Oni (Demon)

cruel or kind?

Heyho Dear Alienart crew, art lovers and all who stopped by. I hope you all are doing well. Today I have chosen the topic "Oni" (demon).

Since the so-called Heian period, the Oni are depicted as the antithesis of humans. The Oni drive people mad or even more evil, they eat people. The hatred for humans is based on lore, which says that Oni are the spirits of people with particularly dark souls. Sounds creepy, doesn't it?
But as far as I know, Oni were not always known as evil beings aka demons.
Quite the contrary. The earliest Buddhist stories of Oni give a very different picture of the beings now known to be malevolent. Oni used to be considered good-natured. If they met people with a pure, good soul, they supported and helped them with their power over magic and nature. In Shinto they were even called a deity. As far as I know, until about the 13th century, Oni were also considered guardians of the underworld and judges of evil. Sounds different than nowadays, doesn't it?

One of the most famous mythologies is that of the demon king Shuten Dōji, who wreaked havoc in Kyoto. This evil oni kidnapped, enslaved and ate virgins from there. There are several such or other horrible legends about Oni. Feel free to look around if you like the subject. Feel free to write me in a comment the legend you know. It would be interesting.
But know enough mythology stuff, let's check the pics... Let's gooooood...

Here step by step.