With every week that passes, we inch our way closer and closer to the final round of Bio-Cup 2021.

Round 2 wrapped up last week, and BrickNerd is here once again to get you caught up on the action. In this latest round, the 27 competitors were tasked with giving a “Modern Makeover” to a mythical creature or legend from various regions across the globe.

You may recall that regional folklore was explored in last year’s Bio-Cup, but this time around the contestants needed bring these legends “Back to the Future”, and all without the aid of a time-traveling DeLorean. They needed to envision what regional legends might look like if they came from the future instead of the past. As with prior rounds, the participants could choose to make a 1-for-1 copy of something that inspired them (like concept art, etc.), or simply take that inspiration and craft it into something entirely unique.

Below are some highlighted builds from this “Round 2 Rumble” in the Mixed Mythological Arts:

The Spider Woman by Toddrick (B.D.)

(North America) - “Grandmother Spider, or the Spider Woman, is a Native American deity who appears in native lore across the continent. The Hopi believe that she weaved the universe into existence / The Navajo taught that she was the savior of human kind. / The Cherokee say she brought the sun and light to the people. No matter the context, the foundation remains the same: Grandmother Spider is a mother to human kind, protecting and nurturing with her magic.” - For more info, check out Auburn Lily's post on Honoring the Goddess: Grandmother Spider.

Gamma Sucker by Jayfa

(Latin America / South America) – “Nuclear powered and hungry for more” - A post apocalyptic take on the Chupacabra - a legendary creature in the folklore of parts of the Americas, with its first purported sightings reported in Puerto Rico in 1995. The name comes from the animal's reported vampirism—the chupacabra is said to attack and drink the blood of livestock, including goats. Physical descriptions of the creature vary, with some describing it as more dog-like while others describe it as more lizard- or even alien-like. As far as consistent features, it is purportedly a heavy creature the size of a small bear, with a row of spines reaching from the neck to the base of the tail.

Wolpertinger by lache

(Western Europe) - “Future rabbits make do.” - inspired by the German folklore creature known as the Wolpertinger. It has a body comprising various animal parts—generally wings, antlers, a tail, and fangs, all attached to the body of a small mammal. The most widespread description portrays the Wolpertinger as having the head of a hare, the body of a squirrel, the antlers of a deer, and the wings and occasionally the legs of a pheasant.

Wirebird by Obsessionist

(Eastern Europe) - “Legend tells of an eternal generator, hidden in the center of a Wolf-Raynet star. Star captains speculate that the creature could power a dozen starships for light-years with a single feather. The engineers, however, whisper with more reverence, alleging that its very tendons have zero electrical resistance.” - Based on the Firebird of Slavic folklore. A typical role of the Firebird in fairy tales is as an object of a difficult quest. The quest is usually initiated by finding a lost tail feather, at which point the hero sets out to find and capture the live bird. The Firebird is a marvel, highly coveted, but the hero, initially charmed by the wonder of the feather, eventually blames it for his troubles.

Akhkhazu the Plaguebringer by Djokson

West & Central Asia - “Only the flapping of her wings breaks the silence of the night”. - Inspired by the Akkadian demon of the same name. She brings fever and plagues and is a member of a trio of female demons (Labasu, Labartu, Akhkhazu)

10-GU by buttloaf_builds

(East Asia) - “Manipulating wind, the 10-GU mech is adorned as an ancient myth, with a Hauchiwa capable of changing the course of wind on a whim.” - Inspired by the tengu from Japanese folklore. The tengu in art appears in a variety of shapes. It usually falls somewhere between a large, monstrous bird and a wholly anthropomorphized being, often with a red face or an unusually large or long nose. Early depictions of tengu show them as kite-like beings who can take a human-like form, often retaining avian wings, head or beak.

GARUDA-Class Starfighter by Yannick Godts

South Asia - “Interpretation of Garuda, the King of Birds and mount of the god Vishnu in Hindu and Buddhist texts. For inspiration I looked specifically at statues and images of Garuda in Thailand, where he is part of the national emblem. I also wanted to include some reference to the Nāga, the serpent race who are the enemies of Garuda, and went through a few variations on them.”

Nyami Nyami Breaches the Kariba Dam by Cameron

Africa - “Nyami Nyami is the BaTonga god of the Zambezi river, which was split in 1960 by the construction of the Kariba Dam. During the construction of the Dam, there were massive flash floods resulting in many fatalities, attributed to his wrath by the BaTonga people. According to legend, Nyami Nyami will one day return to unite the river and return the BaTonga people to their rightful home on the river banks.”

Tūmatauenga by alex_mocs

Oceania - “Inspired by Tūmatauenga, the Maori god of War and human activities“ - Tūmatauenga (Tū of the angry face) is the primary god (atua) of war and human activities such as hunting, food cultivation, fishing, and cooking in Māori mythology. In creation stories, Tū suggests to kill his parents to allow light into the world. After they are instead separated, he wars with his brothers and becomes the origin of humanity's activities, and the reasons for their behavior when interacting with the creations of his brothers.

The “League of Extraordinary Legends”

Certainly everyone who competed in Round 2 deserves to be highlighted, as making it into the Top-27 of the tournament is major achievement. Below is a gallery of the remaining Round 2 entries, that make up this “League of Extraordinary Legends” - some of which won their categories. Wonderful builds by all - truly the stuff of legends!

Well, that’s a wrap for this Round 2 round-up. Round 3 is underway, with just 9 hungry competitors remaining. Remember that you can feast on all the contest action over in the Flickr group, as well as see what catches the eye of BZPower in their weekly rounds ups. It’s also a good time to remind everyone that BZPower’s 20th anniversary contest is now well underway as well (Bionicle builders should definitely check that out).

If for some strange reason this was the first article you have read about the Bio-Cup, you can get yourself caught up with our original contest announcement, as well as our Round 1 round-up.

So until next time, “results when!”

Have you been following Bio-Cup? What are your thoughts so far? Have you placed any wagers on who you think will win? Let us know in the comments section below!

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