Shin Megami Tensei II

Part 11

Update 10: REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE.

Speed it is.

New demons in the Overworld!

Empusa!

Wikipedia posted:

In ancient Greek mythology, the Empusa (Εμπουσα — Empousa) was a female supernatural monster or demoness. Hecate sent Empusa to harass travelers. It scared to death or ate anybody that travelled along the paths or roads it inhabited. The empusae are sometimes described as having donkey-like features. Empusa is best known for her appearance in Aristophanes's The Frogs, in which she scared Dionysus and Xanthias on their way to the underworld.

More recent Greek tales describe the creature as a merely frightening shapeshifter, but blame it for injuring sheep.

The Empusae are similar to the lilim, and the legend of the former may be derived from that of the latter. See also Lamia.

Sudama!

Wikipedia posted:

Sudama was a childhood friend of Krishna. He was from a poor Brahmin family while Krishna was from the royal family. But this difference in social status did not come in the way of their friendship. They lost contact over the years and while Krishna became a military leader and King of great repute, Sudama stayed as a humble, and somewhat impoverished Brahmin living in a village. Some time later when Sudama was going through some bad times, not even having enough money to feed his children, his wife reminded him of his friendship with Krishna. Though initially reluctant to go to his friend for help, Sudama finally agrees to go. He leaves with nothing but some puffed rice tied in a cloth as a present. He remebers that puffed rice (powa/poha in Hindi) is Krishna's favorite and decided to give this as a gift to the Lord.

Krishna is greatly pleased to see his old friend. He treats him royally and with much love. Overwhelmed by all this Sudama forgets to ask for what he actually came to ask. But the Lord realises what His friend needs, and the lord's consort Rukmini incarnation of Lakshmi, gifts him with his desires. On his return journey, Sudama ponders his circumstances and is thankful for the great friend he has in Lord Krishna. When Sudama finally returns to his home, he finds a palatial mansion instead of the hut he had left. He also finds his family dressed in extremely nice garb and waiting for him. He lives an austere life after that, always thankful to the Lord.

Urm. I don't think that is really relevant to this demon, but eh, whatever.
SMT3:N's demonic compendium says this:

THE DEMONIC COMPENDIUM posted:

Earth spirits in Japanese Mythology. They are born drom ancient trrees and boulders. They are not evil, but will transform into humans or monsters to warn people not to infiltrate their mountains

That's more like it.

Ihika!
http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules....php?entryID=71

That site thing posted:

A chthonic kami (kunitsukami) depicted as having a tail, and which appeared from a glowing well or spring during Emperor Jinmu's eastern campaign. Both Nihongi and Kojiki state that he was the ancestor of the indigenous Yoshino no Obito peoples. The motif of a "glowing well" is believed to suggest the entrance to a mercury mine, while the "tail" is thought to refer to the tails of the wild animal skins worn by miners or forest workers. The name Ihika survives in the place name Ikari in Kawakami Village of Yoshino District.

Those demons were found in the damn bridge.
There are no safe areas in Valhalla anymore.

Caith Sith! And dressed like Puss in Boots!

Wikipedia posted:

Cat Sidhe or Cait Sith (pronounced caught shee) is a fairy creature from Celtic mythology said to resemble a large black cat with a white spot on its breast. It was said to haunt the Scottish Highlands. Some common folklore suggested that the Cait Sidhe was not a fairy, but a transformed witch.

The myths surrounding this creature are more common in Scottish Folklore, but a few myths originate in Irish folklore as well.

This comes from the root words "Cait", which meant "Cat" in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and Sidhe, which is the word for faery folk or other otherworldly beings.

It is possible that the legends of the Cait Sidhe were inspired by Kellas Cats, which are probably a distinctive hybrid between European Wildcats and domestic cats only found in Scotland (the European Wildcat is absent from elsewhere in the British Isles). Typical Kellas Cats resemble large black wildcats, but with some peculiar features closer to domestic cats, and have probably been present in Scotland for centuries, maybe even some 2 millennia or more.