Yautja Encyclopedia: Legends

"You ain't afraid of no man!" [Predator]

Sioux Legend

A Legend describes a Herculean adversary who had come from the meadow in the sky, a god creature who had murdered half of the Sioux people. This was all generations ago, but the legend says it would return again. (Predator movie)

Devils and demons.

Machu, a South American guide, re-describes the events of 1987 as folklore in July 2000:

"Years ago, foreign soldiers came to wage a secret war. They didn't tell us why. They never do. But this time, in their eagerness to kill each other, they failed to see a monster drop from the sky. A devil warrior, who had come to hunt the hunters."

"The demon fought with unholy weapons - blades that cut through metal, fire like arrows from the sun. In honor of ancient gods, or perhaps mockery, he took trophies of blood and bone."

"Until at last, a single soldier remained, a rare champion with strength and wisdom enough to battle the sky creature. And so the beast became the wind, impossible to see, in order to hide from his former prey. It was a game of cats and mice, a contest which only one could survive."

"In the end, through cunning and skill, the soldier triumphed. The demon fell to defeat. In his shame, the monster called up fire from hell to consume his body - here, at this place. And that is why it's forbidden to walk this ground. My people fear it might wake the demon - and bring him back."

The "sky devil" was the Yautja. The "champion soldier" was Dutch Schaefer. The "hellfire" that consumed the "sky devil" was its self-destruct system. (Superman vs Predator)

"Dragons"

Dragon, legendary reptilian monster with wings, huge claws, and fiery breath. In some folklore the dragon symbolizes destruction and evil. In the sacred writings of the ancient Hebrews and Christianity, the dragon frequently represents death and evil. In certain mythologies, however, such as those of the ancient Greeks and Romans, the dragon possesses powers of good. Partially as a result of the conception of the monster as a benign, protective influence, and partially because of its fearsome qualities, it has been employed as a military emblem by many different cultures over time. The dragon also figures in the mythology of various Asian countries. It is deified in Daoism (Taoism) and was the national emblem of the Chinese Empire. It is regarded as a symbol of good fortune in the Chinese tradition.

• As a boy in Tokyo, Li Yat's grandfather told him a cautionary tale of death and dragons, and men who walk like gods. It's their belief that Predators hold the key to eternal life.
• Saint George came to Bradilovo, Bulgaria. He sought to convert it to Christianity, as he had done with so many other villages throughout Eastern Europe. He wasn't aware that in the nearby forest lived a dragon that had been terrorizing the region for generations. The villagers fed the dragon sheep to satiate its thirst for blood. When it remained unsatisfied, they sacrificed villagers. Still, it was not appeased. The dragon demanded the king's only daughter. Otherwise, it would unleash its wrath upon the entire countryside. As Saint George was told this tale, he witnessed a ball of fire erupting from the sky. The dragon revealed itself from its shroud of flames, came to take the girl as a sacrifice. Instead, the beast found Saint George. The battle raged, until Saint George drove his lance deep into the beast's chest. The dragon (Yautja) was defeated, the village saved. On the site of this victory the church was executed and given the name of the village's protector.

"The Traveler"

On a night where "the moon don't got a face", a traveler came walking down the road. The only light for miles around was that coming from a mountaineer's cabin. So, the traveler knocks on their front porch. The man answers, and standing on the porch is a tall stranger dressed all in black. The stranger asks for shelter from the winter, and the mountaineer invites him i. Once inside, the stranger reveals himself - a demon come to devour him.

"Cannibal Spirit"

This Choctaw legend says that the black man brought devils to the Ozark Mountains from the one he was stole from. Perhaps it is the cannibal spirit. The Elders claim that there's a cave hidden away in the mountains that reaches into the spirit world. When the moon is dark, the cannibal spirit that walks like a man but wears a face of a beast, finds its way up from the bowels of the earth and prowls the woods eager to slake its thirst for human blood.

"Adilgashii"

"No more than a shimmer in the air." Nayenengani is the monster slayer, one of the hero twins. He plays a very important part in the night way. Without him, we cannot dispel the adilgashii, or the evil it brings. It takes many days of chants to banish the witch. The people must have help of the yataali (medicine man) in this difficult task, just as the yataali needs the help of Nayenengani, or he will not succeed. Their struggle helped form El Malpais. (Predator: Big Game)

"Rakshasa"

A race of man-eating demons banished from Nirvana by the Hindu god, Vishnu.

"Spectres"

Edward Soames wondered: What of the tales of spectral figures - hobgoblins and will o' wisps - that have haunted humans for centuries? Are they, too, just incarnations of the Yautja?

Hunting Star

A mystic read the mura of stars that fills the sky above the Serengeti. They tell of a heavenly body called the Hunting Star. It has no fixed position in the sky. It comes only once in a lifetime. Twice if you should live so long. It comes only in seasons of record temperature, when the veldt burns and the stink of blood is everywhere.

"Dudu ya proini"

A forest devil that lures the village men into the bush and kills them. Not for food, but only for the kill. Name means 'forest devil.'