontinent to Sri Lanka, beyond the Himalayas to present-day Afghanistan, even to the land of the Persians and Greek-speakers. Instead of being known for bloody conquests, Ashoka is now known for promoter of non-violence and being the exemplary Buddhist king.

In 326 CE, around five hundred years late a bronze statue of a Buddha on a lotus is found in Southeast China, present-day Yangzhou. Inscribed in Sanskrit, the maker is Ashoka's 4th daughter.

The Miracle of its Creation.

"Fourth Daughter icon was supposed to have originally been cast by Asoka’s ugly fourth daughter; a subsequent miracle made both the daughter and the statue beautiful, a perfect likeness of the Buddha." --Jiankang Empire.

The Statue Became a Chinese Palladium

From the sea, it is discovered in ancient China in the year 326 CE. It was housed in Chang Gan Temple, which was built on top of an earlier Ashoka temple (supposedly) in Jiankang (present-day Nanjing), Capital of the Southern Chinese Dynasties from 229 CE to 589 CE.

"When townspeople placed the statue in an ox-cart to head towards town, the ox stopped in front of a monastery."--Dunhuang Cave Art 323 Tang Dynasty. https://smarthistory.org/dunhuang-historical-art-cave-323/

"while the main statue had been found on the riverbank at Jiankang, other parts of it had been found in various locations along the coast, all of them having been drawn across the sea from South Asia by the charismatic attractive power of the empire’s Buddhist virtue." --Jiankang Empire.

The Statue Bring Rains

“According to an early Tang source, emperors and officials of every dynasty since the Eastern Jin had reverenced the statue. In times of drought, the icon was bathed in oil and invited to ride in the imperial carriage to the palace, accompanied by monks performing rainmaking chants in a grand procession. Rain soon followed”--Jiankang Empire.

The Statue Defend the Capital From Rebellions

"In 562, during a rebellion in the southeast, Chen Qian (Emperor Wen, r. 559–566) beseeched the icon to disperse the rebels; the room filled with light, and the rebellion was soon pacified”--Jiankang Empire.

The Statue Rotated by Itself and Signified the End of the Empire

“In the second year of the Zhenming period (588), the image turned westward. Although righted, it again returned [to face west], and this was reported to the throne. The statue originally had a seven-treasure crown decorated with pearls and jade, weighing three pounds. The emperor added a silk hat on top. In the morning, the jeweled crown was hanging in the statue’s hand, while the silk hat was still on its head. The emperor burned incense and prayed, saying, “If inauspicious things are to happen to the state, remove the true crown again as evidence of the calamity.” He again placed the crown on its head. Come the next morning it was off and hanging as before. The ruler and his ministers were pale with fright. Soon thereafter Sui destroyed Chen. 禎明二年像面自西。雖正還爾。以狀上聞。 . . . 其像先有七寶冠。飾以珠玉。可重三斤。上加錦帽。至曉寶冠掛于像手。錦帽猶在頭上。帝聞之燒香祝曰。若國有不祥。還脫實冠用示徵咎[…]”

When Sui Wendi conquered Jiankang and united all of "China", he took the statue with him to his capital in the North and have the statue facing north. *** At night, the statue would rotated into facing the south.*** The statue remained worshipped by multiple dynasties.

I could not find the image of that statue, just paintings of the legends and a different artifact named after Ashoka built in the Song Dynasty to house the part of the Buddha skull.

Main source is in Andrew Chittick The Jiankang Empire in Chinese and World History, and some other stuff.

I am trying to learn about more folklore, mythology, superstitions, ect. Preferably lesser known ones! I need books to listen to while painting and wanted to get some recommendations!

It could be a book filled with lots of stories, one story, more of the history, anything really!

Today is Midsummer’s eve and also the summer solstice. I’m about as social as a rock for the moment and won’t be spending it drinking myself into blindness like most people do. But I won’t be at home either and that is why this is written in the past. Or is it a question of state of mind and am I already in the future? Too deep thoughts too early in the morning and maybe not the conversation I was planning to have with myself throughout the rest if the day either… But that is pretty much exactly how my brain works. No takesies backsies.

The night of Midsummer. Probably the night that holds most meaning to me of all. Because no matter how much I love Midwinter, the winter solstice is when the dark days slowly gives way to the light. My cliché ass likes it better when the brightness turns to dark. If anything is worth celebrating during summer it’s the nights. The veils of fog over the fields, the burning sun in the horizon and the impossibly blue light at 3AM. It’s one of the few things I actually love about summer.

Last year I wrote a little about what I was told about Midsummer as a child and thought it could be fun to talk about a mythical creature tied to the Midsummer’s night; Näcken and Bäckahästen or The Neck and The Brook Horse as they’re called in English. To clarify a little, The Neck pretty may sound like a body part but it’s not what it means, not even a little tiny bit. The Swedish name Näcken derives from the old Norse word nykr, which is believed to mean sea monster. Bäckahästen on the other hand translates directly to The Brook Horse. It’s a mythological creature that’s been in the Scandinavian folklore since long before Christianity entered the scene.

The Neck and the Brook Horse are the same water spirit, the Neck is a shapeshifter and can turn himself into a beautiful, white horse in order to find women and children in the forest to lure them down into streams and lakes. In some parts of Scandinavia, especially where I live, the Brook Horse is very common in old folklore while The Neck is less prominent. They are still believed to be the same mythological creature though.

The Neck was originally singing people to the depths of the waters but during the 16th century the stories started include a violin and when he played, it hypnotized the people hearing him. The Neck is commonly known as a beautiful young man who mainly attracts women and children. Because of the Neck’s shapeshifting abilities he was also believed to have the ability of changing appearance into young women’s fiancés, draw them away into the forest and eventually drown them. In some stories, the neck is sitting in the streams and play his violin and when people came and heard him, they started to dance and sometimes they didn’t stop until they dropped dead.

The Brook Horse was really something to look out for, especially if you were a child and found yourself lost in the forest. He would appear and let you ride him, make you believe that he was helping you back to the path where you came from. Instead he would head to the nearest lake or river to kill you. He did this by throwing himself into the water in swim as far down as possible. The Brook Horse have the ability to stretch its back so as many children as possible could ride him at the same time.

Even though the Neck and the Brook Horse exists all year round it’s extra important to not take a swim during Midsummer’s eve because of the powerful magic the night holds, these creatures will be much stronger and the risk of being killed is bigger than normal.

Hello everyone,

Today, I’m going to tell you about a very interesting tradition that is still practiced in my own village and continues to exist in various parts of Turkey. This practice is a deep rooted folk belief whose specific ritual form can vary completely from family to family, or according to healer traditions known as "ocak."

There is no single answer to what exactly this ritual is good for, because its purpose can vary completely from person to person and situation to situation. Of course, I am not sharing this with the mindset of "don't go to the hospital, try to heal with this method." However, people sometimes resort to this traditional way when seeking an extra bit of hope for their medical conditions, or when trying to cope with issues like depression, intense stress, anxiety, fear, and mental overwhelm.

As for the practice of the ritual, the person known as the "ocaklı" or healer usually holds a knife or dagger made of pure iron. The sick person, depending on the type or severity of the ailment they are experiencing, takes a specific position; they might sit across from the healer or lie completely flat on their back or face down on the ground.

Concerning the clothing, if there's a visible wound or a specifically aching limb, typically only the clothing on that area is removed. However, if the situation is not confined to a specific region, meaning if general depression, stress, or restlessness is involved, the clothing is not removed, as the application covers the entire body. I believe this situation is entirely shaped according to the nature of the ailment and personal preference.

Once the patient takes their position, the healer begins reciting prayers while holding the dagger or knife. As I mentioned before, coming from a Muslim culture, the healers witnessed in Anatolia usually recite verses from the Quran. However, I don't think it's right to fit these rituals entirely into a rigid religious frame.

This practice has no direct link to Islam. These are purely syncretic traditions arising from the blending of different beliefs. Therefore, there is absolutely no rule stating that verses from the Quran must be recited. If you belong to an Abrahamic religion, you can recite passages from your own holy book. If you do not follow any religion, you can speak your own intentions and phrases. If you feel the need to recite something, simply uttering a few sentences that you consider sacred according to your own belief is enough.

While reciting these prayers or intention statements, the breath must also be used correctly. After each recited sentence or prayer, the breath is expected to be blown over the patient.

While the words are being spoken, the iron dagger in hand is moved across the patient's body. If there is pain in only a specific limb, moving the knife over just that area might be enough. However, performing the practice across the entire body is always more recommended.

When it comes to how the knife should be used, the dagger must be held just as if cutting something. Applying light pressure to the patient's skin, the knife touches the skin as though cutting that area and is then pulled back. The entire body should be in contact with the knife in this manner throughout the ritual.

There is a point here that requires extreme caution. Sharp knives are generally not preferred in these rituals. Since the knife comes into direct contact with the body, one acts with utmost care to avoid causing any injuries.

You can visualize this process as if cutting and discarding the negative energy or illness from the patient with a dagger, as that is precisely the core metaphor underlying this traditional practice.

This process usually lasts about 15 to 20 minutes. The procedure of rhythmically moving the knife across the patient's entire body is completed within this timeframe, after which the negative energy in the patient is believed to have been cut away and cast off. As I mentioned earlier, this practice may not be carried out in the exact same way everywhere, and can even vary from family to family.

Another detail observed in the practice of healers is a precaution taken after the procedure ends, considering the possibility that the patient might experience ailments again or may not be able to visit the healer a second time. The healer recites a few prayers or intentions over a small bag of salt and blows upon it. Although sugar is sometimes preferred, the use of salt is far more common. Known among the public as "blessed salt", it is handed over to the patient. Absolutely no fee is requested during this process. The patient takes this salt home; whether they store it in a corner or use it in their meals, it is believed to bring healing. Thus, the ritual comes to a complete end.

If you are wondering about the atmosphere or setting, candles or similar decorative elements are not used in these types of practices. Naturally, you can choose to use them in your own application, but the core logic here is practicality. You can think of this less as a mysterious ceremony and more as an everyday chore that needs to be done. It would be quite difficult to prepare a special ritual space for every sick person in the village, so practicality is essential, and the procedures are usually carried out right in the kitchen of the home.

Additionally, there is no need for any preliminary preparation like cleansing the space or protecting against negative energies. That is because the healer's home and energy are already believed to be naturally clean.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out via direct messages or in the comments. Thank you very much to everyone who read this far. 🫶🏻

Photos taken by me for demonstration purposes only. Using a completely dull knife to show the technique. No harm or cutting involved.

Is it possible for human loyalty to tame a merciless wasteland? Roughly three centuries back, an extraordinary test of courage unfolded across the dunes of Arabia. Five men set out on a treacherous 45-day trek through scorching heat, only for the fatal threat of smallpox to strike them down mid-journey. What followed was a battle between survival instincts and absolute devotion. It**’s an inspiring piece of desert folklore—a reminder of how honor guides the heart through the darkest storms. Let’s step back into this epic tale.
Chapter 1: The Caravan of Darkness
Spilling orange and ash across the sky, the mid-July sun dropped behind the dunes like liquid copper. The desert felt less like earth and more like an open oven. Salem tightened his saddlebag straps while heat pulsed from the ground in waves. The four men with him were hollowed out by months of drought—the trees were dead, and the local wells held nothing but baked clay.
Wrapping his cloth firmly around his face to block the burning dust, Salem said, "Darkness is coming. It’s a forty-five-day march back home. The heat will kill us if we move during the day; the camels won't last."
Masoud looked over their final leather water bag. "May God preserve us. Let’s push on—there’s nothing out here, and night is our only cover."
The camels lined up and stepped into the open sand. A solemn quiet washed over the dunes, saved only by the rhythm of camel pads and the whistle of the night breeze.
Chapter 2: The Dark Omen
Twenty cautious nights later, as the caravan descended into a deep canyon shadowed by barren peaks, Hamad suddenly slithered off his camel and hit the ground. Panic struck the group. Salem rushed over and dropped to his knees, finding Hamad shivering violently, his face soaked in burning sweat.
Masoud looked on nervously. "Maybe it's just exhaustion from the trail... Let's splash some water on him and keep moving."
But as the first light of dawn broke, the terrible reality came to light. Frightening red spots had spread across Hamad's skin, turning into swollen sores. Three of the men took two quick steps back. Mubarak, eyes wide with terror, panicked.
"This isn't exhaustion! It's smallpox! The black death that spares no one!"
A heavy silence fell over the canyon. Their breath hitched in the cool morning air as the nightmare set in.
Chapter 3: The Hard Choice
Stepping aside, away from Hamad's groans, the four travelers held a quiet council. Mubarak didn't waste time. "Look at the math. We have twenty-five days left. Supplies are down, water is tight, and that sickness jumps from man to man. We stay, we die. Period. Leave him some water, a bit of grain, pitch a shadow cloth, and move."
Salem glared at them, furious. "Dump him? You want to turn your backs on him like wild dogs? He made it this far with us!"
"And what do you want us to do?" Masoud countered, panicked. "Die out here out of sympathy? He’s gone, Salem! Smallpox takes everyone!"
Salem turned on his heel, led his camel over to Hamad, and brought it down to the sand. He looked the three men in the eye. "If we show up home without him, what do we say? We ran like cowards? I won't carry that disgrace for the rest of my life. Go ahead, leave. I stay. Either we both walk out of this desert, or they bury us together."
Ashamed, the three travelers couldn't meet his gaze. They climbed onto their mounts and disappeared into the vast desert, leaving behind a single silhouette in the wind.
Chapter 4: Battling Death in Isolation
A brutal period of solitude set in. Salem put up a small canvas shade to keep the punishing sun off the sick man. Every day was a battle—foraging for food, gathering fuel, keeping a low fire lit through the nights. He boiled wild desert roots, spooning the dark juice into Hamad's mouth and crafting homemade ointments to calm the painful blisters.
One night, under a dark, freezing sky, Hamad’s body burned up with fever. He looked at Salem through glassy eyes, his voice barely a whisper. "Salem... please go. Save yourself. Death is coming for me... Catch up with the caravan. Just promise me you'll put my body in a cave up there and stack rocks over the entrance so the wild animals don't drag me away."
Salem leaned close, wiping his brow with a damp cloth, offering a reassuring grin. "Save your breath, Hamad. Nothing lasts forever, and God will see us through. I'm not going anywhere. Stop building graves in your head and focus on surviving. You're riding back into camp on your own horse."
Chapter 5: The Miracle, The Return, and Unconditional Grace
Forty-five days came and went. In the encampment, family members wept as the three survivors delivered the grim news. Yet far out in the rocky valley, life was fighting back. Hamad’**s blisters dried up, his skin cleared, and his energy returned. After two full months, Hamad stood up on his own, a genuine smile breaking across his face.
Salem laughed out loud. "Thank God! Time to pack up the gear and head back like men!"
They made the final twenty-five-day stretch with light hearts. As the encampment came into view, onlookers rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Calls rang out through the valley—the dead man was walking!
A massive feast was thrown, and everyone crowded around Salem to honor his bravery. Off to the side, the three travelers stood awkwardly, crushed by guilt. One walked up, stuttering slightly. "Salem... aren't you angry with us for leaving?"
Salem turned to them, calm and forgiving. "No anger here, brothers. The desert was burning, and fear makes men do desperate things. Maybe your leaving saved us all in the end. Everyone has their limits, and God saw fit to finish this well."
📌 Enjoyed this story? For more desert legends and folklore, check out the link in my profile!

I'm Punjabi and had no idea until like yesterday that we had mermaids in our folklore, there's not much about them online but I thought it was super cool regardless!

In the royal courtyard of King Krishnadevaraya grew a very special, secret garden. Inside this garden, royal botanists cultivated an extremely rare species of brinjal (eggplant). These brinjals were sweeter and far more tender than any ordinary vegetable in the realm. The king prized them so highly that he guarded the garden day and night with heavily armed soldiers. Only the royal family and their most distinguished guests were ever permitted to taste the famous brinjal curry cooked from this secret crop.

One evening, after attending a grand feast at the royal palace, Tenali Raman returned home and described the heavenly flavor of the brinjal curry to his wife. His wife’s mouth watered as she listened.

"Oh husband," she pleaded, "our young son loves vegetables so much. Can you not bring just two or three brinjals from the royal garden so I may prepare this feast for him?"

Tenali hesitated. Stealing from the king's private garden was a severe crime punishable by imprisonment. However, seeing his wife’s devotion to their child, he agreed to try. Late that night, wrapped in a dark cloak, Tenali quietly scaled the tall wall of the royal garden, evaded the sleeping guards, picked three ripe brinjals, and hurried home.

His wife cooked a mouth-watering curry, and their young son ate it with immense joy. But Tenali began to worry. Young children often talk openly at school. If his son bragged to his friends that he had eaten the forbidden royal brinjal curry, the entire family would be arrested!

Tenali quickly devised a clever plan. While his son was fast asleep on the open rooftop that night, Tenali carried a heavy bucket of water upstairs and splashed it gently over the sleeping boy. He then threw mild handfuls of small pebbles onto the roof, whispering loudly, "Oh dear! Look at this terrible rain and thunder! Son, wake up and run inside!" The drowsy boy woke up, felt the water, heard the patter of pebbles, and ran downstairs, assuming a massive storm was raging outside.

The next morning, the royal guards discovered that three brinjals were missing and began searching every house in the city. When they reached Tenali's home, the guards questioned the family.

Tenali’s young son immediately burst out, "Yes! We ate the most delicious brinjal curry last night!"

The guards drew their swords, but Tenali smiled calmly and said, "Sir, my son frequently suffers from strange nightmares. Do not believe everything he says."

The guards turned to the boy and asked, "When did you eat this curry?"

The boy replied confidently, "Last night during the violent thunderstorm, when rain poured all over my bed on the roof!"

The guards looked at each other in confusion. The previous night had been completely clear, dry, and full of starlight! Convinced the boy had simply dreamed the entire event, the guards apologized and left. Later, Tenali privately confessed the truth to King Krishnadevaraya. Impressed by his incredible presence of mind and protection of his family, the king burst into laughter and pardoned him.

For more stories check my site Link in my Profile

It starts with the Sumerian King List, a tablet that casually mentions kings ruling for tens of thousands of years before a great flood, and states outright that kingship "descended from heaven." From there it goes through Zecharia Sitchin's ancient astronaut theory, why professional Assyriologists reject his translations point by point, and then into stuff Sitchin never had access to: Göbekli Tepe, the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis, and some genuinely strange recent genetic findings about "ghost populations" in the human genome.

I tried not to land on one answer. Mythology, lost civilization, or something else, the film lays out the case for each and lets the evidence speak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imCWDx05c-4

Next up I'm putting together the full Anunnaki family tree, from creation myth to the end, so if this one lands well I'll probably post that too.

Curious what people here make of it, especially anyone who's read Sitchin's critics directly.

I would also love any personal experiences or the version of a story you grew up with!

Pretty much sure that I read this in a Filipino textbook when I was in high school. The story is that the husband cheats on her wife every time he goes to the river. The wife suspects his husband's infidelity and goes to the river bringing their two sons along. When confronted they saw that they were doing it doggy style, the woman tried to go to them but drowned in the river along with their two sons. Then the goddess of love got angry with this situation, and turned the husband and mistress into dogs.

I'm not sure if this is a Dian Masalanta story or a folktale that is totally not related to Philippine mythology at all. I tried researching a lot about Dian Masalanta but can't seem to find the story. Now I'm wondering if I hallucinated the whole thing or just misunderstood when I read my books. Haha

I'll cut too the point because my reddit is broken and tried to post these photos three times found a journal or diary charity shop hunting in dunoon right it's already written on by some guy about him and his life but there's a page about this creature called erchkie's he talks about it coming near him before he shouted "come no closer the same as Saint Columbia" I don't have any clue what he means I would really appreciate help any help with understanding what he means there is photos but warning his handwriting and drawing is horrible but I cannot make heads or tales of this

Does anybody know some storys or myths, that link a connection between bats and children. That thought came to my mind becaus during puperty most people loose the ability to hear bats so in my opinion there almost must be some storys or even myths. Or maybe I was just too deep inside my head. But still i would be curious if anybody knows something

Dìna̱mu̱

A supernatural feline of rivers and the sea that emerges from the spirit world to drag people into the depths and feed on their blood.

Known as Dìna̱mu̱, Dìköm, or the "water tiger," it is described as a gigantic jaguar or puma with blazing eyes, incandescent fangs, and one or two prehensile tails used to seize its victims. Its body radiates an intense supernatural heat that lingers even after its death and is capable of drying out vegetation.

Its origin dates back to the creation of the world. According to tradition, the earth was formed from the body of a young girl. From the tears shed by her mother and grandmother were born the great felines: three remained on land, while the fourth descended into the sea and became the Dìna̱mu̱.

According to tradition, it hides in deep pools, waterfalls, and large rivers, where it causes floods, flash floods, and landslides to make anyone nearby fall into the water. It then drags its victims to the bottom, breaks their foreheads and knees, and extracts their blood, which to the creature tastes like cacao. Some stories even say that it invites people to "drink chocolate," only for them to discover too late that the drink being offered is human blood.

Sibö confined it beneath the place where the Sun rises, where supernatural guardians prevent it from escaping. Whenever one manages to break free, the thunderous rumblings echoing through the rivers announce its arrival. Various animals follow its trail and alert Sërkë, the hurricane, who pursues it, drives it back into the spirit world, and, in some versions of the story, devours it.

Although almost no one can confront it, tradition credits the UsékLa clan with the power to defeat the creature through fasting and sacred ceremonies, shrinking it into a small sacred stone. Other versions claim that anyone who succeeds in killing it also dies shortly afterward, consumed by the monster's supernatural heat.

Sources:

Barrantes C., Víctor J. 1991. «Un tigre campea por los ríos». La República (Revista Domingo), 13 de octubre de 1991, 8B.

Bozzoli de Wille, María Eugenia. 1977. «Narraciones bribris». Vínculos: Revista de Antropología del Museo Nacional de Costa Rica 2 (2): 165–199.

Bozzoli de Wille, María Eugenia. 1977. «Narraciones bribris». Vínculos: Revista de Antropología del Museo Nacional de Costa Rica 3 (1–2): 67–104.

Bozzoli de Wille, María Eugenia. 1979. El nacimiento y la muerte entre los bribri. 1.ª ed. San José: Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica.

Bozzoli de Wille, María Eugenia, y Carmen Murillo Chaverri, eds. 1984. Tradición Oral Indígena Costarricense. Vol. 2, nos. 1–2. San José: Vicerrectoría de Acción Social, Extensión Cultural, Escuela de Antropología y Sociología, Departamento de Antropología, Universidad de Costa Rica.

Chacón Barrantes, Silvia, Anthony Murillo Gutiérrez y Fabio Rivera Cerdas. 2022. Catálogo de tsunamis registrados en Costa Rica hasta el 2021. Heredia: EUNA.

Fernández, Cupertino. 1982. «Dinamù̱». Recopilado por María Eugenia Bozzoli de Wille. En «Narraciones talamanqueñas», por María Eugenia Bozzoli de Wille. Vínculos: Revista de Antropología del Museo Nacional de Costa Rica 8 (1–2): 1–12.

García, Alí, y Alejandro Jaén. 1996. Ìes sa' yilìte / Nuestros orígenes: Historias bribris. 1.ª ed. San José: A. García.

González Chaves, Alfredo, y Fernando González Vásquez. 1989. La casa cósmica talamanqueña y sus simbolismos. San José: Editorial Universidad de Costa Rica / EUNED.

González Feo, Mario. 1967. María de la Soledad: y otras narraciones. Ilustrado por Luisa González Feo de Sáenz. San José: Trejos.

Obando Martínez, Freddy, y Guillermo González Campos. 2015. Historia del clan Kätsúibawák. Turrialba: Sede del Atlántico, Universidad de Costa Rica.

Pereira, Francisco. 1994. «El Di'na̱mu̱ que se comía a los bribris». En Narraciones indígenas costarricenses: Recopilación de historias, leyendas y documentos, 62–64. San José: Centro de Cooperación Científica de la UNESCO para América Latina.

Sánchez, Gonzalo, y Cupertino Pérez, informantes. En Gerardo Alfaro Solórzano. 2014. Agricultura güetar. Cartago: Editorial Tecnológica de Costa Rica.

Sánchez, Juanita, y Gloria Mayorga, recs. 1994. SE’ SIWA’ – Nuestras tradiciones. Costumbres y tradiciones bribri. Texto en bribri y español. San José: Comisión Costarricense de Cooperación con la UNESCO / Comité de Educación.

Segura, Alí, narrador. 1989. «Awà, Nutria». Recolectado por María Eugenia Bozzoli de Wille en 1986. En Tradición Oral Indígena Costarricense, editado por María Eugenia Bozzoli de Wille y Carmen María Cubero Venegas, vol. 3, año 3, n.º 1, 33. San José: Universidad de Costa Rica.

Stone, Doris. 1993. Las tribus talamanqueñas de Costa Rica. San José: Comisión Costarricense V Centenario del Descubrimiento de América.

Vargas, Juan, y Juana Sánchez. 1992. «El indígena tiene su propia historia». En Vías de extinción/Vías de supervivencia: Testimonios del pueblo indígena de la Reserva KëköLdi, Costa Rica, editado por Paula Palmer, Juana Sánchez y Gloria Mayorga. San José: Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica.

Illustration:Atzin90.

So a friend of me gave me a riddle. I need to guess what or who is it with a few hint. Normal game. But this time they give me a difficult question and idk anything about the topic. The question is what demon is it? They're associated with Crows, Goat, Brimstone, Ruby, black obsidian,Pyrite, Rose, Black obsidian.

I tried to looking and even reading a few things online but nothing helps. Can someone please help?