Furthermore, the appearance of the bogeyman differs culturally, as he is sometimes depicted with horns, claws, talons, or hooves. Originating in Irish folk tales, the banshee is a female spirit said to appear preceding the death of a loved one. They were also known to be the workers of the divine blacksmith Hephaestus. He killed the eagle and ended Prometheus’ suffering. Unicorns, a horse or goat-like animal with a single horn, are a commonly depicted mythical creature. Al-mi’raj is a mythical creature in Islamic mythology which is basically a hare (rabbit) with a single horn on its forehead much like a unicorn. - The snake-woman who became the mother of most Greek monsters. Her misery ended when, tasked by King Polydectes of Seriphos, Perseus beheaded her in her sleep. As the next item in our list of mythical creatures, Medusa is another addition from Greek mythology. There are hundreds of them after all. amzn_assoc_linkid = "1054521b7aca7c9251c4e2d1e721c7e6"; This is the reason he is identified as Aegeon/Aegion (which means something like “of the Aegean Sea”). He could actually answered the riddles correctly ending in the Sphinx killing herself by jumping off the mountainside. A hybrid of a lion and an eagle, the griffin was a powerful, majestic creature of ancient Egyptian and Persian mythology. Recipes. In the first version of the myth, the Sphinx stood guard at the gates of Thebes and asked riddles to the travelers who wanted to enter the city. In the second version of the myth, the Sphinx, which has been destroying the city for a while, refused to leave Thebes unless somebody answered her riddles correctly. Across the years, zombie stories have shifted to meet current cultural fears and contexts, and bodies are often reanimated through viruses or other scientific processes. - Magically animated human-shaped creatures typically made of solid stone. Lavellan A Lavellan, làbh-allan, la-mhalan or la-bhallan etc. It’s interesting to note that the pale and sophisticated vampire which has become commonplace in the media did not exist before the 19th century. ), 100 Inspiring Quotes on Love and Marriage, Meghan and Harry Are Loved-up in New Official Portrait—Featuring Princess Diana's Watch, 'If I Were President...' We Asked Actors, Authors and Everyday Americans to Finish This Sentence, Chris Watts' Confession Letters Reveal Horrifying Murder Details About His Slaying of Shanann Watts and Daughters, The 26 Best Online Games to Play With Friends While Social Distancing. - Sea creatures with the head and torso of a woman and the tail of a fish. Mouthwatering recipes, handy kitchen tips, and more delivered to your inbox, Details About 30 of the Most Mythical Creatures From Myths, Legends, Folklore and Fairytales. All content Copyright 2010-2020, Royal Mint Publishing LLC. The third creature in our list of mythical creatures hails from the East. Loup garou is one of the most popular mythical monsters throughout the world joining our list from Cajun and French Canadian folklore. Get ’Em Here! While stories or depictions of oni may vary, they are always seen as dangerous and powerful villains. In Indonesian and Malay mythology, the pontianak is a female spirit of a woman who died while pregnant. The pontianak is a pale creature with long dark hair and red eyes and while objectively frightening, she can transform into a beautiful woman to prey on men. They are a hybrid of a scorpion and a man, with the body of a scorpion and the face, torso, and arms of a man. According to some authors, the Sirens died if someone heard their songs but survived and the Sirens who called for Odysseus killed themselves by jumping into the water after Odysseus escaped. Greatly offended by this, Athena punished Medusa by turning her hair into snakes, making her eyes ugly and bloody so that everyone looking at them would feel disgust and giving her beautiful white skin a hideous green tone. - Legend's most charming bloodsucker gets a whole section of this website all to itself. Chimera could breathe fire according to Homer’s Iliad and Hesiod’s Theogony. He actually fell victim to their conspiracy eventually. Upon the suggestion by Polyeidos, Bellerophon slept in the temple of Athena to wake up and find Pegasus drinking water from a nearby spring. Basilisk is a legendary giant reptile in European mythology which was known as the king of serpents. Surprisingly, the myth of the Loch Ness Monster, colloquially referred to as Nessie, dates back all the way to the Picts, a people group in ancient Scotland. Amarok, also known as Amaroq, is a giant wolf in Inuit mythology which was believed to kill people hunting alone. In European folklore, dwarf-like earth spirits called gnomes guarded underground treasures. They also had red eyes because they wept all the time. Here is a compilation of few of the ones that we have found to be especially interesting and captivating. The phoenix is a mythical eagle-like creature, generally known for bursting into flame at the end of their life, only to emerge from the ashes as a young phoenix. is a mythological creature from northern Scotland. It had six heads with three rows of sharp teeth. Simultaneously with his brother Chrysaor, Pegasus was given birth when Perseus killed his mother. Briareus, the son of these major deities representing Heaven and Earth, had 100 arms and 50 heads. There are many variations and recorded facts on each and every creature - and yes, some are in fact much more popular than others and information is more easily found. It looks as though you’ve already said that. - They take human form but have black, soulless eyes and emanate a sense of pure evil. Centaurs, also known as Ixionidae, are mythical creatures in Greek mythology with the torso and head of a human being and the body of a horse. Another memorable mythical creature from ancient Greece, the Gorgons, such as the famous Medusa, were vicious monsters capable of turning victims to stone with just one look. Whatever the origin or purpose of these myths and folklore, people seem to be intrinsically drawn to them. The creature was described by Homer as a monster with twelve feet and six long necks. Some were able to find their removed heads and carry them under their arms. When you think of a gnome, you might picture your standard garden gnome: a small, cheerful guardian of flora and fauna. King Minos of Crete offended Poseidon and Poseidon put Queen Pasiphae under a spell that made her fall in love with the Cretan Bull in order to punish Minos. In appearance, the Loch Ness Monster resembles a plesiosaur, a water-based dinosaur. It looks as though you’ve already said that.