My niece was married last weekend. They met through their mutual passion for tennis, but it was a conversation she had with him about tapirs that convinced her she had found her life-long partner.
Then, almost by accident, I came across this entry in a travel book called Traveler's Tales Thailand, by Alan Rabinowitz. He quotes an unnamed traveler as saying, "[the tapir is] an enigma... a survivor of a more gentle and legendary time ... wandering in unique isolation in a world not yet mature enough for its wisdom."
Did you know that the tapir is named after a creature in Chinese mythology? In Japanese folklore, the tapir (known as baku) eats people's dreams, especially nightmares. In fact, I grew up believing that the tapir was a dream-eating mythological beast, and only recently realized it was (also) a real live creature.
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Nice to read this about tapirs especially when we know the tapir is eating nightmares...
ReplyDeleteLove the blue color! Such as an unusual animal. Indeed, so exotic as if belonging to a certain time long ago. I like what you thought of it and finding out it's real!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely picture and such a wonderful creature is the tapir...
ReplyDeleteHow lovely, a creature who eats nightmares...and what then, I wonder?
ReplyDeleteI love your ability to identify and paint an enigma!
ReplyDeleteOh, I love tapirs! Some of them look like they're calligraphy projects. And the babies are about the cutest things in the universe. (See http://i.imgur.com/kZJpd.jpg )
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that they ate nightmares! I might need to get one for a pet, though I would be dismayed if it ate my good dreams.
I love the way your tapir's white spot negative space can also read as an enigmatic disappearance, rather Cheshire Cat-like...
p.s. What a coincidence about Gregor Samsa!
That's one of the reasons it's harder to find a suitable mate through a dating service. They never ask about anything like tapirs.
ReplyDeleteWhat's really amazing about tapirs is how they befriend children in the Amazon tribes. The kids ride around on their backs and have water fights with them. I saw a documentary about it at one point, which is when I fell in love with them.
ReplyDeleteHow fascinating!
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