Undying Tales
Do you like nature? Do you like mythology? Do you have an itch to draw something and are looking for inspiration? Check out this challenge list featuring endangered creatures and the myths, lore, stories that surround them. I will be exploring this list of species through the month of October and I invite any artist to join me in this celebration of nature in using these prompts and lore snippets, and tagging #UndyingTalesProject on Instagram. Each year, a new list is compiled and over the course of 30 days, we make our way across the corners of globe depicting species and stories.
Profit from the sale of these 15 original drawings by Stephanie Law will be going to various environmental charities. Subscribe below if you are interested in being added to the daily mailing notification that will be sent out when each drawing is done in October. Original pieces are usually sold the day of release, and email time is randomized throughout the day to let people around the globe have a chance at claiming pieces.
Oct 2: Puerto Rican rock coqui
Scientific Name: Eleutherodactylus cooki
Status: Endangered. There are 17 species of coqui in Puerto Rico, but 3 are extinct, and many of the others are experiencing declining numbers due to climate change, deforestation, development, and expanding infrastructure. Scientists observe the various coqui species because they are an important biological indicator of the overall health of the forests, and they are also important as a predator that keeps insect populations in check.
In Puerto Rico these little frogs are called demons, because of their ghostly appearance and the haunting quality of their calls that echo in the forest grottos. Their song is eerie, and is made even more so when it reverberates from the surface of still pools and in rocky caverns. They begin to sing at dusk and continue until dawn. They were thought to be associated with fertility because of the way their vocalizations would swell in particular before rain. Also, they are known to jump from the trees in high humidity and this leads to the impression that they are raining from the skies of the cloud forests.
Depictions of coqui are found in artifacts, artwork, songs, and stories of the TaÌno people. Cave petroglyphs have been found on Mona Island featuring coqui. In one legend, the zemi (deity embodying nature or ancestral spirit) Caguana who was the spirit of love, favored a chief's son named CoquÌ. She ensured he always had a bountiful catch of fish, and in gratitude he would sing to her. She grew very attached to him and took great joy in his praises.
One night, the Caguana took the form of a maiden and came to him. They fell in love. She promised to return the next evening, but was thwarted by the jealousy of Juracán, who came as fierce hurricane winds. Juracán lashed the skies with chaos and storm and snatched CoquÌ away.
Mourning for her lover, the Caguana created a little frog. To this day, that frog calls out for CoquÌ, filling the forest and freshwater pools with the song of his name.
In petroglyphs and idols of fecundity zemi, her fertility is emphasized with frog-like qualities, featuring the ritual crouched legs and three-fingered hands of coqui frogs.
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Oct 4: Sloth Bear
Scientific Name: Melursus ursinus
Status: Vulnerable. Sloth bears are at risk because much of their habitat has been decimated. They are also poached for their body parts: teeth, claws, paws, and they have been captured for use in entertainment.
According to Indian mythology and ancient scriptures, Lord Brahma created Jambavanta, King of Bears to help Ram defeat Ravana.
The Ramayana is a Sanskrit epic that tells the tale of Prince Rama who is an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu. Rama is exiled from the kingdom by his father at the urging of his stepmother. For fourteen years, Rama lives in the forests with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana, until Sita is kidnapped by a rival demon king Ravana.
Ram and Lakshmana gain allies in their quest to rescue Sita, among them Hanuman the monkey king born of the wind god Vayu, and Jambavanta King of Bears who sprang forth when Brahma yawned. These, and others who were born of the gods were sent to aid Lord Vishnu in this incarnation, to defeat the demon and win back his wife.
Jambavanta was also present before humans were created, and was mentioned in the Samudra Manthana. In this legend it is told that devas and asuras (gods and demons) cooperated to churn the cosmic Ocean of Milk, removing the poisons that would destroy all creation and creating the nectar of immortality. Moved by compassion to save the universe, the god Shiva consumed the poison and this turned his throat blue, and why he is also known as Neelakantha "blue-throated".
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Oct 6: Vicuña
Scientific Name: Lama vicugna
Status: Least Concern. Vicunas are a conservation success story. In 1974 vicuna were declared endangered. They are the wild ancestors of domestic alpacas, and were hunted to near extinction for their highly prized fleece. Their wool is golden, fine, and excellent at insulating air to provide warmth. In ancient Incan times, the common people wore fabric spun from llama wool, nobles and officers wore alpaca, and the finest threads of vicuna were reserved for use by royalty. Killing a vicuna, or wearing its wool outside of royalty was forbidden, and the wild herds were carefully safeguarded. Only the Virgins of the Sun (young unmarried women who were dedicated to serving the sun god) were allowed to spin and weave the wool, and they produced the fine textiles that were used to create silky garments that were dyed in brilliant colors.
When the Spanish came to the region, rather than shearing the vicuna for the wool, they saw the exotic creatures as quick and easy plunder, both for meat and the hides. Vicuna were hunted and killed to take the entire pelt, and over time their numbers dropped to only 6000 individuals.
Conservation efforts reined in unrestricted over-exploitation and today their population is 350,000, though it still requires oversight to ensure they are protected from poaching, and have adequate wild habitat to thrive. The annual celebration of the chaccu, a ceremonial hunt) is a sacred tradition that goes back to pre-Incan times. Now in modern times, Andean communities festively participate in gathering the wild herds to ethically shear and release. The local communities take part in the stewardship of the vicuna, and in return they are able to reap the economic benefits and meet the commercial demand for the fiber so that black market poaching does not reignite a collapse in the populations.
Pachamama (Mother Earth) and Coquena are two entities who protect vicuna and wild animals of the Andes (as opposed to the domesticated sheep and camelids). Coquena is described as a little man, and he watches over a herd of vicuna at night. Those who seek to kill the animals under his protection, without his permission and without paying the price, are punished. Pachamama is the spiritual protector of nature, providing fertility of the earth in return for respect, but also visiting vengeance with drought and and earthquake if the earth is not honored.
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Oct 8: Long Tailed Duck
Scientific Name: Clangula hyemalis
Status: Vulnerable. The Long Tailed Duck breeds in the tundras and marshes of northern Europe and Asia, and migrates to both coasts of North America, Northern Europe, and the Baltic Sea. It is hunted in many parts of its range, and it is often caught up in fishing nets.
In Slavic folklore Koschei the Deathless is a dark villain figure. But though he was immortal, he had a weakness - he was in terror of death. To protect himself, the sorcerer removed his death (or his soul). He hid it inside a needle, which is hidden inside an egg, inside a duck, inside a hare, in a chest, in a hollow log, on a pond, in a forest, under a green oak on the island of Bouyan. Once the chest was found and opened, Koschei was still not defeated, for the hare would run, and the duck would fly. But possession of the egg granted the holder control over the wizard, and if the egg was broken, all the centuries of age would come crashing down upon Koschei, and bring upon him the death that he so feared.
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Oct 10: Northeast African Cheetah
Scientific Name: Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii
Status: Endangered. Cheetahs are threatened by poaching, wildlife trade, and hunting. The reduction of gazelle in their range has also been affecting their numbers, because they require gazelle to feed upon. Urbanization has decreased the habitat of for both species.
In Ancient Egypt, Mafdet was revered as a cheetah goddess. She was the protector of Ra (the Sun God) sprinting alongside his chariot. Apophis was a giant serpent that encircled the world and was the deity of chaos and destruction. As Ra's mortal enemy, Apophis would attack Ra's chariot in the darkness of each night when the chariot cycled through the underworld. Apophis attempted to defeat Ra and thus insure that the daylight would not return in the morning, and even tried to swallow the chariot, but each sunrise signaled Ra's triumph, as Mafdet fended off the attacks.
Because Ra was seen as patron of pharaohs, Mafdet was protector of pharaohs as well. She defended against evildoers by tearing out their hearts, and particularly against snakes and venomous creatures in the sacred chambers. She was a patroness of the dead, and protected against snakebites.
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Oct 12: Owsten's Palm Civet
Scientific Name: Chrotogale owstoni
Status: Endangered, due to habitat fragmentation and hunting, largely for consumption of wild meat.
The Ben Cao Gang Mu ("Great Pharmacopoeia") is an encyclopedia of traditional medicine and natural history edited by Li Shizen, a Chinese herbalist in the 16th century. The books were a combination of bestiary and herbal lore, drawing from poetry as much as it did medical knowledge of the time. The Taiping Yulan, an encyclopedia from the 10th century that was commissioned by a Song Dynasty emperor, and the Ben Cao Gang Mu both mention and describe the feng li, meaning "wind leopard cat".
As with many creatures in ancient bestiaries, the authors never laid eyes on the actual beast, and so they drew conclusions as to the physical reality of the subjects. If based on actual fauna, one modern interpretation is that the feng li as described and illustrated in various manuscripts is a palm civet.
Feng li is described in Ben Cao Gang Mu as having the aspect of a small, green and black monkey patterned with leopard spots. They feed on spiders and mastic (resin from a mastic tree). They are dormant in the daylight hours, but at night, they come to life, jumping high through the treetops and sailing upon the wind like night birds. They hold a stick or a stiff stalk of grass, and can point this wand at other animals to paralyze them to stillness. If a human were to snatch this wand and point at another human, the latter would be compelled to the bidding of the former.
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Oct 14: Asian Tapir
Scientific Name: Tapirus indicus
Status: Endangered. The main threat to the Asian tapir is the destruction of their habitat due to deforestation in Southeast Asia.
The Sankai Ibutsu, a 17th century Japanese illustrated manuscript of mythical creatures described the baku as a creature from China. It was a chimera that had elephant tusks, rhinoceros ears, cow's tail, body of bear, and paws of a tiger. This in turn came from a description of a 9th century Tang Chinese poet Bai Juyi, who wrote of "mo" (giant panda) as a fantastical chimera creature consisting of various traits drawn from other animals, and it had the ability to ward against pestilence and evil. He even commissioned artists to paint this hybrid beast. With the similarities of marking and coloration of panda and tapir, and the chimera qualities describing mo, the creatures became conflated.
In later times the baku became further imbued with magical nightmare-devouring abilities. It was often depicted in Japanese woodblocks, temple carvings, and netsuke sculptures destroying evil dreams. If one has a nightmare, they may invoke the baku by waking and calling out "Baku kurae" (Devour Baku), whereupon the baku will come and feast, and in its wake the dreamer may peacefully return to sleep, freed from the nightmares. One cannot be careless about summoning the baku however, for if the dream is not enough to sate its appetite, it might turn on the summoner and also devour hopes and dreams. But for the most part the baku is seen as a benevolent creature.
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Oct 16: Silvery Lutung
Scientific Name: Trachypithecus cristatus
Status: Vulnerable. Much of the Silvery lutung's range is threatened by logging and palm oil plantation development. They are also hunted for meat and for the pet trade.
Lutung Kasarung, is a Sudanese sacred folktale, and has been told in many forms: epic poem, song, dance, and dramatic performances.
Guru Minda was the son of the noble mother goddess Sunan Ambu, and he dreamt of a human princess. He fell in love with her, and upon waking expressed the wish to marry her. Sunan Ambu, the noble mother goddess, consulted with her sages on how her son's desire could be fulfilled, for Guru Minda was not earthly but of the heavens.
There was an old prophecy that spoke of how one day a son of heaven would descend to the earth disguised as a lutung, and in this form cast blessings upon the people. And so he went to the earth as Lutung Kasarung. In the forest, he found Princess Purbasari. She lived in a humble shack. Her throne and status had been stolen by her jealous sister Princess Purbakrang. The ape and kind-hearted princess became companions and aided each other.
Malicious Purbakrang, who thought of Lutung Kasarung as nothing more than an unruly and ugly ape, ordered the gentle Purbasari to marry him, who submitted to her fate. Lutung Kasarung wished to make his bride happy, and so he appealed to his mother, and when they awoke the next morning the couple found themselves in a beautiful palace.
The jealous sister was made all the more furious by this good fortune, and subsequently attempted to rid herself of Purbasari by assigning impossible tasks and labors, only to be infuriated and foiled each time. Finally the wicked princess succeeded by ordering a beauty contest between her own handsome human husband Indajaya, and Lutung Kasarung. As the ape lost, Purbasari's life was forfeit. Lutung Kasarung sprang to her defense, and when he was killed by Indajaya, his disguise fell away and Guru Minda stood before Princess Purbasari, as a human. The two of them went on to live happily.
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Oct 18: Negros Bleeding-Heart Pigeon
Scientific Name: Gallicolumba keayi
Status: Critically Endangered. Negros Bleeding Heart Pigeons are hunted for food and trapped for pet trade. They also suffer from habitat loss because the forests that they reside in have been in decline, and they require higher elevation old-growth forest. Only a small population of them still exists, and conservation groups have been trying to find suitable protected habitats for them that can remain undisturbed.
The Negros Bleeding-Heart Pigeon's song is a repeated phrase of bubbling notes, starting low and soft and increasing in speed and volume. In Philippine lore, limokon are omen birds. These omens are communications of the spirits. "Limokon" as a term is applied by the Mandaya, Bagobo, and Manobo people to refer to various wild pigeons in the Philippines. Omens in general are observed and considered, and can be taken from actions and movements of animals like birds, reptiles, and insects. They can also come from natural occurrences like earthquakes, tides, weather; or from human activities and movements. All occurrences in the physical world are consequences of the will of the unseen world. Limokons' cooing voice can warn of dangers or promise success and individuals should take heed and let their actions and decisions be influenced by these signs, for to ignore is to court failure.
In a Mandaya folktale, the limokon once spoke like men, though they were birds. A limokon laid two eggs upon different banks of a river, and from these eggs was hatched a man and woman. Though they did not at first know of each others' existence, they eventually traversed the river and came together, and their children became the Mandaya people who live along the river.
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Oct 20: Clownface Betta
Scientific Name: Betta Cracens
Status: Critically Endangered. There are many different species of betta fish in Indonesia that are Endangered. Betta burdigala can be found in peat swamps, and they are endangered because of development projects destroying their habitat. Pollution from runoff into the waterways also contaminates their environment. There is over-exploitation of many betta species for the aquarium trade because their beautiful colors are highly sought by enthusiasts to brighten tanks.
In Sumatra, there is a lake in the caldera of a volcano called Lake Toba. It is the largest volcanic lake in the world, clear waters surrounded by ragged peaks. There is a legend of a time before Lake Toba: a farmer lived in the shadow of a mountain in that region. From the streams, he would fish. One morning he caught an enormous fish, and when he pulled his catch ashore, it was transformed into a beautiful maiden. She agreed to marry the farmer, on the condition that he never reveal to anyone her origins.
They lived happily together for a while, and had a son. One day, the father quarreled with his son, and in a hot-headed moment, he cried out an insult, saying to his son that he was "the son of a fish!" The fish maiden wife heard this and was saddened that the farmer had broken his promise. The earth trembled, and the nearby mountain exploded in a volcanic eruption. Flood, storm, and calamity ensued, and as the region filled with water, Lake Toba was formed.
The maiden is called Dragon Queen by the people who live on the shores of Lake Toba. She is the keeper of the lake. They say when she is vexed, she unleashes storms and the waters of Lake Toba tremble with her displeasure. The island of Samosir that sits in the lake is said to be her son. In Indonesian mythology, dragons are often seen as benevolent guardians of the natural and spiritual realms.
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Oct 22: Olive Tree
Scientific Name: Olea europaea
Status: Originating in Italy, today olive trees are grown in many other countries for olive crops, including Spain and Greece. In their native region in Italy, they are being plagued by the spread of a deadly bacteria Xylella fastidiosa that is quickly decimating groves. Climate change has affected weather patterns and temperatures, and these fluctuations greatly affect plants that are acclimated to their particular environments. Lack of, or excessive rainfall affects trees susceptibility to pathogens. Many tree species around the world are experiencing these difficulties. Their longer lifespan compared to smaller plants makes them less adaptable to change and less able to exist outside of their native geographic zones.
In antiquity, the olive tree was the symbol of civilization, peace, and prosperity. The Ancient Greeks had a story of how Athena won over Attica.
Posiedon, god of the Sea, and Athena, goddess of Wisdom and War, were at odds. Both wished to lay claim to the earthly land of the Attic Peninsula. To stake his claim, Posiedon rose up and plunged his trident deep into the Acropolis. His strike pierced through the dirt and stone, and the crack became a deep well of salt water. This became the Sea of Erechtheis, a salt spring on the Acropolis. Athena peaceably stepped forward, and made an olive tree spring forth beside the well. When the other gods of Olympus were called upon to judge which god would be the city's patron, it was decided that Athena's gift was the more worthy and precious one. Henceforth the city became known as Athens, and olive trees revered as symbols of peace and prosperity throughout the Empire.
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Oct 24: Black Caiman Alligator
Scientific Name: Melanosuchus nige
Status: Conservation Dependant. In the 1970s, the Black Caiman Alligator was classified as Endangered, but it has since moved to CD, meaning that while the numbers have recovered, its populations are still highly dependent upon active management of resources and enforcement of hunting, and the ecological niche that it once filled has been taken over by faster reproducing spectacled caimans. It was once a very commonly hunted species, desired for the uniquely marked black skin.
Columbian folklore has a tale about El Hombre Caimán ("The Alligator Man") who lives on the banks of the Magdelena River. El Hombre Caimán was once a human fisherman by the name of Montenegro. The fisherman enjoyed spying upon women bathing in the streams, and so he engaged the help of a shaman, who gave him two potions: one that shifted him into an alligator, and a second that returned him to human shape. The second potion required the assistance of a friend, since he did not have the dexterity to manage it in the form of an alligator.
After enjoying this for some time, there came an occasion when he returned from a jaunt to his friend, who clumsily opened the bottle. The liquid splashed across Montenegro's head and torso, which resumed man-form, but this left his lower half trapped as an alligator.
Horrified at what he had become, shunned and hunted by his neighbors, he fled into the river, and eventually out beyond the mouth of the river to the sea.
Statues and murals of El Hombre Caimán can be found in the region.
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Oct 26: Andean Cat
Scientific Name: Leopardus jacobita
Status: Endangered. Found high in the Andes and the Patagonian steppe, the Andean Cat is threatened by habitat loss, hunting, and disease. Much of their habitat has been fragmented by mining and resource extraction, and it has been hunted for food and traditional medicine. Also, much of the Andean Cat's prey species, mountain vizcacha, has also been severely hunted with declining populations.
In the mythology of the Incas, Qhoa was a feline deity, associated with lightning and rainstorms. In this aspect Qhoa was benevolent, but also could be vengeful and punishing with destructive hail. The dark clouds that darken the sky before a storm marked Qhoa's approach. The darkness and shape of the clouds were a sign of the storms' intensity. Rainbows seen in a thunderstorm were especially noted as harbinger of hail and lightning. The people make offerings to those rainbows so that lightning does not destructively strike crops or people.
In pre-Incan Paracas civilization, Kon was an early deity. He was the son of the Sun, personification of earthquakes, creating the mountains and valleys and the first humans. At first the humans honored him, but when they drifted and forgot to be grateful to him, he ceased giving them rain and prosperity and the land became parched. Disgusted by the disloyalty of the humans, Kon changed them into cats and left the earth in darkness. In the wake of this, came Pachacámac, a new god, who challenged Kon and won. Kon left, and Pachacámac started fresh with creating new men and women.
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Oct 28: Ethiopian Wolf
Scientific Name: Canis simensis
Status: Endangered. Ethiopian Wolf numbers are very small, and their range has been fragmented, populations of them only existing in seven isolated mountain ranges in Ethiopia. Expanding human populations have further limited their habitat, and resulted in interbreeding with domestic ranging dogs. Livestock overgrazing in shared lands has caused a decrease in the wolves' primary prey animal - mole rats.
The Aberdeen Bestiary was written in the 12th century. It is an illuminated manuscript, commissioned by a rich patron. It is gilded with gold and silver and depicts all manner of creatures painted with expensive pigments. On Ethiopian wolves in particular, it says that they have manes in an array of many colors "so diversely coloured, men say, that no hue is lacking". The wolves can leap so high and far, that it is as if they have wings, and they never attack men. The author goes on to muse that the Latin genus of these creatures, "Canis" (which includes wolves, dogs, coyotes, and jackals) might be traced to "canere" which is the latin word "to sing", and might be attributed to the musical howl that a wolf engages in.
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Oct 30: Crested Ibis
Scientific Name: Nipponia nippon
Status: Endangered. The feathers of the crested ibis were sought after for use in feather dusters, decor, and ornamentation of hats. They were hunted for their meat, which was thought to have medicinal qualities. The bird was brought to the brink of extinction, as industrialization drained much of the swamps and shoreland. They were wiped out entirely in Japan by 2003. While they were still present in China, conservation and efforts at protection were begun to try to save this species with so much historical cultural significance. Captive breeding programs were instated to bolster the dwindling populations. In 2015, a Japanese restoration program began to release them back into the wild in Japan.
Most of the reintroduced birds now live on Sado Island, and a local culture of human harmony with the ibises, and thus with the whole ecosystem, has arisen. Eco-friendly rice farming practices interweave with creating suitable habitat of rice fields, ponds, mountains, woods, and meadows where the crested ibis can thrive. As an umbrella species that exists as one of the top predators in the food chain, their presence improves the welfare of all the other interlinked species in the region. The birds have become living symbols and ambassadors of "satoyama", which is the combination of abundant nature with harmonious rural livelihood. Satoyama embraces biodiversity. It is an idealized vision of flora and fauna and wilderness co-existing with a human environment in pastoral nostalgia.
The crested ibis has been found in ancient texts (The Nihon Shoki, "Chronicles of Japan", which is the second oldest book of classical Japanese history and mythological origins) and imperial tombs in Japan. It is called "toki" and the name in kanji means "peach flower bird", for the pale pink blush of the feathers, and in China it is known as a bird of good fortune.
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