Manticore
The manticore ( Persian Martyaxwar and Mardxār: "ogre") is a Persian mythical creature . In addition to the Greek μαρτιχόρας and Latin manticorus , other variants of the word appear as Manticor, Manticore, Manticora, Martichoras, Marticora . In Indian, the occidental variant manticore is used today alongside the Persian.
description
The manticore is a hybrid creature with the body of a lion (typically with vermilion fur), the tail of a dragon or scorpion and, in some representations, also with wings. His face, which is disfigured by three rows of teeth one behind the other, and the ears resemble those of a person. The manticore can fire poisonous stings like arrows that contain the poison of the Upas tree ( Antiaris toxicaria ). In some versions, he can also shoot these arrows from his mane. However, it also kills with its claws, is very agile, can make powerful jumps and has a very loud voice.
It is said that it lives in the Indian jungle and also feeds on people, among other things. The manticore can speak and attains the intelligence of a person.
history
The oldest known occurrence of this mythical creature comes from Persian sagas from the 5th century BC. The old Persian word Martiyaxvāra ( "Martikhoras" ) means "man eater ".
In the Middle Ages, the manticore became a symbol of tyranny, oppression and envy, and finally the embodiment of evil.
reception
The manticore is used as inspiration in popular music; Groups like the British progressive rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer , who also named their music label Manticore Records after him , the metal bands Manticora , Cradle of Filth , Hate Squad , 3 Inches of Blood and Kromlek refer to him.
The manticore appears frequently in fantasy games, including in role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons , The Black Eye , the trading card game Magic: The Gathering and computer games such as Witcher , Heroes of Might and Magic , Final Fantasy , World of Warcraft and Dragon Nest mostly as antagonists.
Manticores also appear in films and series such as Charmed - Magical Witches , Grimm , Dark Angel , Manticore - Bloody Krallen , Adventure Time or Merlin - The New Adventures . A manticore also belongs to the horror menagerie of Mammy Fortuna in The Last Unicorn ( film and book), although there only the suggestive power of the witch creates the manticore. The real unicorn, also caught in the menagerie, recognizes the dizziness and sees an old, toothless lion in the manticore.
Canadian writer Robertson Davies wrote a novel in 1972 called The Manticore . In the Lexicon Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by Joanne K. Rowling , a supplement to the Harry Potter series of novels, the “highly dangerous Greek beast” received its own entry. In the English-language Game World trilogy by Indian author Samit Basu , the second volume is titled The Manticore's Secret . A manticore plays an important role here.
A blue manticore, actually a disguised liger , is the central figure in volume 167 of the youth book series Die Drei ??? under the title "... and the blue beast" by Hendrik Buchna .
The fictional star kingdom of Manticore , one of the main locations in the science fiction novel series Honor Harrington , is named after the manticore and features it as heraldic animal.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Pausanias 9.21.4
- ↑ Pliny , Naturalis historia 8.30
- ↑ Marion Michaela Steinicke: Apocalyptic hosts and servants of God. Wonder people of the east from the fall of antiquity to the discovery of America. Dissertation, Humboldt University Berlin, 2005; Footnote No. 14, on p. 14 .
