Girimehkala · 6:10pm May 9th, 2014
We all know that mythological creatures play a major role in the world of Equestria. We also know that the real life myths and the Equestrian counterparts don't always match up perfectly. In Greco-Roman mythology, Tartarus is the land of the dead; in Equestria, it houses dark creatures. In Aztec mythology, the ahuizotl lives near the water and feasts on human flesh (especially eyes, nails, and teeth). In Equestria, Ahuizotl is a weird hybrid of that and the eighth Aztec ruler of the same name (I'm not kidding about this; look it up). In Greco-Roman mythology, Orthrus is one creature; the brother of Cerberus. In Equestria, it's implied by Fluttershy that there are multiple orthruses (orthrusai? Orthrusii? The creature was never plural to begin with, so it's kinda confusing). It's all very interesting. At least to me.
Now, I'm no stranger to introducing other mythological creatures into the mix when it comes to my stories. I've utilized creatures such as genies, tengu, satyrs, eastern dragons, and hippogriffs (by the way, I still want to see that last one, DHX). However, while coming up with some story ideas, I've been debating with myself over the inclusion of one particular mythological entity, particularly how I want to utilize him. As evidenced by the title, that entity is Girimehkala.
For those who don't know (to be honest, I'll be very impressed if you do), Girimehkala appears in Buddhist mythology, and is specifically part of Sri Lankan lore. He is a giant elephant who only has one eye, and those that stare into it are cursed either with eternal misfortune or illness, depending on the interpretation of the myth. He is also said to be the mount of Mara; a demon whose sole purpose is to steer Buddha away from the path of enlightenment.
Now, to my bizarre way of thinking, Girimehkala in Equestria can work in two ways. He can either be a Daring Do villain similar to Ahuizotl, or he can be an exotic creature like the manticore or the hydra. And honestly, both of these ideas a great in my opinion. But they're also mutually exclusive, and I can't decide which one to go with.
So, assuming you managed to follow all that without getting completely confused by my random thoughts, here's my question. What role do you guys think suits Girimehkala best in and Equestrian setting: A villain or a beast?
Edit: Turns out I decided a villain role would be best for him. Check the tagged story to see what I mean.
img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090404041239/megamitensei/images/4/4a/KazumaKaneko-Girimehkala.jpg
Yep.
2092871 Yeah, the Shin Megami Tensei series is probably the only place people are gonna know Girimehkala from unless they actually find Buddhist mythology interesting (which I do). Actually, I shouldn't talk, since that's how I first heard about him, too.
In fact, that SMT design is why I think he would make a good Daring Do villain. But again, like I said, he could work as a part of the Equestrian bestiary as well.
2092905 Hey, raiding SMT/Persona for creature designs is hardly shameful. I'd love to see the ponies' reactions to Mara.
I believe the plural of Orthrus is Orthri, btw
2093230 There's only one Orthrus in Greco-Roman mythology. The concept of multiple orthri wasn't around until Scott Sonnerborn thought of it for the episode Trade Ya! (at least to my knowledge). Thus, I am not quite sure how you came across this information.
2093314
I looked in my latin to english dictionary. Orthrus, Orthri is a 2nd Declention latin noun, so, according to the classical root, the plural is Orthri.
2093465 Guy who can't spell noun pulls random psuedo-Latin out of his ass to pluralize a Greek word...seems legit.
2093689
I'll give you that it came from Greek, but as Orthrus's big brother Cerberus's case, the name was Latinized from Kerberos to Cerberus when
the Romans started writing translations of Hesiod's Theogony.
His original name was kyon orthros , later latinized as Orthrus.
According to Whittaker's Words,one of the chief online latin dictionaries, Cerberus, Cerberi, masculine is the declination of Cerberus.
Taking into account similar Latinization of Greek roots, it is reasonable to believe that the plural of Orthrus is Orthri.
Oh, and sorry about the typo. My iPad autocorrected.