("bewitching") A rapturously
beautiful celestial enchantress in Hindu mythology, viewed as a manifestation
of the deity Vishnu.
Vishnu assumes this shape in order to deceive the demons
into giving her a part of the amrta, the nectar of immortality, churned from
the Ocean of Milk.
Mohini uses her charms to get the amrta from the demons,
which she then offers to the gods, robbing the demons of their opportunity for
immortality.
The narrative stops here in most accounts, but the charter
myth for the southern Indian deity Aiyappa adds a fascinating twist.
According to legend, when Shiva sees Mohini's enticing body,
he can't help but fall in love with her.
Aiyappa, considered the son of Shiva and Vishnu, is the
result of this marriage.
However, as with most similar legends in Hindu mythology,
Aiyappa's strange paternity has a good cause.
Aiyappa is created to slay Mahishi, a demon who has been
cursed with the ability to only be slain by someone who was not born from the
union of male and female.
This prerequisite is satisfied by Mohini's "real"
identity (Vishnu), and when Aiyappa reaches adulthood, he kills the demon.
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