In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk (/ ˈ b æ s ɪ l ɪ s k / or / ˈ b æ z ɪ l ɪ s k /, from the Greek βασιλίσκος basilískos, "little king"; Latin regulus) is a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king who can cause death with a single glance.
Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is a giant ape-like creature that is said to roam the Pacific Northwest. There is scant physical evidence that such creatures exist, but Bigfoot buffs are convinced that they do, and that science will soon prove it.
Centaurs are half-human, half-horse creatures in Greek mythology. They have the body of a horse and the torso, head and arms of a man. They were considered to be the children of Ixion, king of the Lapiths, and Nephele, a cloud made in the image of Hera.
Cerberus was a three-headed dog that guarded the entrance of the Underworld, allowing the dead to enter but letting none out. He was the son of Typhon and Echidna. Apart from his three heads, he also had a serpent's tail, a mane of snakes and the claws of a lion.
Charybdis was a sea monster in Greek mythology, which dwelt in the Strait of Messina. It was later rationalised as a whirlpool. It was believed that Charybdis lived under a rock on one side of the strait. Opposite Charybdis, Ancient Greeks believed there was another sea monster, Scylla, which lived inside a rock.
The term Chimera has come to describe any mythical or fictional animal with parts taken from various animals, or to describe anything composed of very disparate parts, or perceived as wildly imaginative, implausible, or dazzling. The sight of a Chimera was an omen for disaster.
The Chupacabra is a legendary cryptid often associated with Mexico, and well-known across Latin America. One of the locations the Chupacabra has made an impact in the past is in Puerto Rico. One of the locations the Chupacabra has made an impact in the past is in Puerto Rico.
Cockatrice, also called basilisk, in the legends of Hellenistic and Roman times, a small serpent, possibly the Egyptian cobra, known as a basilikos (“kinglet”) and credited with powers of destroying all animal and vegetable life by its mere look or breath.
Whether you are religious or not, demons have played a large part in mythology, books, movies, and even music. Films, such as "Paranormal Activity", "The Exorcist", "The Exorcism of Emily Rose", "Fallen", and--more recently--"The Last Exorcism", have made demons something to fear.
The Dullahan (/ ˈ d uː l ə ˌ h ɑː n /) is a headless rider, usually on a black horse who carries his or her own head under one arm. Usually, the Dullahan is male, but there are some female versions. The mouth is usually in a hideous grin that touches both sides of the head.
More confusingly, ‘fairy’ has sometimes been used to describe (and implicitly to dismiss) many characters from ancient Celtic myth, legend, saga, and folklore. Yet the first citations of fairy lore appear in the writings of the learned elite, such as Giraldus Cambrensis (c.1146–1223).
There are plenty of exaggerations, myths and outright lies circulating about the so-called Loch Ness Monster—which is especially galling to paleontologists, who are constantly being told by people who should know better (and by overeager reality-TV producers) that Nessie is a long-extinct dinosaur or marine reptile.
Manticore – Mythological Greek Manticore The Manticore, a mythological Greek beast was a fearsome sight, with the body of a lion, and the mane to match, the Manticore had a humanoid head, which was teamed with the tail from the deadly scorpion.
Medusa Medusa was a monster, one of the Gorgon sisters and daughter of Phorkys and Keto, the children of Gaea (Earth) and Oceanus (Ocean). She had the face of an ugly woman with snakes instead of hair; anyone who looked into her eyes was immediately turned to stone.
The Minotaur was a monster in Greek mythology, half-bull and half-human. He lived in the Labyrinth, which expanded underneath the court of King Minos in Crete, and he was born from the union of Minos' wife Pasiphae with the Cretan Bull.
Modern additions to the myth in popular culture say the tears of the phoenix have great healing powers, and if the phoenix is near one cannot tell a lie. Continually morphing and remorphing, the phoenix represents the idea that the end is only the beginning. Much like this powerful myth, the symbol of the phoenix will be reborn over and over again in human legend and imagination.
Yet Selkies play a prominent role in the mythology of Scandinavia, Scotland and Ireland. Their myths are romantic tragedies, a common theme for land/sea romances, however it is the Selkies who suffer rather than their human lovers and spouses.
The Sirens' song was a beautiful, yet sad melody, eternally calling for Persephone's return. The Argonauts encountered the Sirens but successfully evaded them; Orpheus, who was on board, started playing his lyre so beautifully that the music completely drowned the Sirens' song.
A sphinx was a mythical monster, which had the head of a human and the body of a lion. Sphinxes also appeared in Egyptian mythology; the two cultures had tight links and had considerably influenced each other. In Greek mythology, the sphinx was considered to be a woman.