User:Elledani777/Blemyah

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Blemyah, Blemya, Blemmyes, or Blemyae are a type of grotesque sometimes adopted by churches from earlier local folklore. They are generally described as men, having no heads, with their eyes and mouths located on their chests. Pliny the Elder wrote them to be a civilization in ancient Ethiopia (in an area then known as Numibia) in his Naturalis Historiæ

In Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology they were referred to as Acephalos (plural-Acephali) (literally 'without a head' from the Greek acephalous, also known as Akephale or Akephalos, also supposed to inhabit Libya. They have the same description as the Blemyae, as recorded by Herodotus and Josephus, as well as traditional and medieval folklore.

Greek folklore tells of a spirit Phonos (Greek word for 'death') who fits this same description as well as the terror he caused.

Isidore of Seville- "The Blemmyes, born in Libya, are believed to be headless trunks, having mouth and eyes in the breast; others are born without necks, with eyes in their shoulders."

Sir John Mandeville - "men that have no heads, and their eyes are in their shoulders and their mouth is on their breast. In another isle are men that have no head nor eyes, and their mouth is in their shoulders. And in another isle are men that have flat faces, without a nose, and without eyes, but they have two small round holes instead of eyes, and they have a flat mouth without lips. And in that isle are men that have their faces all flat without eyes, without mouth and without nose, but they have their eyes and their mouth behind on their shoulders."

In later years, the legends turned them into golden giants with so much hair that their lower regions were covered. John Mandeville claimed for them to still exist in the deserts of Libya. Various others claimed to have sighted them near the River Caora.

Similar creatures: Coluinn Gun Cheann Hsing-T'ien

External links

• example.com