Incredible facts

From the very beginning of its history, mankind has been drawn to legends and myths, many of which had very real reasons... The prototypes of real-life creatures often became the heroes of these myths.

In 1799, the English zoologist George Shaw wrote that the platypus looks like "the beak of a duck was attached to the head of some four-legged." However, the platypus for a long time introduced scientists into a stupor not only with its appearance, but also with other oddities.

For a long period of time, naturalists around the world could not determine whether this creature was a mammal. Did it lay eggs or was it viviparous? Actually, it took scientists a hundred years to get answers to these and other questions regarding the platypus (which, by the way, turned out to be one of the few oviparous mammals).

Ancient Greece myths

Sirens

The legends of the sirens are almost as old as the history of human navigation. One of the earliest mentions of sirens is associated with the era when the first mentions of the half-sister of Alexander the Great, Thessalonica, appeared.

Legend has it that after Alexander returned from his a journey filled with dangers, associated with the search for the source of eternal youth, he washed his sister's hair in living water.

After Alexander died, his sister (and some sources claim that his mistress too) decided to drown herself in the sea. However, Thessalonica could not drown in it. But she was able to turn into a siren.

According to legend, she appealed to the sailors with the question: "Is King Alexander Alive?" If they answered that, they say, "he is alive, well, reigns and continues to conquer the world" , then Thessalonica allowed sea travelers to safely sail by.

If the unfortunates dared to inform Thessalonica that the king was dead, she immediately turned into a terrible monster (perhaps the same Kraken?), Which grabbed the ship and dragged it into the depths of the sea along with the whole team.

The only possible explanation for the fact that sailors regularly reported their sightings of sirens (that is, demonic creatures with the body of a wife and a tail of a fish) was that men confused them with herbivorous mammals living in sea water (for example, with dugongs or sea cows).

This explanation looks rather strange, since the same sea cows are far from being able to be called at least some attractive and seductive creatures on Earth. How could the sailors be so cruelly wrong? Perhaps they swam for too long without women ...

However, perhaps the reason was that manatees (that is, sea cows) tend to stick their heads out of the water, shaking them in such a way that it resembles a person swaying in water... When viewed from the back, their rough skin below the head may seem like hair falling from the head down.

Another reason could be the fact that the first navigators, who spent a long time at sea, often suffered from hallucinations. It is possible that, being at a distance, in the light of the moon alone, they could confuse manatee with women. By the way, in honor of the mythical sirens, a detachment of animals was named, which included manatees and dugongs.

Vampires

The modern man's view of vampires was formed largely thanks to the well-known (one might say - cult) the work of the Irish writer Bram Stoker "Dracula", which was published for the first time in the distant 1897th year.

Since then, the appearance of the "average" vampire has practically not changed - they were a stranger with pale thin skin, speaking with an unbearable accent (apparently, Romanian), sleeping in a coffin during the daytime. Plus, he was more or less immortal.

It is well known that the prototype of the main vampire Bram Stoker was a real historical character - Vlad III Tepes, Prince of Wallachia. It is also quite possible that Stoker was inspired by numerous rumors and superstitions regarding death and burial itself. These rumors were caused by the ignorance of people who did not really understand then the processes of decomposition of the human body.

After death, the human skin dries up in such a way that the teeth and nails look more prominent and prominent against its background. There is a feeling that they have grown. In addition, internal organs disintegrate, various fluids leave the human body through the mouth and nose, leaving dark smudges. People often interpreted these smudges as if the dead were drinking the blood of living people.

In addition to the above, there were other superstitious signs of vampirism associated, for example, with coffins. The point is that sometimes on the inner surface of the coffin lid, after exhumation, scratches were found, which were perceived as a direct indication that the dead ceased to be such and tried to rise from the grave.

Such cases are due to the horrific mistakes that were common in those days; sometimes they buried a seemingly dead person who was in fact in a short-term coma, for example. The unfortunate man, waking up and finding himself in the pitch darkness, of course, frantically scratched the lid of the coffin from the inside, trying to get out ...

It is also believed that the famous Scottish monk and philosopher, Blessed John Duns Scotus, died in this way. An exhumation was carried out, as a result of which it was found that his body in the coffin was arched in an unnatural way... The fingers of the hand were torn, and there was dried blood everywhere. Another buried alive tried to get out unsuccessfully ...

Greek mythology

Giants

Giants have remained a constant part of folklore for thousands of years. In Greek mythology, we are faced with a whole tribe of giants who were born into the world by the goddess Gaia after she was fertilized with blood collected during the castration of the sky god and her consort Uranus by Kronos.

Germanic-Scandinavian mythology speaks of creation the largest giant Aurgelmir from water droplets formed at the moment of contact of the land of ice and fog (Niflheim) with the land of heat and flame (Muspellsheim).

It must have been really big! After Aurgelmir was killed by the gods, our Earth appeared. From the flesh of the giant, a stronghold was formed, from the blood - the seas and oceans, from the bones - mountains, from the teeth - stones, from the skull - the sky, and from the brain - clouds. Even his eyebrows came in handy: they began to girdle Midgard inhabited by people (this is what the Vikings called the Earth).

The growing belief in giants can be partially explained by the phenomenon of hereditary gigantism (however, not in all countries). Scientists are confident that they managed to isolate a gene that leads to family gigantism... According to the results of various studies, people suffering from gigantism often get pituitary cancer, which stimulates uncontrolled body growth.

The growth of the biblical giant Goliath, according to legend, reached 274 centimeters. In the modern world, there is no clear rule or definition that would allow one to say unequivocally that a giant is a person of such and such a height. The reason for this is that different peoples have different average heights (the difference can be up to 30 centimeters or more).

One study published in the international medical journal Ulster Medical Journal suggested that Goliath (killed, as you know, by David with the help of a stone launched by a sling), whose family tree is easily identifiable, suffered from the autosomal dominant inheritance of the disease.

Say, the stone that David used hit Goliath in the forehead. And if Goliath suffered from a pituitary tumor, which put pressure on his optic nerve intersection, then this could certainly lead to visual impairment, which did not allow the giant to see the stone flying at him.

Banshee

In Irish folklore, a banshee (that is, a woman from Shea, if translated from the language of the Scottish Celts) is a beautiful young woman, fairy, with flowing white hair and eyes red from continuous tears... He cries, thereby warning the person who hears her that someone in his family will soon die.

Her crying with lamentations is perceived more as a kind of help to a person than a threat. Hearing the howling of a banshee, a person realizes that he will soon have to say goodbye forever to someone close to him; and, thanks to the banshee, he has a little time for this.

It is not entirely clear when this legend first originated. There are certain references to banshees, dated14th century... More precisely, in 1350, when a large-scale clash between representatives of the Irish and English noble families took place near the village of Torlaug.

After that, the banshee was almost never forgotten, until the middle of the 19th century. In fact, lamenting mourning has always been part of the tradition of Irish women to express bitterness, pain and loss.

The fairer sex stood at the edge of the grave, and began to scream at the top of their voice, mourning their loss. This tradition gradually faded during the 19th century because turned into a kind of "attraction" for tourists who came to watch the mourners from the "real Irish funeral".

It's not difficult, in fact, to accept the fact that impressionable Irish people, who were always ready to believe in something supernatural, mixed in a bunch of their lamenting women and fairy fairies, in order to end up with a beautiful story about banshees warning under the windows of the house. his masters about the approaching grief ...

Hydra

According to Greek mythology, Hydra is a gigantic snake with nine (or more) heads, one of which is immortal. If one of the Hydra's heads was cut off, then instead of her, two new heads grew out of a fresh wound(or three - different data can be found in various mythological sources).

The murder of Hydra is one of the 12 glorious feats of the great Hercules. To defeat this monstrously dangerous creature, Hercules enlisted the support of his nephew Iolaus, who helped the hero by burning the heads severed by the strongman.

The confrontation was difficult, but all the animals were on the side of Hercules. The battle went on until until Hercules chopped off all of Hydra's heads except for one - immortal. The strongman eventually chopped off her, and then buried it in the ground near the road, filling it with a heavy boulder from above.

The myth of the multi-headed hydra was probably inspired by the ancient Greeks by Mother Nature herself. Since ancient times, there are numerous references to snakes with several heads (although no one has mentioned nine heads yet!). In fact, cases of polycephaly (birth with multiple heads) are far more common in reptiles than in any other animal.

Moreover: thanks to the study of Siamese twins, scientists themselves have learned to create polycephalic animals. Known experiments of the German embryologist Hans Spemann, who at the beginning of the 20th century fastened together the embryos of slamandra with the help of a child's human hair. As a result, a creature with two heads was born.

Mythical animals

Dire wolves

These days, the so-called dire wolves are very well known to those who watch Game of Thrones. After all, it was these wolves that were presented to the young Starks. In fact, dire wolves are not the fantasy of the writers and authors of the famous series.

Terrible wolves are huge wolves that actually existed in North America, extinct more than ten millennia ago... These formidable creatures were larger, but squat (due to shorter legs) of modern wolves.

Nearly 4,000 dire wolf fossils have been found in a bituminous lake area called Rancho La Brea, Los Angeles, California (in addition to many more remains of other animals).

Researchers believe they were trapped in these bituminous pits when they went there to profit from the remains of numerous other animals trapped in underground bitumen coming out to the surface.

The dire wolf had a huge skull, but its brain was smaller than that of a modern wolf. Perhaps, if the brain of these ferocious creatures were a little larger, they would realize that the remains of various animals did not end up in these tar pits by accident ...

If you remember, there was an albino wolf in Game of Thrones. In fact, it is unknown if there were albinos among the dire wolves, although among the population of modern wolves, albinos are far from uncommon... It is also noteworthy that dire wolves were not as agile as modern wolves.

Basilisk

According to the well-known Greek myths and films about Harry Potter (you yourself choose which source is more authoritative for you), the basilisk was a snake with a deadly gaze and a deadly breath. Legends say that the basilisk hatched from the egg of the ibis bird, which was hatched by a snake.

It is assumed that the basilisk was afraid only of a cock crow and caress, who was immune to his venomous bites... Yes, they almost forgot about the sword of Harry Potter, with which he killed this snake - his basilisk, as it turned out, was also afraid ...

In Greek mythology, the basilisk was a normal-sized snake, but by the time this creature ended up at Hogwarts (the school of wizards where Harry Potter studied), it had unexpectedly grown to the size of a mammoth (not to mention length). This creature has had many other reincarnations over the past centuries ...

The likelihood that a snake will in reality hatch an egg of an ibis is practically zero (not to mention the fact that an ibis, in principle, is not able to lay an egg with a snake inside). However, the legend of the basilisk has very real reasons... Researchers are convinced that the typical Egyptian cobra is the prototype of the mythical basilisk.

However, the Egyptian cobra is not so common - it is an extremely dangerous reptile that constantly hisses, and even spits poison at a distance of up to two and a half meters. Moreover, it aims right between the eyes of its potential enemy or victim.

World folklore is inhabited by a huge number of amazing fantastic animals. In different cultures, they were credited with incredible properties or skills. Despite the diversity and dissimilarity, all mythical creatures have an undeniable commonality - there is no scientific confirmation of their existence in real life.

This did not stop the writers of treatises telling about the animal world of the planet, where real facts were intertwined with fiction, fables and legends. Most of them are described in a collection of articles on zoology, it is also called "Bestiary of mythical creatures".

Causes of occurrence

The surrounding nature with its cataclysms, often not always understandable phenomena, inspired horror. Unable to find an explanation or somehow logically understand the chain of events, the person interpreted this or that incident in a peculiar way. Mythical creatures were called to help, guilty, in the opinion of people, of what was happening.

In the old days, the forces of nature stood on the highest pedestal. Belief in them was unconditional. Ancient mythical creatures served as gods. They were worshiped, sacrificed in gratitude for a rich harvest, a successful hunt, a successful outcome of any business. They feared to anger and offend mythical creatures.

But there is another theory of their appearance. The probability of the coexistence of several parallel worlds is recognized by some scientists, based on Einstein's theory of probability. There is an assumption that all these amazing individuals actually exist, but not in our reality.

What they were

The Bestiary of Mythical Creatures was among the main sources of information. There were not so many publications that systematize the fauna of the planet. It is difficult to speak about its reliability. There were entered and described in great detail, including completely mythical creatures. The illustrations made in pencil were amazing, the smallest details of the monsters were drawn so carefully and in detail.

Usually, these individuals combined the features of several, sometimes according to the logic of incompatible representatives of the animal world. These, in the main, were the mythical creatures of Ancient Greece. But they could combine human traits in themselves.

Many of the skills of mythical creatures are borrowed from the environment. The ability to grow new heads echoes the ability of lizards to restore a severed tail. The ability to spew flame can be compared to how some snakes can spit poison at a distance of up to 3 meters.

Serpentine and dragon-like monsters stand out as a separate group. Perhaps ancient people lived at the same time as the last extinct dinosaurs. The remains of huge animals could also provide food and freedom for the imagination to imagine what mythical creatures look like. Pictures with their images have different nationalities.

Semi-humans

Human features were also present in the fictional images. They were used in different versions: an animal with parts of a human body, or vice versa - a person with the characteristics of an animal. Half-humans (mythical creatures) represent a separate group in many cultures. The list is headed by perhaps the most famous character - the centaur. The human torso on the body of a horse - this is how the ancient Greeks portrayed it. Strong individuals were distinguished by a very violent disposition. They lived in the mountains and forest thickets.

In all likelihood, his close relatives are an Onocentaur, a half-human, half-donkey. He had a petty character and was considered a rare hypocrite, often compared to Satan.

The famous minotaur is directly related to the "mythical creatures" squad. Pictures with his image are found on household items from the times of Ancient Greece. A terrible creature with a bull's head, according to myth, kept Athens at bay, demanding an annual sacrifice in the form of seven young men and women. The monster devoured the unfortunate in its labyrinth on the island of Crete.

An individual of enormous strength with a human torso, with powerful horns and a bull's body was called a bukentaur (bull-man). He had the ability to cause hatred between representatives of different sexes on the basis of jealousy.

Harpies were considered spirits of the wind. Colorful half-women, half-birds, wild, predatory, with a disgusting unbearable smell. The gods sent them to punish guilty people. It consisted in the fact that these impetuous creatures took food from a person, dooming him to death by starvation. They were credited with stealing children and human souls.

Half-virgin-half-snake echidna, attractive in appearance, but terrible in its serpentine essence. She specialized in the kidnapping of travelers. She was the mother of a number of monsters.

Sirens appeared before travelers in the form of predatory beauties, with the head and body of a graceful woman. Instead of hands, they had terrible bird paws with huge claws. A beautiful melodious voice, inherited from their mother, served as a bait for people. Sailing to the mesmerizing singing, the ships crashed on stones, and the sailors died, torn to pieces by the sirens.

The Sphinx was a rare monster - the chest and face of a woman, the body of a lion with sweeping wings. His craving for riddles caused the death of a lot of people. He killed everyone who could not give the correct answer to his question. According to the Greeks, the Sphinx was the personification of wisdom.

Aquatic creatures

The mythical creatures of Greece also lived in the waters of the oceans, seas, rivers, swamps. They were inhabited by naiads. The springs in which they lived were almost always healing. For a disrespectful attitude towards nature, for example, pollution of a source, a person could be punished with insanity.

Scylla and Charybdis were once attractive nymphs. The wrath of the gods made them terrible monsters. Charybdis was able to create a powerful whirlpool that occurs three times a day. He tightened all passing ships. Scylla lay in wait for sailors near a cave in the rock of the Sicilian Strait. The trouble was on both sides of the narrow strip of water. And today the expression "getting between Charybdis and Scylla" means a threat from both sides.

Another colorful representative of the deep sea is the hippocamus, or water horse. According to the description, he really looked like a horse, but his body ended in a fish tail. He served as a means of transportation for the sea gods - Nereids and newts.

Flying creatures

Some mythical creatures could fly. Only a person with a rich imagination could dream of a griffin. It is described as a bird with the body of a lion, with its front legs replacing bird legs with huge claws, and its head resembling an eagle's. All living things perished from his cry. People believed that griffins guarded the treasures of the Scythians. They were also used by the goddess Nemesis as draft animals for her carriage, which symbolized the inevitability and speed of punishment for committed sins.

Phoenix was a kind of mixture of different types of birds. In his appearance, one could find the features of a crane, a peacock, an eagle. The ancient Greeks considered him immortal. And the phoenix's ability to be reborn symbolized a person's desire for self-improvement.

There is no more noble creature in mythology capable of self-sacrifice. Once every five hundred years in the Temple of the Sun, the phoenix voluntarily throws itself into the flames. His death returns harmony and happiness to the world of people. Three days later, a renewed bird is reborn from the ashes, ready to repeat its fate for the welfare of the human race.

Stymphalian birds, covered with bronze feathers, with copper claws and beaks, instilled fear in everyone who saw them. Their rapid reproduction did not give a chance for the survival of the surrounding area. Like locusts, they ate whatever they came across, turning flowering valleys into deserts. Their feathers were a formidable weapon. The birds hit them like arrows.

The winged horse Pegasus, although it was born from the head of a dying gorgon, has become a symbol of a reliable friend, talent and boundless intelligence. He combined the power of an independent being from gravity, a horse and life force. Graceful, swift, free, beautiful winged horse still serves for people of art.

Female mythical creatures

In Slavic culture, female mythical creatures served for the death of people. A whole army of kikimor, mermaids, witches, at the first opportunity, tried to exterminate a person from the light.

No less terrible and evil female mythical creatures of Ancient Greece. Not all were originally born in the form of monsters. Many became such by the will of the gods, taking a terrible image as punishment for any wrongdoing. They differ in "place of residence" and lifestyle. They are united by their desire to destroy a person, and this is how evil mythical creatures live. Their list is long:

• chimera;
• Gorgon;
• siren;
• salamander;
• puma;
• nymph;
• harpy;
• Valkyrie and other "nice" ladies.

Slavic mythology

Unlike other cultures, Slavic mythical creatures carry the experience and wisdom of all generations of ancestors. Traditions and legends were transmitted orally. The lack of writing did not affect the description of the unusual creatures that, according to the ancient Slavs, inhabited their world.

Mostly Slavic mythical creatures have a human appearance. All of them are endowed with supernatural powers and are clearly divided according to their habitats.

A semi-mythical creature - a wolf lak (werewolf) - lived among people. He was credited with the ability to turn into a wolf. Moreover, unlike the legends of other peoples, this did not necessarily happen on the full moon. It was believed that the Cossack army was invincible precisely because the Cossack warriors could take the form of a wolf at any moment and attack enemies.

"Domestic" creatures

Brownie - the spirit of a human dwelling, protected the house from all troubles and troubles, including thieves and fires. He had the ability to be invisible, but the cats noticed him. When the family moved to another place, the brownie was always called with them, conducting the appropriate rituals. The custom of letting the cat into the house first has a simple explanation - a brownie drives in on it.

He always treats households well, but does not tolerate the lazy and grumpy. Broken dishes or scattered cereals make it clear about his dissatisfaction. If the family does not listen to him and does not correct him, the brownie can leave. Then the house is doomed to destruction, fire or other attack will not keep you waiting.

In direct subordination to the brownie serves as a courtyard. His responsibilities include looking after the household outside the home: a barn, barns, yard. He is rather indifferent to people, but it is not recommended to make him angry.

Another spirit - anchutka - is subdivided according to the place of residence: field, water and home. Small dirty trickster, not recommended for communication. Anchutka does not have any useful information, hypocrisy and the ability to deceive are inherent in him at the genetic level. His main entertainment is to make various sounds; a person with a weak psyche can drive him to madness. It is impossible to drive the spirit out of the house, but it is completely harmless to a balanced person.

Kikimora lives in the right corner of the entrance, where, according to custom, all the rubbish was swept away. This is an energetic creature devoid of flesh, but having the ability to influence the physical world. It is believed that she can see very far, run fast and become invisible. The versions of the appearance of kikimor are also curious, there are several of them and all are considered correct:

• a dead baby can become a kikimora, this group includes all stillborn, premature babies or miscarriages;
• children born of the sinful connection of a fiery serpent and an ordinary woman;
• children cursed by their parents, the reason can be very different.

Kikimors use nightmares for children as their weapons, and eerie hallucinations cast on adults. Thus, they can deprive a person of their sanity or lead to suicide. But there are special conspiracies against them, which were used by witches and wise men. A simpler method is also suitable: a buried silver object under the threshold will not let the kikimora into the house.

It should be noted that, despite the widely used expression "kikimora swamp", this does not apply to real representatives of this kind of entity. Apparently, we are talking about mermaids or dashing, just living in the swamps.

Mythical creatures of nature

One of the most famous mythical creatures living in the forest in Slavic mythology is the goblin. He, as the owner, owns everything - from a blade of grass with berries and mushrooms to trees and animals.

As a rule, a goblin is friendly to a person. But such an attitude will only be towards people with a pure and bright soul. He will point out mushroom and berry places, and will lead you to a short road. And if the traveler shows respect for the goblin and treats him with a gift, an egg or a piece of cheese, he can count on protection from fierce animals or dark forces.

By the look of the forest itself, it was possible to determine whether the light goblin was in charge, or he had spread to the side of Chernobog. In this case, the property is unkempt, overgrown, dense and impassable. Such careless "owners" are punished by the god Veles himself. He drives them out of the forest and transfers possession to another goblin.

Dashing, oddly enough, lives in a swamp. In fact, it is a complex allegory of an unfavorable combination of circumstances associated with specific human actions. From this we can conclude that everyone himself provokes the appearance of dashing. It never attacks first, its appearance is an adequate response to human actions.

It is described as a strong, vindictive and fierce creature in different guises - either in the form of a giant, or a tall, stooped undead woman. They are similar in one thing - the dashing has only one eye, but despite this, no one managed to escape from him.

Meeting with dashing is dangerous. His curses and ability to send trouble on a person can ultimately be fatal.

A whole group of aquatic mythical creatures are represented by mermaids. There are:

• Vodyanitsy. They live only in water, they never go out to the ground, they serve water, they are absolutely harmless, they can only scare them with their tickling. They look like ordinary naked girls, they can briefly turn into fish or swans.
• Patchwork. A special kind of mermaid. Their time is night, they can go to the banks of rivers and lakes. Nude beauties lure careless travelers and drown them. For their own amusement, they can tickle a person to death. Through their transparent backs, you can see the internal organs.
• Mavki. This type of mermaid is the most common and has a specific reason for its appearance. Legend has it that Kostroma found out that her husband Kupala is her brother. Realizing that they would not be together, the girl threw herself off the cliff into the river and drowned. Since then, he wanders along the river bank, looking for her husband. Every nice guy gets pulled into a whirlpool. There, looking closer and realizing that she had pulled into the wrong whirlpool, she lets go. True, this no longer helps the young man, by that time he has time to drown. This is the only mermaid species that "specializes" exclusively in young men.
• Lobasta. The scariest type of mermaid. They sell their soul to Chernobog. They look creepy, like monsters with some parts of the female body. Strong and vicious creatures, they can attack singly and in groups. The best way to escape is to run away from them.

Despite this diversity, all mermaids are female. It is generally accepted that girls turn to them, the death of which is somehow connected with water.

All bodies of water, be it a river or a lake, needed their own caretaker. This was the water one. He was responsible for the order on the shore and the purity of the water. He led all the mermaids, and, if necessary, could collect from them a rather powerful army. This was required to protect the reservoir from waterlogging (this is how the onset of the dark forces manifested itself).

The merman was revered as a wise keeper of knowledge. He was often asked for advice. The power of the water one is great - it could both give life (water is its main source), and take it away, sending terrible natural disasters: floods and floods. But without a reason, his watery anger did not show and he always treated people kindly.

Mythical creatures and movies

Modern computer graphics allow you to make films on the theme of mythical creatures without any restrictions. The fertile inexhaustible theme inspires a whole army of filmmakers.

The scripts are written based on famous epics, myths, legends with an admixture of mysticism and superstition. Films about mythical creatures are also shot in the genre of fantasy, horror, mysticism.

But it is not only feature films that attract viewers. Scientists are still trying to figure out the nature of entities. There are documentaries about mythical creatures that are very interesting in terms of content, assumptions, scientific conclusions.

Mythical creatures in the modern world

Digging a person into himself, trying to find out as much as possible about his personality has led to the creation of a mass of various tests. The test "What mythical creature are you?" Has been developed and is widely popular. By answering a number of questions, the test taker gets his own characteristic. It also indicates the mythical creature to which he most corresponds.

Attempts to explain the incredible phenomena associated with brownies, reels and other "neighbors" push researchers to desperate attempts to take photos of mythical creatures. Modern sensitive technology gives researchers hope to capture the desired objects. Sometimes some light spots or darkening appear in the photographs. None of the specialists undertakes to assert anything for sure. It is difficult to say with certainty that the photo of the mythical creatures is clearly visible, and confirms their undeniable presence.

With the many spineless, teenage and friendly vampire characters that are featured in modern books and movies, it's easy to forget that vampires were completely different from the beginning and much, oh, much more terrifying.

The world is full of legends and tales about mythical monsters, mysterious creatures and incredible animals. Some of these monsters were inspired by real animals or found fossils, while others are symbolic expressions of people's deepest fears.

Centuries ago, our ancestors trembled and were horrified at the mere mention of the name of the monsters, which is not surprising at all, given how horrible their mythology could be.

In this small review, we will only talk about 20 of the most terrible, and sometimes even strange monsters - vampires, monstrous creatures and other undead, who, even by the standards of our ancestors, were one of the most creepy and disgusting creatures in the world.

Callikanzaro

Callikanzaro spends most of the year in the underworld (which is unknown where it is) and only appears for the period of 12 nights between Christmas and Epiphany, because he knows that on these holiday nights people are too drunk to escape. While the mere sight of his black, contorted face, red eyes, and mouth filled with fangs is enough to banish the festive mood from anyone, Callikanzaro is not content with robbing everyone of the fun. The monster tears apart anyone it meets with its long claws, and then devours the torn body.

According to Greek tradition, any child born between Christmas and Epiphany will eventually become Callikanzaro. Scary, isn't it? But parents should not be afraid, because there is a cure. All you need to do is hold the newborn's feet over the fire until his toenails are scorched to remove the curse.

But what a holiday it would be without family reunification! Touchingly, Callikanzaro remembers his family from his time as a human and is known to look forward to finding his former siblings. But only to devour them when he finally finds them.

Soukoyant

Soukoyant in the mythology of the Caribbean is a kind of werewolf who belongs to the class of "jambi", local disembodied spirits. During the day, the Jambi Soukoyant looks like a weak old woman, and at night this creature sheds its skin, places it in a mortar with a special solution and, having turned into a flying ball of fire, goes in search of its victim. Soukoyant sucks out the night wanderers, and then exchanges it with the demons for mystical power.

Similar to European vampire myths, if the victim survives, she becomes a cocoian as well. To kill a monster, you need to pour salt into the solution in which its skin lies, after which the creepy creature will die at dawn, since it will not be able to "put on" the skin back.

Penanggalan

It is quite possible that the creature that we will describe in this paragraph is the most disgusting of the entire list!

Penanggalan is a nightmarish monster that looks like a woman during the day. However, at night he "removes" his head and flies away in search of victims, while the spine and all internal organs of Penanggalan hang from his neck. And this is really a real Malaysian legend, not an invention of modern filmmakers!

The internal organs of the monster glow in the dark and can be used as tentacles to clear the path of Penanggalan. In addition, the creature can grow hair at will in order to grab the victim.

When Penanggalan notices a burning house, he tries to get inside with the help of "tentacles". With luck, the monster devours all the small children in the house. If there is no way to get into the house, the mystical creature stretches its incredibly long tongue under the house and tries to get to the sleeping inhabitants through the cracks in the floor. If the tongue of Penanggalan gets to the bedroom, then it digs into the body and sucks the victim's blood.

In the morning, Penanggalan soaks its insides in vinegar so that they decrease in size and can again fit into his body.

Kelpie

Kelpie is a water spirit that lives in the rivers and lakes of Scotland. Although the kelpie usually appears in the form of a horse, it can also take on the form of a human. Kelpies often lure people to allegedly ride them on their backs, after which they drag the victims under the water and devour them. However, the tales of the evil water horse also served as a great warning to children to stay out of the water, and to women to be wary of beautiful strangers.

Ghoul

A ghoul may just look like an ordinary Russian person. He may even have the ability to walk in broad daylight like a Russian. However, he is not Russian. Behind its harmless façade is a vicious vampire who will happily refuse all the vodka in the world if they give him at least one drop of blood for it. What's more, his love for blood is so great that after he rips you apart with his metal teeth, he might just eat your heart for fun.

The ghoul also loves children (although, you guessed it, not parental love), preferring the taste of their blood, and always drinking their blood before proceeding to drain their parents. He is also not disgusted with the taste of frozen mud, as according to legend, he uses his metal teeth to gnaw his way out of his grave in the deep winter, when his hands freeze due to poor insulation in the coffin.

Basilisk

The basilisk is generally described as a crested snake, although descriptions of a rooster with a snake's tail are sometimes found. This creature can kill birds with fiery breath, people with a gaze, and other living creatures with ordinary hiss. Legends say that the basilisk is born from a snake or toad egg that was hatched by a rooster. The word “basilisk” is translated from Greek as “little king”, therefore this creature is often called “the serpent king”. During the Middle Ages, Basilisks were accused of causing plague epidemics and mysterious murders.

Asasabonsam

Chances are you are familiar with the old urban legend of the Hook Man. So, as it turned out, representatives of the Ashanti people in Ghana tell a similar (albeit much more creepy) story about Asasabonsam, a strange vampire with bent iron hooks instead of legs, who lives in the depths of African forests. He hunts by hanging from the branches of trees and thrusting the aforementioned hooks into the bodies of those unfortunates who pass under this tree. Once he drags you up a tree, he devours you alive with his iron teeth, and then presumably spends most of the night removing your blood stains from his hooks to keep them from rusting.

Unlike most vampires, it feeds on both humans and animals (so someone has to warn People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)). The strangest thing about Asasabonsam is that when a human is his prey, he bites off his thumb first before moving on to the rest of his body, perhaps to prevent you from stopping the ride and getting home if you like- someday it will be possible to escape from his hooks.

Asmodeus

Asmodeus is a demon of lust who is mostly known for the Book of Tobit (the second canonical book of the Old Testament). He pursues a woman named Sarah and kills seven of her husbands out of jealousy. In the Talmud, Asmodeus is mentioned as the prince of demons, who expelled King Solomon from his kingdom. Some folklorists believe that Asmodeus is the son of Lilith and Adam. Legend has it that it is he who is responsible for the perversion of people's sexual desires.

Varakolach

Varakolach (s) is perhaps the most powerful of all vampires, so it is not at all clear why very little is known about him other than having a difficult to pronounce name (seriously, try saying it out loud). According to legend, his skin is the worst nightmare of a dermatologist - it is terribly pale and dry, and no amount of body lotion can cure it, but otherwise he looks like an ordinary person.

Oddly enough, such a terrifying creature like the Romanian Varakolach has only one superpower, but what a superpower! It can absorb the sun and moon (in other words, it can cause solar and lunar eclipses at will), which is the coolest of all tricks in itself. However, in order to do this, he must fall asleep, because, apparently, the induction of astrological phenomena that can frighten us today, and which must have instilled terrible fear in people of more primitive cultures, takes up a huge amount of his energy.

Yorogumo

There are perhaps more bizarre cryptozoological creatures in Japanese myths than are found in all seasons of The X-Files. One of the most bizarre is the Yogorumo or "harlot" - a spider-like monster of the Yokai family (goblin-like creatures). The legend of Yogorumo originated during the Edo period in Japan. It is believed that when a spider reaches the age of 400 years, it gains magical powers. In most legends, the spider transforms into a beautiful woman, seduces men and lures them to his home, plays the biwa (Japanese lute) for them, and then entangles them in cobwebs and devours them.

Upier

The Russian ghoul (see above) has a nightmarish Polish cousin named Upier, who is famous for being even more bloodthirsty. Moreover, his thirst for blood is so strong and unquenchable that in addition to consuming huge amounts of it internally, Upier loves to swim and sleep in it. Its body is filled with so much blood that if you stick a stake into it, it will explode into a huge geyser of blood, worthy of the elevator scene from The Shining.

He takes a special pleasure in sucking the blood of friends and family members who were dear to him during his human life, so if one of your friends or relatives recently turned into Upier, you should know that, most likely, you are already recorded as a dish on his menu. When he finally finds you, he immobilizes you with a powerful hug (a kind of farewell bear hug), and then digs his spiked tongue into your neck and sucks every last drop of blood out of you.

Black Annis

A ghostly witch from English folklore, Black Annis is an old woman with a blue face and iron claws who haunted the peasants in Leicestershire. Legend has it that she lives in a cave in Dane Hills, and at night she wanders in search of children to devour. If Black Annis catches a child, she tan his skin and then wears it wrapped around the waist. Needless to say, Black Annis' parents scared their children when they misbehaved.

Neuntoter

Attention! If you are a hypochondriac by nature, then you might be better off not reading about this monster!

The Neuntother is a walking biological weapon of mass destruction that does one thing and one thing only - it brings death wherever it goes. Neuntother lives in the myths of Germany and is the carrier of an endless number of terrible types of plague and deadly diseases, which he spreads around him like candy, in whatever city he is, infecting everyone and everything that comes his way. Therefore, it is not surprising that, according to legend, it appears only during massive and terrible epidemics.

Neuntother's body is covered with open sores and wounds, from which pus is constantly oozing out, and which most likely play an important role in the spread of deadly bacteria (if reading this sentence made you an irresistible desire to immediately bathe in a disinfectant, then you are not alone) ... His well-chosen German name literally translates to "Killer of the Nine," a reference to the fact that it takes nine days for a corpse to be completely transformed into Neuntother.

Nabau

In 2009, two aerial photographs taken by researchers in Borneo, Indonesia showed a 30-meter snake floating down the river. There is still controversy over the veracity of these photographs, as well as over whether they actually depict a snake. Some argue that this is a log or a large boat. However, locals living along the Balekh River insist that this creature is Nabau, an ancient dragon-like monster from Indonesian folklore.

According to legends, the length of the Nabau is more than 30 meters, it has a head with seven nostrils and it can take the form of several different animals.

Yara-ma-yha-hu

Grab onto your didgeridoo, so the creature is truly strange. Australian aboriginal legends describe Yara-ma-yha-hu as a humanoid creature measuring 125 centimeters tall, with a red cat and a huge head. Yara-ma-yha-hu spends most of his time in the trees. If you are not lucky enough to walk under such a tree, Yara-ma-yha-hu will jump on you and attach to your body with small suction cups that cover his fingers and toes, so no matter how hard you try, you cannot. shake off.

Further it gets worse. Yara-ma-yha-hu was included in this list primarily due to the peculiarities of his feeding method. Due to the fact that it does not have any fangs, it sucks your blood through the suction cups on your arms and legs until you are weakened to the point that you cannot run anywhere or even move. After that, he leaves you lying on the ground like a discarded, half-empty juice can, while he himself leaves, presumably, to have fun with kangaroos and koalas.

When he returns from his evening of entertainment, he gets down to business and swallows you whole with his huge mouth, then vomits you up after a while, still alive and well (yes, this is a vomiting vampire). This process repeats over and over, and each time you become less and more red as a result of the fact that he digests you. In the end, yes, you guessed it, you yourself turn into Yara-ma-yha-hu. So yes!

Dullahan

Most people are familiar with Washington Irving's story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and the story of the Headless Horseman. The Irish dullahan or "dark man" is essentially the forerunner of the ghost of the decapitated Hessian soldier who pursued Ichabod Crane. In Celtic mythology, dullahan is a harbinger of death. He rides a large black horse with glowing eyes and carries his head under his arm.

Some stories say that the dullahan shouts out the name of the person who must die, while others say that he marks the person by pouring a bucket of blood on him. Like many monsters and mythical creatures, dullahan has one weakness: gold.

Nelapsy

This time the Czechs came up with something really disgusting. Nelapsy is a walking corpse that doesn't care about putting on clothes, so he goes hunting in what his mother gave birth to. Lack of clothing, combined with glowing red eyes, long, messy black hair, and needle-thin teeth is enough to make you leave the light on overnight, but unfortunately, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

In fact, Nelapsy can easily win the competition for the most powerful and prohibitively evil of all vampires. He can destroy entire villages at once, and like the guy who is forbidden to approach the buffet, he does not stop until the morning, no matter how much he already ate in the night. He is not at all a picky eater and feeds on cattle, as well as humans, and kills his victims either by tearing them apart with his teeth or crushing them with his "Embrace of Death" which is so powerful that it can shatter bones with ease. However, if given the opportunity, he will try to keep you alive for as long as possible and happily torture his victims for weeks before killing them (because in order to be called a real villain, you need to torture people for weeks ). However, even that is not all. If Nelapsy for some reason leaves the exhausted people alive (this is very unlikely, you guessed it), they are quickly brought to the next world by a deadly plague in the style of Neuntother, which will follow the surviving person wherever he goes.

Finally, if all of the above doesn't seem terrifying enough, Nelapsy can also kill people just by looking at them. One of his favorite pastimes is playing "I spy on you with one eye" from the tops of church spiers, causing any person who Nelapsy's gaze falls on dies on the spot. We may have gone overboard with mentioning how evil Nelapsy is, but he is such a scoundrel that it is impossible not to emphasize this once again.

Goblins "Red Caps"

Evil goblins in red caps live on the border between England and Scotland. According to legends, they usually live in ruined castles and kill lost travelers by throwing boulders on them from the cliffs. The goblins then paint the caps with the blood of their victims. Redcaps are forced to kill as often as possible, because if the blood on theircaps dries up, they die.

The vicious creatures are usually depicted as old men with red eyes, large teeth, claws, and a staff in hand. They are faster and stronger than humans. Legend has it that the only way to escape such a goblin is by shouting a quote from the Bible.

Manticore

This is a fabulous creature that looks like a sphinx. He has the body of a red lion, a human head with 3 rows of sharp teeth and a very loud voice, a dragon's or scorpion's tail. The manticore shoots poisoned needles at the victim and then eats it whole, leaving nothing behind. From a distance, she can often be confused with a bearded man. Most likely, this will be the victim's last mistake.

Indian vampire brahmaparusha

Brahmaparusha is a vampire, but he is not ordinary at all. These evil spirits, which are described in Hindu mythology, have a passion for human brains. Unlike the suave, dapper vampires who live in Romania, the brahmaparusha is a grotesque creature that wears the guts of its victims around its neck and head. He also carries a human skull with him and when he kills a new victim, he pours its blood into this skull and drinks from it.

In fact, not two unfortunate dozen have invented truly nightmarish monsters in their history (and continues to invent!). There are just 20 monsters in our selection. But there is also the disgusting Japanese sea spirit Umibozu, the American forest hunter Heidbehind, a relative of the famous and no less terrible Wendigo, the huge cat Bakeneko, the incredibly fast Wendigo cannibal, the Scandinavian super-strong undead Draugr, the ancient Babylonian Tiamat and many, many others!

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List of monsters, demons, giants and magical creatures of ancient Greek mythology

Cyclops- in ancient Greek mythology, giants with a large, round, fiery eye in the middle of their forehead. The first three Cyclops were born by the goddess Gaia (Earth) from Uranus (Heaven). In ancient times, the Cyclops were personifications of thunderclouds, from which the "eye" of lightning sparkles.

Cyclops Polyphemus. Tischbein's painting, 1802

Hecatoncheira - children of Gaia and Uranus, hundred-handed giants, against whose terrible power nothing can resist. Mythical incarnations of terrible earthquakes and floods. The Cyclops and Hecatoncheires were so powerful that Uranus himself was horrified by their power. He tied them up and threw them deep into the earth, where they raged, causing volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Earth-Gaea began to inflict terrible suffering on the presence of these giants in her womb, and she persuaded her youngest son, the titan Kron ("Time"), to take revenge on his father, Uranus, emasculating him. Cronus did it with a sickle.

From the drops of blood of Uranus shed during emasculation, Gaia conceived and gave birth to three Erinnius- goddesses of vengeance with snakes on their heads instead of hair. Erinnias' names are Tisiphona (the killing avenger), Alecto (the tireless pursuer) and Vixen (the terrible one).

The Goddess of Night (Nyukta), in anger at the lawlessness committed by Cronus, gave birth to terrible, monstrous creatures: Thanata (Death), Eridu(Discord) Apatu(Cheating) Ker(goddesses of violent death), Hypnos(Sleep), Nemesis(Revenge), Gerasa(Old age), Charon(the carrier of the dead to the underworld).

Forky- the evil god of the stormy sea and storms. The children of Forkia in ancient Greek mythology were considered the monsters of the gorgon, graya, siren, Echidna and Skilla.

Keto- the evil goddess of the deep sea, sister and wife of Porkia. Both of them personified the majestic and terrible phenomena of the sea.

Graia- the personification of Old Age. Three ugly sisters: Deino (shiver), Pemphedo (anxiety) and Enio (anger, horror). Gray from birth, they have one eye and one tooth for three. This eye was once stolen from them by the hero Perseus. In exchange for the return of the eye, the Grays had to show Perseus the way to Medusa the Gorgon.

Skilla(Scylla - "Barking") is a terrible monster with 12 legs, six necks and six heads, each of which has three rows of teeth. Scylla lets out a continuous, piercing bark.

Charybdis- the personification of the all-consuming deep sea. A terrible whirlpool that absorbs and spews sea moisture three times a day. The ancient Greeks believed that Scylla and Charybdis lived on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina (between Italy and Sicily). Odysseus sailed between Scylla and Charybdis during his wanderings

Gorgons- three sisters, three winged serpentine monsters. The names of the Gorgons: Euryale ("leaping far away"), Sfeno ("mighty") and Medusa ("sovereign, guardian"). Of the three sisters, only Medusa was mortal, who had the ability to turn everything into stone with her terrible gaze. She was killed by the hero Perseus. The gaze of the dead Gorgon Medusa, which retained its magical power, later helped Perseus defeat the sea monster and save the beautiful Andromeda.

Medusa's head. Painting by Rubens, c. 1617-1618

Pegasus- a winged horse, a favorite of the muses. Conceived by Medusa the Gorgon from the god Poseidon. During the murder of Medusa, Perseus jumped out of her body.

Sirens- in ancient Greek myths, monsters, which have a beautiful female head, and the body and legs are of a bird (according to other stories, fish). With the enchanting singing of sirens, they lured sailors to their magical island, where they were torn to pieces and devoured. Only Odysseus' ship passed safely by this island. He ordered all his companions to cover their ears with wax so as not to hear the voices of the sirens. He himself enjoyed their singing, tightly tied to the mast.

Odysseus and the sirens. Painting by J.W. Waterhouse, 1891

Echidna("Viper") - a gigantic half-woman, half-snake of a fierce character, with a beautiful face and a spotted snake body.

Tavmant- the god of sea wonders, an underwater giant. Harpies were considered his daughters.

Harpies- in ancient Greek mythology - the personification of destructive storms and whirlwinds. Monsters that have wings and clawed vulture legs, but feminine breasts and heads. Suddenly swoop in and out. Children and human souls are abducted.

Typhon("Smoke, Chad") - a terrible monster born of Gaia-Earth. The personification of gases that burst from the depths of the earth and cause volcanic eruptions. Typhon entered into a struggle with Zeus for power over the universe and almost won a victory in it. In ancient Greek myths, Typhon is a giant who had a hundred hissing dragon heads with black tongues and flaming eyes. Zeus blew off Typhon's heads with lightning and threw his body into the abyss of Tartarus.

Zeus throws lightning at Typhon

Kerber(Cerberus) is a terrible three-headed dog, the son of Typhon and Echidna. The guardian of the exit from the underworld of Hades, which does not let anyone out of there. Hercules, during his eleventh feat, took Kerberus from the bowels of the earth, but then he was returned back

Orff- a monstrous two-headed dog, the son of Typhon and Echidna, the father of the Sphinx and the Nemean lion. Belonged to the giant Geryon and guarded his magic bulls. Killed by Hercules during the abduction of these bulls (tenth feat).

("Strangler") - in ancient Greek mythology (as opposed to Egyptian) - a monstrous maiden with the body of a dog, the wings of a bird and a woman's head. Having settled near the city of Thebes in Boeotia, the Sphinx devoured young men who could not solve her riddle: "who walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening." The riddle was solved by the hero Oedipus, and the Sphinx then threw herself into the abyss.

Sphinx. Detail of the painting by F.C. Fabre. Late 18th - early 19th centuries

Empusa- in ancient Greek mythology, a night ghost, a woman with donkey legs, who knew how to take on a wide variety of guises (most often a cow, a beautiful girl or a dog with one copper leg, and the other made of dung). It sucked blood from sleeping people, often devoured their meat.

Lamia- in ancient Greek myths, the daughter of Poseidon, with whom Zeus entered into a relationship. The wife of Zeus, Hera, enraged at this, deprived Lamia of her beauty, made her an ugly monster and killed her children. In desperation, Lamia began to take children away from other mothers. She ate these children. Since then, she has returned her beauty only in order to seduce men, and then kill them and drink their blood. Coming into a mad frenzy, Lamia can fall asleep only after taking out her own eyes and placing them in a bowl. In later fairy tales, lamias were called a special kind of creatures close to medieval vampires.

Nemean lion - the son of Typhon and Echidna. A lion of enormous size with a skin that could not be pierced by any weapon. Strangled by Hercules during the first feat.

Hercules kills the Nemean lion. Copy from the statue of Lysippos

Lernaean hydra - the daughter of Typhon and Echidna. A huge snake with nine heads, in which three new ones grew instead of one severed. Killed by Hercules during the second feat: the hero, having chopped off Hydra's head, burned the severed place with a burning brand, which made new heads stop growing.

Stymphalian birds - monstrous birds fed by the god Ares with copper beaks, claws and feathers, which they could sprinkle on the ground like arrows. They ate people and crops. Partially exterminated, partly chased away by Hercules during his third feat.

Kerinean fallow deer - a fallow deer with golden horns and brass legs that never knew fatigue. It was sent as a punishment to people by the goddess Artemis to the ancient Greek region of Arcadia, where she rushed through the fields, devastating crops. Caught by Hercules during his fourth feat. The hero chased the doe at a run for a whole year and overtook her far in the north, at the headwaters of the Istra (Danube).

Erymanth boar - a huge boar that lived in Arcadia, on Mount Erimanth, and terrified the entire area. The fifth feat of Hercules was that he drove this boar into deep snow. When the boar got stuck there, Hercules tied him up and took him to King Eurystheus.

Hercules and the Erymanthian boar. Statue of L. Tuayon, 1904

Horses of diomedes - the mares of the Thracian king Diomedes ate human meat and were chained to stalls with iron chains, for no other fetters could hold them. During his eighth feat, Hercules took possession of these monstrous horses, but they torn apart his companion, Abder.

Geryon- a giant from the island of Erifia located on the western edge of the earth. He had three torsos, three heads, six arms and six legs. Completing his tenth feat, Hercules reached Erythia on the golden boat of the sun god Helios and entered into battle with Geryon, who threw three spears at him at once. Hercules killed the giant and the two-headed dog Orff that belonged to him, after which he drove the magic cows of Geryon to Greece.

Periphet- in ancient Greek mythology, a lame giant, the son of the god Hephaestus. He lived in the mountains near the cities of Epidaurus and Trezena and killed all passing travelers with an iron club. Killed by the hero Theseus, who since then carried the club of Periphetes with him everywhere, like Hercules the skin of the Nemean lion.

Sinid- a fierce giant robber who killed the people he met, tying them to two bent pines, which he then released. The pines, straightening, tore apart the unfortunate. Killed by the hero Theseus.

Skiron- a giant robber who lived on the edge of one of the rocks of the Greek isthmus of Isthm. He made passers-by wash their feet. As soon as the traveler bent down to do this, Skiron kicked him off the cliff into the sea with a jerk of his foot. The bodies of the dead were devoured by a gigantic turtle. Skiron was killed by Theseus.

Kerkion- a monstrous giant who challenged Theseus to a wrestling match. Theseus strangled him with his hands in the air, as once Hercules Anthea.

Procrustes("Puller") - (another name - Damast) a fierce villain who put people who fell into his hands on his bed. If the bed was short, Procrustes chopped off the unfortunate legs, and if it was long, he pulled him to the desired size. Killed by Theseus. The expression "Procrustean bed" has become a household word.

Minotaur- a son born to the wife of a Cretan king Minos, Pasiphae, from an unnatural passion for the bull. The Minotaur was a monster with a human body and a bull's head. Minos kept it in the Labyrinth, which was built by the great master Daedalus in the capital of Crete, Knossos. The Minotaur was a cannibal and ate criminals sentenced to death, as well as young men and women who were sent to Crete from Athens in the form of tribute. Killed by Theseus: he voluntarily went to Minos among the doomed "tributaries", killed Minos in the Labyrinth, and then safely left this tangled structure with the help of the Minotaur's sister, Ariadne, who was in love with him, and her thread.

Theseus kills the Minotaur. Drawing on an ancient Greek vase

Lestrigones- in ancient Greek myths, a tribe of cannibal giants that lived on one of the islands, past which Odysseus sailed. Captured seafarers were strung by the Laestrigones on stakes, like fish, and carried away to be devoured, and their ships were smashed, throwing huge stones from the rocks.

Pick(from the Romans Circe) - the daughter of the sun god Helios, the sister of the evil king of Colchis Eet, from whom the Argonauts stole the golden fleece. An evil sorceress who lived on the island of Ee. Welcoming travelers to her house, she treated them to delicious dishes mixed with a magic potion. This potion turned people into animals (most often - into pigs). Odysseus, who visited Kirka, escaped her witchcraft with the help of a "moth" flower received from the god Hermes. Odysseus had an affair with Kirk, and she had three sons by him.

Kirk hands Odysseus a cup of witchcraft. Painting by J.W. Waterhouse

Chimera("Young goat") - in ancient Greek mythology, a monster with the head and neck of a lion, the body of a goat and a snake's tail. Killed by the hero Bellerophon.

Styx(from the common Indo-European root "cold", "horror") - the personification of primitive horror and darkness and the goddess of the river of the same name in the underground kingdom of Hades. Lives in the far west, in the abode of the night. Lives in a luxurious palace, whose silver columns rest against the sky.

Charon- among the ancient Greeks, the carrier of the souls of the dead across the Styx River. A gloomy old man in rags, with feverishly looking eyes. The name is sometimes translated as "with a keen eye."

Python(from the word "fester") - a terrible dragon who owned the Delphic sanctuary in ancient times. Python, like Typhon, was the son of Gaia. Python wrapped around Delphi with seven or nine rings of his long body. The god Apollo fought with him and killed Python by firing 100 (according to other ancient Greek myths - 1000) arrows. After that, the Delphic sanctuary became the temple of Apollo. By the name of Python, his soothsayer is named - Pythia.

Giants- the sons of Gaia-Earth. 150 terrible monsters with dragon tails instead of legs and human bodies. The giants were covered in thick hair and long beards. Gaia gave birth to them either from drops of blood from the severed genital organ of Uranus, or from the seed of Tartarus, or by herself, angry at the fact that

A huge number of myths are known in the world in which different creatures play an important role. They do not have scientific confirmation, but new reports regularly appear that entities that do not look like ordinary animals and people have been seen in different parts of the world.

Mythical creatures of the peoples of the world

There are a huge number of legends that tell about mythical monsters, animals and mysterious entities. Some of them have in common with real animals and even people, while others personify the fears of people living at different times. There are legends on every continent featuring unique mythical animals and creatures associated with local folklore.

Slavic mythical creatures

The legends that arose during the time of the ancient Slavs are familiar to many, since they formed the basis of various fairy tales. Creatures of Slavic mythology hide important signs of that time. Many of them were held in high esteem by our ancestors.

Mythical creatures of ancient Greece

The most famous and interesting are the myths of Ancient Greece, which are filled with gods, different heroes and entities, both good and bad. Many Greek mythical creatures have become characters in various modern stories.

Mythical animals in Norse mythology

The mythology of the ancient Scandinavians is part of ancient Germanic history. Many entities stand out for their enormous size and bloodthirstiness. The most famous mythical animals:

English mythical creatures

Various entities that, according to legends in ancient times, lived on the territory of England, are among the most famous in the modern world. They became heroes of various cartoons and films.

Mythical creatures of Japan

Asian countries are unique, even if you consider their mythology. This is due to the geographical location, unpredictable elements and national flavor. Japan's ancient mythical creatures are unique.

Mythical creatures of South America

This area is a mixture of ancient Indian traditions, Spanish and Portuguese culture. Over the years, different people have lived here, who prayed to their gods and told stories. The most famous creatures from myths and legends in South America:

Mythical creatures of Africa

Given the presence of a large number of nationalities living on the territory of this continent, it is understandable that the legends telling about the entities can be enumerated for a long time. Good mythical creatures in Africa are little known.

Mythical creatures from the Bible

Reading the main sacred book, you can come across different entities that are unknown. Some of them have similarities with dinosaurs and mammoths.