The Naga

Habitat: Savanna (Akasuna)
Dimensions: Several Meters Long
Appearance: Human-like torso and a long serpent tail.
Diet: Carniovore
Rated Danger Level: 4
The Beast Tamer: Be careful! Nagas are known to be dangerous and intelligent.

Nagas are often found in a variety of Asian religious traditions. They are described to be a devine or semi-devine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings. Female Nagas are referred to as Nagi or Nagini. They tend to reside in the netherworld and can occasionally take a human or part-human form, or are so in depicted art.

Nagas are serpent-like deities, often depicted as cobras, that hold significant importance in Hindu iconography and texts, particularly in the Mahābhārata. In certain Himalayan regions, such as the Kullu Valley and the Pindar River, they are viewed as divine rulers, with local traditions tracing their origins to lakes populated by nagas.

Described in ancient texts like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, nagas are powerful semi-divine beings capable of taking human or serpent forms. They inhabit the underworld known as Naga-loka and are associated with water sources, acting as guardians of treasures. While their venom can pose risks to humans, they often play benevolent roles in mythology, such as in the Samudra Manthana where Vasuki, a nagaraja, aids in churning the Ocean of Milk. The serpent motif also appears frequently in the iconography of deities like Vishnu and Shiva.

In Buddhism, the nāga is often depicted as a human with a snake or dragon above their head. One story recounts a nāga wishing to become a monk, and the Buddha instructs it on how to ensure a future human rebirth for that purpose. Nagas inhabit Nagaloka and various earthly realms, with some residing in water and others in caverns.

Nagas serve under Virūpākṣa, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, acting as guardians on Mount Sumeru and protecting the dēvas from asura attacks. A notable nāga is Mucalinda, who sheltered the Buddha during a storm after his enlightenment by using his seven snake heads. In Tibetan Buddhism, nagas, known as klu, are associated with water and cleanliness, residing in lakes, rivers, and oceans. They are also symbolically referenced in the names of significant Buddhist figures like Dignāga and Nāgārjuna.

Adishesha is the serpent on which Vishnu rests in yoga nidra (Ananta shayana).

Vasuki, the king of the nagas, is depicted coiling around Shiva's neck and offered to serve as the rope in the Samudra Manthana (Churning of the Ocean of Milk) to extract the amrita (nectar of immortality).

Kaliya is a snake subdued by Krishna, while Manasa is the Hindu goddess of nagas, known for curing snake bites and is the sister of Vasuki.

Takshaka is the tribal king of the nagas, and Ulupi is a companion of **Arjuna** in the Mahabharata.

Karkotaka is a naga king in Indian mythology who controls the weather and bit Nala at Indra's request.

Mucalinda is a nāga in Buddhism who sheltered Gautama Buddha from the elements after his enlightenment.

Padmavati is the Nāgī queen and companion of Dharanendra.

Apalala is a nāga from Buddhist mythology, while Shwe Nabay (Naga Medaw) is a goddess in Burmese animistic beliefs, believed to have married a naga and died from heartbreak when he left her.

Paravataksha wields a sword that causes earthquakes and his roar creates thunder.

Naga Seri Gumum resides in Tasik Chini, a freshwater lake in Pahang, Malaysia.

Yulong, the Dragon King of the West Sea in the Chinese classic Journey to the West, transforms into a naga after finishing his journey with Xuanzang.

Bakunawa, a dragon in Philippine mythology, is often depicted as a gigantic sea serpent, with nagas also featured in Kapampangan beliefs, such as Lakandanum.

Antaboga is the world serpent in Javanese and Balinese mythology who created the world turtle Bedawang, on which the world rests.

Nagas are quite dangerous and extremely intelligent creatures that live in underground caves in the Akashi savanna. They have a humanoid upper body and a snake lower body, several meters long, and they usually have a tanned-to-dark skin in their human part. The snake part can be brown, black or grey, with various patterns, and this is the major thing that divides Akashi nagas from their cousins that live in Eldathren, that usually have emerald green, white and yellow scales.

Nagas are expert hunters and eat the many big animals you can find in the savanna. They usually hunt during dawn or dusk and they are extremely hostile towards humans, so they prefer to hunt quite far from town and roads.

While common in the past, nagas were actively hunted down by the people that started to colonise Akasuna and are now extremely rare. Moreover, as they avoid humans and live underground when they are not hunting, it is not easy to really know how many of them there are.