Today these creatures seem to be a figment of the imagination, but many centuries ago people believed in their real existence. There is no reliable evidence that they really existed, so it was decided to treat them as mythical creatures. We invite you to get acquainted with the ten most popular creatures, whose image is glorified in the myths of different cultures for their beauty, cruelty or magical power.

10. Kraken/Leviathan

The Kraken is a giant octopus with uncontrollable aggression, while the Leviathan is a seven-headed monster known for its enormous size. In any case, the presence of these monsters in the world's oceans would threaten the safety of navigation. No one knows whether these monsters really exist or are a figment of human imagination. Only one thing is known that these are the most aggressive ocean creatures, based on the plots of myths about them.

A human body on horse legs, a buffalo head on a human body, or a lion with a human head – these mutants can be listed endlessly, as they are replete with myths of different cultures around the world. A chimera with the head of a lion, wings of a dragon and the body of a goat is also on this list. Many of these creatures had mostly positive characteristics, like the Pegasus or the centaur, but there were also such cruel creatures as the Chimera.

The phoenix, a beautiful, colorful bird, comes from Greek mythology and is a symbol of early Christianity. He lived a long life and died, incinerating himself in order to be reborn from the ashes and begin a new eternal life. Some myths say that the Phoenix could live up to 1400 years, then die and be reborn again. This is one of the most famous mythical creatures, which often became the hero of literary works, including the Harry Potter novels.

7. Unicorn

A creature with the body and head of a horse with a sharp horn on its forehead is the legendary unicorn, a mythical animal that is a symbol of purity of thoughts and grace, associated with innocence. Many believe that the unicorn existed, but was exterminated because of its horn, which had healing properties.

The only similarity between the mermaid and the siren is that their upper part was similar to the human body of a woman, and the lower part was represented in the form of a fish tail. Sirens were a product of Greek mythology and were considered the nightmare of any sailor. They could make any man fall in love with them, luring him with their beauty and bewitching singing. Mermaids are generally very popular in works of art, they were often depicted by artists, and films were made about them. Despite numerous oral historical accounts of their existence, even provided by Christopher Columbus during his voyage to the Caribbean, there is no physical evidence. Only fairy tales and epics.

5. Werewolf

In folklore, there are stories about people who can turn into wolves or wolf-like creatures. If someone is bitten or scratched by such an animal, he will turn into a werewolf.

Bigfoot is a giant-sized man whose body is covered with thick fur. They are said to live primarily in forests in the Pacific region. Despite the fact that photographs were taken of Bigfoot himself and his footprint, scientists do not believe in his real existence. They are sure that these photographs are fake, and the Bigfoot himself is a figment of human imagination.

3. Vampires / Chupacabra

Vampires appear in the tales and myths of many cultures, but under different names. These are immortal creatures that terrorize the surrounding area in search of their victims, whose blood is their only source of nutrition. Vampires are experts in transformation and seduction.

These legendary creatures with a reptilian body are the heroes of fairy tales, epics and epics of almost all peoples of the world, from Europe to Asia. In Asia, dragons are represented as a giant lizard or snake with two pairs of legs and a head spitting fire from its mouth, while European dragons had many heads and wings. In Asia, dragons were revered for their wisdom and courage, while in Europe, dragons were described as bloodthirsty creatures.

This is not just a legendary lake creature, it is also the most famous monster living in Loch Ness in Scotland. There are thousands of studies and reports about Nessie dating back to the 6th century. In the 30s of the last century, a real stir began among researchers, everyone tried to see the monster with their own eyes. Scientists persistently reject any evidence of its existence, considering it a figment of fantasy and fraud.

He even provided comprehensive evidence in the form of photographs in this article. Why did I talk about mermaids, yes because mermaid is a mythical creature found in many stories and fairy tales. And this time I want to talk about mythical creatures that existed at one time according to legends: Grants, Dryads, Kraken, Griffins, Mandrake, Hippogriff, Pegasus, Lernaean Hydra, Sphinx, Chimera, Cerberus, Phoenix, Basilisk, Unicorn, Wyvern. Let's get to know these creatures better.

Video from the channel "Interesting Facts"

1. Wyvern

Wyvern-This creature is considered a "relative" of the dragon, but it only has two legs. instead of the front one there are bat wings. It is characterized by a long snake-like neck and a very long, movable tail, ending with a sting in the form of a heart-shaped arrow or spear tip. With this sting, the wyvern manages to cut or stab the victim, and under the right conditions, even pierce it right through. In addition, the sting is poisonous.
The wyvern is often found in alchemical iconography, in which (like most dragons) it personifies primordial, raw, unprocessed matter or metal. In religious iconography, it can be seen in paintings depicting the struggle of Saints Michael or George. The wyvern can also be found on heraldic coats of arms, for example, on the Polish coat of arms of the Latskys, the coat of arms of the Drake family or the Enmity of Kunvald.

2. Asp

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Aspid- In the ancient Alphabet Books there is a mention of the asp - this is a serpent (or snake, asp) “winged, with a bird’s nose and two trunks, and in the land in which it is committed, that land will be devastated.” That is, everything around will be destroyed and devastated. The famous scientist M. Zabylin says that the adder, according to popular belief, can be found in the gloomy northern mountains and that it never sits on the ground, but only on a stone. The only way to speak and exterminate the destroyer serpent is with a “trumpet voice” that makes the mountains shake. Then the sorcerer or healer grabbed the stunned asp with red-hot pincers and held it “until the snake died.”

3. Unicorn

Unicorn- Symbolizes chastity, and also serves as an emblem of the sword. Tradition usually represents him as a white horse with one horn protruding from his forehead; however, according to esoteric beliefs, it has a white body, a red head and blue eyes. In early traditions, the unicorn was depicted with the body of a bull, in later traditions with the body of a goat, and only in later legends with the body of a horse. Legend claims that he is insatiable when pursued, but obediently lies down on the ground if a virgin approaches him. In general, it is impossible to catch a unicorn, but if you do, you can only hold it with a golden bridle.
"His back was curved and his ruby ​​eyes glowed; at the withers he reached 2 meters. Just above his eyes, almost parallel to the ground, his horn grew; straight and thin. His manes and tail were scattered in small curls, and drooping and unnaturally for albinos were black eyelashes cast fluffy shadows on pink nostrils." (S. Drugal "Basilisk")
They feed on flowers, especially rosehip flowers, and honey, and drink morning dew. They also look for small lakes in the depths of the forest in which they swim and drink from there, and the water in these lakes usually becomes very clean and has the properties of living water. In Russian "alphabet books" of the 16th -17th centuries. The unicorn is described as a terrible and invincible beast, like a horse, all the strength of which lies in the horn. Healing properties were attributed to the unicorn's horn (according to folklore, the unicorn uses its horn to purify water poisoned by a snake). The unicorn is a creature of another world and most often foreshadows happiness.

4. Basilisk

Basilisk- a monster with the head of a rooster, the eyes of a toad, the wings of a bat and the body of a dragon (according to some sources, a huge lizard) that exists in the mythologies of many peoples. His gaze turns all living things to stone. Basilisk - is born from an egg laid by a seven-year-old black rooster (in some sources from an egg hatched by a toad) into a warm dung heap. According to legend, if the Basilisk sees its reflection in the mirror, it will die. The Basilisk's habitat is caves, which are also its source of food, since the Basilisk only eats stones. He can only leave his shelter at night because he cannot stand the crowing of a rooster. And he is also afraid of unicorns because they are too “pure” animals.
“He moved his horns, his eyes were so green with a purple tint, his warty hood was swelling. And he himself was purple-black with a spiky tail. The triangular head with a black-pink mouth opened wide...
Its saliva is extremely poisonous and if it gets on living matter, it will immediately replace carbon with silicon. Simply put, all living things turn into stone and die, although there are disputes that the Basilisk’s gaze also petrifies, but those who wanted to check this did not return...” (“S. Drugal “Basilisk”).
5. Manticore

Manticore- The story about this creepy creature can be found in Aristotle (IV century BC) and Pliny the Elder (1st century AD). The manticore is the size of a horse, has a human face, three rows of teeth, a lion's body and a scorpion's tail, and red, bloodshot eyes. The manticore runs so fast that it covers any distance in the blink of an eye. This makes it extremely dangerous - after all, it is almost impossible to escape from it, and the monster feeds only on fresh human meat. Therefore, in medieval miniatures you can often see an image of a manticore with a human hand or foot in its teeth. In medieval works on natural history, the manticore was considered to be real, but living in deserted places.

6. Valkyries

Valkyries- beautiful warrior maidens who fulfill the will of Odin and are his companions. They invisibly take part in every battle, granting victory to those to whom the gods award it, and then take the dead warriors to Valhala, the castle of the extra-celestial Asgard, and serve them at the table there. Legends also call heavenly Valkyries, who determine the fate of each person.

7. Anka

Anka- In Muslim mythology, wonderful birds created by Allah and hostile to people. It is believed that anka exist to this day: there are simply so few of them that they are extremely rare. Anka is in many ways similar in its properties to the phoenix bird that lived in the Arabian desert (one can assume that anka is a phoenix).

8. Phoenix

Phoenix- In monumental sculptures, stone pyramids and buried mummies, the Egyptians sought to find eternity; It is quite natural that it was in their country that the myth of a cyclically reborn, immortal bird should have arisen, although the subsequent development of the myth was carried out by the Greeks and Romans. Adolv Erman writes that in the mythology of Heliopolis, the Phoenix is ​​the patron of anniversaries, or large time cycles. Herodotus, in a famous passage, expounds with marked skepticism the original version of the legend:

“There is another sacred bird there, its name is Phoenix. I myself have never seen it, except as a drawing, for in Egypt it appears rarely, once every 500 years, as the inhabitants of Heliopolis say. According to them, it flies when it dies father (that is, she herself) If the images correctly show her size and size and appearance, her plumage is partly golden, partly red. Her appearance and size resemble an eagle."

9. Echidna

Echidna- half-woman, half-snake, daughter of Tartarus and Rhea, gave birth to Typhon and many monsters (Lernaean Hydra, Cerberus, Chimera, Nemean Lion, Sphinx)

10. Sinister

Sinister- pagan evil spirits of the ancient Slavs. They are also called krixes or khmyri - swamp spirits, which are dangerous because they can stick to a person, even move into him, especially in old age, if the person has never loved anyone in his life and has not had children. Sinister has an indefinite appearance (speaks, but is invisible). She can turn into a little man, a small child, or an old beggar. In the Christmas game, the evil one personifies poverty, misery, and winter darkness. In the house, evil spirits most often settle behind the stove, but they also love to suddenly jump on a person’s back or shoulders and “ride” him. There may be several more evil ones. However, with some ingenuity, you can catch them by locking them in some kind of container.

11. Cerberus

Cerberus- one of Echidna's children. A three-headed dog, on whose neck snakes move with a menacing hiss, and instead of a tail he has a poisonous snake... Serves Hades (the god of the Kingdom of the Dead) stands on the threshold of Hell and guards its entrance. He made sure that no one left the underground kingdom of the dead, because there is no return from the kingdom of the dead. When Cerberus was on earth (This happened because of Hercules, who, on the instructions of King Eurystheus, brought him from Hades) the monstrous dog dropped drops of bloody foam from his mouth; from which the poisonous grass aconite grew.

12. Chimera

Chimera- in Greek mythology, a monster that spewed fire with the head and neck of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a dragon (according to another version, the Chimera had three heads - a lion, a goat and a dragon). Apparently, the Chimera is the personification of a fire-breathing volcano. In a figurative sense, a chimera is a fantasy, an unfulfilled desire or action. In sculpture, chimeras are images of fantastic monsters (for example, chimeras of Notre Dame Cathedral), but it is believed that stone chimeras can come to life to terrify people.

13. Sphinx

Sphinx s or Sphinga in ancient Greek mythology, a winged monster with the face and breasts of a woman and the body of a lion. She is the offspring of the hundred-headed dragon Typhon and Echidna. The name of the Sphinx is associated with the verb "sphingo" - "to squeeze, suffocate." Sent by Hero to Thebes as punishment. The Sphinx was located on a mountain near Thebes (or in the city square) and asked everyone who passed a riddle (“Which living creature walks on four legs in the morning, on two in the afternoon, and on three in the evening?”). The Sphinx killed the one who was unable to give a solution and thus killed many noble Thebans, including the son of King Creon. The king, overcome with grief, announced that he would give the kingdom and the hand of his sister Jocasta to the one who would deliver Thebes from the Sphinx. Oedipus solved the riddle, the Sphinx in despair threw herself into the abyss and fell to her death, and Oedipus became the Theban king.

14. Lernaean Hydra

Lernaean Hydra- a monster with the body of a snake and nine heads of a dragon. The hydra lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna. She crawled out of her lair and destroyed entire herds. The victory over the hydra was one of the labors of Hercules.

15. Naiads

Naiads- Every river, every source or stream in Greek mythology had its own leader - a naiad. This cheerful tribe of water patrons, prophetesses and healers was not covered by any statistics; every Greek with a poetic streak heard the carefree chatter of the naiads in the murmur of the waters. They belong to the descendants of Oceanus and Tethys; there are up to three thousand of them.
“No one can name all their names. Only those who live nearby know the name of the stream.”

16. Rukhh

Rukhh- In the East, people have long been talking about the giant bird Rukh (or Ruk, Fear-rah, Nogoi, Nagai). Some people even met her. For example, the hero of Arabian fairy tales, Sinbad the Sailor. One day he found himself on a desert island. Looking around, he saw a huge white dome without windows or doors, so large that he could not climb onto it.
“And I,” Sinbad narrates, “walked around the dome, measuring its circumference, and counted fifty full steps. Suddenly the sun disappeared, and the air darkened, and the light was blocked from me. And I thought that a cloud had come over the sun (and it was summer time), and I was surprised, and raised my head, and saw a bird with a huge body and wide wings flying through the air - and it was she who covered the sun and blocked it over the island . And I remembered one story that was told long ago by people wandering and traveling, namely: on some islands there is a bird called Rukh, which feeds its children with elephants. And I became convinced that the dome I walked around was the Rukh egg. And I began to marvel at what the great Allah has created. And at this time the bird suddenly landed on the dome, and hugged it with its wings, and stretched out its legs on the ground behind it, and fell asleep on it, may Allah be praised, who never sleeps! And then I, untying my turban, tied myself to the feet of this bird, saying to myself: “Perhaps she will take me to countries with cities and populations. It will be better than sitting here on this island." And when the dawn rose and the day rose, the bird took off from the egg and soared into the air with me. And then it began to descend and landed on some ground, and, having reached the ground, I I quickly got rid of her legs, afraid of the bird, but the bird didn’t know about me and didn’t feel me.”

Not only the fabulous Sinbad the Sailor, but also the very real Florentine traveler Marco Polo, who visited Persia, India and China in the 13th century, heard about this bird. He said that the Mongol Khan Kublai Khan once sent loyal people to catch a bird. The messengers found her homeland: the African island of Madagascar. They did not see the bird itself, but they brought its feather: it was twelve steps long, and the diameter of the feather shaft was equal to two palm trunks. They said that the wind produced by the wings of Rukh knocks a person down, her claws are like bull horns, and her meat restores youth. But try to catch this Rukh if ​​she can carry off a unicorn along with three elephants impaled on her horn! author of the encyclopedia Alexandrova Anastasia They knew this monstrous bird in Rus', they called it Fear, Nog or Noga, and gave it even new fabulous features.
“The leg-bird is so strong that it can lift an ox, flies through the air and walks on the ground with four legs,” says the ancient Russian “Azbukovnik” of the 16th century.
The famous traveler Marco Polo tried to explain the mystery of the winged giant: “They call this bird on the islands Ruk, but they don’t call it in our language, but it’s a vulture!” Only... greatly grown in the human imagination.

17. Khukhlik

Khukhlik in Russian superstitions there is a water devil; mummer. The name hukhlyak, hukhlik, apparently comes from the Karelian huhlakka - “to weird”, tus - “ghost, ghost”, “strangely dressed” (Cherepanova 1983). The appearance of the hukhlyak is unclear, but they say that it is similar to the shilikun. This unclean spirit most often appears from water and becomes especially active during Christmas time. Likes to make fun of people.

18. Pegasus

Pegasus- V Greek mythology winged horse. Son of Poseidon and the gorgon Medusa. He was born from the body of the gorgon killed by Perseus. He received the name Pegasus because he was born at the source of the Ocean (Greek “source”). Pegasus ascended to Olympus, where he delivered thunder and lightning to Zeus. Pegasus is also called the horse of the muses, since he knocked Hippocrene out of the ground with his hoof - the source of the muses, which has the property of inspiring poets. Pegasus, like a unicorn, can only be caught with a golden bridle. According to another myth, the gods gave Pegasus. Bellerophon, and he, taking off on it, killed the winged monster chimera, which was devastating the country.

19 Hippogriff

Hippogriff- in the mythology of the European Middle Ages, wanting to indicate the impossibility or incongruity, Virgil speaks of an attempt to cross a horse and a vulture. Four centuries later, his commentator Servius claims that vultures or griffins are animals whose front part is eagle-like and the back part is lion-like. To support his statement, he adds that they hate horses. Over time, the expression “Jungentur jam grypes eguis” (“crossing vultures with horses”) became a proverb; at the beginning of the sixteenth century, Ludovico Ariosto remembered him and invented the hippogriff. Pietro Michelli notes that the hippogriff is a more harmonious creature, even than the winged Pegasus. In "Roland the Furious" a detailed description of the hippogriff is given, as if intended for a textbook of fantastic zoology:

Not a ghostly horse under the magician - a mare
Born into the world, his father was a vulture;
Like his father, he was a wide-winged bird, -
He was in front of his father: like that one, zealous;
Everything else was like the uterus,
And that horse was called a hippogriff.
The borders of the Riphean mountains are glorious for them,
Far beyond the icy seas

20 Mandrake

Mandrake. The role of Mandrake in mythopoetic ideas is explained by the presence of certain hypnotic and aphrodisiac properties in this plant, as well as the similarity of its root to the lower part of the human body (Pythagoras called Mandrake a “human-like plant”, and Columella - a “semi-human grass”). In some folk traditions, based on the type of Mandrake root, male and female plants are distinguished and even given appropriate names. In old herbalists, Mandrake roots are depicted as male or female forms, with a tuft of leaves growing from the head, sometimes with a dog on a chain or an agonizing dog. According to legends, anyone who hears the groan made by the Mandrake as it is dug out of the ground must die; to avoid the death of a person and at the same time satisfy the thirst for blood supposedly inherent in Mandrake. When digging Mandrake, they tied a dog, which was believed to die in agony.

21. Griffins

Griffin- winged monsters with a lion's body and an eagle's head, guardians of gold. In particular, it is known that the treasures of the Riphean Mountains are protected. From his scream the flowers wither and the grass withers, and if there is anyone alive, then everyone falls dead. The griffin's eyes have a golden tint. The head was the size of a wolf's with a huge, terrifying-looking beak a foot long. Wings with a strange second joint to make them easier to fold. In Slavic mythology, all approaches to the Irian Garden, Alatyr Mountain and an apple tree with golden apples are guarded by griffins and basilisks. Whoever tries these golden apples will receive eternal youth and power over the Universe. And the apple tree itself with golden apples is guarded by the dragon Ladon. There is no passage here for either foot or horse.

22. Kraken

Kraken is the Scandinavian version of Saratan and the Arabian dragon, or sea serpent. The Kraken's back is one and a half miles wide, and its tentacles are capable of enveloping the largest ship. This huge back protrudes from the sea, like a huge island. The Kraken has a habit of darkening the sea water by spewing some liquid. This statement gave rise to the hypothesis that the Kraken is an octopus, only enlarged. Among Tenison's youthful works one can find a poem dedicated to this remarkable creature:

From time immemorial in the depths of the ocean
The giant Kraken sleeps soundly
He is blind and deaf, over the carcass of a giant
Only from time to time a pale ray glides.
Giant sponges sway above him,
And from deep, dark holes
Polyps innumerable choir
Extends tentacles like hands.
The Kraken will rest there for thousands of years,
So it was and so it will be in the future,
Until the last fire burns through the abyss
And the heat will scorch the living firmament.
Then he will wake up from sleep,
Will appear before angels and people
And, emerging with a howl, he will meet death.

23. Golden dog

golden dog.- This is a dog made of gold that guarded Zeus when he was pursued by Kronos. The fact that Tantalus did not want to give up this dog was his first strong offense before the gods, which the gods later took into account when choosing his punishment.

“...In Crete, the homeland of the Thunderer, there was a golden dog. She once guarded the newborn Zeus and the wonderful goat Amalthea who fed him. When Zeus grew up and took away the power over the world from Cronus, he left this dog in Crete to guard his sanctuary. The king of Ephesus, Pandareus, seduced by the beauty and strength of this dog, secretly came to Crete and took it away on his ship from Crete. But where to hide this wonderful animal? Pandarey thought about this for a long time during his journey across the sea and finally decided to give the golden dog to Tantalus for safekeeping. King Sipila hid the wonderful animal from the gods. Zeus was angry. He called his son, the messenger of the gods Hermes, and sent him to Tantalus to demand the return of the golden dog. In the blink of an eye, fast Hermes rushed from Olympus to Sipylus, appeared before Tantalus and said to him:
- The king of Ephesus, Pandareus, stole a golden dog from the sanctuary of Zeus in Crete and gave it to you for safekeeping. The gods of Olympus know everything, mortals cannot hide anything from them! Return the dog to Zeus. Beware of incurring the wrath of the Thunderer!
Tantalus answered the messenger of the gods this way:
- It is in vain that you threaten me with the wrath of Zeus. I have not seen a golden dog. The gods are wrong, I don’t have it.
Tantalus swore a terrible oath that he was telling the truth. With this oath he angered Zeus even more. This was the first insult inflicted by tantalum on the gods...

24. Dryads

Dryads- in Greek mythology, female tree spirits (nymphs). they live in a tree which they protect and often die along with this tree. Dryads are the only nymphs who are mortal. Tree nymphs are inseparable from the tree in which they live. It was believed that those who plant and care for trees enjoy the special protection of dryads.

25. Grants

Grant- In English folklore, a werewolf, who most often appears as a mortal in the guise of a horse. At the same time, he walks on his hind legs, and his eyes glow with fire. Grant is a city fairy, he can often be seen on the street, at noon or towards sunset. Meeting with a grant portends misfortune - a fire or something else in the same spirit.

The world is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. And many scientists today insist that there are parallel worlds in which various entities live, previously unseen. And fairy tales and myths are not fiction at all, but rather even epics. That is why this article will present a list of mythical creatures that may have once lived, or may still live somewhere else at the moment.

Unicorn

This list will examine both positive and negative representatives. If a good list is considered, a unicorn must be opened. What is it? So, most often it is a beautiful white horse with a sharp horn in its forehead. This is a symbol of chastity and the fight for justice. However, if you believe the esotericists, the unicorn should be a creature with a red head and a white body. Previously, he could be depicted with the body of a bull or goat, and only later - with a horse. Legends also say that unicorns, by their nature, have an inexhaustible supply of energy. It is very difficult to tame them, but they obediently lie down on the ground if a virgin approaches them. If you want to ride a unicorn, you will have to stock up on a golden bridle.

The life of unicorns is also very difficult. They feed exclusively on flowers, drink only morning dew, and swim in the cleanest forest lakes (in which the water then becomes healing). Moreover, all the power of these creatures is contained in a single horn (healing powers are also attributed to it). Today they say: meeting a unicorn means great happiness.

Pegasus

The list of mythical creatures similar to horses can be supplemented by the winged horse, the son of Medusa Gorgon and Poseidon. His main function is to be on Olympus and give his father lightning and thunder. However, while on earth, Pegasus with his hoof knocked out Hippocrene - the source of muses, which should inspire all creative people to useful deeds.

Valkyries

Separately, you can also consider mythical female creatures. The list will definitely be replenished with Valkyries. These are warrior maidens who are companions and executors of the will of Odin (the supreme god in These are some symbols of honorable death in combat. After a warrior has fallen, the Valkyries on their winged horses take him to the heavenly castle of Valgala, where they serve him at the table. In addition, Valkyries can predict the future.

Other female mythical creatures

1. Norns. These are spinning women who determine the birth, life and death of people.
2. Parks, or moiras. These are three sisters, daughters of the night. They also predetermined the life of every person. Clota (first daughter) spins the thread of life, Lachesis (second daughter) guards it, Atropos (third daughter) cuts it.
3. Erinyes. These are goddesses of revenge, who are depicted with torches and whips in their hands. They push a person to take revenge for grievances.
4. We continue to consider female names of mythical creatures. Dryads can join the list. These are women tree guardians. They live in them and die with them. And those who planted and helped the tree to grow were the wards of the dryads. They tried their best to help them.
5. Graces. These are mythical creatures that personify youthful charm and beauty. Their main goal was to excite such a feeling as love in the young hearts of girls. In addition, they brought joy to everyone who met on their way.

Birds

The list of mythical creatures must be supplemented by various birds. After all, they also occupied leading places in popular beliefs.

1. Phoenix. Today many will say that this is the bird of happiness. However, previously she personified the immortality of the soul and the cyclical nature of the world, since she could give rebirth and was reborn herself, burning herself. The phoenix appears in the form of an eagle with golden and red plumage.
2. Anka. This is a bird from Muslim mythology, very similar in its functions and presentation to the phoenix. It was created by Allah and is inaccessible to people.
3. Ruhh. This is a giant bird, which in its claws (huge and strong, like the horns of a bull) can lift three elephants at once. It was believed that the meat of this bird restores lost youth. They called it Nog or Fear-rah.

Griffins and similar creatures

The list of mythical creatures can be continued by monsters, which are the result of crossing two or more powerful animals.

1. First of all, these are griffins. These are winged creatures that have the head of an eagle and the body of a lion. They are the guardians of the gold and treasures of the Riphean Mountains. The scream of these monsters is very dangerous: every living thing in the area dies from it, even humans.
2. Hippogriffs. It is the result of crossing a vulture bird (the front part of the creature) and a horse (the body). This creature also had wings.
3. Manticore. This is a creature that has a human face topped with three rows of teeth, the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion. His eyes are bloodshot. It moves very quickly and feeds on human bodies.
4. Sphinx. This is a creature that has the head and chest of a woman, and the body of a lion. It was called upon to protect Thebes. The sphinx asked a riddle to each person passing by. Anyone who could not guess it was killed by this creature.

Dragons

What other mythical creatures are there? The list can be supplemented by monsters that are somewhat similar in appearance to dragons.

1. Basilisk. This creature has the eyes of a toad, the head of a rooster, the wings of a bat and the body of a dragon. In other legends it is a huge lizard. From the gaze of this creature, all living things turn to stone (if the basilisk looks at itself in the mirror, it will die). His saliva is also poisonous, and it can also turn you to stone. Lives in a cave, eats stones, comes out only at night. The main goal of his life: protecting unicorns, since they are “pure” creatures.
2. Chimera. This is a creature with the head and neck of a lion, the tail of a dragon and the body of a goat. This is a symbol of a breathing volcano, as this monster spewed fire. Some people believe that modern stone chimeras can come to life and do things.
3. We continue to look at mythical creatures. A monster with the body of a snake and nine heads of a dragon can be added to the list. She lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna and ate entire herds. Hercules saved the city from the hydra.
4. Kraken. This is a kind of sea serpent, an Arabian dragon. He could capture an entire ship with his tentacles, and his back protruded in the middle of the ocean like a huge island.

Russian mythical creatures

Let's look separately at the mythical creatures of Russia. This list can be opened by evildoers. They were also called Khmyri, or Kriks. They live in swamps and pester people. They can even inhabit a person if he is old and has no children. They personify darkness, poverty, poverty. In the house, the evil spirits settle behind the stove, and then jump on a person’s shoulders and ride him. Another mythical creature is the hukhlik. This is a mummer, a water devil. This is an unclean spirit that comes out of the water and loves to play tricks on people, playing various dirty tricks on them. Particularly active during Christmas time.

Greek mythical creatures

Separately, I would also like to present a list of mythical creatures of Greece, the cradle of human civilization.

1. Typhon. This is a monster that has about 100 dragon heads with long black tongues on the back of its head. Can scream with the voices of a variety of animals. This is a special personification of the destructive forces of nature.
2. Lamia is a demon with a female appearance that kills babies.
3. Echidna. An immortal and non-aging woman with the body of a snake who lured travelers and devoured them.
4. Grai - three goddesses of old age.
5. Geryon. This is a giant, a monster, on whose belt three bodies are fused. He owned beautiful cows that lived on the island of Erithia.

Movies about mythical creatures

Fans of everything unusual can watch films about mythical creatures. The following films can be added to this list:

1. “Jason and the Agronauts”, 1963.
2. "The Lord of the Rings", several films that were released from 2001 to 2003.
3. Cartoon "How to Train Your Dragon", 2010 release.
4. "Percy Jackson and the Sea of ​​Monsters", 2013 release.
5. 2001 film "Horror from the Abyss".
6. "My Pet Dinosaur" 2007 release.

Having examined the complete list of mythical creatures and demons, I would like to say that all these monsters are fictitious. And so it must be assumed until facts are presented indicating the opposite.

History knows many mythical creatures of the world that live only in people's imaginations. Some of them are absolutely fictional, some resemble real animals. The variety of mythical creatures is difficult to describe - if you collect them in one book only by name, you will get a volume of more than 1000 pages. In each country, the creatures are different - depending on the territory of residence, the legends also differ. Some legends are dominated by good mythical creatures, while others are dominated by beautiful but dangerous ones.

Varieties of mythical creatures

Each creature has such different and sometimes contradictory characteristics that it is extremely difficult to classify it into any species. But experts in the field of mythology were able to combine all the diversity of creatures into one list, which includes 6 main categories.

The first group includes humanoid creatures, i.e. those who look like humans. They have the classic characteristics of people - upright walking, a similar body structure, the ability to do manual labor, and the use of intelligence in difficult life situations. Such creatures usually differ from people in strength, height and magical abilities.

1. Giants are distinguished by their gigantic size. In legends they are described as huge, menacing, embittered creatures. Relationships with people are usually bad - hostile. Intellect is reduced, temperament is hot-tempered. The main types of giants are orcs, cyclops, cavemen.
2. Dwarfs are the opposite of giants. Their height is usually about 1 m or less depending on the species. For example, hobbits reach more than 1 m, and fairies can be very tiny and fit in the palm of a child. Dwarfs include boggarts and leprechauns.
3. A separate point is worth highlighting human-created creatures. These include golems and homunculi. Alchemists have long been working on their creation, and mythology tells of successful attempts that are not officially confirmed.

This is only the first of all the many creatures ever described in mythology. Naturally, there are much more humanoids than those listed in the list; here are only the most famous ones. The creatures that are most similar to humans deserve a separate description.

The subtype of people is the most extensive. It includes various creatures that are most similar in anatomy to humans. Large creatures include yetis, orcs and trolls.

1. The Yeti, or as it is also called - Bigfoot, appeared in mythology relatively recently. Its height exceeds 2-3 m, and its entire body is covered with thick hair, white or gray. Bigfoot tries not to go out to people, avoids them. There are eyewitnesses who claim that they met Bigfoot. But science has not yet confirmed its existence - this automatically makes it mythical. The Yeti is very popular in the culture of the peoples of the north - many souvenirs with its image are produced there.
2. Orcs are mythical humanoid creatures native to Europe, with slight similarities to trolls and goblins. Orcs are usually depicted as small creatures with ugly facial features. The body is unevenly covered with hair, the arms and legs are disproportionately large in relation to the body. Orcs were mentioned in Tolkien's legendarium, where they are presented as a cruel people who served dark forces. Their peculiarity was their absolute intolerance to light, since they were created in complete darkness.
3. Trolls are huge creatures native to Switzerland. They live on rocks, in forests or in caves. Legends describe trolls as huge, ugly creatures that intimidate people if they enter their territory. Trolls, according to legend, could kidnap human women and children and eat them among the rocks. You can only protect yourself from monsters with the help of Christian symbols - crosses, holy water and bells. At the sight of these things, the trolls run away. This is what it says in the encyclopedias of the monks.

Of the famous creatures, it is worth highlighting gnomes, which are mountain, ravine and dark. These creatures are similar to humans, but smaller in stature. Dwarves are depicted as spirits of the earth and rocks who work in the mines to extract precious stones. The attitude towards people is rather friendly. However, if a person shows aggression, the gnome can fly into a rage and injure the offender.

Elves are classified as a separate subgroup and are most similar to humans. They are usually fair-haired, tall and intellectually gifted, easily blending in with people in a crowd. In some tales, elves have translucent wings. In Tolkien's books, elves are warriors who are skilled with bows and swords.

Winged creatures

Such creatures have wings of different colors and sizes and are capable of flying over long or short distances.

The most famous winged mythical creatures are angels. These are God's messengers, according to legend, they help maintain order in the world. In all cultures they look like people who have large white wings behind their backs.

Although angels are usually depicted as men, they are asexual. Creatures do not have a physical body, are weightless and invisible to the human eye. They materialize only when they need to convey some information to people.

Angels, as the highest winged creatures close to God, can control the elements, natural phenomena and the destinies of people - these are very powerful mythical creatures.

There is a belief that each person has his own Guardian Angel, who is called upon to protect and protect “his” ward.

There are subclasses of angels. Cupid is not a classic angel, but he is one. He is a messenger of love and helps lonely souls find their soulmate.

Winged creatures include bats - usually their wings are not behind their backs, like the previous subgroup, but are, as it were, connected to their arms by fusion. Harpies belong to this group. They look like humanoid birds. Their body is female, as is their head, but the arms and legs are replaced by vulture paws with long sharp claws.

They are usually aggressive towards people, kidnapping women and children. They tend to rob people, taking their food, clothing and jewelry. Harpies fear only one thing in the world - the sound of wind instruments made of copper. From the melody on the trumpets, they scatter in horror and hide.

Group of demihumans

These creatures, unlike humanoid ones, combine features of both humans and animals. They are present in the legends of almost all countries and nationalities of the world. Habitat - as far as possible from people, somewhere in hard-to-reach places:

• in the mountains;
• in the centers of deserts;
• on the seabed.

The group of demihumans can be divided into several small subgroups.

1. Creatures with the head of a beast. Many creatures are described in ancient Egyptian mythology, where all deities had both human and animal forms. They took the best features from animals, combining them with human intelligence - the result was creatures that were an order of magnitude more developed than ordinary people, which is why the Egyptians worshiped them. The Minotaur, which belongs to the group of beast-heads, is a creature from ancient Greek mythology. He had the head of a bull, large horns, and was unusually fast and strong. He lived in a labyrinth named after him. This labyrinth was impossible to pass through, because the Minotaur killed and ate anyone who got inside.
2. Werewolves are people who, under special circumstances, could turn into animals. The most famous are werewolves. These are wolf people whose transformation occurs during the full moon.
3. Having the body of a human and an animal. There are a lot of such creatures; dozens of similar images are found in different cultures. These include mermaids, newts and centaurs. All of them have part of the body from an animal, and part from a person. Their intelligence is higher, and their relationships with people are ambiguous. Depending on the mood, they can either help or harm a person.
4. Furries are creatures that have the body of an animal and the consciousness of a human; there are furries of dogs, wolves and foxes. Some legends feature dragonoids.

Group of animals and birds

Animals in collections of legends were sometimes endowed with supernatural powers. Many of them had developed intelligence, thanks to which they made contact with humans. Some of these creatures had mystical properties, or the organs of these animals were valued as medicine. Many generations of ancient people spent years finding such animals. The rulers promised a huge reward for them.

The largest subgroup consists of chimeras - ancient mythical creatures.

Horse-like creatures had a structure similar to a horse. They were often depicted with wings. This subgroup includes:

• griffins;
• hippogriffs;
• pegasi.

All of them have the ability to fly. Many people of ancient times dreamed of riding such a horse. Seeing a winged horse was considered great luck. According to legends, they lived high in the mountains, so brave souls went there to receive a little happiness as a gift. Many of them did not return.

Sphinxes are often found in Egyptian mythology. They were a symbol of wisdom and were considered guards who protected the tombs of the pharaohs. Sphinxes look like cats or lions with a human head.

Manticores are fictional, rare creatures that have the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion. Sometimes their heads were crowned with horns. These creatures are extremely aggressive towards people, like lions, and are poisonous. According to legend, anyone who met a manticore died in its teeth.

In addition to chimeras, this group includes unicorns, which are distinguished separately from the rest. The creatures have the body and head of a horse, but their difference is a horn from the middle of their forehead. According to legends, crushed unicorn horn has magical properties - it was added to various potions to improve health. The blood of the creature gave longevity, even immortality, if a person took it constantly. However, according to legend, anyone who drinks the blood of a unicorn will be damned forever, so there were no people willing to do it.

There is a separate subgroup of dragons. In ancient times, they were considered the most powerful on the planet. Their prototype was dinosaurs - majestic lizards. Dragons are divided into European and Slavic. In ancient Russian folklore, dragons could have up to 12 heads. Slavic dragons were more willing to interact with people and had higher social skills. Sometimes they were depicted with many eyes, as a symbol of the fact that all knowledge is available to them, and they observe everything that happens in the world.

Elemental creatures and elemental group

In the Middle Ages, elementals were those that were directly related to the forces of nature. Such creatures could influence the elements and control them for the benefit or harm of people.

1. Gargoyles are artificially created mythical creatures. At first, people built gargoyles from stone and clay to scare away evil spirits and demons, but one day some inexperienced young wizard brought them to life, thus creating dangerous creatures. Gargoyles can fly and move quickly on land and in water. They are very dangerous for humans, because they like to attack people and tear them into small pieces.
2. Mermaids are sea creatures associated directly with the element of water. They are divided into sea and river mermaids. These creatures have the body of a girl and instead of legs, a powerful scaly tail. In legends, mermaids look different - from unimaginable beautiful sirens who lure unlucky fishermen to the bottom, to unsightly ones from the legends of the Japanese, who usually did not harm people. In many cultures, girls who drowned from unhappy love became mermaids.
3. Nymphs represent the elements of nature and also represent fertility. There are a great many nymphs in mythology. In the legends of the ancient Greeks, there are more than 3,000 nymphs. Their habitats are almost any piece of land - seas, rivers, and forests. They all have their own names. For example, the cute nymphs of the sea are called Nereids, and the rivers are called Naiads. Nymphs treat humans favorably and, if necessary, are able to provide a little help. However, if a person treated them or nature with disrespect, he could be punished by insanity.
4. Golems are earth elementals. These creatures were created by ancient magicians using one or more elements. Golem comes from Jewish mythology, where it was believed that they were created for protection and battles. Golems do not have intelligence - they only blindly obey the creator, who gives them his blood to fuel their vitality. Defeating the Golem is difficult; it requires great physical strength and the will to live. These creatures can be made of sand, clay or earth.

Forest creatures

A separate group of nature guardians is distinguished. They are very common in Slavic mythology - these are mermen, swampers, kikimoras, goblins and boletus. They all live in places inaccessible to ordinary people, protecting nature and preserving it. These creatures are neutral towards people as long as they do not violate territorial boundaries.

Wood goblins live in the forests. These are creatures from Slavic mythology, which have long been considered the masters of the forest. They are usually depicted as wizened old men with emerald green eyes. They look harmless. But if you offend nature and behave inappropriately in the forest, you can receive punishment from the forest spirit.

You can distinguish a goblin from an ordinary person by the way he dresses - he likes to wear all his clothes inside out, even the bast shoes on his feet are mixed up.

Boletuses live in forests and are guardians of mushrooms. They are usually depicted as short people who live near mushroom places. Boletus are usually friendly with goblin and conduct forestry together.

Kikimora

Kikimoras live in swamps and forests, luring unlucky travelers into the quagmire. They are depicted as scary women, with one leg, long and thin, which holds them above the marshy area. Swampmen - male spirits - live next to them.

Mermen usually live in rivers and lakes. They are neutral towards people, but can lure into the water someone who seems dangerous to them.

Fiery mythical creatures

These creatures are inextricably linked with flame. Fire is the element of purification and bright thoughts, therefore all creatures associated with it are revered by people.

1. Phoenixes - they are subject to fire. They are born in the flame and die in it. Phoenixes are immortal creatures; after spontaneous combustion, they are reborn again in the form of a small chick. Their feathers are hot to the touch, and their tears have healing properties - they can heal even the most serious wounds and injuries. In Christianity, the phoenix bird signifies the victory of life over death. These creatures are described in literature, they are mentioned in the treatises of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers such as Herodotus and Tacitus.
2. Salamanders are small fire spirits that can live in ovens or fires, feeding on fire. They do this thanks to their icy body, which cannot be warmed by any method. The salamander has a neutral attitude towards humans and brings neither happiness nor grief. The appearance of the salamander varies - from a small lizard to a large reptile the size of a house. The salamander is not only a symbol of fire, but also of the philosopher's stone. In alchemical literature it is described as a lizard and can transform into stone and back.

Group of demons and imps

Different cultures have ambiguous attitudes towards demons. In Greek mythology, demons are a bundle of energy endowed with intelligence that is capable of changing a person's destiny both for good and for bad.

In the mythology of the ancient Slavs, demons are evil forces that wreak havoc and destruction. Translated, the word “demons” means “carrying fear.” Demons are hellish creatures, but they used to be angels, as evidenced by the presence of wings. Unlike angels, demons have dark-colored wings and resemble webbed rather than feathered wings. Demons can take on any form and disguise themselves. More often they turn into humans, but the most arrogant ones can take on the appearance of angels. It is not difficult to distinguish them - it is unpleasant to be in their presence, causing unreasonable melancholy and sadness, or an attack of uncontrollable hysterical laughter.

Among demons, there are two types of lovers: incubi and succubi. They need a constant supply of energy, which they can only obtain through sexual contact with a person. During an act with a demon lover, the victim is in a zombified state and is unable to resist. She feels great pleasure at the same time.

An incubus was a male demon who entered the homes of women, virgins and nuns, and raped them in their sleep. A succubus is a female demon whose prey was strong, attractive men. The greatest success for a succubus was to seduce a priest, preferably one who had only recently been ordained.

Incubi are able to reproduce by transferring their seed to a woman. From such a union, according to legend, disgustingly deformed children were born with animal body parts or having extra limbs. They tried to kill such children immediately after birth, because, according to legend, evil forces were hidden in them.

Fighting succubi and incubi is not easy, but it is possible. They cannot stand the smell of incense, so if you leave a small lamp overnight, the demons will not come. Prayers help from them.

Fauns also belong to the family of demons. These are deities that are characteristic of Italian culture. They are considered favorable to people. Fauns live in forests and mountains. They can warn people from possible danger by appearing in their dreams. Usually fauns protect herds and livestock from attacks by wild animals, helping shepherds. Some animal mythical creatures can only be seen by fauns.

Undead

This group includes the so-called living dead. They differ from each other - depending on the species, undead can be incorporeal or tangible. In the modern world, the image of the undead is actively used in games and films of such a genre as horror.

The bulk of the undead are vampires - creatures with sharp fangs that drink human blood. They can turn into bats or bats at will. They come to people at night while they are sleeping and suck out every last drop of blood from the victim. Sometimes vampires like to torture the victim - then they drink blood gradually, over several days, watching with sadistic pleasure the torment of the unfortunate person. The image of vampires is widely covered in literature. Bram Stoker first did this in his novel Dracula. Since then, the theme of vampires has become popular - books, plays, and films are based on it.

Zombies can also be considered undead - these are dead people who feed on human flesh. Description of zombies in literature: creatures devoid of consciousness and intelligence, extremely slow, but deadly. According to legend, zombies make people like themselves through a bite. To kill a zombie, you need to cut off its head and burn its body. Then they won't be able to regenerate.

Mummies are considered undead. They were once human, but after death their bodies were embalmed, so they remained in the earthly world. Mummies are in a state of sleep and therefore harmless. However, if anyone awakens them, the ancient power will be revived and chaos will begin. Egyptian mummies are divided into several categories.

1. Pharaohs are strong and fast, have good physical fitness. They have enormous fortitude, so they are capable of subjugating ghosts. It is not easy to neutralize such creatures; you need to have strength and endurance, and possess secret knowledge from ancient Egyptian treatises.
2. Priests are not as strong as pharaohs, but they have magic and are able to influence a person without resorting to physical contact. There are much fewer of them than pharaohs.
3. Bodyguards are the personal security of the pharaoh. They are extremely slow, but have remarkable strength, so it is better to flee from them rather than engage in battle.

Dangerous magical creatures

Mythical creatures are not always neutral towards people; many of them pose a real danger to humans.

1. Furies. In ancient times, people were in awe of them, afraid to even name them out loud, but if they had to do this, they usually added some epithet before the name. The furies look truly terrifying - their heads are like dogs, and their bodies are like those of hundred-year-old women. The hair is unusual: instead of the usual hair, the furies have a hairstyle of long snakes. These creatures attack everyone who, in their opinion, has done something wrong. As punishment, they beat the unfortunate man to death with metal sticks.
2. Sirens, although considered the most beautiful creatures on the planet, do not become any less deadly. Sirens look like birds with the heads of women, and their voices can cloud the mind of even the most experienced and stern sailor. They lure travelers to caves and rocks with angelic singing and then kill them. It is almost impossible to get out of their captivity.
3. The Basilisk is a deadly monster from ancient legends. According to legend, the basilisk is a giant snake, up to 50 m long. It is born from a chicken or duck egg, which was hatched by a toad. The head of the basilisk is decorated with huge curved horns, and fangs of varying lengths protrude from its mouth. The snake is so poisonous that it can poison rivers if it drinks from them. You can fight against the basilisk only with the help of a mirror - if the creature sees its reflection, it will turn to stone. He is also afraid of roosters - their singing is disastrous for the snake. You can tell about the approach of a basilisk by the behavior of spiders - if they quickly leave their home, you can expect the appearance of a snake.
4. Will-o'-the-wisps in marshy areas are small, little-known spirits that are not at all dangerous. However, travelers mistake them for the lights of houses, which they try to follow. These creatures are insidious and lure people either into an impenetrable thicket or into a quagmire. People usually come to their senses too late, when they can no longer get out of the swamp.

Good creatures from legends

Creatures from ancient legends can also be kind to humans or help them. There are especially many of them in Greek and Japanese mythology.

1. The unicorn is a fairy-tale creature that has a gentle disposition and a kind heart. He is very peaceful and never attacks people. Seeing a unicorn is good luck. If you feed him an apple or a piece of sugar, you can gain good luck for the whole year.
2. Pegasus is a real flying horse that emerged from the body of the Gorgon Medusa after her death. Usually depicted as a snow-white horse. Has the ability to save those in trouble. Pegasus will help only those who have pure thoughts - he simply ignores the rest.
3. Tanuki is a creature from Japanese mythology, which is depicted as a raccoon or a bear cub. According to legend, a person who saw a tanuki called good luck and wealth into his home. To lure them into the house, the Japanese usually place a small bottle of sake near the figurine of the deity. In almost every Japanese home you can find a small image or figurine of this creature.
4. Centaurs, although considered tough warriors, are usually favorably disposed towards humans. These are creatures with the torso and head of a man and the croup of a horse. All centaurs are educated, know how to navigate by the stars and cardinal directions, and are soothsayers. Based on the location of the planets, centaurs are able to determine the future.
5. Fairies - look like little girls with translucent wings, living in flower buds. They feed on pollen and drink dew in the morning. Fairies usually help people with minor everyday problems, but they can also regulate the elements and protect pets.
6. Brownies are magical representatives of Slavic mythology. Brownies have long lived side by side with humans and protect them and their homes. Brownies help protect the home from the invasion of evil forces and get along well with pets, especially cats. Brownies look like little elderly people. Dressed in red trousers and caftan, like characters from ancient Russian fairy tales. To ensure that the house is always cozy, it is worth appeasing the brownie from time to time by offering him milk on a saucer or candy.

Conclusion

There are thousands of creatures in mythology. It is not known whether these animals exist - we know about them only from legends. However, I would like to believe that there is still room for a fairy tale in this world. Various mythical creatures - interesting, good, evil, big or small.

To interact with them, you need to thoroughly study their preferences and habits, but the main thing in communicating with legendary creatures is respect - then they can not only make contact, but also help. You should not deal with potentially dangerous animals; it is better to choose safe creatures in this regard. You can read about the classification of these creatures and their danger in a special alphabetical reference book or atlas dedicated to mythology.

Every person has faith in a miracle, in a magical unknown world, in the good and not so good creatures that live around us. While we are children, we sincerely believe in fair fairies, beautiful elves, hardworking gnomes and wise wizards. Our review will help you, detached from everything earthly, be carried away into this fantastic world of wonderful fairy tales, into the endless universe of dreams and illusions where magical creatures live. Perhaps some of them are somewhat reminiscent of mythical creatures from or, while some are characteristic of a certain region of Europe.

1) Dragon

The dragon is the most common mythological creature, most closely resembling reptiles, sometimes in combination with body parts of other animals. The word “dragon”, which entered the Russian language and was borrowed from the Greek language in the 16th century, became synonymous with the devil, which is confirmed by the negative position of Christianity towards this image.

Almost all European countries have tales of dragons. The mythological motif of the battle of the hero-serpent fighter with the dragon later became widespread in folklore, and then penetrated into literature in the form of the myth of St. George, who defeated the dragon and freed the girl captured by it. Literary treatments of this legend and the corresponding images are characteristic of medieval European art.

According to the hypothesis of some scientists, the image of a dragon in the form combining the features of birds and snakes dates back to approximately the same period when mythological symbols of animals as such gave way to gods combining the features of humans and animals. This image of a dragon was one of the ways to combine opposing symbols - the symbol of the upper world (birds) and the symbol of the lower world (snakes). Nevertheless, the dragon can be considered a further development of the image of the mythological serpent - the main features and mythological motifs associated with the dragon largely coincide with those that characterized the serpent.

The word "dragon" is used in zoology as the name of some real species of vertebrates, mainly reptiles and fish, and in botany. The image of the dragon is widespread in literature, heraldry, art and astrology. The dragon is very popular as a tattoo and symbolizes power, wisdom and strength.

2) Unicorn

A creature in the form of a horse with one horn coming out of its forehead, symbolizing chastity, spiritual purity and quest. The unicorn played an important role in medieval legends and fairy tales; wizards and sorceresses rode it. When Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise, God gave the unicorn a choice: stay in Eden or leave with people. The unicorn chose the latter and was blessed for his compassion for people.

There are scattered evidence of encounters with unicorns from ancient times to the Middle Ages. In his Notes on the Gallic War, Julius Caesar talks about a deer with a long horn that lives in the Hercynian Forest in Germany. The earliest mention of a unicorn in Western literature is by Ctesias of Cnidus, in the 5th century BC. in his memoirs described an animal the size of a horse, which he and many others called the Indian wild ass. “They have a white body, a brown head and blue eyes. These animals are extremely fast and strong, so that not a single creature, be it a horse or anyone else, can cope with them. They have one horn on their head, and the powder obtained from it is used as a remedy against deadly potions. Those who drink from vessels made from these horns are not subject to convulsions and epilepsy, and even become resistant to poisons.” Ctesias describes an animal similar in appearance to the unicorn as it would be depicted in European tapestries a good two thousand years later, but with a variety of colors.

The unicorn has always been of particular interest to German-speaking peoples. The Harz mountain range in central Germany has long been considered the habitat of unicorns, and to this day there is a cave called Einhornhole, where a large skeleton of a unicorn was discovered in 1663, which created a great sensation. Unlike the skeleton, the skull was miraculously preserved unharmed, and on it was found a firmly seated, straight, cone-shaped horn more than two meters long. A century later, another skeleton was discovered at the Einhornhol site near Scharzfeld. However, this is not surprising, because it is located very close.

In the Middle Ages, the unicorn was the emblem of the Virgin Mary, as well as the saints Justin of Antioch and Justina of Padua. The image of the unicorn is widely represented in the art and heraldry of many countries around the world. For alchemists, the swift unicorn symbolized mercury.

3) Angel and demon

An angel is a spiritual, ethereal being with supernatural powers and created by God before the creation of the material world, over which they have significant power. There are significantly more of them than all people. The purpose of angels: glorifying God, embodying His glory, fulfilling His instructions and will. Angels are eternal and immortal, and their minds are much more perfect than humans. In Orthodoxy, there is an idea of ​​God sending each person immediately after his baptism.

Most often, angels are depicted as beardless young men in light deacon vestments, with wings behind their backs (a symbol of speed) and with a halo above their heads. However, in visions, angels appeared to people as six-winged, and in the form of wheels dotted with eyes, and in the form of creatures with four faces on their heads, and as rotating fiery swords, and even in the form of animals. Almost always, God does not personally appear to people, but trusts his angels to convey His will. This order was established by God so that a greater number of individuals would be involved and thereby sanctified in the providence of God and so as not to violate the freedom of people who are unable to withstand the personal appearance of God in all His glory.

Every person is also hunted by demons - fallen angels who have lost God's mercy and grace and want to destroy human souls with the help of instilled fears, temptations and enticements. There is a constant battle in the heart of every person between God and the devil. Christian tradition considers demons to be evil servants of Satan, living in hell, but capable of roaming the world, looking for souls ready to fall. Demons, according to the teachings of the Christian Church, are powerful and selfish creatures. In their world, it is customary to trample the inferior into the dirt and grovel before the stronger. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, demons, as agents of Satan, began to be associated with sorcerers and witches. Demons are depicted as extremely ugly creatures, often combining the appearance of a human with several animals, or as dark-colored angels with tongues of fire and black wings.

Both demons and angels play important roles in European magical traditions. Numerous grimoires (witchcraft books) are permeated with occult demonology and angelology, which have their roots in Gnosticism and Kabbalah. Magic books contain the names, seals and signatures of spirits, their duties and abilities, as well as methods for summoning them and subordinating them to the will of the magician.

Each angel and demon have different abilities: some “specialize” in the virtue of non-covetousness, others strengthen faith in people, and still others help in something else. Likewise, demons - some incite prodigal passions, others - anger, others - vanity, etc. In addition to the personal guardian angels assigned to each person, there are patron angels of cities and entire states. But they never quarrel, even if these states fight among themselves, but pray to God to admonish people and grant peace on earth.

4) Incubus and succubus

An incubus is a lecherous demon who seeks sexual relations with women. The corresponding demon that appears before men is called a succubus. Incubi and succubi are considered demons of a fairly high level. Contacts with mysterious and strangers who appear to people at night are quite rare. The appearance of these demons is always accompanied by a preliminary deep sleep of all household members and animals in the room and adjacent areas. If a partner sleeps next to the intended victim, he falls into such a deep sleep that it is impossible to wake him up.

The woman chosen for the visit is introduced into a special state, on the border of sleep and wakefulness, something like a hypnotic trance. At the same time, she sees, hears and feels everything, but is unable to move or call for help. Communication with a stranger occurs silently, through the exchange of thoughts, telepathically. The sensations of the presence of a demon can be both frightening and, on the contrary, peaceful and desirable. An incubus usually appears in the guise of a handsome man, and a succubus, accordingly, as a beautiful woman, but in reality their appearance is ugly, and sometimes the victims feel disgust and horror from contemplating the real appearance of the creature that visited them, and then the demon is fueled not only by sensual energy, but and fear and despair.

5) Ondine

In the folklore of the peoples of Western Europe, as well as in the alchemical tradition, water spirits of young women who committed suicide because of unhappy love. The fantasy of medieval alchemists and cabalists borrowed their main features partly from folk German ideas about water maidens, partly from Greek myths about naiads, sirens and tritons. In the writings of these scientists, undines played the role of elemental spirits who lived in water and controlled the water element in all its manifestations, just as salamanders were spirits of fire, gnomes controlled the underworld, and elves controlled the air.

Creatures that corresponded in popular beliefs to undines, if they were female, were distinguished by a beautiful appearance, had luxurious hair (sometimes greenish in color), which they combed when going ashore or swaying on the sea waves. Sometimes folk fantasy ascribed to them, which ended with the torso instead of the legs. Charming travelers with their beauty and singing, the undines carried them into the underwater depths, where they gave their love, and where years and centuries passed like moments.

According to Scandinavian legends, a person who once found himself among the undines never returned back to earth, exhausted by their caresses. Sometimes undines married people on earth, since they received an immortal human soul, especially if they had children. Legends about undines were popular both in the Middle Ages and among writers of the romantic school.

Spirits and fire keepers of the medieval period, inhabiting any open fire and often appearing in the form of a small lizard. The appearance of a salamander in the hearth usually does not bode well, but it does not bring much luck either. From the point of view of its impact on human destiny, this creature can safely be called neutral. In some ancient recipes for obtaining the philosopher's stone, the salamander is mentioned as the living embodiment of this magical substance. However, other sources clarify that the non-burning salamander only ensured that the required temperature was maintained in the crucible where the transformation of lead into gold took place.

In some ancient books, the appearance of the salamander is described as follows. She has the body of a young cat, rather large membranous wings on her back (like some dragons), and a tail reminiscent of a snake. The head of this creature is similar to the head of an ordinary lizard. The skin of a salamander is covered with small scales of a fibrous substance reminiscent of asbestos. The breath of this creature has poisonous properties and can kill any small animal.

Quite often, a salamander can be found on the slope of a volcano during an eruption. She also appears in the flame of a fire if she herself wishes to do so. It is believed that without this amazing creature, the appearance of heat on earth would be impossible, because without his command even the most ordinary match cannot light up.

Spirits of the earth and mountains, fabulous dwarfs from Western European, primarily German-Scandinavian, folklore, frequent heroes of fairy tales and legends. The first mention of gnomes is found in Paracelsus. Their website images correlate with the doctrine of the primary elements. When lightning struck a rock and destroyed it, it was regarded as an attack by the salamanders on the gnomes.

The gnomes did not live in the earth itself, but in the earthly ether. From the labile etheric body, many varieties of gnomes were created - house spirits, forest spirits, water spirits. Dwarves are experts and keepers of treasures, having power over stones and plants, as well as over the mineral elements in humans and animals. Some of the gnomes specialize in mining ore deposits. Ancient healers believed that without the help of gnomes it was impossible to restore broken bones.

Dwarves were usually depicted as old, fat dwarfs with long white beards and brown or green clothes. Their habitats, depending on the species, were caves, tree stumps, or closets in castles. They often build their homes from a substance resembling marble. Hamadryad gnomes live and die together with the plant of which they themselves are a part. The gnomes of poisonous plants have an ugly appearance; the spirit of poisonous hemlock resembles a human skeleton covered with dried skin. Dwarves can, at will, as the personification of the earthly ether, change their size. There are good-natured gnomes and evil gnomes. Magicians warn against deceiving elemental spirits, who can take revenge on a person and even destroy him. It is easiest for children to come into contact with gnomes, since their natural consciousness is still pure and open to contacts with invisible worlds.

Dwarves wear clothing woven from the elements that make up their environment. They are characterized by stinginess and gluttony. Dwarves do not like field work that harms their underground economy. But they are skilled artisans, making weapons, armor, and jewelry.

8) Fairies and elves (alvas)

Magic people in German-Scandinavian and Celtic folklore. There is a popular belief on the site that elves and fairies are the same thing, however they can be either the same or different creatures. Despite the frequent similarity of description, traditional Celtic elves could be depicted as winged, unlike the Scandinavian ones, who in the sagas were not much different from ordinary people.

According to German-Scandinavian legends, at the dawn of history, fairies and elves lived freely among people, despite the fact that they and people are creatures of different worlds. As the latter conquered the wild nature, which was the shelter and home of elves and fairies, they began to avoid people and settled in a parallel world, invisible to mortals. According to Welsh and Irish legends, elves and fairies appeared before people in the form of a magical, beautiful procession that suddenly appeared before the traveler and just as suddenly disappeared.

The attitude of elves and fairies towards people is rather ambivalent. On the one hand, they are a wonderful “little people” living in flowers, singing magical songs, fluttering on the light wings of butterflies and dragonflies and enchanting with their unearthly beauty. On the other hand, elves and fairies were quite hostile towards people; crossing the borders of their magical world was mortally dangerous. Moreover, elves and fairies were distinguished by extreme ruthlessness and insensitivity and were as cruel as they were beautiful. The latter, by the way, is not necessary: ​​elves and fairies could, if desired, change their appearance and take on the guise of birds and animals, as well as ugly old women and even monsters.

If a mortal happened to see the world of elves and fairies, he could no longer live peacefully in his real world and eventually died from inescapable melancholy. Sometimes a mortal fell into eternal captivity in the land of the elves and never returned to his world. There was a belief that if on a summer night in a meadow you see a ring of magical lights of dancing elves and step into this ring, then a mortal would forever become a prisoner of the world of elves and fairies. In addition, elves and fairies often stole babies from people and replaced them with their own ugly and capricious offspring. To protect their child from being kidnapped by elves, mothers hung open scissors resembling a cross, as well as garlic and rowan brushes over the cradles.

9) Valkyries

In Scandinavian mythology, warlike maidens, involved in the distribution of victories and deaths in battles, are assistants to Odin. Their name comes from the Old Icelandic “chooser of the slain.” Valkyries were originally sinister spirits of battle, angels of death who took pleasure in the sight of bloody wounds. In horse formation they rushed over the battlefield like vultures, and in the name of Odin decided the fate of the warriors. The chosen Valkyrie heroes were taken to Valhalla - the site of the “hall of the slain,” the heavenly camp of Odin’s warriors, where they perfected their military art. The Scandinavians believed that by influencing victory, warrior maidens held the fate of humanity in their hands.

In later Norse myth, the Valkyries were romanticized into the Shieldmaidens of Odin, virgins with golden hair and snow-white skin who served food and drink to favored heroes in the banquet hall of Valhalla. They circled over the battlefield in the guise of lovely swan maidens or horsewomen, riding on magnificent pearl cloud horses, whose rainy manes watered the earth with fertile frost and dew. According to Anglo-Saxon legends, some of the Valkyries were descended from elves, but most of them were princely daughters who became the chosen Valkyries of the gods during their lifetime, and could turn into swans.

Valkyries became known to modern man thanks to the great monument of ancient literature, which remained in history under the name “Elder Edda”. The images of Icelandic mythical warrior maidens served as the basis for the creation of the popular German epic “The Song of the Nibelungs.” One of the parts of the poem tells about the punishment received by the Valkyrie Sigrdriva, who dared to disobey the god Odin. Having given victory in the battle to King Agnar, and not to the courageous Hjalm Gunnar, the Valkyrie lost the right to take part in battles. By order of Odin, she fell into a long sleep, after which the former warrior maiden became an ordinary earthly woman. Another Valkyrie, Brünnhilde, after her marriage to a mortal, lost her superhuman strength, her descendants mixed with the Norns, the goddesses of fate, spinning the thread of life at the well.

Judging by later myths, the idealized Valkyries were gentler and more sensitive creatures than their fierce predecessors, and often fell in love with mortal heroes. The tendency to deprive the Valkyries of sacred enchantments was clearly visible in the tales of the beginning of the 2nd millennium, in which the authors often endowed Odin’s warlike assistants with the appearance and fate of real inhabitants of Scandinavia at that time. The harsh image of the Valkyries was used by the German composer Richard Wagner, who created the famous opera “Walkyrie”.

10) Troll

Creatures from German-Scandinavian mythology, appearing in many fairy tales. Trolls are mountain spirits associated with stone, usually hostile to humans. According to legends, they frightened local residents with their size and witchcraft. According to other beliefs, trolls lived in castles and underground palaces. In the north of Britain there are several large rocks about which there are legends that they are trolls caught in sunlight. In mythology, trolls are not only huge giants, but also small, gnome-like creatures that usually live in caves; such trolls were usually called forest trolls. The details of the image of trolls in folklore depend greatly on the country. Sometimes they are described differently even in the same legend.

Most often, trolls are ugly creatures from three to eight meters tall, sometimes they can change their size. Almost always, an attribute of a troll's appearance in images is a very large nose. They have the nature of stone, as they are born from rocks and turn to stone in the sun. They feed on meat and often eat people. They live alone in caves, forests or under bridges. Trolls under bridges are somewhat different from ordinary ones. In particular, they can appear in the sun, do not eat people, respect money, are greedy for human women, there are legends about the children of trolls and earthly women.

Dead people who rise from their graves at night or appear in the guise of bats, sucking blood from sleeping people, sending nightmares. It is believed that “unclean” dead people became vampires - criminals, suicides, those who died a premature death and those who died from vampire bites. The image is extremely popular for cinema and fiction, although vampires from works of fiction usually have some differences from mythological vampires.

In folklore, the term is usually used to refer to a blood-sucking creature from Eastern European legends, but vampires are often used to refer to similar creatures from other countries and cultures. The characteristics of a vampire vary greatly in different legends. During the day, it is very difficult to distinguish experienced vampires - they perfectly imitate living people. Their main sign: they do not eat or drink anything. A more attentive observer may notice that they do not cast shadows either in sunlight or in moonlight. In addition, vampires are great enemies of mirrors. They always try to destroy them, because the reflection of the vampire is not visible in the mirror, and this gives him away.

12) Ghost

The soul or spirit of a deceased person who has not completely departed from the material world and is in his so-called etheric body. Deliberate attempts to contact the spirit of a deceased person are called séances or, more narrowly, necromancy. There are ghosts that are firmly attached to a specific place. Sometimes they have been its inhabitants for hundreds of years. This is explained by the fact that human consciousness cannot recognize the fact of its own death and tries to continue its usual existence. That is why ghosts and specters usually mean the souls of dead people who, for some reason, have not found peace for themselves.

Sometimes it happens that ghosts or apparitions appear because the person was not buried according to established custom after death. Because of this, they cannot leave the earth and rush around in search of peace. There have been cases where ghosts pointed people to the place of their death. If the remains were buried according to all the rules of church rites, the ghost disappeared. The difference between ghosts and ghosts is that, as a rule, a ghost appears at most once. If a ghost appears constantly in the same place, then it can be classified as a ghost.

We can talk about the phenomenon of a ghost or ghost when the following signs are observed: the image of a deceased person can pass through various obstacles, suddenly appear out of nowhere and just as unexpectedly disappear without a trace. The places where ghosts and apparitions are most likely to be found are in cemeteries, abandoned houses, or ruins. In addition, very often these representatives of the other world appear at road intersections, on bridges and near water mills. It is believed that ghosts and ghosts are always hostile towards people. They try to scare a person, lure him into the impassable thicket of the forest, and even deprive him of his memory and reason.

Not every mortal can see. Usually it appears to someone who is destined to experience something terrible in the near future. There is an opinion that ghosts and ghosts have the ability to talk to a person or convey certain information to him in some other way, for example, through telepathy.

Numerous beliefs and legends telling about encounters with ghosts and apparitions strictly prohibit talking to them. The best protection against ghosts and apparitions has always been considered a cross, holy water, prayers and a sprig of mistletoe. According to people who encountered ghosts, they heard unusual sounds and experienced strange sensations. Scientists studying the site of such phenomena have discovered that the ghost is preceded by a sharp drop in temperature, and a person nearby at that moment experiences severe chills, which many eyewitnesses call nothing more than grave cold. In many countries around the world, legends about ghosts, apparitions and spirits are passed down from mouth to mouth.

A monstrous chimera with the ability to kill not only with poison, but also with a glance, a breath that dried the grass and cracked the rocks. In the Middle Ages, it was believed that the basilisk came from an egg laid by a rooster and hatched by a toad, so in medieval images it has the head of a rooster, the body and eyes of a toad, and the tail of a snake. It had a crest in the form of a diadem, hence its name - “king of snakes”. One could save oneself from the deadly gaze by showing it a mirror: the snake died from its own reflection.

Unlike, for example, the werewolf and the dragon, which the human imagination invariably gave birth to on all continents, the basilisk is a creation of minds that existed exclusively in Europe. This fiend of the Libyan desert embodied the very specific fear of the inhabitants of the green valleys and fields of the unpredictable dangers of the sandy expanses. All the fears of the warriors and travelers were united into one common fear of meeting with a certain mysterious ruler of the desert. Scientists call the source material of fantasy either the Egyptian cobra, or the horned viper, or the helmet-bearing chameleon. There is every reason for this: the cobra of this species moves semi-erectly - with its head and front part of the body raised above the ground, and in the horned viper and chameleon the growths on the head look like a crown. The traveler could protect himself only in two ways: to have a weasel with him - the only animal that is not afraid of the basilisk and fearlessly enters into battle with it or a rooster, because, for an inexplicable reason, the desert king cannot stand the crowing of a rooster.

Starting from the 12th century, the myth of the basilisk began to spread throughout the cities and towns of Europe, appearing in the form of a winged serpent with the head of a rooster. The mirror became the main weapon in the fight against basilisks, which in the Middle Ages allegedly rampaged around homes, poisoning wells and mines with their presence. Weasels were still considered the natural enemies of basilisks, but they could only defeat the monster by chewing rue leaves. Images of weasels with leaves in their mouths decorated wells, buildings, and church pews. In the church, carved figurines of weasels had a symbolic meaning: for a person, the Holy Scriptures were the same as leaves of rue for a weasel - tasting the wisdom of biblical texts helped to defeat the basilisk devil.

The basilisk is a very ancient and very common symbol in medieval art, but it can rarely be found in Italian painting of the Renaissance. In heraldry, the basilisk is a symbol of power, threat and royalty. The phrases “the look of a basilisk”, “eyes like the site of a basilisk” mean a look full of malice and murderous hatred.

In German-Scandinavian mythology, a huge wolf, the youngest of the children of the god of lies Loki. Initially, the gods considered him not dangerous enough and allowed him to live in Asgard, their heavenly abode. The wolf grew up among the Aesir and became so large and terrible that only Tyr, the god of military courage, dared to feed him. To protect themselves, the aces decided to chain Fenrir, but the mighty wolf easily broke the strongest chains. In the end, the Aesir, by cunning, still managed to bind Fenrir with the magic chain Gleipnir, which the dwarves made from the noise of cat steps, a woman’s beard, mountain roots, bear sinews, fish breath and bird saliva. All this is no longer in the world. Gleipnir was thin and soft, like silk. But in order for the wolf to allow this chain to be put on him, Tyr had to put his hand in his mouth as a sign of the absence of evil intentions. When Fenrir could not free himself, he bit off Tyr's hand. The Aesir chained Fenrir to a rock deep underground and stuck a sword between his jaws. According to the prophecy, on the day of Ragnarok (the End of Times) Fenrir will break his bonds, kill Odin and will himself be killed by Vidar, Odin's son. Despite this prophecy, the Aesir did not kill Fenrir, because “the gods so honored their sanctuary and their shelter that they did not want to desecrate them with the blood of the Wolf.”

15) Werewolf

A person who can turn into animals, or vice versa, an animal who can turn into people. Demons, deities, and spirits often possess this ability. The forms of the word "werewolf" - the Germanic "werwolf" and the French "loup-garou" - are ultimately derived from the Greek word for "lycanthrope" (lykanthropos - wolf-man). It is with the wolf that all the associations generated by the word werewolf are connected. This change can occur either at the request of the werewolf or involuntarily, caused, for example, by certain lunar cycles or sounds - howling.

Legends about exist in the beliefs of almost all peoples and cultures. Phobias associated with belief in werewolves reached their apogee at the end of the Middle Ages, when werewolfism was directly identified with heresy, Satanism and witchcraft, and the figure of the wolf man was the main theme of various “Witches’ Hammers” and other theological instructions of the Inquisition.

There are two types of werewolves: those who turn into animals at will (with the help of witchcraft spells or other magical rituals), and those who are sick with lycanthropy - the disease of turning into animals (from a scientific point of view, lycanthropy is a mental illness). They differ from each other in that the first can turn into animals at any time of the day or night, without losing the ability to think humanly rationally, while others only at night, mostly during the full moon, against their will, while human the essence is driven deep inside, releasing the bestial nature. At the same time, the person does not remember what he did while in animal form. But not all werewolves show their abilities during the full moon; some can become werewolves at any time of the day.

Initially, it was believed that a werewolf could be killed by inflicting a mortal wound on him, for example by striking him in the heart or cutting off his head. Wounds inflicted on a werewolf in animal form remain on his human body. In this way, you can expose a werewolf in a living person: if a wound inflicted on an animal later appears in a person, then this person is that werewolf. In modern tradition, you can kill a werewolf, like many other evil spirits, with a silver bullet or a silver weapon. At the same time, traditional anti-vampire remedies in the form of garlic, holy water and aspen stake are not effective against werewolves. After death occurs, the beast turns into a human for the last time.

16) Goblin

Supernatural humanoid creatures that live in underground caves and rarely go out onto the surface of the earth. The term itself comes from the Old French "gobelin", which is probably related to the German "kobold", kobolds - a special type of elf, roughly corresponding to Russian brownies; sometimes the same name is applied to mountain spirits. Historically, the concept of “goblin” is close to the Russian concept of “demon” - these are the lower spirits of nature, due to the expansion of man, forced to live in his environment.

Nowadays, the classic goblin is considered an anthropomorphic ugly creature from half a meter to two meters tall, with long ears, scary cat-like eyes, and long claws on its hands, usually with greenish skin. When transforming or masquerading as people, goblins hide their ears under a hat and their claws in gloves. But they cannot hide their eyes in any way, so, according to legend, you can recognize them by their eyes. Like gnomes, goblins are also sometimes credited with a passion for the complex machinery and technology of the steam era.

17) Lingbakr

Lingbakr is a monstrous whale mentioned in ancient Icelandic legends. The floating lingbakr is island-like and the name comes from the Icelandic words for "heather" and "back". According to legends, sea travelers, mistaking the whale for a harsh northern island overgrown with heather, camped on its back. The sleeping lingbakr was awakened by the heat of the fire lit by the sailors and dived into the depths of the ocean, dragging people along with it into the abyss.

Modern scientists suggest that the myth about such an animal arose due to repeated observations by sailors of islands of volcanic origin that periodically appear and disappear in the open sea.

18) Banshee

The banshee is a mourning creature from Irish folklore. They have long flowing hair, which they comb with a silver comb, gray cloaks over green dresses, and eyes red from tears. website Banshees take care of ancient human families, emitting heartbreaking screams when mourning the death of one of the family members. When several banshees gather together, it foretells the death of a great man.

Seeing a banshee means imminent death. The banshee cries in a language that no one understands. Her cry is the cries of wild geese, the sobs of an abandoned child and the howl of a wolf. A banshee can take the form of an ugly old woman with matted black hair, prominent teeth, and a single nostril. Or - a pale, beautiful girl in a gray cloak or shroud. She either sneaks among the trees, or flies around the house, filling the air with piercing screams.

19) Anku

In the folklore of the inhabitants of the Brittany peninsula, it is a harbinger of death. Usually the person who died in a particular settlement in the year becomes anku; there is also a version that this is the first person buried in a particular cemetery.

Anku appears in the guise of a tall, emaciated man with long white hair and empty eye sockets. He wears a black cloak and a black wide-brimmed hat, and sometimes takes the form of a skeleton. Anku drives a funeral cart drawn by skeletal horses. According to another version, a yellow skinny mare. In its functions, the anku is similar to another Kelian harbinger of death - the banshee. Mainly because, like the Irish harbinger of death, it warns of death and gives a person the opportunity to prepare for it. According to legend, whoever meets Anka will die in two years. A person who meets an Anka at midnight will die within a month. The creaking of Anku's cart also foreshadows death. Anku is sometimes believed to live in cemeteries.

There are quite a few stories about Anka in Brittany. In some, people help him repair his cart or scythe. In gratitude, he warns them about his imminent death, and thus they manage to prepare for their death by settling the last affairs on earth.

20) Water Jumper

An evil spirit from the tales of Welsh fishermen, something like a water demon who tore nets, devoured sheep that had fallen into rivers and often uttered a terrible cry that frightened the fishermen so much that the water jumper could drag his victim into the water, where the unfortunate one shared the fate of the sheep. According to some sources, the water jumper has no legs at all. According to other versions, the wings replace only the front paws.

If the tail of this strange creature is the remnant of the tail of a tadpole, which was not reduced during metamorphosis, then the jumper can be considered a double chimera, consisting of a toad and a bat.

21) Selkie

In the folklore of the British Isles there are entire populations of magical creatures who can be very different from everyone else. Selkies (shelkies, roans), seal people, are one such people. Legends about selkies are found throughout the British Isles, although they are most often told about in Scotland, Ireland, the Farrer and Orkney Islands. The name of these magical creatures comes from the Old Scots selich - “seal”. Outwardly, selkies resemble humanoid seals with gentle brown eyes. When they shed their seal skins and appear on the shore, they appear as beautiful young men and women. Seal skins allow them to live in the sea, but they must come up for air from time to time.

They are considered angels who were kicked out of heaven for minor offenses, but these offenses were not enough for the underworld. According to another explanation, they were once people exiled to the sea for their sins, but they were allowed to take on human form on land. Some believed that salvation was available to their souls.

Selkies sometimes come ashore for their celebrations, shedding seal skins. If the skin is stolen, the sea fairy will not be able to return to the ocean site and will be forced to remain on land. Selkies can bestow riches from sunken ships, but can also tear fishermen's nets, send storms, or steal fish. If you go to the sea and shed seven tears into the water, then the selkie will know that someone is looking for a meeting with him. Both in Orkney and Shetland they believed that if the blood of a seal was spilled into the sea, a storm would arise that could be fatal to people.

Dogs have always been associated with the underworld, the moon and deities, especially goddesses of death and divination. For centuries in Scotland and Ireland, many people have seen a terrifying figure with huge glowing eyes. Due to the widespread migration of Celtic peoples, the Black Dog began to appear in many parts of the world. This supernatural creature was almost always considered an omen of danger.

Sometimes the Black Dog appears to carry out divine justice, pursuing the culprit until justice is served one way or another. Descriptions of the Black Dog are often unclear, largely due to the long years of fear it has instilled and is deeply ingrained in people's minds. The appearance of this creepy creature fills those who see it with chilling despair and a feeling of hopelessness, followed by a loss of vitality.

This terrifying apparition does not usually attack or chase its prey. It moves absolutely silently, spreading an aura of mortal fear.

23) Brownie

Scottish with disheveled hair and brown skin, hence the name (English: “brown” - “brown, brown”). Brownies belong to a class of creatures different in habits and character from the fickle and mischievous elves. He spends the day in solitude, far from the old houses which he loves to visit, and at night he diligently performs whatever difficult work the site deems desirable for the family to whose service he has dedicated himself. But Brownie does not work in the hope of reward. He is grateful for milk, sour cream, porridge or pastries left for him, but Brownie perceives excessive amounts of food left as a personal insult and leaves the home forever, so it is advisable to observe moderation.

One of the main characteristics of a brownie is his concern for the moral principles of the household of the family he serves. This spirit usually pricks up its ears at the first sign of negligence in the behavior of servants. He immediately reports the slightest offense that he notices in a barn, cowshed or storeroom to the owner, whose interests he considers superior to all other things in the world. No bribe can keep him silent, and woe to anyone who decides to criticize or laugh at his efforts: the revenge of a brownie offended to the core will be terrible.

24) Kraken

In the legends of the Scandinavian peoples, there is a giant sea monster. The Kraken was credited with incredibly large sizes: its huge back, more than a kilometer wide, protrudes from the sea like an island, and its tentacles are capable of engulfing the largest ship. There are numerous testimonies from medieval sailors and travelers about alleged encounters with this fantastic animal. According to descriptions, the kraken is similar to a squid (octopus) or octopus, only its size is much larger. There are often stories from sailors about how they themselves or their comrades landed on the “island”, and it suddenly plunged into the abyss, sometimes dragging along the ship, which ended up in the resulting whirlpool. In different countries, the kraken was also called polypus, pulp, krabben, crux.

The ancient Roman scientist and writer Pliny described how a huge polypus raided the coast, where he loved to feast on fish. Attempts to bait the monster with dogs failed: it swallowed all the dogs. But one day the watchmen managed to find it and, admired by its enormous size (the tentacles were 9 meters long and as thick as a man’s torso), they sent the giant mollusk to be eaten by the proconsul of Rome, Lucullus, famous for his feasts and gourmet food.

The existence of giant octopuses was later proven, but the mythical kraken of the northern peoples, due to the incredibly large size attributed to it, is most likely the fruit of the wild imagination of sailors in trouble.

25) Avank

In Welsh folklore, a ferocious water creature, similar, according to some sources, to a huge crocodile, according to others - to a gigantic beaver, a dragon from Breton legends, allegedly found in the territory of what is now Wales.

The Lin-yr-Avanc Pool in North Wales is a kind of whirlpool: an object thrown into it will spin until it is sucked to the bottom. It was believed that this avank attracts people and animals caught in the pool.

26) Wild Hunt

It is a group site of ghostly horsemen with a pack of dogs. In Scandinavia, it was believed that the wild hunt was led by the god Odin, who with his retinue rushed across the earth and collected the souls of people. If anyone meets them, he will end up in another country, and if he speaks, he will die.

In Germany they said that the ghostly hunters were led by the queen of winter, Frau Holda, known to us from the fairy tale “Mistress Blizzard.” In the Middle Ages, the main role in wild hunting most often began to be assigned to the Devil or his peculiar female reflection - Hecate. But in the British Isles, the main thing could be the king or queen of the elves. They kidnapped children and young people they met, who became servants of the elves.

27) Draugr

In Scandinavian mythology, a living dead, close to vampires. According to one version, these are the souls of berserkers who did not die in battle and were not burned in a funeral pyre.

The draugr's body can swell to enormous size, sometimes remaining impervious to decay for many years. Unbridled appetite, reaching the point of cannibalism, brings draugr closer to the folklore image of vampires. Sometimes the soul is preserved. The appearance of the draugr depends on the type of their death: water constantly flows from the drowned man, and bleeding wounds gape on the body of the fallen soldier. The skin can vary from deathly white to corpse blue. Draugr are credited with supernatural powers and magical abilities: predicting the future, weather. Anyone who knows a special spell can subjugate them to himself. They are able to transform into various animals, but at the same time they retain human eyes and the mind that they had in “human” form.

Draugr can attack animals and travelers staying overnight in a stable, but they can also directly attack housing. In connection with this belief, the custom arose in Iceland of knocking three times at night: it was believed that the ghost site was limited to one.

28) Dullahan

According to Irish legends, a dullahan is a headless evil spirit, usually on a black horse, carrying his head under his arm. The Dullahan uses a human spine as a whip. Sometimes his horse is harnessed to a covered wagon, hung with all sorts of attributes of death: skulls with glowing eye sockets hang outside to light his way, the wheel spokes are made of thigh bones, and the cart's skin is made of a worm-eaten burial shroud or dried human skin. When a dullahan stops his horse, it means that someone is about to die: the spirit shouts out a name loudly, after which the person immediately dies.

According to Irish beliefs, one cannot protect oneself from a dullahan by any obstacles. Any gate and door opens in front of him. The Dullahan also cannot stand being watched: he can pour a bowl of blood on the person spying on him, which means that this person will soon die, or even whip the curious person in the eyes. However, the Dullahan is afraid of gold, and even touching him a little with this metal is enough to drive him away.

29) Kelpie

In Scottish lower mythology, a water spirit, hostile to humans and living in many rivers and lakes. The Kelpie appears in the guise of one grazing near the water, presenting its back to the traveler and then dragging him into the water. According to Scottish beliefs, a kelpie is a werewolf capable of transforming into animals and humans.

Before a storm, many people hear the kelpie howling. Much more often than humans, the kelpie takes the form of a horse, most often black. Sometimes they say that his eyes glow or are full of tears, and his gaze causes chills or attracts like a magnet. With all its appearance, the kelpie seems to invite the passerby to sit on itself, and when he succumbs to the site’s trick, he jumps with the rider into the waters of the lake. The man instantly gets wet to the skin, and the kelpie disappears, and his disappearance is accompanied by a roar and a blinding flash. But sometimes, when a kelpie is angry about something, it tears its victim into pieces and devours it.

The ancient Scots called these creatures water kelpies, horses, bulls, or simply spirits, and mothers from time immemorial forbade their children to play close to the banks of a river or lake. The monster can take the form of a galloping horse, grab the baby, sit him on his back and then plunge into the abyss with the helpless little rider. Kelpie tracks are easy to recognize: its hooves are placed backwards. Kelpie is able to stretch as long as he likes, and a person seems to stick to his body.

He is often associated with the Loch Ness Monster. Allegedly, the kelpie turns into a sea lizard, or this is its true appearance. Also, the kelpie can appear on the site as a beautiful girl in a green dress inside out, sitting on the shore and luring travelers. He can appear in the guise of a handsome young man and seduce girls. You can recognize him by his wet hair with shells or algae.

30) Huldra

In Scandinavian folklore, a huldra is a girl from the forest people or from a clan of trolls, but at the same time beautiful and young, with long blond hair. Traditionally classified as an “evil spirit.” The name “Huldra” means “he (she) who hides, hides.” This is a mysterious creature that constantly lives next to people and sometimes leaves traces by which one can guess its existence. However, the huldra still showed itself to people. The only thing that distinguished a huldra from an earthly woman was a long cow's tail, which, however, was not immediately detectable. If the rite of baptism was performed over the huldra, then the tail disappeared. Apparently, it was a site and served as an external sign of her “unclean” origin, connecting her with the wild animal world, hostile to the Christian Church. In some areas, other “animal” attributes were also attributed to the huldra: horns, hooves and a wrinkled back, but these are deviations from the classical image.

Genetically, the belief in huldra and natural spirits can be traced back to ancestor worship. The peasants believed that after the death of a person, his spirit continued to live in the natural world, and certain places - groves, mountains, where he found a posthumous refuge - were often considered sacred. Gradually, popular imagination populated these places with diverse and bizarre creatures, who were similar to the souls of their ancestors in that they guarded these places and maintained order there.

The Huldras always wanted to become related to the human race. Numerous legends tell how peasants married huldras or entered into relationships with them. Often a person, bewitched by its beauty, became a site lost to the human world. The Huldras could take not only boys but also girls to their villages. In the mountains, the Huldra taught people many arts - from household crafts to playing musical instruments and poetry.

It happened that lazy rural people ran to the huldras so as not to work during the harvest season. For such a person, a return to normal life was ordered: communication with evil spirits was considered a sinful weakness, and the church cursed such people. Sometimes, however, relatives or friends saved the bewitched by asking the priest to ring the bells or by going to the mountains themselves with the bells. The ringing of bells removed the shackles of magic from a person, and he could return to people. If earthly people rejected the attention of the huldra, they could severely pay for it for the rest of their days with the loss of financial well-being, health and good luck.

31) Yule cat

The site scares Icelandic children with the Yule cat, one of the symbols of Icelandic Christmas. In the northern countries, the ancient holiday of Yule was celebrated many centuries before the emergence of the Christian religion. The Yule holiday also mentions abundant food on the tables and the giving of gifts, which is reminiscent of Christian Christmas traditions. It is the Yule cat who at night takes with him or eats those children who have been mischievous and lazy during the year. And the cat brings gifts to obedient children. The Yule cat is huge, very fluffy and unusually voracious. The cat confidently distinguishes slackers and loafers from all other people. After all, lazy people always celebrate a holiday in old clothes.

The belief about the dangerous and terrible was first recorded in the 19th century. According to folklore stories, the Yule Cat lives in a mountain cave with the terrible cannibal Gríla, who kidnaps naughty and capricious children, with her lazy husband Leppaludi, their sons Jolasweinar, aka Icelandic Santa Clauses. According to a later, more humane version of the tale, the Yule Cat takes only holiday treats.

The origin of the Yule cat is connected with the traditions of Icelandic life. The production of cloth from sheep's wool was a family trade: after the autumn sheep shearing, all family members begin processing the wool. According to custom, socks and mittens were woven for each family member. And it turned out that those who worked well and diligently received a new thing, while the idle ones found themselves without a gift. To motivate children to work, parents frightened them by visiting the scary Yule Cat.

32) Double (doppelganger)

In the works of the Romantic era, a person’s double is the dark side of the personality or the antithesis of the guardian angel. In the works of some authors, the character does not cast a shadow and is not reflected in the mirror. His appearance often foreshadows the death of the hero. embodies shadow unconscious desires and instincts, repressed by the subject due to incompatibility with the conscious image of himself under the influence of morality or society, with his own ideas about himself. Often the double “feeds” at the expense of the protagonist, becoming more and more self-confident as he fades and, as it were, taking his place in the world.

Another version of the doppelganger is a werewolf, capable of highly accurately reproducing the appearance, behavior, and sometimes even the psyche of the one he copies. In its natural form, a doppelganger looks like a humanoid figure sculpted from clay with blurred features. However, he can rarely be seen in this state: the doppleganger always prefers to disguise himself as someone else.

A huge creature with a snake's head and neck that lives in Scotland's Loch Ness and is affectionately called Nessie. There was always a warning among the locals about the giant monster, but the general public did not hear about it until 1933, when the first witnesses from travelers appeared. If we go back to the very depths of Celtic legends, this animal was first noticed by the Roman conquerors. And the very first mentions of the Loch Ness monster date back to the 5th century AD, where one of the chronicles mentions the water beast of the Ness River. Then all mentions of Nessie disappear until 1880, when, in complete calm, a sailing ship with people sank to the bottom. The northern Scots immediately remembered the monster and began to spread all sorts of rumors and legends.

One of the most common and plausible assumptions is the theory that the Loch Ness Monster may be a living plesiosaur. It is one of the marine reptiles that existed during the era of dinosaurs, which ended about 63 million years ago. Plesiosaurs were very similar to dolphins or sharks, and an expedition of scientists to the lake in 1987 could well support this hypothesis. But the fact is that approximately ten thousand years ago, on the site of Loch Ness there was a huge glacier for a long time, and it is unlikely that any animals could survive in the subglacial water. According to researchers, the Loch Ness monster does not belong to the younger generation of settlers. The family of the largest marine animals that arrived in Loch Ness several decades or centuries ago is in no way related to the family of whales or dolphins, otherwise their appearance would often be observed on the surface of Loch Ness. Most likely, we are talking about a giant octopus, which rarely appears on the surface. In addition, eyewitnesses could observe different parts of his gigantic body, which can explain the contradictory descriptions of the monster by many witnesses.

Research, including sound scanning of the lake and many other experiments, only further confused the researchers, revealing many inexplicable facts, but no clear evidence of the existence of the Loch Ness monster in the lake was ever found. The most recent evidence comes from a satellite that shows a strange spot that, in the distance, resembles the Loch Ness monster. The main argument of skeptics is a study that has proven that the flora of Loch Ness is very poor, and there simply would not be enough resources here even for one such huge animal.

Spring-Heeled Jack was one of the most famous London characters of the Victorian era, a humanoid creature notable primarily for its ability to leap to amazing heights. Jack wanders the night streets of the British capital, easily walks through puddles, swamps and rivers, and enters houses. He pounces on people, skins them and kills them mercilessly, alarming the police. The earliest reports of it in London date back to 1837. Later, its appearances were recorded in many places in England - especially sites in London itself, its suburbs, Liverpool, Sheffield, the Midlands and even Scotland. Reports peaked between the 1850s and 1880s.

No photograph of Jumping Jack exists, although photography already existed at the time. One can judge his appearance only by the descriptions of victims and eyewitnesses of his appearances and attacks on people, many of which are very similar. Most who saw Jack described him as a humanoid creature of tall stature and athletic build, with a disgusting devilish face, pointed protruding ears, large claws on his fingers and glowing bulging eyes that resemble red fireballs. In one of the descriptions it is noted that Jack was dressed in a black cloak, in another - that he had a kind of helmet on his head, and he was dressed in tight-fitting white clothes, over which a waterproof raincoat was thrown. Sometimes he was described as a devil, sometimes as a tall and thin gentleman. Finally, the site states in many descriptions that Jack could emit clouds of blue and white flames from his mouth, and that the claws on his hands were metal.

There are a large number of theories about the nature and personality of Jumping Jack, but none of them are scientifically proven and do not give affirmative answers to all questions related to him. Thus, his history remains unexplained to this day, science is unaware of a device with which a person could make jumps similar to Jack, and the fact of his real existence is disputed by a significant number of historians. The urban legend of Jumping Jack was incredibly popular in England in the second half of the 19th century - primarily due to his unusual appearance, aggressive eccentric behavior and the aforementioned ability to make incredible jumps - to the point that Jack became the subject of several fictional works. works of European pulp literature website of the 19th-20th centuries.

35) Reaper (Reaper of Souls, Grim Reaper)

Guide of souls to the afterlife. Since initially a person could not explain the cause of death of a living being, there were ideas about death as a real being. In European culture, death is often depicted as a skeleton with a scythe, dressed in a black robe with a hood.

Medieval European legends of the Grim Reaper with a scythe may have originated from the custom of some European peoples of burying people with scythes. Reapers are creatures with power over time and human consciousness. They can change the way a person sees the world around them and themselves, thus easing the transition from life to death. The Reaper's true form is too complex to be replicated, but most people see them as ghostly figures in rags or dressed in funerary robes.