Tradition / Region: Norwegian Mythology
Alternate Names: Ahune; Ahunum; Hahune; Hahanie; Swamfisk
Category: Fish
The Myth
In the depths of the sea lives a creature called the Ahuna, feared not for speed or cunning, but for its boundless hunger. Of all fish, it is the most voracious. It eats without pause, consuming fish after fish until its belly swells larger than its own body, stretched and distended beyond what seems possible.
The Ahuna’s body is strange and ill-formed. Its mouth opens directly into its stomach, with no true neck or throat between, as if it were nothing but hunger given flesh. When danger approaches, the creature does not flee. Instead, it curls inward, tucking its head and limbs into its own body like a hedgehog, folding skin and flesh over itself until nothing vulnerable remains. In this state it lies still, waiting for the threat to pass.
But the Ahuna’s appetite never sleeps.
If hunger seizes it while it is curled tight, the monster turns upon itself. Unable to unfold without exposing itself to danger, it gnaws at its own body, devouring its own flesh to satisfy its need. Thus it survives by consuming itself, only to grow hungry again.
Some say the Ahuna bears a beak like a bird and is marked with wavelike stripes; others describe it as a sea-hedgehog, round and coiled, with a twisted tail. Whatever its shape, all agree on its nature: a creature trapped by endless appetite.
In northern waters it is also called the Swamfisk, a rare monster hunted for its fat and oil. Yet even when slain, the Ahuna is remembered as a warning—that hunger without limit devours not only the world, but itself.
Gallery
Sources
A Book of Creatures contributors. (n.d.). Swamfisk. In A Book of Creatures, from https://abookofcreatures.com/2019/04/26/swamfisk/
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 Ahuna