Pokemon Based on Spooky Lore [Part 3]

[Fairy]

HOUNDOOM

Houndoom may have been based on the Cerberus of Greek and Roman mythology, or other legends of hellhounds. Houndoom is also similar in appearance to Dobermans. Its tail resembles that of common depictions of the devil. Houndoom also seems to bear some resemblances to the extinct Tasmanian Tiger/Tasmanian Wolf. The Tasmanian Tiger was a hound-like marsupial with a lean body and stripey pattern on its back, much like Houndoom in respects of appearance. Houndoom's shiny coloration could be based on Yama, the Hindu Lord of the Fallen, who often appears blue and red.

LOMBRE

Lombre is based upon the Kappa of Japanese lore. The Kappa is recorded as being a river dwelling monster that resembled a human-sized turtle. They have large indentations in their head which need to be full of water at all times; if their head runs dry then the Kappa will lose its supernatural powers and possibly even die. What makes the Kappa so horrifying is the danger they present to humans. Kappa were said to kidnap women and children so that they could be eaten; after all, the Kappa's favorite food was human entrails.

SPIRITOMB

Spiritomb is based on a Jibakurei, a spirit bound to a single place. It is also based on a Buddhist tradition performed on New Year's Eve in Japan. A bell is rung 108 times to chase away the 108 temptations in order to achieve Nirvana. The wisps of spirits surrounding its face also resemble a set of prayer beads, a possible reference to Japa. It may also be based on a crystal ball.

TORNADUS

Tornadus' journey starts in ancient Greece, where the bitter north wind was represented by the god Boreas, who was portrayed as unruly, ill-tempered, and wearing a billowing cloak. As Greece went eastward for trade and expansion, so did Boreas. By the time he made it to Japan, Boreas was now known as Fujin. Though he remained a wild-eyed asshole, the god had taken on the physical characteristics of a Buddist demon, and the cloak became a "bag of wind" that needed to be held shut at both ends.

HO-OH

Though it's pretty obvious that Ho-oh is supposed to be a mythical phoenix, it's important to distinguish that it's specifically the Chinese phoenix, which is known as a Fenghuang. While the Greek phoenix is just a bird that can shrug off attempts at rotisserie cooking, Fenghuang is said to have three legs, a tail that's made of planets, and its wings create the wind.

YVELTAL

This legendary Pokémon is an amalgamation of a lot of different mythologies, such as the Celtic death-goddess Morrigan (who often took the form of a raven) and the Norse mythological figures of Hræsvelgr (which takes the form of an eagle and sits at the end of the world), the Hawk Veðrfölnir, or the unnamed eagle that resides at the top of the world tree Yggdrasil.

PARASECT

Parasect is based upon one of the most disturbing organisms in all of the nature – the cordyceps. Cordyceps are a form of parasitic mushroom. When a real life ant comes into contact with the spores of the Cordyceps, the plant quickly infects the ant's body and mind, turning it into a thrall for its own use. The ant then grows large mushrooms out of its body. After draining all the nutrients from the host body it can, the mushroom uses the ant's body to climb to the highest point it can and release all of the spores as it can, continuing the horrifying cycle.​

view part 1 here
view part 1 here

 

[budube]

Relevant:

Spoiler:

 

[colours]

yeah parasect wins this round no contest lol that is massively creepy

 

[Fairy]

I almost didn't include Parasect since it's based on a real life fungus and not a myth or lore, but it was just too cool to pass up this round, haha.

 

[colours]

i mean imagine being eaten from the inside out from a fungus

actually don't bc that's gross but still that's evident of how disturbing parasect's origins are ;_;

 

[Brendino]

Didn't even have to read all the entries- as soon as I saw it on the list I knew that I was voting for Parasect haha

 

[[ANT1-H3R0]]

Parasect is terrifying and will always be terrifying.