Ancient Egyptians often depicted Ammit as a fearsome composite creature with the head of a crocodile, lion torso, and hippopotamus hindquarters. Ammit, also known as the Devourer of Souls, is a figure of divine retribution and is often misunderstood. In Egyptian mythology, Ammit is the goddess of death and destruction, capable of devouring the souls of the wicked in the afterlife. She resides in the underworld and has a distinctive appearance, combining three of Egypt’s most dangerous deities.
Ammit played a significant role in the afterlife, keeping cosmic order in check. She was known to devour souls who failed a heart-weighing test, proving their unrighteousness. In various cultures and legends, soul eaters exist, such as the Nalusa Chito of Choctaw mythology that eats souls and enters the body of people, explaining depression. Some believe that soul eaters are men cursed by witches and have to eat the souls of humans to live their lives.
In German folklore, the Aufhocker (leap-upon) is a popular motif, taking many shapes, such as a goblin, beautiful woman, an animal, or the heart. If a heart is heavier than the feather, Ammit devours it, condemning the soul to oblivion. This creature embodies the ultimate fear of the demons, Pishachas, created by Brahma and lurking in charnel houses.
In conclusion, Ammit, also known as the Devourer of Souls, is a powerful and terrifying figure in ancient Egyptian mythology. Her unique appearance and role in the afterlife make her a significant figure in Egyptian religious life.
📹 Nidhogg: The Soul Devouring Dragon – (Norse Mythology Explained)
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What is the creature that eats souls?
In Hausa belief, the practice of soul eaters, also known as maita, is rooted in special stones kept in a person’s stomach. This trait can be inherited from parents or acquired from an existing practitioner. Soul eaters can take the form of a dog or other animal in pursuit of their practice. Some believe that soul eaters are cursed men who have to eat the souls of humans to live their lives. Some elements of this belief have survived into African-American folklore in the United States and the Caribbean region, as well as other traditional African cultures like the Fulbe, Serer, and Mount Hagen area of Papua New Guinea.
The Maya hix or ix and the Pipil term teyollocuani translate literally as “soul eater”. Some traditional religions, including ancient Egypt and North America’s Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Natchez, also contain figures whose names have been translated into English as “soul eater”.
What is the eater of souls?
The Eater of Souls is a flying enemy in the Corruption, spawning from various sources such as Ebonstone, Corrupt grass, Ebonsand, Ebonsandstone, Hardened Ebonsand, and Purple Ice. They circle the player at a distance before periodically rushing in. Newer players may avoid the Corruption before acquiring more powerful weapons or armor. Eaters have high defense and health points, cause significant damage on contact, and attack in swarms. A fourth Eater-type enemy, the Corruptor, appears after entering Hardmode and is larger than the large-size Eater.
What is the monster that devours itself?
The Ouroboros, an ancient symbol derived from Egyptian and Greek traditions, represents unity and cyclical destruction. The symbol represents a perpetual cycle of self-destruction and regeneration. In the nineteenth century, German chemist August Kekulé von Stradonitz employed the Ouroboros symbol to elucidate the structure of the benzene ring, which is composed of linked carbon atoms. This article was last revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.
Who eats souls in Soul Eater?
Souls are crucial in the Soul Eater Universe, as they can choose a life of evil. Evil beings, like Kishin, eat other Souls to gain power, highlighting the low one can go for Souls. Each Soul is color-coded to indicate its goodness or taint of justice. A light blue Soul signifies purity and innocence, free from evil grasp. These Souls are often eaten by evil beings like Kishin to increase their power.
What mythical creature is associated with decay?
In Greco-Roman mythology, Phthisis, also known as Pestis, was a demonic entity associated with rot, decay, and putrefaction.
What is Soul Eater called?
Soul Eater, also known as Soul Evans, is a demon scythe and the partner of Maka Albarn, one of the main protagonists. The manga and anime series, created by Atsushi Ohkubo, takes place in a fictional universe where supernatural powers are channeled through the wavelengths of souls. The main protagonists are classified into two groups: humans born with the power to turn into weapons, called “demon weapons”, and the wielders of these weapons, called “meisters”.
These meisters attend the Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA) in Nevada, United States, run by Shinigami, or Death, or the Grim Reaper, which serves as a training facility for weapons and meisters to hone their powers.
The main Soul Eater manga and anime adaptation follow three meister/weapon partnerships: Maka Albarn and her scythe, Soul Eater; Black Star and his shadow weapon, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa; and Death the Kid and his twin pistols, Liz and Patty Thompson. These teams act as field agents for their school, reaping the souls of evil humans to prevent them from turning into kishin.
Ohkubo was heavily influenced by the manga series Dr. Slump and wanted to create a story that would be defused or interrupted with comedic moments. He chose to make Maka Albarn a female protagonist and pair her with other main characters of opposite sex to demonstrate equal representation of gender. He also used a scythe as Maka’s weapon for its unique fighting style.
Ohkubo resisted drawing influence from other people for most of his characters, focusing on assets based on his own personality. Some characters were based on people he was familiar with, such as Excalibur, and others were named after films like The Blair Witch Project and Kirikou and the Sorceress.
What animal is associated with decay?
Carrion, or decomposing animal matter, is a food source for various species, including flies, beetles, hyenas, and vultures. These animals help accelerate the decomposition process and return nutrients back to the soil. Carrion scavengers have adapted to eating rotten meat without adverse effects due to specialized digestive bacteria and acids. Some species, like the Virginia opossum, even eat the bones of dead animals for calcium. Corporate conservation teams can incorporate these processes into habitat projects by recycling dead plant matter and found materials into insect hotels.
These structures provide habitat for bees, beetles, and other insects, offering shelter and nesting space. The World Heritage Committee (WHC) held a contest to find the best insect hotels around the world, receiving 21 entries. The winners were determined for each category.
What are the creatures that collect souls?
Psychopomps, often depicted in funerary art, are anthropomorphic entities that guide the spirits of the deceased. They have been depicted in various cultures and times, including ancient Egyptian god Anubis, Hindu deity Pushan, Greek ferryman Charon, goddess Hecate, god Hermes, Roman god Mercury, Norse Valkyries, Aztec Xolotl, Slavic goddess Morana, and Etruscan Vanth. In Chinese folk religion, Heibai Wuchang, or “Black and White Impermanence”, are deities responsible for escorting the spirits of the dead to the underworld.
What is the hungry beast in mythology?
The wendigo is a malevolent spirit with human-like characteristics, often depicted as a giant humanoid with a heart of ice. It is believed to cause insatiable hunger, the desire to eat other humans, and the propensity to commit murder. In modern psychiatry, wendigo psychosis is characterized by symptoms such as an intense craving for human flesh and fear of becoming a cannibal. This disorder is considered a culture-bound syndrome, and in some First Nations communities, symptoms such as insatiable greed and environmental destruction are also thought to be symptoms of wendigo psychosis. The word “wendigo” appears in many Native American languages and has various alternative translations, including the English word wiindigoo, wīhtikow in the Cree language, and other transliterations.
What mythological creature eats corpses?
The Scandinavian Nidhogg, also known as the “tearer of corpses”, is a giant serpent or dragon that constantly threatens the existence of the world. He eats corpses to sustain himself and gnaws on the third root of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. He resides on Nastrond, the Shore of Corpses, in Niflheim, the “house of the mists”, and bickers with an unnamed eagle. Other serpents, such as the Scottish spirit “the Little Washer by the Ford”, are not as friendly as they might seem, as they are omens of death.
Another spirit, the Malaysian langsuir, is created from the spirits of women who died in childbirth. With floor-length hair, long talons, and the ability to fly, she steals fish from fishermen’s nets and is a shapeshifter. Her goal is to drain the blood of an unguarded infant. However, this vampiric demon can be stopped by removing her hair and talons and inserting them into the hole in her neck.
In summary, the Scandinavian Nidhogg, the Scottish spirit “the Little Washer by the Ford”, and the Malaysian langsuir are all powerful spirits that threaten the existence of the world.
What yokai eats souls?
Jikininki are monstrous ghouls that eat the bodies of the dead, often appearing as ordinary humans with sharp, pointed teeth. They live in abandoned temples or old ruins near villages and avoid excessive contact with humans. Humans are their main source of food, and they gain sustenance by devouring the flesh and bones of the recently deceased. Jikininki do not enjoy their existence or the pleasure of eating the dead, as it only temporarily relieves their eternal hunger. They are found near villages, usually in abandoned temples or old ruins, and avoid excessive contact with humans.
📹 ALL MYTHICAL CREATURES based on ANIMALS
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Nidgog is curious because his role in the Norse world is somewhat muted compared to the other great beasts such as Fenrir and Jormungandr. To my understanding, when Nidhog shook Yggdrasil the quake he made was strong enough to loosen the bonds of both Loki and Fenrir, thus ensuring Ragnarok happens. Yet, at the end of all things, he is not present, whether it is because he remained trapped or because he scaled the World Tree to kill the Eagle and Rattatoskr. There was one book I found that said when the world was reborn that Nidhog was the only monster of the old world to survive and be responsible for creating new ones for mankind to face. There was also something about his fangs producing a venom akin to Jormungandr’s, one so potent it could choke the World Tree but the Norns neutralize it with water from Udr’s Well.
The motif of an adversarial relationship between a divine bird and divine snake is replete throughout ancient cultures. My partner and I actually discuss this in an upcoming episode of our podcast. I would love to see you do a article on how this universal theme has been manifest throughout world mythology, as I’m sure you could do a much more thorough job with it than I ever could. 🤙
Hey Pagan here. Just wanted to give you a shout out for doing a really good job on representing the Mythos that i worship. Although there are some cases where Rattaskr is just an agent of abject chaos and Hermond(son of Odin) is the messenger of the gods. Still very good work. You clearly did a lot of research.
I’ve always wondered if the “ragnarok” was the Norse version of the “Big Crunch” followed by the “Big Bang” And they just made like a billion indicators to signal its start where probably Thor loosing his underwear on Thursday mornings is also a one of the many signals for ragnarok (Magnus chase really makes a fool out of Thor lol)
The image of Nidhoggr that I will always have in my head is the appearance he has in Age Of Mythology (and Age Of Empires-style RTS game). In that game, he looks very similar to the Plains Dragon from the PS3 exclusive game “Lair”, except that instead of horns on his head, Nidhoggr has what appear to be antlers instead.
I think the whole passage of the creatures in Yggdrasil given by Snorri is the basis of a riddle or animorphic depictions of deities used in art. The Eagle at the top is Odin, the Hawk Vidolfnir is Frigg, who shared the privilege of Valaskjalf with her husband. Ratatoskr is Heimdall, conveying information from the under to the upper world. Heidrun the goat is Freyja – of which she is referred to in poetry. The four harts bear dwarf names and may indicate the four cardinal points. Nidhogg is Loki bound in the Hel who will emerge during Ragnarok.
Hey Mythos, can I call you Mythos? Anyway, Dragons are my favourite animal. They can be fierce and animalistic, kind and benevolent or cunning and sly. I would love for you to continue this as a playlist. I have a list of dragons that you can cover:) -Fafnir -St George’s Dragon -Smaug -Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback -Hungarian Horntail -Falkor -Shen Lung and Futs Lung -The Wyvern (I don’t remember where the story originated) -A Three headed dragon from Russia (don’t remember the name sry) And maybe do a article on where Dragons came from, why they breath fire and why they’re so popular. Love your shit and I really hope you see this list. Bai❤️
there is one more story involving nidhogg, loki was punished by being imprisoned at the roots of the world tree and nidhogg’s poison would drip onto his face causing immense pain and suffering. loki’s wife, in some versions it is his daughter, would stay by his side with a bowl to catch the poison and when she had to dump it nidhogg’s poison would once again hit loki’s face until the bowl could be used again to catch the drips of poison and the cycle would continue until ragnarok when loki would be freed.
Nidhogg: You dodged me… did you dodge me? Griffon: Nidhogg, never liked this guy. Nidhogg: You pest. Do I know you? Griffon: Dumb as a bag of rocks. Let’s not even mess with this guy, V. He can’t even leave the Qliphoth, anyway. Just a Qliphoth parasite. Nidhogg: Did you insult me? Griffon: –Uh-oh. Nidhogg: –You insult me! Griffon: I think he heard me… and he’s angry! Nidhogg: I’m going to kill you! V: Not in this lifetime. “As the air to a bird or the sea to a fish, so is contempt to the contemptible.” (During Nidhogg battle) Nidhogg: You use… de-de-demon…? But you…human…? Huhhhh….? V: “If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.” Nidhogg: Augh…? Ah…? Griffon: Meaning don’t try to think too much, shithead! Nidhogg: I’m… I’m busy. You guys can finish it. V: “The cut worm forgives the plow.” What do you say?
I believe Nidhogg and the other dragons that live in the roots of Yggdrasil to be fungal dragons, like fungus they live buried around a plant and they eat the dead (in this case the souls but in norse mythology the souls still have some sort of physical or etereal form or else they couldn’t go to Valhalla and fight for Odin otherwise) and are seen as dangerous and unknown, but like real fungus there might be good ones around I hope.
Very powerful myth of polarities of creation, life and death is how Nidhogg (at one polarity) came across to me. Yggdrasil as the Tree of Life can be seen as a representation of the human central nervous system – or chakra system. Similarly this human central nervous system being a creation from the fractal based creation process that emanates out of the aether for all types of matter. All via this Tree of Life process represented by the nordics as Yggdrasil. The Tree of Life being the cosmic/spiritual process of creation emanating from the aether – for everything. Yggdrasil must always balance out its polarities to remain in its matter based form (life in the case of human beings and their central nervous system). The nordic myths depict the Wise Eagle representing the crown (sahasrara) chakra of the human being (consciousness). Nidhogg the serpent at its lowest or base (muladhara) chakra (unconsciousness). The Tree of Life must always seek balance so the Wise Eagle and the Serpent must inter-relate in a harmonious manner. To seek to unite the two polarities between spirit and matter in the form of life as a human being. The Wise Eagle at the crown (metaphor for consciousness), and the serpent at the spiritual gateway from the aether into the human being at the very base of the central nervous system (metaphor for unconsciousness). Ratatoskyr is the agitator between the different polarities of the human chakra system. Ratatoskyr is viewed as an excellent metaphor for the imbalance mechanisms between polarities of the human and its interaction with nature/spirit.
Everything in the Eddas must be taken with a grain of salt because they were compiled by Christians in the 13th century and even the Viking Age was centuries past the origins of these myths. A more Circumpolar indigenous/Indo-European idea would be that Nidhogg resides near Urdr’s well and devours the ego after death to free the soul for rebirth in the cycle, a cycle that the Norns are in charge of (aka time and space).
in dungeons and dragons, there’s a derivative version called corpse-tearer, which has a zombie-like appearance, only two legs (the front legs) and is capable of controlling two vampires. i’m not sure what the norse version of a vampire is, but i recall from the dragon magazine article that overall,m this dragon’s function is as a guardian of the dead like cerberos. anyone else familiar with this version?
A 🐿️ named Nutty relay’s messages to me in my dreams sometimes while i drink to much vodka and pass out, that’s why i always keep pen and paper by my nightstand so i can write it down before i forget because it could have meaning that i have yet to figure it out or It could just be the alcohol 🥴 But I’d like to think it’s Ratatosk the squirrel who carry messages up and down the world tree Yggdrasil that is trying to protect/warn me/want me to prevent some future disaster like ragnarök (it’s easier than accepting that i might drink to much.)
Eh, I prefer the old French usage of dragon, just like I prefer the old Norse usage of tröll, which, ironically both had a similar origin and modern usage. From vague to specific, to going back to vague. But I see nithhoggr (I don’t look at the prose-eda due to alot more Christian modifications and fan names by snorri) as serpent atleast, and a linnorm (if I remember, MAYBE a wyvern if I stretch it out) at best IMO. Don’t see him as a dragon. It’s the same case with fafnir. Serpent atleast, linnorm at most. I have a better chance seeing the fire wyvern of Beowulf (also Anglo-Saxon like fafnir) as being a dragon. But this is my opinion based on the understanding of the original usage of the words orm, linnorm, dragon (NOT THE WORD IT’S DERIVED FROM, NOR THE OLD ENGLISH/ENGLISH usage of it.), and wyvern (it’s original usage too, not the modern on). But if you see fafnir, the world serpent, nithhoggr and the creature of beowulf as dragons, then more power to you, I choice to believe otherwise.
Nidhogg was a lingworm . A snake-like dragon found in norse, german and, in general, northeuropean cultures and myths. The lingworms appeared as the common depiction of dragons in various tales. For example: Fafnir the greedy drarf became a lingworm. Lingworms were symbols of greedyness, and they protected their treasures from anyone who dared to enter their lair. The dragon that caused the death of mighty Beowulf was also a lingworm. Since he shares the greedyness and overall malice of these dragons. Soo it’s pretty safe to say that Nidhogg was indeed a lingworm… His depiction was… Literaly a lingworm… Like… Exactly the same… Now there are some interesting things that I am surprised you did not hadd in the article. For example, the theory that Jormungandr and Nidhogg are actualy one and the same. It’s a theory. But an interesting one indeed. You should look it up.
So it’s the squirrel’s fault. It thought it was so effin funny to keep lying and lying, so both sides want to destroy instead of support each other, dooming everything else too. Brings to mind that things considered innocent or harmless enough don’t actually make it so, as well as that the perceived victim or prey can be the cause of your people problems rather than the perceived perpetrator or predator that your attention first lands upon in many cases.
Nidhogg is not evil or even malicious creature. This is all a Christian miss interpreting what they heard especially the part about Nidhogg devouring the corpses of the death. This in the pagan time before the arrival of Christianity was seen as the corpses of the death being devoured by the earth itself in the form of the Nidhogg so that the bodies of the death could nourish the earth and it soil thus making it fertile while also freeing of the soul.