Ambrus
Explorer
I don't know if this might be of interest to you or not, but I was doing some research for your game and I found a dragon (or group of related creatures) which bear uncanny similarities to the pseudodragon; so much so that I suspect they may have inspired the creation of the latter.
Legends from the Baltic states of eastern Europe describe a little 4-legged dragon about 2-ft long, usually winged, that flies through the air while trailing a tail of flame. They are often adopted by (or adopt in turn) a family or individual (in post-christian era they are bought from the devil in exchange for one's soul) and serve their masters by bringing them wealth (in the form of gold, grain, milk or honey), often by stealing from neighboring households. When living in a house, they often lair behind the stove and usually adopt the form of a black cat or rooster.
It's known as an aitvara or puk or pukys in Lithuania, as puuk or tulihand or pisuhand in Estonia and as a puk or puks or puck in Germany.[sblock=The Puk and the Aitvaras]
In the Baltic countryside, most especially Lithuania, is where you’ll find tales of the aitvaras. The earliest known references to it date from 1547, and it maintains its place in the local mindset today(12). A household spirit related to the kaukas, or kobold(7), the aitvaras generally lived behind the main stove or the hearth in the barn or cottage. It was fed, some texts assert, with gifts of milk, flour, corn, or hay(8), although the aitvaras must be given an omelet. Whether the aitvaras must be fed solely on omelet or just demands the one initial omelet is not clear(7-11). In return, the aitvaras brought good luck (or sometimes not-so-good luck) and wealth to the household(10).
Some scholars believe the aitvaras was once a lower deity in its own right, spiritually based in the air and woodlands and seen in natural occurrences like the flash of passing meteors, birds, moths, and fireflies. In this manifestation, the aitvaras watched over humans like a guardian angel. They were immortals who could heal or revive themselves simply by touching the earth. Those who ascribe to this interpretation blame the conversion efforts of medieval Christians, who condemned the aitvaras as a demon and a thief(12).
In appearance, the aitvaras was variable. Inside the home, it most frequently appeared as a black cock or cat, but its form shifted to that of a bird(9) or a flying dragon of either fiery form(7) or fiery tail(12). It can be hypothesized that it was the height of its flight patterns or simple near-sightedness that gave rise to aerial descriptions of it as a wavy line(9).
Once the aitvaras adopted (or was adopted by) a household, its primary goal in life was to increase the household’s wealth, enacting a sort of hoarding behavior by proxy. It would fetch milk, corn, or money for its master(13), though these were usually stolen from other homesteads(10).
An aitvaras could move into a homestead by one of several means. Some were hatched from the seven-year old eggs of cocks(7), while others were bought in exchange for the buyer’s soul. Occasionally, an aitvaras might be found and unwittingly brought home(13). Once it took up residence, however, it proved nearly impossible to chase off(10). Those families who wished to be rid of the aitvaras were generally forced to kill it. A famous folk tale tells of a young bride sent to grind grain with a hand-mill. She was disturbed at the way he basket of grain was always full, and was advised wisely to look upon the basket using a sacred candle. By this light, she saw a cock regurgitating a stream of grain into the basket, and she promptly slew it. Upon her discovery of the incident, however, the bride's mother-in-law lamented the loss of her aitvaras, the source of her prosperity(13).
The similarities in behavior and form between the puk and the aitvaras have led many to believe that they are closely related if not the same creature(7, 14). If the 2 are related, however, then the puk is far more wide ranging; it is called pukys in Lithuanian, puuk(7), tulihand or pisuhand in Estonian, puk, puks, or puck in German, pukje in Norwegian, puge in old Danish, puki in old Icelandic, puck in English, and puca in Irish. One must take care not to confuse this creature with English Robin Goodfellow, which is much less friendly towards humanity and occupies itself primarily by getting travelers lost in the bogs(13). In Sweden it is also known, when focused on bringing dairy, as a milk-hare(14). Most scholars generally suppose that puks (or at least the ideas about them) were brought up into the Baltic cities by traders from Germany, where they gradually diffused into more rural areas. Indeed, Lithuanian folklore tells of a farmer who brought his crop down to Riga, sold it, and used the money to buy a dragon from a German merchant. Whether puks originated in Germany or were transported from Scandinavia or the British Islands is as yet undetermined(13).
The puk is also far more concrete in its form than the aitvaras*. Generally, puks are described as little dragons about 2 feet long with four feet(11). In flight, they are often described as a fiery ball or a UFO-like blur(15), though this could be attributed to rapid transit.
Like the aitvaras, however, the puk is essentially a thief for its master. It can be bought or bred, but there are also ways to magically lure it away from its current master. Once obtained, however, it must be treated well; neglected puks are as likely to die as any other creature, and those who feel they’ve been slighted often abandon or attempt to hurt their masters(15).
Even a dead puk can occasionally be dangerous; Swedish folklore tells of a man who met a puk (most likely on its way to deliver milk) and shot it. The entrails of the puk, in classic horror movie fashion, leaped out of the body and attempted to strangle the hunter. Luckily, the man managed to catch the puk’s guts on his gun and guide them to a birch tree, where they squeezed so hard they tore away the bark(14).
As with the aitvaras, those who kept puks frequently left tubs out for them at night. The puk would come in the evening and throw up the milk into the tub, fresh for use(14).[/sblock]
Legends from the Baltic states of eastern Europe describe a little 4-legged dragon about 2-ft long, usually winged, that flies through the air while trailing a tail of flame. They are often adopted by (or adopt in turn) a family or individual (in post-christian era they are bought from the devil in exchange for one's soul) and serve their masters by bringing them wealth (in the form of gold, grain, milk or honey), often by stealing from neighboring households. When living in a house, they often lair behind the stove and usually adopt the form of a black cat or rooster.
It's known as an aitvara or puk or pukys in Lithuania, as puuk or tulihand or pisuhand in Estonia and as a puk or puks or puck in Germany.[sblock=The Puk and the Aitvaras]
In the Baltic countryside, most especially Lithuania, is where you’ll find tales of the aitvaras. The earliest known references to it date from 1547, and it maintains its place in the local mindset today(12). A household spirit related to the kaukas, or kobold(7), the aitvaras generally lived behind the main stove or the hearth in the barn or cottage. It was fed, some texts assert, with gifts of milk, flour, corn, or hay(8), although the aitvaras must be given an omelet. Whether the aitvaras must be fed solely on omelet or just demands the one initial omelet is not clear(7-11). In return, the aitvaras brought good luck (or sometimes not-so-good luck) and wealth to the household(10).
Some scholars believe the aitvaras was once a lower deity in its own right, spiritually based in the air and woodlands and seen in natural occurrences like the flash of passing meteors, birds, moths, and fireflies. In this manifestation, the aitvaras watched over humans like a guardian angel. They were immortals who could heal or revive themselves simply by touching the earth. Those who ascribe to this interpretation blame the conversion efforts of medieval Christians, who condemned the aitvaras as a demon and a thief(12).
In appearance, the aitvaras was variable. Inside the home, it most frequently appeared as a black cock or cat, but its form shifted to that of a bird(9) or a flying dragon of either fiery form(7) or fiery tail(12). It can be hypothesized that it was the height of its flight patterns or simple near-sightedness that gave rise to aerial descriptions of it as a wavy line(9).
Once the aitvaras adopted (or was adopted by) a household, its primary goal in life was to increase the household’s wealth, enacting a sort of hoarding behavior by proxy. It would fetch milk, corn, or money for its master(13), though these were usually stolen from other homesteads(10).
An aitvaras could move into a homestead by one of several means. Some were hatched from the seven-year old eggs of cocks(7), while others were bought in exchange for the buyer’s soul. Occasionally, an aitvaras might be found and unwittingly brought home(13). Once it took up residence, however, it proved nearly impossible to chase off(10). Those families who wished to be rid of the aitvaras were generally forced to kill it. A famous folk tale tells of a young bride sent to grind grain with a hand-mill. She was disturbed at the way he basket of grain was always full, and was advised wisely to look upon the basket using a sacred candle. By this light, she saw a cock regurgitating a stream of grain into the basket, and she promptly slew it. Upon her discovery of the incident, however, the bride's mother-in-law lamented the loss of her aitvaras, the source of her prosperity(13).
The similarities in behavior and form between the puk and the aitvaras have led many to believe that they are closely related if not the same creature(7, 14). If the 2 are related, however, then the puk is far more wide ranging; it is called pukys in Lithuanian, puuk(7), tulihand or pisuhand in Estonian, puk, puks, or puck in German, pukje in Norwegian, puge in old Danish, puki in old Icelandic, puck in English, and puca in Irish. One must take care not to confuse this creature with English Robin Goodfellow, which is much less friendly towards humanity and occupies itself primarily by getting travelers lost in the bogs(13). In Sweden it is also known, when focused on bringing dairy, as a milk-hare(14). Most scholars generally suppose that puks (or at least the ideas about them) were brought up into the Baltic cities by traders from Germany, where they gradually diffused into more rural areas. Indeed, Lithuanian folklore tells of a farmer who brought his crop down to Riga, sold it, and used the money to buy a dragon from a German merchant. Whether puks originated in Germany or were transported from Scandinavia or the British Islands is as yet undetermined(13).
The puk is also far more concrete in its form than the aitvaras*. Generally, puks are described as little dragons about 2 feet long with four feet(11). In flight, they are often described as a fiery ball or a UFO-like blur(15), though this could be attributed to rapid transit.
Like the aitvaras, however, the puk is essentially a thief for its master. It can be bought or bred, but there are also ways to magically lure it away from its current master. Once obtained, however, it must be treated well; neglected puks are as likely to die as any other creature, and those who feel they’ve been slighted often abandon or attempt to hurt their masters(15).
Even a dead puk can occasionally be dangerous; Swedish folklore tells of a man who met a puk (most likely on its way to deliver milk) and shot it. The entrails of the puk, in classic horror movie fashion, leaped out of the body and attempted to strangle the hunter. Luckily, the man managed to catch the puk’s guts on his gun and guide them to a birch tree, where they squeezed so hard they tore away the bark(14).
As with the aitvaras, those who kept puks frequently left tubs out for them at night. The puk would come in the evening and throw up the milk into the tub, fresh for use(14).[/sblock]
