Odiyan clan

Common card · No. 327250

Odiyan (IPA: [oɖijɐn]) or Odian, Peony was once used in the Malappuram, Thrissur, Palakkad rural areas of Kerala to describe a group of people who claimed to be capable of scaring people to death using Odividya (ഒടിവിദ്യ, oṭividya) . Odiyan is a legendary character who existed in Kerala. Peony appear as half-man, half-beast like creatures lurking in alleyways at night. By applying certain herbs to specific parts of the body and chanting spells, the peonies are said to shape shift themselves to a bull, buffalo, felid, jackal or whatever form they desire. The devotees believed that this work would be fully effective if performed in a naked state. In the past, Odiyans used to threaten and frighten people in the countryside under the cover of darkness. In parts of Malabar, oral tradition and regional histories identify pulayar as the principal practitioners of odividya. The story of Odiyan was popularized through oral tradition in the problem days when folktales and superstitions were rooted...

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