Lunja, is a bewitching maiden from Berber mythology, who's golden hair holds all of her magical powers

 

Lunja (Tifinagh ⵍⵓⵏⵊⴰ) is a bewitching maiden from Amazigh mythology, who's golden hair holds all of her magical powers. But don't be fooled by her divine beauty, she is the daughter of the frightening ogress Teryel.

I couldn't talk about Teryel without mentionning her equally famous daughter, so let me introduce you to Lunja, who plays an important role in fairytales and bedtime stories all across North Africa. Also known as Loundja, Nuja, Rondja, or simply the child of the ogress. Is a malicious or benevolent mythological character from oral berber folklore, according to the situation she is an ambivalent and complex character who's motivations varies depending on the tale and region. So keep in mind that there are thousands of versions of her myth. This is in no way an official description of this character.

Lunja is indisputably depicted with very long silky hair, she is an immensely graceful and mesmerizing young woman, so much so that she became a legendary beauty. Kings and princes from every corners of the earth desired her and made it their goal to bring her back home as their priceless trophy. Elegant, magnificent but above all cunning and deceptive, Lunja is the sheer opposite of her mother and despicable ogre relatives the Waghzen, who's inhumane appearences will freeze you on the spot out of pure horror. But even with such candid grace, it's all but an alluring facade, she still remains a vicious and ravenous ogress at her very core, and there's nothing more delicious to her than the taste of human flesh.

According to various oral accounts and myths; she was the first biological child of Teryel, who's quest in the mysterious dimension of Atalla resulted in her finding the magical Tree of Life and Destiny. The golden leaf that she ingested from the fantastical tree not only gave her endless mystical capacities, but the first newborn she'd deliver was endowed with angelical and magnificent features as well as the power of communicating with nature. Despite this heavenly gift, due to Teryel being an ogress, the same physiological need for human flesh remained in Lunja.

It is said that ; Teryel loved her daughter profoundly, so very dearly that she did anything to satisfy her wishes and whims. Lunja had everything she desired in life, her mother even tried to offer her the Moon (Ayyur) itself as a gift, as the ogress was so gigantic she could reach the skies. Fortunately, the Moon was running away always on time, hiding itself with clouds at the sight of the frightening beast. The ogress after multiple attempts even tried to catch the Sun (Tafukt). Enraged, the Sun immediately darted its powerful rays that directly stinged and burned her eyes, dazzled, in pain and defeated, it resulted in a permanent loss of her sight, all for the love of her precious daughter.

In fairytales, Lunja is the obsession of all the men, especially princes, they all want to take her as a spouse. Sadly, everyone who tried to capture her only paid dearly with their lives, which made the obsession of catching her even stronger among other young men. Because not not only did she have fierce brothers and sisters, but also an even fiercer and dangerous mother. They were all very aware of her popularity and protected her at any cost.

Lunja would sometimes agree to marry the princes who came to ask her hand, oblivious to her origins or even in complete knowledge of what it costs to marry the renowned daughter of the ogress, they all wanted one thing in the world and it was only her. Sadly for them, she each time revealed her ravenous true form after the wedding and devoured them whole without any kind of hesitation or remorse.

As more tresspassers entered the land of ogres, the more the need for hunting became unnecessary, preys were coming at them so easily that it's said that Lunja completely brought entire kingdoms royal successions to extinction, the frenzy around her was such that the ogres never had a feast of such grandeur. So they acclaimed her with immense respect and her mother Teryel couldn't be more proud of her. Everyday was an never ending banquet of foolish men who came far and wide to meet their ultimate demise inside the belly of the gluttonous Lunja and her monstrous family.

According to a folktale; in one freezing day during winter, a prince and his brother were hunting in the high mountains, they killed a partridge who's blood instantly started to spill on the snow. The prince then revealed that his only wish was to find a woman who's skin was as white as the snow and who's lips were as scarlet as blood, which his brother replied that only the legendary daughter of the great Teryel bears such perfect physical attributes

The next day, the prince hit the road in search of his promised bride. He explored the world for so long that one day during nightfall, at his amazement, he discovered a giant deep cave in front of which a lovely young woman of never-seen before beauty was bathing in a cascade. He couldn't believe his eyes, she had a white as snow complexion and scarlet red lips, her long flowy golden magical hair illuminated the water. There was no doubt anymore, this delicate creature, was the one and only; Lunja.

He then introduced himself politely and asked if she was all alone and if he could stay for the night, in which she assures that she is and even accepts to feed him. Not so long after, the shattering ground began to be heared from a distance, Teryel was returning from a hunt, and as she approached her den, she smelled the delicious scent of a human.

The man woke up to the sound of giant footsteps left by the enormous ogress who's rumbling caused massive destruction of the forest around her, terrified and betrayed, he started to hide in a small cavity inside the cave, but even this didn't stop the ogress to find him quickly, her incredible sense of smell was no match for any good hider. He begged, screamed and cried, nothing could work to appease the beast.

As Lunja prepared the fire to cook him, she greated her mother with grunts of joy; and began to dance around the fire, as if to make the flames dance with her too. Teryel changed her mind immediately after noticing that their prey still needed to be fattened more, she then advised to wait;

- "O my dear Lunja! I highly think we shall wait before savouring this fresh flesh. Look at that poor pathetic boy how puny and scrawny he is! Isn't it a pity? We will only have bones to boil in the cauldron if we eat him now. I'll lock him up in the cage and we'll fatten him up for two months. Until then, I'll go catch some animals in the forest!"

Disappointed but obedient, the daughter helped her loving mother to lock up the victim. The prince, who regained his composure and now with the goal in mind to escape from his inexorable fate, thanked his two executioners, and even promised them to grow fat very quickly in order to be delicious. The ogress then charged her daughter to carry the meals of the captive every day. On the menu; honey, vegetable broth, semolina, butter, figs, olives, milk, so said the ogress that his flesh will be tender to her tongue as she loves it best.

And so it was Lunja, every morning, who carried the food to the prisoner. She would from time to time even start small discussions with him, and as the time passed her feelings towards the poor young man began to shift, their relationship became different, and the prince sincerely confessed his feelings for her. From then on she advised him to pick an olive branch and expose it instead of his wrist to Teryel, as she was blind, she needed to daily check her prey to know if he was fattening up as according to plan.

When she arrived again to his cage from a long day of hunt to see if he was gaining weight, the ogress at her pure dismay and regret, discovered that her future meal was as skinny as the day they first met if not even more. The subterfuge obviously worked perfectly but Teryel started to seriously lose her patience as it now already lasted for two months. Despaired of ever being able to fatten her victim, she took the decision to devour him anyways, declaring that he was a lost cause, fat or thin, he would end up in a giant and delicious couscous.

Lunja, unable to delay the day of his execution, was asked by her mother to make a somptuous last meal for their prisoner to enjoy before being eaten tomorrow and as she was scared for the life of her lover, decided to help him escape during the night. The evening before the prince's death, Teryel dined of beasts and animals that she captured in the forest, her pointed teeth were so huge, that it looked like they served as grindstones, which instead of grinding grain, crushed all the living things that the ogress caught and swallowed all at once. And she was so angry and frustrated that terrified animals escaped from her mouth.

Teryel then fell asleep but her hearing was still phenomenal, she could hear a leaf fall even during a storm. So Lunja faked her sleep, and quietly asked for all the animals and cattle her mother captured and caged up to make noise to cover up the escape of the young man. During the middle of the night: she made the first cows and bulls moo, then ducks and chickens cackle, horses neigh, and finally the sheeps and goats bleat. The sounds from all the animals resonated in unison in the deep cavern, amplified even more with the echos, but despite all of this hubbub it didn't stop the ogress from sleeping deeply. From then, Lunja instantly took the chance and went to find the prince and whispered to him that the way for him was clear to leave and go back home, and as she unbounds him from his shackles and opens the cage to let him escape, he confesses to her that he will never leave without her and that she must come with him.

Lunja accepted without hesitation, and so they began to leave, but a giant and thick thorn hedge protected the entrance, making any escape impossible, Lunja then with her charm spell chanted to the hedge;

- "Oh thorn hedge of smooth butter and sweet milk, let us pass!"

The hedge then opened to let them exit and closed after them. Finally outside, they started to run with all their strength, as fast and hard their legs permitted them to go, but a giant raging and dangerous river appeared in front of them, Lunja begged and chanted again;

- "Oh river of smooth butter and sweet milk, let us pass!"

The water from the river receded and stopped instantly to let a bridge appear in front of the young couple, and as they crossed to the other side, the river closed behind them, they ran so fast and went so far that they exited the territory of the ogres.

Teryel in the meantime, woke up while her snow white and scarlet red lipped daughter ran away with the prince in the dawn. She realized to her surprise that the prisoner was no longer there. So she called for Lunja, but in vain, no one responded to her. She leaned over the cave and breathed the air then smelled it, she took a glimpse at her daughter's bed and understood what was going on for all this time.

- "Lunja, Lunja, my daughter betrayed me! She abandoned me!"

Enraged and furious; she screamed to her lungs, a shriek so haunting it made the ground, cavern, sky and forest starting to tremble in fear, more than all that, the ogress, in her mighty furious anger, spelled terrible words, imprecations, terrible curses that no human ever have dared to say.

She immediately went looking for her, but the thorn hedge blocked her way, so she furiously ordered;

- Garbage smelly hedge, let me pass!

The thorns started to get even sharper and grew disproportionately, Teryel crossed the thick hedge nevertheless but her feet were bloody and her clothes in tatters, she began to run like a madwoman. Behind her, a cloud of dark dust swirled and washed away the trees like they were nothing. The ogress did not run like a human being or any normal creature, with measured steps, but she sprinted with bare feet like a rabid eldtrich monster with hair dispersing everywhere in the wind. Teryel had thick, formidable hair; a sort of frizzy mane escaped from her skull which she dragged on the ground, all kinds of filthy critters clung to; croaking slimy toads and frogs, slugs, cockroaches, poisonous vipers. A whole fauna that the beast ate immediately, for she who's hunger was insatiable. The thorn thicket looked like velvet compared to her hair.

And as she ran at full speed, the inconsolable mother cried again;

- "Lunja, Lunja, my daughter betrayed me! She abandoned me!"

She then stopped at the sight of the giant roaring river, she was a gigantic monster sure, but her size was ridiculous near to it, the river blocked her way, and then she angrily ordered;

- River of trash and filth, let me pass!

By now the river began to growl threateningly, Teryel threw herself into the water as to fight and wrestle with it but a gigantic wave carried her away, just before being engulfed under the waves, she shouted furiously one last time;

- "Lunja, Lunja, my daughter betrayed me! She abandoned me! May God betray you as you betrayed me!"

The prince finally brought his dream wife to his kingdom safely and married her, they lived happily ever after.

There is another folktale where Lunja is not as lucky;

Long ago, despite his family's warnings, a man married a very beautiful yet mysterious woman he had met in the forest. She kneaded bread, rolled couscous and went about household chores like any other women. She was so charming and adorable that people from surroundings tribes came to visit her. Her unusual beauty even made any women around her deeply jealous.

But every mornings since then, the shepherds found the carcasses of devoured cattle inside their enclosure even if they locked their flocks to prevent wolves and foxes to enter. The men of the tribe, grew very worried, so they gathered to find a solution to these haunting deaths and disappearances. The husband's father proposed to watch the flock properly, as tonight he will wrap himself in his black cape and hide among the sheeps.

As he heard the unerved and worried sounds of the sheeps, he saw a frightening beast approaching from the darkness, then it disappeared quickly and all of a sudden a white petite pale hand grabbed the old man who instantly cried:

- Let go of me filthy creature! Let go of me !

She withdrew her hand, stammering:

- But it's just me, your daughter-in-law! I heard a lamb bleat and came to see if there was a thief.

The old man pretended to believe her, he was so scared and horrified to what he just witnessed, that at daybreak he alerted his son:

- Misfortune ! Your wife is an ogress! Let’s save ourselves while there is still time. When she decimates our herds, she will come after all of us.

The son protested:

- It's impossible ! She gave me a daughter, she can't be an ogress.

As the man did not want to hear anything, all his family left him. They moved, leaving him his share of the animals: sheep, cows, horses. He was left alone with his wife and toddler daughter. Unfortunately, over the days, his herd was shrinking. Blinded by the love he had for his wife, as if under a spell, he always found an excuse for these disappearances.

He told himself that the cattle were escaping from the enclosure or that predators were devouring them. One day he came back from the fields earlier and, in horror and shock, he found his wife with her head buried in the bowels of a filly she just killed. Before she could saw him, he put his daughter on his shoulders and ran off at full speed. Suddenly, as he was catching his breath, his little girl grabbed him by the ears and said:

- Hmm! Oh daddy! I'm hungry and I'd like to nibble on your lovely ears!

- What?! Is my own child an ogress?!

Without hesitation, he threw her into the deep river and continued on his course. But the ogress was already after him, fast and hungry. He was almost caught, even if it was convenient for the presence of a large poplar. He climbed to the top. The ogress took up his position at the foot of the tree and began to threaten him:

- You will never escape me because the winter wind will blow, you will fall and I will devour you! The spring wind will blow, you will fall and I will devour you! The summer wind will blow, you will fall and I will devour you!

Since then, every day, except when she was hunting for food, she struggled with the trunk, which she gnawed with her sharp teeth to cut it down. Terrified, the man pleaded:

- O tree of my father and my mother, grow, grow!

And just after it was eaten by the monster, the trunk returned to its original shape everytime. Time passed and the man scanned the horizon in the hope of seeing someone who could help him. One day he saw a flight of birds and shouted in its direction:

- O you, who fly so high, go tell my mother and father that I am in great danger!

Migrating birds carried the message. Riders of his tribe, armed, rushed to his aid. They discovered the poplar. Fortunately, the ogress was on the hunt. The man quickly left his tree after hanging his burnous (traditional amazigh cape) on a branch to suggest he was still there. He mounted a horse and sped off with his saviors.

On her return, the ogress, reassured by the burnous that floated on the top of the tree, continued her threats while gnawing at the trunk. Thus, the seasons followed and came the windy autumn. One morning, a tornado arose and the burnous fluttered in the air before hitting a rock near the tree.

- Ah! I told you you would fall! yelled the monstrosity in fury.

Starving and impatient she immediately threw herself on the burnous and bit it with such violence and force with her razor dented jaw that all her pointy teeth broke on the rock. It is said she may have died on the spot. As for the man, he lived in peace with his people!

Art by Icantata

From r/mythology