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Browse the people, places, supernatural beings, works, and ideas that shape Bengali and indigenous folklore.
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Aab-e Hayat
Aab-e Hayat is a Persian phrase meaning Water of Life or Water of Immortality.
Ali ibn Abi Talib
A central figure in Islamic history, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.
Allah
The supreme and singular deity in Islamic monotheism, recognized as the absolute creator and sustainer of the universe.
Alpana
Ritual floor paintings drawn in rice paste at Bengali weddings and festivals, marking rooms as auspicious in folktales.
Angel Gabriel
The archangel Jibril (Gabriel), who conveys divine revelation and intervenes in the lives of prophets and saints in Islamic tradition.
Angel
Messengers of God in the collection's Muslim tales, who descend to earth, guard heroes, and carry divine judgement.
Animal-Skin Disguise
An enchanted animal hide worn as a second body; burning the skin ends the disguise and restores the true form.
Annaprashan
The Bengali Hindu rice-feeding ceremony marking an infant's first solid food, celebrated in family and folk narratives.
Akhagash Python
The colossal python of Bengali tales, a serpent that swallows people and horses whole, guards jewelled mounds and often closes a tale by devouring the greedy.
Abangi Tilla
A hill in Sylhet associated with Shah Jalal's companions and the tomb of Syed Sifat Ali Shah.
Apsara
Celestial nymphs of Indra's heaven, the standard of peerless beauty and dancers at divine courts in South Asian folklore.
Arabia
The homeland from which Sufi saints, pilgrims, and Arab traders reached Bengal in the region's Muslim legends.