When ancient people from the Japanese-inspired land watched meteors shoot across the sky and explode, they thought they saw dogs descending from heaven to bring calamity to earth. These creatures were dubbed tengu, or "heavenly dogs". They have red skin and dog-like faces with long noses. Their fingers and toes end in sharp talons, and they have wings like hawks or crows. Part bird, part dog, part human, these fallen spirits made their homes deep in the mountains and preyed upon travelers. Tengu are considered by some to be gods of the skies and the mountains they inhabit. They are considered by others to be demons.[1]
Some tengu are honorable paragons of martial discipline. They resemble yamabushi - ascetic mountain-dwelling monks who practice the esoteric religion of Shugendō. They wear monks garb and spend their days meditating and studying in isolation on remote mountaintops. They are keepers of ancient wisdom and mystical secrets, as well as experts in swordplay and martial arts. They are willing to share their knowledge with humans who demonstrate worthiness, but they inflict fierce retribution upon the unworthy. On the other hand, many tengu are neither wise nor disciplined. Humans who are irredeemably wicked go to neither heaven nor hell but transform into tengu instead. These tengu are savage, depraved monsters. Short in stature and more bird-like in appearance, they delight in tormenting peoople, often misleading travelers on the roads. They kidnap children and tie them to the tops of tall tree and force-feed feces to their victims to drive them insane. They especially enjoy punishing corrupt monks. They coerce them into committing debauchery and other mortal sins, damning them to become tengu as well.[1]
Certain powerful tengu carry a strange looking tool, a hauchiwa - a magical fan made of feathers. With it, a tengu can fly freely; teleport; divide its body; change forms; control wind, rain, and fire; manipulate human hearts; and break through delusions. Most tengu don't possess the discipline or knowledge to use such a powerful magical tool.[1]
On Mount Kaijinzan, at some point after the local logger Tasuke killed his wife, a tengu came to punish Tasuke for his sins by blocking off her grave, and attacking all who came close. Tasuke, pretending it was there to harass others visiting their resting loved ones, asked the witcher/ronin Geralt to kill it. After he defeated the tengu in combat, who bowed offering him his hauchiwa, he returned to Tasuke and told him he had seen through his lies about his wife, and beat him up. The tengu then flew off from the graveyard.[1]
Trivia[]
- In Japanese folklore, tengu (Japanese: 天狗, lit. 'Heavenly Dog') are a type of legendary creature found in Shinto belief. They are considered a type of yōkai (supernatural beings) or Shinto kami (gods or spirits).
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