Every person is familiar with the concept of “mythical creatures”. In childhood, everyone dreams of a miracle; children sincerely believe in beautiful and kind elves, honest and skillful fairy godmothers, smart and powerful wizards. It is sometimes useful for adults to detach themselves from the outside world and be carried away into the world of incredible legends, where magic and magical creatures live.

Typologies of magical creatures

The encyclopedia and reference books give approximately the same explanation for the term “magical creatures” - these are characters of non-human origin, a certain magical power that they use for both good and evil deeds.

Different civilizations had their own characteristic characters. These magical animals belonged to a specific species and genus, which were determined based on who their parents were.

People tried to classify mystical characters. Most often they are divided into:

• good and evil;
• flying, sea and living on earth;
• half-humans and half-gods;
• animals and humanoids, etc.

Ancient mythical creatures are classified not only by description, but also in alphabetical order. But this is impractical, because the collection does not take into account their type, lifestyle and impact on humans. The most convenient classification option is

Images of ancient Greek mythology

This is the cradle of European civilization. Ancient Greek myths open the door to a world of unimaginable fantasies.

To understand the uniqueness of the Hellenic culture, you need to get acquainted with the magical creatures from their legends.

1. Drakaines are female reptiles or snakes that have been given human characteristics. The most famous dragons are Echidna and Lamia.
2. Echidna is the daughter of Forkys and Keto. She was depicted as a humanoid creature. She has a beautiful face and body of a snake, captivating with girlish beauty. She combined meanness and beauty. Together with Typhon, she gave birth to many different monsters. An interesting fact is that a mammal completely covered with spines and a poisonous snake were named after Echidna. They live on an island in the ocean located near Australia. The myth of Echidna is one of the explanations for the appearance of dragons on Earth.
3. Lamia is the queen of Libya, daughter of the Lord of the Sea. According to myth, she was one of Zeus’s lovers, for which Hera hated her. The goddess turned Lamia into a monster that kidnaps children. In Ancient Greece, lamias were the name given to ghouls and bloodsuckers who hypnotized young girls and boys, killed them or drank their blood. Lamia was depicted as a woman with a snake body.
4. Grai - goddesses of old age, sisters of the Gorgons. Their names are Terror (Enyo), Anxiety (Pefredo) and Trembling (Deino). From birth they were gray-haired, they had only one eye for three, so they used it in turns. According to the myth of Perseus, the Graians knew the location of the Gorgon. To obtain this information, as well as to find out where to get the invisibility helmet, winged sandals and bag, Perseus took the eye from them.
5. - a fairy-tale winged horse. Translated from ancient Greek, his name meant “stormy current.” According to myth, no one before Bellerophon could ride this wonderful white horse, which, at the slightest danger, flapped its huge wings and flew beyond the clouds. Pegasus is a favorite of poets, artists and sculptors. A weapon, a constellation, and ray-finned fish are named in his honor.
6. - daughter of Keto and her brother Phokis. Mythology suggests that there were three gorgons: the most famous is Medusa the Gorgon and her two sisters Stheno and Euryale. They caused indescribable fear. They had female bodies covered with scales, snakes instead of hair, huge fangs, a body. Everyone who looked into their eyes turned to stone. In a figurative sense, the word “gorgon” means a grumpy and angry woman.
7. - a monster whose anatomy was terrifying and amazing at the same time. It had three heads: one was a goat's, the other was a lion's, and instead of a tail there was a snake's head. The beast breathed, destroying with fire everything that came in its way. The chimera was the personification of a volcano: there are many green pastures on its slopes, a lion’s den at the top, and snake coblas at the base. In honor of this magical creature, orders of fish were named. Chimera is a prototype of gargoyles.
8. - a demonic female folklore character who was born from Melpomene or Terpsichore and the god Achelous. The Siren was depicted as half-fish, half-woman or half-bird, half-maiden. From their mother they inherited a beautiful appearance and a unique voluptuous voice, and from their father - a wild disposition. The demigoddesses attacked the sailors, starting to sing, the men lost their minds, sent their ships to the rocks and died. The merciless maidens fed on the bodies of sailors. Sirens are muses of the other world, so their images were often painted on tombstones and monuments. These mythical creatures became the prototype for a whole group of mythical sea creatures.
9. - a popular mythical character, represented in the form of a magical bird with golden-scarlet feathers. Phoenix is ​​a collective image of various birds: peacock, heron, crane, etc. Most often it is depicted as an eagle. The distinctive quality of this fabulous winged character was self-immolation and rebirth from the ashes. The Phoenix has become an indicator of man's desire for immortality. He is a favorite poetic symbol of light. A plant and one of the brightest celestial constellations were named in his honor.
10. - little-known but interesting magical giants that look like men. A distinctive characteristic of Hecatonchires was that they had many eyes. And one body could hold fifty heads. They lived in dungeons, because immediately after their birth, Uranus imprisoned them in the ground for its own safety. After the complete defeat of the titans, the hecotoncheires volunteered to guard the entrance to the place where the titans were imprisoned.
11. - another female child, which, according to myths, was produced by Echidna and Typhon. This is a dangerous and terrible creature that was amazing in its description. She had nine dragon heads and the body of a snake. One of these heads was unkillable, that is, immortal. Therefore, she was considered invincible, because when her head was cut off, two more grew in its place. The monster was constantly hungry, so she devastated the local surroundings, burning crops, killing and eating animals that got in her way. It was of enormous size: as soon as the mythical creature rose on its tail, it was visible far beyond the forest. The constellation, satellite of the planet Pluto and the genus Coelenterata are named after Hydra.
12. - pre-Olympic creatures who are the daughters of Electra and Thaumant. Harpies were depicted as girls with beautiful faces, long hair and wings. They were constantly hungry and, thanks to their origin, invulnerable. While hunting, harpies descended from the mountains into forest thickets or fields near settlements, attacked livestock with piercing screams and devoured the animals. The gods sent them as punishment. Mythical monsters did not allow people to eat normally, this happened until the moment the person became exhausted and died. The name “harpy” is inherent in extremely greedy, insatiable, evil women.
13. Empusa is a little-known mythical demoness who lives in an otherworldly realm. She was a ghost - a vampire with the head and body of a woman, and her lower limbs were those of a donkey. Her peculiarity is that she could take on different forms - sweet and innocent maidens, dogs or horses. Ancient people believed that she stole small children, attacked lonely travelers and sucked their blood. To drive away Empusa, you need to have a special amulet with you.
14. - good mythical creatures, because in mythology they personified vigilant power and unique insight. This is an animal with the body of a lion, huge and powerful wings and the head of an eagle. The griffin's eyes had a golden hue. The griffin had a simple functional purpose - to protect. The ancient Hellenes believed that these creatures were the guardians of the gold reserves of Asia. The image of a griffin was depicted on weapons, coins and other objects.

North American magical creatures

America was colonized quite late. For this, Europeans often called the continent the New World. But if we return to historical origins, then North America is also rich in ancient civilizations that have sunk into oblivion.

Many of them have disappeared forever, but various mythical creatures are still known today. Here is a partial list of those:

• Lechuza (Lechusa) - the ancient inhabitants of Texas called a werewolf witch with the head of a woman and the body of an owl. Lechuzas are girls who sold their souls to the devil in exchange for magical powers. At night they turned into monsters, so they were often seen flying around in search of profit. There is another version of the appearance of lechuza - it is the spirit of a murdered woman who returned for revenge. Lechusa was compared to such representatives of the ancient world as harpies and banshees.
• - small and very kind fairy-tale characters, whose image is actively used in modern Western culture. According to legend, they got their name because they put money or gifts under a child's pillow in exchange for a lost tooth. The main benefit of this character with wings is that they encourage the child to take care of his appearance and compensate for the loss of a tooth. It was possible to give a gift to the fairy on any day except December 25, because on Christmas such a gift would entail the death of the fairy.
• La Llorona is the name given to a ghostly woman mourning her children. Her image is very common in Mexico and the surrounding North American states. La Llorona is depicted as a pale woman in white, wandering near bodies of water and along deserted streets with a bundle in her hands. A meeting with her is dangerous, because after this the person begins to have problems. This image was popular among parents, who intimidated their naughty children by threatening that La Llorona might take them away.
• Bloody Mary - if you open the atlas, this mystical image is associated with the state of Pennsylvania. Here a legend appeared about a small and evil old woman who lived in the thicket of the forest and practiced witchcraft. In nearby villages and hamlets, children began to disappear. One day, a miller tracked his daughter to Bloody Mary’s home. For this, her fellow villagers burned her at the stake. Burning, she shouted a curse. After her death, children's bodies were found buried around the house. The image of Bloody Mary was used for fortune telling on Halloween night. A cocktail is named in her honor.
• Chihuateteo - this word in Aztec mythology refers to rare creatures, unusual women who died during childbirth and subsequently became vampires. Childbirth is a form of battle for life. According to legend, Chihuateos accompanied male warriors at sunset. And at night, like succubi, they seduced representatives of the stronger half, sucking energy out of them, and also kidnapped children to quench their thirst. To charm and subjugate, the Chihuateteo could practice magic and witchcraft.
• Wendigos are evil spirits. In the ancient world, people meant by this word “all-consuming evil.” The Wendigo is a tall creature with sharp fangs, a lipless mouth, it is insatiable and its silhouette features are similar to those of a human. They split into small groups and pursue their victims. People who find themselves in the forest initially hear strange sounds, while looking for the source of these sounds, they could only see a flashing silhouette. It is impossible to hit a Windigo with conventional weapons. Only silver items can take it, and it can also be destroyed by fire.
• A goatman is a humanoid that is similar to a satyr or . He is described as having a human body and the head of a goat. According to some reports, he is depicted with horns. Height up to 3.5 m, he attacks animals and people.
• Hodag is a powerful monster of an indeterminate kind. It is described as a large animal, reminiscent of a rhinoceros, but instead of a horn, the hodag has a diamond-shaped appendage, thanks to which the fairy-tale character can only see straight ahead. According to legend, he ate white bulldogs. According to another description, he has bone growths in the area of ​​his back and head.
• The Great Serpent is the central religious and social symbol of the Mayan tribe. The serpent is associated with the celestial bodies; according to legend, it helps to cross the space of the heavens. Shedding old skin is a symbol of renewal and full rebirth. He was depicted as having two heads. With horns, the spirits of previous generations emerged from its jaws.
• Baycock is a prominent representative of the mythology of the Cherokee Indians. He was presented as an emaciated man with scarlet fiery eyes. He was dressed in rags or ordinary hunting clothes. Every Indian could become a beycock if he died shamefully, or committed a bad deed: lying, killing relatives, etc. They hunted only warriors, were fast and merciless. To stop the chaos, you need to collect the baycock bones and arrange a normal funeral. Then the monster will calmly go to rest in the afterlife.

European mythical characters

Europe is a huge continent that contains many different states and nationalities.

European mythology has collected many fairy-tale characters that are associated with ancient Greek civilization and the Middle Ages.

Creation	Description
	A magical creature in the form of a horse with a horn protruding from its forehead. The unicorn is a symbol of search and spiritual purity. He played a huge role in many medieval tales and legends. One of them says that when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden for sin, God gave the unicorn a choice - to leave with the people or stay in Paradise. He preferred the former, and was especially blessed for his sympathy. Alchemists compared swift unicorns with one of the elements - mercury.
Undine	In Western European folklore, undines are the spirits of young maidens who committed suicide because of unrequited love. Their real names were hidden. They are like sirens. The Ondines were distinguished by their beautiful appearance, luxurious, long hair, which they often combed on the coastal stones. In some legends, undines were like mermaids, they had a fish tail instead of legs. The Scandinavians believed that those who got to the Undines did not find their way back.
Valkyries	Famous representatives of Scandinavian mythology, assistants of Odin. At first they were considered angels of death and spirits of battles. Later they were depicted as Odin's shield-bearer, maidens with golden curls and fair skin. They served the heroes by serving drinks and food in Valhalla.
	Mythological creatures from Ireland. Mourners dressed in gray cloaks, with bright red eyes and white hair from tears. Their language is incomprehensible to humans. Her cry is the sobs of a child mixed with the howling of a wolf and the cry of geese. She can change her appearance from a pale-skinned girl to an ugly old woman. Banshees protect representatives of ancient families. But the meeting with the creature foreshadowed imminent death.
Huldra	A young girl from a clan of trolls, fair-haired, of extraordinary beauty. The name "huldra" means "hiding". According to tradition, she is considered an evil spirit. What distinguished the huldra from ordinary women was the tail of a cow. If a baptism ceremony was performed on her, she lost her tail. Huldra dreamed of becoming related to a person, so she lured men. After meeting her, the man became lost to the world. Male representatives taught them various crafts, including playing musical instruments. Some managed to give birth to a child from a man, then they gained immortality.

At all times, people have tried to explain what they could not control and what they could not interfere with. This is how many legends and mythological characters appeared. Different peoples had approximately the same idea of ​​magical creatures. Therefore, the undine, the banshee and La Llorona are identical.

World folklore is populated by a huge number of amazing fantastic animals. In different cultures, incredible properties or skills were attributed to them. Despite their 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, also called “Bestiary of Mythical Creatures.”

Causes

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 his own way. Mythical creatures, who, according to people, were guilty of what was happening, were called to help.

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

But there is another theory for their appearance. The possibility 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, just not in our reality.

What were they like?

The "Bestiary of Mythical Creatures" was among the main sources of information. There were not many publications systematizing the animal world of the planet. It is difficult to talk about its reliability. Completely mythical creatures were listed there and described in great detail. 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 logically incompatible, representatives of the animal world. These were basically the mythical creatures of Ancient Greece. But they could also combine human traits.

Many mythical creatures' skills are borrowed from their environment. The ability to grow new heads echoes the ability of lizards to restore a severed tail. The ability to spew fire can be compared to how some snakes can spit venom 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 looked like. Different nationalities have pictures with their images.

Demi-humans

The fictional images also contained human traits. They were used in different versions: an animal with human body parts, or vice versa - a person with the characteristics of an animal. A separate group in many cultures is represented by demihumans (mythical creatures). 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 depicted 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, half-man, half-donkey. He had a mean character and was considered a rare hypocrite, often compared to Satan.

The famous minotaur is directly related to the “mythical creatures” group. 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 in fear, demanding an annual sacrifice in the form of seven young men and women. The monster devoured the unfortunate in his labyrinth on the island of Crete.

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

Harpies were considered wind spirits. 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 swift creatures took food from a person, dooming him to starvation. They were credited with stealing children and human souls.

The half-maiden, half-snake is vicious, attractive in appearance, but terrible in its serpentine essence. She specialized in kidnapping travelers. She was the mother of a number of monsters.

Sirens appeared to travelers in the form of predatory beauties, with the head and body of an elegant woman. Instead of hands, they had terrible bird paws with huge claws. The beautiful melodic voice they inherited from their mother served as a lure for people. Sailing towards the mesmerizing singing, the ships crashed on the rocks, and the sailors died, torn to pieces by the sirens.

The Sphinx was a rare monster - the breasts and face of a woman, the body of a lion with sweeping wings. His craving for riddles caused the death of masses 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.

Water creatures

Mythical creatures of Greece also lived in the waters of oceans, seas, rivers, and swamps. They were inhabited by naiads. The springs in which they lived were almost always healing. For disrespectful attitude towards nature, for example, polluting 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 knew how to create a powerful whirlpool that appeared three times a day. It sucked in all the ships passing by. Scylla lay in wait for sailors near a cave in the rock of the Strait of Sicily. There was trouble on both sides of the narrow strip of water. And today the expression “falling between Charybdis and Scylla” means a threat from two 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 with a fish tail. It served as a means of transportation for sea gods - Nereids and Tritons.

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, the front legs replacing bird feet with huge claws, and the head resembling that of an eagle. Every living thing died from his scream. People believed that griffins guarded the treasures of the Scythians. They were also used by the goddess Nemesis as draft animals for her cart, which symbolized the inevitability and speed of punishment for sins committed.

The phoenix was a mixture of different types of birds. In his appearance one could detect features of a crane, peacock, and eagle. The ancient Greeks considered him immortal. And the phoenix’s ability to be reborn symbolized man’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, a phoenix voluntarily throws itself into the flames. His death returns harmony and happiness to the human world. Three days later, a renewed bird is reborn from the ashes, ready to repeat its fate for the well-being of the human race.

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

The winged horse Pegasus, although born from the head of a dying gorgon, became a symbol of a reliable friend, talent and boundless intelligence. He combined the power of an independent creature from gravity, a horse and life force. The graceful, swift, free, beautiful winged horse still serves people of art.

Female mythical creatures

In Slavic culture, female mythical creatures served to destroy people. A whole army of kikimoras, mermaids, and witches tried to drive people away from the world at the first opportunity.

No less scary and evil female mythical creatures of Ancient Greece. Not everyone was originally born as a monster. Many became such by the will of the gods, taking on a terrible image as punishment for any misdeeds. They differ in their “place of residence” and way of life. They are united by the desire to destroy man, and this is how evil mythical creatures live. The 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 passed down 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 abilities and are clearly divided by habitat.

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

"Domestic" creatures

The brownie, the spirit of a human home, protected the house from all sorts of troubles and troubles, including thieves and fires. He had the power of invisibility, but cats noticed him. When a family moved to another place, the brownie was always invited with them, carrying out the appropriate rituals. The custom of letting a cat into the house first has a simple explanation - the brownie rides in on it.

He always treats his household well, but does not tolerate lazy and grumpy people. Broken dishes or scattered cereals make it clear that he is dissatisfied. If the family does not listen to him and does not correct himself, the brownie may leave. Then the house is doomed to destruction; a fire or other misfortune will not keep you waiting.

The yard servant is directly subordinate to the brownie. His responsibilities include looking after the household outside the house: the barn, barns, and yard. He is rather indifferent to people, but it is not recommended to anger him.

Another spirit - anchutka - is divided according to place of residence: field, water and home. A little dirty trickster, not recommended for communication. Anchutka does not possess any useful information; hypocrisy and the ability to deceive are inherent in him at the genetic level. His main entertainment is making various sounds, which can drive a person with a weak psyche 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 from the entrance, where, according to custom, all the garbage was swept away. This is an energetic creation, devoid of flesh, but with 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 kikimoras are also curious; there are several of them and all are considered correct:

• a deceased baby can become a kikimora; this group includes all stillborn, premature babies or miscarriages;
• children born from the sinful relationship 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 give adults terrible hallucinations. Thus, they can deprive a person of reason or drive him to suicide. But there are special conspiracies against them, which were used by witches and magicians. A simpler method will also work: a buried silver object under the threshold will not allow the kikimora into the house.

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

Mythical creatures of nature

One of the most famous mythical forest-dwelling creatures 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, the goblin is friendly towards people. But such an attitude will only be towards people with a pure and bright soul. He will point out mushroom and berry places and lead you on a shortcut. And if a traveler shows respect to the devil and pampers him with a gift, an egg or a piece of cheese, he can count on protection from fierce animals or dark forces.

By the appearance of the forest itself, one could determine whether the light goblin was in charge, or whether he had switched to Chernobog’s side. In this case, the property is unkempt, overgrown, dense and impassable. Such careless “owners” are punished by God Veles himself. He expels them from the forest and transfers possession to another goblin.

Dashing, oddly enough, lives in a swamp. In essence, 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 reaction to human actions.

As they describe, this is a strong, vindictive and ferocious creature in different guises - sometimes in the form of a giant, sometimes in the form of a tall, stooped undead woman. They are similar in one thing - the dashing man has only one eye, but despite this, no one managed to escape from him.

Meeting with a dashing person is dangerous. His curses and ability to send trouble to a person can ultimately lead to death.

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

• Vodyanitsa. They live only in water, never come to land, serve the merman, are absolutely harmless, and can only scare with their tickling. They look like ordinary naked girls, and can briefly turn into fish or swans.
• Loskotukhi. A special type of mermaid. Their time is at night, they can go to the banks of rivers and lakes. Naked 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 their 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 was her brother. Realizing that they could not be together, the girl threw herself off a cliff into the river and drowned. Since then he has been wandering along the river bank, looking for his husband. Every handsome guy gets sucked into the pool. There, having looked closely and realized that she had pulled the wrong person into the pool, she lets go. True, this no longer helps the young man; by that time he manages to drown. This is the only type of mermaid that “specializes” exclusively in young men.
• Lobasta. The most terrible type of mermaids. They sell their soul to Chernobog. They look creepy, like monsters with some female body parts. Strong and evil creatures that can attack individually or in groups. The best means of salvation is to run away from them.

Despite such diversity, all mermaids are related to the female gender. It is generally accepted that girls whose death is somehow connected with water turn to them.

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

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

Mythical creatures and cinema

Modern computer graphics allows you to make films on the theme of mythical creatures without any restrictions. The fertile, inexhaustible theme inspires an entire army of filmmakers.

Scenarios are written based on famous epics, myths, legends with an admixture of mysticism and superstition. Films about mythical creatures are also made in the genres of fantasy, horror, and mysticism.

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

Mythical creatures in the modern world

A person's delving into himself, trying to find out as much as possible about his personality led to the creation of a lot of different tests. The “What mythical creature are you?” test has been developed and is widely popular. After answering a number of questions, the test taker receives his characteristics. It also indicates the mythical creature to which it most closely corresponds.

Attempts to explain the incredible phenomena associated with brownies, barabashkas and other “neighbors” push researchers into desperate attempts to take photos of mythical creatures. Modern sensitive technology gives researchers hope to capture the desired objects. Sometimes some light spots or shadows appear in photographs. No expert can say 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.

Unicorns and mermaids - fact or fiction? We present a list of mythical creatures, evidence of whose existence people continue to search for over the centuries.

Water creatures

Loch Ness monster

The monster, according to legend, living in Loch Ness, is affectionately called Nessie by the Scots. The first mention of this creature is found in the chronicle of the Aion Monastery, dated to the 5th century BC.

The next mention of a “water beast” occurs in 1880 - due to a sailboat that drowned in Loch Ness. The circumstances of the crash were very unusual: according to eyewitnesses’ descriptions, as soon as the ship reached the middle of the reservoir, it was suddenly broken in half by something that resembled tentacles or a tail.

Rumors about the existence of the monster began to spread widely after 1933, when the Evening Couriers newspaper published a detailed account of an “eyewitness” who noticed an unknown creature in the lake.

In September 2016, amateur photographer Ian Bremner managed to take a photo of a 2-meter snake-like creature cutting through the surface of Loch Ness. The photograph is quite convincing, but in the press Bremner was accused of a hoax, and someone decided that the photo depicted three frolicking seals.

Mermaids

It is widely believed that mermaids are girls who live at the bottom of a river or sea and have a fish tail instead of legs. However, in the myths of different peoples, mermaids are the guardians of forests, fields and reservoirs, and they walk on two legs. In Western cultures, mermaids are called Nymphs, Naiads or Ondines.

In Slavic folklore, the souls of drowned women turned into mermaids. Some ancient Slavic peoples also believed that the mermaid was the spirit of a deceased child who died during the Rusal (preceding the Trinity) week. It was believed that during these 7 days mermaids walked the Earth, emerging from the water after the Ascension of the Lord.

Mermaids are considered evil spirits that can harm a person, for example, drown him. It was customary to depict these creatures naked and without a headdress, less often in a torn sundress.

Sirens

According to legend, sirens are winged maidens with enchanting voices. They received their wings from the gods when they instructed them to find the fertility goddess Persephone, who had been kidnapped by Hades.

According to another version, they became winged because they could not fulfill the orders of the gods. As punishment, the thunderer Zeus left them a beautiful girl's body, but turned his arms into wings, which is why they could no longer remain in the human world.

The meeting of people with sirens is described in Homer's poem "Odyssey". Mythical maidens enchanted sailors with their singing, and their ships crashed on the reefs. Captain Odysseus ordered his crew to plug their ears with beeswax to resist the sweet-voiced half-women, half-birds, and his ship escaped destruction.

Kraken

The Kraken is a Scandinavian monster that sinks ships. A half-dragon with huge octopus tentacles terrified Icelandic sailors in the 18th century. In the 1710s, Danish naturalist Eric Pontoppidan first described the kraken in his journals. According to legends, an animal the size of a floating island darkened the surface of the sea and pulled ships to the bottom with huge tentacles.

200 years later, in 1897, researchers discovered the giant squid Architeutis, reaching 16.5 meters in length, in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It has been suggested that this creature was mistaken for a kraken two centuries earlier.

It is not so easy to spot a kraken in the vastness of the ocean: when its body protrudes above the water, it is easy to mistake it for a small island, of which there are thousands in the ocean.

Flying creatures

Phoenix

Phoenix is ​​an immortal bird with flaming wings, capable of burning itself and being reborn. When the phoenix senses the approach of death, it burns, and in its place a chick appears in the nest. Phoenix life cycle: about 500 years.

Mentions of the phoenix are found in the myths of Ancient Greece in the mythology of the ancient Egyptian Heliopolis, in which the phoenix is ​​described as the patron of large time cycles.

This fabulous bird with bright red plumage represents renewal and immortality in modern culture. Thus, a phoenix rising from a flame, accompanied by the inscription “One Phoenix of the whole world,” is depicted on the medals of Queen Elizabeth II of England.

Pegasus

The snow-white horse with eagle wings is named Pegasus. This fabulous creature is the fruit of the love of Medusa the Gorgon and Poseidon. According to legend, Pegasus emerged from Medusa's neck when Poseidon cut off her head. There is another legend that says that Pegasus appeared from drops of the Gorgon’s blood.

The constellation Pegasus, which is located southwest near Andromeda and consists of 166 stars, is named after this fictional winged horse.

Dragon

Serpent Gorynych is an evil character in Slavic fairy tales and epics. Its characteristic feature is three fire-breathing heads. The body, covered with shiny scales, ends in an arrow-shaped tail, and its paws have sharp claws. He guards the gate separating the world of the dead and the world of the living. This place is located on the Kalinov Bridge, which is over the Smorodina River, or the river of fire.

The first mentions of the Snake date back to the 11th century. On the harp made by the settlers of the Novgorod lands, you can find images of a three-headed lizard, which was originally considered the king of the underwater world.

In some legends, Gorynych lives in the mountains (therefore it is believed that his name comes from the word “mountain”). In others, he sleeps on a stone in the sea and combines the ability to control two elements at once - fire and water.

Wyvern

A wyvern is a mythical dragon-like creature with one pair of legs and wings. It is not capable of spitting fire, but its fangs are saturated with deadly poison. In other myths, the poison was contained at the end of the sting, with which the lizard pierced its victim. Some legends say that it was the poison of wyverns that caused the first plague.

It is known that the first legends about wyverns appeared in the Stone Age: this creature personified ferocity. Subsequently, his image was used by the leaders of the troops to instill fear in the enemy.

A wyvern-like creature can be found on Orthodox icons depicting the fight of St. Michael (or George) with a dragon.

Land creatures

Unicorns

Unicorns are stately, noble creatures symbolizing chastity. According to legend, they live in forest thickets and only innocent maidens can catch them.

The earliest evidence of unicorns dates back to the 5th century BC. The ancient Greek historian Ctesias was the first to describe “Indian wild asses with one horn on their forehead, blue eyes and a red head,” and whoever drinks wine or water from the horn of this donkey will be cured of all diseases and will never get sick again.

No one except Ctesias saw this animal, but his story became widespread thanks to Aristotle, who included a description of the unicorn in his History of Animals.

Bigfoot/Yeti

Bigfoot, or Yeti, is a huge humanoid creature with similar features to a monkey and lives in deserted high mountain areas.

The first mentions of Bigfoot were recorded from the words of Chinese peasants: in 1820, they met a tall, shaggy monster with large paws. In the 1880s, European countries began organizing expeditions to search for traces of Bigfoot.

The possible existence of this humanoid beast is evidenced by the found half-meter footprints of human-like feet. Also, in the monastery of the village of Kumjung in Nepal, an object passed off as the scalp of a bigfoot is kept.

Valkyries

Valkyries are called warrior maidens from the Scandinavian pantheon of gods who watch the battlefield unnoticed by people. After the battle, they pick up the fallen brave men on a winged horse and carry them to Valhalla, the castle in the abode of the gods, where feasts are held for them, praising their courage.

On rare occasions, the maidens are allowed to decide the outcome of a battle, but most often they carry out the will of their father Odin, who decides who will be the victor in a bloody battle.

Valkyries are most often depicted wearing armor and helmets with horns, and a shining light emanates from their swords. The story goes that the god Odin endowed his daughters with the ability of compassion so that they would accompany those killed in battle to the “hall of the slain.”

Sphinx

The name of the mythical creature Sphinx comes from the ancient Greek word "sphingo", which means "to choke". The earliest images of this creature were created 10 thousand years BC in the territory of modern Turkey. However, the image of the sphinx with the body of a lion and the head of a woman is known to us from the myths of Ancient Greece.

Legend has it that a female sphinx guarded the entrance to the city of Thebes. Everyone who met her on their way had to guess the riddle: “Who walks in the morning on four legs, in the afternoon on two, and in the evening on three?” People who did not guess right died from the clawed paws, and only Oedipus was able to name the correct answer: man.

The essence of the solution is that when a person is born, he crawls on all fours, in adulthood he walks on two legs, and in old age he is forced to rely on a cane. Then the monster threw itself from the top of the mountain into the abyss, and entry into Thebes became free.

The editors of the site invite you to learn about the most unusual non-fictional creatures.
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Myths and legends, any oral or written traditions tend to disappear over time and be erased from human memory.

This fate befell many characters, both good and bad. Some images were modified under the influence of religion or the peculiarities of the folklore of nations that gradually assimilated the indigenous people who gave rise to such a fantasy.

Others remained in the memory of mankind and even became a kind of “trademark”, a hot topic for books, films and computer games.

A mythical creature does not necessarily have features exaggerated by human imagination. Monsters can be of a completely natural appearance, be it an animal, a demigod, or an evil spirit taking the form of a human.

All of them have one thing in common - the attempt of ancient man to explain natural phenomena, disasters and misfortunes by the intervention of an extraterrestrial force, cruel and indifferent.

However, sometimes mythical animals, characters and images begin to live on their own. Once told, a legend is passed on from person to person, acquiring details and new facts.

What they all have in common is a terrible disposition, fear of losing accumulated wealth and an extremely long life span.

The character of such a creature is peculiar. Most of the dragons are wise, but hot-tempered, cruel and proud.

The hero often speculates on the lizard's attitude towards himself in order to later kill him through deception and cunning and take possession of the dragon's untold riches.

Later, many variations of the original image appeared. Thanks to John Tolkien, Robert Salvatore and many other authors of the fantasy genre, dragons were divided by color and even acquired a direct “kinship” with the original forces.

Terrors in the night, a reflection on the fangs of a vampire

A monster capable of drinking the blood of a person or subjugating him to his will. This evil spirits should be considered as an extremely harmful and cruel creature.

The villagers mercilessly drive an aspen stake into the next corpse, the carpenter famously chops off a cervical vertebra with an ax, and the next “vampire” goes to the Underworld.

Before Bram Stoker's novel was published, vampires were not given anthropomorphic features. So, for example, a blood-sucking creature from South America looks like a mixture of a hellhound with various kinds of monsters.

In the Philippines, a vampire is even depicted as a winged torso with a proboscis similar to that of a mosquito.

Thus, the monster “drinks” a person, taking away his youth, beauty and strength.

Ancient people were not so scrupulous and believed that it was enough for a creature to cut off its head, or cut out its heart.

Personal transport for every virgin

Not every mythical creature is terrible in nature, because darkness cannot exist without light, however, just like vice versa.

Mythical animals quite often act as guides for the protagonist, helping him with both advice and deeds.

The messenger of the primordial light, at least according to most legends, is. This creature is pure by nature, aggression and violence are alien to it, so these animals do not remain in the modern world.

The most remarkable fact is that the unicorn has a strange “connection” with the virgin, feels her and always comes to the call.

An interesting fact: the harsh northern peoples of Rus' have their own unicorn, huge and “callous”.

Does it sound satirical? And yet they describe it exactly like that. Unlike the shiny and light creature, Indrik belongs to the spirits of mother earth, and therefore looks the part.

The huge “earth mouse” is not attracted to virgins, but it can also come to the aid of a soul lost in the mountains.

We don’t know what - chimeras

The last chords of life - siren

Despite the fact that a siren and a mermaid are different concepts, they have a lot in common, which ultimately led to a conditional juggling of names and a little confusion.

However, this is acceptable. In Greek mythology, the Sirens are the nymphs of Persephone, who lost the will to live with their mistress when she went to Hades.

With their singing, they lured sailors to the island, where they devoured their bodies, probably out of longing for their patroness.

Odysseus almost fell into their net, and he even ordered his comrades to tie themselves up so as not to become prey to carnivorous fish women.

Later, the image migrated to the mythology of Europe and even became a kind of common noun personifying the temptation of the deep sea for a sailor.

There have been theories that mermaids are actually manatees, which may resemble fish with anthropomorphic features, but the image itself remains relevant to this day.

Witnesses of the past - Bigfoot, Yeti and Bigfoot

Unlike other characters, these creatures are still found throughout the world.

Regardless of their veracity, the very fact of such finds is living proof that the images not only still exist, but also remain relevant.

What they have in common is their similarity with various stages of the evolutionary cycle of human development.

They are huge, have a thick coat of wool, are fast and strong. Despite their meager intelligence, the creatures continue to stubbornly avoid all the ingenious traps created by various kinds of hunters for mystical secrets.

Mythical animals remain an extremely relevant topic, in demand not only by art workers, but also by historians.

The epic had a huge influence on the development of humanity and the skepticism with which a modern resident of a metropolis treats such mysteries is dictated precisely by mythology and its “domestication” of the forces of nature.

There are a huge number of myths in the world in which various 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 spotted 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 common features with real animals and even people, while others embody the fears of people living in different times. Every continent has legends that involve unique mythical animals and creatures associated with local folklore.

Slavic mythical creatures

Legends that arose during the times of the ancient Slavs are familiar to many, since they formed the basis of various fairy tales. The 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, various heroes and entities, both good and bad. Many Greek mythical creatures have become characters in various modern stories.

Mythical animals in Scandinavian 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, lived in England in ancient times 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 we consider their mythology. This is due to the geographical location, unpredictable elements and national color. The ancient mythical creatures of Japan are unique.

Mythical creatures of South America

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

Mythical creatures of Africa

Considering 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 listed for a long time. Good mythical creatures are little known in Africa.

Mythical creatures from the Bible

While reading the main holy book, one may encounter different entities that are unknown. Some of them are similar to dinosaurs and mammoths.