Rafangas

The Rafangas is a mythical beast that plays a large part in the mythology of the Tranon. A majestic animal it serves as the steed of many gods and goddesses, though it is most often linked with Nikela, the herald and sounder of victory for the gods. Historically it is important as being the heraldic and symbolic animal of the Lein Dynasty.

Features and Mythology

The Rafangas has a mixture of features of animals from all over the Trandimir Empire; its head was that of a lion, and its body and hooves those of horses, both of which were relatively common in the northern plains; it had the long bushy tail of the squirrel, ubiquitous in the southern woods; and it had four wings of the great eagles that made their nests in the eastern Benakaru Mountains. As such it is a potent symbol of the entire Trandimir subcontinent over which the Tranon and its kings held sway. Said to be a fierce guardian against evil, and swift both on foot and on the wing, it is used as a steed for many of the gods; the steed of the God of Clouds Hursha, for example, is a white Rafangas named Sarsakan.

Because of its powers the Rafangas is often used as a guardian animal, placed at the gates of temples or the residences of the powerful. The gates of Anyesir Palace, the main palace of the Naza, Nar, and Lein, had four such statues: a pair flanked the bridge across the moat leading to the Central Gate, and a much larger second pair at the gate itself, standing nearly 16 metres tall, 19 m wide, and 21 m long.

In mythology Rafangasnon are linked to two deities mostly: Basora, the stable-guard of the gods, and Nikela the goddess of victory. For this the Rafangas, especially that beast named Shura (Itrani "Shadow") which was Nikela's steed, is considered a symbol of cunning and victory through strategy.

Political and Historical Significance

The Lein was not the first dynasty to use the Rafangas as its symbol; the Naza, Nar, and even several kingdoms of the Chaos made use of this animal as a sign of royal or imperial power. Certainly, though, it was the dynasty which carried the symbol the farthest and used it most extensively. The Imperial Seal of Lein Loran, made from a single piece of snow-white jade, had a finely sculpted figure of a rearing Rafangas in gold on top; while the throne that Lein Durun first commissioned was flanked with eagle wings and had the lion's head over the head-rest.

The symbol of this imperial beast was often simplified to just its wings, creating a symbol of four arches known as the Wings of Glory. Unlike representations of the whole animal, this symbol was not reserved for the Emperor but could also be used as a general symbol of the Lein itself, and thus appears in many banners and flags of imperial offices and agencies.