Literature
Hound of Nita, White Mage Hyena
Hyenas are carnivorans that have gotten a bad rep ever since a certain Disney movie. Viewed as playing 2nd fiddle to lions at the dinner table being lowly stupid scavengers. But the truth is quite the opposite. Hyenas hunt more than they scavenge; in fact, lions steal more kills from hyenas than the other way around. Not to mention, cleaning up carcasses makes the savannah a cleaner place. Finally, they are quite intelligent. In a scientific experiment, two hyenas performed better working together than chimps!
However, the reputation of hyenas has still remained unchanged in some cultures. In many African — especially West African — traditions, hyenas do not exactly enjoy a stellar reputation. They are often associated with a great variety of negative traits (exactly which ones often depend on the culture and tradition in question), including deviousness, brutishness, immorality, gluttony, subversive and unwholesome behavior and filthiness.
This is, however, averted in a number of