Peryton
Encyclopedia
The peryton is a fictional animal combining the physical features of a stag
and a bird
, presumably originating in Jorge Luis Borges
' Book of Imaginary Beings
, although he refers to a lost medieval manuscript as a source. Often depicted as a winged deer
, the peryton is said to have the head, neck, forelegs and antlers of a stag
, combined with the plumage, wings and hindquarters of a large bird
, although some interpretations portray the peryton as a deer in all but coloration and bird's wings.
Borges wrote that the beast's shadow, instead of being that of a winged deer, appeared to be the shadow of a man, and that perytons were involved in the fall of the Roman Empire.
The peryton has appeared in contemporary fantasy
fiction
and video games, following its appearance in the first edition Monster Manual
from the popular role-playing game
Dungeons and Dragons.
In Borges' original Spanish edition, El Libro de los Seres Imaginarios, the word is given as peritio so the presumptive Latin original would be peritius, which happens to be the Latin name of the fourth month on the ancient Macedonian calendar
, (Peritios, moon of January). The connection of this, if any, to the peryton is unclear.
STAG
STAG: A Test of Love is a reality TV show hosted by Tommy Habeeb. Each episode profiles an engaged couple a week or two before their wedding. The cameras then follow the groom on his bachelor party...
and a bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
, presumably originating in Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Luis Borges
Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo , known as Jorge Luis Borges , was an Argentine writer, essayist, poet and translator born in Buenos Aires. In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland where he attended school, receiving his baccalauréat from the Collège de Genève in 1918. The family...
' Book of Imaginary Beings
Book of Imaginary Beings
Jorge Luis Borges wrote and edited the Book of Imaginary Beings in 1957 as the original Spanish Manual de zoología fantástica, or Handbook of Fantastic Zoology, expanding it in 1967 and 1969 to the final El libro de los seres imaginarios...
, although he refers to a lost medieval manuscript as a source. Often depicted as a winged deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, the peryton is said to have the head, neck, forelegs and antlers of a stag
STAG
STAG: A Test of Love is a reality TV show hosted by Tommy Habeeb. Each episode profiles an engaged couple a week or two before their wedding. The cameras then follow the groom on his bachelor party...
, combined with the plumage, wings and hindquarters of a large bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
, although some interpretations portray the peryton as a deer in all but coloration and bird's wings.
Borges wrote that the beast's shadow, instead of being that of a winged deer, appeared to be the shadow of a man, and that perytons were involved in the fall of the Roman Empire.
The peryton has appeared in contemporary fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
and video games, following its appearance in the first edition Monster Manual
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
from the popular role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
Dungeons and Dragons.
In Borges' original Spanish edition, El Libro de los Seres Imaginarios, the word is given as peritio so the presumptive Latin original would be peritius, which happens to be the Latin name of the fourth month on the ancient Macedonian calendar
Ancient Macedonian calendar
The Ancient Macedonian calendar is a lunisolar calendar that was in use in ancient Macedon in the 1st millennium BC. It consisted of 12 synodic lunar months , which needed intercalary months to stay in step with the seasons...
, (Peritios, moon of January). The connection of this, if any, to the peryton is unclear.
The Peryton in Popular Culture
- A peryton closely matching Borges's original description is a minor villain in The Cinnabar Box, a fantasy novel by Ilil Arbel. Uniquely, this incarnation of the monster can use and understand human speech.
- The peryton, as stated before, is included among the bestiary of the game Dungeons and Dragons. Like the creature in Borges' book, it has the hindquarters of a large bird.
- It is often used as a type of enemy creature in games such as Star OceanStar Oceanis a franchise of action role-playing video games developed by tri-Ace and published and owned by Square Enix .-Creation and influence:...
and the ShadowrunShadowrunShadowrun is a role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction.The original game has spawned...
role-playing gameRole-playing gameA role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
.
- An obscure role-playing gameRole-playing gameA role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
is also called "Peryton" and has a design for the monster that is similar to the Dungeons and Dragons peryton, but with bat's wings.
- A peryton is referred to in The Sword of the Lictor, a book in The Book of the New SunThe Book of the New SunThe Book of the New Sun is a novel in four parts written by science fiction and fantasy author Gene Wolfe. It chronicles the journey and ascent to power of Severian, a disgraced journeyman torturer who rises to the position of Autarch, the one ruler of the free world...
series by Gene WolfeGene WolfeGene Wolfe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying into the religion. He is a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the...
. In the series, a constellationConstellationIn modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
is also named after the beast.
- The creatures also appear in Darkwell, a book in the Moonshae Trilogy, where a flock of perytons are among an army of evil monsters summoned by the book's main antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
.
- In a Donald DuckDonald DuckDonald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
comic, "Mythological Menagerie," Donald DuckDonald DuckDonald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
uses cardboard wings to disguise a normal deer as a peryton to trick Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
- The peryton is included in the "Monsters of the Mind" subsection in the trading card game Weird and Wild Creatures.
- A herd of perytons with golden fur and antlers laced with poison attack the main characters in the book Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon SanctuaryFablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon SanctuaryFablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary is the fourth novel in the The New York Times bestselling Fablehaven series.-Plot introduction:...
while fleeing a dragonDragonA dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
.
- A murderous peryton named Orfeo is a major villain in the fantasy novel Whiskey and Water by Elizabeth BearElizabeth BearSarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky is an American author. Writing under the name Elizabeth Bear, she works primarily in the genre of speculative fiction, and was a winner of the 2005 John W...
.
- Swarms of cat-sized perytons are natural enemies of the unicorns in Peter S. BeaglePeter S. BeaglePeter Soyer Beagle is an American fantasist and author of novels, nonfiction, and screenplays. His most notable works include the novels The Last Unicorn, A Fine and Private Place and Tamsin, and the award-winning story "Two Hearts".-Career:Beagle won early recognition from The Scholastic Art &...
's fantasy novel The Unicorn Sonata.
- In the defunct RobotechRobotechRobotech is an 85-episode science fiction anime adaptation produced by Harmony Gold USA in association with Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. and first released in the United States in 1985...
storyline The Sentinels, Peryton is the homeworld of a race of horned, mutant energy-wizards called Perytonians. The species is humanoid with cone-shaped heads, horns, and two thumbs on each hand.
- Radio pulses that appear to be coming from outside of our galaxy but which are actually local (Earth-based) interference of unknown origin, have been named perytons.