maras

Noun (1)

mara (plural maras)

1. (European) A nightmare; a spectre or wraith-like creature in Germanic and particularly Scandinavian folklore; a female demon who torments people in sleep by crouching on their chests or stomachs, or by causing terrifying visions.
   • The corpus of related texts tells us that within rural society it was not improbable for your neighbour's envy of your fine cattle to take the form of a mara.1996, Catharina Raudvere, “Now you see her, now you don't: some notes on the conception of female shape-shifters in Scandinavian traditions”, in Sandra Billington, Miranda Green, editors, The Concept...

Noun (2)

mara (plural maras)

1. A type of god that prevents accomplishment or success.
   • Mara means demon, or demonic influence, that hinders the practice of virtue. It may be an external spirit or an aspect of our own imperfect condition. All hindrances on the path to liberation are subsumed under the four maras. The first mara is the mara of the aggregates.[…]The second of the maras...2011, Graham Woodhouse, Lobsang Gyatso, Tsongkhapa's Praise for Dependent Relativity, Wisdom Publications, page 20
2. Any malicious or evil spirit.
   • The mara is the spirit that causes illness, accidents, and mishaps. The only protection against it is another mara who befriends a person or a group. A mara who becomes friendly is called a gunik. This transformation occurs when a mara comes to a person in a dream and states a desire to be...2002, Sarvananda Bluestone, The World Dream Book, page 73

Noun (3)

mara (plural maras)

1. Any caviid rodent of the genus Dolichotis, common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina.
   • Maras have a white patch of fur on the rump that they flash when running, an adaptation they share with several species of deer and antelopes.1999, Michael A. Mares, editor, Encyclopedia of Deserts, Mara, page 349

Noun (4)

mara (plural maras)

1. (US) A Latin American criminal gang.

See all 13 meanings of mara