Al-mi'raj
Encyclopedia
Al-mi'raj is a mythical beast from Islamic poetry said to live on a mysterious island called Jezîrat al-Tennyn within the confines of the Indian Ocean
. Its name can be broken up several different ways, though is generally seem truncated as Mi'raj, Mir'aj or just Miraj. Its name is also synonymous with Muhammad
's ascent into heaven.
Al-mi'raj is a large, harmless-looking yellow rabbit
with a single, 2 foot (0.6096 m), black, spiraling horn protruding from its forehead, much like that of a unicorn
.
Despite its docile appearance, Al-Mir'aj is actually a ferociously territorial predator known to be able to kill animals and people many times their own size with a few stabs of its horn. It also has an immense appetite and can devour other living things several times its size without effort. Al-Mir'aj frightens other animals and they will always flee from its presence due to this.
The people of the island were so terrified of Al-Mi'raj eating them and their livestock that they would turn to witches to ward them away as soon as the rumor of a Miraj met their ears. It was reported that only a true witch would charm the Miraj, rendering it harmless so the people could remove the Miraj from the area.
and Papillomatosis
.
Papillomatosis is the result of a virus infecting the skin, causing a large, red, swelling growth on the skin of the subject. These red marks may have appeared to be where horns had broken off or were shed. Fibromatosis is a similar virus which infects the skin and causes the flesh of the rabbit to mat with hair, hardening into long, hard horn-like protrusions. Both diseases could account for the appearance of wild, fierce (with pain) rabbits with "horns" as infected specimens have been found, catalogued and are well documented.
It is also possible that this myth was started as a way for witches to make money by frightening locals with tales of ferocious man-eating rabbits and then asking them for money in order for the "threat" to be removed. This would explain the part of the lore that says that the only way to remove a Mi'raj from the area would be to have a skilled witch charm them.
Al-Mi'raj has been adapted into Dungeons & Dragons
, as part of the 1st edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Fiend Folio
.
In Dragon Warrior III
for the Game Boy Color, Al-Mi'Raj is a low-level monster with a sleep attack used to render players helpless while it attacks. Dragon Warrior 3 Monster List Unlike the normal legendary Miraj, this Mi'raj is purple with a white horn and white cheeks. Its standard treasure is eight gold and a Leather Hat. A similar in appearance version is called the Spiked Hare in Dragon Quest VII and carries Medicinal Herbs and Bunny Tails.
In the original Nintendo Entertainment System
version of Dragon Warrior III
, however, it was marked as a "Horned Rabbit" and portrayed as a white rabbit with ruby eyes and a red horn. Its standard treasure was a medicinal herb, provided it did not run away before being defeated. This version of the Miraj is also used in Dragon Quest V
for the SNES
while a slightly different version in Dragon Quest VII called the Bunicorn also sometimes would drop a Bunny Tail.
According to lore, at the base of a unicorn
's horn is a ruby red jewel that is the concentrated essence of its power. With this in mind, it is possible that Ryo-Ohki
from Tenchi Muyo!
could be a reference to Al-Mi'raj, albeit dehorned and thus non-dangerous to humanity.
Getting closer to the original mythology, the Devil Bunny game series by Cheapass Games
is a game about horned, super-intelligent carnivorous evil rabbits that spend their time attempting world domination via an assortment of silly means and tormenting the Humans.
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. Its name can be broken up several different ways, though is generally seem truncated as Mi'raj, Mir'aj or just Miraj. Its name is also synonymous with Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
's ascent into heaven.
Al-mi'raj is a large, harmless-looking yellow rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
with a single, 2 foot (0.6096 m), black, spiraling horn protruding from its forehead, much like that of a unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
.
Despite its docile appearance, Al-Mir'aj is actually a ferociously territorial predator known to be able to kill animals and people many times their own size with a few stabs of its horn. It also has an immense appetite and can devour other living things several times its size without effort. Al-Mir'aj frightens other animals and they will always flee from its presence due to this.
The people of the island were so terrified of Al-Mi'raj eating them and their livestock that they would turn to witches to ward them away as soon as the rumor of a Miraj met their ears. It was reported that only a true witch would charm the Miraj, rendering it harmless so the people could remove the Miraj from the area.
Origins
It is possible this myth originates from observations of the effects of any one of several diseases in rabbits that can create horn-like growths upon the bodies of animals, most commonly FibromatosisFibromatosis
The term fibromatosis refers to a group of benign soft tissue tumors which have certain characteristics in common, including absence of cytologic and clinical malignant features, a histology consistent with proliferation of well-differentiated fibroblasts, an infiltrative growth pattern, and...
and Papillomatosis
Papillomatosis
Papillomatosis is skin surface elevation caused by hyperplasia and enlargement of contiguous dermal papillae.- See also :* Skin lesion* Skin disease* List of skin diseases* Papilloma* Laryngeal papillomatosis...
.
Papillomatosis is the result of a virus infecting the skin, causing a large, red, swelling growth on the skin of the subject. These red marks may have appeared to be where horns had broken off or were shed. Fibromatosis is a similar virus which infects the skin and causes the flesh of the rabbit to mat with hair, hardening into long, hard horn-like protrusions. Both diseases could account for the appearance of wild, fierce (with pain) rabbits with "horns" as infected specimens have been found, catalogued and are well documented.
It is also possible that this myth was started as a way for witches to make money by frightening locals with tales of ferocious man-eating rabbits and then asking them for money in order for the "threat" to be removed. This would explain the part of the lore that says that the only way to remove a Mi'raj from the area would be to have a skilled witch charm them.
Pop culture references
Al-Mi'raj has been occasionally featured in video and role-playing games.Al-Mi'raj has been adapted into Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, as part of the 1st edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio is the title shared by three products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
.
Dragon Warrior III
Dragon Warrior III, known in Japan as , is a console role-playing game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix . It is the third installment in the Dragon Quest series , first released for the Famicom in Japan, and then the NES in North America...
for the Game Boy Color, Al-Mi'Raj is a low-level monster with a sleep attack used to render players helpless while it attacks. Dragon Warrior 3 Monster List Unlike the normal legendary Miraj, this Mi'raj is purple with a white horn and white cheeks. Its standard treasure is eight gold and a Leather Hat. A similar in appearance version is called the Spiked Hare in Dragon Quest VII and carries Medicinal Herbs and Bunny Tails.
In the original Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
version of Dragon Warrior III
Dragon Warrior III
Dragon Warrior III, known in Japan as , is a console role-playing game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix . It is the third installment in the Dragon Quest series , first released for the Famicom in Japan, and then the NES in North America...
, however, it was marked as a "Horned Rabbit" and portrayed as a white rabbit with ruby eyes and a red horn. Its standard treasure was a medicinal herb, provided it did not run away before being defeated. This version of the Miraj is also used in Dragon Quest V
Dragon Quest V
, known as Dragon Quest: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride in Europe, is a console role-playing game and the fifth installment in the Dragon Quest video game series...
for the SNES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
while a slightly different version in Dragon Quest VII called the Bunicorn also sometimes would drop a Bunny Tail.
According to lore, at the base of a unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
's horn is a ruby red jewel that is the concentrated essence of its power. With this in mind, it is possible that Ryo-Ohki
Ryo-Ohki
, is a fictional character in the Japanese anime series Tenchi Muyo! and its spinoffs. Ryo-Ohki's appearance is similar to a cross between a cat and a rabbit, and for this reason Ryo-Ohki is commonly referred to as a cabbit...
from Tenchi Muyo!
Tenchi Muyo!
, is a Japanese anime, light novel, and manga series created by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi.The generally accepted translation of the title is No Need for Tenchi or Useless Tenchi, though at the time of its appearance it was also translated variably as No Heaven and Earth and This Way Up...
could be a reference to Al-Mi'raj, albeit dehorned and thus non-dangerous to humanity.
Getting closer to the original mythology, the Devil Bunny game series by Cheapass Games
Cheapass Games
Cheapass Games is a game company founded and run by game designer James Ernest, based in Seattle, Washington. Cheapass Games operates on the philosophy that most game owners have plenty of dice, counters, play money, etc., so there is no need to bundle all of these components with every game that...
is a game about horned, super-intelligent carnivorous evil rabbits that spend their time attempting world domination via an assortment of silly means and tormenting the Humans.