APIFantasy | Myth and Folklore Anthology

Indian/Hindu Mythology - Mythical Creatures

⇝WATER⇜

MATSYA

Matsya is the Fish Incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu. Often described as the first of Vishnu's Ten Primary Incarnations, Matsya is described to have rescued the first man Manu from a great deluge. Matsya may be depicted as a giant fish, often golden in color, or anthropomorphically with the torso of Vishnu connected to the rear half of a fish.

MAKARA

Makara is a legendary sea-creature in Hindu mythology. In Hindu astrology, Makara is equivalent to the Zodiac sign Capricorn. Makara appears as the vahana (vehicle) of the river goddess Ganga, Narmada and of the sea god Varuna. Makara are considered guardians of gateways and thresholds, protecting throne rooms as well as entryways to temples; it is the most commonly recurring creature in Hindu and Buddhist temple iconography, and also frequently appears as a Gargoyle or as a spout attached to a natural spring. Makara-shaped earrings called Makara kundalas are sometimes worn by the Hindu gods, for example Shiva, the Destroyer, or the Preserver-god Vishnu, the Sun god Surya, and the Mother Goddess Chandi. Makara is also the insignia of the love god Kamadeva, who has no dedicated temples and is also known as Makaradhvaja, "one whose flag depicts a makara''.

VITRA

Vritra is a Vedic serpent, dragon or demon in Hinduism, the personification of drought and adversary of Indra. Vritra is identified as an asura. Vritra was also known in the Vedas as Ahi. He appears as a dragon blocking the course of the rivers and is heroically slain by Indra.

THE RAINBOW FISH

In Hinduism, the Rainbow Fish was a legend about a fish that was as large as a whale. It ate Buddha, an incarnation of the deity Vishnu, but then was caught and killed by fishermen who freed Buddha from its stomach. After the Rainbow Fish was caught, it provided an entire nation with food for a year.

⇝LAND⇜

AIRAVATA

Airavata is a white elephant who carries the deity Indra. It is also called 'abhra-Matanga', meaning "elephant of the clouds"; 'Naga-malla', meaning "the fighting elephant"; and 'Arkasodara', meaning "brother of the sun". 'Abhramu' is the elephant wife of Airavata. Airavata has ten tusks and five trunks and is spotless white.  Airavata is also the third son of Iravati. In the Mahabharata he is listed as a great serpent.

YALI

Yali is a mythical creature seen in many South Indian temples, often sculpted onto the pillars. It may be portrayed as part lion, part elephant and part horse, and in similar shapes. Also, it has been sometimes described as a leogryph (part lion and part griffin), with some bird-like features.

Descriptions of and references to yalis are very old, but they became prominent in south Indian sculpture in the 16th century. Yalis were believed to be more powerful than the lion, the tiger or the elephant.

KAMADHENU

Kamadhenu, also known as Surabhi, is a divine bovine-goddess described in Hinduism as Gou Mata "cow mother". She is a miraculous cow of plenty who provides her owner whatever he desires and is often portrayed as the mother of other cattle. In iconography, she is generally depicted as a white cow with a female head and breasts, the wings of a bird, and the tail of a peafowl or as a white cow containing various deities within her body. Cow veneration in Hinduism is directed at the earthly embodiment of the Kamadhenu. As such, Kamadhenu is not worshipped independently as a goddess; rather, she is honored by the veneration of cows in general by subsets of the Hindu population.

ICHCHADHARI NAAG

Ichchadhari Naags (female: Ichchadhari Naagins) are mythical shape-shifting cobras in Indian folklore. They are great devotees of Lord Shiva.