Darrell J. Pursiful

Here is my review of Wandering Djinn: An Anthology of Fantasy by Ahmed Al-Sheikh:

As the subtitle states, this is an anthology. The stories are loosely connected, but all involve Malik, a djinn who wanders the earth trying to do good and protect mortals from supernatural danger. I think this is a great concept for a story, but the execution is a bit uneven. At times, the author “tells” rather than “shows.” On other occasions, the point-of-view character shifts abruptly—at least once over the course of a single paragraph. Still, the author doesn’t burden these stories with an undue amount of background information. The worldbuilding is there, but usually subtle and unobtrusive.

Given the nature of this website, I would add that there are a couple of fairly gruesome scenes that would not be suitable for younger readers. It was, however, a halfway decent story. It’s currently available for free, and it might be something some of my readers are interested in.

If you’d like to learn more about the djinn (or jinn) of Arabic legend, I’ve got a post (or two) that might help you with that.

The istipapa (este papv in standardized spelling) or “man-eater” is a fierce creature from the mythology of several Native American nations of the Southeast. Though some groups conceived of the istipapa as bear-like, the Creeks and Seminoles though of it as a huge feline, something like a giant mountain lion. (Its name is, in fact, sometimes translated as “lion.”) As its name suggests, it has been known to devour not only livestock but also human beings.

Michelle Smith recounts the following Creek legend in Legends, Lore and True Tales of the Chattahoochee (The History Press, 2013):

One of the more famous stories of the Isti-PaPa states that one particular cat plagued a Creek tribe. Members of the tribe tried to kill it by digging a pit and covering it with a net made of bark. Then they lured it out of its cave by throwing in a rattlesnake. The beast rushed forward with more anger and chased them through the branches. The tribe decided it was better for one to die than all, so the members took a motherless child and threw him before the lion as it came near the pit. The lion rushed at the child and fell into the pit; tribe members jabbed at it with blazing pinewood and killed it. After killing the Isti-PaPa, they took its bones and laid them on either side of the pit. They tarried there seven days because the creature would come every seventh day to terrorize them. In remembrance of the Isti-PaPa, the tribe would fast for six days and begin war on the seventh. If warriors took his bones with them into war, they would have good fortune.

The Creek peoples speak of a creature called the Water Master or ue pucase (roughly prounounced oy poo-chah-see).

There is a bit of a debate, though, about what sort of creature this is. Some say ue pucase is just another term for the tie snake. Others, apparently among the eastern Creeks, say it is an aquatic feline creature, perhaps similar to the underwater panther of Algonquian lore.

Water Masters are cunning and deceitful creatures. According to one Hitchiti legend,

In some Muskogee accounts, “tie snake” is basically synonymous with “horned serpent.” In other versions of the myth, they are two separate creatures, of which the tie snake properly so called is much smaller than the horned serpent, and not quite as malevolent.

Tie snakes are most often associated with Muskogee culture, but they are also known, for example, to the Hitchiti, Yuchi, Natchez, and Chickasaw. In the Muskogee language, they are called estakwvnayv (ee-stah-kwuh-nah-yuh). In outward appearance, they aren’t terribly different from any ordinary snake. They are usually either black or dark blue in color. In some legends, their head is crooked over like the beak of a hawk.

But appearances can be deceiving. Tie snakes are almost always depicted as immensely strong. They often drag humans underwater, so be careful when you go near the water!

Tie snakes also exert control over water. One account has a tie snake summoning a flood large enough to overwhelm an entire town. Furthermore, these creatures are often shape-shifters. By some accounts, the tie snake was originally a man who was transformed into a serpent-like being after eating taboo food.

The most powerful tie snakes are expert animal charmers, able to command ordinary snakes to do their bidding. The “king of the tie snakes” is an almost godlike underworld being who claims to know “all things that are under the earth.” This figure might be depicted seated on a throne made of writhing snakes. He can be both frightening and demanding, but also willing to assist those who are worthy.