mara

The term **"mara"** can have several meanings depending on the context:

1. **In Buddhist tradition:** *Māra* is a spiritual being or personification of temptation, death, and desire, representing the forces that obstruct enlightenment.
2. **In Scandinavian folklore:** A *mara* is a supernatural being or spirit thought to sit on a sleeper's chest and cause nightmares—the origin of the English word *nightmare*.
3. **In zoology:** A *mara* is a large, hare-like rodent native to South America, also known as the Patagonian cavy.

Each usage shares the common theme of something unsettling, whether spiritual, folkloric, or in appearance.