The fictional stories and movies created by sci-fi writers are famous for their details. Mythical creatures have their own history, a place where they live, and unique traditions. These are distinctive cultures with precise reasoning and customs unique to the characters created within one or more stories.
The Origin Of Mythical Creatures
Mythology is a complete art form. It describes the characters' lives in the smallest detail: they have a rich narrative in a social group. Nations wander, settle in one place, fight and make their history. Their origin and behavior may vary.
Depending on the type of legend, they grow and evolve. Mythological races exist in one or more eras. Characters of the popular fantasy genre can often communicate with people. Their contacts create new stories and create mutants.
Races of mythical creatures exist, provide food, settle, and continue the race. Together, all the details are gathered into a story. However, not all stories are made up just for literary entertainment.
Ancient legends were based on human fears: people were afraid of what they did not understand. And fictional monsters saved them from the fear of the unknown. They explained the horrors of that time. The description of the monsters passed down from generation to generation so that whole mythical creatures races appeared.
Photographs and drawings even support some. This time I want to talk about mythical creatures that existed according to legends: and are backed by illustrations that are so vivid that they make you question if they're real. Let's get to know these mythical creatures better.
1. Wyvern
The first of the mythical creatures is the Wyvern. This creature is considered a "relative" of the dragon but has only two legs. Instead of the front pair of legs, it has bat wings. It is characterized by a long serpentine neck and a very long, movable tail, ending in a stabbing in the form of an arrow or a heart-shaped spear.
The Wyvern manages to cut or stab the victim with this stab and even pierce it directly under appropriate conditions. In addition, the sting is poisonous.
This mythical creature is often found in alchemical iconography, where (like most dragons) it embodies primary, raw, unprocessed matter or metal. In religious iconography, it can be seen in paintings depicting the battle of Saints Michael or George.
2. Aspid
The old Slavic mythology mentions a mythical creature called asp - a snake (or dragon) which is winged, has a bird's nose and two trunks, and in which land it is conquered, it will cause that land to be empty. This means that everything around will be destroyed and devastated.
The famous scientist M. Zabylin says that an Aspid is popularly found in the gloomy northern mountains and that it never lands on soil, but only on stone. Talking and liming a snake-destroyer is possible only in a "tubular sound" that shooks the mountains, and then the sorcerer should grab the stunned snake with red-nose tongs and hold it "until the snake dies."
3. Unicorn
The unicorn as a mythical creature symbolizes chastity and also serves as a sign of the sword. Tradition usually presents it in the form of a white horse with one horn protruding from the forehead; however, according to esoteric beliefs, it has a white body, a red head, and blue eyes.
In early traditions, the unicorn was depicted with the body of a bull, in later traditions with the body of a goat, and only in later legends with the body of a horse. Legend has it that it is unruly in pursuit but obediently lies down when a virgin approaches it. In general, it is not possible to catch a unicorn, but if it is possible to keep it, it can only be with a golden bridle.
As some descriptions say - Its back is arched, and its ruby eyes shine, reaching 2 meters at the withers. A little higher than its eyes, almost parallel to the ground, its horn grows, straight and thin. The manes and tail are scattered in small curls and lowered, and for the albino, unnaturally black lashes cast fluffy shadows over the pink nostrils.
These mythical creatures feed on flowers, especially wild rose flowers, feed on honey, and drink the morning dew. They also look for small lakes in the depths of the forest, where they swim and drink from there, and the water in these lakes usually becomes very clean and has the characteristics of living water.
In the Russian "alphabet books" of the 16th - 17th centuries, the unicorn is described as a terrifying and invincible animal, like a horse whose full strength is contained in a horn. The healing properties were attributed to the unicorn's horn (according to folklore, the unicorn cleans the water poisoned by a snake with its horn). The unicorn is a mythical creature of another world and most often brings happiness.
4. Basilisk
Basilisk is a monster with the head of a rooster, the eyes of a toad, the wings of a bat, and the body of a dragon (according to some sources, a huge lizard), which exists in the mythologies of many nations. With one look, it turns everything living into a stone. This mythical creature is born from an egg laid by a seven-year-old black rooster (in some sources from an egg hatched by a toad) into a warm pile of manure.
According to legend, if the basilisk sees its reflection in the mirror, it will die. The habitat of basilisks is caves, which are also their source of food because basilisks eat only stones. It can only leave its hiding place at night because it can't stand the rooster crow. And they are also afraid of unicorns because they are too "pure" animals.
"He twists his horns, his eyes so green with a purple hue, his warty hood swollen. And he was purple-black with a pointed tail. The triangular head with its black-and-pink mouth opened wide..."
This mythical creature has highly toxic saliva, and if it reaches living matter, carbon will be immediately replaced by silicon. Simply put, everything living turns to stone and dies, although there is controversy if the petrification is reversible.
5. Manticore
The next mythical creature is the Manticore. The story of this haunting mythical creature can be found even in the writings of Aristotle (4th century BC) and Pliny the Elder (1st century AD). Manticore is the size of a horse, has a human face, three rows of teeth, a lion's body and a scorpion's tail, red eyes, bloodshot.
Manticore runs so fast that it can cover any distance in the blink of an eye. This makes it extremely dangerous - after all, it is almost impossible to escape from it, and the monster feeds only on fresh human flesh.
Therefore, in medieval miniatures, you can often see an image of a manticore with a human hand or foot in the teeth. In medieval works on natural history, the Manticore was considered real but lived in uninhabited places.
6. Valkyries
Valkyries mythical creatures are beautiful warrior girls who fulfill the will of Odin and are his companions. They invisibly take part in every battle, give victory to the one the gods choose to, and then take the dead soldiers to Valhalla, the castle of the heavenly Asgard, and serve them there at the table. Legends also call the celestial Valkyries, which determine the fate of every human being.
7. Anqa
In Muslim mythology, the mythical creatures Anqa are amazing birds created by Allah and hostile to humans. Anqa is believed to exist to this day: there are so few that they are extremely rare. Anqa is in many ways similar to the phoenix bird that lived in the Arabian desert (it can be assumed that Anqa is a phoenix).
8. Phoenix
In monumental statues, stone pyramids, and buried mummies, the Egyptians sought eternity; it is only natural that the myth of a cyclically reborn, immortal bird was to emerge in their country, even though the subsequent development of the myth was carried out by the Greeks and Romans.
Adolf Erman writes that in Heliopolis mythology, Phoenix is the patron saint of anniversaries or large time cycles. Herodotus, in a famous passage, with strong skepticism, explains the original version of the legend:
"There's another sacred bird called Phoenix. I have never seen it myself, except as a painted one, because it rarely appears in Egypt, once every 500 years, as the people of Heliopolis say. If the pictures correctly show its size and appearance, its feathers are partly golden, partly red. Its appearance and dimensions resemble an eagle. "
9. Echidna
The mythical creature Echidna is a half woman half snake, daughter of Tartar and Rhea, gave birth to Typhon and many monsters (Lernaean Hydra, Cerberus, Chimera, Nemean lion, Sphinx)
10. The Screamer
The screamers or screechers are pagan mythical creatures that are evil spirits. They are also known as swamp ghosts, which are dangerous to those who are sinful, especially in old age, if they loved no one in their life and have no children. The screamer does not have an utterly unambiguous appearance (it speaks, but it is invisible). It can turn into a man, a small child, an old beggar.
In the season at Christmas time, the evil person embodies poverty, misery, and winter gloom. In the house, these evil people often settle behind the stove, but they also like to suddenly jump on someone's backs and shoulders and "ride" on it. They can be very evil. However, with some ingenuity, they can be captured, locked, and sealed in a container.
11. Cerberus
Cerberus is a well-known mythical creature and one of the children of Echidna. The three-headed dog, on whose neck snakes, hiss menacingly and has a poisonous snake instead of a tail. It serves Hades (God of the Kingdom of the Dead) stands on the doorstep of Hell and guards its entrance. It makes sure that no one leaves the underworld of the dead because there is no return from the kingdom of the deceased.
When Cerberus was on the ground (It was because of Hercules, who had brought it out of Hades at the behest of King Eurystheus), the monstrous dog let out drops of bloody foam; from which a poisonous herb aconite grew.
12. Chimera
Chimera is a mythical creature from Greek mythology. It is a fire-breathing monster with a lion's head and neck, a goat's body, and a dragon's tail (according to another version, Chimera had three heads - a lion, a goat, and a dragon).
In a figurative sense, a chimera is a fantasy, an unrealizable desire or action. In sculpture, chimeras are called images of fantastic monsters (such as Notre Dame Cathedral chimeras), but it is believed that stone chimeras can come to life and scare people.
13. Sphinx
The Sphinx or Sphinga in ancient Greek mythology is a mythical winged creature with the face and chest of a woman and the body of a lion. It is a descendant of the headed dragon Typhon and Echidna. The name Sphinx is associated with the verb "Spingo" - "squeeze, choke." It was sent to Thebes for punishment.
The Sphinx is located on a mountain near Thebes (or the square) and asks anyone who goes through the riddle ("Which living creature walks four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?").
The Sphinx, unable to provide guidance, killed many noble people from Thebes, including King Creon's son. Disappointed by grief, the king announced that he would give the kingdom and the hand of his sister Jocasta to the one who freed Thebes from the Sphinx. Oedipus solved the riddle, the Sphinx plunged into despair and fell to death, and Oedipus became king of Thebes.
14. Lernaean Hydra
A Lernaean Hydra mythical creature has a snake's body and nine dragon heads. Hydra lived in a swamp near the town of Lerna. It climbed out of its lair and destroyed entire herds. Victory over Hydra was one of the Hercules games.
15. Naiads
In Greek mythology, every river, spring, or stream had a mythical creature that oversaw it - the naiads. This merry tribe of water patrons, soothsayers, and healers was not covered by any statistics; every Greek with a poetic vein heard the careless naiad gossip in the murmur of water.
According to myths, there are up to three thousand.
"None of the people can name all their names."
Only those who live nearby know the name of the stream.
16. Rukh
In the east, there has long been talking of the mythical creature with an appearance of a giant bird and is called Rukh (or Roc). Some have even met it. For example, the hero of Arabian fairy tales, Sindbad the sailor. One day he found himself on a desert island. When he looked around, he saw a huge white dome with no windows and doors, so big he couldn't climb it.
"And I walked around the dome, measured its circumference, and counted fifty full paces."
"The sun suddenly disappeared, and the air went dark and the light was blocked in front of me."
"And I thought a cloud appeared in the sun (and it was summer), and I was surprised, I raised my head and saw a bird with a huge body and wide wings flying in the air - and it was she who covered the sun and blocked it over the island ..."
"And I remembered one story that people who have been wandering and traveling for a long time have told, and that is: on some islands, a Rukh bird is feeding its children elephants. And I made sure the dome I was walking around was Rukh's egg."
"And I began to wonder what Allah the Great had done. And at that moment the bird suddenly fell on the dome and embraced it with its wings, stretched its legs to the ground behind it and fell asleep on it, may Allah be glorified, who never sleeps!"
"And then when I untied the turban, I tied myself to the feet of this bird and said to myself, "Maybe it will take me to countries with cities and populations. It'll be better than sitting here on this island. "And when dawn broke, the day came, the bird took off from the egg and soared into the air with me. "
The famous sailor Sindbad and the real Florentine traveler Marco Polo, who visited Persia, India, and China in the 13th century, heard about this mythical creature. He said that Mongolian Khan Kublai once sent loyal people to capture the bird. Messengers found its homeland: the African island of Madagascar.
They did not see the bird itself but brought its feathers: it was twelve steps long, and the diameter of the feathers was the same as the two trunks of the palms. They said that the wind produced by Rukh's wings knocks down man, its claws are like bull's horns, and flesh returns youth.
17. Khukhlik
Khukhlik, in Russian superstition, is a water devil, and it is a disguised mythical creature. The name khukhlyak, khukhlik apparently comes from Karelian words meaning strangely dressed. The appearance of khukhlyak is unclear. This impure spirit appears most often from the water and is activated, especially during Christmas. It likes to make fun of people and make them laugh.
18. Pegasus
Pegasus appears in Greek mythology and is a winged horse mythical creature. Son of Poseidon and Gorgon Medusa. It was born from the body of a gorgon killed by Perseus. It was given the name Pegasus because it was born at the head of the ocean (Greek origin). Pegasus ascended Olympus, where it delivered thunder and lightning to Zeus.
Pegasus is also called the Horse of the Muses because he sets off from the land of Hippocrene - a source of muses that can inspire poets. Pegasus, like a unicorn, can only be caught with a golden bridle.
19. Hippogriff
In the mythology of the European Middle Ages, Virgil wanted to indicate the impossibility or inconsistency of trying to cross horses and vultures. Four centuries later, his commentator Servius claims that vultures or griffins are animals with an eagle in front and a lion in the back. In support of his claim, he adds that he hates horses.
Over time, the term "Jungentur jam grypes eguis" (crossing vultures with horses) became a proverb; at the beginning of the sixteenth century, Ludovico Ariosto remembered him and invented the hippogriff. Pietro Micelli notes that the hippogriff is a more harmonious mythical creature, even a winged Pegasus.
20. Mandragora
Mandragora's role in mythopoetic representations is explained by the presence of specific hypnotic and stimulating properties in this plant, as well as the similarity of its root to the lower part of the human body (Pythagoras called Mandragora a "humanoid plant" and Columella - a "half-human herb").
In some folk traditions, male and female plants are distinguished according to the type of mandrake root and even given corresponding names.
In older herbalists' writings, mandrake roots as mythical creatures are depicted as male or female forms, with a tuft of leaves sprouting from the head, sometimes with a dog on a chain or an agonizing dog. According to legend, anyone who hears the moans made by Mandragora as they dig it out of the ground must die.
21. Griffin
Griffin is a mythical creature, a winged monster with a lion's body and an eagle's head, guardian of gold. In particular, it is known to guard the treasures of the Ripean Mountains. From its weeping, the flowers wither, and the grass withers, and if anyone is alive, then everyone will fall dead. The griffin's eyes are colored gold. The head is as big as a wolf's, with a huge, terrifying beak that is long.
Its wings are with a strange second joint that makes folding easier. In Slavic mythology, all approaches to the Irish Garden, Mount Alatyr, and the apple trees with golden apples are guarded by griffins and basilisks. Whoever tastes these golden apples will gain eternal youth and power over the Universe. And it is the apple tree with golden apples that is guarded by the dragon Ladon. Neither a pedestrian nor a rider can enter here.
22. Kraken
This is a Scandinavian version of the Saratana and the Arabian Dragon or Sea Snake. The back of the Kraken is one and a half miles wide and can hug the largest ship in its tentacles. This vast back protrudes from the sea like a huge island. The Kraken is in the habit of obscuring seawater by the explosion of some fluid.
Such a statement gave rise to the hypothesis that this mythical creature is an octopus, only magnified.
23. Laelaps
The mythical creature called Laelaps is better known as the golden dog that was watching over Zeus when he was chased by Kronos. The fact that Tantalus did not want to give up this dog was his first strong insult to the gods, which the gods then took into account when choosing the punishment.
"... In Crete, in the homeland of Thunderer, lived a golden dog."
It once looked after the newborn Zeus and the beautiful goat Amalfey, who fed it. When Zeus grew up and took power from Cronus, he left this dog in Crete to guard his shrine.
Seduced by the beauty and power of this dog, the Ephesian king Pandarei secretly came to Crete and took it from Crete on his ship. But where to hide a beautiful animal? Pandarei thought about this for a long time on his way across the sea and finally decided to put the golden dog in Tantal's custody.
King Sipila hid a beautiful animal from the gods. Zeus was upset. He summoned his son, the messenger of the gods, Hermes, and sent him to Tantalus to demand the return of the golden dog. In the blink of an eye, the swift Hermes pounced from Olympus at Sipil, appeared in front of Tantalos, and said:
"The king of Ephesus, Pandareus, kidnapped the golden dog from the sanctuary of Zeus in Crete and gave it to you to keep. The gods of Olympus know everything, mortals cannot hide anything from them! Give the dog back to Zeus. Watch out for Thunderer's wrath! "
Tantalos answered the messenger of the gods as follows:
"You're threatening me in vain with Zeus' anger. I didn't see the golden dog. The gods are wrong, I don't have it.
Tantalos swore a terrible oath that he was telling the truth. With this oath, he made Zeus even angrier. This was the first offense caused by the gods' tantalum ...
24. Dryads
In Greek mythology, Dryads are female mythical creatures that are ghost trees (nymphs). They live on a tree that they both protect and often die with that tree. Dryads are the only nymphs that are deadly. Tree nymphs are inseparable from the tree in which they live. Those who plant trees and those who care for them were believed to have special patronage over the dryads.
25. Grants
English folklore is rich with a vast list of mythical creatures. Grants are werewolves who are most often mortally disguised as horses. At the same time, it walks on its hind legs, and its eyes are full of flame.
Grant is a city fairy, often seen on the street, at noon or closer to sunset. Meeting with a grant foreshadows misfortune - fire or something else in the same spirit.
The world is not as simple as it seems at first glance. Scientists have repeatedly stated that there are parallel worlds somewhere from which various mythical creatures that were previously unknown to man come. It turns out that fairy tales, legends, and myths are not just fiction but can most likely be real epics.
