Apwint is not a mythological origin story but a sociocultural category used in Myanmar. The literature locates the term and its contemporary legal and social salience within the history of British colonial rule and the inheritance of Section 377 of the colonial penal code; the colonial statute criminalizing sexual acts "against the order of nature" was retained after independence in 1948 and has been used in modern Myanmar to police and persecute apwint. Sources treat apwint as a socially-recognized identity rather than a supernatural origin narrative.
Sources do not provide a fixed physical description beyond gender presentation. Apwint are described as individuals assigned male at birth who openly identify and present as women. The primary distinguishing feature in the sources is visible feminine presentation and openness about attraction to men, contrasted with apone who present as men in public and conceal same-sex attraction.
Apwint are not attributed supernatural powers in the documented sources. The materials describe social behaviors and attributes: openly living as women, being attracted to men, and navigating social, economic, and legal environments shaped by stigma and policing. The sources record how this openness can trigger policing, extortion, and economic marginalization by authorities.
Kassapa (name-group: Buddha, ascetics, and rulers)
Kassapa appears in South and Southeast Asian sources as a personal name borne by distinct figures: a canonical Buddha (Kassapa / Kassapa Dasabala), a set of ascetic brothers (Uruvelā‑Kassapa, Nadi Kassapa, Gaya Kassapa) who led monastic followings, and historical rulers (e.g., Kassapa II of Anuradhapura, Kumara Kassapa of Pagan). The supplied material treats Kassapa as reused personal/name‑title across religious and secular contexts rather than a single supernatural spirit.
Nat
A nat (နတ်; nat) is a spirit-being venerated in Myanmar alongside Buddhism, encompassing deified humans and nature spirits. Nats form an institutionalized pantheon (notably the canonical 37 Great Nats) and function as village, household, lineage, and landscape guardians whose worship is expres sed through shrines, festivals, and mediumship.
Apsu (Abzu)
Apsu (Sumerian Abzû; Akkadian Apsu) is the primeval freshwater principle in Mesopotamian cosmology, conceived both as the subterranean freshwater ocean/aquifer and as a hypostatic divine presence. Paired with the saltwater Tiamat, Apsu is a progenitor of earlier divine generations and the source of lakes, springs, rivers, rain and floodwaters; in Enūma Eliš he is slain by the younger god Ea and his domain becomes Ea's dwelling.
Apsyrtus (Absyrtus)
Apsyrtus (Absyrtus) is a Colchian prince in the Greek mythic cycle, described in the supplied sources as the brother or half-brother of Medea and a participant in the narrative surrounding Jason's theft of the Golden Fleece. He is presented as a mortal member of Aeetes' household within the Argonautica tradition rather than as a supernatural class of being.
Apu
In Andean (Inca-era and continuing) belief, an apu is the spirit of a mountain or a solitary rock, conceived as a localized, often anthropomorphic guardian presence associated with a particular peak or notable stone in Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia.
Apu Illapu
Apu Illapu (also Illapa, Ilyapa, Ilyap'a, Iyapa) is a major Inca deity associated with thunder, lightning, rain and other atmospheric phenomena. He was invoked in agricultural contexts and during drought; temples, pilgrimages, prayers and sacrifices were offered to secure his favor or to halt destructive storms.
Apulu
Apulu (Etruscan: 𐌀𐌐𐌖𐌋𐌖; syncopated Aplu) is an epithet/aspect of the Etruscan fire god Śuri combining solar/sky and chthonic/volcanic functions. Attested in inscriptions, major sculpture (notably the Apollo of Veii) and small votive objects, Apulu is associated with sun and light, thunder and lightning, healing and plague, and the protection of divination.
Aq Bars
Aq Bars (Tatar: Ак Барс, 'White Leopard') is an ancient Bulgar tribal totem and heraldic emblem historically used in Volga Bulgaria and the Khanate of Kazan and adopted in the modern era as the official symbol of the Republic of Tatarstan (formally since 7 February 1992). It functions as a dynastic/tribal mark of identity (derived from the Barsil tribe) and as a political-state emblem rather than a personal supernatural being.
Aqen
Aqen is a rarely mentioned ancient Egyptian underworld deity associated with the nocturnal solar bark of Ra and with a metaphorical role in underworld time. He appears in New Kingdom funerary texts as a custodial attendant who brings a protective shen-ring to the sun-god and is described in an inscription as the "mouth of the time".
Aquababy
Aquababy is not attested as a traditional folkloric being in the supplied materials; it appears only as a brief pop-culture/comic-book anecdote mentioned in a podcast episode description and lacks mythic, descriptive, or ritual documentation in the provided sources.
Aquagirl
Aquagirl is a codename used by several fictional superhero characters published by DC Comics, depicted as female counterparts and allies to Aquaman and members of the wider 'Aquaman Family'. Notable bearers include Tula (an Atlantean princess/ally), Lorena Marquez (a human metahuman from San Diego), and earlier one-off figures (Lisa Morel, Selena); the name functions as a recurring title across multiple continuities and reboots.
Aqualad
Aqualad is a modern American fictional superhero mantle published by DC Comics and appearing across comics, animation, live-action television, film, and games. The name denotes youthful water-associated protégés of Aquaman — chiefly Garth (an Atlantean who later becomes Tempest) and Jackson Hyde / Kaldur'ahm (a reimagined, partly human version created for Young Justice).
Community Record
- [1]Apwint. Wikipedia, 'Apwint' (accessed via provided research notes).wiki
- [2]Wikidata: Apwint (Q97358171). Wikidata entry Q97358171 (referenced in research notes).other