Raktabīja was an Asura (loosely translated as demon) who fought together with Shumbha and Nishumbha against Durga and Kali or Chamunda. Raktabīja had a boon that whenever a drop of his blood fell on the ground, a duplicate Raktabīja would be born at that spot (rakta=blood, bīja=seed; "he for whom each drop of blood is a seed").