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116-510: The churel is mostly described as extremely ugly and hideous but is able to shape-shift and disguise herself as a beautiful woman to lure men into the woods or mountains where she either kills them or sucks up their life-force or virility , turning them into old men. Their feet are believed to be turned the other way around, so the toes face the direction of their back. There are many folk remedies and folkloric sayings that elaborate on how to get rid of revenant and ghostly churels, and

232-564: A donkey in The Golden Ass . Proteus was known among the gods for his shapeshifting; both Menelaus and Aristaeus captured him to obtain information, and they succeeded only by holding on through his many transformations. Nereus told Heracles where to find the Apples of the Hesperides for the same reason. The Oceanid Metis , the first wife of Zeus and the mother of the goddess Athena,

348-502: A stole , sometimes baring a part of the midriff . It may vary from 4.1 to 8.2 metres (4.5 to 9 yards) in length, and 60 to 120 centimetres (24 to 47 inches) in breadth, and is a form of ethnic wear in Bangladesh , India , Sri Lanka , Nepal , and Pakistan . There are various names and styles of sari manufacture and draping, the most common being the Nivi style. The sari is worn with

464-402: A utopia full of wealth which is also without pain or death, they crave the pleasures and hardships of human societies. Transformation into human form is said to be rare, and usually occurs at night. The encantado will often be seen running from a festa , despite protests from the others for it to stay, and can be seen by pursuers as it hurries to the river and reverts to dolphin form. When it

580-400: A Churel is to prevent her creation. This means that people have to take good care of pregnant women. However, if a woman dies, the creation of a Churel can be still prevented and precautionary measures exist and are taken if a woman becomes one. In Tamil culture human priests gather and collectively propitiate her with offerings. In some villages, a Stonehenge-like structure is used to ward off

696-416: A Churel. The Kharwars think that when the soul leaves the body, it becomes air but if it comes in contact with a person, the soul becomes troublesome. In western India especially Gujarat , any woman who dies an unnatural death is believed to turn into a Churel, also known as jakihn , jakhai , mukai , nagulai and alvantin . Originally, it was believed that only a low- caste woman turns to

812-556: A butterfly. The most dramatic example of shapeshifting in Irish myth is that of Tuan mac Cairill , the only survivor of Partholón 's settlement of Ireland. In his centuries-long life, he became successively a stag, a wild boar, a hawk, and finally a salmon before being eaten and (as in the Wooing of Étaín) reborn as a human. The Púca is a Celtic faery, and also a deft shapeshifter. He can transform into many different, terrifying forms. Sadhbh ,

928-473: A calamity and in a forest ". The same sentiment is more generically expressed in later Sanskrit literature. Śūdraka , the author of Mṛcchakatika set in fifth century BCE says that the Avagaunthaha was not used by women everyday and at every time. He says that a married lady was expected to put on a veil while moving in the public. This may indicate that it was not necessary for unmarried females to put on

1044-477: A change of dress. Maharani Indira Devi of Cooch Behar popularised the chiffon sari. She was widowed early in life and followed the convention of abandoning her richly woven Baroda shalus in favour of the unadorned mourning white as per tradition. Characteristically, she transformed her " mourning " clothes into high fashion. She had saris woven in France to her personal specifications, in white chiffon, and introduced

1160-510: A churel. In West Bengal and Bangladesh, Petni/Shakchunni are formed when a woman dies unmarried or if she has unfulfilled desires. The true form of a Churel is described as extremely ugly with saggy breasts, a black tongue, and thick rough lips although sometimes she is reported to have no mouth at all. She may have a pot belly, claw-like hands, and scruffy, long pubic-like hair. They are also described to have pig faces with large fangs or human-like faces with sharp tusks and long, wild hair. She

1276-468: A dwarf, a giant, or even a human, depending on the exact myth, but in all variants, he transformed into a dragon—a symbol of greed —while guarding his ill-gotten hoard. His brother, Ótr , enjoyed spending time as an otter, which led to his accidental slaying by Loki. In Scandinavia , there existed, for example, the famous race of she-werewolves known by the name of Maras, women who took on the appearance of huge half-human and half-wolf monsters that stalked

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1392-754: A fitted bodice also called a choli ( ravike or kuppasa in southern India, and cholo in Nepal) and a petticoat called ghagra , parkar , or ul-pavadai . It remains fashionable in the Indian subcontinent today. The Hindi word sāṛī ( साड़ी ), described in Sanskrit śāṭī which means 'strip of cloth' and शाडी śāḍī or साडी sāḍī in Pali , ಸೀರೆ or sīre in Kannada and which evolved to sāṛī in modern Indian languages. The word śāṭika

1508-438: A full human, she uses her beauty to seduce men and eat their hearts (or in some cases livers where the belief is that 100 livers would turn her into a real human). In Somali mythology Qori ismaris ("One who rubs himself with a stick") was a man who could transform himself into a " Hyena-man " by rubbing himself with a magic stick at nightfall and by repeating this process could return to his human state before dawn. ǀKaggen

1624-607: A headache, so Hephaestus clove his head with an axe. Athena sprang from her father's head, fully grown, and in battle armor. In Greek mythology , the transformation is often a punishment from the gods to humans who crossed them. While the Greek gods could use transformation punitively – such as Medusa , who turned to a monster for having sexual intercourse ( raped in Ovid's version) with Poseidon in Athena 's temple – even more frequently,

1740-490: A hen and ate him. She became pregnant, and he was reborn as a baby. He grew up to be the bard Taliesin. In the Book of Taliesin , he mentions many forms which he is able to take, including that of lantern-light. Tales abound about the selkie , a seal that can remove its skin to make contact in human guise with people for only a short amount of time before it must return to the sea. Clan MacColdrum of Uist 's foundation myths include

1856-646: A hijab with her sari while in Parliament. Sari is the national attire for women in Bangladesh , Although Dhakai Jamdani (hand made sari) is worldwide known and most famous to all women who wear sari but there are also many variety of saris in Bangladesh. There are many regional variations of them in both silk and cotton. There are many regional variations of saris in both silk and cotton. e.g., Dhakai Banarasi sari , Rajshahi silk , Tangail sari , Tant sari , Tassar silk sari, Manipuri sari and Katan sari. The sari

1972-406: A mare to escape Poseidon , but Poseidon counter-transformed himself into a stallion to pursue her, and succeeded in the rape. Caenis , having been raped by Poseidon , demanded of him that she be changed to a man. He agreed, and she became Caeneus , a form he never lost, except, in some versions, upon death. Clytie was a nymph who loved Helios, but he did not love her back. Desperate, she sat on

2088-454: A number of measures that supposedly prevent churels from coming to life. The family of a woman who dies a traumatic, tragic, or unnatural death might perform special rituals fearing that the victimised woman might return as a churel. The corpses of suspected churels are also buried in a particular method and posture so as to prevent her from returning. The churel is known as the Pichal Peri in

2204-460: A popular garment among the middle and upper class for many formal functions. Saris can be seen worn commonly in metropolitan cities such as Karachi and Islamabad and are worn regularly for weddings and other business types of functions. Saris are also worn by many Muslim women in Sindh to show their status or to enhance their beauty. Phulkari , Kota doria , banarasi , Ajrak are the most worn. The sari

2320-556: A quasi-historical figure who appears in the Icelandic Sagas , according to which she was the wife of Eric Bloodaxe , was credited with magic powers – including the power of shapeshifting and turning at will into a bird. She is the central character of the novel Mother of Kings by Poul Anderson , which considerably elaborates on her shapeshifting abilities. In the Finnish epic poem Kalevala of ancient folklore, Louhi , Mistress of

2436-423: A ransom. Math fab Mathonwy and Gwydion transform flowers into a woman named Blodeuwedd , and when she betrays her husband Lleu Llaw Gyffes , who is transformed into an eagle, they transform her again, into an owl. Gilfaethwy raped Goewin , Math fab Mathonwy 's virgin footholder, with help from his brother Gwydion . As punishment, Math turned them into different types of animals for one year each. Gwydion

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2552-546: A rock with no food or water for nine days looking at him as he crossed the skies, until she was transformed into a purple, sun-gazing flower, the heliotropium . As a final reward from the gods for their hospitality, Baucis and Philemon were transformed, at their deaths, into a pair of trees. Eos , the goddess of the dawn, secured immortality for her lover the Trojan prince Tithonus , but not eternal youth, so he aged without dying as he shriveled and grew more and more helpless. In

2668-726: A shirt/blouse and resemble a sarong , as seen in the Burmese longyi ( Burmese : လုံချည် ; MLCTS : lum hkyany ; IPA: [lòʊɰ̃dʑì] ), Filipino malong and tapis , Laotian xout lao ( Lao : ຊຸດລາວ ; IPA: [sut.láːw] ), Laotian and Thai suea pat ( Lao : ເສື້ອປັດ ; pronounced [sɯ̏a.pát] ) and sinh ( Lao : ສິ້ນ , IPA: [sȉn] ; Thai : ซิ่น , RTGS :  sin , IPA: [sîn] ), Cambodian sbai ( Khmer : ស្បៃ ) and sampot ( Khmer : សំពត់ , saṃbát , IPA: [sɑmpʊət] ) and Timorese tais . Saris, worn predominantly in

2784-523: A single piece of clothing served as both lower garment and head covering, leaving the midriff completely uncovered. Similar styles of the sari are recorded paintings by Raja Ravi Varma in Kerala. Numerous sources say that everyday costume in ancient India until recent times in Kerala consisted of a pleated dhoti or ( sarong ) wrap, combined with a breast band called kūrpāsaka or stanapaṭṭa and occasionally

2900-435: A special blouse for the campaign trail which is longer than usual and is tucked in to prevent any midriff showing while waving to the crowds. Stylist Prasad Bidapa has to say, "I think Sonia Gandhi is the country's most stylish politician. But that's because she's inherited the best collection of saris from her mother-in-law. I'm also happy that she supports the Indian handloom industry with her selection." Most female MPs in

3016-607: A state of ecstasy. In The Female Element in Indian Culture , it says, "The Churel runs after and seeks to possess every man whom she meets, for, it is said, her carnal appetite remains unsatisfied in life". She also possesses girls during dances, causing a trance. According to Persian legend, when travelers saw the tracks of a Churel in the dirt they would try to flee by heading in the opposite direction, but her reversed feet would inevitably lead them right into her grasp. The Patari and Majhwar think that she appears to take her victims to

3132-510: A union between the founder of the clan and a shape-shifting selkie. Another such creature is the Scottish selkie, which needs its sealskin to regain its form. In The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry the (male) selkie seduces a human woman. Such stories surrounding these creatures are usually romantic tragedies. Scottish mythology features shapeshifters, which allows the various creatures to trick, deceive, hunt, and kill humans. Water spirits such as

3248-469: A veil. This form of veiling by married women is still prevalent in Hindi-speaking areas, and is known as ghoonghat where the loose end of a sari is pulled over the head to act as a facial veil. Based on sculptures and paintings, tight bodices or cholis are believed to have evolved between the 2nd century BCE to 6th century CE in various regional styles. Early cholis were front covering tied at

3364-495: A wide vocabulary of terms for the veiling used by women, such as Avagunthana (oguntheti/oguṇthikā), meaning cloak-veil, Uttariya meaning shoulder-veil, Mukha-pata meaning face-veil and Sirovas-tra meaning head-veil. In the Pratimānātaka , a play by Bhāsa describes in context of Avagunthana veil that " ladies may be seen without any blame (for the parties concerned) in a religious session, in marriage festivities, during

3480-437: A woman dies an unnatural death or during childbirth, especially during Diwali , she will become a Churel. The Korwas of Mirzapur say that if a woman dies in a lying room (the place where women give birth) she becomes a Churel. The Pataris and Majhwars say that if a girl dies during pregnancy or when she is unclean she becomes a Churel and appears in the form of a pretty little girl in white clothes and seduces men away to

3596-418: A woman from turning into a Churel. One way is to bury the body and fill the grave with thorns and pile heavy stones on top to stop the evil spirit from getting out. If a woman dies during pregnancy, her body is cut open to take the child out and both mother and child are buried in the same grave. The Majhwar of Mizapur bury their corpses with thorns and pile heavy stones on top to stop Churels from getting out. In

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3712-490: A wrap called uttarīya that could at times be used to cover the upper body or head. The two-piece Kerala mundum neryathum (mundu, a dhoti or sarong, neryath, a shawl, in Malayalam ) is a survival of ancient clothing styles. The one-piece sari in Kerala is derived from neighbouring Tamil Nadu or Deccan during medieval period based on its appearance on various temple murals in medieval Kerala. Early Sanskrit literature has

3828-441: Is a demi-urge and folk hero of the ǀXam people of southern Africa. He is a trickster god who can shape shift, usually taking the form of a praying mantis but also a bull eland , a louse , a snake, and a caterpillar . Amazon river dolphins are curious and lack of fear of foreign objects, are apex predators , and the male Amazon river dolphins are very physically aggressive during their mating period, particularly around

3944-614: Is a retelling of this legend which gives a fictional origin of Churel. But without depicting her as an antagonist, this film takes a more feminist approach by narrating the story in a different perspective. Bhoot FM, a live radio program aired by Bangladeshi radio channel Radio Foorti 88.0 FM was famous for sharing allegedly true paranormal stories. In that show, people from all over the country often called in to share their own stories of supernatural creatures and there have been several accounts of Churels Shape-shift In mythology , folklore and speculative fiction , shapeshifting

4060-435: Is among the most commonly known, but other such creatures include the bakeneko , the mujina , and the tanuki . Korean mythology also contains a fox with the ability to shapeshift. Unlike its Chinese and Japanese counterparts, the kumiho is always malevolent. Usually its form is of a beautiful young woman; one tale recounts a man, a would-be seducer, revealed as a kumiho. The kumiho has nine tails and as she desires to be

4176-674: Is called sāyā ( साया ) in Hindi , parkar ( परकर ) in Marathi , ulpavadai ( உள்பாவாடை ) in Tamil ( pavada in other parts of South India: Malayalam : പാവാട , romanized :  pāvāḍa , Telugu : పావడ , romanized :  pāvaḍa , Kannada : ಪಾವುಡೆ , romanized:  pāvuḍe ), sāẏā ( সায়া ) in Bengali and eastern India, and sāya ( සාය ) in Sinhalese . Apart from

4292-500: Is called the pallu ; it is the part thrown over the shoulder in the nivi style of draping. In past times, saris were woven of silk or cotton. The rich could afford finely woven, diaphanous silk saris that, according to folklore , could be passed through a finger ring . The poor wore coarsely woven cotton saris. All saris were handwoven and represented a considerable investment of time or money. Simple hand-woven villagers' saris are often decorated with checks or stripes woven into

4408-536: Is carefully scraped and the earth removed. The spot is then sown with mustard (sarson), which is also sprinkled along the road traversed by the corpse on its way to the burial ground. The reason behind this is that the mustard blossoms in the world of the dead, and the sweet smell pleases the spirit and keeps her content, so that she does not long to revisit her earthly home; secondly, the Churel rises from her grave at nightfall and seeks to return to her friends but when she sees

4524-541: Is embroidery done with coloured silk thread. Zardozi embroidery uses gold and silver thread, and sometimes pearls and precious stones . Cheap modern versions of zardozi use synthetic metallic thread and imitation stones, such as fake pearls and Swarovski crystals. In modern times, saris are increasingly woven on mechanical looms and made of artificial fibres, such as polyester , nylon, or rayon , which do not require starching or ironing . They are printed by machine, or woven in simple patterns made with floats across

4640-439: Is for the sari to be wrapped around the waist, with the loose end of the drape to be worn over the shoulder, baring the midriff. However, the sari can be draped in several different styles, though some styles do require a sari of a particular length or form. Ṛta Kapur Chishti , a sari historian and recognised textile scholar, has documented 108 ways of wearing a sari in her book, 'Saris: Tradition and Beyond'. The book documents

4756-557: Is known today known as dupatta and ghoonghat . Likewise, the stanapaṭṭa evolved into the choli by the 1st century CE. The ancient Sanskrit work Kadambari by Banabhatta and ancient Tamil poetry, such as the Silappadhikaram , describes women in exquisite drapery or sari. In ancient India, although women wore saris that bared the midriff, the Dharmasastra writers stated that women should be dressed such that

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4872-522: Is mentioned as describing women's dharmic attire in Sanskrit literature and Buddhist literature called Jatakas . This could be equivalent to the modern day sari. The term for female bodice , the choli evolved from ancient stanapaṭṭa . Rajatarangini , a tenth-century literary work by Kalhana , states that the choli from the Deccan was introduced under the royal order in Kashmir. The petticoat

4988-422: Is popular form of traditional embroidery used on saris for formal occasions, various other types of traditional folk embroidery such mochi, pakko, kharak, suf, kathi, phulkari and gamthi are also commonly used for both informal and formal occasion. Today, modern fabrics like polyester, georgette and charmeuse are also commonly used. There are more than 80 recorded ways to wear a sari. The most common style

5104-426: Is reserved as the dress of choice for important occasions and events. In 2013, the traditional art of weaving jamdani was declared a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity . In 2016, Bangladesh received geographical indication (GI) status for Jamdani sari. Sri Lankan women wear saris in many styles. Two ways of draping the sari are popular and tend to dominate: the Indian style (classic nivi drape) and

5220-424: Is sometimes described as having a fair front and a black back, but she invariably has her feet turned backward. A Churel may also be a shape-shifter. She can assume the form of a beautiful young woman, carrying a lantern with her head covered to charm any man she comes upon. The Patari and Majhwar think that she appears as a young girl in white clothes. According to the poem Lalla Radha and The Churel , she takes

5336-787: Is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism , as well as the oldest existent literature and epic poems such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Iliad . The concept remains a common literary device in modern fantasy , children's literature and popular culture . Examples of shapeshifters are vampires and werewolves . Popular shapeshifting creatures in folklore are werewolves and vampires (mostly of European, Canadian, and Native American/early American origin), ichchhadhari naag (shape-shifting cobra) of India, shapeshifting fox spirits of East Asia such as

5452-400: Is the huli jing , a fox spirit that usually appears as a beautiful young woman; most are dangerous, but some feature as the heroines of love stories. Madame White Snake is one such legend; a snake falls in love with a man, and the story recounts the trials she and her husband faced. In Japanese folklore obake are a type of yōkai with the ability to shapeshifting. The fox, or kitsune

5568-479: Is the most commonly worn women's clothing in Nepal where a special style of sari draping is called haku patasihh . The sari is draped around the waist and a shawl is worn covering the upper half of the sari, which is used in place of a pallu . In Pakistan, the saris are still popular and worn on special occasions. The Shalwar kameez , however, is worn throughout the country on a daily basis. The sari nevertheless remains

5684-501: Is the uniform of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Air India uniform for air hostesses . An air hostess-style sari is draped in similar manner to a traditional sari, but most of the pleats are pinned to keep them in place. Bangladeshi female newsreaders and anchors also drape their sari in this particular style. Saris are worn as uniforms by the female hotel staff of many five-star luxury hotels in India , Sri Lanka , and Bangladesh as

5800-486: Is the uniform of the air hostesses of SriLankan Airlines . During the 1960s, the mini sari known as 'hipster' sari created a wrinkle in Sri Lankan fashion, since it was worn below the navel and barely above the line of prosecution for indecent exposure. The conservative people described the 'hipster' as " an absolute travesty of a beautiful costume almost a desecration " and " a hideous and purposeless garment ". The sari

5916-1253: Is traditional form of embroidery used for cholis in this region. In Nepal, choli is known as cholo or chaubandi cholo and is traditionally tied at the front. Red is the most favoured colour for wedding saris , which are the traditional garment choice for brides in Hindu wedding . Women traditionally wore various types of regional handloom saris made of silk, cotton, ikkat, block-print, embroidery and tie-dye textiles. Most sought after brocade silk saris are Banasari, Kanchipuram (Sometimes also Kanchipuram or Kanjivaram ), Gadwal, Paithani, Mysore, Uppada, Bagalpuri, Balchuri, Maheshwari, Chanderi, Mekhela, Ghicha, Narayan pet and Eri etc. are traditionally worn for festive and formal occasions. Silk Ikat and cotton saris known as Patola, Pochampally, Bomkai, Khandua, Sambalpuri, Gadwal, Berhampuri, Bargarh, Jamdani, Tant, Mangalagiri, Guntur, Narayan pet, Chanderi, Maheshwari, Nuapatn, Tussar, Ilkal, Kotpad and Manipuri were worn for both festive and everyday attire. Tie-dyed and block-print saris known as Bandhani, Leheria/Leheriya, Bagru, Ajrakh, Sungudi, Kota Dabu/Dabu print, Bagh and Kalamkari were traditionally worn during monsoon season. Gota Patti

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6032-452: Is under human form, it wears a hat to hide its blowhole , which does not disappear with the shapeshift. Sari A sari (sometimes also saree or sadi ) is a women's garment from the Indian subcontinent . It consists of an un-stitched stretch of woven fabric arranged over the body as a robe , with one end attached to the waist, while the other end rests over one shoulder as

6148-424: Is worn across the right hip to over the left shoulder, partly baring the midriff. The navel can be revealed or concealed by the wearer by adjusting the pallu , depending on the social setting. The long end of the pallu hanging from the back of the shoulder is often intricately decorated. The pallu may be hanging freely, tucked in at the waist, used to cover the head, or used to cover the neck, by draping it across

6264-474: Is worn as daily wear by Pakistani Hindus , by elderly Muslim women who were used to wearing it in pre-partition India and by some of the new generation who have reintroduced the interest in saris. Black Sari Day, is a celebration of Iqbal Bano a woman who fought in a Black sari in Lahore against Zia. She sang Hum Dekhenge . Although this event is to bring family closer and to enjoy the day of Iqbal Bano. While

6380-611: The Aswang , a vampiric monster capable of transforming into a bat, a large black dog, a black cat, a black boar, or some other form to stalk humans at night. The folklore also mentions other beings such as the Kapre , the Tikbalang , and the Engkanto , which change their appearances to woo beautiful maidens. Also, talismans (called " anting-anting " or " birtud " in the local dialect), can give their owners

6496-784: The Punjab region of India and Pakistan, Petni/Shakchunni in the Bengal region, and Pontianak in Malaysia and Indonesia . The word "churel" is also often used colloquially or mistakenly for a witch in India and Pakistan. Churel have remained prevalent in modern-day literature, cinema, television, and radio, with many references to their activities. There may still be reports of sightings in rural regions in South-East Asia. The Legend of Churel supposedly originated from Persia where they were described as being

6612-535: The Pussycat Dolls – dressed in saris. in 2014, American singer Selena Gomez was seen in a sari for an UNICEF charity event at Nepal. In the United States , the sari has recently become politicised with the digital-movement, "Sari, Not Sorry". Tanya Rawal-Jindia , a gender studies professor at UC Riverside , initiated this anti- xenophobia fashion-campaign on Instagram. While an international image of

6728-552: The each-uisge , which inhabit lochs and waterways in Scotland, were said to appear as a horse or a young man. Other tales include kelpies who emerge from lochs and rivers in the disguise of a horse or woman to ensnare and kill weary travelers. Tam Lin , a man captured by the Queen of the Fairies is changed into all manner of beasts before being rescued. He finally turned into a burning coal and

6844-579: The huli jing of China, the obake of Japan, the Navajo skin-walkers , and gods, goddesses and demons and demonesses such as the Norse Loki or the Greek Proteus . Shapeshifting to the form of a wolf is specifically known as lycanthropy , and creatures who undergo such change are called lycanthropes. It was also common for deities to transform mortals into animals and plants. The prefix "were-" comes from

6960-408: The 6th century BCE. Ancient antariya closely resembled the dhoti wrap in the "fishtail" version which was passed through the legs, covered the legs loosely and then flowed into long, decorative pleats at front of the legs. It further evolved into Bhairnivasani skirt, today known as ghagri and lehenga . Uttariya was a shawl-like veil worn over the shoulder or head. It evolved into what

7076-471: The Churel was one who died due to ill-treatment by family members, she avenges her early death by going for the males of her family, starting with the youngest. She would drain him of blood until he is shriveled up into an old man and then go for the next male. When all the males in her family are done, she moves on to other people. Any person who has seen a Churel can also be attacked by a deadly disease and those who answer to her night calls can end up dead. In

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7192-463: The Churel. In some places in India, the corpse may be carried out of the house from the side door, rather than the front door so that the deceased does not find her way back in the house. If a woman dies during childbirth or during her menstrual cycle , her "corpse is anointed with five different products of the cow and special texts are recited." In the Hilly regions, the place where a pregnant woman died

7308-559: The Churel. Medicine men (men who were in charge of concocting herbal medicines and reciting incantations to get rid of evil) were called in and they helped get rid of the Churel which led to the survival of the boy. The forming of a Churel is prevented by burying the corpse of any woman who is likely to become one, instead of the usual Hindu cremation . Rites and rituals of her burial should be performed with utmost care. The woman should be remembered in songs and prayers. Many methods, which differ according to different regions, exist to stop

7424-476: The Giant Killer and The Black Bull of Norroway , feature shapeshifting. Pwyll was transformed by Arawn into Arawn's shape, and Arawn transformed himself into Pwyll's so that they could trade places for a year and a day. Llwyd ap Cil Coed transformed his wife and attendants into mice to attack a crop in revenge; when his wife is captured, he turns himself into three clergymen in succession to try to pay

7540-420: The Indian subcontinent are usually draped with one end of the cloth fastened around the waist, and the other end placed over the shoulder baring the midriff. Saris are woven with one plain end (the end that is concealed inside the wrap), two long decorative borders running the length of the sari, and a one to three-foot section at the other end which continues and elaborates the length-wise decoration. This end

7656-503: The Kandyan style (or Osariya in Sinhala). The Kandyan style is generally more popular in the hill country region of Kandy from which the style gets its name. Though local preferences play a role, most women decide on style depending on personal preference or what is perceived to be most flattering for their figure. The traditional Kandyan (Osariya) style consists of a full blouse which covers

7772-529: The North, attacks Väinämöinen in the form of a giant eagle with her troops on her back as she tries to steal Sampo . In Armenian mythology , shapeshifters include the Nhang , a serpentine river monster that can transform itself into a woman or seal, and will drown humans and then drink their blood; or the beneficial Shahapet , a guardian spirit that can appear either as a man or a snake. Philippine mythology includes

7888-575: The Old English word for "man". While the popular idea of a shapeshifter is of a human being who turns into something else, there are numerous stories about animals that can transform themselves as well. Examples of shapeshifting in classical literature include many examples in Ovid 's Metamorphoses , Circe 's transforming of Odysseus ' men to pigs in Homer 's The Odyssey , and Apuleius 's Lucius becoming

8004-528: The Sri Lankan Parliament wear a Kandyan osari. This includes prominent women in politics, the first female premier in the world, Sirimavo Bandaranaike and President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga . Contemporary examples include Pavithra Wanniarachchi , the sitting health minister in Cabinet . The adoption of the sari is not exclusive to Sinhalese politicians; Muslim MP Ferial Ashraff combined

8120-520: The United States during the 1970s. Eugene Novack who ran the New York store, Royal Sari House commented that he had initially been selling mainly to Indian women in the New York area. However, many American business women and housewives soon became his customers, favouring styles resembling western attire such as gowns. He also said that men appeared intrigued by the fragility and the femininity it confers on

8236-507: The ability to shapeshift. In one tale, Chonguita the Monkey Wife , a woman is turned into a monkey, only becoming human again if she can marry a handsome man. Tatar folklore includes Yuxa , a hundred-year-old snake that can transform itself into a beautiful young woman, and seeks to marry men to have children. Chinese mythology contains many tales of animal shapeshifters, capable of taking on human form. The most common such shapeshifter

8352-532: The appearance of shapeshifting, through their power, called "glamour", to create illusions, and some were limited to changing their size, as with the spriggans , and others to a few forms. But others, such as the Hedley Kow , could change to many forms, and both human and supernatural wizards were capable of both such changes, and inflicting them on others. Witches could turn into hares and in that form steal milk and butter. Many British fairy tales, such as Jack

8468-523: The authors who have written stories about the Churel are Rudyard Kipling , Humayun Ahmed , Rabindranath Tagore , Satyajit Ray , and Sukumar Ray . The Churel also figures into children's literature (such as Thakurmar Jhuli [Bengali children literature] ) and television series. In the Indian Bengali horror film Putuler Protishod (1998), a girl who is murdered by her in-laws returns as a Churel to exact revenge. Netflix original film Bulbbul (2020)

8584-597: The back of the sari. This can create an elaborate appearance on the front, while looking ugly on the back. The punchra work is imitated with inexpensive machine-made tassel trim. Fashion designer Shaina NC declared, "I can drape a sari in 54 different styles". Hand-woven, hand-decorated saris are naturally much more expensive than the machine imitations. While the overall market for handweaving has plummeted (leading to much distress among Indian handweavers), hand-woven saris are still popular for weddings and other grand social occasions. The traditional sari made an impact in

8700-413: The back; this style was more common in parts of ancient northern India. This ancient form of bodice or choli is still common in the state of Rajasthan today. Varies styles of decorative traditional embroidery like gota patti, mochi, pakko, kharak, suf, kathi, phulkari and gamthi are done on cholis . In Southern parts of India, choli is known as ravikie which is tied at the front instead of back, kasuti

8816-411: The base fabric in patterns; an ornamented border, an elaborate pallu , and often, small repeated accents in the cloth itself. These accents are called butti or bhutti (spellings vary). For fancy saris, these patterns could be woven with gold or silver thread , which is called zari work. Sometimes the saris were further decorated, after weaving, with various sorts of embroidery. Resham work

8932-452: The cloth. Inexpensive saris were also decorated with block printing using carved wooden blocks and vegetable dyes, or tie-dyeing , known in India as bhandani work. More expensive saris had elaborate geometric, floral, or figurative ornaments or brocades created on the loom , as part of the fabric. Sometimes warp and weft threads were tie-dyed and then woven, creating ikat patterns. Sometimes threads of different colours were woven into

9048-478: The courtship practice of object carrying. Amazon river dolphins , known by the natives as the boto , encantados or toninhas, are very prevalent in the mythology of the native South Americans. They are frequently characterized in mythology with superior musical ability, seductiveness and love of sex, resulting in illegitimate children, and attraction to parties. Despite the fact that the Encante are said to come from

9164-404: The enchantress, this femme fatale hunts for young men on highways and seduces the lone traveller to accompany her. Sometimes, she imprisons him in her lair in the graveyard, sucking his blood a little at a time. Sometimes, she is described as feeding on his semen. Legend says that a churel will hold a young man captive until he is elderly, or else uses him sexually until he withers, dies, and joins

9280-476: The end, Eos transformed him into a cicada . In some variants of the tale of Narcissus , he is turned into a narcissus flower. Sometimes metamorphoses transform objects into humans. In the myths of both Jason and Cadmus , one task set to the hero was to sow dragon's teeth ; on being sown, they would metamorphose into belligerent warriors, and both heroes had to throw a rock to trick them into fighting each other to survive. Deucalion and Pyrrha repopulated

9396-460: The following families: The Nivi is the most common style of sari worn today. It originated in the Deccan region. In the Deccan region, the Nivi existed in two styles, a style similar to modern Nivi and the second style worn with front pleats of Nivi tucked in the back. The increased interactions during colonial era saw most women from royal families come out of purdah in the 1900s. This necessitated

9512-413: The form of a mare to bear Odin's steed Sleipnir which was the fastest horse ever to exist, and also the form of a she-wolf to bear Fenrir . Svipdagr angered Odin , who turned him into a dragon. Despite his monstrous appearance, his lover, the goddess Freyja , refused to leave his side. When the warrior Hadding found and slew Svipdagr, Freyja cursed him to be tormented by a tempest and shunned like

9628-403: The form of a lovely woman with alluring eyes but her appearance is marred by her backward turned feet. The Petni/Shakchunni of West Bengal and Bangladesh wears traditional bangles made of shell (a sign of married women) and red and white sari . Churels are most often reported in and around cemeteries, cremation grounds, abandoned battlefields, thresholds of houses, crossroads, and toilets. If

9744-504: The grave with their faces downwards while a spirit doctor follows the body all the way to the graveyard scattering mustard seeds all over the place and reciting prayers. The Gonds of Southern Mandla protect themselves from Churels "by tying down the corpse of a woman who dies in childbed with the child surviving". The Bhumias, who are highly suspicious of witchcraft , rest the women with their faces down to stop them from returning as Churels, while men are laid to rest on their backs. Among

9860-551: The hilly regions of India, the dead woman is anointed with five products of a cow and texts are recited. Her coffin is then burned and then either buried or thrown in the river. Other techniques include nailing the four fingers and toes and roping together all the thumbs and big toes with iron rings and planting mustard in the soil in which she died. According to the Oraon , the most evil Churels have their eyes sewn up with thorns and their hands and legs are broken. They are then laid down in

9976-484: The lower garment was called ' nivi ' or 'nivi bandha', while the upper body was mostly left bare. The works of Kalidasa mention the kūrpāsaka , a form of tight fitting breast band that simply covered the breasts. It was also sometimes referred to as an uttarāsaṅga or stanapaṭṭa . Poetic references from works like Silappadikaram indicate that during the Sangam period in ancient Tamil Nadu in southern India,

10092-459: The midriff completely and is partially tucked in at the front. However, the modern intermingling of styles has led to most wearers baring the midriff. The final tail of the sari is neatly pleated rather than free-flowing. This is rather similar to the pleated rosette used in the Pin Kosuvam style noted earlier in the article. The Kandyan style is considered the national dress of Sinhalese women. It

10208-429: The midriff region on top of a sari are waist chains . They are sometimes worn as a part of bridal jewellery. Because of the harsh extremes in temperature on the Indian subcontinent, the sari fills a practical role as well as a decorative one. It is not only warming in winter and cooling in summer, but its loose-fitting tailoring is preferred by women who must be free to move as their duties require. For this reason, it

10324-409: The minute grains of the mustard scattered abroad and stoops to pick it up, and while she is engaged, the sun rises and she is unable to visit her home. This story also tells us that the Churel usually only comes out during the night. Some sources say she can only be stopped by a Baiga (someone who gets rid of evil spirits) after a goat has been sacrificed. In one story, a boy described his visits from

10440-448: The modern style sari may have been popularised by airline flight attendants , each region in the Indian subcontinent has developed, over the centuries, its own unique sari style. Following are other well-known varieties, distinct on the basis of fabric, weaving style, or motif, in the Indian subcontinent. Handloom sari weaving is one of India's cottage industries . The handloom weaving process requires several stages in order to produce

10556-409: The mountains and the only way they can be freed is if a goat is sacrificed. The Churel sometimes singles out unmarried boys in their teens for their attention, then visits them at night to make love to them. If she does not leave the boy alone, he will become progressively weak until he dies in order to join her. She is also said to be always on the watch to attack other young mothers. In the guise of

10672-406: The mountains; the only way to free those captured is to sacrifice a goat. The Bhuiyars say that if a girl dies before she is twenty days old, she becomes a Churel. In Punjab , though nobody has ever seen this, some people believe that if a man dies on a bed and after his death if no proper donation of some items relating to his bed is done,, his soul becomes a Bhoot (ghost), and a woman becomes

10788-482: The national costume. On her first red carpet appearance at the Cannes International Film Festival , she stepped out on the red carpet in a Rohit Bal sari. Many foreign celebrities have worn traditional sari attire designed by Indian fashion designers . American actress Pamela Anderson made a surprise guest appearance on Bigg Boss , the Indian version of Big Brother , dressed in a sari that

10904-407: The navel would never become visible, which may have led to a taboo on navel exposure at some times and places. It is generally accepted that wrapped sari-like garments for lower body and sometimes shawls or scarf like garment called 'uttariya' for upper body, have been worn by Indian women for a long time, and that they have been worn in their current form for hundreds of years. In ancient couture

11020-403: The navel. The pleats are tucked into the waistband of the petticoat. They create a graceful, decorative effect which poets have likened to the petals of a flower. After one more turn around the waist, the loose end is draped over the shoulder. The loose end is called the aanchal , pallu , pallav , seragu , or paita depending on the language. It is draped diagonally in front of the torso. It

11136-490: The night in search of human or animal prey. If a woman gives birth at midnight and stretches the membrane that envelopes the child when it is brought forth, between four sticks and creeps through it, naked, she will bear children without pain; but all the boys will be shamans , and all the girls Maras. The Nisse is sometimes said to be a shapeshifter. This trait also is attributed to Hulder . Gunnhild, Mother of Kings ( Gunnhild konungamóðir ) (c. 910  –  c. 980),

11252-588: The plague wherever he went. In the Hyndluljóð , Freyja transformed her protégé Óttar into a boar to conceal him. She also possessed a cloak of falcon feathers that allowed her to transform into a falcon, which Loki borrowed on occasion. The Volsunga saga contains many shapeshifting characters. Siggeir 's mother changed into a wolf to help torture his defeated brothers-in-law with slow and ignominious deaths. When one, Sigmund , survived, he and his nephew and son Sinfjötli killed men wearing wolfskins; when they donned

11368-461: The poem Lalla Radha and the Churel , a priest warns the protagonist to not go near the Peepul trees because that is where the Churel lives and she might take him away and kill him. He still went to the Peepul tree and she called out to him in a sweet tone and seduced him until he went to her. Blinded by his desire, he did not notice that while he lay with her, his body seemed to get frailer until he died in

11484-429: The right shoulder as well. Some Nivi styles are worn with the pallu draped from the back towards the front, coming from the back over the right shoulder with one corner tucked by the left hip, covering the torso/waist. The Nivi sari was popularised through the paintings of Raja Ravi Varma . In one of his paintings, the Indian subcontinent was shown as a mother wearing a flowing Nivi sari. The ornaments sometimes worn in

11600-526: The sari drapes across fourteen states of Gujarat , Maharashtra , Goa , Karnataka , Kerala , Tamil Nadu , Andhra Pradesh , Odisha , West Bengal , Jharkhand , Bihar , Chhattisgarh , Madhya Pradesh , and Uttar Pradesh . The Sari Series, a non-profit project created in 2017 is a digital anthology documenting India's regional sari drapes providing over 80 short films on how-to-drape the various styles. The French cultural anthropologist and sari researcher Chantal Boulanger categorised sari drapes into

11716-518: The sari is typical traditional wear for women in the Indian subcontinent, clothing worn by women in Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar , Malaysia , Indonesia , the Philippines , Cambodia , Thailand and Laos resemble it, where a long rectangular piece of cloth is draped around the body. These are different from the sari as they are wrapped around the lower-half of body as a skirt, worn with

11832-508: The silk chiffon sari to the royal fashion repertoire. Under colonial rule, the petticoat was adopted, along with Victorian styles of puffed-sleeved blouses, which was commonly seen among the elites in Bombay presidency and Bengal presidency . Nivi drape starts with one end of the sari tucked into the waistband of the petticoat , usually a plain skirt . The cloth is wrapped around the lower body once, then hand-gathered into even pleats below

11948-505: The skins themselves, they were cursed to become werewolves . The dwarf Andvari is described as being able to magically turn into a pike . Alberich , his counterpart in Richard Wagner 's Der Ring des Nibelungen , using the Tarnhelm , takes on many forms, including a giant serpent and a toad, in a failed attempt to impress or intimidate Loki and Odin/ Wotan . Fafnir was originally

12064-613: The spirit. Another tale narrates that a young man who is seduced by the churel and eats the food given to him, returns at dawn to the village, turned into an aged man. This demon also has associations with the various accounts of the Mother Goddess as well as the Rakshasi . Within Hindu belief, Churels may turn into dakinis and serve the goddess Kali , joining the goddess in her routine of feasting on human flesh and blood. The best way to avoid

12180-427: The spirits of women who died with "grossly unsatisfied desires". In South-East Asia, the Churel is the ghost of a woman who either died during childbirth, while she was pregnant, or during the prescribed "period of impurity". The period of impurity is a common superstition in India where a woman is said to be impure during her period and the twelve days after she has given birth. According to some sources, in India, if

12296-545: The standard "petticoat", it may also be called "inner skirt" or an inskirt. The history of sari-like drapery can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilisation , which flourished during 2800–1800 BCE around the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent . Cotton was first cultivated and woven on the Indian subcontinent around the 5th millennium BCE. Dyes used during this period are still in use, particularly indigo , lac , red madder and turmeric . Silk

12412-499: The symbol of Indian , Sri Lankan , and Bangladeshi culture , respectively. Similarly, the female politicians of all three countries wear the sari in a professional manner. Bangladeshi politicians usually wear saris with long sleeve blouse while covering their midriff. Some politicians pair up saris with hijabs or shawls for more coverage. The women of the Nehru–Gandhi family like Indira Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi have worn

12528-538: The tales using it are of amorous adventure. Zeus repeatedly transformed himself to approach mortals as a means of gaining access: Vertumnus transformed himself into an old woman to gain entry to Pomona 's orchard; there, he persuaded her to marry him. In other tales, the woman appealed to other gods to protect her from rape, and was transformed ( Daphne into laurel, Corone into a crow). Unlike Zeus and other gods' shapeshifting, these women were permanently metamorphosed. In one tale, Demeter transformed herself into

12644-529: The wearer. Newcomers to the sari report that it is comfortable to wear, requiring no girdles or stockings and that the flowing garb feels so feminine with unusual grace. The sari has gained its popularity internationally because of the growth of Indian fashion trends globally. Many Bollywood celebrities, like Aishwarya Rai , have worn it at international events representing India's cultural heritage . In 2010, Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone wanted to represent her country at an international event, wearing

12760-489: The wife of the famous hero Fionn mac Cumhaill , was changed into a deer by the druid Fer Doirich when she spurned his amorous interests. There is a significant amount of literature about shapeshifters that appear in a variety of Norse tales. In the Lokasenna , Odin and Loki taunt each other with having taken the form of females and nursing offspring to which they had given birth. A 13th-century Edda relates Loki taking

12876-468: The world after a flood by throwing stones behind them; they were transformed into people. Cadmus is also often known to have transformed into a dragon or serpent towards the end of his life. Pygmalion fell in love with Galatea , a statue he had made. Aphrodite had pity on him and transformed the stone into a living woman. Fairies , witches , and wizards were all noted for their shapeshifting ability. Not all fairies could shapeshift, some having only

12992-426: Was believed to be able to change her appearance into anything she wanted. In one story, her pride led Zeus to trick her into transforming into a fly. He then swallowed her because he feared that he and Metis would have a son who would be more powerful than Zeus himself. Metis, however, was already pregnant. She stayed alive inside his head and built an armor for her daughter. The banging of her metalworking made Zeus have

13108-619: Was specially designed for her by Mumbai-based fashion designer Ashley Rebello. Ashley Judd donned a purple sari at the YouthAIDS Benefit Gala in November 2007 at the Ritz Carlton in Mclean, Virginia. There was an Indian flavour to the red carpet at the annual Fashion Rocks concert in New York, with designer Rocky S walking the ramp along with Jessica, Ashley, Nicole, Kimberly and Melody –

13224-501: Was thrown into a well, whereupon he reappeared in his human form. The motif of capturing a person by holding him through all forms of transformation is a common thread in folktales . Perhaps the best-known Irish myth is that of Aoife who turned her stepchildren, the Children of Lir , into swans to be rid of them. Likewise, in the Tochmarc Étaíne , Fuamnach jealously turns Étaín into

13340-432: Was transformed into a stag, sow, and wolf, and Gilfaethwy into a hind, boar, and she-wolf. Each year, they had a child. Math turned the three young animals into boys. Gwion , having accidentally taken the wisdom from a potion that Ceridwen was brewing for her son , fled from her through a succession of changes, which she answered with changes of her own. This ended when he turned into a grain of corn and she turned into

13456-472: Was woven around 2450 BCE and 2000 BCE. The word sari evolved from śāṭikā ( Sanskrit : शाटिका ) is mentioned in early Hindu literature as women's attire. The sari or śāṭikā evolved from a three-piece ensemble comprising the antarīya , the lower garment; the uttarīya ; a veil worn over the shoulder or the head; and the stanapatta , a chestband. This ensemble is mentioned in Sanskrit literature and Buddhist Pali literature during

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