Claw/ Nail
The claw denotes the fierce efficiency of tearing and clutching, kept as talisman, while nails hold soul-substance and grow uncannily on after death.
Our paraphrase of what the sources say it carries.
At a glance
- Type
- Image
- Group
- Human World / Human Body
- Borne by
- 23 figures
- Traditions
- American folklore (2)English folklore (2)Japanese folklore (2)Modern cryptid (North American) (2) and 15 more
Figures that bear it
A model judged each figure against its own description, one term at a time. Is: the figure is, or is partly, this thing. Bears: it carries the thing or is marked by it. What a figure does is filed under motifs and powers. Open "why" for the sentence the judgement rests on.
- Ahool bears Indonesian folklore
why
Its hunting style is believed to involve swooping down from the night sky, using its enormous wings to create gusts of wind that disorient its prey before snatching them with powerful claws.
- Asin bears Native American folklore
why
Reference works give her a hair-covered body, hands that end in claws, and a mouthful of wolfish teeth, and note that she is classed among nursery-bogie figures used to warn children away from wandering too far from home.
- Beast of Bray Road bears Modern cryptid (North American)
why
With a thick furry body and sharp claws, it's been the root of many a night-time tale.
- Black Annis bears English folklore
why
From English folklore, Black Annis is a blue-faced hag with iron claws.
- Bukavac bears Slavic folklore
why
The Bukavac's six legs are powerful and equipped with sharp claws, allowing it to move swiftly both in water and on land.
- Cactus Cat bears American folklore
why
Its primary diet consists of fermented cactus juice, which it obtains by using its sharp claws to slash open cacti.
- Dobhar-chú bears Irish folklore
why
The creature's most distinctive features are its razor-sharp teeth and claws, capable of tearing through flesh with ease.
- Drop Bear bears Australian folklore
why
Standing at about 1.3 meters tall and weighing up to 120 kilograms, these carnivorous marsupials possess razor-sharp claws and fangs that can easily tear through flesh.
- Ghoul bears Arabian folklore
why
Their appearance is a grotesque fusion of human and canine features, with elongated limbs ending in sharp claws, and a hunched, predatory posture.
- Hopkinsville Goblins bears Modern cryptid (North American)
why
The goblins' bodies are described as thin and wiry, with long arms ending in large, claw-like hands.
- Impundulu (Lightning Bird) bears South African folklore
why
These claws, constantly crackling with latent electrical energy, are believed to possess potent magical properties.
- Kamaitachi bears Japanese folklore
why
In Japanese folklore, the Kamaitachi are weasel-like creatures known for their speed and sharp, sickle-like claws.
and 11 more
- Mapinguari bears South American folklore (general)
why
A South American cryptid resembling a giant sloth with long claws and backward-facing feet.
- Mušḫuššu bears Mesopotamian mythology
why
The Mushusshu's loyalty is unwavering, and it will defend its charges with relentless determination, using its powerful claws, razor-sharp teeth, and in some accounts, the ability to breathe fire or poison.
- Nemean Lion bears Greek mythology
why
Accounts vary as to how he solved this, with some tellings holding that Athena advised him, or that he thought to use one of the lion's own claws, which alone could cut its hide.
- Rakshasa bears Indian folklore
why
Rakshasas are typically described as monstrous in their natural form, often depicted with fangs, claws, and dark or ash-colored skin, and in some tellings possessed of multiple heads or arms, as with Ravana's canonical ten heads.
- Redcap bears English folklore
why
Accounts describe it as a squat, wizened old man with long, wiry hair, taloned hands tipped with claws, teeth like fangs, and eyes that burn with a fierce red light; it is said to wear iron boots and carry a pikestaff or similar weapon, and in some tellings it possesses unnatural strength despite its small stature.
- Sheepsquatch bears American folklore
why
The Sheepsquatch's arms are long and powerful, ending in sharp claws capable of rending flesh and wood alike.
- Simurgh bears Persian mythology
why
Often described as a peacock-like bird with the head of a dog and the claws of a lion, the Simurgh embodies the harmony of different realms - earth, water, and sky.
- Tarasque bears French folklore
why
The Tarasque is said to have six bear-like legs, ending in powerful claws, and a long, serpentine tail tipped with a scorpion's stinger.
- Tengu bears Japanese folklore
why
These supernatural beings are often depicted with human-like bodies adorned with feathers, sharp claws, and distinctive long noses or beaks.
- Wendigo bears Algonquian folklore
why
Its most distinctive features are its glowing eyes, protruding fangs, and long, razor-sharp claws.
- Xtabay bears Mayan mythology
why
Men drawn in by her beauty, in many tellings men returning home late or drunk, follow her into the bush, where she reveals her true monstrous nature; accounts vary on the exact form this takes, but she is frequently described as having claw-like or animal feet hidden beneath her skirt, and her embrace or her transformation is said to kill the victim, sometimes leaving the body torn or found the next morning at the base of a ceiba, the body pierced by the thorns of the tzacam cactus.