AELLO
One of the Harpies of classical Greek and Roman myth.
AETERNAE
According to the legends that surround the life and deeds of Alexander the Great, the Aeternae were encountered on the northern plains of India when his army passed that way in the 4th century BC. They were described as having bony, saw-toothed protuberances sprouting from their heads, with which they attacked and wounded their enemies. They killed several of Alexander’s soldiers who were unlucky enough to encounter them.
AETOLIAN BOAR
Also known as the Calydonian boar, this mighty beast appears in classical Greek mythology as a means of inflicting divine justice. The goddess Artemis sent the boar as a punishment to the people of the Aetolian region of Greece, who had failed to give her sufficient honour and sacrifice. After the boar had ravaged much of the country, the hero Meleager was given the task of hunting down and destroying the creature. Calling upon many of greatest heroes in the classical world, Meleager lead them on a long and savage hunt across the country. In the end, it was the huntress Atalanta who brought down the boar with an arrow, after which Meleager killed it with his spear. He then gave the prize of the carcass to Atalanta, but this caused a quarrel over the division of the spoils and in the ensuing battle Meleager himself was slain. (See also Boar, Beigad, Boar of Ben Bulbain, Buata, Cafre, Calydonian Boar, Erymanthean Boar, Pugot, Sacrimnir, Twrch Twrch, Ysgithrwyn.)
AFANC
A water monster found specifically in Welsh folklore tradition. Also known as the Addanc or Abhac, it preyed on unwary travellers. Early references, dating back to the Middle Ages, are vague about its shape and size, but later it came to be described as a giant beaver. The reason for this may be that the name Afanc comes from a local dialect word for beaver. On the river Conway in north Wales there is a whirlpool known as Llyn yr Afanc, and local stories tell of the capture of the monster, which was bound by iron chains and dragged from its home to a lake, Llyn Cwm Ffynnon.
The creature is also associated with Lake Bala, where a version of the Noah’s Flood story is told. A man named Dwyfan suspected that the monster was going to cause a flood and built an ark to house all the animals he could find. The flood did indeed come, caused by the thrashing of the Afanc. Dwyfan and his wife Dwyfach were the sole survivors and they founded the British race. This story probably originated in the flash floods for which the area is famous. Later, it was said that the Arthurian hero Peredur (Percival) slew the Afanc in single combat, but stories were still told of it as late as the 19th century. In one of these, the setting is Llyn Barfog (the Bearded Lake), where, in an echo of the Unicorn story, the Afanc is captured after it is lulled to sleep by the singing of a virgin. It is then chained and dragged away to a deep lake where it still lies. Another such story refers to the mythical hero Hu Gadarn, who captures the beast and drags it from the lake with his team of mighty oxen. The Afanc is probably related to the Scottish kelpie and the Manx glaistyn.
AFRIT/AFREET
A tribe of monstrous demons or djins found in Muslim and Arabic folklore. Described as gigantic in form, sometimes with cloven hooves and horns, it may well have added details to the description of the Devil in Christian mythology. Incredibly fierce and cruel, the Afrits stole unattended children and dragged them to their deaths. They were feared throughout the Muslim world. Usually found in desert lands, the people of Kenya spoke of them inhabiting muddy pools and shallow rivers, from which they leapt out without warning. According to biblical tradition, King Solomon once bound an Afrit with magic, and forced it to help him find the Shamir. Lord Byron, who travelled widely in the Middle East, was so fascinated by the stories of the Aftrit that he included one in his poem ‘The Giaour’.
Go – and with Gouls and Afrits rave; Till these in horror shrink away From Spectre more accursed than they.
AGATHODEMON
A winged serpent from classical Greek and Gnostic traditions. It is especially associated with bringing good luck, and offerings of wine were made to this being to ensure good harvest of the vines. In later Greek tradition, small temples were set up to the Agathodemon, which at this point was now seen as a snake. In some Gnostic sources, Agathodemon is sometimes shown as Aion, the bearer of the zodiac of time, with a lion’s head and man’s body.
AGLOAOPHEME
The name of one of the Sirens in Greek and Roman mythology.
AGUANE
Female fairies living among the Austrian Alps, in northern Italy and the borders of Slovenia. They are shapeshifters but their true form is that of a beautiful young woman with long hair and either goat’s or horse’s feet. They are particularly known as guardians of rivers and mountain streams, and it is advisable to ask their permission before setting foot in any such water. If a man enters the water and stirs up the mud of the stream-bed, the Aguane may come forth and attack him. While they have been known to eat human beings who trespass in their waters, they are also known to be fond of children, whom they carry on their shoulders across rivers.
AGUNUA
In the Solomon Islands of Melanesia, the creators of life were the Figonas. The greatest Figona was Agunua who created a male child, but he was so helpless, Agunua made a woman to make fire, cook and weed the garden. Another Figona was the great cosmic serpent Hatuibwari, who features in the traditions of the San Cristobel Islanders of Melanesia.
AHI
Represented as either a dragon or a vast cosmic serpent in the Vedic myths of ancient India, the Ahi was so huge that in some versions of the myth it is described as drinking all the waters of the Earth, after which it curled itself around the peaks of a great mountain range. The god Indra found it there and slew it, causing the waters to run free again. It is probable that this story reflects the period in winter when the waters are frozen, to be released again with the coming of spring. The Ahi is sometimes connected with Vrtra since both withhold water, steal women and cows, and endanger fertility.
AHUIZOTL
The Ahuizotl appears in the folklore and legends of Mexico. So terrifying was this creature that even to see it was to invite death. It is usually seen as a flesh-eating creature that takes the form of a dog, but with the feet of a monkey and a human hand growing at the end of its prehensile tail. Its name means ‘water opossum’, and it lies in wait for fishermen in the waters and along the banks of rivers. It has a number of tricks by which it catches people, including making small fish and frogs leap about in the water to attract the attention of would-be fishermen. The Ahuizotl then reaches out with the hand at the end of its tail, and drags its victim beneath the water. Within three days, bodies are found floating, and are recognized as victims of the Ahuizotl by the fact that their eyes, teeth and nails are missing – these being delicacies to the monster.
AI APAEC
The supreme deity of the Mochicr people of southern coastal Peru. He takes the form of an ancient man with long pointed fangs and the whiskers of a cat. An anthropomorphized feline god once worshipped in the north of the country, Ai Apaec is one of those gods who are known as the teachers of mankind, bringing the skills of farming,