Banaspati
Forest spiritSouth Asianguardianplant-soulgrove
Lore
Banaspati is a forest spirit encountered in the deep, older stands of the subcontinental woodlands — at first glance part leaning tree, part living knot of vines and roots. To a field naturalist it reads as an organism shaped by seasons: bark-textured skin streaked with lichen, slow, deliberate movements like a grove inhaling. Smell: damp leaf mold and resin undercut by a sharp, green citrus tang when it stirs. Sound: a low creak of branches, the soft pop of sap shifting, and an occasional bell-like chime made by wind in hollow stems. Temperature: the air around a Banaspati is cooler and damper than the surrounding forest, a pocket of shadowed humidity that makes metal fog at dusk. Presence is often signaled by an unnatural hush in bird song and a tidy ring of new fungi or shoots where the undergrowth seems to have been arranged rather than trampled.
Origin: Bengali (folk belief) • Bengal (eastern India & Bangladesh)
Classification: Forest Spirit (Cryptid)
Field Notes
Observations
- A sudden silence of birdsong at twilight and a neat circle of fresh mycelium or seedlings around a central, leaning trunk.
Encounter Advice
- behavior: Mostly crepuscular and territorial around a chosen grove or ancestor tree. It tends fallen saplings, guides seedlings into light gaps, and will rearrange loose debris as if pruning. Generally passive toward passing animals and travelers, Banaspati becomes protective if living wood is cut or its grove is desecrated — then it uses misdirection of paths and sudden growth of brambles to drive intruders away rather than direct attack.
- interaction: Approach quietly and without bright fire or sharp tools. Leave a small, green offering (seeds, a strip of cloth tied to a branch) at the grove's edge and speak your purpose; avoid cutting or trampling obvious root plates. If the hush deepens, back away slowly and give space. A Banaspati respects steady, nonthreatening gestures and will sometimes guide lost travelers to safe clearings if shown simple courtesy.
- offering: A small bundle of native seeds, fresh water set in an unglazed clay bowl, or a strip of green cloth tied to a branch — tokens that mark respect rather than ownership.
Abilities
- Rooting DirgeEmits a low, creaking chant that lingers in the soil and gradually locks a living traveller's limbs into root-like stasis, turning them immobile and sap-bound within minutes.
- Sap-SiphonDraws life from nearby wounded or sleeping beings into its host tree, accelerating the tree's growth while leaving victims pale and weakened.
- Canopy VeilSummons a drifting mist of pollen and shadow beneath the banyan that obscures senses and warps memory, causing lost travelers to forget their route.
Weaknesses
- Broken Coconut & Milk RiteA coconut broken at the tree's base and a bowl of milk buried at its root calms the Banaspati and can break its Rooting Dirge for a time.
- Iron Billhook to Central Aerial RootSevering its principal aerial root with an iron billhook wounds the spirit's anchor and sharply reduces its ability to siphon sap.
- Sacred FlameA sustained flame (lamp oil or ghee) placed around the trunk drives it into dormancy and prevents canopy mist from forming.