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Because Da cannot stand heat, the creator made the ocean for the serpent to live in. And there Da has remained since the beginning of time, with his tail in his mouth. Even though the water keeps Da cool, he sometimes shifts around trying to get comfortable, and that's what causes earthquakes. Nana-Buluku tasked the red monkeys who live beneath the sea to keep Da fed, and they spend their time forging the iron bars that are the serpent's food. But sooner or later the monkey's supply of iron is bound to run out, and then Da will have nothing to eat. Famished with hunger, he will start to chew on his own tail, and then his writhings and convulsions will be so terrible that the whole earth will tilt, overburdened as it is with people and things, and slip into the sea. This legend mentions the serpent serving the creator god. This serpent resembles Ananta Shesha, who serves Vishnu as a bed and supports the universal structure. They are both situated at the bottom of the universe on the great ocean called Garbhodaka. Scandinavia The Norse Ragnarok involves the destruction of the earth and the abodes of the Norse demigods (called Asgard). It is said that during Ragnarok the world is destroyed with flames by a being called Surt, who lives beneath the lower world (appropriately called Hel) and was involved in the world's creation. By comparison, the Bhagavata Purana (3.11.30) states that at the end of Brahma's day, “the devastation takes place due to the fire emanating from the mouth of Sankarshana.” Sankarshana (Ananta Shesha) is a plenary expansion of Krishna who is “seated at the bottom of the universe” (Bhagavata Purana 3.8.3), beneath the lower planetary systems. More connections to the Vedic tradition can be found in the Norse lore, but they go beyond the present topic. Tibet Tibetan Buddhist perspective of the Nagas comes from Cho- Yang's “Year of Tibet Edition.” “Among all the creatures of the six realms, humans are the most fortunate, and have the best opportunity for attain- ing the ultimate achievement. Gods and demi-gods dwell in immeasurable happiness, exhausting the fruits of their positive karma, and are too distracted with worldly pleasure to seek liberation from cyclic existence. Hungry ghosts and hell beings are too disturbed with suffering and animals are too dumb. Humans, who enjoy both pleasure and pain are the only ones who can seek liberation. (...) “Unseen forces are believed to be as numerous as those we can see: in every pond, forest, tree, house, dwell creatures big and small, important and humble which occasionally appear to humans in various forms, as well as in visions and in dreams. “All these creatures are believed to be ruled by the protectors of the ten directions. These deities include gods from the Hindu pantheon such as Brahma and Indra. They are gods, and though they are immensely powerful and believed to control all the forces of the universe they are not beyond the wheel of cyclic existence and thus cannot be an object of refuge for humans aspiring for liberation. They may or may not be sympathetic to the Buddhist doctrine, but their help and cooperation can be cultivated and is considered essential, since they control all other non-human creatures, gods, demi-gods and ghosts. Tantric rituals always include an offering to them at the beginning to assure their non-interference. “The creatures dwelling in individual places are called Sa-dag or land owners, or guardian deities. They belong to the realm of demi-gods or ghosts - not all ghosts are miserable creatures, some are wealthy and powerful demons. They may appear to people as ghosts, demons, or in dreams in an infinite variety of forms, including the human one and may either help or harm depending on their disposition. Many of the creatures in lakes, ponds and rivers are nagas, or serpent beings who belong to the animal realm. They sometimes appear in the form of snakes, or as half snakes and half humans with elaborate jeweled 306 Appendix E: Dragons and Serpents Atlantis, Alien Visitation, and Genetic Manipulation