Purple Flying Mongeese - An Introduction

Purple Flying Mongeese are very rare, and are recognisable as distinct from the common mongoose (Herpestes edwardsi, the Indian Mongoose, or Herpestes ichneumon, the grey mongoose) by the fact that they are purple and can fly. This ability, uncommon in mammals, is afforded by the possession of a pair of wings that begin just below the shoulder joint. Legend tells us that the first Purple Flying Mongoose was the result of a cross between an Indian mongoose and a small Chinese dragon with bad eyesight. The possession of wings, and of the distinctive colouring, is passed on in a way unexplainable by common genetics, but suffice it to say that the likelihood of the offspring of a Purple Flying Mongoose and any other species of mongoose being another Purple Flying Mongoose decreases with each generation. The only way to counteract this decline would be for two Purple Flying Mongeese to mate, but they are notoriously solitary creatures and do not enjoy the company of their own kind.

The Temple

This temple is established as a tribute to the quirks and eccentricities of this unusual creature, and to preserve its memory for the days when it can no longer be seen. For the number of Purple Flying Mongeese in the wild is diminishing, and they will not be kept in captivity (this is not a result of the Powers That Be¹ suppressing information about the existence of supernatural beings such as dragons, they just don't like the food very much) so soon the only ones in existence will be those known to inhabit the abandoned upper levels of some of the older University buildings in Oxford, Cambridge and (some say) Durham.

Some Mongoose Facts²

The mongoose is know to provoke poisonous snakes to strike, then to jump back to avoid the fangs and to bite the snake's head until its skull cracks

The average length of the mongoose from nose to tip of tail is 3 feet³, with 20 inches of this being the tail. There is also a dwarf mongoose which is only 18 inches long.

The plural of all other species of mongoose is mongooses, therefore if anyone speaks of Mongeese you can be sure they are referring to Purple Flying Mongeese.

Rumours have been heard that a certain member of Jim Henson's Muppets may be wearing a Mongeese-skin fur, but this has since been disproven.

Temples dedicated to other neglected causes can be found at The Avenue of Small Gods.