Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids

Mythic Creatures | Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids

Why do so many mythic creatures come in pairs?
Some mythic creatures fly solo. Others come in pairs. Sometimes, two characters are constantly at war with each other. These battling duos can help storytellers express abstract ideas. For instance, a saint slaying a dragon might symbolize the struggle between good and evil. But interpreting a story is rarely that simple. The same story may have many meanings and be told many different ways. In Asian stories, the giant, birdlike Garuda constantly attacks snakelike Nagas. But this is no simple tale of good versus evil. The duo are identified with many pairs of opposites, including light and dark, the Sun and Moon, upper and lower, air and water, and Buddhism and other religions.

According to Hindu and Buddhist stories, the giant, birdlike Garuda spends eternity killing snakelike Nagas. The feud started when both Garuda's mother and the Nagas' mother married the same husband. The husband then gave each wife one wish. The Nagas' mother asked for a thousand children. Garuda's mother wished for just two children who were superior to all of the Nagas. Their rivalry continued until Garuda's mother lost a bet and became the servant and prisoner of the Nagas' mother. Garuda was able to free his mother by stealing the nectar of immortality from the gods. But he swore vengeance for his mother's treatment and has been fighting Nagas ever since.

Garuda

	Carries the Hindu god Vishnu on his back
	Human torso and arms; some Hindu garudas have four arms, while Buddhist Garudas sometimes have only wings
	Wings, legs and clawed feet of a bird
	Head of a bird, or human head with beak
	Wings so large they darken the sky; flapping wings can cause hurricanes
	Garuda attacks snakelike Nagas and in some stories wears Nagas as jewelry.
	Can protect people against snakes, snakebites and other poisons

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