Xyíntli

In folklore a xyíntli, also commonly called a [DINUUEN NAME], is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a human and the lower body of various sea creatures. They are reported to take the form of many creatures ranging from monk seals to serpents to jellyfish. Xyíntli appear in many cultures around the Kidal Sea and within recent years have begun to appear in popular culture references worldwide.

Xyíntli are often associated with tragedies such as tsunamis, shipwrecks and drownings. Occasionally, however, they are presented and beneficent by bestowing blessings upon humans or falling in love with them. They are most commonly depicted and sighted as female, however, there are common descriptions of male xyíntli even though their sightings are less commonly reported.

Historical accounts of xyíntli have been linked to misidentified aquatic animals by sailors from the Kidal Sea who often ventured into distant waters that contained unfamiliar fauna. Despite a lack of evidence that xyíntli exist outside of mythology, there are numerous reports of sightings that continue into the modern day.

Xyíntli have long been a subject of art and literature, particularly amongst the Énqutsa whose earliest epic poems feature the creatures. In the present, xyíntli feature in operas, paintings, novels, cinema and poetry.

Énqutsa folklore
The earliest records of Xyíntli appear in cave drawings along the southern coast of the Énqusqan peninsula. Several site depict male and female anthropomorphic figures with the lower bodies of fish often engaged in dramatic scenes hunting large aquatic fauna, such as the now extinct humpback whale.

Xyíntli feature in the earliest epic poems written by the Énqutsa and seemingly have been a focus of oral folk tradition for much longer than writing had been used amongst the Énqutsa. Typically xyíntli exist as malevolent entities in these stories that beguile sailors and drag them beneath the waves in order to drink their blood. Despite their apparent beauty from the surface, they were said to be monstrous to behold underwater. As the folklore and literary traditions of Énqutsa began to mature during the interregnum and the early Second Kingdom of Énqusqó the role of the xyíntli within stories began to shift. The traditional depictions of half-human half-fish xyíntli began to fall out of the public imagination. Instead the more traditionally monstrous depictions of half-jellyfish xyíntli became mainstream, particularly under the reign of Póo Mín Nyáru. To this day, people consider a jellyfish that washes up on a beach to be a sign that a xyíntli has grown legs and is hiding in-land, preying on people's blood.

A common interregnal myth is that it was a xyíntli who first taught people how to cultivate and tend to coral reefs - a common aquacultural practice in coastal Énqusqan communities. There are also many stories where xyíntli fall in love with sailors and starve themselves through refusing to drink their blood. These tales would later inspire Qáa Ma Lu to write the operatic tragedy Coral Pink Kisses.

Many maritime superstitions have arisen amongst Énqutsa sailors surrounding warding off xyíntli who would do them harm. A common practice is for sailors to have a jellyfish tattooed on their necks to ward off the bite of a xyíntli. Some early insurance brokers refused to insure voyages of sailors who didn't have warding tattoos which lead to the rise of tattooing as a rite-of-passage for young sailors. Clearing the growth of barnacles and other sealife from the underside of a hull is considered a way to anger a xyíntli. Oftentimes mariners would refuse to undertake this task, which is vital for the maintenance of sea-going vessels, for fear of incurring the wroth of a xyíntli. Carrying a piece of múuzoló coral is said to protect an individual from being bitten or drowned by a xyíntli, in fact, it is believed that a xyíntli would bring them safely to the shore if they are thrown overboard.

Kidal folklore
Xyíntli, called a !KidalName regionally, quickly made its way into Kidal culture. This is likely due to the close trade relationship with the Énqutsa that facilitates extensive cultural exchange. In fact, the first Kidal depiction of a xyíntli, a painting in a sea-side cave, is dated to !Year, only a decade after the first mention of the creature in Énqutsa poetry. Due to the long history of xyíntli in Kidal culture, they have integrated themselves into a wide variety of folkloric roles and have taken a diverse array of different forms.

Tales across the Kidal Sea describe xyíntli with the lower bodies of sea snakes, which hunt unsuspecting fishermen traveling through the reefs of the region. As with Énqutsan xyíntli, Kidal xyíntli primarily feed on the blood, acquired through ambushing humans that pass above their territory.

An aspect of Kidal xyíntli not found among the originators of the creature is that of the xyíntli nest. According to Kidal folklore, each xyíntli has a specific in which they inhabit when they are not hunting. Within this sinkhole, they store the drained bodies of their victims, alongside the various precious objects they have acquired from their prey. It is rumored that xyíntli nests are home to such unfathomable wealth that any who laid eyes on it would be overcome by greed. Traditionally, this would result in the individual being weighed down to point of being unable to swim out of the nest, therefore drowning.

Occasionally a human is able to successfully remove the treasure from the xyíntli nest without being trapped inside the blue hole. In these occurrences, their fate is no less grisly, for xyíntli are jealous creatures. The next time the successful treasure-hunter approaches a body of water, the offended xyíntli will drag them beneath the surface, drain their blood, and leave their corpse to float among the waves. After this, the custom is to throw all of the deceased’s wealth into the sea for the xyíntli to claim, as any who touches treasure taken from a xyíntli nest will incur its wrath.

Some xyíntli are not described in as negative a light. Some tales include xyíntli with the lower bodies of monk seals and describe them not as greedy hunters but as guardians of sacred islands. Such xyíntli still kill and drain the blood of any humans that land on their islands, but they do not actively hunt for their prey. Instead, they spend the majority of their time resting along the beaches or swimming among the shallows around their islands.

Edmarits are believed to be able to approach xyíntli described in such a manner, though only do so rarely. When they do, they are able to use their ties to the kenil of the island to contract the creature to perform tasks. Typically, the xyíntli becomes a companion of the edmarit for their journey, and the edmarit’s own boat becomes considered a moving island that the xyíntli must guard. This alliance is usually temporary. As soon as the specific terms of the agreement are fulfilled, the xyíntli normally abandon the edmarit to return to its island.

Though some stories describe xyíntli as unstoppable predators, there exist many means by which Kidal sailors ward off the creature. Manatee blood is poisonous to xyíntli, so those traveling the Kidal sea are traditionally expected to bring a bottle of such substance for emergencies. Pearl divers also occasionally wear clothing made from manatee leather in an attempt to hide from xyíntli in the reefs. Kidal edmarits also know several rituals that can be used to discourage xyíntli attacks, typically through communing with kenil of the reef. Xyíntli, like all living things, can become component souls of kenil, and therefore can be influenced by their kenil to not attack humans if the kenil is given the correct offerings.

Dinuuen folklore
Xyíntli entered Dinuuen culture through trade with the Kidal, and the earliest description was recorded in !Year. The Dinuuens refer to it as !DinuuenName, and it quickly became an emblematic part of folklore. Xyíntli are relatively commonly seen in Dinuuen heraldry, especially in banners relating to the navy. Additionally, many Dinuuen tales include heroes slaying xyíntli, including foundational legends such as The Night of Three Blades.

Unlike Kidal and Énqutsa xyíntli, Dinuuens do not typically describe xyíntli as entirely intelligent creatures. There are few Dinuuen legends of xyíntli planning, or being reasoned with. Instead of having entirely humanoid upper bodies and entirely serpentine lower bodies, the creatures blend the two halves, coming equipped with scales across their entire bodies, long claws, and predatory shark-like eyes. In this way, they are understood as being nothing more than another variety of animal.

Dinuuen xyíntli are also thought to be more prone to freshwater than Kidal xyíntli. The creatures are frequently described as hunting their prey in rivers, lakes, and swamps. As a result, xyíntli in mainland Tar-dinuu often are capable of terrorizing settlements. They are nearby threats, as opposed to hazards encountered deep in the wilderness as they are for the Kidal. This means that Dinuuen folktales typically describe more proactive approaches to defending against xyíntli, as opposed to merely warding them off.

Traditionally, xyíntli-hunting is accomplished through a specific procedure. A hunter will deposit the corpse of a recently slaughtered kui in the body of water a xyíntli is thought to frequent. They will allow the blood to seep into the water, attracting the monster with its smell. While the xyíntli makes its way to the new meal, the hunter must camouflage amongst the foliage. When the creature arrives, the hunter will then ambush the xyíntli with an iron hammer, aiming specifically at the fangs. Care must be taken to not entirely shatter the fangs, for it is only with the fangs that the xyíntli hide can be pierced. If a fang is broken off, the monster will briefly be stunned, giving the hunter enough time to collect a fang and quickly fasten it on the hammer. The next strike by the hunter is then enough to slay the xyíntli. However, the xyíntli will not remain dead unless the body is burned and dedicated to the kenil of the body of water, for by slaying the monster it has lost its strongest weapon.

The most well-known aspect of Dinuuen xyíntli is their status as one of the deadly creatures believed to dwell within the catacombs of Muralilin. These are enduring cultural landmarks within Higher Tar-dinuu, which are said to contain both unimaginable wealth from across Tar-dinuuen history and innumerable dangers guarding them. Some believe that among these dangers are xyíntli, which lurk within the flooded portions of the caverns. Most memorably, it is said to be a xyíntli that guards the path to the legendary Tomb of the Flir. Though belief in xyíntli has declined in many areas of Higher Tar-dinuu, as guardians beneath Muralilin they continue to frequently appear in modern urban legends.

A less popular depiction of xyíntli is found in Lower Tar-dinuu and western Higher Tar-dinuu. Several folktales exist in this region describing a peculiar hunting pattern for xyíntli that contrasts with their animalistic portrayal elsewhere among Dinuuens. Western xyíntli are said to originally hunt normally, lurking in the wild to drain the blood of humans that cross their path. However, when they complete the consumption of their victim’s blood, they burrow into their original bite and eat what remains of their prey’s interior. After several hours, the corpse is entirely hollowed out, and the xyíntli begins puppeting the body. It walks out of its nest using the body and makes its way to its prey’s original home. For the next several weeks, the xyíntli will masquerade as the victim, hunting future prey within the settlement to kill opportunistically.

Settlements that have been infiltrated by a xyíntli are quickly thrown into a panic because the creature is able to mimic the mannerisms of its prey perfectly. The only way to determine whether an individual is actually a xyíntli is to find the distinctive bite somewhere on its body, or if it gets cut, at which point it will not bleed. This description of xyíntli is so different from that found elsewhere that it is commonly believed by folklorists to have actually been the result of the combination of the xyíntli and another creature entirely, though evidence for the other theoretical precursor to the monster has not yet been located.