Formative Assessment Description of Character

Abaia is a magical eel creature from Melanasian mythology. Abaia lives in a freshwater lake. He considers all water creatures his children and protects them furiously against anyone who would harm them.

My take on Abaia is a little different to the original myth but keeps the same idealologies. Abaia belongs in the water category in the Gloaming universe. Instead of Abaia only existing once and then dying, Abaia is constantly reborn after his deaths. From his remains an egg forms. The egg hatches the new Abaia. Although the process is a quick one (one month exactly) during this time is when the waterfolk are at their weakest. 

Each version of Abaia is slightly different in appearance but he always continues the same role -protecting all water creatures.

He is a fatherly figure to all waterfolk but his loving nature is not to be messed with as he can be extremely dangerous if one of his family is threatened.

Although the rest of the waterfolk look up to Abaia he considers himself a second class citizen in comparison. He lives at the bottom of the lake -this is a visual representation of how he thinks the waterfolk heirarchy is structured.

Keeping to the Melanasian mythology, Abaia's design is heavely based on eels. (Other animal influences include humans and Sea Dragons.) 

His three head pieces are similar to eel's bodies. They are thick armor-like slabs which protect the most vulnerable sections of his neck. These can move but don't usually because of their already ideal placement. 

Abaia has webbed hands to help with his swimming.

Abaia's lower body is based on a fish body. He has a very large tail fin to help swim faster and longer distances.

On each side of his face he has antennae. The anntennae senses movement and sound from great distances and can also sense what direction they are coming from.

Abaia's colouring will be brown, muddy colours. This is so he can easily disguise himself at the bottom of his lake.  

Sculpt Progress for Interim

Muscle and Skeleton Character Sheet Mock-ups

Final Design

Developments

Animal and Anatomy References

Chosen Animals:

The main creature influence of my design is the eel. In the myth it is said that the creature was very eel like. I wanted to keep this idea to keep it authentic to the original but also added a seahorse creature and human-like anatomy into the mix to give it my own twist.

Anatomy References: Human: 

 Other:

Silhouettes

Animal Research: Other Water Creatures

I researched other sea creatures as the Freshwater creatures are a bit plain in comparison. I l'd like to experiment with some of these creatures. I found more brighter and strange looking creatures to draw ideas from. 

Animal Research: Fiji, Soloman and Vanuatu Island Freshwater

The Abaia creature is based on eels but I also want to base my design on other fresh water creatures from the area Abaia is from (Fiji, Soloman and Vanuatu Islands). 

Freshwater Eels: 

Anguilla Australis Australis 

Anguilla Marmortata 

Anguilla Obscura 

Gymnothorax Polyuranodon

Freshwater Fish:

Awaous Melanocephalus

Duckbill Sleeper

Hippichthys Albomaculosus

Michrophis Brachyurus

Choosen Mythological Creature: Abaia

Abaia is a huge, magical eel in Melanesian mythology.

According to Melanesian mythology the Abaia is a type of large eel which dwells at the bottom of freshwater lakes in the Fiji, Solomon and Vanuatu Islands. The Abaia is said to consider all creatures in the lake its children and protects them furiously against anyone who would harm or disturb them. It is said that those who are foolish enough to try to catch the fish from a lake containing the Abaia are immediately overwhelmed by a large wave caused by the thrashing of the Abaia’s powerful tail.

Another version of the legend states that if someone were to harm a creature living in the Abaia’s home, the Abaia would cause a great rain storm flooding the land and drowning those who had caused the harm. One example of this ability is illustrated in the following story:

One day a man discovered a lake in which were many fish, and at the bottom of the lake lived a magic eel, but the man knew it not. He caught many fish and returned the next day with the people of his village whom he had told of his discovery, and they also were very successful, while one woman even laid hold of the great eel, Abaia, who dwelt in the depths of the lake, though he escaped her. Now Abaia was angry that his fish had been caught and that he himself had been seized, so he caused a great rain to fall that night, and the waters of the lake also rose, and all the people were drowned except an old woman who had not eaten of the fish and who saved herself in a tree.

Although it would seem that the magical powers of the Abaia are the byproduct of human imagination and its fear of the unknown, it has been suggested that the Abaia legend may have stemmed from encounters with an actual undiscovered species of giant eel living at the bottom of these remote lakes.

Zbrush Class Exercises