Afanc
A Welsh water monster, the Afanc has a crocodile's body with beaver-like paws and a poisonous barbed tail. It has the ability to cause floods and destruction by thrashing its tail in water.
At a glance
- Tradition
- Welsh folklore
- Trait family
- The Tremor-Readers
- Symbols
- Beaver
Near this figure
Symbols
Judged against the description by a model. Meanings are our own paraphrase.
- Beaver bears The beaver denotes industry, engineering, vigilance, peace, and ascetic chastity, while Indigenous stories also cast Beaver as spouse, companion, or reciprocal trickster.
why
A Welsh water monster, the Afanc has a crocodile's body with beaver-like paws and a poisonous barbed tail.
Traits
Read from the figure's description, which a model wrote. Open "why" for the sentence a trait came from.
Form
- Hybrid of multiple animals
why
a crocodile's body with beaver-like paws and a poisonous barbed tail
- Corrosive venom secretion
why
its poisonous barbed tail
- Armor-like hide
why
Its body, reminiscent of a crocodile, is covered in tough, scaly armor that provides excellent protection against potential threats.
- Shapeshifts human animal
why
Some stories even attribute to it the ability to shape-shift or to lure unsuspecting victims with hypnotic powers.
Behaviour
- Causes storms or tsunamis
why
By thrashing its powerful tail in bodies of water, the creature can generate massive waves and currents, capable of overwhelming nearby settlements and transforming peaceful waterways into raging torrents.
Sight and sound
- Disproportionately large hypnotic eyes
why
lure unsuspecting victims with hypnotic powers
Offensive powers
- Venomous bite
why
Perhaps its most distinctive and dangerous feature is its poisonous barbed tail, a deadly weapon that can inflict severe damage with a single strike.
- Hypnotic gaze
why
Some stories even attribute to it the ability to shape-shift or to lure unsuspecting victims with hypnotic powers.
Utility powers
- Shapeshifting
why
Some stories even attribute to it the ability to shape-shift or to lure unsuspecting victims with hypnotic powers.
Curses
- Causes natural disasters
why
It has the ability to cause floods and destruction by thrashing its tail in water.
Roles
Judged from the works' own entries, not from the description. Carries: the figure holds the role. Meets: the role is in its stories, held by something it meets.
- Water carries both readings
5 citations
- Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, s.v. "Afanc."
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Afanc."
- George M. Eberhart, Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology, s.v. "Afanc."
- Katharine Briggs, An Encyclopedia of Fairies, s.v. "Afanc."
- Patricia Monaghan, The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore, p. 5.
- Anima meets
5 citations
- Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, s.v. "Afanc."
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Afanc."
- George M. Eberhart, Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology, s.v. "Afanc."
- Katharine Briggs, An Encyclopedia of Fairies, s.v. "Afanc."
- Patricia Monaghan, The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore, p. 5.
- Hero meets
5 citations
- Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters, and Dragons, s.v. "Afanc."
- Carol Rose, Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins, s.v. "Afanc."
- George M. Eberhart, Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology, s.v. "Afanc."
- Katharine Briggs, An Encyclopedia of Fairies, s.v. "Afanc."
- Patricia Monaghan, The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore, p. 5.