Related Research Articles
In Norse mythology, Sif is a golden-haired goddess associated with earth. Sif is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in the poetry of skalds. In both the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, she is known for her golden hair and is married to the thunder god Thor.
Tisiphone, or Tilphousia, was one of the three Erinyes or Furies. Her sisters were Alecto and Megaera. She and her sisters punished crimes of murder: parricide, fratricide and homicide.
Áine is an Irish goddess of summer, wealth, and sovereignty. She is associated with midsummer and the sun, and is sometimes represented by a red mare. She is the daughter of Egobail, the sister of Aillen and/or Fennen, and is claimed as an ancestor by multiple Irish families. As the goddess associated with fertility, she has command over crops and animals and is also associated with agriculture.
In Welsh mythology, Olwen is the daughter of the giant Ysbaddaden and cousin of Goreu. She is the heroine of the story Culhwch and Olwen in the Mabinogion. Her father is fated to die if she ever marries, so when Culhwch comes to court her, he is given a series of immensely difficult tasks which he must complete before he can win her hand. With the help of his cousin King Arthur, Culhwch succeeds and the giant dies, allowing Olwen to marry her suitor.
In the mythology of Kiribati, Auriaria is a red haired giant chieftain who fell in love with the beautiful red-haired woman, Nei Tituaabine, but had no children. She died and, from her grave grew three trees—a coconut from her head, a pandanus from her heels and an almond from her navel. She became a tree goddess.
In the Micronesian mythology of Kiribati Uekera is a tree that reaches to the heavens; Te Kaintikuaba which is translated as the "tree of life" or "tree of knowledge" in Kiribati legend. It is said to have been planted in Buariki village in North Tarawa by Nei Tekanuea. The creation story is that spirits who lived in Te Kaintikuaba in Samoa, migrated northward carrying branches from the tree and created the islands of Tungaru. It is the inspiration for the name of the Kiribati weekly newspaper, Te Uekera.
The Kuntilanak, also called Pontianak, or Yakshi in Hinduism/ Hindu mythology is a mythological creature in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It is similar to Langsuir in other Southeast Asia regions. The Pontianak usually takes the form of a pregnant woman who is unable to give birth to a child. Alternatively, it is often described as a vampiric, vengeful female spirit. Another form of the Pontianak refers to the ghost or white lady of Southeast Asian folklore.
Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, in the Micronesia region of the central Pacific Ocean. It comprises North Tarawa, which has 6,629 inhabitants and much in common with other more remote islands of the Gilberts group, and South Tarawa, which has 56,388 inhabitants as of 2015, half of the country's total population. The atoll was the site of the Battle of Tarawa during World War II.
The samodiva, samovila or vila, are woodland fairies or nymphs found in South and West Slavic folklore.
Dhat-Badan, Dhat-hami, or Zat-Badar, ´She of the Wild Goats` and ´She of the Sanctuary', was a Himyarite goddess.
Tlachtga was a powerful druidess in Irish mythology and the red-haired daughter of the arch-druid Mug Ruith. She accompanied him on his world travels, learning his magical secrets and discovering sacred stones in Italy. Tlachtga's name was attached to the Hill of Ward in County Meath, which was the site of prominent festivals in her honour in the Middle Ages.
Shishiga is a female swamp creature similar to the wood-goblin in Russian folklore and mythology. It is described as white, nude, and tousled and is considered to harass the people and bring misfortune to the drunkards.
Harionago, also known as Harionna, is a "frightening female ghoul" in Japanese mythology. Her name literally meaning "Barbed woman" the Harionago is said to be a "beautiful woman with extremely long hair tipped with thorn-like barbs," Her hair is under her "direct control, and she uses it to ensnare men." She is said to wander the roads of the Japanese prefecture of Ehime on the island of Shikoku. When she finds a "young man, she will smile at him, and if the young man dares to smile back, Harionago will drop her terrible, barbed hair and attack."
Micronesian mythology comprises the traditional belief systems of the people of Micronesia. There is no single belief system in the islands of Micronesia, as each island region has its own mythological beings.
A soucouyant, among other names, is a kind of shape-shifting, blood-sucking hag present in Caribbean folklore.
The Asanbosam, or more commonly Sasabonsam, is a vampire-like folkloric being from the Akan people. It belongs to the folklore of the Akan of southern Ghana, as well as Côte d'Ivoire, Togo and 18th century Jamaica from enslaved Akan. It is said to have iron teeth, pink skin, long red hair and iron hooks for feet and lives in trees, attacking from above. In the forests of West Africa, there were rules of renewal, and the Sasabonsam would enforce these rules. They take up territory in the trees in the forests, where they live and feed on people that wander into their home. It becomes a territorial aspect for them. While being humanoid, these creatures have bat-like features. Sasabonsam resemble bats well, such a feature would be their wings, which are near 20 feet long. A good representation can be seen from The British Museum with the Sasabonsam figure they have in their collection. It is carved out of wood and estimated to have been made in 1935.
The Vainakh peoples of the North Caucasus were Islamised comparatively late, during the early modern period, and Amjad Jaimoukha (2005) proposes to reconstruct some of the elements of their pre-Islamic religion and mythology, including traces of ancestor worship and funerary cults. The Nakh peoples, like many other peoples of the North Caucasus such as Circassians, practised tree worship, and believed that trees were the abodes of spirits. Vainakh peoples developed many rituals to serve particular kinds of trees. The pear tree held a special place in the faith of Vainakhs.
The Ojáncanu is a cyclops found in Cantabrian mythology, and is an embodiment of cruelty and brutality. It appears as a 10 to 20 foot tall giant with superhuman strength, with hands and feet that contain ten digits each, and two rows of teeth. With a very wild and beast-like temperament, it sports a long mane of red hair, and just as much facial hair, with both nearly reaching to the ground. Apparently the easiest way of killing an Ojancanu is to pull the single white hair found in its mess of a beard. The females are virtually the same, though without the presence of a beard. However, the females have long drooping breasts that like their male counterpart's hair, reach the ground. In order to run, they must carry their breasts behind their shoulders. The strangest thing about these peculiar cyclopean species is their reproduction process. Instead of mating, when an old Ojancanu dies, the others distribute the insides and bury the corpse under an oak or yew tree. He is constantly doing evil deeds such as pulling up rocks, destroying huts and trees, and blocking water sources. He fights Cantabrian brown bears and Tudanca bulls, and always wins. He only fears the Anjanas, the good Cantabrian fairies.
The Kijimuna, or Bunagaya, are creatures of the mythology native to the island of Okinawa. They are said to look around three or four years old and have red hair.
References
- 1 2 Grimble, Rosemary (2013-09-13). Migrations, Myth and Magic from the Gilbert Islands: Early Writings of Sir Arthur Grimble. Routledge. pp. 129–130. ISBN 978-1-136-54760-7.
 | This article relating to a myth or legend from Oceania is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Republic of Kiribati-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |