Black Avatare

Glossary II · 19+

19 | B E A R

Heliconia: A tropical flowering plant, also called "lobster claws". It has bright red flower bracts and leaves similar to that of banana plants.

22 | D I N N E R

String hoppers: This food consists of rice flour dough made into strings similar to noodles using a string hopper press. The strings are then shaped into a disc shape and steamed. It's a common breakfast/dinner.

Kiri hodi: A coconut milk gravy with turmeric, coriander and other spices. It's served alongside pol sambol when eating string hoppers. Kiri hodi means "milk gravy" in Sinhalese.

Himavan Forest: This forest is based on the legendary Himavanta Forest, which is located in the Himalayas (Hima means "snow" in Sanskrit and Sinhalese). It is said to be inhabited by mythical beings such as the kinnaras. In the story, much of Himavan Forest lies in the territory of the Black Prince.

Sago pudding: A popular dessert in Sri Lanka made with sago, coconut milk, treacle and cardamom.

Dodol: A dark, sticky sweet made with kithul jaggery, rice flour and coconut milk. It can also contain cashew nuts.

Aluwa: A Sri Lankan sweet food made with roasted rice flour, treacle, cashew nuts and cardamom.

Mahasona: The most feared demon in Sri Lanka. Maha means "great" and Sona is a short form of Sohona, which means "cemetery" or "grave". Legend has it that he killed a bear and got its head. It's said that he can take the form of a black dog and he likes to haunt cemeteries.

23 | M A P

Holmanloke: The ethereal realm in the story universe that is home to demons and mythical beings. Holmanloke means "ghost world" (හොල්මන්ලෝකේ) in Sinhalese.

Daval: The moonlit hemisphere in Holmanloke. Daval means "daytime" (දවල්) in Sinhalese.

Raa: Known as the land of eternal darkness, Raa is the hemisphere of Holmanloke that never receives light. It is said to be the home of fearsome demons and monsters. Raa means "night" (රෑ) in Sinhalese.

Twilight Sands: An area akin to a ring that spans the world and separates Daval and Raa. It's mostly a desert of what resembles gypsum sand. This is the twilight zone in the tidally locked world of Holmanloke, which means little light reaches there.

Tiamsava: A plateau in the highlands of Daval. It is said to be the most idyllic place in Holmanloke, occupied by devatava demons (god-like) and other mythical beings. Tiamsava is derived from "Tavatimsa", which is one of the heavens in Buddhist cosmology.

Niraya: Hells inhabited by demons and monsters. Niraya is located in Raa. It is inspired by the Niraya, also called Naraka, in Buddhist cosmology (these are hells).

Shadow wraith: An amorphous being that lives in the Twilight Sands.

24 | S H A D O W

Sweet hoppers: Plump disc-shaped food made with flour, semolina, coconut milk and jaggery. It is a sweet food that can be eaten at breakfast or tea.

25 | P R I S O N E R

Goya: A large lizard that lives in Himavan Forest. The name comes from talagoya, which means "monitor lizard" (තලගොයා) in Sinhalese.