1 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:06,399 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:11,800 Speaker 2: Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and this is the 3 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 2: Monster Fact, a short form series from Stuff to Blow 4 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:19,600 Speaker 2: Your Mind, focusing in on mythical creatures, ideas, and monsters 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 2: in time. My wife recently gave me a copy of 6 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 2: the nineteen eighty five book Magical Beasts from the Time 7 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,880 Speaker 2: Life Enchanted World series. This is a volume I didn't 8 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 2: have in my childhood set of the books, and as 9 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:40,519 Speaker 2: with other volumes, this one contains a rich collection of 10 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 2: new and classic illustrations. Flipping through it for the first time, 11 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 2: I encountered the expected array of satyrs, harpees, and unicorns. 12 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 2: But then on page one hundred and twenty two, I 13 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 2: encountered a glorious illustration by none other than contemporary artist 14 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 2: Wayne Anderson, whose book Flight of Dragon was the inspiration 15 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:04,320 Speaker 2: for the nineteen eighty two Rankin and Bass animated film 16 00:01:04,360 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 2: of the same name, recently featured on Weird House Cinema. 17 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 2: Anderson's interpretation of the creature is a splendid antelope like 18 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 2: creature with a single curved horn. This horn does not spiral, 19 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 2: but it does branch off into stunted hollow tubes. It 20 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 2: gives the horn an appearance of both coral and a 21 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 2: fluted musical instrument. It also reminded my wife of the 22 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 2: Grinch's dog Max, once he was augmented with a crude 23 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:40,959 Speaker 2: antler in the cartoon. The text of Magical Beasts tells 24 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,600 Speaker 2: us that this is the Persian creature known as Shahdhavar, 25 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,640 Speaker 2: and when the wind passes over this horn and its apertures, 26 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 2: sweet music is produced, music so sweet, in fact, that 27 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 2: animals of the forest will draw near. It is then 28 00:01:56,080 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 2: that Shadhavar's predatory nature is revealed, as the creature pounces 29 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 2: on its enthralled prey, kills it, and devours its flesh. 30 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 2: Shadhavar is discussed in the nineteen fifty text The Unicorn 31 00:02:09,160 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 2: Studies in Muslim Iconography by the late Islamic art historian 32 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 2: Richard Ettinghausen. He writes that, according to Zakaria al Kuzwani 33 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 2: in his thirteenth century book The Wonders of Creatures and 34 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 2: the Marvels of Creation, the Shadhavar lives in remote regions 35 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 2: of room, and its horn contains no less than forty 36 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 2: two hollow branches. The fourteenth century writer al Damiri would 37 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 2: increase that count to seventy two, and it appears that 38 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 2: historian Hamdala Mustawafi contributed the predatory account, possibly grafting it 39 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 2: on from another imaginary creature, the Sirranas, which was originally 40 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 2: described as a marine animal with musical apertures on its 41 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 2: snout and later as a land animal with musical apertures 42 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 2: on its snout. In either case, the Sirranus was said 43 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 2: to lure in prey with its song as well. The 44 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 2: excellent blog A Book of Creatures features a nice illustration 45 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 2: of what this Syranus might have been expected to look like, 46 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 2: and mentions that the name of the creature may be 47 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 2: a reference to a Byzantine musical instrument that was used, 48 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 2: or said to be used to lure and capture animals. 49 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,079 Speaker 2: There may also be some connection here to the sirens 50 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 2: of Greek tradition. At any rate, it's a wonderful, fantastic creature, 51 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 2: and also a reminder that monsters of myth and legend 52 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:37,200 Speaker 2: are fluid. They may borrow their attributes from others of 53 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 2: their kind, and of course they may lend attributes to 54 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 2: other creatures as well. Tune in for additional episodes of 55 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 2: the monster fact or the artifact each week. As always, 56 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 2: you can email us at contact at stuff to blow 57 00:03:51,840 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 2: your Mind dot com. 58 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: Stuffed blow your Mind is production of iHeartRadio. For more 59 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:07,720 Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 60 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.