“No, the dream-eater is a ghost animal. If you have nightmares, you can call it three times to eat the bad dreams. But you have to be careful. If you call it too often it will also gobble up your hopes and ambitions.”
The tapir appears in both ancient Chinese and Japanese mythology as a dream eater; a creature that will take away your bad dreams. Interestingly, there are fossil records of a giant tapir that roamed East Asia up till a few thousand years ago, which makes one wonder if these tales of dream eaters are based on some dim cultural recollection.
I find the notion of a dream eater intriguing; unlike the western Night Mare, a horse which romps violently and uncontrollably through your dreams, the Baku or Mo (dream eater) allows you a little agency because you can call it at will. But like many things, there is a price for its services.
Lata and 28 other people liked this
· Flag
Tina Rath
