Kuan pha na dum
Encyclopedia
Kuan Pha Na Dum is the name of a folklore
hero from Laotian
mythology
which translates roughly as "Heavenly Axe Wielder With A Black Mark On His Face." He was literally born with a mystical axe in his hand and a black mark (a birth mark, tattoo or scar) across his face. He had superhuman strength and endurance and is said to be half giant, plus his axe (Kuan Pha or "Heavenly Axe") has the ability to emit lightning and strike with amazing power. He is known for defeating giants and various monsters.
This Lao hero is roughly analogous to Thor
of Norse mythology
or other great mythical heroes like the Volsungs or Hercules
.
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
hero from Laotian
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
which translates roughly as "Heavenly Axe Wielder With A Black Mark On His Face." He was literally born with a mystical axe in his hand and a black mark (a birth mark, tattoo or scar) across his face. He had superhuman strength and endurance and is said to be half giant, plus his axe (Kuan Pha or "Heavenly Axe") has the ability to emit lightning and strike with amazing power. He is known for defeating giants and various monsters.
This Lao hero is roughly analogous to Thor
Thor
In Norse mythology, Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing, and fertility...
of Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
or other great mythical heroes like the Volsungs or Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
.