👹 The Rakshasa

A shape-shifting being of Hindu epic, often man-eating and sometimes noble

Also known as Rakshasa, Rakshasi

📺 "Tonight's guest can look like anyone at all, so check the person sitting next to you. Ten heads, a kingdom, a veena and a terrible temper: give a warm Channel 13 welcome to the rakshasa."

    \\  /\   /\  //
     \\/  \_/  \//
     /  _     _  \
    |  (o)   (o)  |
    |      ^      |
    |  \_______/  |
    |  |V|V|V|V|  |
     \  \_____/  /
      \_________/
    ____|     |____
   /    |     |    \
  / /|  |     |  |\ \
 | / |  |     |  | \ |
 |/  |  |_____|  |  \|
     |   |   |   |
     |___|   |___|

Origin: Hindu mythology and the Sanskrit epics of India
First appeared: The Ramayana and the Mahabharata (first named in the Rigveda; the epics took shape between roughly 500 BCE and 400 CE)
Pack: World Folklore

terminal-of-terror monster rakshasa

💀 Facts

Rakshasas are shape-shifting beings from Hindu mythology and the Sanskrit epics
They are first mentioned in the Rigveda, among the oldest texts in the world
Ravana, the ten-headed king of Lanka in the Ramayana, is the most famous rakshasa
Ravana's brother Vibhishana is so virtuous that he sides with Rama and becomes king of Lanka
Ghatotkacha, son of Bhima and the rakshasi Hidimbi, fights and dies for the Pandavas in the Mahabharata
Giant effigies of Ravana are burned each autumn at the festival of Dussehra
Ravana's brother Kumbhakarna was cursed to sleep for six months at a time

📜 Legend

Rakshasas (the feminine is rakshasi) appear in the Rigveda as disturbers of sacred rites, and by the time of the great Sanskrit epics they are a whole people with kings, cities and families. They can change shape at will, cast illusions and are strongest in the dark, and many tales have them devouring travellers or defiling rituals. But the epics refuse to make them simply evil. Ravana, the ten-headed king of Lanka who abducts Sita in the Ramayana, is also a scholar, a devotee of Shiva and a master of the veena, and his brother Vibhishana is so righteous that he sides with Rama and is crowned king in his place. In the Mahabharata, Bhima marries the rakshasi Hidimbi, and their son Ghatotkacha dies fighting bravely for the Pandavas. For Hindus today the rakshasa is less a monster than a character: Ravana's defeat is re-enacted every autumn at Dussehra, when his towering effigy goes up in flames.

🎭 Myth vs Movie

True or false? Make your guess, then click a card (or press r) for the verdict.

All rakshasas are evil.

✘ FALSE

Vibhishana is a model of virtue and Ghatotkacha is a hero of the Mahabharata; the epics give rakshasas the same range as people.
Rakshasas can change their shape.

✔ TRUE

Shape-shifting and illusion are their signature powers, which is why so many travellers in the epics meet a beautiful stranger who is not what she seems.
Ravana is a mindless brute.

✘ FALSE

The Ramayana makes him learned, devout and a gifted musician, which is what makes his pride and downfall a tragedy.
An effigy of Ravana is burned every year in India.

✔ TRUE

At Dussehra, communities across northern India burn giant effigies of Ravana, often with his brother Kumbhakarna and son Meghnad alongside.

🃏 Stat Card

Strength: 8
Speed: 6
Cunning: 9
Dread: 7

⚡ Powers

Changing shape at will
Casting illusions (maya)
Growing stronger after dark
Sorcery learned through long devotion
The strength of many warriors

🧄 Weaknesses

Divine weapons and the heroes who wield them
Daylight, when their powers wane
Pride, which undoes even Ravana
Sacred fire and the chanting of hymns

Stats power the Monster Mash: terminal-of-terror mash rakshasa

🎞️ Legacy

Ravana's effigy burned every year at the festival of Dussehra, with Ramlila plays re-enacting the Ramayana
Ralph T. H. Griffith's English verse translation of the Ramayana (1870–74)
The tiger-headed rakshasa of Dungeons & Dragons, introduced in the 1977 Monster Manual

⌨️ h l previous / next · 1–7 sections · r reveal · g gallery, just like the terminal.