Abath VS Iara (mythology)

An Abath is a legendary creature resembling a unicorn, first appearing in records in the 16th century. Accounts of the Abath were brought back by 16th-century European travellers to the Malay Peninsula. Described as female, with a single horn growing from its forehead, it is speculated that these were probably the result of a half-glimpsed Javan or Sumatran rhinoceros. Like the unicorn, a powder made from this horn supposedly served both as an aphrodisiac and as an antidote to poison. However, since the unicorn was invariably represented as male, and since there was only ever one in existence at any time, the Abath seems to have developed independently from the European myths of the one-horned creature.

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Iara, also spelled Uiara or Yara (Portuguese pronunciation: [iˈjaɾɐ], [iˈaɾɐ], [ˈjaɾɐ], [wiˈjaɾɐ], [ujˈjaɾɐ]) or Mãe das Águas ([ˈmɐ̃j dɐˈz aɣwɐs], "mother of the waters"), is a figure from Brazilian mythology based on ancient Tupi and Guaraní mythology. The word derives from Old Tupi yîara = y ("water") + îara ("lord; lady") = "lady of the lake" (water queen). Depending on the oral tradition and the context of the story, she can be seen either as a water nymph, a siren, or a beautiful mermaid that lives in the rivers of the Amazon Basin.

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