Folklore Woensdag – Gevleuelde wesens

Die Vuurvoël

Een van my gunsteling gevleuelde folklore wesens is die Vuurvoël van Russiese folklore. Ek het van hierdie pragtige voël geleer deur die Vuurvoël ballet deur Stravinsky (En die kostuum is genoeg om oor flou te val!).

“In Russian folklore, the Firebird is a magical bird with majestic plumage that glows red, orange and yellow, like a bonfire.” (Rosen 2009:152). In Russies word die voël “Zhar-Ptitsa” genoem en dié eet die goue appels van onsterflikheid en verlig die nag. Brenda Rosen stel ook in haar boek The Mythical Creatures Bible “The Firebird appears in a famous Russian fairy tale in which Prince Ivan, the youngest son of the tsar, finds the tail feather of the Firebird and embarks on a fabulous quest to bring the bird back to his father’s kingdom.” (Rosen 2009:152).

Klik hier om meeroor die Vuurvoël te lees.

"Firebird" deur I. Bibilin

Die Simurgh

Die Simurgh is ’n mitiese voël uit Persië, wat beskryf word as “[a]n immense creature the shape of a peacock with spectacular plumage, it has the claws of a lion and is large enough to carry off an elephant or a whale.” (Rosen 2009:152). Die Simurgh kan ook gevind word in Sufi literatuur, in die storie The Conference of the Birds deur Farid ud-Din Attar (Rosen 2009:152).

Simurgh deur George Mel

Die Buraq

Sekerlik een van die vreemdste wesens wat in literatuur beskryf word is die Buraq (Arabies “al-buraaq”, wat “weerlig” beteken). Hierdie is die “mysterious mount that carried Muhammad on a miraculous journey” (Rosen 2009:104). “The Buraq is described as white and long, larger than a donkey and smaller than a mule. It has the face of a woman, he wings of an eagle, and the tail feathers of a peacock. In a single stride it is able to gallop a distance equal to the range of its vision.” (Rosen 2009:104)

Buraq

Die Lamassu

“In Mesopotamian mythology, Lamassu help people fight chaos and evil. Each day, they hold the gates of dawn open so that the Sun god Shamash can rise and also help to support the weight of the Sun disc.” (Rosen 2009:287) Die Lamassu word beskryf as ’n wese wat die liggaam van ’n bul of leeu, die vlerke van ’n arend en die gesig van ’n man met ’n baard het. Standbeelde van die Lamassu  kan gevind word in antieke Babiloniese en Assiriese stede (Rosen 2009:287).

Lamassu

Lamassu

Die Benu

Hierdie voël word beskou as die gees van die songod Ra of van Osiris: “[t]he blue Benu bird was the original mythical phoenix in some versions of the Ancient Egyption Heliopian creation legend.” (Eason 2008:58)

“The Benu bird perched on the first mound as it rose from the primal waters at creation with the sun rising behind... They were considered creatures of rebirth. ... The Benu is said to be consumed by flames every five hundred years, after which the young bird rises, carrying the ashes of its parent, which it buries beneath the sacred mound at Heliopolis, now an obelisk located in modern Cairo.” (Eason 2008:58)

Benu van die graftombe van Inherkhar 

Bronne:

Easton, Cassandra. 2008. Fabulous Creatures, Mythical Monsters, and Animal power Symbols: A Handbook. Greenwood Press,London.

Rosen, Brenda. 2009. The Mythical Creatures Bible: The Definitive Guide to Legendary Beings. Sterling Publishing, London.