Mythological Beasts
A great number of legendary creatures were first imagined in the Mesopotamian valleys between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. From those cultures they frequently spread eastward and westward. Such is the case of the Phoenix, for example, or the many-headed serpent that can be identified in the iconography of different civilizations.
Some mythological beasts are characterized by combining animal and human attributes; others, perhaps even more "monstrous," symbolically unite the combination of two animal species.
Addanc
A kind of monstrous dragon from Welsh tradition. The hero Peredur kills an addanc inside a cave with the help of a stone of invisibility sent by a mysterious Empress, in the course of his pagan quest for the Grail.
Afang
A mysterious aquatic monster from Celtic tradition, probably a dragon or serpent. Perhaps a giant beaver. It is considered a forerunner of the "Loch Ness Monster".
Aguanas
Female spirits that live in the mountains but can communicate with humans when they come down to the village. If someone attacks something that belongs to them, they can be very cruel. This is a European belief from the Italian region.
Ahuitzotl
A mythological beast that inhabits the bottom of lakes. It deceives its victims by simulating a scene of someone calling for help, then drowns them in the depths. It belongs to the Central American tradition.
Airavata
An Indian elephant, white in color, considered in India a symbol of prosperity.
Alicanto
A fabulous bird that feeds on precious metals.
Aloes
A sea monster of the Caribbean Sea that prowls the coasts of Santo Domingo. Ancient chronicles describe it with a very long neck similar to a goose's, a pointed head shaped like a pear, no scales, and four fins beneath its belly.
Aluxes
Mischievous goblins in the Maya traditions of Central America.
Anemait
Belonging to the Egyptian tradition. It is a hybrid being with the torso of an enormous hippopotamus, the tail of a crocodile, the legs, claws, head and mane of a lion, and the jaw of a crocodile. The beast can reach some nine meters in length and can live for a century.
Amphisbaena
A malignant two-headed serpent cited in medieval bestiaries.
Anjanas
Benevolent female entities from Cantabrian myths.
Apopis
Giant serpents of the Egyptian tradition.
Atlas
A giant from Greek mythology condemned to hold the world upon his shoulders as punishment imposed by Zeus for having taken part in the revolt of the Titans against the gods.
Auðhumla
A cow from Norse mythology who, by licking a rock formed of hail in order to feed herself, brought forth the giant Buri. The animal was so enormous that her udders formed four rivers of milk that served as nourishment for the giants.
Baba Yaga
A fantastic character in Russian tradition. Baba Yaga is a disagreeable and cruel old woman who devours children.
Bagan
A domestic spirit of Slavic mythology. Protector of farm animals.
Bagual
A myth from northern Argentina. The Bagual is a black steed that appears in the afternoons. It has a long mane, shoots fire from its eyes, and foams at the mouth.
Balames
Maya spirits that guard the cardinal points, human beings, and harvests.
Banshee
Tragic female entities of the Irish tradition.
Basajaun
A benevolent spirit of the Basque tradition.
Basilisk
A hybrid beast, half serpent and half rooster, whose malignancy is definitively lethal.
Bennu
A mythological bird of the Egyptian tradition, related to the Phoenix.
Big Foot
Big Foot, or Bigfoot, is a giant that inhabits mountainous areas and avoids contact with humans.
Bloody Caps
Malevolent goblins of Scottish mythology.
Bosgosu
A being that inhabits the forests according to Asturian tradition.
Brownies
Friendly goblins of the Scottish tradition.
Buri
A giant of Norse myths.
Bwciod
Aggressive Scottish goblins.
Caa-Porá
A fantastic and dangerous creature of the South American subtropical jungles.
Three-legged Horse
This is a fabulous being from Brazilian traditions. It is a three-legged horse (missing one front leg) that has no head. It appears at night or in deserted streets. It is said that stepping in its tracks brings lifelong misfortune.
Sea Horse
An extraordinary horse with the ability to move through water.
Cadejo
A fabulous animal of Central American mythology.
Calchona
A harmless wandering soul of the Mapuche tradition.
Camahueto
A unicorn from the myths of southern Chile.
Cerberus
A three-headed dog, guardian of Hades.
Capelobo
A werewolf from Brazilian traditions.
Carbuncle
A myth carried to America following medieval versions. It is related to luminous objects on the foreheads of dragons.
Charybdis
A sea monster of Greek mythology.
Catoblepas
A fabulous beast with the ability to strike dead anyone who meets its gaze.
Centaur
Black Pig
A wild and dangerous animal of the Brazilian tradition.
More information about the black pig
Cyclops
The Cyclopes were one-eyed giants according to Greek tradition.
Ceryneian Hind
A fantastic animal of the Greek tradition.
Cynocephali
Fabulous beings with human bodies and dog heads.
Cobra-Maria
A serpent of terrible magical powers that can cause ships to founder.
Condenado
A wandering soul from South American folkloric traditions.
Curajhy-Yará
A malevolent goblin of Guaraní traditions.
Cuchivilu
A fabulous animal from the traditions of southern Chile. The beast, with the head of a pig and the body of a snake, inhabits swamps. The myth holds that whoever hears its cry "cur, cur, cur" will have a short life.
Cuegle
A creature of Cantabrian mythology with an animal body and a human face.
Culebre
A kind of dragon from Cantabrian mythology.
Cumanga
The female version of the werewolf according to Brazilian traditions.
Curupí
A fantastic being of Guaraní legends.
Champ
A lake monster of the USA.
Chancha con cadenas
A nocturnal entity from the traditions of central Argentina that produces an unpleasant noise.
More about the Chancha con cadenas.
Chancho verde
A fantastic animal that guards precious metals.
Chanques
Goblins from southern Mexico.
Cherub
Winged beings of Egyptian mythology.
Ch'i-Lin
A fabulous beast belonging to [http//mitologiachina.idoneos.com Chinese mythology] that is usually depicted with the head of a dragon, the mane of a lion, the body of a deer, and the tail of an ox. It was said to appear during the reigns of virtuous monarchs and to herald the birth of great personages. This being accompanies immortal men and great Chinese sages. Its delicacy causes it to be associated with goodwill.
Chupacabras
A folkloric belief of recent origin. A kind of vampire that attacks livestock and farm animals.
Delgadín
A generic term for the benevolent goblin in South America.
Devil of the Seas
A marine beast of the North Atlantic.
More about the Devil of the Seas
Domovoyes
Domestic spirits of Slavic traditions.
Dragon
The Chinese dragon is a symbol of the emperor and of masculine energy (fertility). It is a benevolent animal and the fifth in the zodiac. It protects the East and represents the rising sun, spring, and rains. Indeed, torrential rains are known as "dragon rains".
For the Scandinavian tradition, Níðhöggr is the "dread biter" and symbolized evil, because it devoured corpses and gnawed ceaselessly at the roots of the tree of life, the Yggdrasil.
And for Christians, the dragon is equated with the serpent that seduced Eve in the Garden of Eden, and therefore also symbolizes evil; it is a representation of a nature inferior to man's. By slaying the dragon, as Saint George did, the victor overcomes heresy and wickedness, as well as his own improper desires.
See more about dragons: the symbolism of the dragon
Sphinx
A popular symbol of Egyptian and Babylonian origin, usually depicted with the body of a lion and a human head.
Phoenix
The Phoenix, also known as the firebird, sets itself alight every hundred years and dies in the flames only to be reborn from its ashes.
Gato Palu
Although in the Celtic tradition the cat was essentially a benevolent animal whose eyes are considered the gateway to the Other World, the Gato Palu is a mythological monster that escapes this generally favorable conception of felines.
Harpy
In Greek mythology, the harpy symbolized the most destructive and negative aspects of femininity. It had the head and torso of a woman, but the wings and feet of a vulture. It could control the winds as well as cause storms and whirlwinds. It was also considered the cause of sudden death.
Hydra
It is a nine-headed serpent. It is a fearsome adversary: when one head is cut off, two more grow in its place. On a symbolic level it can represent the problems that obstruct the path toward truth.
Leviathan
A seven-headed sea monster that, according to legend, was defeated by the god Baal. In the Old Testament, it is said that this creature was made by God; thus, in the Psalms, Leviathan is one of the great sea monsters that Yahweh created simply to "play with it".
The mythological origins of this monster are, however, older than the Bible and belong to the Phoenician tradition, in which it appears as a bringer of misfortune (an ancient seal from Tell Asmar shows a seven-headed dragon being vanquished by two divine figures).
Makara
This is a marine creature from Indian mythology that served as the mount of the god of the seas, Varuna, and also of Ganga, the goddess of the Ganges. The beast is half fish and half crocodile or elephant. It symbolizes the waters of creation. It is often seen in the company of solar creatures, and together they represent fertility. Makara also represents the duality of good and evil.
Minotaur
This mythical monster, with the upper part of a bull, lived in the famous labyrinth of Crete. Each year seven virgins chosen at random were devoured to appease the monster. Theseus decided to confront the beast in order to put an end to its reign of terror. The Minotaur represents the basest human instincts.
See the legend of the Minotaur
Loch Ness Monster (Nessie)
The earliest accounts of this legendary monster date from medieval times. Legend holds that it killed a swimmer in 565. The stories accumulate through various popular testimonies from people who claim to have seen it. Today, Nessie is considered a benevolent monster.
Naga
The naga is a many-headed serpent goddess that appears in many works of art and legends of India and Southeast Asia. Sometimes it appears with a human torso and other times with an animal body. The nagas control the rains and are in permanent conflict with the sun bird, Garuda. The mythic narrative thus points to the real balance that must exist between rain and sun for the prosperity of the harvest.
Pegasus
Pegasus is a great-winged steed that carried the Greek hero Bellerophon to the Chimera. It was born from the blood of Medusa and transported Zeus's bolt of fire. Symbolically it is associated with speed and the wind. In medieval iconography there exists a similar horse, the hippogriff, which is a symbol of innate power and the capacity to transform evil into good.
Pejemullers
Like mermaids, they are common to the mythology of many countries. This mythological being has the form of a beautiful woman and the body of a fish. It is a marine creature symbolizing fertility and the unconscious. Sometimes they carry mirrors, which symbolize the truth of the soul.
Salamander
It is the spirit of fire and is generally depicted wreathed in flames, shooting fire. The salamander has blood so cold that the flames do not harm it in the least.
Two-headed Serpent
It is a well-known image from [http//mitologiaamericana.idoneos.com American mythology] associated with the life-giving rain. It formed part of the rites to Tlaloc, the Aztec god of mountains, rain, and springs. In times of drought, children were offered to him in sacrifice.
Siren
Sirens can appear in two forms: half woman and half bird, or half woman and half fish. In the second case they may be confused with pejemullers. They represent temptation and seduction and distract men from their true purposes.
See about Ulysses and the seduction of the sirens
Sleipnir
The fastest of all horses was Sleipnir, who had eight legs and was ridden by Odin, the wizard-god. Sleipnir could overcome all obstacles, galloping over land and even over sea.
Unicorn
A certain medieval tendency, based on the idea of attributing a universal meaning, seeks to justify from a mystical and theological point of view the existence of monstrous beings in creation. These beings thus acquire an allegorical and even moral significance. Such is the case of unicorns.
The fascination with the marvelous is characteristic of the medieval world and blends real experience with imaginary accounts. Thus, when Marco Polo described rhinoceroses, he defined them as unicorns, even though their resemblance to the legendary slender white unicorns was limited solely to the horn on their foreheads.
Other Magical Beings
