Mythological Creatures A-Z
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Mythological creatures are really fun to write about so here’s some general info! Not all creatures are listed here since there are so many, but I’ll put as much as I can! Please note that different creatures have different descriptions based on what origin you’re looking at it from.
Banshee- Spirit appearing as a frenzied, old woman whose high pitched shriek prophesied a death soon to come
Basilisk- A legendary lizard like creature that could kill a man with its stare
Bigfoot- Type of Sasquatch native to North American forests
Centaur- Half-man, half-horse creatures that run wild and unruly
Cerberus- Three headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld
Charybdis- The Whirlpool on one side of the Strait of Messina that swallowed ships that came too close to it
Chimera- Female creature with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail
Cockatrice- Flying part rooster and part snake creature; can kill with a stare
Cyclops- One-eyed giants who capture and eat people
Demon- Malevolent spirits of Hell who battle humans for control of their souls
Doppelganger- Apparitions of people that occur in impossible situations
Dragon- Giant, flying, fire breathing reptiles who often guard treasure
Dwarf- Short, stubby humanoids who tend to live in underground mining communities
Elf- A race of humanoids with pointy ears who excel in magic and archery
Fairy- Small, flying humanoid with magical abilities
Ghosts- Spirits of the dead whose souls remain in the realm of the living
Gnome- Small, humanoid creature. Typically portrayed in gardens living among humans. According to some myths, they live beneath the earth’s surface
Goblin- Grotesque, troublesome creature with strong greed for gold and jewels
Golem- Magically animated human shaped creatures typically made of solid stone
Griffin- A creature with the body of a lion, the tail of a snake, and the head and wings of an eagle
Grim Reaper- Embodiment of death, comes to retrieve souls for the afterlife
Hydra- Nine-headed serpent that grows two new heads for every one that’s cut off
Loch Ness Monster- Elusive sea creature originating in Scotland
Manticore- Mythical beast with the body of a lion, face of a man, and tail of a scorpion
Mermaids- Sea creatures with the head and torso of a human and the tail of a fish
Minotaur- A creature with the head and legs of a bull, but the torso of a man. Guarded the exit of The Labyrinth
Mothman- Winged creature in the shape of a man with hypnotic, red eyes
Nymph- Divine, female spirits who inhabit certain natural sites
Ogre- Unappealing, over sized humanoid with great physical strength and little intelligence.
Pegasus- Technically the name of Bellerophon’s winged horse. Eventually became the name of all winged horses.
Phoenix- A magnificent, flame colored bird who at the end of its life, bursts into flames, turns into ash, and is reborn again. Associated with the sun
Pixie- Small, humanoid creature with pointy ears who likes to cause mischief
Sasquatch- Large, hairy, man-like beasts that live in the woods
Satyr- Half man, half goat, wild and lustful. The Greek god Pan was one of these
Sirens- Man-eating, beautiful women whose song compels men to them
Sphinx- Half human, half lion that forces those it meets to answer its riddles, or die
Sprite- A category of elemental, fairy-like spirits, invisible to humans
Thunderbird- A giant bird that creates storms with its wings
Unicorn- Magical horse with a single horn on its forehead
Valkyries- Mythical Norse female divinities who choose heroes to die in battle and carry them to the great Valhalla
Wendigo- An evil spirit that possesses humans and turns them into cannibals OR a man eating creature with a humanoid and stag appearance
Werewolf- A human with the ability to transform into a wolf either purposefully, after being placed under a curse, or beneath a full moon
Zombie- The living dead who feed on human flesh
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