Korravai

Victory in War; The Victorious One

ALSO KNOWN AS:

Kuravai

ORIGIN:

Tamil

Korravai is an extremely ancient deity from southern India. She is the powerful and ravenous spirit of the battlefield. Korravai leads devotees to victory. When battle is complete, she feasts on the entrails of the dead. She must be appeased and propitiated before corpses can be removed for funerary rites. Korravai remains associated with tunankai dances, which are also called kuravai dances: war and victory ring dances. Korravai may be identified with Durga. In ancient Tamil lore, she is the mother of the war lord Murugan (apparently conceived independently; no father is mentioned). He joins her on the battlefield.

MANIFESTATION:

She has twelve arms with which she carries twelve blood-stained weapons. She bears burning coals on her head and wears bells around her ankles. She can make herself as small or as tall as she desires. (Legends have her growing so tall, her head touches the sky.) When she wishes, her voice is as loud as thunder.

Creatures: Carrion crows, dogs, vultures

SEE ALSO:

Durga; Kartikkeya; Murugan

SOURCE:

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses– Written by Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.