Monday, November 1, 2021

88 lines about 44 Demons

A little Halloween special, let's learn about some of the demons (omūkaq) and monster the kikxotians believe in. A lot might be presented in more informal ways (only the second part of a reduplication for example, or using back reduplication to represent full reduplication). This isn't meant to represent a specific dialect (though some are regional monsters), it's to fit the semi-poetry of the piece. With all apologies to the Nails

  1. Vcūpa comes out the swamp to play; his stench makes me want to cry
  2. Olūgaw looks mighty nice but her teeth are no lie.
  3. Lālīwl feast till the sun comes up and starve throughout the day
  4. Yyīpu get you what you want, but you'll never be able to pay.
  5. Mrisu has an unnerving smile, with gifts that trap your soul
  6. Gdīku is much simpler, he'll just eat you whole.
  7. Dōkhol īkkabat looks pretty from a distance; but he'll steer you wrong
  8. Jarif cannot be seen, as you flee her mournful song.
  9. Pjūpō nimasat may be dead; you'd never know as you're chased
  10. Āginx āpijpat is a stout old chap; you must flee in haste.
  11. Rokāmr seems mighty harmless, as he sucks you in
  12. Ovūmac won't give you the time, not even when you sin.
  13. Lvutā mwomit is looking for a student, but her advice isn't prudent
  14. Olūvat puthlūt needs a teacher, but he's most impudent.
  15. Fqilu sees without eyes, his nose ensure you can't hide
  16. Wyīúu mkoqit approaches in confidence, a presence you mustn't abide.
  17. Omūlad bōmāshat is another sultry soul, she watches as you sleep
  18. Cuwphīcu is sailors' bane foremost, and drags slow ships into the deep.
  19. Tikat looks like a massive bat, from above he cracks your skull
  20. Zhimar stalks from underground, your bones won't make his teeth dull.
  21. Knupi takes things that are not his, gold is his bread and butter  
  22. Āruyt tībilat prefers your blood a la carte, as it flows into the gutter.
  23. Wixax can't move fast, so the trees are his base
  24. Shotūr will never move at all, yet you must beware his embrace.
  25. Thavdo literally cannot be described, an agony you can't survive
  26. Twuwi seems to be a peaceful field, until your footsteps turn it alive.
  27. Ksuphā is just a shadow, her presence wrecks your mind
  28. Sōfok úyukāt is a sickly light, stare too long to go blind.
  29. Zōtod cpuwāt teaches one thing: not every book is an ally
  30. Awābth must not be trusted, for he's the dark one's spy.
  31. Xsīmu īípachat walks in silence, as he sucks your life
  32. Tbīlu tdocit stays quiet too, but she prefers to use a knife.
  33. Khāpas rxībut is slow and meaty; hunt it and meet your doom
  34. Brumā thāxakhat moves you fast, in her hand your life shall zoom.
  35. Wxurā fōdāíat seeks his court, his words are little snares
  36. Rqīnu āxudcat wants your pity, never trust his wares.
  37. Karol preys on those with heart, your mercy shall be your end
  38. Khāmfukhā prays for those alone, his companionship is pretend.
  39. Fapōmuf has a fearsome sting, the pain will never leave
  40. Laíōpul lies in wait, to feed on those that grieve.
  41. Hnibu hunts in plain sight, his traps are travelers' rests,
  42. Smufā catches those who are tired, you'll wake up as he digests.
  43. Qcilu lives in dark caves, he makes our tunnels fall
  44. Khluzā, cursed be his name; he's the king of them all.

This of course is a small sampling of the demons in their world. Some are pretty normal to our sense of monsters, like the Pjūpō nimasat (lit. running corpse) which is basically just a revenant or the Omūlad bōmāshat (forbidden beauty) which is a classic ghost lady like a kuntilanak. Others aren't so much monsters in the way we think of them so much as archetypes of corrupted people, like the Hnibu (so-called builder) who kills people in collapsing buildings, the Āginx āpijpat (killing grinder) who is basically just a serial killer who disposes of the bodies by turning them into flour or the Ovūmac (self-centered person), an eerily beautiful spirit who encourages you to give up everything for nothing in return. Some are very animalistic like the bat-like Tikat (thing which descend from the sky) or the stinging bug Fapōmuf (great wasp). Some are actually more like cursed objects like Zōtod cpuwāt (devouring ink/the devil's ink) which grant wishes at the cost of your life or Rokāmr (great heap) which is a pile of stuff that eats people. And then there's the eldritch ones, like the Thavdo (flattening) which somehow forces people into 2-dimensions, the Twuwi (so called snowfield), which is a field of snow that eats people, or the Ksuphā (thing that makes others uncomfortable) which is a presence or being that drives people crazy.

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