I was thinking to myself "I wonder what I could do with a demon that feels very threatening and savors the player, hunts them, wants to possess them"
And I rolled around in my head while I was busy doing otherwise mindless work. Considered the level of possessiveness, the ways to depict the savoring nature, that she could use specific word choices that have a certain mouthfeel to them, like tasting her speech, to sell that aura that you're going to be torn apart and feasted on.
So I thought "mantis!"
Look for mantis species, find devil's flower mantis. Cool, that looks great and appropriately has devil in it. What of the name? They're from Ethiopia, so maybe look into Ethiopian folklore for inspiration. I find some of my ideas reflected in Werzelyā, but oddly sparse results online. I do find citations, though, and books can be borrowed from the lending library on Internet Archive, if you sign up. And so I find my way to
A history of Ethiopia, Nubia & Abyssinia. According to the hieroglyphic inscriptions of Egypt and Nubia, and the Ethiopian chronicles
by Budge, E. A. Wallis (Ernest Alfred Wallis), Sir, 1857-1934
I find some others to read too, but sends me off topic a bunch.
Nearly all amulet scrolls contain spells to ward off this Werzelyā(first attachment). And yet this wasn't super readily available folklore.
The information I'm finding coincides pretty well with some of the ideas I had. Not perfect match for what I wanted to do with the mantis-demon and her daughter, but I think I would use the name, it's nice.
So the origin of Werzelyā is that she is the sister of Saint Sūsenyōs. She had sex with the Devil and bore a son, whom she killed to drink the blood of, believing that the spawn of Satan would have magical powers she could gain by consuming him. This actually matches pretty well with some of the ideas I had, though pretty different too. Anyway, her brother, Sūsenyōs, learned of this horrid act and mounted his horse, grabbed his spear, and went off to confront her.
He prayed to god for the power to kill Werzelyā, and god said: "I heard you, sure, go kill her or whatever."(second attachment)
Ol' Susy kills her, becomes a Saint, but she turns into a demon who will prey upon those not blessed by a name as powerful as his. The blessing of this Saint will protect you from every word for a spirit they seemingly had. And oh hey look, there's Fera (third attachment).
And next a spell to fetter devils, to stop Satan from breaking your hands and knees, giving you schizophrenia, and turning you black. (fourth attachment)
In the end, it turns out it's basically Lilith or Gello-Gyllou or Abyzou or Sideros, or 12 other names. Struck down by Silennios. Far-reaching story across many cultures.
Anyway
A beautiful and lustfully carnivorous mantis-demon with clothing dazzlingly colored off the shades of the devil's flower mantis, with those cute praying raptorial claw arms. A desire to possess things for herself, to tear into them slowly, and savor the finite nature of her prey. And a daughter she had before turning demon, whom she keeps pure and safe from corruption out of a sense that to have something pure and fragile is enticing, and she rather fetishizes the thought that someone might seek to corrupt her pure child, if they could get beyond her.
The eyes of the devil's flower mantis are also very interesting and pretty. Basically nothing to take from Abyssinian myth.
Ah Werzelya. And maybe Nyama for the daughter, off the malawi word for animal meat, nodding to the depersoning and objectification the mother has for her.
In the end, I don't think I'll use this character.
But I guess I'll share what I've been doing between scenes. It's interesting?
>>76161
its fine as it is, don't worry.