Onychorhynchus coronatus
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It sounds like there must be a whole bestiary of sinister and dark evil spirits that are believed in by many people in Indonesian.
This is really fascinating stuff indeed.
Strange and obscure folklore and sayings relating animals
It sounds like there must be a whole bestiary of sinister and dark evil spirits that are believed in by many people in Indonesian.
This is really fascinating stuff indeed.
People in North America generally seem to believe that grackles are evil or something. I haven't met many hunters that haven't openly admitted to illegally shooting grackles, and grackle culls seem somewhat common in places. It is believed that these acts is what has been causing the Common Grackle to decline so drastically in recent years.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
People believe that the common grackle is an evil bird ?
That's a shame as they are such an interesting and intelligent bird.
I remember seeing them a lot in Mexico and they can be quite engaging and endearing.
Yes. I used to think that confusion with starlings might have something to do with it, but people who shoot grackles generally don't seem to know what starlings are. Pop culture depictions such as the animated movie Epic (where the heroes ride hummingbirds and the villains ride grackles) surely don't help either.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
A belief or "fady" can confer protection for some lemur species over others in Madagascar and particularly if they are of the indriidae family.
These species, probably because of their upright postures and human-like hands and feet, are believed to embody the souls of dead ancestors which must be venerated and respected. They are therefore considered to be "tsy mba biby" which translates as "More human than animal" in Malagasy.
In Eastern Madagascar it is considered strictly taboo to hunt or consume the meat of the Milne-Edwards Sifaka or the Eastern woolly lemur as it is sacrilegious to the spirits of ancestors. This taboo ultimately helps the conservation of these species which are not targeted for bushmeat.
However, the Eastern lesser bamboo lemur, common brown lemur, red fronted brown lemur, red bellied lemur and all of the dwarf and mouse lemurs are for the most part considered to be fine to hunt and their meat is acceptable to consume. These lemurs are therefore hunted widely for bushmeat.
Source: "Taboos, social norms and conservation in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar", Julia P.G. Jones, Mijasoa A. Andriamarovolona, Neal J. Hockley, 2007.
These species, probably because of their upright postures and human-like hands and feet, are believed to embody the souls of dead ancestors which must be venerated and respected. They are therefore considered to be "tsy mba biby" which translates as "More human than animal" in Malagasy.
In Eastern Madagascar it is considered strictly taboo to hunt or consume the meat of the Milne-Edwards Sifaka or the Eastern woolly lemur as it is sacrilegious to the spirits of ancestors. This taboo ultimately helps the conservation of these species which are not targeted for bushmeat.
However, the Eastern lesser bamboo lemur, common brown lemur, red fronted brown lemur, red bellied lemur and all of the dwarf and mouse lemurs are for the most part considered to be fine to hunt and their meat is acceptable to consume. These lemurs are therefore hunted widely for bushmeat.
Source: "Taboos, social norms and conservation in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar", Julia P.G. Jones, Mijasoa A. Andriamarovolona, Neal J. Hockley, 2007.
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I do like that title. I may suggest 'Aardvarks go shopping' as a prompt for my writing group. The student president of my former college had an aardvark on wheels. Somebody kidnapped it. I don't know what happened to it.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
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Yes, I liked it too
cultural anthropology papers usually have some quite quirky titles.I do hope the student president wasn't David Cameron as I think we all know what will have been done with that taxidermy aardvark if it was.
But seriously is that for real ? Someone really had a taxidermied aardvark on wheels ?
I love the concept. It would make an interesting story, an African version of Watership Down.
One animal myth I would love to hear more is mapinguary from Brazil. Especially about modern reports, and why serious people think it might be real, or at least worth checking.
Hello, OC. The aardvark was a wooden pull along toy. The student wasn't David Cameron. He was the ex-boyfriend of my first girlfriend.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
A wooden aardvark pull along toy, hmmmm
quite a strange thing to bring to a college campus 
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
A watership down featuring afrotherians and human hunter-gatherers.
Had hospodáříček - it means "snake little farmer" and this is an old believe around here (Czechia, Slovakia and surround regions) that snake (Aesculapian Snake - Zamenis longissimus) living around/in a house is a good ghost protecting its household, a soul of the first man/farmer who built that farm house. If he is respected and well cared for (usually given a bowl of milk and some food somewhere near main door), he will protect the whole household, bring it fortune and prosperity. If he would be killed, the person will die within a year.
Unfortunately, Aesculapian Snakes almost died out now here. In climatical optimum in Middle ages, this species lived in whole Central Europe till Baltic sea coast. Cooling of the climate (Small Ice Age) caused its dissapearance from northern part, it s not warm here enough for its eggs to incubate in soil anymore. With the snake, also this old tradition died out.
We have one relict population in basin of river Ohře. It survived because it became fully synantrope - it´s whole life is tied to human settlements, and local people like the snake and protect it for centuries. It lives around houses and stables, uses walls and winter wood stockpiles for sun bathing, often overwinters in stables or in holes under a house, it puts its eggs into piles of conure or garden compost (it uses warmth of decomposing material for incubation). People are careful not to injure the snakes and even build overwintering and incubating oportunities specifically for the snakes. In result, the snakes show little or now escape reflex when they meet people, you can sometimes pet them by hand.
Unfortunately, Aesculapian Snakes almost died out now here. In climatical optimum in Middle ages, this species lived in whole Central Europe till Baltic sea coast. Cooling of the climate (Small Ice Age) caused its dissapearance from northern part, it s not warm here enough for its eggs to incubate in soil anymore. With the snake, also this old tradition died out.
We have one relict population in basin of river Ohře. It survived because it became fully synantrope - it´s whole life is tied to human settlements, and local people like the snake and protect it for centuries. It lives around houses and stables, uses walls and winter wood stockpiles for sun bathing, often overwinters in stables or in holes under a house, it puts its eggs into piles of conure or garden compost (it uses warmth of decomposing material for incubation). People are careful not to injure the snakes and even build overwintering and incubating oportunities specifically for the snakes. In result, the snakes show little or now escape reflex when they meet people, you can sometimes pet them by hand.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
In many areas of Madagascar the fossa is an animal greatly feared and hated by rural peoples and it is often killed as a result.
A "fady" or taboo exists against the animal which may in part be because of its frequent predation on peoples chickens which are an important part of the local economy and diet.
However, it could also be due to the common folk belief that the fossa eats the remains of ancestors.
This may actually be true in some ways as burial grounds / tombs are often located in caves in the mountains and fossas presumably sometimes scavenge on corpses or disturb the bones of the dead.
A person who goes missing from his / her village and never returns is sometimes believed by local people to have been killed and eaten by the fossas of the surrounding forests (something that is very unlikely to have occurred).
Source: "Retaliatory killing and human perceptions of Madagascar’s largest carnivore the fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox)", Samuel D. Merson et al, 2019.
A "fady" or taboo exists against the animal which may in part be because of its frequent predation on peoples chickens which are an important part of the local economy and diet.
However, it could also be due to the common folk belief that the fossa eats the remains of ancestors.
This may actually be true in some ways as burial grounds / tombs are often located in caves in the mountains and fossas presumably sometimes scavenge on corpses or disturb the bones of the dead.
A person who goes missing from his / her village and never returns is sometimes believed by local people to have been killed and eaten by the fossas of the surrounding forests (something that is very unlikely to have occurred).
Source: "Retaliatory killing and human perceptions of Madagascar’s largest carnivore the fosa (Cryptoprocta ferox)", Samuel D. Merson et al, 2019.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
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Many indigenous cultural beliefs surround hornbills in the rainforests of Borneo and particularly the largest species, the rhinoceros and helmeted hornbills.
In many of these cultures elaborate ritual dances are performed by young women who wear the feathers of the birds and beautifully and elegantly imitate the movements of hornbill species (video below).
The Punan ba believe that a helmeted hornbill sits by the river that exists between life and death and with its loud calls attempts to terrify ghosts.
For the Orang ulu indigenous peoples the helmeted hornbill is linked to the practice of headhunting and historically only a man who had taken the head of a human enemy could have the honour of wearing the feathers of the hornbill as decoration.
For the Iban, an indigenous people of the Sarawak region of Borneo, the rhinoceros hornbill is a sacred and totemic animal and a festival called " Gawai Kenyalang" which translates as "the hornbill festival" is held every decade. An elaborate wooden effigy of the bird is carved over the period of a year and during the festival it is given offerings of wine, food, money and has domesticated animals like pigs and chickens sacrificed before it to honour its spirit.
For the Murut indigenous peoples the rhinoceros hornbill was historically strictly taboo to hunt and kill and if a person did so it was believed that they would suffer from blindness or die of cholera.
Unfortunately, with time and the arrival of the modern world many of these traditional beliefs that afforded a respect and sacredness to the hornbill are being eroded and this has led to the unsustainable hunting of these birds to supply their ivory to the illegal market.
Source: "HORNBILLS Buceros SSP. AND CULTURE IN NORTHERN BORNEO: CAN THEY CONTINUE TO CO-EXIST ?", Elizabeth L. Bennett et al, 1997.
In many of these cultures elaborate ritual dances are performed by young women who wear the feathers of the birds and beautifully and elegantly imitate the movements of hornbill species (video below).
The Punan ba believe that a helmeted hornbill sits by the river that exists between life and death and with its loud calls attempts to terrify ghosts.
For the Orang ulu indigenous peoples the helmeted hornbill is linked to the practice of headhunting and historically only a man who had taken the head of a human enemy could have the honour of wearing the feathers of the hornbill as decoration.
For the Iban, an indigenous people of the Sarawak region of Borneo, the rhinoceros hornbill is a sacred and totemic animal and a festival called " Gawai Kenyalang" which translates as "the hornbill festival" is held every decade. An elaborate wooden effigy of the bird is carved over the period of a year and during the festival it is given offerings of wine, food, money and has domesticated animals like pigs and chickens sacrificed before it to honour its spirit.
For the Murut indigenous peoples the rhinoceros hornbill was historically strictly taboo to hunt and kill and if a person did so it was believed that they would suffer from blindness or die of cholera.
Unfortunately, with time and the arrival of the modern world many of these traditional beliefs that afforded a respect and sacredness to the hornbill are being eroded and this has led to the unsustainable hunting of these birds to supply their ivory to the illegal market.
Source: "HORNBILLS Buceros SSP. AND CULTURE IN NORTHERN BORNEO: CAN THEY CONTINUE TO CO-EXIST ?", Elizabeth L. Bennett et al, 1997.
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One now long forgotten mythological aspect from my part of the woods: that dogs with clear tan markings on the eyebrows , aka "Vieräugle" / "four eyes" are especially good at keeping off demons and evil spirits. This myth might date back to the Zoroastrian belief that a dog's gaze keeps demons at bay and
that those "four eyes" fool the demons into believing that the dog is awake all the time. "Four-eyed" dogs are thus also important for a sagdid funeral ritual.
You can still see this feature in several breeds originating from European alpine areas, like Swiss mountain dogs, Brandlbracke, Rottweiler etc. as well as some Asian breeds.
that those "four eyes" fool the demons into believing that the dog is awake all the time. "Four-eyed" dogs are thus also important for a sagdid funeral ritual.
You can still see this feature in several breeds originating from European alpine areas, like Swiss mountain dogs, Brandlbracke, Rottweiler etc. as well as some Asian breeds.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the comment @Batto !
Never knew this at all, fascinating actually, so these particularly marking / physical traits were selective bred into the domestic dog by Bronze age cultures ?
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Fascinating stuff @Jana and thank you for your comment and sharing this !
I find it to be very moving to learn that people go to such an effort to look out for the wellbeing of this snake in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and that this has benefited the conservation of the species. It is very good to hear about this kind of thing happening actually and I'll have to do some reading on this tradition in your country as it is really interesting.
This folklore surrounding the Aesculapian snake sounds like it could perhaps have its origins in Pre-christian pagan culture, don't you think ?
It reminds me somewhat of an Italian festival known as "Festa dei Serpari di Cocullo" that I have heard about but never witnessed.
It is a festival where people catch many Aesculapian snakes and drape them around statues of Saint Dominic which is paraded through the streets. On the surface a lot of Catholic / Christian imagery but which apparently has its roots in Pre-Christian Roman pagan worship of the goddess Angitia.
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Probably not as selectively as it is happening nowadays with modern fancy breeding.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
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Yes, of course, but to some level it would have been selective breeding even if unconciously for those traits, right ?