| Baku | |
|---|---|
 ' | |
| Information | |
| Alternate Names/Spellings | 獏, ばく |
| Origins | Japanese Mythology, Legend and Folklore |
| Alignment | |
| Element | |
| Species | |
| Appearance | |
Origins[]
The Baku is a creature with origins in Japanese mythology, legend and folklore.
Appearance[]
An early 17th-century Japanese manuscript, the Sankai Ibutsu (山海異物), describes the baku as a shy, Chinese mythical chimera with an bear's body elephant’s trunk, rhinoceros' eyes, an ox's tail, and a tiger's paws, which protected against pestilence and evil, although eating nightmares was not included among its abilities. However, in a 1791 Japanese wood-block illustration, a specifically dream-destroying baku is depicted with an elephant’s head, tusks, and trunk, with horns and tiger’s claws. The elephant’s head, trunk, and tusks are characteristic of baku portrayed in classical era (pre-Meiji) Japanese wood-block prints (see illustration) and in shrine, temple, and netsuke carvings.
A baku drifts through the Dream Realm...
Behavior[]
Abilities[]
