Manticore (Manticore)
Boris Vallejo - Manticore
(Mythical monster (Manticore)
Material from Wikipedia
Manticore(Mythical monster (Manticore)
Manticore- a fictional creature, a monster the size of a horse, with the head of a man, the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion.
Manticore(lat. Manticora, Epibouleus Oxisor) - a fictional creature - a monster with the body of a red lion, the head of a man and the tail of a scorpion. A creature with a red mane, three rows of teeth and bloodshot eyes. The tail of the manticore ends with spikes, the poison of which kills instantly.
Manticore (translated from Farsi - cannibal), the Indians called the cannibal tiger. The sharp edges of the teeth of many predators can give the impression that there are several rows of teeth in the mouth. The black keratinized tip of the tail resembles a claw. In addition, according to ancient beliefs, the whiskers of a tiger were considered poisonous. The Persians saw a human face in the image of a tiger deity and transmitted the resulting description of the manticore to the Greeks.
It was believed that the manticore is a predator and can prey on people. Therefore, in medieval miniatures, you can often see the image of a manticore with a human hand or foot in its teeth.
The first mention of the manticore is found in the books of the Greek physician Ctesias, thanks to whom many Persian myths became known to the Greeks. Aristotle and Pliny the Elder directly refer to Ctesias in their writings.
He (Ctesias) assures that the Indian beast "martihora" has a triple row of teeth on both - the lower and upper jaws, and it is the size of a lion and is just as hairy, its legs are like the legs of a lion; his face and ears resemble those of a human; his eyes are blue, and he himself is bright red; his tail is the same as that of an earthen scorpion - he has a sting in his tail and he has the ability to shoot, like arrows, with needles attached to his tail; his voice is something between the sound of a flute and a trumpet; he can run as fast as a deer and is wild and cannibalistic.
(Aristotle "History of Animals")
However, the most complete of the ancient descriptions of the manticore was made in the 2nd century AD. e. Elyan. He gives some curious details: “Anyone who approaches her, she strikes with her sting ... Poison Thorns on her tail, they are comparable in thickness to a stalk of reeds, and are about 30 centimeters long ... She is able to defeat any of the animals, with the exception of a lion. In the 2nd century A.D. e. Flavius Philostratus the Elder mentions the manticore as one of the miracles about which Apollonius of Tyana questions Iarchus on the hill of the sages.
Although the manticore is rarely mentioned in ancient scientific books, its descriptions abound in medieval bestiaries. From there, the manticore migrated to folklore. So, in the XIII century, Bartholomew of England wrote about it, in the XIV century - William Caxton in the book "Mirror of the World". In Caxton, the manticore's three rows of teeth became "a stockade of huge teeth in her throat", and her flute-like voice became "a sweet serpentine hiss with which she draws people to her, to then devour them."
In the 20th century, ideas about the manticore continued to develop. For example, in the bestiary of the Polish science fiction writer Andrzej Sapkowski, the manticore acquired wings and learned to shoot in any direction with its poisoned spikes. And in the novel by the English writer J. Rowling “Magical Creatures and Where to Find Them,” the manticore “begins to purr softly after absorbing another victim.” Also, according to Rowling, "the skin of a manticore reflects almost all known spells." In the story of the Russian science fiction writer Nikolai Basov "Demon Hunter", the manticore has the ability to heal its wounds almost instantly. The image of Manticore is also found in modern animation. For example, in the animated American series The Amazing Misadventures of Flapjack, in one of the episodes, the manticore is presented in the form of a lion with a man's face and small wings, which becomes meek when tickled. Manticore met in computer games series "Might and Magic" - in "Heroes of Might and Magic III" and "Might and Magic 7" looked like a lion with a scorpion tail and wings (looks similarly in the latest animated series "My Little Pony"), in "Heroes of Might and Magic V" a human face was added to the image, and is also a non-playable monster in the game "Allods Online" (also a lion with a scorpion tail and wings). The manticore is one of the key characters in the novel of the same name by Canadian writer Robertson Davis.
Manticore - Manticore - The story of this terrible creature can be found in Aristotle (IV century BC) and Pliny the Elder (I century AD). The manticore is the size of a horse, has a human face, three rows of teeth, a lion's body and a scorpion's tail, and bloodshot red eyes. Manticore runs so fast that he overcomes any distance in the blink of an eye. This makes it extremely dangerous - after all, it is almost impossible to escape from it, and the monster feeds only on fresh human meat. Therefore, on medieval miniatures, you can often see the image of a manticore with a human hand or foot in its teeth.
In medieval works of natural history, the manticore was considered to be real, but living in deserted places.
The evidence that the manticore exists was the disappearance of people. Moreover, if they disappeared without a trace, this was considered to be the presence of a monster, because it ate its victims without a hundred, along with clothes.
Manticore
The habitat of the manticore is most often called India and Indonesia, since there are quite a lot of people disappearing in the jungle.
The earliest legends are considered Persian. The name itself - from the old Persian martikhoras means "cannibal". This word went into European mythology.
Pausanias, in his Description of Greece, recalled on his pages the strange animals he had seen in Rome:
"The animal described by Ctesias in his Indian History is called martichoras, which means 'man-eater'. I am inclined to think it is a lion, but it has three rows of teeth along each jaw and spikes at the tip of its tail which it can throw like arrows at enemies; all this, I think, is a false story invented by the Indians due to their excessive fear of this animal. 
In the Middle Ages, the Manticore was an extremely popular animal and was often illustrated in bestiaries with body parts in its teeth.
Manticore - illustration of a medieval bestiary
The thirteenth century romance of Alexander the Great, King Alexander, says that he lost 30,000 men to such animals as snakes, lions, bears, dragons, unicorns, and manticores. However, already in the second century of our era, the authors began to think that the mythical monster was nothing more than an Indian man-eating tiger.
The last manifestation of the munticore was in the heraldry of the 16th century. This often influenced Mannerist artists who included this animal in their work. But more often in decorative paintings, called grotesques. Manticore denoted the sin of fraud - a chimera with the face of a beauty. Then this image moved to the 17th-18th century already like a sphinx
In the Middle Ages, the mythical monster was the emblem for the prophet Jeremiah. At the same time, the mythical monster became a symbol of tyranny, envy, and ultimately the embodiment of evil.
The first mention of the manticore is found in the books of the Greek physician Ctesias, thanks to which many Persian myths became known to the Greeks. Aristotle and Pliny the Elder directly refer to Ctesias in their writings.
He (Ctesias) assures that the Indian beast "martihora" has a triple row of teeth on both - the lower and upper jaws, and it is the size of a lion and is just as hairy, its legs are like the legs of a lion; his face and ears resemble those of a human; his eyes are blue, and he himself is bright red; his tail is the same as that of an earthen scorpion - he has a sting in his tail and he has the ability to shoot, like arrows, with needles attached to his tail; his voice is something between the sound of a flute and a trumpet; he can run as fast as a deer and is wild and cannibalistic.
Aristotle "History of Animals"
However, the most complete of the ancient descriptions of the manticore was made in the 2nd century AD. e. Claudius Elian ("On the Nature of Animals"). He gives some curious details: “Anyone who approaches her, she strikes with her sting ... The poisonous spikes on her tail are comparable in thickness to a stalk of reeds, and are about 30 centimeters long ... She is able to defeat any of the animals, with the exception of a lion " . In the 2nd century A.D. e. Flavius Philostratus The Elder mentions the manticore as one of the miracles about which Apollonius Tyansky questions Iarh on the hill of the sages.
Although the manticore is rarely mentioned in ancient scientific books, its descriptions abound in medieval bestiaries. From there, the manticore migrated to folklore. So, in the XIII century, Bartholomew of England wrote about it, in the XIV century - William Caxton in the book "Mirror of the World". In Caxton, the manticore's three rows of teeth became "a stockade of huge teeth in her throat", and her flute-like voice became "a sweet serpentine hiss with which she draws people to her, to then devour them."
In the 20th century, ideas about the manticore continued to develop. For example, in the bestiary of the Polish science fiction writer Andrzej Sapkowski, the manticore acquired wings and learned to shoot in any direction with its poisoned spikes. And in the novel by the English writer J. Rowling “Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the manticore “begins to purr softly after absorbing another victim.” Also, according to Rowling, "the skin of a manticore reflects almost all known spells." In the story of the Russian science fiction writer Nikolai Basov "Demon Hunter", the manticore has the ability to heal its wounds almost instantly. In the movie Manticore (2005), a manticore cannot be killed by anything, and only the look of another manticore (or its reflection) can turn it into stone. In the Grimm series (s3e11 "The Good Soldier" and s4e12 "The Gendarme"), manticores are depicted as dangerous and deadly creatures, devoid of the fear of death. The image of Manticore is also found in modern animation. For example, in the animated American TV series The Amazing Misadventures of Flapjack, in one of the episodes, the manticore is presented in the form of a lion with a man's face and small wings, which becomes meek when tickled. The manticore met in the computer games of the Disciples, Dark Souls and Might and Magic series in Heroes of Might and Magic III" and "Might and Magic 7" looked like a lion with a scorpion tail and wings (looks similarly in the animated series " My little pony" (s1e2 and s5e6)), in "Heroes of Might and Magic V", a human face was added to the image, and is also a non-playable monster in the game "
For 500 years BC. e. Ctesias, a young native of Sparta, was captured by the Persians. There it occurred to him to write historical works about different countries. The sources of information were slaves of different nationalities. Returning to his homeland, Ctesias designed his works into several historical treatises. In a work called Indica, he mentioned a terrible monster called the manticore.
general description
Even in antiquity, the works of Ctesias raised doubts for their authenticity. The ancient Greek philosopher Plutarch openly declared the distortion of facts by the historian. The writings of Ctesias have survived to this day in a rewritten form. The researchers proved that the bulk of the text is fictitious. In this case, questions arise: did the manticore exist and could Ctesias confuse it with other mythical creatures.
Appearance
According to the descriptions, the manticore looked like this:
- human head;
- torso and paws of a lion;
- scorpion tail;
- red mane;
- blood red coat;
- 3 rows of sharp teeth;
- claw-daggers;
- Blue eyes.
The size of the monster was like a large horse. The voice of the manticore was like the sounds of a flute and a trumpet at the same time. She could hiss like a snake. The scorpion's tail, 30 cm long, was completely dotted with poisonous spikes, the size of reed stems.
Later, the monster acquired wings and a skin that reflects magical spells. Blue eyes turned red, and teeth moved from mouth to throat. Manticore began to be depicted with a part of the human body in her teeth, confirming her cannibalistic inclinations.
Interpretation of the role of the manticore in myths
There are several versions of the interpretation of the role of such a creature as a manticore.
- Beast-eater.
- Avatar of god Vishnu.
- Sphinx.
- Chimera.
Due to the fact that the sources in which this creature is described are definitely doubtful, each version has the right to exist.
Beast Manticore
Based on this version, it can be argued that the manticore is an ancient creature, a fiend. The animal's favorite delicacy was fresh human flesh. The only way to tame a monster was with the help of magic. Black magicians used her as a watchman. But the guard from the manticore was not very good: having caught a man, she did not give him to the sorcerers, but immediately devoured him. The monster had the following qualities:
- high speed of movement in space;
- mastery of hypnosis;
- throwing poisonous spikes at a distance;
- instant regeneration of lost spikes;
- silent movement;
- so much power that you can rip a person's body with claws;
- cunning and cunning.
In the Middle Ages, the beast was considered real being living in India. It was believed that the monster lives in crowded places. At night, the insidious beast tracked down a lonely victim and devoured it, leaving not even a piece of clothing. All the missing people were attributed to the tricks of the manticore.
According to legend, the monster was afraid only of lions, and willingly fought with all other animals. A medieval source describes a case of killing a basilisk by a manticore. People believed that if the monster's poisonous tail was cut off, it would die, so the bravest men in India hunted the manticore.
The fourth avatar of the god Vishnu
Hindus believed that before the creation of the world, 3 strong gods united in Trimurti (Hindu trinity). Brahma created the universe, Shiva brought evil into it, and Vishnu brought good. The duty of the god Vishnu was to maintain the balance of good and evil in the universe. Each time, descending to earth to restore justice, he took on a new appearance (avatar). There are 9 avatars of the god Vishnu:
- Matsya fish;
- turtle Kurma;
- boar Vasakha;
- manticore Narasimha;
- dwarf Vamana;
- the common man Parashurama;
- Prince Rama;
- warrior Krishna;
- Buddha.
Hindus believe that there will be a tenth reincarnation. God Vishnu in his usual form will descend to earth on a white horse with a sword of justice in his hands. With this sword, he will forever bring order to the earth. In Indian legends there is a legend about the Fourth Avatar. According to her, Vishnu took the form of a lion-man. This reincarnation was called the Narasimha manticore.
When Hiranyakashipu satisfied Brahma, he endowed him with unlimited power: with the exception of the trinity of Trimurti, all the gods were subordinate to Hiranyakashipu. The demon reveled in power, bathed in luxury, repaired lawlessness and debauchery.
The last straw of his lawlessness was an attempt to kill his own son, an adherent of the god Vishnu. A moment before the massacre, Vishnu appeared from the column in the form of a manticore. He attacked Hiranyakasipu with lightning speed and devoured him. Manticore restored justice.
The image of the Sphinx
In the myths of Persia, the manticore is described as a creature that loved to make riddles to lonely wanderers. If the traveler guessed the riddle, the monster let him go; if not, he devoured him. This description is very reminiscent of the Greek Sphinx - a relative of the popular Egyptian watchman of the same name.
According to ancient Greek myths, the Thebean king Lai brought down the wrath of the goddess Hera, the patroness of the family and marriage, for sodomy. As punishment, Hera sent the Sphinx to Thebes to guard the only road leading to the city. The inhabitants of Thebes were cut off from other places, and very soon a famine began in the city.
The only opportunity to pass the Sphinx was given to the one who guessed it. tricky riddle: "Who walks on 4 legs in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, and 3 in the evening?" Such a riddle for the Sphinx was invented by 9 muses - the goddesses of art and reason, but none of the Thebes could find the right solution, and they were strangled by a monster. When the wise Oedipus answered the Sphinx that the answer is a man, the proud creature threw himself off the cliff, freeing the city.
In addition to the passion for guessing deadly riddles, the Sphinx and the manticore have similarities in appearance. The ancient Greeks portrayed a mythical creature with the body of a lion, which symbolized extraordinary physical strength, and the head of a woman, as a symbol of intelligence and cunning.
Manticore and Chimera
All the same Ancient Greece knew another creature that can be confused with a manticore. Daughter of Typhon and Echidna, sister of Cerberus, Hydra and Sphinx, Chimera is the most ridiculous mythical creature from ancient Greek mythology. The evil creature spent his whole life doing dirty work for people, destroying fields, gardens and livestock.
The Chimera had the body of a goat and the head of a lion. Like the manticore, she had a red lion's mane and a poisonous tail. True, in the description of the ancient Greek mythical monster, the tail is similar to that of a snake, but given the length of the manticore's tail, they can be safely identified.
The chimera could spew flames from its mouth, which it used to destroy the human economy. When the king was tired of her next trick, he sent the hero Bellerophon to destroy the monster. To help the noble husband, the king gave the winged Pegasus. According to legend, Bellerophon soared into the sky so high that the fiery breath of the Chimera could not reach him. Then the hero began to shoot arrows at the monster and every one of them dug into the body of the Chimera. In terrible agony, the monster fell on a rock and died.
In the description of the death of the Chimera, one can also draw analogies with the manticore. At the beginning of the fight, she growled menacingly, then hissed furiously, and struck by the arrows of Bellerophon, squealed like a goat. The manticore could make trumpet sounds like a growl and flute sounds like a goat bleating. A manticore's hiss is like a snake's. In the myth, the Chimera, studded with arrows, from a height of flight seems to the hero to be a creature bristling with black needles.
The image of a creature in art
Indian mythology is still considered a little-studied area. This is due to its lack of system. To the old mythical creatures similar new ones are added, but under different names. One gets the feeling that the Indians themselves do not remember their myths.
The image of the manticore is still a mystery. One can only imagine what a manticore looks like, but it is impossible to understand what kind of animal it is. On the one hand, this is a cruel bloodthirsty monster, on the other, an implacable fighter for justice.
Nowadays, the image of the manticore is actively used in literature and cinema in the genre of mysticism and fantasy. The popular English writer JK Rowling used this image in her latest book, and in the acclaimed TV series Game of Thrones, the dragon lord Daenerys Stormborn in one of the episodes talks about manticores as sacred magical creatures.
Manticore (monster)
Manticore
Manticore
It was believed that the manticore is a predator and can prey on people. Therefore, in medieval miniatures, you can often see the image of a manticore with a human hand or foot in its teeth.
The first mention of the manticore is found in the books of a Greek doctor. Ctesia, thanks to which many Persian myths became known to the Greeks. Aristotle and Pliny the Elder in their writings they directly refer to Ctesias.
He (Ctesias) assures that the Indian beast "martihora" has a triple row of teeth on both - the lower and upper jaws, and it is the size of a lion and is just as hairy, its legs are like the legs of a lion; his face and ears resemble those of a human; his eyes are blue, and he himself is bright red; his tail is the same as that of an earthen scorpion - he has a sting in his tail and he has the ability to shoot, like arrows, with needles attached to his tail; his voice is something between the sound of a flute and a trumpet; he can run as fast as a deer and is wild and cannibalistic.
(Aristotle "History of Animals")
However, the most complete of the ancient descriptions of the manticore was made in the 2nd century AD. e. Elyan. He gives some curious details: “Anyone who approaches her, she strikes with her sting ... The poisonous spikes on her tail are comparable in thickness to a stalk of reeds, and are about 30 centimeters long ... She is able to defeat any of the animals, with the exception of a lion " . In the 2nd century A.D. e. Flavius Philostratus the Elder mentions the manticore as one of the miracles that Apollonius of Tyana asks Iarchus on the hill of the wise.
Although the manticore is rarely mentioned in ancient scientific books, its descriptions abound in medieval bestiaries. From there, the manticore migrated to folklore. So, in the XIII century, Bartholomew of England wrote about it, in the XIV century - William Caxton in the book "Mirror of the World". In Caxton, the manticore's three rows of teeth became "a stockade of huge teeth in her throat", and her flute-like voice became "a sweet serpentine hiss with which she draws people to her, to then devour them."
In the 20th century, ideas about the manticore continued to develop. For example, in the bestiary of the Polish science fiction writer Andrzej Sapkowski, the manticore acquired wings and learned to shoot in any direction with its poisoned spikes. And in the novel by the English writer J. Rowling"Magical creatures and where to look for them" manticore "after absorbing the next victim, begins to purr softly." Also, according to Rowling, "the skin of a manticore reflects almost all known spells." In the story of the Russian science fiction writer Nikolai Basov "Demon Hunter", the manticore has the ability to heal its wounds almost instantly. The image of Manticore is also found in modern animation. For example, in the American animated series The Amazing Misadventures of Flapjack", In one of the episodes, the manticore is presented in the form of a lion with a man's face and small wings, which becomes peaceful when tickled. Manticore met in computer games of the series " Might and Magic" - v " Heroes of Might and Magic III" and " Might and Magic 7"looked like a lion with a scorpion tail and wings (looks similar in the latest My Little Pony animated series)," Heroes of Might and Magic V"a human face was added to the image, and is also a non-playable monster in the game" Allods Online(also a lion with a scorpion tail and wings). Manticore is one of the key characters in the Canadian writer's novel of the same name. Robertson Davis.
Notes
Categories:
- Non-heraldic figures
- mythical animals
- Mythical cannibals
- medieval mythology
- Persian mythology
- Characters in The Book of Fictional Creatures by Borges
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .
See what "Mantikore (monster)" is in other dictionaries:
Manticore (lat. Manticora) is an ambiguous term. The Manticore is a fictional creature, a horse-sized monster with the head of a man, the body of a lion, and the tail of a scorpion. Manticore (lat. Manticora) is a genus of beetles from the family of ground beetles ... ... Wikipedia
Manticore: (lat. Manticora) Manticore is a fictional creature, a monster the size of a horse, with a human head, a lion's body and a scorpion's tail. Manticores (lat. Manticora) is a genus of beetles from the family of ground beetles (Carabidae), subfamily ... ... Wikipedia
This article lacks links to sources of information. The information must be verifiable, otherwise it may be questioned and removed. You can ... Wikipedia
Loading...