Tickling in Mythology

[Freethought]

Joseph Campbell makes a tickling reference in his classic work on mythology, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces".

I thought the Forum might find it interesting.


"The wild women know nature’s secrets, and they can make themselves invisible from the use of certain plants. They are fond of music and singing; their dancing can cause storms. They like to dance or tickle people to death who wander alone into the forest. Anyone who accidentally chances upon their invisible dancing parties, dies. They are also dangerous to meet alone in the forest, for they will make you lose your way by spinning you round and round like crazy. They used to be on friendly terms with humans, coming into their settlements to borrow household things. Those who left out food for them were repaid in housework. If a girl would comb out hemp for them to spin, they would give her leaves that turn to gold. They enjoy human lovers, have frequently married country boys, and are known to make excellent wives. But like all supernatural brides, the minute the husband offends in the least their whimsical notions of marital propriety, they disappear without a trace. They are also driven away by disorderliness, or by being called “wild women.”"

 

[WriterOfSin]

Not sure if this is the same, but I've heard something similar about some Russian tree spirits who were known to tickle men to death.

 

[MrTicklefeet]

No, it's not the same.

In Slavic mythology 'Rusalka' was a female ghost, water nymph or succbus-like demon who lived in a lake. Her eyes shone like a green fire. Men who were seduced by her died in her arms, and in some version her laugh can also cause death. She corresponds to the Scandinavian and German Nixie. The ghostly version of the succubus is the soul of a young woman who died in or near a lake (many of these rusalki were murdered by lovers), and came to haunt that lake; this undead rusalka is not particularly malevolent, and will be allowed to die in peace if her death is avenged.
Rusalki like to have men and children join in their games. They can do so by enticing men with their singing and then drowning them, while the children were often lured with baskets of fruit. Men seduced by a rusalka could die in her arms, and in some versions hearing her laugh could also cause death. Alternatively, they would attract men, mainly bachelors, and tickle them to death.

 

[WriterOfSin]

No, it's not the same.

In Slavic mythology 'Rusalka' was a female ghost, water nymph or succbus-like demon who lived in a lake. Her eyes shone like a green fire. Men who were seduced by her died in her arms, and in some version her laugh can also cause death. She corresponds to the Scandinavian and German Nixie. The ghostly version of the succubus is the soul of a young woman who died in or near a lake (many of these rusalki were murdered by lovers), and came to haunt that lake; this undead rusalka is not particularly malevolent, and will be allowed to die in peace if her death is avenged.
Rusalki like to have men and children join in their games. They can do so by enticing men with their singing and then drowning them, while the children were often lured with baskets of fruit. Men seduced by a rusalka could die in her arms, and in some versions hearing her laugh could also cause death. Alternatively, they would attract men, mainly bachelors, and tickle them to death.

Ah, that's the one I was told. Thanks for clarifying

 

[TickleMyFancy]

That concept is kind of hot, if, you know, you take away the "until death part".

But wow, that would be a hell of a way to literally die.

 

[Petite_Tickles]

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[Phineas]

Also look up the inuit legend: Mahaha the Tickler, and the Ovda, the Nightgaunts, and the Sureya. They all tickle their victims to death.

Nightgaunts were were the creation of HP Lovecraft, a 20th century horror author, so they don't really count as folklore. They show up in "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Khadath" (although they may be in other stories, as well) and while they do tickle, there's no death involved.

 

[Petite_Tickles]

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[Freethought]

A surprisingly rich variety of tickling fiends in mythology! And they all seem to be female. In fact, I don't think a have ever seen a male mythological Ler. Perhaps one of my follow mythologists know of one?

There also seems to be a common thread that the subject of the myth has some siren like ability to cast a spell upon or hypnotize her victim.

I really need to write a story about this...

 

[Phineas]

A surprisingly rich variety of tickling fiends in mythology! And they all seem to be female. In fact, I don't think a have ever seen a male mythological Ler. Perhaps one of my follow mythologists know of one?

There also seems to be a common thread that the subject of the myth has some siren like ability to cast a spell upon or hypnotize her victim.

I really need to write a story about this...

The aforementioned Mahaha the Tickler isn't described as having a gender, but the few bits of writing about it that I was able to dig up imply that it's male, or a monster of some kind.

If you google it, a rather creepy but well-written (and very short) story comes up as one of the first few results, from some folklore site.

 

[Petite_Tickles]

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[Freethought]

Wow, you guys are good at this. Does anyone know the name of the Romanian version of the Rusalka?

 

[Petite_Tickles]

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[Phineas]

Other new mythologies include the Tickle-Fiend, The Tickling Tentacular, The Merry Killer, Tickled Pink, and quite possibly many more that I have yet to discover.

Sorry to keep being a pedantic dick about this, but I don't think one fanfiction writer's obsession with plants counts as a "new mythology". By that logic, all of the stories written here count as well.

I guess what we're really discussing here is "people who write about supernatural ticklers".

 

[Freethought]

To answer Phineas, Petite did preface her remarks with, "Though not in strict, old or original mythologies".

I think the larger point that we can perhaps take away from how R.L. Stein and others used tickling is that tickling draws out ideas (and fears) about power and helplessness that are buried deep in the collective unconscious at the mythological level.

I suppose we should speak of Stein, etc as "potential mythologies"...or "stories that follow mythological patterns". But I hope we won't get too picky and sidetrack what I think is a really fun thread.

It is from Inuit legend. Mahaha, generally a masculine/male demon/monster, has a distinct habit of tickling its victims to death.

The Leshii is also a generally male/masculine demon that thrives on sometimes tickling peasants to death.

The Ovda has both genders. If the victim is a male, the Ovda would be female, and vice versa. There's a few notable ways to identify the Ovda, the biggest fact being that their feet are backwards, and their left shoulder is always slightly misshapen. They are meat-eaters, but they won't eat their victims alive. Rather, they will either dance them to death, or tickle them to death, then they will feed.

In some instances or myths, it is said that fairies too would tickle a person to death, if they are offended at something.

In Bashkar and Tatar mythology, the little-known Şüräle lives in forests. He has long fingers, a horn on its forehead, and a woolly body. He lures victims to a thicket and tickles them to death.

Though not in strict, old or original mythologies, many instances feature various supernatural beings or creatures that utilize what is normally a pleasurable or fun experience as a instrument of torture/murder. In many of R.L Stein's Goosebumps books, including I believe, Choose Your Own Goosebumps (I cannot recall its correct name), there are instances in which the reader, or character will find him/herself being tickled to death. One book featured a boy who was eventually caught by evil clowns who tried to tickle him to death, though he saves himself by making a deal with them. And he joins them as a clown, committing cruel acts (presumably tickling) on other children (presumably to death).

In another book, something like a Choose your own adventure, the reader becomes the character in the story, and depending on his/her choices, there is an instance where the character is strapped down to a table, and chimpanzees with feathers enter and proceed to tickle the person to death.

In a different book, there is an ending where the character is tickled to death by thousands of poltergeists.

It was widely speculated, based on how often tickling is featured in his books, that R. L. Stein has a tickle fetish. He actually confirms this later in an interview that he does indeed have such an interest.

Other new mythologies include the Tickle-Fiend, The Tickling Tentacular, The Merry Killer, Tickled Pink, and quite possibly many more that I have yet to discover.

 

[Phineas]

To answer Phineas, Petite did preface her remarks with, "Though not in strict, old or original mythologies".

I suppose we should speak of Stein, etc as "potential mythologies"...or "stories that follow mythological patterns". But I hope we won't get too picky and sidetrack what I think is a really fun thread.

I disagree that any modern author would be considered a mythology of any sort, potential or otherwise. But yes, that's off-topic.

Although apart from Stein's own admitted fetish, I think TVTropes has a better explanation for why tickling crops up in kids' stories so often; it's the only "G-rated torture" you can use, and kids do tickle the crap out of each other.

It does make for an excellent horror trope, though, if you think of it in the "madness-causing" vein of Lovecraft's writings. It'll drive you bonkers and there's not a damn thing you can do about it...

 

[Freethought]

So this may be a thread of it's own, but which version of these various mythological/fictional creatures is the most fearsome to you? Is it a Rusalka from classical mythology or is a Tickled Pink even more sinister?

Next question for our intrepid panel...is there any variation of the myths where the victim is tickled over the brink to insanity...perhaps reducing them to a servile state? I am sure I have read versions where the victim was enslaved, but not killed.

Btw...I vote for Tickled Pink as most sinister...it has actual laughing gas at its disposal for goodness sake

 

[Petite_Tickles]

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[chase]

You are correct again. Perhaps I shall keep to only the actual mythologies. Nonetheless, I merely shared that because I thought it would be interesting additional knowledge, even if it digresses somewhat.

Speaking only for myself, I really enjoyed your addition(s) to the thread and I'm grateful for your input. Thank you.

 

[Petite_Tickles]

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[Phineas]

Alternatively, there is the Nightgaunt, which does subdue their victims by tickling them, before depositing them in a near-inescapable pit full of extremely dangerous creatures...that usually do not use tickling as a means to kill them...so eventually, death still engulfs the unfortunate victim.

Not quite.

Although memory fails me with regards to where the Nightgaunts took Randolph Carter once they picked him up in "Dreamquest", the Nightgaunts are classified in the "Call of Cthulhu" roleplaying game as a servitor race, which means that they pretty much do whatever commanded to do. Usually by Outer Gods (Nodens is mentioned, specifically). It's not really their MO to simply tickle you, cart you off, and then drop you, although that does seem to be what's implied by their appearance in the original literature (and what they would most logically be used for). An interesting detail, again from the roleplaying game, is that Nightgaunt tails are capable of "slicing open thick clothing and snaking through openings in armor", so that it's damn near impossible to avoid the inevitable. It is true, though, that if you struggle... you're gettin' a ticklin'.

Going back to the Harry Potter canon, JK Rowling makes mention of a tickling charm (Rictusempra), which makes an appearance during Harry's duel with Draco in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". (For the record: Draco goes down instantly and is completely incapacitated.) One could conclude that against the right person, it could be as horribly devastating as the Cruciatus Curse was against the Longbottoms, seeing as how it's impossible to remove except by external forces.

 

[Freethought]

And it would seem that once a tickling spell takes hold, it is often hard to voice the counter-spell in between helpless shrieks of laughter.

Not quite.

Although memory fails me with regards to where the Nightgaunts took Randolph Carter once they picked him up in "Dreamquest", the Nightgaunts are classified in the "Call of Cthulhu" roleplaying game as a servitor race, which means that they pretty much do whatever commanded to do. Usually by Outer Gods (Nodens is mentioned, specifically). It's not really their MO to simply tickle you, cart you off, and then drop you, although that does seem to be what's implied by their appearance in the original literature (and what they would most logically be used for). An interesting detail, again from the roleplaying game, is that Nightgaunt tails are capable of "slicing open thick clothing and snaking through openings in armor", so that it's damn near impossible to avoid the inevitable. It is true, though, that if you struggle... you're gettin' a ticklin'.

Going back to the Harry Potter canon, JK Rowling makes mention of a tickling charm (Rictusempra), which makes an appearance during Harry's duel with Draco in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". (For the record: Draco goes down instantly and is completely incapacitated.) One could conclude that against the right person, it could be as horribly devastating as the Cruciatus Curse was against the Longbottoms, seeing as how it's impossible to remove except by external forces.