The Two Thugs

The Two Thugs




There was once a thug, who called himself a tradesmen. If asked what he dealt in, his reply was, whatever can give me a meagre profit.

To Be Continued. 

Lal Ded.

Lal Ded

Kashmiri Folklore- Wai Wouf

Wai Wouf-  The Wai Wouf is supposedly a nocturnal creature. There are many versions of the tales about this creature. Some believe that it is an animal-a cat or dog that howls wouf wouf, while it moves around in desolated houses. While others believe the Wai Wouf is a little midget whose powers lie in his toup, his cap.

This is a story I heard from Ayaz who heard it from his grandparents.

"One day a donga walla who used to go for work in the Dal captured the Wai Wouf’s cap. So he started using the power of the cap to control the creature. The donga walla had reduced it into a common slave and would send him to run errands. Now the Wai Wouf was very clever. He waited for an opportunity to regain his power by repossessing his cap.  One day, the Wai Wouf tricked the man’s wife to return his cap and as soon as he repossessed it he killed the entire family by submerging the  donga into water."- Ayaz (lives  near the Dal in Srinagar) 

Folklore from Kashmir-Wai Wouf

Kashmiri Folklore-The Tasrufdars

Tasrufdars are believed to be tiny elves, who live in and around water bodies. They are apparently disturbed by human presence and can be harmful. Villagers around Hatbalnag believe that the spring was sacred as tasrufdars lived in it and they would harm anyone who polluted the spring. Some people believe that they can also be found in big old chinar trees.

Folklore of Kashmir-Tasrufdar

Kashmiri Folklore-The Raantas

The Raantas or Rantus is another mythical entity. She is your classical run of the mill bollywood ki ‘chudel’. The witch with the feet turned in the opposite direction. The kind of entity who kidnaps men and then takes them to her cave in the mountain. There are many similar female mythical entities in Kashmiri Folklore.
 The 'Rih' is said to be a seductress too, who entices men in order to devour them. Many stories have merged into one, therefore the raantaas and the rih have kind of become one entity.
Then there are others-the 'Dyn' or like she is called in Hindi 'Daien' who is also a female; who too eats out the hearts of men. The Degins and the Degus, according to Vigne, ''seek husbands amongst mortals, but that their attachment is productive of fatal consequences, as its object dies in the course of two or three months.''

Folklore Of Kashmir-Raantas

Kashmiri Folklore- The Pasikdar

There are many interesting stories one hears, while sipping kahwa in remote villages in Kashmir. Legends about ghosts and mystical entities. I will be sharing these tales with you. First there is of course, the story of the pasikdar- the guardian or pehredaar of the house. The  friendly entity/ ghost- the one who guards the house from evil spirits. Apparently, this entity is present in all Muslim households, guarding the inhabitants from any evil that may befall on them. Some people say that the pasikdaar leaves from a house where basic hygiene is not maintained, while others claim that he strangles the person who runs the household if the house is ill-kept.

Folklore of Kashmir-Pasikdar