How to name a mythical animal. It is believed that goblins love to inflict small mischief on people - send nightmares, make noise nervous, break dishes with milk, crush chicken eggs, blow soot out of the oven into a clean house, put flies on people, a mosquito

Throughout history, people have invented countless tales of mythical creatures, legendary monsters, and supernatural monsters. Despite their obscure origins, these mythical creatures are described in the folklore of various peoples and in many cases are part of the culture. It's amazing that there are people around the world who are still convinced that these monsters exist, despite the lack of any meaningful evidence. So, today we're going to take a look at a list of 25 legendary and mythical creatures that never existed.

Budak is present in many Czech fairy tales and legends. This monster is described, as a rule, as a creepy creature resembling a scarecrow. It can cry like an innocent child, thus luring its victims. On the night of the full moon, Budak allegedly weaves a fabric from the souls of those people whom he ruined. Budak is sometimes described as an evil version of Santa Claus who travels around Christmas in a cart pulled by black cats.

24. Ghoul

The ghoul is one of the most famous creatures in Arabian folklore and appears in the Thousand and One Nights. The ghoul is described as an undead creature that can also take the form of an intangible spirit. He often visits cemeteries to eat the flesh of recently deceased people. This is perhaps main reason why the word ghoul in Arab countries is often used when referring to gravediggers or representatives of any profession directly related to death.

23. Yorogumo.

Loosely translated from Japanese, Yorogumo means "seductress spider", and in our opinion humble opinion, the name perfectly describes this monster. According to Japanese folklore, Yorogumo was a bloodthirsty monster. But in most tales, he is described as a huge spider that takes the form of a very attractive and sexy woman, which seduces its male victims, captures them in a net, and then devours them with pleasure.

22. Cerberus.

IN Greek mythology, Cerberus is the guardian of Hades and is usually described as a bizarre-looking monster that looks like a dog with three heads and a tail ending in a dragon's head. Cerberus was born from the union of two monsters, the giant Typhon and Echidna, and is himself the brother of the Lernaean Hydra. Cerberus is often described in myth as one of the most dedicated guards in history and is often mentioned in the Homeric epic.

21. Kraken

The legend of the Kraken came from North seas and its presence was initially limited to the coasts of Norway and Iceland. Over time, however, his fame grew, thanks to the wild imagination of storytellers, which led subsequent generations to believe that he also lives in all the seas of the world.

Norwegian fishermen originally described sea ​​monster as a giant animal that was as big as an island and posed a danger to passing ships not from direct attack, but from giant waves and tsunamis caused by the movements of its body. However, later people began to spread stories about the monster's violent attacks on ships. Modern historians believe that the Kraken was nothing more than a giant squid and the rest of the stories are nothing but the wild imagination of sailors.

20. Minotaur

The Minotaur is one of the first epic creatures that we meet in the history of mankind, and takes us back to the heyday of the Minoan civilization. The Minotaur had the head of a bull on the body of a very large, muscular man and settled in the center of the Cretan labyrinth, which was built by Daedalus and his son Icarus at the request of King Minos. Everyone who fell into the labyrinth became a victim of the Minotaur. The exception was the Athenian king Theseus, who killed the beast and left the labyrinth alive with the help of the thread of Ariadne, the daughter of Minos.

If Theseus were hunting the Minotaur today, then a rifle with a collimator sight, huge and quality choice which are on the portal http://www.meteomaster.com.ua/meteoitems_R473/.

19. Wendigo

Those familiar with psychology have probably heard the term "Wendigo psychopathy" which describes a psychosis that causes a person to eat human flesh. The medical term takes its name from the mythical creature called the Wendigo, which, according to the myths of the Algonquian Indians. The Wendigo was an evil creature that looked like a cross between a human and a monster, somewhat like a zombie. According to legend, only people who ate human flesh were able to become Wendigo themselves.

Of course, this creature never existed and was invented by Algonquin elders who were trying to stop people from engaging in cannibalism.

In ancient Japanese folklore, Kappa is a water demon that lives in rivers and lakes and devours naughty children. Kappa means "river child" in Japanese and has the body of a turtle, the limbs of a frog, and a head with a beak. In addition, on the top of the head there is a cavity with water. According to legend, Kappa's head should always be moistened, otherwise it will lose its power. Oddly enough, many Japanese consider the existence of Kappa to be a reality. Some lakes in Japan have posters and signs warning visitors that there is a serious danger of being attacked by this creature.

Greek mythology gave the world the most epic heroes, gods, and creatures, and Talos is one of them. The huge bronze giant allegedly lived in Crete, where he protected a woman named Europa (from whom the European continent takes its name) from pirates and invaders. For this reason, Talos patrolled the island's shores three times a day.

16. Menehune.

According to legend, Menehune was ancient race dwarves who lived in the forests of Hawaii before the arrival of the Polynesians. Many scientists explain the existence of ancient statues in the Hawaiian Islands by the presence of Menehune here. Others argue that the legends of Menehune appeared with the arrival of Europeans in these areas and were created by the human imagination. The myth goes back to the roots of Polynesian history. When the first Polynesians arrived in Hawaii, they found dams, roads, and even temples that were built by the Menehune.

However, no one has found the skeletons. Therefore, it still remains a big mystery what kind of race built all these amazing ancient structures in Hawaii before the arrival of the Polynesians.

15. Griffin.

The griffin was a legendary creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body and tail of a lion. The griffin is the king of the animal kingdom, which was a symbol of power and dominance. Griffins can be found in many depictions of Minoan Crete and later in art and mythology. Ancient Greece. However, some believe that the creature symbolizes the fight against evil and witchcraft.

14. Medusa

According to one version, Medusa was a beautiful maiden destined for the goddess Athena, who was raped by Poseidon. Athena, furious that she could not confront Poseidon directly, turned Medusa into an unsightly, evil monster with a head full of snakes for hair. The ugliness of Medusa was so disgusting that the one who looked at her face turned to stone. Eventually Perseus killed Medusa with the help of Athena.

Pihiu is another legendary monster hybrid native to China. Even though no part of its body resembled human organs, the mythological creature is often described as having the body of a lion with wings, long legs, and the head of a Chinese dragon. Pihiu is considered the guardian and protector of those who practice feng shui. Another version of pihiu, Tian Lu is also sometimes considered a sacred being that attracts and protects wealth. This is the reason why you can often see small statues of Tian Lu in Chinese houses or offices, as it is believed that this creature can contribute to the accumulation of wealth.

12. Sukuyant

Sukuyant, according to Caribbean legends (especially in the Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Guadeloupe), is an exotic black version of the European vampire. From mouth to mouth, from generation to generation, Sukuyant has become part of the local folklore. He is described as a hideous-looking old woman by day, turning into a gorgeous-looking young black woman resembling a goddess at night. She seduces her victims to suck their blood or make them her eternal slaves. It was also believed that she practiced black magic and voodoo, and could transform into fireballs or enter the homes of her victims through any opening in the house, including through cracks and keyholes.

11. Lamassu.

According to the mythology and legends of Mesopotamia, Lamassu was a protective deity, depicted with the body and wings of a bull, or with the body of a lion, wings of an eagle and the head of a man. Some have described him as a menacing male, while others have described him as a female deity with good intentions.

10. Tarasca

The tale of Tarascus is reported in the story of Martha, which is included in the biography of the Christian saints Jacob. Tarasca was a dragon with a very intimidating appearance and bad intentions. According to legend, he had the head of a lion, six short legs like a bear, the body of a bull, was covered with a turtle shell and a scaly tail that ended with a sting of a scorpion. Tarasca terrorized the region of Nerluk in France.

It all ended when a young devoted Christian named Martha arrived in the city to spread the gospel of Jesus and discovered that people had been afraid of the ferocious dragon for years. Then he found a dragon in the forest and sprinkled it with holy water. This action tamed the dragon's wild nature. After that, Marfa brought the dragon back to the city of Nerluk, where the enraged locals stoned Tarasque to death.

On November 25, 2005, UNESCO included Tarasque in the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

9. Draugr.

Draugr, according to Scandinavian folklore and mythology, is a zombie that spreads a surprisingly powerful putrid smell of the dead. It was believed that Draugr eats people, drinks blood, and has power over the minds of people, driving them crazy at will. The typical Draugr was somewhat similar to Freddy Krueger, which, apparently, was created under the influence of fairy tales about the Scandinavian monster.

8. Lernaean Hydra.

The Lernaean Hydra was a mythical water monster with many heads that resembled big snakes. The ferocious monster lived in Lerna, a small village near Argos. According to legend, Hercules decided to kill the Hydra and when he cut off one head, two appeared. For this reason, Heracles' nephew Iolaus burned every head as soon as his uncle cut it off, only then did they stop breeding.

7. Brox.

According to Jewish legend, Broxa is an aggressive monster that looks like a giant bird that attacked goats or, in rare cases, drank human blood at night. The legend of Brox spread in the Middle Ages in Europe, where it was believed that witches took on the appearance of Brox.

6. Baba Yaga

Baba Yaga is perhaps one of the most popular paranormal creatures in folklore. Eastern Slavs and, according to legend, had the appearance of a fierce and terrible old woman. Nevertheless, Baba Yaga is a multifaceted figure that can inspire researchers, can turn into a cloud, a snake, a bird, a black cat and symbolize the Moon, death, winter, or the Earth Mother Goddess, the totem progenitor of matriarchy.

Antaeus was a giant with great strength, which he inherited from his father, Poseidon (god of the sea), and mother Gaia (Earth). He was a hooligan who lived in the Libyan desert and challenged any traveler in his lands to battle. Having defeated the stranger in a deadly wrestling match, he killed him. He collected the skulls of the people he defeated in order to one day build a temple dedicated to Poseidon from these "trophies".

But one day, one of the passers-by was Hercules, who made his way to the garden of the Hesperides to complete his eleventh feat. Antaeus committed fatal error, challenging Hercules. The hero raised Antaeus above the ground and crushed him in a bear hug.

4. Dullahan.

The fierce and powerful Dullahan is a headless horseman in Irish folklore and mythology. For centuries, the Irish have described him as a harbinger of doom who traveled on a black, terrifying-looking horse.

According to Japanese legend, Kodama is a peaceful spirit that lives inside certain types of trees. The kodama is described as a small white and peaceful ghost that is perfectly in sync with nature. However, according to legend, when someone tries to cut down the tree that Kodama lives in, bad things and a string of misfortunes begin to happen to him.

2. Corrigan

Strange creatures named Corrigan hail from Brittany, a cultural region in northwestern France with a very rich literary traditions and folklore. Some say that Corrigan was a beautiful, kind fairy, while other sources describe him as an evil spirit that looked like a dwarf and danced around fountains. He seduced people with his charms to kill them or steal their children.

1. Fish-man Lyrgans.

The fish-man Lyrgans existed in the mythology of Cantabria, an autonomous community located in northern Spain.

According to legend, this is an amphibious creature that looks like a sullen person who was lost at sea. Many people believe that the fish-man was one of the four sons of Francisco de la Vega and Maria del Casar, a couple who lived in the area. It was believed that they drowned in the waters of the sea while swimming with their friends at the mouth of Bilbao.

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

Typologies of magical creatures

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

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

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

• good and evil;
• flying, sea and living on land;
• demi-humans and demigods;
• animals and humanoids, etc.

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

Images of ancient Greek mythology

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

To understand the whole originality of the culture of the Hellenes, you need to get acquainted with magical creatures from their legends.

1. Drakai are female reptiles or snakes that have been endowed with human features. The most famous drakains are Echidna and Lamia.
2. Echidna is the daughter of Phorkis and Keto. She was drawn in the form of a humanoid creature. She has a beautiful, bewitching girlish beauty face and body of a snake. It combined a vile character and beauty. Together with Typhon, she gave birth to a wide variety of monsters. An interesting fact is that a mammal completely covered with needles and a poisonous snake were named after Echidna. They live on an island in the ocean, located near Australia. The myth of Echidna is one of the explanations for the appearance of dragons on Earth.
3. Lamia is the queen of Libya, the daughter of the Sea Lord. According to the myth, she was one of the lovers of Zeus, for which Hera hated her. The goddess turned Lamia into a monster that kidnaps children. In ancient Greece, ghouls and bloodsuckers were called lamias, who hypnotized young girls and boys, killed them or drank blood from them. Lamia was depicted as a woman with a snake body.
4. Grai - goddesses of old age, Gorgon sisters. Their names are Horror (Enio), Anxiety (Pefredo) and Trembling (Deino). From birth they were gray-haired, they had only one eye for three, so they used it in turn. According to the myth of Perseus, the Grays knew the location of the Gorgon. In order to get this information, as well as to find out where to get an invisibility helmet, winged sandals and a bag, Perseus took an eye from them.
5. Pegasus - fabulous winged horse. Translated from ancient Greek, his name meant "stormy current." According to the myth, no one before Bellerophon could ride this wonderful white horse, which, at the slightest danger, flapped its huge wings and was carried away beyond the clouds. Pegasus is a favorite of poets, artists and sculptors. A weapon, a constellation, ray-finned fishes are named in his honor.
6. Gorgons are the daughters of Keto and her brother Phokis. Mythology suggests that there were three gorgons: the most famous is Medusa Gorgon and her two sisters Stheno and Euryale. They evoked indescribable fear. They had female bodies, covered with scales, snakes instead of hair, huge fangs, body. Everyone who looked into their eyes turned to stone. IN figuratively the word "gorgon" means a grouchy and angry woman.
7. Chimera - a monster whose anatomy was awesome and amazing at the same time. It was three-headed: one - goat, the second - a lion, and instead of a tail - the head of a snake. The beast breathed, destroying everything in its path with fire. The chimera was the personification of a volcano: there are many green pastures on its slopes, a lion's den at the top, and snake coblas at the base. In honor of this magical creature, orders of fish were named. Chimera - the prototype of gargoyles.
8. Siren - demonic folk character female, who was born from Melpomene or Terpsichore and the god Achelous. The siren was drawn in the form of a half-fish, half-woman, or half-bird, half-maiden. From their mother they inherited a beautiful appearance and a unique voluptuous voice, from their father - a wild disposition. The demigods attacked the sailors, starting to sing, the men lost their minds, sent their ships to the rocks and died. Merciless maidens fed on the bodies of sailors. Sirens are the muses of the other world, so their images were often applied to tombstones and monuments. These mythical creatures became the prototype for a whole detachment of mythical sea creatures.
9. Phoenix - popular mythical character, is presented in the form of a magical bird with golden-scarlet feathers. Phoenix is collective image different birds: peacock, heron, crane, etc. Most often it is depicted as an eagle. The distinctive quality of this fabulous winged character was self-immolation and rebirth from the ashes. Phoenix has become an indicator of a person's desire for immortality. He is beloved poetic symbol Sveta. A plant and one of the brightest celestial constellations were named in his honor.
10. Hecatoncheirs (Cyclops) are little-known, but interesting magical giants, outwardly similar to men. Distinctive characteristic Hecatoncheires was that they were many-eyed. And one body contained fifty heads. They lived in dungeons, because immediately after their birth, Uranus imprisoned them in the earth for his own safety. After the complete defeat of the titans, the Gecotoncheirs volunteered to guard the entrance to the place of the titans' imprisonment.
11. The Hydra is another female offspring that, according to myths, was produced by Echidna and Typhon. This is a dangerous and terrible creature that struck with its description. She had nine dragon heads and a snake body. One of these heads was unkillable, that is, immortal. Therefore, she was considered invincible, because when her head was cut off, two more grew in her place. The monster was constantly hungry, so she devastated the local neighborhood, burning crops, killing and eating animals that came across on the way. It was of enormous size: as soon as the mythical creature rose on its tail, it could be seen far beyond the forest. The constellation, the satellite of the planet Pluto, and the genus coelenterates are named after the Hydra.
12. Harpies are pre-Olympic creatures who are the daughters of Electra and Taumantus. Harpies were portrayed as beautiful-looking girls with long hair and wings. They were constantly hungry and, due to their origin, invulnerable. During the hunt, the harpies descended from the mountains into the forest thickets or into the fields near the settlements, attacked the cattle with piercing cries and devoured the animals. The gods sent them as punishment. mythical monsters they did not allow people to eat normally, this happened until the moment when the person was exhausted and died. The name "harpy" is inherent in extremely greedy, insatiable, evil women.
13. Empusa is a little-known mythical demoness who lives in an otherworldly realm. She was a ghost - a vampire with the head and body of a woman, and her lower limbs were ass. Her peculiarity is that she could take on various forms - cute and innocent maidens, dogs or horses. Ancient people believed that she stole small children, attacked lone travelers and sucked blood from them. To drive away Empusa, you need to have a special amulet with you.
14. Griffins are good mythical creatures, because in mythology they personified vigilant power and unique insight. It is an animal with the body of a lion, huge and powerful wings and the head of an eagle. The eyes of the griffin had a golden hue. The griffin had a simple functional purpose - to guard. The ancient Hellenes believed that these creatures were the guardians of the gold reserves of Asia. The image of a griffin was depicted on weapons, coins and other items.

North American magical creatures

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

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

• Lechuza (Lechusa) - the ancient inhabitants of Texas called the werewolf witch with a female head and the body of an owl. Lechuzes are girls who sold their souls to the devil in exchange for magical powers. At night, they turned into monsters, so they were often seen flying in search of profit. There is another version of the appearance of lechuza - this is the spirit of a slain woman who returned for revenge. Lechusa was compared with such representatives of the ancient world as harpies and banshees.
• Tooth fairies are small and very kind fairy tale characters, the image of which is actively used in modern times. Western culture. According to legend, they got their name from the fact that they put money or gifts under the pillow to the child in exchange for a fallen tooth. Main benefit of this character with wings in that they encourage the child to take care of their appearance and compensate for the loss of a tooth. It was possible to make a gift to the fairy on any day except December 25, because at Christmas, such a gift would entail the death of the fairy.
• La Lorona is the name given to a ghostly woman mourning her children. Her image is very common in Mexico and the adjacent North American states. La Llorona is depicted as a pale woman in white, wandering near the reservoirs and through the deserted streets with a bundle in her hands. Meeting with her is dangerous, because after that the person started having problems. This image was popular with parents, who intimidated their naughty children, threatening that they could be taken away by La Llorona.
• Bloody Mary - if you open the atlas, then this mystical image is associated with the state of Pennsylvania. A legend appeared here about a small and vicious old woman who lived in the depths of the forest and practiced witchcraft. In nearby villages and villages, children began to disappear. Once a miller tracked down how his daughter came to the dwelling bloody mary. For this, the villagers burned her at the stake. As she burned, she screamed out a curse. After her death, buried children's bodies were found around the house. The image of Bloody Mary was used for divination on Halloween night. A cocktail is named after her.
• Chihuateteo - such a word in Aztec mythology is called rare creatures, not ordinary women who died during childbirth and later became vampires. Childbirth is one of the forms of the battle for life. According to legend, chihuateos accompanied male warriors at sunset. And at night, they, like succubi, seduced the representatives of the stronger half, sucking energy out of them, and also kidnapped children to quench their thirst. For charm and submission, Chihuatéo could practice magic and witchcraft conspiracies.
• Wendigo are evil spirits. In the ancient world, people meant by this word "all-consuming evil." Wendigo is a tall creature with sharp fangs, a lipless mouth, he is insatiable and the features of his silhouette are similar to those of a human. They are divided into small groups and go after their victims. People who find themselves in the forest initially hear incomprehensible sounds, looking for the source of these sounds, they could only see a flickering silhouette. It is impossible to hit a windigo with conventional weapons. It is taken only by silver items, it can also be destroyed by fire.
• A goatman is a humanoid that is similar to a satyr or a faun. He is described as having a human body and the head of a goat. According to some reports, he is depicted with horns. Growth up to 3.5 m, it attacks animals and people.
• Hodag is a strong monster of an indefinite kind. It is described as a large animal resembling a rhinoceros, but instead of a horn, the Hodag has a diamond-shaped process, thanks to which the fairy-tale character sees only directly. According to legend, he ate white bulldogs. According to another description, he has bone growths in the region of his back and head.
• The Great Serpent is the central religious and social symbol of the Mayan tribe. The serpent is associated with heavenly bodies, according to legend, it helps to cross the space of heaven. The shedding of old skin is a symbol of renewal and a full rebirth. He was depicted as having two heads. With horns, the spirits of previous generations came out of his jaws.
• Baycock - bright representative mythology of the Cherokee Indians. He was represented as an emaciated man with scarlet fiery eyes. He was dressed in rags or ordinary hunting clothes. Every Indian could become a Baycoke if he died shamefully, or committed bad thing: lies, murder of relatives, etc. They hunted only warriors, were fast and ruthless. To stop the lawlessness, you need to collect the bones of the baycock and arrange a normal funeral. Then the monster will calmly go to rest in the afterlife.

European mythical characters

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

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

At all times, people have tried to explain what they could not control and what to interfere with. So there were many legends and mythological characters. Different peoples had approximately the same idea of ​​\u200b\u200bmagical creatures. Therefore, the little mermaid and the undine, the banshee and La Lorona, are identical.

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

Mythical creatures of the peoples of the world

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

Slavic mythical creatures

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

Mythical Creatures of Ancient Greece

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

Mythical animals in Norse mythology

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

English mythical creatures

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

Mythical creatures of Japan

Asian countries are unique, even when considering their mythology. This is due to the geographical location, unpredictable elements and national color. The ancient mythical creatures of Japan are unique.

Mythical Creatures of South America

Ancient Indian traditions, Spanish and Portuguese culture are mixed in this territory. For many years they lived here different people who prayed to their gods and told stories. Most famous creatures from myths and legends in South America:

Mythical Creatures of Africa

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

Mythical Creatures from the Bible

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

” starts at the box office this Thursday. In honor of this milestone event, we have compiled for you descriptions of some of the incredible animals that you will meet in the film. Read on to know what you have to deal with.

Plant-like lechurka is difficult to detect in its natural habitat - it is not only very small, but also easily camouflaged in any foliage. No more than 20 centimeters tall, the lechurka seems to consist of plant shoots with roots, tiny leafy twigs and two brown eyes. Newt has at least six such creatures - Pickett, Titus, Finn, Poppy, Marlowe and Tom - with the first walking among his favorites and, carefully kept, lives in a pocket on his chest. Lechurki feed exclusively on insects, are peaceful and extremely shy.

The mischievous sniffer is a small, fluffy black animal with an elongated rounded muzzle, similar to a cross between a mole and a platypus. Padok on All shiny: he will steal or steal any sparkling object that gets in his eye. The sniffer keeps its treasures in a bag on its belly, which is much more spacious than it actually seems. Friendly and even affectionate, they can be quite destructive in their pursuit of glitter, so be careful not to keep them as pets.

The Thunderbird is a large and majestic winged creature native to the arid climate of Arizona. Her head is similar to an eagle's or, if we draw analogies with creatures from the magical world, the head of a hippogriff. Numerous powerful wings flicker in patterns similar to the rays of the sun breaking through the clouds, their flapping can create real storms. And the thunder bird can anticipate danger. In Egypt, Newt saved one of the smugglers' paws, named his new pet Frank, and promised to return him to his homeland in Arizona.

The owner of a dissonant name - a diving sinister - resembles a cross between a reptile and a giant butterfly. At rest, he hides in a green prickly cocoon, but when he spreads his colorful spiked wings, he attracts the eye with his extraordinary beauty. This creature is dangerous because it can literally suck out the brain. On the other hand, diluted in the right proportion, its poison can erase bad memories.

Despite its friendly and playful disposition, the African-born demolition is one of Newt's largest and most intimidating magical animals. From a distance, it can easily be mistaken for an ordinary rhinoceros, until you notice that its horn glows, and it is significantly larger in size than its non-magical relative. Its thick skin can reflect b O most spells, and the horn contains a deadly liquid that causes everything it comes into contact with to explode. Newt's house is inhabited by a female elephant, which, unfortunately, "came on the hunt" and is now actively looking for a mate.

Camuflori looks like a monkey. He has an amazing ability to become invisible, in addition, he has the gift of foresight. Therefore, the only way to catch him is to do something completely unpredictable. Camuflori is an absolutely peaceful creature, but in the event of a provocation or a threat, it may well fight back. Unfortunately for camoufloris, it is their long, silky, silvery coats that are woven into their invisibility cloaks, which makes their pelts extremely valuable.

feathered, winged creature with a snake body, a sort of cross between a dragon and a bird. It hatches from an egg whose shell is pure silver and is worth a fortune. The size of the okkami depends on the shelter in which it lives. The thing is that these creatures are horanaptixes and can increase and decrease in size, adjusting their body to the available space.

Ditch is a huge carnivore found in the mountainous regions of Europe. Unfortunately, on this moment there is only one fertile pair that is safe under Newt's care and has already produced a pair of cubs. Their grey-purple hide is even tougher than a dragon's and can deflect most spells. They walk on four legs, have humpbacked backs and long, very sharp horns. Ditches are known for being extremely aggressive and hard to tame.

This insect is from Australia. Half an inch long, bright sapphire blue. The godwit flies so fast that Muggles hardly see it, and wizards only notice it when it stings them. The wings are attached to the top of the head and rotate quickly, quickly - so that the spindle rotates around its axis during the flight. In the lower part of the abdomen is a long, thin sting. The sting of the godwit causes dizziness and then levitation. For the sake of this side effect, little wizards and sorceresses in Australia catch the godwitches and try to tease them so that they sting them. True, as a result of too many bites, the victim may hang in the air for several days, and in the case of a severe allergic reaction, never descend to the ground at all. Dried godwit stings are used to make various potions.

This East African is probably the most dangerous animal in the world. The giant leopard moves completely silently, despite its huge size, and its breath causes an ailment from which entire villages die out. As practice shows, it can only be defeated by the joint efforts of at least a hundred skilled wizards.

Incredible Facts

Humanity from the very beginning of its history was drawn to legends and myths, many of which had very real reasons. The heroes of these myths often became prototypes of real creatures.

In 1799, the English zoologist George Shaw wrote that the platypus looks as if "a duck's beak was attached to the head of some quadruped." However, the platypus for a long time introduced scientists into a stupor not only with his appearance, but also with other oddities.

Naturalists around the world for a long period of time could not decide whether this creature was a mammal. Did it lay eggs, or was it viviparous? In fact, it took scientists a whole hundred years to get answers to these and other questions regarding the platypus (which, by the way, turned out to be one of the few egg-laying mammals).

Myths of Ancient Greece

Sirens

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

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

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

According to legend, she called out to the sailors with the question: "Is King Alexander alive?" If they answered that, they say, "He's alive live, reign and continue to conquer the world" , then Thessalonica allowed sea travelers to safely sail past.

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

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

This explanation looks rather strange, since the same sea cows are far from being called even how much attractive and seductive creatures on Earth. How could sailors be so cruelly mistaken? Perhaps they have been swimming without women for too long...

However, perhaps the reason was that manatees (that is, sea cows) are in the habit of sticking their heads out of the water, shaking them in such a way that it looks like a person floating in water. When viewed from the back, their rough skin below the head may appear as hair flowing down from the head.

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

Vampires

Sight modern man on vampires was formed largely due to the well-known (one might say - cult) Irish writer Bram Stoker's "Dracula", which was first published back in 1897.

Since then appearance The "average" vampire remained practically unchanged - they were a stranger with pale, thinned skin, speaking with an unbearable accent (apparently Romanian), sleeping in the daytime in a coffin. Plus, he was more or less immortal.

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

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

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

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

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

Greek mythology

Giants

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

Norse mythology speaks of the creation the biggest giant Aurgelmir from drops of water formed at the moment of contact of the land of ice and fog (Niflheim) with the land of heat and flame (Muspellheim).

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

The strengthened faith in giants can be partially explained by the phenomenon of hereditary gigantism (however, not in all countries). Scientists are sure that they Identified a gene that leads to familial gigantism. According to the results of various studies, people suffering from gigantism often develop pituitary cancer, which stimulates uncontrolled growth of the body.

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

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

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

Banshee

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

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

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

After that, the banshees were almost never forgotten, until the middle of the 19th century. In fact, mourning the dead with lamentations has always been part of the tradition of Irish women, thus expressing the bitterness, pain and severity of loss.

The representatives of the weaker sex stood on the edge of the grave, and began to yell at the top of their voice, mourning their loss. This tradition gradually died out during the 19th century because turned into a kind of "attraction" for tourists who came to gawk at the mourners from "real Irish funerals".

It is not difficult, in fact, to accept the fact that the impressionable Irish, who were always ready to believe in something supernatural, mixed their wailing women into a bunch and fairy fairies in order to end up with a beautiful story about banshees warning under the windows of their owners’ house about the approaching grief…

Hydra

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

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

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

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

Moreover: thanks to the study of Siamese twins, scientists themselves have learned to create polycephalic animals. known experiments of the German embryologist Hans Spemann, who at the beginning of the 20th century bonded slamander embryos together with a baby human hair. As a result, a creature with two heads was born.

mythical animals

dire wolves

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

Dire wolves are really existing in the territory North America huge wolves, extinct over ten thousand years ago. These formidable creatures were larger, but stockier (due to shorter legs) than modern wolves.

In an area of ​​tar lakes called Rancho La Brea, Los Angeles, California, USA, about four thousand dire wolf fossils have been discovered (in addition to many more remains of other animals).

Researchers believe they were trapped in these tar pits when they went there to feast on the remains of numerous other animals caught in the trap of underground bitumen coming to the surface.

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

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

Basilisk

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

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

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

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

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