كتاب الكائنات الخيالية

كتاب «الكائنات الخيالية» هو كتاب من تأليف خورخي لويس بورخيس ومارجريتا غيريرو، نشر في عام 1957 تحت العنوان الإسباني الأصلي Manual de zoología fantástica . تم تحديثه وتوسيعه في عام 1967 وعام 1969 في إسبانيا ليصبح في صورته الأخيرة El libro de los seres imaginarios. تحتوي النسخة الإنجليزية التي تم إنشاؤها بالتعاون مع المترجم نورمان توماس دي جيوفاني على أوصاف 120 من الوحوش الأسطورية من الفولكلور والأدب.

كتاب الكائنات الخيالية
(بالإسبانية: El libro de los seres imaginarios)‏، و(بالإسبانية: Manual de zoología fantástica)‏
معلومات الكتاب
المؤلف	خورخي لويس بورخيس
اللغة	Spanish
الناشر	صندوق الثقافة الاقتصادية
تاريخ النشر	1957
النوع الأدبي	موسوعة،  وحيوانات رامزة
الموضوع	مخلوق أسطوري،  ودالة
المواقع
ردمك	0-525-06990-9
OCLC	45958
ديوي	398.4/69
كونغرس	GR825.B6; GR825.B613

في المقدمة ينص بورخيس على أن الكتاب يجب أن يقرأ «كما هو الحال مع جميع الأوساط... ليس مباشرة.. .ولكن بدلاً من ذلك، نود من القارئ أن يغوص في الصفحات بشكل عشوائي تمامًا كما يلعب المرء مع الأنماط المتغيرة للمشكال»؛ وأنه قد تم حذف «أساطير الرجال الذين يأخذون أشكال الحيوانات».

على الرغم من أنه عمل خيالي، إلا أنه يوجد في المتاحف الورقية وكتب التاريخ الطبيعي.

الكائنات المذكورة

Á Bao A Qu

مخلوق يعيش على درج برج النصر في Chittor. قد يتحرك فقط عندما يصعد أحدهم الدرج ويتبعه عن كثب في أعقاب الشخص الصاعد. يصبح شكله أكثر اكتمالًا كلما اقترب من الشرفة أعلى البرج. يمكن أن يحقق هذا الشكل النهائي فقط إذا وصل الصاعد إلى حالة الانفصال عن المؤثرات الخارجية والتي تُسمى «نيرفانا»، وإلا فإنه يجد نفسه غير قادر على المتابعة.

Abtu and Anet

هما اثنان متطابقان من السمك، وفقًا للأسطورة المصرية فإنهما يسبحان أمام مقدمة سفينة معبود الشمس بحثًا عن الخطر.

Alicanto

هو طائر يتغذى على الذهب. يتم ملاحظته بواسطة عمال المناجم.

Ammit the Devourer

مرتبط بالأسطورة المصرية، حيث يحضر Ammit إلى «الأشرار». يوصف بأنه له رأس تمساح، ووسط أسد، ومؤخرة فرس النهر.

Amphisbaena

هو ثعبان ذو رأسين، أحدهما يكون ذيله طبيعيًا. وهو أفعى سامة، وإذا تم تقطيعه إلى نصفين يمكن أن يجتمع شطريه مرة أخرى.

حيوان تخيله فرانس كافكا

يشبه حيوان الكنغر ذو الوجه المسطح الذي يشبه وجه الإنسان وله ذيل طويل جدًا.

حيوان تخيله Poe

حيوان صغير مسطح له فرو أبيض نقي ومخالب وأسنان حمراء زاهية. رأسه مثل القطط، لكن آذانه مثل الكلاب.

كائنات على شكل كرة

في وقت كتابة ذلك الكتاب، اعتقد البعض أن الكواكب والنجوم كانت في الحقيقة كائنات حية، وأن حركة الأجرام السماوية كانت اختيارية.

ظبي ذو ستة أرجل

وفقًا لأسطورة سيبيريا، كانت هذه الظباء ذات الأرجل الستة سريعة للغاية بالنسبة للبشر فلا يمكن صيدها، ثم قام صياد من السماء Tunk-poj بقطع أرجل الحيوان الخلفية لجعل صيد الحيوان أكثر سهولة للبشر.

الحمار ذو ثلاثة أرجل

يقال إن هذا الكائن الهائل يقف في وسط المحيط. له ثلاثة أرجل وستة عيون وتسعة أفواه وقرن ذهبي واحد.

Axehandle Hound

هو كلب له وجه على شكل فاس، وله جسم مثل الكلب الطبيعي.يتغذى على مقابض الفأس التي يتم تترك دون حراسة. وهو مخلوق ليلي يتنقل من مكان إلى آخر.

Bahamut

هو كائن على شكل سمكة ضخمة لا يمكن قياسها، ويستخدم غالبًا لوصف المسافات بين السماء والأرض والجحيم.

Baldanders

معروف أيضًا باسم Soon-Another، يمكن لهذه الكائنات أن توجد في العديد من الأشكال. فلها رأس وجذع مثل الإنسان، ولها ذيل مثل السمكة، ولها ساق مثل العنزة، ولها أجنحة ومخالب مثل الطيور.

Banshee

: «امرأة الجنيات» ليس لها شكل مميز، ولكن يتم وصفها بواسطة عجائبها الشديدة.

Barometz

هذا الكائن هو نبات على شكل خروف وله صوف ذهبي.

Basilisk

تغير مظهر ذلك الكائن على مر العصور، لكنه غالبًا ما يُصور على هيئة دجاجة تشبه الثعبان ولها من أربعة إلى ثمانية أرجل، وأنها سامة للغاية، ويمكنها أن تُحَّوِل أي شخص تنظر إليه إلى حجر.

Behemoth

مخلوق ضخم يشبه غالبًا الفيل أو فرس النهر.

Brownies

يُصور ون على هيئة رجال ذو لون بني يزورون المنازل في كثير من الأحيان بينما يكون السكان نائمين لأداء الأعمال المختلفة.

Burak

كائن يشبه الحصان وله آذان طويلة وأجنحة وذيل طاووس.

Calchona

حيوان أسود اللون.

Carbuncle

A small animal alleged to have been seen in 16th Century Latin America by Spanish Conquistadors. Legends say the Carbuncle has some sort of shining mirror or jewel on its forehead, reminiscent of the gemstone by that name. Many explorers supposedly searched for it, hoping to secure the precious stone—but without success.

Catoblepas

Described as a black buffalo with a boar's head, this creature's head is so heavy that it constantly hangs low to the ground. It is also believed that, like the basilisk, looking into its eyes will kill you instantly.

Celestial Cock

The Celestial Cock, also known as the Cock of Dawn, has three legs and makes its home in the Fu-sang tree, a mile-tall tree that grows in "the region of dawn." It is said to crow three times each day: once at dawn, once at midday and once when the sun sets.

Celestial Stag

No one has ever seen a Celestial Stag. They live in underground mines, searching for the light of day. They will attempt to bribe, speak to, and even torture miners in their quest to reach the surface, where they turn into a deadly liquid form.

Centaur

A well-known beast with the torso of a man and the hindquarters of a horse. Most are portrayed as savage beasts, but others can be well learned in many arts.

Cerberus

A three-headed dog known to guard the gates of the underworld in Greek mythology.

Charybdis

A sea monster. Once a beautiful naiad and the daughter of Poseidon and Gaia. She takes form as a huge bladder of a creature whose face was all mouth and whose arms and legs were flippers and who swallows huge amounts of water three times a day before belching them back out again, creating whirlpools.

Cheshire Cat

A rather mischievous cat with a large, grinning face. It can also make itself invisible, leaving behind only its disembodied smile.

Chimera

Although it may have several different forms, the chimera is most often described as a three-headed beast. Sprouting from its back is the head of a goat, a lion's head at its front, and a snake's head as its tail.

Chinese Dragon

Compared to the Western Dragon, this dragon is considered divine and holy. It is often seen with antler-like horns and protrusions running along its spine. The Chinese dragon is often pictured with a pearl: the source of its power.

Chinese Fox

These foxes appear like average foxes, but may sometimes be seen standing on their hind legs to walk. They presumably live about a thousand years, and are bad omens for their mischievous ways. They are known to shapeshift and are able to see into the future.

Chinese Phoenix

Two basic creatures are described as a symbol of eternal love: the male Feng and the female Huang. They are described as very beautiful birds similar to a peacock, have three legs, and live in the sun.

Chonchon

A mythical bird from the Mapuche Religion and Chilean and Argentinian folklore. It has the shape of a human head with feathers and talons; its ears, which are extremely large, serve as wings for its flight on moonless nights.

Ch'ou-T'i

A legendary Chinese creature with a head both front and back.

Chronos or Heracles

This dragon-like creature is often known by two names. Like the chimera, it is made of three heads: a bull's head at its front, a god's head at its middle, and a lion's head at its rear.

Crocotta and the Leucrocotta

The crocotta is described as a hybrid of a dog and a wolf, and may be able to imitate the voice of a person. The leucrocotta is similar, but described as an antelope and hyena hybrid.

A Crossbreed

An animal described by Kafka in "Description of a Struggle" that is half cat and half lamb. Its fur is woolly and soft, yet it has a cat's face and claws. It does not make any sounds, and refuses to chase after rats.

The Denizens of Ch'uan-T'ou

Creatures with human heads, beaks, and bat wings.

Doppelgänger

Also known as the Double, the Doppelgänger is best described as a man's exact counterpart.

Eastern Dragon

Quite similar to the Chinese dragon of the same region, the Eastern dragon takes roughly the same form, but may be lacking wings. The pearl is also the source of its power, and they can make themselves invisible if they so wish.

Eight-Forked Serpent

A massive serpent with eight heads and eight tails. Its eyes are a deep red, and trees are said to grow along its back.

The Elephant That Foretold the Birth of the Buddha

A white elephant with six tusks that appeared in a dream to, as its namesake suggests, foretell the birth of Buddha.

The Eloi and the Morlocks

In the setting of H. G. Wells' The Time Machine, it is suggested that humans evolve (or devolve) into two distinct species. The Eloi are thin and fragile artisans, living on fruits. The Morlocks are blind laborers, living underground and rising to the surface on moonless nights to feed on the Eloi.

Elves

Little is known about the actual appearance of elves, but they seem to be very small people, and are often portrayed as having pointed ears. They are known for causing all sorts of mischief, such as tangling hair and stealing cattle.

Fairies

Fairies are described as beautiful, tiny people that like to meddle in the affairs of humans.

Fastitocalon

A massive whale that many sailors often mistake for an island.

Fauna of Mirrors

It was believed that another world existed behind all mirrors, inhabited by a wide amount of unknown and strange creatures. Luckily, our worlds are now cut off from one another.

Garuda

This beast is the mount of the god Vishnu. It is half man and half vulture, with a white face, deep red wings, and a golden body.

Gillygaloo

A bird which nests on mountain slopes and lays square eggs, which lumberjacks use as dice.

Goofang

A fish ("about the size of a sunfish but much bigger") which swims backwards to keep the water out of its eyes.

Goofus bird

A bird that builds its nest upside down and flies backwards.

Gnomes

Sprites of the earth and hills, gnomes are often shown as bearded dwarves, often with rough features. They often watch over treasure as well.

Golem

This creature was created for the purpose of doing menial chores, and was controlled by a magic tablet placed under its tongue. Normally apathetic and unaware, if uncontrolled the creature enters a wild frenzy.

Griffin

The griffin is best described as an eagle with the body of a lion, and is very strong.

Haniel, Kafziel, Azriel, and Aniel

Sometimes referred to as angels, these four beasts also possessed four faces: those of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. They also possessed four wings.

Haokah the Thunder God

He appears as a man with large antlers, using the wind to beat his thunder drum.

Harpies

Creatures with a vulture's body, a woman's face, and an insatiable hunger. They are described as having filthy genitalia and a foul smell about them.

Heavenly Cock

Also known as the Bird of Dawn, this Chinese rooster has three legs and crows three times a day, to signal dawn, noon, and dusk.

Hide

A many-eyed octopus-like creature shaped like an animal's hide.

Hidebehind

A strong, nocturnal creature which feeds off the intestines of its prey. It captures and hides from wayfarers in the woods by sucking in its body so that it can hide behind the trunk of any tree, or the person trying to look at it. It is said they have an aversion to alcohol.

Hippogriff

A creature invented by Ludovico Ariosto in the 16th century in his epic Orlando Furioso, based on an expression of Virgil's denoting the impossible, "to cross griffons with horses"; the griffon [see above] being a cross between a lion and an eagle believed by Virgil's commentator Servius to loathe horses.

Hochigan

A long-ago bushman who stole the animals' gift of speech. Borges links this to Descartes' idea that monkeys stay silent to avoid having to work, and to a story by Argentinian author Lugones about a chimpanzee killed by the strain of learning to talk.

Hsiao

An owl-like creature with a man's face, an ape's body, and a dog's tail.

Hsing-T'ien

A headless creature with eyes on its chest and its mouth on its belly.

Hua-Fish

A flying snake/fish that foretells drought.

Hui

A swift-moving dog with a human head, which laughs maliciously.

Huallepen

An amphibious sheep-like animal, which can mate with cows to produce deformed offspring; if a pregnant woman sees one, her child will also be deformed.

Humbaba

A giant in the Sumerian epic Gilgamesh that guards mountain cedars, he is scaly, with vulture claws, lion paws, bull's horns and a tail and penis with snakes' heads at the ends. Men-scorpions from the poem, which guard the mountain Mashu, are also mentioned.

Hundred-Heads

The hundred heads was said to be a gigantic fish with many heads, each one that of a different animal. Legend holds that the fish was the reincarnated spirit of a monk who had often called others "monkey-head" or something similar. The karma of these insults had made him return as a monster.

The Hydra of Lernaea

A multi-headed snake monster. When one of the Hydra's heads is cut off, two more grow in its place.

Ichthyocentaur

From the waist up, this creature has the form of a man, but below the waist they have the fins and tail of a fish. Their forefeet are either in the form of a lion's or a horse's.

An Insect Imagined by C. S. Lewis

A strange, jointed insect consisting of a cylindrical body and many thin legs.

Jewish Demons

In Jewish tradition the world between those of the body and spirit is that of angels and devils, densely populated and including creatures from many other cultures. One of the devils is Keteb Mereri, Lord of the Noontide and of Scorching Summers.

Jinn

One of the three kinds of spiritual creatures created by Allah in Muslim tradition, Jinn are formed from air and fire, have five orders, can be good or evil and of either sex and can appear as clouds or in various forms or be invisible. Borges mentions various legends about them, as well as Victor Hugo's poem "Les Djinns", and the possible link between the Latin genius and Jinn.

Kilkenny Cats

These cats often fight with each other, devouring everything but the other's tail.

A King of Fire and his Steed

These were beings formed completely of the constantly changing flames of fire.

Kraken

A sea monster that is often described to resemble a giant octopus or a giant squid.

Kujata

A giant bull with thousands of eyes, nostrils, mouths, and feet, which helps to support the world (perched atop Bahamut).

The Lamed Wufniks

There are precisely thirty-six Lamed Wufniks in existence. It is said that, without knowing it, they support the universe and affirm God. If one comes to realize their purpose, they immediately die and are replaced by another unsuspecting man.

Lamia

Half woman and half serpent, these creatures are said to have sprung from one of Zeus's varied love interests. They are thought to be sorceresses, and although they cannot speak they whistle sweetly.

Laudatores Temporis Acti

Translates to "One who praises past times."

Lemuri

The Lemuri were the souls of the evil dead, created by Romulus to subdue the restless spirit of his brother Remus.

The Leveler

Reputed to live on the planet Neptune, this creature is 10 times the size of an elephant, and looks quite a bit like it. Its most remarkable features are its conical legs (which are flat on the bottom). Bricklayers employ the leveler to flatten hilly areas for construction projects. It is herbivorous and has few enemies.

Lilith

A woman created before Eve, according to a Hebrew document. Dante Gabriel Rossetti imagined her as a snake in Eden Bower and the similarity of her name with the Hebrew layil or night produced the Middle Age idea of her as a creature of the night.

The Lunar Hare

Ideas of the shapes seen in the moon range include the English "man in the moon", the legend of Cain eternally carrying thorns there, and the Chinese legend of the Lunar Hare: It jumped into a fire to feed the Buddha, who sent its soul to the moon, where it mixes the elixir of life.

Mandrake

In myth, mandrakes or mandragoras are familiar demons who appear in the figures of little men without beards.

Manticore

A monster that has the face of a man, the body of a lion, and the tail of a scorpion.

Mermecolion

An ant/lion hybrid which inevitably starves because it cannot eat either meat or grains, although its lion half craves the former and its ant half craves the latter.

Minotaur

A monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man.

The Monkey of the Inkpot

An extract from Wang Tai-Hai describes a small creature with black fur and scarlet eyes that sits by writers and drinks their leftover ink.

The Monster Acheron

A giant, taller than a mountain, with three mouths and all of Hell in his stomach, described in the Vision of Tundale.

The Mother of Tortoises

A giant tortoise made of water and fire, on whose shell is written the "Universal Rule", a divine treatise.

Musical Serpent

A four-winged serpent which makes sounds similar to those of the "Musical Stone".

Nāga

A half human, half snake creature.

Namazu

This beast is said to be a giant catfish that lives beneath the surface of the earth, and causes earthquakes with its movements.

Nasnas

A creature shaped like half a man, with one leg, one arm, one eye, and half a heart.

The Norns

Norse female beings who rule the destiny of gods and men. They roughly correspond to other controllers of humans' destiny elsewhere in European mythology, such as the Fates.

The Nymphs

A minor female nature deity typically associated with a particular location or land form.

Odradek

A subject of The Cares of a Family Man ("Die Sorge des Hausvaters"), a short story by Franz Kafka

An Offspring of Leviathan

A creature of medieval legend, "a dragon that was half beast and half fish".

Ocean Men

Merman-like creatures of Chinese legend, who cause storms.

One-Eyed Beings

A member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the center of his forehead.

The Ouroboros

An ancient symbol of a serpent or dragon eating its own tail.

The Panther

A creature in ancient legend that resembles a big cat with a multi-colored hide. The ancient Greeks believed the panther was one of the favored mounts of the god Dionysus.

Peryton

A hybrid creature that resemble a winged stag.

Phoenix

A type of firebird.

Ping Feng

A black pig with a head at each end.

Pinnacle Grouse

Has only one wing, and flies in a continuous circle around the top of a mountain.

Pygmies

27-inch dwarfs mentioned by Pliny and Aristotle who inhabited the mountains beyond India, waging war on the cranes that attacked them for three months a year. The Carthaginians also had a god called Pygmy who was used as figurehead on warships.

Queer Arm People

People with a single arm and three eyes, who build flying chariots.

The Rain Bird

Also called the shang yang, this bird creates rain by carrying water from rivers in its beak.

Remora

An existing fish sometimes called a suckerfish. In ancient times, the remora was believed to stop a ship from sailing. In Latin, remora means "delay".

Roperite

A pony-sized animal which uses its lariat-like beak to ensnare rabbits.

Rukh

A giant bird.

Salamander

The legendary salamander is often depicted as a typical salamander in shape, with a lizard-like form, but is usually ascribed an affinity with fire, sometimes specifically. elemental fire.

Satyrs

A male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse.

Scylla

A maiden with a kētos tail and dog heads sprouting from her body.

The Sea Horse

An aquatic horse, which sometimes surfaces to mate with land horses.

The Shaggy Beast of La Ferte-Bernard

Simurgh

A winged, bird-like creature that is gigantic enough to carry off an elephant or a whale. It appears as a peacock with the claws of a lion, and the head of a dog or, occasionally, a human face.

Singing Beast

An animal that sits upon its haunches like a dog, but appears more like a horse. Its toes are camel-like and unable to produce its own milk, it raises its young by nursing them on the milk of other animals. It has an entrancing call that sounds almost like a glorious song. This creature was imagined by C. S. Lewis in Perelandra.

Sirens

In Greek mythology, these are dangerous creatures who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island.

The Sow Harnessed with Chains

Also called the Tin Pig, this creature is heard rattling its chains on railroad tracks by night, but is never seen.

Sphinx

A riddle-giving monster with the head of a woman and the body of a lion.

Squonk

Reputed to live in the Hemlock forests of northern Pennsylvania.

Strong Toad

Distinguished from other toads by its turtle-like shell, the Strong Toad glows like a firefly, cannot be killed except by burning, and can attract or repel anyone nearby with its stare.

Swedenborg's Angels

The perfected souls of the blessed and wise, living in a Heaven of ideal things, each reflecting the perfection of this realm.

Swedenborg's Devils

These are people which, after dying, choose to go to hell rather than to heaven. They are not happy there, but they are reputed to be more content in hell than they would have been in heaven.

Sylph

A mythological air spirit.

Talos

A bronze giant.

The T'ao T'ieh

A dog with one (often monstrous) head attached to two bodies, which symbolizes the sins of gluttony and greed.

Teakettler

It is said to resemble a small, stubby-legged dog with the ears of a cat. Its name comes from the sound it makes, which is akin to that of a boiling tea kettle. It only walks backwards, and steam issues from its mouth as it makes its whistle.

Thermal Beings

Entities composed solely of heat, from an earlier stage of the world's creation.

Ti-chiang

A faceless, supernatural bird with six feet and four wings.

The Tigers of Annam

Tigers who rule over the four cardinal directions, with the Yellow Tiger commanding them from the world's center.

Trolls

Due to the arrival of Christianity in Scandinavia, pagan giants were diminished into small, malevolent, stupid, mountain-dwelling elves. The Elder Edda states that the giants would cross Bifröst, a great rainbow, at the Twilight of the Gods, breaking it with their weight and so destroying the world. Trolls figure in Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt as 'nationalist' creatures that view their squalour as luxury and suggest putting out Peer Gynt's eyes so he can avoid seeing the ugliness he is confronted with.

Two Metaphysical Beings

Condillac's sensitive statue inhabited by a new-formed soul which becomes human through sensory perception (starting with smell); a creature that can only sense the outside world through a moveable feeler.

Unicorn

A horse with a horn.

The Unicorn of China

An animal that is similar to a unicorn.

Upland Trout

Flying fish which nest in trees and fear water.

Valkyrie

"The chooser of the slain" from Norse Mythology.

Western Dragon

A tall heavy serpent with claws and wings.

The Wonders of God's Creation Manifested in the Variety of Eight

A mysterious creature that lives in the world of Bliss. Allegedly, all sounds, sights, and smells to this creature are divine. Drawn from The Enochian Walks with God: Found out by a Spiritual Traveller, Whose Face Towards Mount-Sion Above was Set; with an Experimental Account of What was Known, Seen and Met withal There (1694) by Jane Leade.

Youwarkee

The half-bird half-woman heroine of the 1751 novel "The Life and Adventure Peter Wilkins a Cornish Man‘’ by Robert Paltock, Youwarkee is one of the winged glumms that inhabit an Antarctic island. Peter Wilkins is a shipwrecked sailor who marries her and converts them to Christianity.

Zaratan

A sea creature of such immense size as to be confused for an island, attested to by sources in Anglo-Saxon, Irish, Persian, and Greek literature and folklore, among other cultures.

المراجع الثقافية

• في رواية Hard-Boiled Wonderland ونهاية العالم ، نُقل فصل كتاب «الكائنات الخيالية» عن قيلين.

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