INTRO:
Hello and welcome to Myth Monsters, my name is Erin and I’ll be your host for these little snack bite size podcasts on folklore and mythical monsters from around the world. 

These podcasts focus on the actual cryptids, folklore and mythic monsters from global mythology, rather than focusing on full stories of heroes and their big adventures.

I’ll also be dropping in some references that they have to recent culture and where you can see these represented in modern day content so you can learn more, and get as obsessed as I am about these absolute legends of the mythological world.

Happy March - it’s the official month of spring in my eyes, and I’m so happy it’s starting to get sunnier and warmer. I’m certainly fed up with wearing my coat - and also Easter is coming, which means I eat my body weight in Cadbury creme eggs for at least 2 months.

DESCRIPTION:

Not really a spring time episode this week, but one that’s super interesting nonetheless. They are one that you would know if you play World of Warcraft as much or for as long as I have - and that’s the Naga from Hindu and Buddhist folklore!

The Naga are described as half-snake, half human beings, usually with the top half being human, the bottom being a snake tail - however, they can also have reptilian features such as snake eyes, fins, fangs and webbed fingers on the human half too. They are usually bigger than usual humans due to being able to hold themselves higher on their snake tails, and so are usually around 7-8 foot tall, and considerably well built. In terms of their snake-like appearance, they are most like King Cobras, due to their hooded appearances when they do utilise their snake-like features - however, they don’t tend to look like cobras at any other point. They are considered semi-divine creatures, and a race unto themselves - and are immortal. 

They are usually depicted as being female, but male nagas do exist. The males are usually considerably larger, and would wield tridents and spears when guarding, whilst females are more likely to wield either magic, or daggers. Sometimes they are noted to be multi-headed, ending up looking like the Greek Hydra, but this is less reported than the traditional normal human torso/snake tail combo. I will also say that they can sometimes have multiple arms too, which is pretty cool.

In terms of powers, they are able to shapeshift - but only to fully human, and fully snake, nothing in between. They are also super strong and super intelligent with absolutely perfect good looks on their human side. Although they are snake-like, they are known for being the protectors of water and blessings of fertility, and live completely in the water and are able to cause rain. They are usually found in underwater caverns and caves in massive jewelled palaces protecting treasure and also in the Hindu underworld, Patala.

Wait hold up Erin - the underworld?! How are they getting there? Why are they allowed? Well I’ll fully explain later in their origins, but they are descended from the gods and are used as the protectors of the gods within many different texts as bodyguards. They are also used by the gods to punish the truly evil, and are sent to Earth to hunt down these people, as well as those who are destined to die early. 

Outside of this though, they are usually pretty chill to humans but seem pretty intimidating - as long as you do not venture into their guarding zone and you don’t insult them - you should be good. 

The exception to this is if you’re a Garuda, which is another mythical beast from this mythology - a harpy-like man headed legendary bird, who I mentioned in the Roc and Tengu episodes in the past. This monster is the sworn enemy of the Naga for countless reasons, and they have been fighting for eternity, with the King of the Garuda making it his mission to kill any he comes across, usually victoriously. I’ll go into why later because it’s in their origin story!

ORIGIN:

Onto etymology, the word Naga is a word unto itself in Sanskrit - meaning serpent - very literal I know, and a bit boring. But a fun fact about this one is that the Indian Cobra is still referred to as a naga - so that’s fun. What’s a little more interesting is their female and male name differences as female naga are called nagini or nagin, whilst the males are called naga. This is interesting if you’re a Harry Potter fan, as you’ll know Voldemort’s transforming woman/snake is called Nagini - and is of course based on the idea of this monster too. 

What is super interesting though is their background and origin - because there are some really rich stories around this. Now we’re not 100% sure when the myth around these monsters started, however we do know that in SouthEast Asia, they have had rituals dedicated to the Naga from around 2000 years ago. However, we do know the origin story of the Naga from the first written text about them, the Mahabharata, which was written between 400 BC - 400 AD, which is super ambiguous I know.

The story explains that the mother of the Naga and the mother of the Garuda married the same mage, who offered them both one wish. The Naga’s mother, Kadru wished for 1,000 children and so laid 1,000 eggs. Garuda’s mother - Vinata, wished for just two children, but for them to be better than the Naga in every way. The rivalry was born, and went on for thousands of years - eventually Vinata lost a bet and was sent to be a slave for the Naga which her son did not appreciate. He then swore that he would get vengeance for his mother’s treatment and would go on to kill Naga ever since. He freed his mother by stealing nectar of immortality from the Gods, but dropped some on the floor, so the Naga licked up the nectar also giving them immortality and their split tongues.

I did talk about the Underworld, Patala earlier - and how did the Naga get from living semi-harmoniously on the Earth to living in the depths of the oceanic underworld? There were 1,000 of these Naga, so there were just too many and they started to torment the humans. This is when they were cursed by their Brahma for causing a ruckus. The Nagas begged for mercy but were sent to Patala and are said to inhabit the lowest realm in the underworld, Naga-Loka.

Many famous Naga came from this clutch of eggs though, starring in stories from these faiths, such as Shesha - probably the most important Naga of them all. 

Shesha is ingrained within Hindu folklore, as he is considered king of all the Nagas or the Nagaraja. The Hindu Creator god Brahma asked Shesha to hold up the world to keep it stable which he does whilst coiled up. When he uncoils, time moves forward, and if he coils back - the world will cease to exist. He is sometimes depicted as holding up Vishnu, the God King of Hinduism in the cosmic ocean with those multiple heads I talked about earlier. 

Another famous Naga is Vasuki, who lives coiled around the neck of Lord Shiva - another important Hindu deity, and they basically use him as a giant wooden spoon in the ocean of milk in which the gods get their immortality from. 

The most important within the Buddhist faith is Muchalinda, who is the Naga protector of Buddha. Muchalinda famously protected Buddha from storms whilst he meditated, again using these multiple heads to keep him covered with the large hoods like a cobra. You will often see this Naga more than most due to the importance of their role in the Buddhist religion - so you might be used to seeing a Naga with multiple heads - you might not, who knows. 

The Naga are a super important part of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs as they are key elements to their gods’ stories - and not really seen as a monster as such, but a necessary protector with a bit of family drama. The Naga are actually still revered in some parts of Southeast Asia, especially in places such as Cambodia and India where they are still worshipped as fertility deities and protectors of the Buddhist people.

We can certainly figure out why the idea of snakes made it into these cultures, as they are areas where snakes populate. The King Cobra is so rare outside of Southeast and South Asia and is unbelievably dangerous and unique in the way it looks. It also is known occasionally to not bite people, which is quite rare for an aggressive snake - and so this is seen as a blessing from the Naga in some cultures, which I think is pretty cool. 

Of course, we can also see the influence of snakes within many other mythical monsters. You’ve probably thought of the Greek Gorgon at least once during this episode if you’ve seen either of the Clash of the Titan movies. Medusa is sometimes depicted as having a snake tail as well as snake hair, but not much in the myth actually feeds back into her having a snake body - but you can certainly see the similarities with this one. It’s not even the only Greek monster it’s close to, but there’s also the Lamia, half-snake half-women, who were vengeance seeking monsters who killed men specifically. 

There’s also the Melusine or the Starbucks mermaid, which is sometimes known to have a snake-like tail instead of a mermaid one from France, the Nuwa from China and the Nure-onna from Japan - snakes and ladies are the best pair from around the world.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: 

Now onto modern media, there’s loads this week - so I hope you’re ready for some really cool suggestions. My biggest one here is World of Warcraft, if you’re into that kind of game - they cover these monsters amazingly and use them as a main antagonist race for like 2 expansions.

For art, it’s a bit of a tricky one - there are some old-timey portraits of them, but they don’t have names, artists or times so I’m not sure how to tell you about them other than Google Naga if you’re interested? Otherwise - independent art this week is super cool and modern too. You can also see Naga statues or architecture all over Hindu majority countries, so if you’re ever adventuring in Asia, have a look for snake style entities for Naga!

In movies, we have; Nagin (1954 & 1976), The Eagle Man, White Snake, GI Joe: The Movie, Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Ahas, Clash of the Titans, Jungle Boy, Beetlejuice, Nigahen, Jaani Dushman, Star Wars, Hiss, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Nagina, Batman: Soul of the Dragon, The Golden Child, The Lair of the White Worm, The Snake Prince, Dreamscape & The 7th Journey of Sinbad.

For TV, we have; Ninjago, Slayers, Naagin, The Secret Saturdays, Rick and Morty, Legend Quest, Gargoyles, Batman Beyond, Dino-Riders, Ben 10, Masters of the Universe, Conan the Adventurer, Aladdin the series, Steven Universe, WITCH, OnePiece, Sanctuary, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, From Dusk till Dawn, Doctor Who, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Inuyasha, Killing Bites, Fairy Tail, A Centaur’s Life, Bleach, 3x3 Eyes, My Hero Academia, Rosario + Vampire, Destination Truth, Ushio and Tora & One-Punch Man. 

In video games, we have ones such as; Dark Souls, Warcraft 3, Warcraft, World of Warcraft, X-COM, Battleborn, Boxxytress, Toukiden, Skylanders, EverQuest 2, Arabian Fight, Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, Sinjid, Shin Megami Tensei, Tecmo Knight, Shatae, Raging Blades, Hearthstone, Dungeon Crawl, Dusty Revenge, Elden Ring, Hero of Sparta, Guild Wars, Last Armageddon, Miitopia, The Battle for Wesnoth, Total War: Warhammer, Monster Tander, Puzzle & Dragons, League of Legends, La-Mulana, Jitsu Squad, Hydra Slater, City of Heroes, Diablo 3, Age of Mythology, Deltarune & Arx Fatalis.

My book recommendation this week is Demons and Demonesses of Hindu Mythology by Priya Narayanan for some cool coverage of Hindu monsters, but also Hindu Mythology: Gods, Goddesses and Monsters by Aruna Mapalagamage for some broader coverage of Hindu folklore stories. 

DO I THINK THEY EXISTED? 

Now it’s time for, do I think they existed? 1504

I’m really not sure about this one, it’s a tricky one to believe in I think as I know they’re underwater-y and that I’m usually all for water monsters existing, but I guess it’s the same argument with mermaids - but for some reason, half snake people are going more towards no than yes for me. 

I think it’s also the idea that cobras live underwater, which they do not - I think that’s something I can’t get over. As well as this, I think I’m just thinking of the Naga within World of Warcraft being real and it’s just not something I can imagine, with the fins and the snake faces and stuff - no thank you.

However, culturally - I think this monster is so important, and I do love the idea of snake people being pretty chill with you, then they see an eagle and they’re like AHHHHH is pretty funny to me - so I’m onboard this far.

But what do you think? Did the Naga roam the seas? Let me know on Twitter!

OUTRO: 

One of my personal favourite monsters this week, I really do love snakes man - they’re just so cool. I also didn’t know very much about them historically and culturally before researching this one, so it’s a really fun one to cover.

Next week, we’re doing a special because it’s St Paddy’s day and we didn’t do a Valentine’s one this year! From that you can probably guess the monster, but if not - we’re heading over to Ireland and grabbing a pot of gold, to jump to the end of the rainbow for the Leprechaun next Thursday!

Quick reminder that the next episode is our last for two weeks, as I take my annual March break for my birthday and for the podcast anniversary. So after this next episode, I’ll be back on the 30th March for our last episode of March.

For now, thank you so much for listening, it’s been an absolute pleasure. If you enjoyed this podcast, please give it a rating on the service you’re listening on - I’ve got the twitter for any questions, or suggestions on what monsters to cover next and I’d love to hear from you. The social media handles for Tiktok, Youtube and Instagram are mythmonsterspodcast, and twitter is mythmonsterspod. But all of our content can be found at mythmonsters.co.uk - you can also find us on Goodpods, Buymeacoffee and Patreon if you want to help me fund the podcast too.

Come join the fun though and share this with your pals, they might love me as much as you do.

But for now, stay spooky and I’ll see you later babes.