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moonsprig — grims
#churchgrim #dog #folklore #ghost #goat #mythology #spirit #kyrkogrim
Published: 2017-04-19 03:12:05 +0000 UTC; Views: 646; Favourites: 25; Downloads: 1
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Some concepts of church grims, guardian spirits of folklore said to protect their churches against thieves, those of ill intent, and the Devil himself. The first creature buried in a churchyard served as the church grim, so to save a human soul from this eternal duty an animal such as a black dog, goat, lamb, or rooster was sacrificed first.Related content
Comments: 13
That's some really cool folklore right there! And I love how you've pictured these guardian spirits. They truly look like devoted protectors of their churches. ;w;
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You pretty much took the words out of my mouth xD this is such a fascinating depiction :3 I had never heard of such creatures before.
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Me neither, and I certainly agree with you! This depiction is awesome!
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There really needs to be more exposure to the more obscure mythological creatures out there xD (Some of the creatures from Native American mythology comes to mind :3)
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I agree! There are actually many cultures with unknown folklore around the world... someone should seek those lost bits of mythology out and share it with the rest of the world! There are so many mythological curiosities yet to be seen!
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In time, someone will x3 I mean you and I can always do that, if we can make it work in our crafts :3
Out of curiosity; Is there an obscure mythological creature out there that you have any particular interest for? O.o
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If only I knew more mythological creatures apart from the ones I've already learned about through books and folklore.
I really like the concept of will-o-the-wisps. But they're not really as obscure as these grims Grasswhistler drew. I can't remember a particularly obscure mythological creature at the moment, either... xc
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Yeah I know the feeling xD Even with the net, there's always that feeling that they're mythologies out there that are still sitting around in obscurity D:
Heh, I like wisps too xD dem little balls of light are kinda adorable...you know, when they're just...sittin' around, chilling...and not luring innocent people into god-knows what >_>
As for myself. Being a fellow who constantly dives into the mythology of Asia, one particular creature that really fascinates me is the Garuda, from Buddhist and Hindu mythology x3
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I know, right?
Oh, speaking of creatures that lure innocent people into goodness-knows-what, I'm quite fascinated with dangerous creatures like that in general! I like wisps in particular because they're so mysterious and abstract, but I also like faeries, those tiny dwarves/gnomes (not like the ones we know in well-known fantasy franchises or anything)... although those tiny dwarves are generally kind creatures, unlike faeries. And Slavic mythological creatures are so amazing and curious oh my goodness. The Witcher did a perfect job in portraying most of them. The leshens in particular are hella amazing (although they differ from the original myth, like most creatures in The Witcher). I also like the way they portrayed cockatrices and basilisks. And out of other cultures, harpies, mermaids and the naga are really curious to me as well.
My love for dragons and phoenixes is pretty common for fantasy-loving people... but I just remembered something, since we're on the topic of mythological creatures now. I once wanted to expand the menagerie of mythological creatures in my memory, so I spent hours writing down different creatures from a 9GAG thread where people discussed all sorts of curious creatures from all around the world. Lemme share most of the notes with you... although do bear in mind that I condensed the notes quite a lot, and also added some personal comments, so some of them might seem silly.
Rangda (Indonesia) - demon queen. She can be depicted as a demonic, terrifying woman or as a beautiful woman that lures people into her nest and feeds on their souls, making the soulless bodies her servants/warriors.
Goatman (Netherlands) - a satyr-like being that is more evil than a satyr.
Pocket dragon (Netherlands) - tiny pet dragons that can breathe fire.
El Cadejo (Guatemala) - a dog that guides drunk people back to their homes.
Manaia (Maori) - a messenger between the mortal world and the spirit realm. Its symbol (figure of 8) is used as a guardian against evil.
Ctheah (from the King Killer Chronicles) - a tree that knows the past, present and future of all things. When it talks to you, it influences you to make the world a worse place since it knows how its words will influence you. [An opposite to a Tree of Eternity, perhaps?]
Hulda/Huldufolk (Faroe Islands) - beautiful and tall elven-like men and woman with black hair said to live in hills. They lure people, especially young men, into their home with their beauty and never let them leave again. Old roads were often built around big rocks (where the hulda lived) to not anger the hulda.
Grendel (England) - this creature terrorised the great mead hall built by Hrothgar and threatened the entire kingdom.
Kappa (Japan) - a water demon that inhabits rivers and lakes and devours disobedient little children.
Nian (China) - a beast that had the body of a bull and the head of a lion. It lived in the mountains and hunted to survive. Towards the end of winter, when there was nothing to eat, Nian would come on the first day of the New Year to the villages to eat livestock, crops and even villagers, especially children.
Leshy/leshen (Slavic) - a spirit/fairy/relict of the forests. Masculine and humanoid in shape, can change in size and height. Can have a wife and children. Leads travellers astray and abducts children. He is neutral, however. He can transform himself into a giant tree. Has blue blood and a beard made of leaves.
Dybbuk (Jewish) - a malevolent wandering spirit that enters and possesses the body of a living person until exorcised. It is said to be the dislovated soul of a dead person. It leaves the host once it has accomplished its goal, sometimes after being helped.
Poludnica - appears as a beautiful maiden wielding a sickle on grain fields. She has pale skin and tangled raven-black hair. Always dressed in coarse, white cloth draped over her body in heavy folds. The sickle is encrusted with dried blood. It is unable to communicate with other beings. Her lips are always set in a thin, crooked smile. Appears at midday. Isn't necessarily evil, but prevents farmers from getting heatstrokes and exhaustion. Kills anyone who gets too close.
Vodyanoy/Vodyanoi/Wodnik (Slavic) - appears as a naked man with a frog-like face, greenish beard and long hair. His body is covered in black fish scales, in turn covered by algae and muck. Has webbed paws, a fish's tails and red eyes. Rides along the river in a half-sunken log. It is said that they are who drown creatures or make them slaves in their underwater dwellings. He is also the symbol of the Aquarius zodiac sign, at times.
Dodola (Slavic) - goddess of rain, wife of the supreme god Perun (god of thunder). When she milks her heavenly cows, the clouds, it rains on earth.
Yakshagana/yakshas/yakshi (Hindu) - spirits that appear as very beautiful women that seduce and kill people. They only answer to Shiva.
Asura (Hindi) - the opposite of gods. They live in Pataal Lok (underworld) and their king is Bali, who is very righteous and just. He rules over demons.
Bunyip (Australia) - an evil water spirit.
Tokoloshi (South Africa) - a midget demon/imp that prays on you in your sleep. Basically the creature that causes sleep paralysis.
Curupira (Brazil) - protector of the forest, a spirit that has his feet backwards so that pursuers follow his tracks in the wrong direction.
Saci Perere (Brazil) - one-legged black kid with holes in his hands, has a red cap and a pipe. The ashes from his pipe go through his hands. He is a prankster that takes and moves things.
Tikoloshe/Tokoloshe/Hili (South Africa) - a dwarf-like water sprite. It's mischievous and evil and becomes invisible when it drinks water. They are called upon by malevolent people to cause trouble for others.
Hustomte/Husnisse (Scandinavian) - house gnomes. Little, bearded, dressed in grey. He helps with the chores and keeps children and animals safe. As payment, he wants a bowl of porridge and a knob of butter on Christmas morning, or he will leave forever.
Warabouc (French) - a man with the head of a ram. He is the embodiment of the Devil and does sabbaths with witches.
Dahu (French) - a creature that lives in the mountains and has two legs longer than the others, so that he can walk in the mountains. If you want to catch it, you have to shout his name so he may turn around and roll down the mountain because of his legs.
Tikbalang (Philippines) - body of a human, head of a horse. Abducts female humans and rapes them. The women give birth to more tikbalang. They have powers which can influence human minds. [Almost like reverse centaurs.]
Kapre - a caveman-like creature that is tall as a tree and smokes tobacco.
Tiyanak (Philippines) - demon babies. They died before getting baptisms and now seek vengeance against their mothers. [Catholic only?]
Iele - air nymphs. They appear at night when it's full moon. They are either naked or have really transparent clothes. They dance in a circle and where they danced, the ground remains burned. They are not evil by nature but they can be vengeful.
Korrigan (Celtic) - a mix of a dwarf and a goblin. They dance in a circle at the end of a day and if a human finds/disrupts them, they will offer him a challenge. If the human succeeds, they can have a wish come true. But if they fail, they die.
Bugul-noz (Celtic) - a mix of a dwarf and a werewolf. Frightens children and warns shepherds of incoming night raids.
Mara (Scandinavia) - a shapeshifter that sits on the chest of the sleeper, giving them a restless sleep and a sense of choking [sleep paralysis?]. Attacked both humans and farm animals. Entered homes by cracks or holes in walls, but by plugging the crack, one can force a mara into servitude, since it would be trapped. That would be until the same hole would be opened once more.
Tagvandren (Scandinavia) - meaning "roof walker". A pitch black creature with red eyes. It never touches the ground. It always travels by rooftobs, lamp posts, fences, trees etc. It abducts people and no one knows what happens to them.
Crnobog (Balkan) - the "Black God" or the God of Death. Personification of evil, death and winter.
Pokrik (Croatia) - half-man, half-plant, which only grows under gallows where an innocent man was hanged. Can be harvested only at midnight by witches. If it is touched at any other time, it screams like a human and it can kill creatures that way.
Tokmakbaba (Croatia) - four old women who judge people with their hammers, each walking from one side of the world until they meet in the middle.
Kelpie (Scotland) - a shapeshifting aquatic spirit of Scottish origin. Haunts rivers and streams, usually in the shape of a horse. They are malevolent. Appear as tame ponies beside a river. Especially attractive to children. But once mounted, one cannot dismount. Due to that, the person will be dragged into the water and be eaten. They can also appear as humans. They can appear as beautiful young women to seduce men to their deaths, or appear as hairy humans lurking by the rivers, ready to strangle people to death. They can also summon a flood to sweep a traveller away to a watery grave. The sound of a kelpie's tail entering water sounds like thunder. And if one passes by a river and hears unearthly wailing or howling, it might be a kelpie warning of an approaching storm.
Hekatonheires (Greece) - titans with hundred hands and fifty heads.
Kramp (Scandinavian) - a demon that pulls children into the depths when they go swimming directly after eating, making the drowned child become another Kramp. It's a thin, pale creature with elongated fingers and a large mouth filled with serrated teeth as its only facial feature. The original Kramp did not obey its mother and went into the water after dinner right away. It drowned and turned into a demon.
Jing (China) - meaning "fairy" or "everything that is"/"all beings". These objects or creatures were highly intelligent and emotional, some surpassing human level. They can become good or evil. The good ones help others, but the evil Jing are cruel and kill creatures. A "Yao" is the most evil Jing, something that all evil Jing want to achieve.
Adrian the Wolf (Brazil) - a powerful werewolf. Adrian used to be a rich and arrogant young man, but one day, after many hours of riding, he left his horse tied up, not allowing it to feed or rest. Her mother released it so it could regain strength. That night, Adrian woke up and decided he wanted to ride back into the city for a party. He flew into a rage when he saw the horse was no longer there. Her mother told that she released the horse, but Adrian tied a saddle on her back and rode her all the way back into the city where she died of exhaustion. Adrian's crime was so great that he was cursed to become a beast and the saddle he used on his mother was nailed to his back with a hot iron.
Samodivi - wild elves that lure men into their homes where they live happy lives. That's until they leave and realise they've spent more than a hundred years in the elves' home. The humans turn into dust at dawn. The Samodivi come from wild rose bushes, and one must never sleep beneath them, lest the elves take you away. Whenever you see a wild rose bush, you have to spit on it so no one sleeps under it. Those elves ride stags.
Sennentuntshci (Switzerland) - a mystic female puppet who murders men. The Senn are shepherds that migrate their herds from the mountains to the grasslands. As their families normally stayed in the valleys, they got lonely up there. When the few Senns meet, they built female puppets out of hay and real women's clothes, depicting them as sexually as possible. They would sleep with those puppets. One of those puppets came to life, and when the Senns still tried to sleep with her, she killed them all in bed. All but one Senn, who was forced by the puppet to stay to be skinned alive.
The Redcap (England) - a murderous little goblin/fairy/dwarf/elf that dyed its cap in its victims' blood. If the blood on their caps ever dry, they would die. They killed lone folk along the roads.
Bush baby (West Africa) - they cry like real babies in the forests. People who go to get them will either be lost forever or become possessed. Bush babies are messengers for evil spirits.
Santa Compaña (Spain) - a group of dead people [think Wild Hunt] that appear near villages after midnight. At times, they are peaceful and come to announce someone's death, but at other times, they bring weapons, armour and beasts to raid villages and enslave the souls of those who dare to go into the forests at night.
Skinwalkers (Navajo) - evil witches that are typically seen in the form of a coyote, owl, fox, wolf or crow - although they have the ability to turn into any animal they choose.
Whew. That'll be plenty of reading and mythological education for you. x3
And... ah! I've heard of the Garuda before, but not much. From the picture I saw of it, it seems like a curious creature. x3
Can you remind me what he's about?
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