recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Abka Hehe

*Woman of Heaven; Heaven Mother*

Abka Hehe primordial Manchurian goddess, forms a triad with two other Manchu spirits: Banamu Hehe (Earth Mother) and Ulden hehe (Light Mother). (*Hehe* is "Mama" in Manchu; also sometimes translated as "woman.") *Everything* comes from Abaka Hehe, including the other two goddesses of the triad. Once they emerged from her body, the three then created more spirits, people, and all living beings. Abka Hehe epitomizes all that is good. She is the guardian of the entire universe, an immortal, invincible spirit who defeats and banishes evil. Abka Hehe sent the Eagle Goddess to Earth in order to raise the first shamaness. (Traditional Manchu culture distinguishes between female and male shamans. They are perceived as possessing distinct powers.)

Coinciding with the start of Manchu rule over China in the seventeenth century (the Qing Dynasty, pronounced "Ching"), Abka Hehe was replaced in the Manchu pantheon by Abka Enduri the Man of Heaven. In order to maintain control over China, which was unhappy about being ruled by a foreign minority, attempts were made to bring traditional Manchu shamanic culture into alignments with Confucianism, which encouraged male dominance.

Abka Hehe is immortal; she remains in the shadows, battle-ready. Petition her for help with disasters and for relief when the world seems to be falling apart.

**Manifestations**: She wears a battle skirt made of willow leaves. (In one variant of the Manchu creation story, Abka Hehe was battling a demon when leaves of her skirt broke off, fell to earth, and transformed into the first people.)

**Bird**: Magpie

**Offerings**: Traditional Manchu offerings for spirits include wine, beans, grains, cooked fish and meats, especially pork.

**See also**: Ao Qin

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Arduinna

**Origin:** The Ardennes

Arduinna is the goddess of the Ardennes, the once heavily forested region, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg but also in France and Germany, that shares her name. Arduinna protects human hunters and wild boars, maintaining the sacred balance between them. The Ardennes was long a Pagan stronghold: in 565 CE, Saint Walfroy is documented preaching to people in the region, advising them to abandon Arduinna. The Romans identified her with Diana.

**Manifestation:** Arduinna rides naked through the woods on a huge boar. Alternatively she wears a short, belted tunic. She is very closely identified with her animal familiar: even when she manifests outside the forest, there may be some sort of porcine reference.

**Iconography:** A huge statue of Arduinna-Diana was destroyed in 590 in Carignan, France, near the present sanctuary of the Black Madonna of Avioth.

**Attribute:** Hunting knife

**Mount:** Boar

**Planet:** Moon

**See Also:** Black Madonna of Avioth; Diana; Maria Lionza

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Barbiel

Barbiel (also known as : Barakiel, Barbuel, Baruel) is a Fallen Angel also described as a good angel.
As a fallen angel Barbiel is the former prince of the orders of virtues and angels. In Hell, he serves under Zaphiel as one of the seven Electors. As a good angel, Barbiel is ruler of October and, when equated with Barakiel, of February.

## Information Source

The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology – Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley
Barons

**Also known as:** Bawon (Kreyol)

**Origin:** Haiti

**Classification:** Lwa

Modern Haitian Vodou has two types of spirits of the dead: Gédés and Barons. Boundaries between them are sometimes nebulous, but in general the Barons are the spirits in charge, elite spirits of death. The Barons exert dominion over the dead.

There are many Barons. Baron Samedi is their leader. Others who have achieved individual acclaim include Baron LaCroix, Baron Cimitière, and Maitre Carrefour (a.k.a. Baron Carrefour).

The Barons are instantly recognizable. They wear a combination of undertaker’s and high-ranking Freemasons’ garb. They tend to travel in packs. They’re not solemn and funereal but boisterous, raucous, and lewd: disruptive spirits who interrupt other lwa’s rituals and possessions. They are obscene, offensive, and vulgar but also elegant, not to mention powerful. Many are occult masters. They know the secrets of the grave and the secrets of the living.

The Barons protect and heal children. They embody primal life, but they’re simultaneously dead. Rules, law, order, authority: none of it applies to them. They are subversive spirits who flout convention. The Barons will help you subvert convention, too. They are the embodiment of gallows humour; they teach devotees to laugh in the face of death, despair, and grief, to find the bitter but funny aspects of tragedy.

They embody both truisms: death is guaranteed and life springs eternal. They may be petitioned for anything involving death, dying, and the cemetery but also for fertility, safe childbirth, and sex. They are sometimes deliberately offensive but always ruthlessly honest. If you can get past the jokes and innuendo to ask them a question, they will give you the brutal truth.

The Barons en masse are syncretized to Saint Gerard, who is pictured with a skull.

The largest cross in a traditional Haitian graveyard is called the Barons’ cross and is usually located at the cemetery crossroads. It is traditional to first salute, feed, and propitiate the Barons at this cross before performing any rituals in the graveyard. The Barons own the cemetery; ask their permission before conducting ceremonies and especially before removing dirt, stones, or anything conceivably belonging to them.

**Manifestations:** Black suits, black hats; they wear dark glasses: as they live in the grave, when they come to the land of the living, the light hurts their eyes even at night.

**Colours:** Black, violet (Masonic colors)

**Day:** 2 November, the Day of the Dead: visit them at the cemetery.

**Offerings:** Rum, rum cake, rum candy, more rum, cigars, coins; Day of the Dead toys; sugar skulls

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Aeacus

**Also known as:** Aiakos

**Origin:** Greek

**Classification:** Chthonic spirit

Aeacus, son of Zeus and Aegina, a daughter of the river god Asopus in Philius, was king of the Isle of Aegina. Zeus, in the form of an eagle, had taken Aegina and carried her off to the island named after her which was uninhabited, where Aeacus was born, and so Aeacus had no one to rule. He prayed to Zeus, who transformed the island’s ants into people, called Myrmidons or “ant people.” (Aeacus’ grandson Achilles later led a troop of Myrmidons to battle in Troy.) An alternative version with the same conclusion suggests that the island was decimated by plague and that’s why Aeacus beseeched Zeus to repopulate it. This myth may recall the decimation of Aegina’s original inhabitants or Aegina’s subjugation by Athens. In 431 BCE, Aegina’s inhabitants were expelled in favour of Athenian colonists.

Aeacus allied himself with his father’s pantheon. The Olympians adored him for his piety and called upon him to arbitrate their disputes, and when a drought desolated Greece, his intercession obtained rain from Zeus. The Greeks built Aeacus a temple enclosed with a marble wall. The poet Pindar says that Aeacus helped Poseidon and Apollo construct the walls of Troy. Aeacus was considered an exceptionally honest man in life—just, fair, and ethical. He was eventually venerated as a deity with shrines in Athens and Aegina, where he is believed to be buried. He had two sons with Chiron’s daughter, Endaïs: Peleus, father of Achilles, and Telamon, father of Ajax. Aeacus raped a Nereid named Psamanthe (“sea sand”). Attempting to escape him, she transformed into a seal. Their son, Phokos, (literally “seal”) Demonstrated superior athletic and martial skills. His jealous half brothers murdered him and were then exiled by their father. Ovid’s Metamorphoses (book 7) and Hesiod’s Theogony (1003–5) tell of Aeacus.

Because Aeacus was noted for his justice, he was made one of the judges over the dead, along with Minos and Rhadamanthys. He lives in Hades’ palace and is trusted to be the keeper of the keys to Hades and to hold onto Hades’ sceptre when the Death Lord doesn’t feel like carrying it. At Aegina and Athens he was worshipped as a demigod.

In the mortal realm, Aeacus is petitioned for justice. If you have a dispute, legal or ethical, that extends beyond the grave, Aeacus may be petitioned for assistance. Aeacus has close family ties to water spirits: aside from his judicial functions, he is also traditionally invoked for protection from pirates.

**Altar:** Aeacus is very proud of his family: surround him with their images including Zeus, Achilles, and Aegina. Alexander the Great claimed descent from Aeacus via his mother: add his image, too.

**See Also:** Achilles; Aegina; Hades; Nereid; Thetis; Zeus

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes

Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow
Abuk

**Origin**: Dinka

The Dinka are pastoralists from Southern Sudan. Their indigenous religion is monotheistic: a single Creator formed Earth and all its inhabitants, including spirits who communicate via voluntary possession. Abuk is the first woman, created alongside her male counterpart, Garang. She is simultaneously an Eve-like figure, the primordial ancestress and a goddess with dominion over the yin aspects of life: water and its distribution, women and anything to do with them, fertility and what grows, whether these are babies in the womb or fruits of the garden.

Abuk presides over what are traditional Dinka women's activities: growing millet and brewing millet beer. Her son Deng is a sky deity with dominion over rain, storms, and fertility, similar in scope to Ba'al, Zeus, or Shango. Abuk remains the most popular name given to Dinka girls.

**Petition**: For success in your endeavours, abundance, safety, and good health

**Animal**: Snake, especially small grey snakes. (She may manifest in this form; it may be used to represent her on an altar or in ritual.)

**Plants**: Millet, sesame

**Offerings**: Beer, ideally home-brewed; millet; fruits, vegetables, and herbs from your garden

**See also**: Ba'al; Shango; Zeus; Possession

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Branwen

*White Crow*

**Also known as:** Bronwen (“White Hill” or “White Breast”)

**Origin:** Wales

Branwen, daughter of Llyr and sister of Bran and Manawyden, heroine of the Welsh epic, the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, is described as the world’s most beautiful woman. Matholwch, King of Ireland, came to her father’s court in Harlech, North Wales, seeking her hand in marriage. Her father and Bran agreed. A wedding feast was arranged.

Branwen’s half brother Efnisien (same mother; different father) arrived in the midst of festivities, wondering what was going on. Offended and enraged that he wasn’t consulted about his sister’s nuptials, Efnisien retaliated by mutilating Matholwch’s stabled horses. The act was intended as a grave insult and was taken as such. Matholwch finally appeared to be appeased by the gift of Bran’s magical cauldron.

Branwen returned to Ireland with her new husband, but in fact Matholwch was not mollified or perhaps never had good intentions. Branwen is forced to labour as a cook. The butcher boxes her ears daily. She is humiliated, degraded, and abused. As is common with abusers, Matholwch tried to keep Branwen’s situation secret. He was very careful that her family in Wales be kept unaware of her fate.

Resourceful Branwen caught a young starling and trained it to carry messages for her although this took years. She tied a letter to its leg and sent it to Bran who soon arrived with an army. In the ensuing battles, Branwen and Matholwch’s son is killed; Bran is decapitated, and both nations are devastated. (On the Welsh side everyone dies but seven warriors; Ireland is completely depopulated except for some pregnant women.)

A phase of the early British Bronze Age, approximately 1650–1400 BCE, is named the Bedd Branwen Period. There is some speculation that if there was a historic Branwen, then that is the era in which she lived.

Branwen survives and returns home, but upon landing at Aber Alaw on Anglesey, she dropped dead from heartbreak and shame that she could have been the root cause of so much death and destruction. Branwen is described as one of Britain’s three powerful matriarchs. She has emerged in recent years as a significant Neo-Pagan goddess invoked for love, marital happiness, success, and protection against abuse and humiliation.

**Birds:** Raven, starling

**Sacred site:** Bedd Branwen, allegedly her grave, is a now-ruined cairn on the banks of the Alaw River in Anglesey.

**See Also:** Bran; Manawyden; Rhiannon

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Britomartis

*Sweet Maiden; Blessing Maiden*

**Origin:** Crete

Britomartis is an ancient Cretan goddess. According to her most famous surviving myth, Britomartis was a mountain Nymph who, fleeing from the sexual advances of King Minos, flung herself into the sea. She did not drown; fishermen rescued her with their nets. Emerging from the water, she assumed new names:

* Aphaia: “the invisible”
* Diktynna: “Lady of the Nets” or “from the Nets”

Alternative versions suggest she did drown but that Artemis took pity on her and transformed her into a goddess, or that she was Artemis’ lover and had vowed to have no sexual relations with any other, hence her flight from Minos.

Cretan artifacts, including many coins bearing her image, indicate that she was no minor spirit but a great goddess, the presiding spirit of Mount Dikte. Her name, translated as “Sweet Maiden,” may be a euphemism, a plea for Britomartis to behave nicely in the same way that Fairies are called “The Good People.” If you tell fierce, volatile spirits that they’re nice and kind, maybe they’ll behave that way.

Britomartis is invoked for protection, fertility, and abundance. She is a spirit of female mysteries and protectress of wild animals.

**Iconography:** Britomartis is depicted with a fierce face sometimes reminiscent of a Gorgon. She holds snakes and may suckle griffins.

**Attribute:** Double axe (labrys)

**Animals:** All wild animals, but especially snakes; griffins; her temples were guarded by dogs reputed to be fiercer than bears.

**See Also:** Artemis; Gorgon; Nymph; Pasiphae

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Al Naddaha

The Caller

**Origin:** Egypt

Al Naddaha literally means “the caller,” but the word is also translated as “Siren,” meaning a deadly mermaid. Al Naddaha, a spirit of the Nile, is an Egyptian urban legend. It is unclear exactly when she first emerged, but she became particularly notorious in the 1950s.

Al Naddaha mysteriously appears and calls to young men strolling by the Nile at night. Her voice is alluring like a traditional Siren’s. She may possess a hypnotic gaze. If men respond to her call, allegedly she drowns them. She causes no harm to those who do not approach but is an elusive, disturbing presence. It is unclear whether she is a spirit who lingers by the water (like Aisha Qandisha) or whether she actually lives in the water (like the Lorelei). Egyptian folklore classifies her among the Djinn.

Like La Llorona, al Naddaha has captured public imagination. In addition to being the subject of spine-tingling horror tales, Al Naddaha is the name of an Egyptian avant-garde literary journal as well as a novella by Egyptian author Yusuf Idris (1927–1991).

**Manifestation:** Al Naddaha manifests as a beautiful woman with long dark hair flowing down her back. Her skin is sometimes described as exceedingly white. Alternatively she is described as being semitransparent or as wearing a long, semitransparent, white dress (possibly similar to ancient Egyptian linen garb).

**See Also:** Aisha Qandisha; Djinn; La Llorona; Lorelei; Mami Waters; Mermaids; Siren

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Birth Fairy

**Also known as:** Fates

In the famous story Sleeping Beauty, a king and queen, celebrating the birth of a long-awaited royal heir, throw a festive banquet for Fairies. Each Fairy brings a blessing as a baby gift. One Fairy fails to receive an invitation. Why the invitation was never received depends upon the version of the story, but the inevitable end result is that she bestows a curse, not a blessing.

This scenario is no mere fairy tale, but a description of rituals once common throughout Europe in French, Slavic, Celtic, and other regions, as well as among the Roma (Gypsies). Birth Fairies foretell (and may bestow) a baby’s fate. They are direct descendents of the Moirae, Parcae, and other Fate goddesses.

Following a baby’s birth, it was traditional to create an offering table for these Fairies. Ritual details depend on specific spirits to whom the ritual is devoted. There will be a set number of spirits and they will arrive on schedule. Most frequently, three are anticipated, but sometimes there is only one and occasionally as many as thirteen, as in the original version of Sleeping Beauty. Usually the spirits are female, but the Roma, for instance, have male and female birth spirits.

The offering table is the crucial element. A table is laid as if for a festive meal. Fairies, the honoured, desired guests, are expected to come and dine: food and drink are offered. The table is set with individual place settings, napkins, glasses, the whole works. (Each tradition will specify how many Fairies are expected, although as in Sleeping Beauty, it’s usually best to be prepared for extra guests.)

**See Also:** Béfind; Betben; Fairy; Fates; Fatit; Hatbor; Seven; Laimos; Moirae; Oosood; Our Good Mothers; Parcae;Ursitory

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Ba Neb Tetet

*The Soul of Mendes; Lord of Mendes; The Ram of Mendes***Also known as:** Banebdedet; Banebdjedet

**Origin:** Egypt

At the root of the wrangling and power struggle between rival Egyptian deities Horus and Set is a philosophical disagreement about succession rights. King Osiris is dead: who should succeed him?

* If descent is patrilineal, then it should be his legitimate son, Horus.
* If descent is matrilineal, then it should be Osiris’ mother’s other son, Set.

They might still be wrangling about this today if it wasn’t for Ba Neb Tetet, the calm, cool-headed ram deity who suggested that the primordial goddess, Neith, be consulted for the final decision. Ba Neb Tetet cautioned that a peaceful solution must be found lest Ma’at (sacred universal order) be destroyed and all Egypt with it (and possibly the world).

Ba Neb Tetet is the original goat of Mendes. (The ancient Egyptians lumped goats and sheep together.) In the medieval era, the image of this horned deity was identified with Satan; however Ba Neb Tetet is not even a trickster: he is a calm, peaceful, orderly, honest spirit who may be petitioned for assistance with negotiations and arbitration.

The ancient, Semitic storm spirit is Ba’al (1). His descendent, the Demonologists’ Ba’al, is Ba’al (2).**Manifestation:** A man with a horned ram’s head

**Sacred site:** Djedet, the Egyptian city better known by its Greek name, Mendes, was also known as Per-Banebdjedet or House of the Ram of the Mendes.

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Artio

**Pantheon**: Celtic

**Title**: The Bear Goddess

## Information

Artio is a bear goddess and guardian of bears. Her very name means “Bear.” Although now most associated with Bern, Switzerland, the bear city, inscriptions dedicated to Artio have also been found near Trier.

**Iconography:** In 1832, an ancient bronze statue identified by an inscription as Artio was exhumed in Bern. It depicts a seated woman offering fruit to
an extremely large bear.

**See Also:** Artemis; Callisto

## Smite Lore

Ice melts in cascading waterfalls from jagged mountain peaks, pouring into rivers roaring white to the cold sea. Straightening slowly, like aged men, trees and fauna of the underbrush, now free of snow-weight, reach for the sun. It is spring; the world awakens from darkness and death to grow green again. Her hibernation ends. Coat wet with fresh rain, Artio, Goddess-Bear, roars into the chill morning air.

She is guardian of the cycle. Not the passage of time, but the balance of things. There is no spring without winter, no death without life, no darkness without light, no goodness without evil. Nature declares these opposites into law and Artio is the enforcer.

Among the ursine she runs, sometimes in the shape of a woman, lithe and wild, sometimes as a bear, brown and fierce. Nowhere in the forest do there stand shrines in her name, for Artio is less worshipped and more respected. Perhaps, instead, she looms overhead, a constant presence in the twinkle of the stars, a connection of glistening light; the constellation Ursa Major.
Rules & Admins

## Game Rules

* Don't be a weenie. Be respectful to other people in chat. This doesn't include banter with friends, but if asked to stop, just stop.

* Don't abuse bugs. If you find a bug report it immediately to the discord instead of abusing it to win. Any players caught doing this will be punished severely.

* No exploiting. If you friend/support/help the exploiter, you will be regarded as an accomplice and will be punished alongside the exploiter.

## Community Guidelines

These are general guidelines that we would prefer you to follow. None of these are against the rules so to speak, with obvious exceptions however.

* Avoid teaming with other people to win. You're allowed to do so, but it is heavily frowned upon. This does not apply in team based gamemodes for obvious reasons, but only in soloes. Additionally, teaming is against the rules if your team is more than 3 people.
* Try not to interrupt 1v1s during Solo Elimination, it's just annoying. If it's Deathmatch or Team Elim however, feel free to do whatever.
* Use common sense. If you think something would be against the "Unspoken Rules" feel free to report it to the reports channel in the discord.

## Wikia Rules

* Do not vandalize any content. Although all pages are protected (or at least supposed to be), if you do have power and misuse it, you will lose it permanently.
* Do not post any NSFW material anywhere on this wiki.
* Do not bully other people. Overly critical criticism will be counted as bullying. However, constructive criticism is fine. Just keep it respectful.
* Do not harass, poke fun at, or otherwise aggravate admins. This depends on the admin's tolerance, but you will be punished depending on their temperament.
Ammit

*The Eater; Devourer of the Dead; Eater of Hearts; Bone Eater; Devourer of Millions; Greatness of Death*

**Also known as:** Amit; Ammut

**Origin:** Egypt

The ancient Egyptians believed that after you died, your soul (or one of them) entered a divine hall of judgment, where your past deeds were examined and your heart was weighed. If you were found worthy, you entered the Western Paradise. If you failed the tests, Ammit ate you and your life was forever terminated: no eternal paradise for you.
Ammit sits beneath the Scales of Justice like a dog waiting for food to fall from the table. (Although usually depicted with a crocodile head, sometimes Ammit sports a canine head.) Those whom the infernal court finds lacking are promptly fed to Ammit. She is a neutral spirit: she does her job, eating, processing, and eliminating wickedness (or just lack of goodness) from the universe. She bears no grudge against anyone; she just wants to eat. There is no point in petitioning her or attempting to make deals (but the Egyptian Book of the Dead does contain spells that protect against her). She holds her position precisely because she is resistant to appeals.

**Manifestation:** Ammit bears a striking physical resemblance to Taweret.

**Animals:** Hippopotamus; crocodile

**See Also:** Ma’at; Osiris; Taweret

## Appearances in Modern Media

From Fate Grand OrderFrom Age of IshtariaFrom Dawn of GodsFrom Shin Megami TenseiFrom Blood BrothersFrom Force of WillFrom Rage of Bahamut
## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Beset

**Origin:** Egypt

Beset, often described as a lioness-Demon, is the female counterpart of Bes, but their relationship is unclear. Is she his sister, his consort, his daughter, or his feminine path? Beset is often found in the company of Taweret, Bes’ official consort. They all seem to get along and may all be petitioned and venerated together.

Beset’s image appears on amulets. Artifacts associated with her have been found among papyri containing magic spells. She is associated with spell-work and rituals involving snakes, possibly snake charming. Well-worn masks of Beset have been uncovered, believed used in shamanic ritual.

**Iconography:** She resembles a feminine version of Bes. Usually appearing naked, her gender is quite clear. A wooden figurine with movable arms found in a tomb beneath the Ramesseum in Thebes depicts Beset holding metal snakes (or wands in the form of snakes).

**See Also:** Bes; Taweret

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Befana

*The Christmas Witch*

**Also known as:** Befana la Strega (“Befana the Witch”); Befana la Vecchia (“Befana the Crone”); Befania

Befana is a benevolent Italian witch who brings gifts to children on Epiphany Eve. She fills children’s stockings with gifts just like Santa Claus does elsewhere. Befana may pre-date Christianity and may originally be a goddess of ancestral spirits, forests, and the passage of time. Some identify this wandering nocturnal crone with Hekate. Other legends describe her as an elderly woman in either ancient Judea or Italy who was too busy cleaning to heed the Magi when they invited her to join them in paying homage to the newborn Christ Child. Befana soon regretted her decision and has spent the past two thousand years trying to catch up with the Magi, leaving gifts for good children along the way.

Befana is invoked in many Italian spells, especially those for good fortune. She brings sweets for children but may be persuaded to bring the sweetness of life to adults:

1. On Epiphany Eve, write her a note expressing your desires.
2. Place it beneath a red witch-shaped candle and burn.
3. Accompany with offerings.

**Manifestation:** Befana manifests as an old lady who flies through the air on a broom or goat. She carries a heavy sack on her back filled with gifts or is a hunchback.

**Attributes:** Distaff, spindle, sack of gifts

**Home**: Befana lives within chimneys.

**Time:** Befana is most active on the night of 5 January, the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany and the Day of the Magi. However, she may be contacted for assistance at other times as well.

**Offerings:** Befana travels the world leaving gifts on Epiphany Eve (the night of 5 January). An old lady can get tired from all that flying around; leave her some gifts to replenish her spirits: espresso, Strega liquore, cookies, Italian pastry.

**See Also:** Berchta; Hekate

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Binzuru

**Classification:** Arhat

Binzuru is the Japanese name and manifestation of Pindola, first of the sixteen Arhats. Legend says he broke a vow of chastity and so Buddha forbade him from attaining Nirvana. Alternatively, magic got him into trouble: Binzuru is an occult master. Once, rushing to meet Buddha, he thoughtlessly flew through the air, causing pregnant women to miscarry. Buddha punished him by ordering him to stay on Earth until Maitreya, Buddha of the Future, arrives. Yet another version says that Binzuru attained Nirvana but chose to stay and rescue people. He lives on Mount Marishi and is ever ready to respond to a call for assistance. He is a compassionate, proactive spirit of healing and pain relief. Because he himself lives in pain, he has vowed to alleviate that of others. Although most associated with physical pain, he heals psychic pain and heartache, too.

Rub your hand against the part of Binzuru’s statue that corresponds with the part of your body that needs healing or relief. Simultaneously invoke his assistance. Binzuru is a pivotal character in Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano’s graphic novella, The Dream Hunters.

**Manifestation:** Binzuru manifests as an elderly man with long, unkempt eyebrows and a bushy white beard. He wanders the world performing rescues and good deeds.

**Iconography:** Carved wood statues emphasize his ascetism to the point of being virtually skeletal.

**Colour:** Red

**Sacred days**: Binzuru’s Japanese festival is held on the first Saturday of August.

**See Also:** Arhat; Maitreya; Marichi

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies,
Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Baobhan Sith

**Pronounced**: Buhvan shee

**Origin:** Scotland

Baobhan Sith are spirits of the Scottish Highlands. Their name literally means “Fairy Women” or “Women of the Sidhe” and so is cognate with Banshee, but they are very different spirits. Unlike Banshees, Baobhan Sith are killers, sometimes called Scottish vampires.

Baobhan Sith love to dance all night. According to some legends, they seduce men, dance with them, and then kill them, draining them of their blood. It’s difficult to determine whether this is their true nature or whether these legends were invented post-Christianity to discourage potential devotees from joining the Fairy’s dance. The Baobhan Sith’s favourite victims are hunters out on the moors. They may be deer goddesses punishing those who’ve hunted without performing correct rituals. Alternatively, they’re just dancing vampires.

**Manifestations:** They manifest as beautiful women usually, but not always, dressed in green. The true clue to their identity is in their feet. Rather than human feet, these ladies sport deer hooves. They are shape-shifters: be prepared to be surprised.

**Sacred birds**: Hooded crows or ravens

**Colour:** Green

**See Also:** Aisha Qandisha; Banshee; Sidhe; Vila

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Aetna

Aetna is the volcano goddess of Sicily’s Mount Etna, the spirit for whom the mountain is named. Etna is the highest mountain in Italy south of the Alps and Europe’s most active volcano. In ancient days, Mount Etna was hot property, not just in the volcanic lava sense but also in the real-estate sense of that phrase. Because it was so coveted, it’s difficult to unravel Aetna’s own personal myth. Various deities claim to be married to her, thus laying claim to her sacred mountain.

* Her original consort, or at least the earliest documented, is Adrano.
* Later myths suggest a marriage between Aetna and Zeus or Aetna and Hephaestus.

Aetna is the one with ultimate control over the volcano, and perhaps over Sicily. As is the nature of volcano goddesses, she is fiery, temperamental, passionate, and generous. Aetna is a powerful goddess: when Demeter and Hephaestus argued about property rights on the island, it was Aetna who brokered their truce. Aetna may hide beneath the mask of Saint Agatha.

**See Also:** Adrano; Demeter; Hephaestus; Palici; Zeus

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Danko Dan Muso

*Sudden Visitor; Drawer of the Belly*

**Origin:** Hausa

**Classification:** Bori

Danko Dan Muso is head of the Bori snake spirits. Danko is an affectionate honorific; his name literally means “honored little son of Moses.” The Moses in question is the biblical law-giver and snake-master, also identified with the Congolese snake spirit, Simbi, and Vodou Damballah. Danko is a freshwater snake who lives in rivers, streams, and wells. Visitors to these places are cautioned not to disturb him or to intrude on his privacy. He is a shape-shifter and may appear in forms other than serpentine. It is crucial always to be very polite when near freshwater, especially to strangers.

Danko Dan Muso has access to scads of wealth, which he can distribute to human devotees as he pleases. He possesses mediums easily, rapidly, and abruptly, hence his epithet the “Sudden Visitor.” He is a healer but also possesses a large repertoire of ailments with which to afflict people. (He also has the power to remedy any illness he can inflict.) He causes stomach ailments, digestive disorders, and female infertility. Danko causes blindness by spitting into the victim’s eyes, an unpleasant trick he learned from his wife, Kwakiya, the Black Headed Cobra. They have a son, Damatsiri (a type of harmless, green snake).

**Colors:** Black, indigo

**Tree:** African ebony (Diospyros mespiliformis), also known as the jackal berry tree

**Offerings:** Danko Dan Muso is always insatiably hungry for raw eggs and raw liver.

**See Also:** Bori; Damballah; Kwakiya; Simbi; Possession

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Alkahest

Alkahest is a term coined by Paracelsus for a mysterious “universal solvent” in alchemical transmutation. Alkahest also is known as the Elixir and “the water which does not wet the hands.” The exact origin of the term is unknown.

Paracelsus made his first mention of alkahest in Members of Man, saying,

“There is also the spirit alkahest, which acts very efficiently upon the liver: it sustains, fortifies, and preserves from the diseases within its reach. . . . Those who want to use such a medicine must know how the alkahest is prepared.”

Jean Baptista van Helmont gave great credence to alkahest, describing it as “Fire Water” or “Hell Water” that is able to dissolve all bodies “as warm water dissolves ice.” Van Helmont said,

“It is a salt, most blessed and most perfect of all salts; the secret of its preparation is beyond human comprehension and God alone can reveal it to the chosen.”

During the 17th and 18th centuries, alchemists searched for alkahest in order to dissolve substances to find the Prima Materia. Some considered the word alkahest as an anagram of its true name. Some said the name really meant “alkali est,” or “It is alkali,” or else “All-Geist,” German for “universal spirit.” Various recipes were given for making alkahest; the best ingredient was held to be blood, plus worms, sweat, and spittle.

Interest in alkahest ended in the mid-18th century when the German alchemist Kunckel pointed out that if alkahest were a true universal solvent, then it would dissolve even the vessel that held it. Kunckel disdainfully said the alkahest was really “Alles Lugen ist,” German for “All that is a lie.”

Alkahest is used in magic to clear away fog and obstruction so that a desired thing can manifest. In spiritual alchemical processes, alkahest is the dark water of the unconscious in which the ego is dissolved.
Bosatsu

*Enlightened One; Enlightened Being*

**Also known as:** Butsu

Theoretically Bosatsu is merely the Japanese variant of the Sanskrit Bodhisattva. Prominent Bosatsu include Amida, Jizo, and Kannon. From the orthodox religious or academic perspective, that is the only true definition of the term Bosatsu. However, in the context of popular folk religion, the definition may be a little more nebulous. Distinctions between Bosatsu and Kami sometimes blur. Jizo and Kannon, technically Bosatsu, are often venerated and treated like Kami, while conversely the Kami Hachiman is sometimes envisioned in the garb of a Buddhist monk and treated like a Bosatsu.

**See Also:** Amida Buddha; Bodhisattva; Hachiman; Jizo; Kami; Kannon

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Endymion

*He Who Finds Himself Within*

**Origin:** Greece

Endymion was a shepherd boy so beautiful that the moon fell in love with him. Selene, Goddess of the Moon, placed Endymion under a spell so that he’ll sleep eternally in a mountain cave; never aging, never dying. Selene spends her days with him in the cave; all they do is make love. Endymion experiences his life as a dream, but their love is real as is the sex: Selene constantly conceives and bears their children.

Endymion is more than just Selene’s lover: he was venerated as a deity on Mount Latmos in Caria (now part of modern Turkey.) Endymion sleeps eternally but simultaneously generates loads of children: he is as much a source of fertility as Selene and may be invoked independently or together with her.

He may be more than just a shepherd boy, too. Alternative myths hint that he was really royalty or that Zeus put him to sleep for daring to put the moves on Hera. Selene discovered him already sleeping in the cave and fell in love.

Endymion and Selene’s children include the fifty Menae, the goddesses who rule the fifty lunar months of the Olympiad (a basic unit of time in ancient Greece.) Their human children are the Lorialets, also known as moon children or lunatics, although that word was not initially imbued with the modern meaning of insanity. Instead these moon-touched children are prone to fantasies and psychic vision. Lorialets are mortals. If you or someone you know is a Lorialet, then Selene and Endymion are your spiritual guardians.

**See Also:** Hera; Selene; Zeus

## Appearances in Modern Media

From Sid StoryFrom Rage of BahamutFrom Dawn of Gods
## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Dayamava

**Origin**: India

Dayamava was the beautiful daughter of a learned Brahmin. A street sweeper, a man from a much lower caste, fell madly in love with her. He pretended to be a Brahmin and married her. Dayamava went to live with her husband at his mother’s house. She was an excellent, devoted wife and bore her husband several children.

All was well for many years, until one day during dinner, her mother-in-law commented that something tasted like beef-tongue. Instantly, Dayamava saw the truth: only street sweepers eat cattle carcasses. Filled with rage, Dayamava killed her children and mother-in-law with a sickle. She burned down the house. Her husband tried to flee, either by hiding in a buffalo, behind a buffalo, or by transforming into a buffalo, depending on the version of the myth. Either way, it made no difference: Dayamava sliced off his head and the buffalo’s, too. Having killed them all, Dayamava transformed into a warrior goddess venerated in southern India.

Dayamava is a village goddess now assimilated into the Hindu pantheon as an avatar of Lakshmi. She is associated with smallpox. Dayamava is invoked for healing, disease prevention, and fertility. A buffalo representing her husband is sacrificed at her shrine during her annual festival. Should she fulfill a major request, the traditional vow is to donate a buffalo to her shrine, which will be allowed to roam free and remain unmolested.

**Favored people:** Carpenters, masons, blacksmiths, metalworkers, women

**Color:** Red

**Offerings:** Incense; vermillion powder; fruit; cooked food; flowers

**See Also:** Lakshmi

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Balder

**Also known as:** Baldr; Baldur; Lord Balder

**Origin:** Norse

**Classification:** Aesir

Balder, Odin and Frigg’s son, is the fairest of all Aesir spirits, merciful, kind, and wise. Lord of joy, light, purity, friendship, reconciliation, and innocence, he is beloved by all. Well, almost all.

Balder had ominous dreams, which the Aesir recognized as portents of doom. His mother, determined to save him, travelled around the world extracting oaths from everything on Earth, making them promise never to harm Balder. She extracted vows from all living creatures and everything formed of metal, stone, and wood. The sole exception was mistletoe, which she considered too insignificant to pose a threat.

Frigg returned to Asgard, reassured of Balder’s safety. The other Aesir amused themselves by throwing things at Balder (darts, hard objects), knowing that he could not be harmed. Observing these antics, a strange woman, maybe Loki in disguise, maybe his twin Angerboda, asked Frigg to explain. The woman asked whether everyone had sworn the oath. Frigg, still underestimating mistletoe, revealed the exception.

Later Loki handed a bit of mistletoe to Hoder, Balder’s blind brother, and, guiding his hand, persuaded him to throw it. The mistletoe pierced Balder’s heart, killing him instantly.

Balder plays a prominent role in the Xbox 360 action role-playing game “Too Human.”

**Manifestation:** He’s not called “Balder the Beautiful” for nothing. He is radiant.

**Consort:** Nanna

**Son:** Forseti, spirit of justice and peace

**Colours:** The yellow-gold spectrum, shining white

**Sacred plants:** Various plants are popularly called Balder’s Eyebrows, including valerian (Valeriana officinalis) and Mayweed (Matricaria perforata and M. maritima).

**Realm:** Balder’s hall is called Breidablik (“Broad Splendor”).

**Rune:** Sowulu

**See Also:** Aesir; Angerboda; Frigg; Hel; Loki; Odin

## Appearances in Modern Media

From Age of MythologyFrom Dawn of GodsFrom DislyteFrom Reign of DragonsFrom Aura Kingdom as BealdorFrom Force of WillFrom Rage of BahamutFrom Shin Megami TenseiFrom Age of IshtariaFrom Kamihime ProjectFrom Monster Strike
## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Dragon King of the Sea

**Origin:** East Asia

Dragon kings appear in the mythology of various East Asian people; they may or may not be the same spirit. Although there are many dragon spirits resident in the sea, the Dragon King is their chief, lord, and master.

The Dragon King is the lord of water; he controls precipitation and thus helps or hinders agriculture. He controls sea waters, stilling them as desired or raising storms. He remains an important deity for sailors and those who fish or otherwise ply the waters. He is not limited to salt water but has dominion over rivers, too.

According to Chinese myth, the Dragon King of the Sea lives in a beautiful underwater palace. Crabs and lobsters serve as his courtiers. In Korea, the Dragon King is the complementary power to the Mountain Spirit: they represent yin and yang respectively (in Korean: um and yang). Even though the Dragon King is male, he epitomizes um.

The Dragon King has a beautiful daughter, often depicted in human form riding a dragon similar to images of the Japanese goddess, Benten. The Dragon King and his family are master magicians and transformation artists: they are not restricted to only one form.

The Dragon King of the Sea is a pre-Buddhist spirit. Since the ascension of Buddhism, Kwan Yin has assumed many of his responsibilities and powers. The Dragon King is of en depicted serving Kwan Yin or being subservient to her, although whether or not this is true is subject to debate.

A method of requesting the Dragon King’s aid or sending him a message involves feeding fish:

* Whisper your message, needs, or desires over bread.
* Feed this bread to river or ocean fish.
* Tell the fish to please deliver your message to the Dragon King of the Sea.

**Attributes:** Flaming pearl, red coral branch

**Realm:** The Dragon King of the Sea lives in an underwater palace formed from coral. The exact location is subject to speculation: arguments are made for the East Sea (Sea of Japan) or the East China Sea (Yellow Sea).

**Sacred date**: Taeborum, the Dragon Festival, is celebrated in Korea on the first full moon of the lunar calendar. The Dragon King is invoked and honoured at the harbor. Women wade into the river to launch miniature boats bearing lit candles. Written wishes and messages to the Dragon King are attached to the boats.

**See Also:** Benten; Dragon Queens; Mountain Spirit; Ryujin; Tamatori-Hime; Toyotami-Hime

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
Car

**Also known as:** Kar; Khar; Ker; Kher; Q’ar

Car is a great goddess of life, death, and the sun. She is a primordial cave mother, akin to Kybele or Echidna, who emerges from her cave daily to drive the chariot of the sun across the sky, returning to the depths of Earth at night. The word chariot and its derivative car may derive from her name. Her vehicle would survive but with new drivers like Helios or Apollo.

Pay attention: if you start to look and listen for Car’s sacred syllable, you will find it everywhere. Car’s ubiquity is among the mysteries of Katherine Neville’s 1989 novel, The Eight.

Her origins date back at least as far as the Neolithic. She seems to have first emerged in North Africa and was widely venerated throughout Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, and the Sahara. She may have been their preeminent deity: Arab commentators called her “Libya,” indicating that she was the mother of that region, their presiding goddess. Devotees carried her devotion far and wide.

The syllable Car is ubiquitous among place-names and the names of goddesses. Speculation and debate exists as to whether all derive from the same primordial spirit. Although impossible to prove definitively, the following are among the many places possibly associated with Car:

* Carthage (allegedly founded by her priestess Elissa; also known as Dido)
* Carchemish
* Carcassonne
* Khartoum
* Carmel
* Khardaia (Algeria)
* Carnac (Brittany)
* Karnak (Egypt)
* Carnutes (Gaulish tribe)
* Chartres
* Carnuntum (on the Danube)
* Caraalis (now Cagliari, capital of Sardinia)
* Carpathians
* Corsica
* Caria (now modern Turkey)

Car may or may not be identical to (or the progenitor of) spirits like Kore, Ceres, Carna, Cardea, Carmenta, and Karina. Other words with which she is associated include cardiac, carmine, carnal, and karma. She may be the spirit of sacred songs or carols.

Car remains a primordial force lurking in caves. She was beloved and venerated for millennia. Spirits who do not provide blessings or at least some positive, benevolent gifts are rarely venerated for long.

Car is also a death goddess. She may be the earliest manifestation of Kore as an underworld goddess, older than Hades or even Demeter. In Homer’s Iliad, fierce Car drags the dead from the battlefield.

According to Greek myth, Car’s son, Phoenix, was the ancestor of the Phoenicians, who are named after him. Their father is Poseidon. (This is a Greek myth, not a Phoenician one. Phoenician was the Greek name for the Canaanites. The myth explains how the Greeks viewed their seafaring neighbours, worshippers of a primeval goddess, not necessarily how the Phoenicians envisioned themselves.)

**Manifestation:** According to the Iliad, Car is black, fanged, and dressed in red.

**Colour:** Carmine

**Planet:** The sun and possibly also the moon: scholarly debate rages.

**Sacred bird:** Phoenix, the solar bird

**See Also:** Apollo; Echidna; Helios; Keres; Kybele; Poseidon

## Information Source

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes