Tradition / Region: Azerbaijani mythology
Alternate Names: Mesha Adam
Category: Monkey, Forest dweller, Mountain dweller, Ghost
The Myth
In the mountainous forests there lives Aghach Kishi, the Woodman. He is a wild, ghostlike being, his body covered in hair, moving through the trees with a will of his own. Some say he resembles a man, others a beast, but he belongs fully to the forest.
Aghach Kishi wanders near villages and gardens, where he sometimes appears without warning. He has a strong, unpleasant smell, and he is known to take clothing left behind by humans. In older times, people would leave garments for him on purpose, hoping to avoid angering him.
Though he does not always attack, encounters with Aghach Kishi are uneasy and unsettling. He is a reminder that the forests are not empty, and that something older and untamed still walks among the trees.
Gallery
Sources
JAMnews.net. (2017). The magical creatures of Azerbaijani mythology. Retrieved from https://jam-news.net/azerbaijani-demons/
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Peri