"What else could it be, that Japan has a rich tapestry of folktales featuring all sorts of fantastical creatures?"

126 points · 20 comments · view on lemmy.world

20 Comments

Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works · 32 pts · 1y (7 replies)

And medieval European books have knights fighting giant snails. Whatever could it mean?

FlyingSquid@lemmy.world · 29 pts · 1y (6 replies)

The reptilians clearly killed off all the giant snails in Europe after the knights tried to fight them while mounted on them.

I can't explain the rabbits though.

ICastFist@programming.dev · 34 pts · 1y (5 replies)

Can you explain dicks on trees, tho?

FlyingSquid@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 1y

Have you never seen a penis willow before? I mean I assume you've heard of pussy willows.

Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 1y

Ahhh, so that's the field where upon mine fucks grow! It is no longer baren.

jerkface@lemmy.ca · 7 pts · 1y

They don't grow naturally like that. They're grafted on, like a fruit tree that has apples, pears and plums. Mostly plums.

Varcour@lemm.ee · 5 pts · 1y (1 reply)

Honestly though, what do those pictures mean? Just bored monks or is there a story behind them?

ICastFist@programming.dev · 9 pts · 1y

Bored monks, most of the time. Just image search "weird medieval illumination" for all sorts of weird shit on books from 1100~1400

ChicoSuave@lemmy.world · 24 pts · 1y (4 replies)

The actual answer is because Japan has lots of reptile representation among their demons and yokai.

Japan has lizards and enjoys them as a culture to celebrate. The closest the West has is "salamander = fire".

FlyingSquid@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 1y (3 replies)

There's some others, like sea serpents and the Western concept of dragons as giant flying lizards. A dragon is literally the symbol of Wales (okay, a wyvern if you want to be technical about it, but whatever).

MutilationWave@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 1y (1 reply)

(okay, a wyvern if you want to be technical about it, but whatever)

Nah that's a dragon. They hadn't invented D&D yet.

FlyingSquid@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 1y

For what it's worth, the word goes back to the 17th century. But Wikipedia also calls them a type of dragon, so 🤷.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyvern

Justas@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 1y

There's also a Baltic cult of worshipping wood snakes. And a fairy tale about one being the king of the sea.

AFC1886VCC@reddthat.com · 12 pts · 1y (1 reply)
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ICastFist@programming.dev · 6 pts · 1y

Not even a maid that polishes spears. Such sad :(

felykiosa@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 1y

It is in fact a reference to the argonian maid but government don't want you to know!

some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org · 8 pts · 1y

They were so close, but it was actually amphibians.

asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 1y (2 replies)

Reptilian? It has clearly visible gills and fins, and looks distinctly like a fish.

meyotch@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 1y

I see a Sleestak. The slowest, least scary monster in all media. And this one is a monk!

DavidGarcia@feddit.nl · 0 pts · 1y

not really

FilthyHands@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 1y

The Secret of the Ooze