The Acheri
In the Astonishing Legends world, we’re no strangers to creepy children and the havoc they can wreak (cough, cough our Black Eyed Kids series). And that brings us to our blog topic of the day: The Acheri. The lore of the Acheri is typically traced back to Native American lore, although it sometimes is also attributed to creatures in Hindu mythology.
Acheri are believed to be Nature Spirits that are created when a young girl dies a tragic and untimely death. Her spirit, tormented and cut off too short, to come back to the mortal plane to cause the suffering of still-living mortals. Sadly, it often targets other children...causing them the same fate and dooming them to become Acheris as well.
Typically, it presents to its victims as a small, underfed young girl. If their target is another child, they will often try to gain their trust by playing with them. If their target is an adult, they may try to appear as if they are in danger and need help. They are also said to possess shape-shifting ability, which allows them to dictate their appearance based on what will most appeal to a potential victim. They are said to live in caves and come out around dusk to hunt.
Once they are in contact with a victim, they will ensure that their shadow is cast over their victim. Having the shadow over them spreads a sickness, typically categorized as a contagious respiratory disease.
Acheris are said to feed or gain power from human misery, so spreading death and disease allows the Acheris to feed and grow more powerful.
Acheri are also another one of Astonishing Legends’ favorite mentions: a psychopomp. Psychopomps are omens of death and if you encounter one and they do not try to hunt you down, merely sing...then it means that illness and death are soon to follow.
How do you avoid incurring the wrath of an Acheri? Luckily, it isn’t that impossible - you can use a holy or otherwise blessed charm. Tying a red thread or ribbon around one’s neck is also said to ward off the threat of Acheris and the sickness they spread. Why red? It is said to act as a protection against evil and has been used as a color of protection for centuries. In Chippewa myth, it is said that if you wrap a red cloth of a medicine woman around the creatures neck, it will put this unruly spirit to rest permanently.
The image associated with this blog is not connected to the story and is Oswald cave, a natural karst cave near Muggendorf, quarter of Wiesenttal, Landkreis Forchheim, Upper Franconia, Bavaria, Germany. It is located in a geotope in the Franconian Alb.