Baku (Dream Eater)
The baku is a chimera with an elephant trunk, tiger paws, and ox tail, summoned to devour nightmares. Children call it after bad dreams—but asking too often risks losing all dreams, leaving emptiness.
Story beats
- 1) A sleeper wakes from a nightmare and chants “Baku, come eat my dream.”
- 2) The baku sniffs out the bad dream, consuming it and the fear it carries.
- 3) If overused, the baku grows hungry and takes all dreams—good ones included—leaving a void or lethargy.
- 4) Protective charms show baku images above pillows; gratitude keeps it benevolent.
Context & symbolism
Baku originate from Chinese mo creatures, adapted into Edo-period talismans. They personify selective forgetting—an aid that must be applied with moderation. The cautionary twist teaches that avoiding fear entirely costs imagination.
Woodblock prints and netsuke depict baku as friendly yet formidable, guardians against spiritual intrusion during vulnerable sleep.
Motifs
- Patchwork chimera features
- Nightmare-eating summons
- Talisman above the bed
- Risk of dreamless emptiness
Use it in play
- Call a baku to remove a party member’s curse-nightmares; pay a price to keep good dreams.
- Rescue a town trapped in dreamless stupor after overusing baku aid.
- Escort a baku through a nightmare realm as it hunts a dream-devouring rival.
- Craft a baku talisman to ward off a dream-invading spirit; gather rare inks and silks.