Monster Encyclopedia - P

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peccary

A peccary, as described by Zappa, is a gregarious, nocturnal, little pig with a white collar. It usually is found anywhere between Texas and Paraguay, sometimes ranging as far west as Catalina. There is a breed that distinguish themselves with a series of markings that look like a wide tie, directly under the white collar. The size of the tie, symbolizes how nimble their mind is. They also have the ability to speak and drive cars, and have been known at times, to work for the government.

pegais

As recorded by Pliny, the Pegais was a great bird with the head of a horse.

p'eng-niao

In Chinese mythology, the P'eng-Niao was a creature, part bird and part dragon.

peryton

Supposedly from Atlantis, the Peryton is a creature that is half-deer and half-bird. The have the head and legs of a deer and the plumage, wings and hindquarters of a bird. Perytons so not cast their own shadows, but rather, the shadows of humans. because of this, they are thought to be the spirits of travelers who have died far away from their homes, and therefor their gods. It is said that these creatures are the mortal enemies of men, and that they are responsible for the fall of Rome.

pheng

Much like the Roc or Arabic lore, the Pheng is a great bird from Japanese legend. It is so large that it eclipses the sun and it can pick-up and eat a camel.

phoenix

Most beings spring from other individuals; but there is a certain kind which reproduces itself. The Assyrians call it the Phoenix. It does not live on fruit or flowers, but on frankincense and odoriferous gums. When it has lived five hundred years, it builds itself a nest in the branches of an oak, on the top of a palm tree. In this it collects cinnamon and spikenard, and myrrh, and of these materials builds a pile on which it deposits itself, and dying, breathes out its last breath amidst odors. From the body of the parent bird, a young Phoenix issues forth, destined to live as long a life as its predecessor. When this has grown up and gained sufficient strength, it lifts its nest from the tree (its own cradle and its parent's sepulcher), and carries it to the city of Heliopolis in Egypt, and deposits it in the temple of the sun.

-- Ovid

As Ovid tells us, the Phoenix comes from Assyria, however, this bird appears in many places at many times. There are Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Egyptian, and Native American counterparts. (Fêng-Huang, Ho-oo, Firebird, Benu, and Yel respectively). All of these birds are identified with the sun, and are very similar to the bird described by Ovid. The first known mention of this bird was by Hesiod in the eighth century B.C., and the most detailed early account is by the Greek historian Heroditus. He says,

"I have not seen it myself, except in a picture. Part of his plumage is gold-coloured, and part crimson; and he is for the most part very much like an eagle in outline and bulk."

Like Heroditus says, the Phoenix is a large eagle like or heron like bird with red and gold feathers (although the Chinese phoenix has five colours). The bird is also known to have a beautiful song. The bird is supposed to be very long-lived with a life span of, according to various accounts, 500 years, 540 years, 1000 years, 1461 years or even 12 994 years. This is the Phoenix as we know it, the bird that is self-reincarnated from its own ashes.

By the fourth century A.D. the phoenix myth had changed so that the mature bird self-immolated after turning its nest into a funeral pyre. After three days, it "rose again". Thus the phoenix became identified with the resurrection of Christ and became a symbol of both immortality and life after death.

One possible explanation for the phoenix myth: some large birds spread their wings over fires so that the smoke kills parasites.

As the bird kept appearing in writing, its origin changed a little. In Pliny's account of the Roman senator Manilius' report of the genesis of the phoenix. He stated that a small worm grew from the bones and marrow of the dead bird. This worm eventually develops into the new bird.

pi-hsi

This Chinese deity of rivers was part dragon, part tortoise.

pixie

Usually no larger than a human hand, a pixie is human-like with red hair and green eyes. They have upturned noses and malicious smiles. They usually wear tight fitting green clothes. Pixies have the ability to change their size at will. They are tricksters who like to lead humans astray. However, they can be foiled if a man wears his coat inside out. Their origin is not known, but it has been said that the pixies were the first to welcome the færies when they arrived in England. Then, fearing that they would be taken over, the pixies waged war on the færies. Farmers embrace the presence of pixies and do certain things to please them, and therefore keep them on the farm. At night, farmers will leave a bucket of water out so mother pixies can wash their babies, they'll leave milk out for them to drink and they'll sweep the hearth so that the pixies have a clean place to dance. Pixies are usually found in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall.

puck

Pucks are pixie-like creatures that reside in the southern counties of England. Pucks, unlike pixies are on good terms with færies. Having no interest in domesticated animals, pucks are beneficial to all plants and wild animals. Miscehevious like many spirits, pucks like to play harmless tricks on humans. There tricks can, however, become quite severe in revenge of a maiden who has been scorned by her lover. They enjoy dancing to the sounds of a flute. They were sometimes called by Shakespeare and others of that time, Robbin-Good-Fellowes. In that time they were in the form of satyrs. Puck however from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream, was not a puck, but rather, a hobgoblin.

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