I already once in a column told you about even gave exhaustive proof in the form of photographs in this article. Why am I talking about mermaids yes, because mermaid- This is a mythical creature found in many stories, 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, Lernean Hydra, Sphinx, Chimera, Cerberus, Phoenix, Basilisk, Unicorn, Wyvern. Let's get to know these creatures better.
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1. Wyvern
wyvern-This creature is considered a "relative" of the dragon, but it only has two legs. instead of the front - bat wings. It is characterized by a long snake neck and a very long, mobile tail, ending in a sting in the form of a heart-shaped arrowhead or spear. With this sting, the wyvern manages to cut or stab the victim, and under appropriate conditions, even pierce it right through. In addition, the sting is venomous.
The wyvern is often found in alchemical iconography, in which (like most dragons) it personifies primary, raw, unrefined matter, or metal. In religious iconography, it can be seen in paintings depicting the struggle of Saints Michael or George. Wyverns can also be found on heraldic coats of arms, such as the Polish coat of arms of the Latskis, the coat of arms of the Drake family, or the Feuds of Kunwald.
2. Asp
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Asp- In the ancient ABC books there is a mention of an asp - this is a serpent (or snake, asp) "winged, has a bird's nose and two trunks, and in which land it is rooted, it will make that land empty." That is, everything around will be destroyed and devastated. The famous scientist M. Zabylin said that, according to popular belief, the asp can be found in the gloomy northern mountains and that he never sits on the ground, but only on a stone. It is possible to speak and kill the serpent - the destroyer - only with a "trumpet voice", from which the mountains are shaking. Then the sorcerer or medicine man grabbed the stunned asp with red-hot tongs and held it "until the snake died"
3. Unicorn
Unicorn- Symbolizes chastity, and also serves as the emblem of the sword. Tradition usually presents it in the form white horse with one horn coming out of the forehead; however, according to esoteric beliefs, he has a white body, a red head and blue eyes. In the early traditions, the unicorn was depicted with the body of a bull, in later ones with the body of a goat, and only in later legends with the body of a horse. Legend claims that he is insatiable when he is pursued, but dutifully lie down on the ground if a virgin approaches him. In general, it is impossible to catch a unicorn, but if you succeed, you can only keep it with a golden bridle.
“His back was curved and his ruby eyes shone, at the withers he reached 2 meters. A little higher than his eyes, almost parallel to the ground, his horn grew; straight and thin. eyelashes cast fluffy shadows on pink nostrils. (S. Drugal "Basilisk")
They feed on flowers, they especially like rosehip flowers, and well-fed honey, and they drink morning dew. They also look for small lakes in the depths of the forest in which they bathe and drink from there, and the water in these lakes usually becomes very clear 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 horn of the unicorn (according to folklore performances the unicorn purifies the water poisoned by the serpent with its horn). The unicorn is a creature of another world and most often portends happiness.
4. Basilisk
Basilisk- a monster with a rooster's head, toad's eyes, wings bat and the body of a dragon (according to some sources, a huge lizard) that exists in the mythologies of many peoples. From his gaze, all living things turn 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 dunghill. According to legend, if the Basilisk sees his reflection in the mirror, he will die. Caves are the habitat of the Basilisk, they are also its source of food, since the Basilisk only eats stones. He can leave his shelter only at night, because he cannot stand the cock crow. And he is also afraid of unicorns because they are too "clean" animals.
"It moves its horns, its eyes are so green with a purple tint, the warty hood swells. And he himself was purple-black with a spiked tail. A triangular head with a black-pink mouth opened wide ...
His saliva is extremely poisonous, and if it gets on living matter, then carbon will immediately be replaced by silicon. Simply put, all living things turn into stone and die, although there are disputes that petrification also comes from the look of the Basilisk, but those who wanted to check it did not come back .. ("S. Drugal "Basilisk").
5. Manticore
Manticore- The story of this terrible creature can be found in Aristotle (4th century BC) and Pliny the Elder (1st century AD). The horse-sized manticore has human face, three rows of teeth, a lion body and a scorpion tail, red eyes, bloodshot. Manticore runs so fast that he overcomes 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 eats only fresh human flesh. Therefore, on medieval miniatures, you can often see the image of a manticore with human hand or a foot in the 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 the one to whom the gods award it, and then carry away the dead warriors to Valhalla, the castle of heavenly Asgard, and serve them at the table there. Legends also call the heavenly Valkyries, which 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 (it can be assumed that the anka is the phoenix).
8. Phoenix
Phoenix- In monumental statues, stone pyramids and buried mummies, the Egyptians sought to gain eternity; it is quite natural that it was in their country that the myth of the cyclically reborn, immortal bird should have arisen, although the subsequent development of the myth was carried out by the Greeks and Romans. Adolf Erman writes that in the mythology of Heliopolis, the Phoenix is the patron of anniversaries, or great time cycles. Herodotus, in a famous passage, recounts with marked skepticism the original version of the legend:
“There is another sacred bird there, her name is Phoenix. I myself have never seen her, except as painted, because in Egypt she rarely appears, once every 500 years, as the inhabitants of Heliopolis say. According to them, she arrives when she 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 (Lernean hydra, Cerberus, Chimera, Nemean lion, Sphinx)
10. Sinister
Sinister- pagan evil spirits of the ancient Slavs. They are also called kriks or khmyrs - swamp spirits, which are so dangerous that they can stick to a person, even move into him, especially in old age, if a person did not love anyone in life and he had no children. Sinister has a not quite definite appearance (she speaks, but is invisible). She can turn into a little man, a small child, a poor old man. In the Christmas game, the villain personifies poverty, poverty, winter darkness. In the house, the villains most often settle behind the stove, but they also like to suddenly jump on the back, shoulders of a person, "ride" him. There may be several bad guys. However, with some ingenuity, they can be caught by locking them up in some kind of container.
11. Cerberus
Cerberus One of Echidna's children. A three-headed dog, on whose neck snakes move with a formidable hiss, and instead of a tail he has a poisonous snake .. Serves Hades (the god of the Kingdom of the Dead) stands on the eve 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 herb aconite grew.
12. Chimera
Chimera- V 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, Chimera - the personification of a fire-breathing volcano. IN figuratively chimera - fantasy, unrealizable desire or action. In sculpture, chimeras are images of fantastic monsters (for example, chimeras of a cathedral Notre Dame of Paris) but it is believed that stone chimeras can come to life to terrify people.
13. Sphinx
sphinx c or sphinga in ancient Greek mythology a winged monster with the face and chest 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" - "compress, suffocate." Sent by the Hero to Thebes as a punishment. The Sphinx was located on a mountain near Thebes (or in the city square) and asked each passerby a riddle (“Which living creature walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?”). Unable to give a clue, the Sphinx killed and thus killed many noble Thebans, including the son of King Creon. Dejected with grief, the king announced that he would give the kingdom and the hand of his sister Jocasta to the one who would save Thebes from the Sphinx. The riddle was solved by Oedipus, the Sphinx in despair threw herself into the abyss and crashed to 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 exploits of Hercules.
15. Naiads
naiads- Each river, each source or stream in Greek mythology had its own boss - a naiad. No statistics covered this cheerful tribe of patronesses of waters, prophetesses and healers, every Greek with a poetic streak heard the careless chatter of naiads in the murmur of the waters. They refer to the descendants of Oceanus and Tethys; number up to three thousand.
“None of the people can name all their names. Only those who live nearby know the name of the stream.
16. Ruhh
Ruhh- In the East, they have long been talking about the giant bird Ruhh (or Hand, Fear, Foot, Nagai). Some even dated her. For example, a hero Arabian tales Sinbad the Sailor. One day he found himself on a desert island. Looking around, he saw a huge white dome without windows and doors, so big that he could not climb on 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 found a cloud in the sun (and it was summertime), and I was surprised, and raised my head, and saw a bird with a huge body and wide wings that flew through the air - and it was she who covered the sun and blocked it over the island . And I remembered a story long ago told by people wandering and traveling, namely: on certain islands there is a bird called Ruhh, which feeds its children on elephants. And I made sure that the dome, which I went around, is a Ruhh egg. And I began to marvel at what Allah the great had created. And at that time, the bird suddenly landed on the dome, and embraced it with its wings, and stretched out its legs on the ground behind it, and fell asleep on it, praise be to Allah, who never sleeps! And then, having untied the turban, I tied myself to the feet of this bird, saying to myself: “Maybe it 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 flew up into the air with me. And then it began to descend and landed on some land, and, reaching the ground, I quickly got rid of her legs, afraid of the bird, but the bird did not know about me and did not 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 once sent faithful 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 paces long, and the feather core was equal in diameter to two palm trunks. It was said that the wind produced by the wings of Ruhh knocks a person down, her claws are like bull horns, and her meat restores youth. But try to catch this Ruhh if she can carry a unicorn along with three elephants strung on her horn! the author of the encyclopedia Alexandrova Anastasia They also knew this monstrous bird in Rus', they called it Fear, Nog or Noga, giving it even new fabulous features.
“The leg-bird is so strong that it can lift an ox, it flies through the air and walks on the ground with four legs,” says the ancient Russian Alphabet Book of the 16th century.
The famous traveler Marco Polo tried to explain the secret of the winged giant: “They call this bird on the islands Ruk, but in our opinion they don’t call it, but that’s a vulture!” Only ... greatly grown up in the human imagination.
17. Khukhlik
Khukhlik in Russian superstitions, the water devil; disguised. The name khukhlyak, khukhlik, apparently, comes from the Karelian huhlakka - "to be weird", tus - "ghost, ghost", "strangely dressed" (Cherepanova 1983). The appearance of Khukhlyak is unclear, but they say that it is similar to Shilikun. This unclean spirit appears most often from water and becomes especially active during Christmas time. Likes to play pranks on people.
18. Pegasus
Pegasus- V Greek mythology winged horse. Son of Poseidon and the Gorgon Medusa. He was born from the body of a gorgon killed by Perseus. The name Pegasus received 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, as he knocked Hippocrene out of the ground with a hoof - the source of the muses, which has the ability to inspire 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 devastated the country.
19 Hippogriff
hippogriff- in the mythology of the European Middle Ages, wanting to indicate the impossibility or inconsistency, Virgil speaks of an attempt to cross a horse and a vulture. Four centuries later, his commentator Servius states that vultures or griffins are animals in which the front part of the body is eagle and the back is lion. To support his assertion, he adds that they hate horses. Over time, the expression "Jungentur jam grypes eguis" ("to cross 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 " Furious Roland» given detailed description hippogriff, as if intended for a fantastic zoology textbook:
Not a ghostly horse under the magician - a mare
Born into the world, his vulture was his father;
In his father, he was a wide-winged bird, -
In the father was in front: like that, zealous;
Everything else, like the uterus, was
And that horse was called a hippogriff.
The limits of the Riphean mountains are glorious for them,
Far beyond the icy seas
20 Mandragora
Mandrake. The role of Mandragora in mythopoetic representations is explained by the presence of certain hypnotic and stimulating properties in this plant, as well as the similarity of its root with the lower part human body(Pythagoras called Mandragora a "humanoid plant" and Columella a "half-human grass"). In some folk traditions according to the type of Mandrake root, male and female plants are distinguished and even give them the appropriate names. In old herbals, Mandragora roots are depicted as male or female forms, with a bunch of leaves growing out of the head, sometimes with a dog on a chain or an agonizing dog. According to beliefs, the one who hears the groan emitted by the Mandrake when 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, allegedly inherent in Mandrake. When digging up the Mandrake, a dog was put on a leash, which, as it was believed, died 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 they protect the treasures of the Riphean mountains. Flowers wither and grass wither from his cry, and if there is someone alive, then everyone falls dead. The eyes of a griffin with a golden tint. The head was the size of a wolf's head, with a huge, intimidating beak a foot long. Wings with a strange second joint to make it easier to fold them. IN Slavic mythology all approaches to the Iriysky garden, Alatyrskaya mountain and an apple tree with golden apples are guarded by griffins, basilisks. Who will try these golden apples - he will receive eternal youth and dominion over the universe. And the very apple tree with golden apples is guarded by the dragon Ladon. There is no passage here for foot or horseback.
22. Kraken
kraken is the Scandinavian version of the Saratan and the Arabian dragon or sea serpent. The back of the Kraken is a mile and a half wide, its tentacles are capable of covering the most big ship. This huge back protrudes from the sea, like a huge island. The Kraken has a habit of dimming sea water eruption of some liquid. This statement gave rise to the hypothesis that the Kraken is an octopus, only enlarged. Among the youthful writings of Tenison, one can find a poem dedicated to this remarkable creature:
For centuries in the depths of the ocean
The bulk of the Kraken sleeps soundly
He is blind and deaf, on the carcass of a giant
Only at times a pale beam glides.
Giants of sponges sway over him,
And from deep, dark holes
Polypov innumerable choir
Extends tentacles like arms.
For thousands of years the Kraken will rest there,
So it was and so it will continue,
Until the last fire burns through the abyss
And heat will scorch the living firmament.
Then he wakes up from his sleep
Before angels and people will appear
And, surfacing with a howl, he will meet death.
23. Golden dog
golden dog.- This is a dog of gold that guarded Zeus when Kronos pursued him. 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 a punishment.
“... In Crete, the homeland of the Thunderer, there was a golden dog. Once she guarded the newborn Zeus and the wonderful goat Amalthea who fed him. When Zeus grew up and took power over the world from Kron, 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 her away on his ship from Crete. But where to hide a wonderful animal? Pandarey thought about this for a long time during his journey by sea and, finally, decided to give the golden dog to Tantalus for safekeeping. King Sipila hid a 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 from him the return of the golden dog. In the twinkling of an eye, swift 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 to keep. 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 thus:
- In vain you threaten me with the wrath of Zeus. I did not see the 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 spirits of trees (nymphs). they live in a tree that they protect and often died with this tree. Dryads are the only nymphs that are mortal. Tree nymphs are inseparable from the tree they inhabit. It was believed that those who plant trees and those who care for them enjoy the special protection of the dryads.
25. Grants
Grant- In English folklore, a werewolf, who is most often a mortal disguised as a horse. At the same time, he walks on his hind legs, and his eyes are full of flames. Grant is a city fairy, he can often be seen on the street, at noon or closer to sunset. Meeting with a grant portends misfortune - a fire or something else in the same vein.
Almost every one of us has heard about certain magical and mythical creatures that inhabit our world. However, there are many more such creatures, the existence of which we know little or do not remember. In mythology and folklore, many magical entities are mentioned, some are described in more detail, others less.
Homunculus, according to the ideas of medieval alchemists, a creature similar to little man, which can be obtained artificially (in vitro). To create such a little man, the use of a mandrake was required. The root had to be plucked at dawn, then it had to be washed and "saturated" with milk and honey. Some prescriptions said that blood should be used instead of milk. After that, this root will fully develop into a miniature person who will be able to guard and protect its owner.
Brownie- Slavic peoples have a home spirit, a mythological master and patron of the house, ensuring the normal life of the family, fertility, health of people and animals. They try to feed the brownie, leave a separate saucer with treats and water (or milk) for him in the kitchen on the floor. The brownie, if he loves the owner or hostess, not only does not harm them, but also protects household well-being. Otherwise (which happens more often), he starts to dirty things, breaks and hides things, encroaches on the light bulbs in the bathroom, creates an incomprehensible noise. It can "strangle" the owner at night by sitting on the owner's chest and paralyzing him. Brownie can change shape and pursue his master when moving.
Babai in Slavic folklore, a night spirit, a creature mentioned by parents to intimidate naughty children. Babai does not have a specific description, but most often he was represented as a lame old man with a bag over his shoulders, into which he takes naughty children. Usually parents remembered Babai when their child did not want to fall asleep.
Nephilim (observers - "sons of God") described in the book of Enoch. They are fallen angels. The Niphilim were physical beings, they taught people the forbidden arts and, taking human wives as wives, gave birth to a new generation of people. In the Torah and several non-canonical Jewish and early Christian writings, nephilim - nephilim means "who cause others to fall." The Nephilim were of gigantic stature, their strength was enormous, as was their appetite. They started eating everything. human resources, and when they ran out, they could attack people. The Nephilim began to fight and oppress people, which was a huge destruction on earth.
Abaasy- in the folklore of the Yakut peoples, a huge stone monster with iron teeth. Lives in a forest thicket away from people's eyes or underground. It is born from a black stone, similar to a child. The older he gets, the more the stone looks like a child. At first, the stone child eats everything that people eat, but when he grows up, he begins to eat the people themselves. Sometimes referred to as anthropomorphic one-eyed, one-armed, one-legged monsters as tall as a tree. Abaasy feed on the souls of people and animals, tempt people, send misfortunes and illnesses, and can deprive them of their minds. Often the relatives of the sick or deceased sacrificed an animal to Abaasy, as if exchanging his soul for the soul of the person they threaten.
Abraxas- Abrasax is the name of a cosmological being in the ideas of the Gnostics. IN early era Christianity, in the 1st-2nd centuries, many heretical sects arose, trying to combine new religion with paganism and Judaism. According to the teachings of one of them, everything that exists is born in a certain higher Kingdom of light, from which 365 categories of spirits come. At the head of the spirits is Abraxas. His name and image are often found on gems and amulets: a creature with a human body and a cock's head, instead of legs - two snakes. Abraxas holds a sword and shield in his hands.
Baavan shi- in Scottish folklore, evil, bloodthirsty fairies. If a raven flew up to a person and suddenly turned into a golden-haired beauty in a long green dress, it means that there is a baavan shi in front of him. They wear long dresses for good reason, hiding under them deer hooves, which the baavan shi have instead of feet. These fairies lure men into their dwellings and drink their blood.
Baku- "Dream Eater" Japanese mythology good spirit that eats bad dreams. You can summon him by writing his name on a piece of paper and placing it under your pillow. At one time, images of Baku hung in Japanese homes, and his name was written on pillows. They believed that if Baku was forced to eat a bad dream, then he had the power to turn the dream into a good one.
There are stories where Baku does not look very kind. Eating all the dreams and dreams, he deprived the sleeping of beneficial effects, and even completely deprived them of sleep.
kikimora- a character of Slavic-Ugric mythology, as well as one of the types of brownie, causing harm, damage and minor troubles to the household and people. Kikimors, as a rule, settle indoors if a child has died in the house. child. Swamp or forest kikimora was accused of kidnapping children, instead of whom she left an enchanted log. Her presence in the house could be easily identified by wet footprints. A caught kikimora could be turned into a human.
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 that exists in the mythologies of many peoples. From his gaze, all living things turn to stone. According to legend, if the Basilisk sees his reflection in the mirror, he will die. Caves are the habitat of the Basilisk, they are also its source of food, since the Basilisk only eats stones. He can leave his shelter only at night, because he cannot stand the cock crow. And he is also afraid of unicorns because they are too "clean" animals.
Baggain- in the folklore of the inhabitants of the Isle of Man, the insidious werewolf. He hates people and harasses in every possible way. Baggain is able to grow to gigantic sizes and take on any appearance. He can pretend to be human, but if you look closely, you can see pointed ears and horse hooves, which will still give out baggain.
Alkonost (alkonst)- in Russian art and legends, a bird of paradise with a maiden's head. Often mentioned and depicted along with Sirin, another bird of paradise. The image of Alkonost goes back to Greek myth about the girl Alcyone, turned by the gods into a kingfisher. The earliest depiction of Alkonost is found in a book miniature of the 12th century. Alconst is a safe and rare creature living closer to the sea. folk tale, in the morning on the Apple Spas, the Sirin bird flies into the apple orchard, which is sad and crying. And in the afternoon, the Alkonost bird flies to the apple orchard, which rejoices and laughs. The bird brushes the living dew from its wings and the fruits are transformed, amazing power- all fruits on apple trees from now on become healing
Water- the owner of the waters in Slavic mythology. Water graze at the bottom of rivers and lakes their cows - catfish, carp, bream and other fish. Commands mermaids, undines, drowned men, aquatic inhabitants. More often he is kind, but sometimes he drags some gaping person to the bottom to entertain him. It lives more often in whirlpools, likes to settle under a water mill.
Abnahuayu- in Abkhazian mythology ("forest man"). Giant ferocious creature, characterized by extraordinary physical force and fury. The whole body of Abnahuayu is covered with long hair, similar to bristles, he has huge claws; eyes and nose - like humans. It lives in dense forests (there was a belief that one Abnauayu lives in every forest gorge). Meeting with Abnauayu is dangerous, the adult Abnauayu has an ax-shaped steel protrusion on his chest: pressing the victim to his chest, he cuts it in half. Abnahuayu knows in advance the name of the hunter or shepherd he will meet.
Cerberus (Spirit of the Underworld)- in Greek mythology, a huge dog of the Underworld, guarding the entrance to the afterlife. So that the souls of the dead can enter underworld, they must bring gifts to Cerberus - honey and barley biscuits. The task of Cerberus is to prevent dead living people from entering the kingdom who want to rescue their loved ones from there. One of the few living people who managed to penetrate into the underworld and emerge from it unharmed was Orpheus, who played beautiful music on the lyre. One of the feats of Hercules, which he was ordered to perform by the gods, was to bring Cerberus to the city of Tiryns.
Griffin- winged monsters with a lion's body and an eagle's head, guardians of gold in different mythologies. Griffins, vultures, in Greek mythology, monstrous birds with an eagle's beak and the body of a lion; They. - "dogs of Zeus" - guard gold in the country of the Hyperboreans, guarding it from the one-eyed Arimaspians (Aeschyl. Prom. 803 next). Among the fabulous inhabitants of the north - the Issedons, Arimaspians, Hyperboreans, Herodotus also mentions Griffins (Herodot. IV 13).
There are also griffins in Slavic mythology. In particular, it is known that they guard the treasures of the Riphean mountains.
gaki. in Japanese mythology - ever-hungry demons. They are reborn those who, while living on Earth, overeat or throw away completely edible food. Gaki's hunger is insatiable, but they cannot die from it. They eat anything, even their children, but they cannot get enough. Sometimes they get into the Human World, and then they become cannibals.
Vuivre, Vuivre. France. King, or queen of snakes; in the forehead - a sparkling stone, a bright red ruby; the form of a fiery serpent; keeper of underground treasures; can be seen flying across the sky summer nights; dwellings - abandoned castles, fortresses, donjons, etc.; his pictures are in sculptural compositions Romanesque monuments; when he bathes, he leaves the stone on the shore, and whoever manages to take possession of the ruby will become fabulously rich - he will receive part of the underground treasures guarded by the snake.
headdress- A Bulgarian vampire who eats dung and carrion because he is too much of a coward to attack people. It has bad character, which is not surprising with such a diet.
Ayami, in the Tungus-Manchu mythology (among the Nanais) the spirits-ancestors of shamans. Each shaman has his own Ayami, he instructed, indicated what kind of costume a shaman (shaman) should have, how to treat. Ayami appeared to the shaman in a dream in the form of a woman (to a shaman - in the form of a man), as well as a wolf, a tiger and other animals, moved into shamans during prayers. Ayami could also have spirits - the owners of various animals, it was they who sent Ayami to steal the souls of people and cause them illness.
Duboviki- in Celtic mythology, evil magical creatures living in the crowns and trunks of oaks.
To every person passing by their dwelling, they offer delicious food and gifts.
In no case should you take food from them, and even more so taste it, since food cooked by oak trees is very poisonous. At night, oaks often go in search of prey.
You should know that it is especially dangerous to pass by a recently felled oak tree: the oak trees that lived in it are angry and can do a lot of trouble.
Damn (in the old spelling "devil")- an evil, playful and lustful spirit in Slavic mythology. In the book tradition, according to the Great Soviet encyclopedia, the word devil is a synonym for the concept of demon. The devil is social and most often goes hunting with groups of devils. trait attract drinking people. When the devil finds such a person, he tries to do everything so that the person drinks even more, bringing him to a state of complete madness. The very process of their materialization, popularly known as “get drunk to hell”, is colorfully and in detail described in one of the stories of Vladimir Nabokov. “By prolonged, stubborn, lonely drunkenness,” the famous prose writer reported, “I brought myself to the most vulgar visions, namely: I began to see devils.” If a person stops drinking, the devil begins to wither without receiving the expected replenishment.
Vampal, in the mythology of the Ingush and Chechens, a huge shaggy monster with supernatural power: sometimes Vampala has several heads. Wampals are both male and female. In fairy tales Vampal - positive character, distinguished by nobility and helping the heroes in their battles.
hyanas- in Italian folklore, mostly women's perfumes. Tall and beautiful, they lived in the forests, were engaged in needlework. They could also predict the future and knew where the treasures were hidden. Despite their beauty, hyanas, among which the majority were women, had difficulty finding a mate. There were extremely few male hyanas; dwarfs were no good for husbands, and giants were real brutes. Therefore, the hyanas could only do work and sing sad songs.
Yrka in Slavic mythology- an evil night spirit with eyes on a dark face, glowing like a cat's, is especially dangerous on the night of Ivan Kupala and only in the field, because the goblin do not let him into the forest. They become suicidal. Attacks lonely travelers, drinks their blood. Ukrut, his assistant, brings him a sack of scoundrels, from whom Yrka drank life. He is very afraid of the fire, he does not approach the fire. To save yourself from it, you can not look back, even if they call out in a familiar voice, do not answer anything, say “keep me away” three times or read the prayer “Our Father”.
Div- The demonic character of East Slavic mythology. Mentioned in medieval teachings against the pagans. echoes last value is in the episodes of "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", where the expression "spreading divas to the ground" is perceived as a harbinger of misfortune. Div turned people away from dangerous deeds, appearing in the form of unseen. Seeing him and being surprised, people forgot about the unrighteous deed that they wanted to commit. The Poles called him esiznik (“There is a sign”, there is and disappeared), that is, a god-vision.
Ayustal, in Abkhazian mythology, hell; harms people and animals. According to beliefs, if Ayustal moves into a person, he falls ill, and sometimes dies in agony. When a person suffers greatly before death, they say that Ayustal took possession of him, but often a person defeats Ayustal by cunning.
Sulde "life force", in mythology Mongolian peoples one of the souls of a person, with which his vital and spiritual force is connected. Sulde ruler is the spirit - the guardian of the people; its material embodiment is the banner of the ruler, which in itself becomes an object of worship, guarded by the subjects of the ruler. During the wars, human sacrifices were made to the Sulde-banners to raise the morale of the army. The Suldi banners of Genghis Khan and some other khans were especially revered. The character of the shamanic pantheon of the Mongols Sulde-Tengri, the patron of people, apparently, is genetically connected with Sulde of Genghis Khan.
shikome in Japanese mythology, a warlike race of creatures vaguely similar to European goblins. Bloodthirsty sadists, slightly taller than people and much stronger than them, with well-developed muscles. Sharp teeth and burning eyes. They do nothing but war. They often set up ambushes in the mountains.
Buka - scarecrow. A small, vicious creature that lives in a child's closet or under a bed. Only children see it, and children suffer from it, since Buka loves to attack them at night - grab them by the legs and drag them under the bed or into the closet (his lair). He is afraid of the light, from which the faith of adults can die. He is afraid that adults will believe in him.
Beregini in Slavic mythology, spirits in the guise of women with tails, living along the banks of rivers. Mentioned in ancient Russian historical and literary monuments. They protect people from evil spirits, predict the future, and also save small children left unattended and fallen into the water.
Anzud- in Sumero-Akkadian mythology, a divine bird, an eagle with a lion's head. Anzud is a mediator between gods and people, at the same time embodying good and evil principles. When the god Enlil took off his insignia while washing, Anzud stole the tablets of fate and flew with them to the mountains. Anzud wanted to become more powerful than all the gods, but by his act he violated the course of things and divine laws. In pursuit of the bird, the god of war, Ninurta, set off. He shot Anzud with his bow, but Enlil's tablets healed the wound. Ninurta managed to hit the bird only on the second attempt, or even on the third attempt (in different versions of the myth in different ways).
Bug- spirits in English mythology. According to legends, the bug is a "children's" monster, even in our time, English women scare their children with it.
Usually these creatures have the appearance of shaggy monsters with matted, tufted hair. Many English children believe that bugs can enter rooms by using open chimneys. However, despite their rather intimidating appearance, these creatures are completely non-aggressive and practically harmless, since they have neither sharp teeth nor long claws. They can scare in only one way - by making a terrible ugly face, spreading their paws and raising the hair on the scruff of the neck.
Alraunes- in folklore European nations tiny creatures that live in the roots of the mandrake, the outlines of which resemble human figures. Alraunes are friendly to people, but they are not averse to making fun, sometimes quite cruelly. These are werewolves capable of transforming into cats, worms, and even small children. Later, the Alrauns changed their way of life: they liked the warmth and comfort in people's homes so much that they began to move there. Before moving to a new place, alrauns, as a rule, test people: they scatter all kinds of garbage on the floor, throw clods of earth or pieces of cow dung into milk. If people don't sweep up the garbage and drink milk, Alraun understands that it is quite possible to settle here. It's almost impossible to drive him away. Even if the house is burned down and people move somewhere, alraun follows them. Alraun had to be treated with great care due to its magical properties. You had to wrap or dress him in white robes with a gold belt, bathe him every Friday, and keep him in a box, otherwise Alraun would start yelling for attention. Alraunes were used in magical rituals. It was assumed that they bring great luck, in the likeness of a talisman - a quatrefoil. But possession of them carried the risk of being prosecuted for witchcraft, and in 1630 three women were executed in Hamburg on this charge. Due to the high demand for Alraunes, they were often cut from bryony roots, as genuine mandrakes were hard to come by. They were exported from Germany to various countries, including England, during the reign of Henry VIII.
Authorities- in Christian mythological representations, angelic beings. The authorities can be both good forces and minions of evil. Among the nine angelic ranks, the authorities close the second triad, which, in addition to them, also includes dominions and powers. As Pseudo-Dionysius says, “the name of the holy Authorities signifies equal to the Divine Dominions and Forces, slender and capable of receiving Divine illuminations, the Chin and the device of the worldly spiritual dominion, which does not autocratically use the domineering powers bestowed for evil, but freely and decently to the Divine as ascending itself. who brings others holy to Him and, as much as possible, becomes like the Source and Giver of all power and portrays Him ... in a completely true use of his sovereign power.
gargoyle- the fruit of medieval mythology. The word "gargoyle" comes from the Old French gargouille - throat, and with its sound imitates the gurgling sound that occurs when gargling. The gargoyles seated on the facades of Catholic cathedrals were ambivalent. On the one hand, they were like ancient sphinxes as guard statues, capable of coming to life and protecting a temple or a mansion in a moment of danger, on the other hand, when they were placed on temples, it showed that all evil spirits were fleeing from this holy place, since it could not bear the temple purity.
Grima- according to medieval European beliefs, they lived throughout Europe. Most often they can be seen in old cemeteries located near churches. Therefore, scary creatures are also called church makeup.
These monsters can take on a variety of forms, but most often they turn into huge dogs with jet-black hair and glow-in-the-dark eyes. You can see the monsters only in rainy or cloudy weather, they usually appear in the cemetery in the late afternoon, and also during the day during the funeral. They often howl under the windows of sick people, foreshadowing their imminent death. Often, some kind of makeup, not afraid of heights, climbs the church bell tower at night and starts ringing all the bells, which is considered by the people to be a very bad omen.
Ahti- a water demon among the peoples of the north. Neither evil nor good. Although he likes to joke and with jokes he can go too far so that a person will die. Of course, if you piss him off, he can kill you.
Atsys“Without a name”, in the mythology of the West Siberian Tatars, an evil demon that unexpectedly appears in front of travelers at night in the form of a shock, cart, tree, fiery clod and strangles them. Attsys was also called various evil spirits (Myatskai, Oryak, Ubyr, etc.), whose names were afraid to pronounce out loud, being afraid to attract a demon.
Shoggoths- creatures mentioned in the famous mystical book "Al Azif", better known as the "Necronomicon", written by the crazy poet Abdul Alhazred. Approximately one third of the book is devoted to the control of shoggoths, which are presented as shapeless "eels" from bubbles of protoplasm. The ancient gods created them as servants, but the shoggoths, possessing intelligence, quickly got out of submission and have since acted of their own free will and for their strange incomprehensible goals. It is said that these beings often appear in narcotic visions, but there they are not subject to human control.
Yuvha, in the mythology of the Turkmens and Uzbeks of Khorezm, Bashkirs and Kazan Tatars (Yukha) is a demonic character associated with the water element. Yuvkha is a beautiful girl she turns into after living for many (for the Tatars - 100 or 1000) years. According to the myths of the Turkmens and Uzbeks of Khorezm, Yuvkha marries a man, setting him a number of conditions in advance, for example, do not watch how she combs her hair, does not pat on the back, perform ablution after intimacy. Violating the conditions, the husband discovers snake scales on her back, sees how, combing her hair, she removes her head. If Yuvha is not killed, she will eat her husband.
Ghouls - (Russian; Ukrainian upir, Belarusian ynip, other Russian Upir), in Slavic mythology, a dead man attacking people and animals. At night, the Ghoul rises from the grave and, in the guise of a bloodshot dead man or a zoomorphic creature, kills people and animals, sucks out blood, after which the victim either dies or can become a Ghoul herself. By folk beliefs, ghouls became people who died an "unnatural death" - forcibly killed, drunkards, suicides and also sorcerers. It was believed that the earth does not accept such dead people and therefore they are forced to wander around the world and harm the living. Such dead people were buried outside the cemetery and away from housing.
Chusrym in Mongolian mythology - the King of fish. He freely swallows ships, and when he sticks out of the water, he looks like a huge mountain.
Sharkan, in Hungarian mythology, a dragon with a serpentine body and wings. It is possible to distinguish between two layers of ideas about Shambling. One of them is related to European tradition, is presented mainly in fairy tales, where Sharkan is a ferocious monster with a large number (three, seven, nine, twelve) of heads, an opponent of the hero in battle, often an inhabitant of a magic castle. On the other hand, there are beliefs about the one-headed Shuffling as one of the assistants of the sorcerer (shaman) taltosh.
Shilikun, Shilikhan- in Slavic mythology - hooligan small spirits that appear on Christmas Eve and before Epiphany run through the streets with burning coals in pans. Drunk people can be pushed into the hole. At night they will make noise and roam, and turning into black cats, they will crawl under their feet.
They are as tall as a sparrow, their legs are like those of a horse - with hooves, fire breathes from their mouths. At Baptism they go to the underworld.
Faun (Pan)- spirit or deity of forests and groves, god of shepherds and fishermen in Greek mythology. This is a cheerful god and companion of Dionysus, always surrounded by forest nymphs, dancing with them and playing the flute for them. It is believed that Pan had a prophetic gift and endowed Apollo with this gift. The faun was considered a crafty spirit that stole children.
Kumo- in Japanese mythology - spiders that can turn into people. Very rare creatures. In their normal form, they look like huge spiders, the size of a man, with burning red eyes and sharp stingers on their paws. In human form, beautiful women with cold beauty, trapping men and devouring them.
Phoenix- an immortal bird personifying the cyclical nature of the world. Phoenix is the patron of anniversaries, or great time cycles. Herodotus recounts the original version of the legend with marked skepticism:
“There is another sacred bird there, her name is Phoenix. I myself have never seen her, except as painted, because in Egypt she rarely appears, once every 500 years, as the inhabitants of Heliopolis say. According to them, she arrives when she 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. This bird does not breed, but is reborn after death from its own ashes.
Werewolf- Werewolf - a monster that exists in many mythological systems. It means a person who can turn into animals or vice versa. An animal that can turn into people. This skill is often possessed by demons, deities and spirits. The classic werewolf is the wolf. It is with him that all the associations born by the word werewolf are associated. This change can occur either at the will of the werewolf, or involuntarily, caused, for example, by certain lunar cycles.
Viryava- mistress and spirit of the grove among the peoples of the north. Represented in the form beautiful girl. Birds and animals obeyed her. She helped lost travelers.
wendigo- spirit-eater in the myths of the Ojibwe and some other Algonquian tribes. Served as a warning against any excesses of human behavior. The Inuit tribe calls this creature various names, including Windigo, Vitigo, Vitiko. Wendigo enjoy hunting and love to attack hunters. A lone traveler who finds himself in the forest begins to hear strange sounds. He looks around for the source, but sees nothing but a flicker of something moving too fast to be detected. human eye. When the traveler starts to run away in fear, the Wendigo attacks. He is powerful and strong like no other. Can imitate people's voices. In addition, the Wendigo never stops hunting after eating.
Shikigami. in Japanese mythology Spirits summoned by a magician, an expert on Onmyo-do. They usually look like small oni, but can take the form of birds and beasts. Many shikigami can possess and control the bodies of animals, and the shikigami of the most powerful magicians can possess people. Controlling shikigami is very difficult and dangerous, as they can break out of the magician's control and attack him. An expert on Onmyo-do can direct the power of other people's shikigami against their master.
hydra monster described in ancient Greek poet Hesiod (VIII-VII centuries BC) in his legend of Hercules ("Theogony"): a many-headed snake (Lernean Hydra), in which two new ones grew instead of each severed head. And it was impossible to kill her. Hydra's lair was near Lake Lerna near Argolis. Under water was the entrance to the underground kingdom of Hades, which was guarded by a hydra. Hydra hid in a rocky cave on the shore near the spring of Amimona, from where it came out only to attack the surrounding settlements.
Fighting- in English folklore, water fairies that lure mortal women, appearing to them in the form of wooden dishes floating on the water. As soon as any woman grabs onto such a dish, the fight immediately takes on its true, ugly appearance and drags the unfortunate woman to the bottom so that she can look after his children there.
Sinister- pagan evil spirits of the ancient Slavs, the personification of Nedol, Navi servants. They are also called kriks or khmyrs - swamp spirits, which are so dangerous that they can stick to a person, even move into him, especially in old age, if a person did not love anyone in life and he had no children. Sinister can turn into a poor old man. In the Christmas game, the villain personifies poverty, poverty, winter darkness.
incubi- in medieval European mythology, male demons harassing female love. The word incubus comes from the Latin "incubare", which means "to lie down" in translation. According to old books, the incubus is fallen angels, demons addicted to sleeping women. Incubuses showed such enviable energy in intimate matters that entire nations were born. For example, the Huns, who, according to medieval beliefs, were the descendants of "outcast women" Goths and evil spirits.
Goblin- the owner of the forest, forest spirit, in mythology Eastern Slavs. This is the main owner of the forest, he makes sure that no one in his household does any harm. TO good people treats well, helps to get out of the forest, to not too good - bad: confuses, makes you walk in circles. He sings in a voice without words, beats his hands, whistles, hoots, laughs, cries. Leshy can appear in various plant, animal, human and mixed forms, can be invisible. Most often appears as a lonely creature. Leaves the forest for the winter, sinking underground.
baba yaga- a character of Slavic mythology and folklore, the mistress of the forest, the mistress of animals and birds, the guardian of the borders of the kingdom of Death. In a number of fairy tales it is likened to a witch, a sorceress. More often - negative character, but sometimes acts as an assistant to the hero. Baba Yaga has several stable attributes: she knows how to conjure, fly in a mortar, lives on the edge of the forest, in a hut on chicken legs surrounded by a fence of human bones with skulls. She beckons good fellows and small children, ostensibly in order to eat them.
Shishiga, an unclean spirit, in Slavic mythology. If he lives in the forest, then he attacks randomly wandering people, so that later he can gnaw their bones. At night, they like to make noise and gossip. According to another belief, shishimors or shishigs are mischievous, restless house spirits that mock a person who does things without praying. We can say that these are very instructive spirits, correct, accustoming to the pious routine of life.
fairy gods and mythical creatures ancient world
Amazons are female warriors descended from the god of war Ares and the naiad Harmony. Bellerophon, Hercules and Theseus took part in the battles with the Amazons. During Trojan War The Amazons fought on the side of the Trojans.
The Boreads are the winged sons of the god of the north wind Boreas and Orithia, the daughter of the Athenian king Erechtheus. Like their father, the Boreads personified the winds, their actions were quick and swift. Members of the Argonauts' campaign. During the campaign, they freed Phineus, Cleopatra's husband, from the harpies that tormented him.
Briareus is the son of the sky god Uranus and the earth goddess Gaia. A monstrous creature with fifty heads and a hundred arms, one of the three hundred-armed brothers - participants in the titanomachy.
Hamadryads are nymphs of trees, which, unlike dryads, were born with a tree and died with it. Hamadryads sometimes lived for a very long time, but they were not immortal.
Hesperides - daughters of Atlas and Hesperides, who lived on happy islands, next to the Gorgons. In the garden where they lived and which was guarded by the dragon Ladon, golden apples grew.
Hyades - nymphs, were considered the daughters of Atlanta and the oceanides Ephra, or Pleione. When their brother, Giant, died hunting, five of them took their own lives with grief and were turned by the gods into stars, under the name of Hyades.
Giants are wild, gigantic and related to the gods creatures. They are 150 deities, the sons of Gaia - the Earth, which was fertilized by drops of blood that fell from the cut off genitals of Uranus - Sky.
The hippogriff is a mythical creature representing the unity of a horse and a griffin. Fairytale winged horse-lion-bird of ancient Greek myths.
Gorgons are female monsters. According to Hesiod, these are the three sisters Feno, Euryale and Medusa, winged female monsters covered with scales, with fangs, with snakes instead of hair, emit an awesome roar; their gaze turns all living things into stone.
Grays are old women, or women who personified old age. They lived not far from the Gorgons, whose sisters they were considered and whom they guarded. The Grays have copper hands and share one tooth and one eye for three, which they alternately use.
Griffin - half-eagle-half-lion, with a long snake tail. The image of the griffin combines the symbolism of the eagle (speed) and the lion (strength, courage). The combination of the two most important solar animals indicates the general favorable nature of the creature - the griffin personifies the Sun, strength, vigilance, retribution.
Dryads are deities of trees, inhabitants of forests and groves. According to the beliefs of the Greeks, dryads - the daughters of Zeus and trees, lived and died with the tree.
Kercops are the sons of Ocean and Theia, dwarf brothers, ugly creatures, cunning deceivers, lying in wait for wanderers and robbing them.
Centaurs are wild creatures, half-humans, half-horses, inhabitants of mountains and forest thickets. They are born from Ixion, the son of Ares, and a cloud, which, at the behest of Zeus, took the form of Hera. They lived in Thessaly, ate meat, drank and were famous for their violent temper.
Corybantes - the name of the mythical predecessors of the priests of Cybele or Rhea in Phrygia. Companions and servants of the goddess, who in wild enthusiasm, with music and dances, sent a service to the Great Mother of the gods.
Laylap is a living copper dog made by the blacksmith god Hephaestus for Zeus's hunting entertainment. Not a single animal could escape from Laylap. Zeus gave Laylap to his beloved Europe.
The Lapiths are a semi-mythical, semi-historical tribe. The connection of this tribe with geographical names indicates that the Lapiths were not just giants produced by folk fantasy, but partly a historical tribe.
Moira - goddess of fate. In the representations of the Greeks, moira - the fate of everyone is embodied in some kind of material object - a fetish, a carrier vitality. Moirae are involved in Zeus - sometimes he is called Morius.
The Muses are goddesses and patrons of the arts and sciences. The Muses were considered the daughters of Zeus and the goddess of memory Mnemosyne. Their names are associated with singing and dancing. These goddesses were worshiped by pundits and artists Ancient Greece.
Nymphs - deities of nature, its life-giving and fruitful forces in the image beautiful girls. There are nymphs of water (nereids, naiads), lakes and swamps (limnades), mountains (orestiads), groves (alseids), trees (dryads, hamadryads), etc. Nymphs, owners ancient wisdom, the secrets of life and death, healers and prophetesses, from marriages with the gods gave birth to heroes and soothsayers.
Oceanides - nymphs, daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. The ancient titan Ocean gave birth to three thousand daughters - oceanids and the same number of sons - river flows. They communicated with the human race and were the educators of the younger generation.
Ores - goddesses of the seasons, favoring vegetation. They unlock and lock the gates of Olympus, collect or disperse the clouds, feed and harness the horses of Hera.
Pegasus (translated from the Greek source) is a winged horse, son of Poseidon, brother of the giant Chrysaor. Pegasus, along with his brother Chrysaor, as the fruit of the relationship of the Gorgon Medusa with Poseidon, appeared from the blood of Medusa when she was beheaded by Perseus.
Pygmies are a fabulous people of dwarfs living in Libya or Asia Minor. The size of the pygmies was from an ant to a monkey. Strabo lists them together with half-dogs, large-headed, nest-eared, beardless, noseless, one-eyed and hook-toed.
The Pleiades are the seven daughters of the titan Atlanta and the oceanides Pleione. The brightest of them bear the names of Atlantis, Artemis's girlfriends: Alcyone, Keleno, Maya, Merope, Sterope, Taygeta, Electra.
Polyphemus is the son of Poseidon and the sea nymph Toosa. The one-eyed Cyclops giant lived in Sicily. There is a well-known myth about Polyphemus' love for the nymph Galatea, as well as the myth about the misadventures of Odysseus's companions visiting Polyphemus.
Satyrs are the spirits of the forests, the demons of fertility, who, together with the Silens, were part of the retinue of Dionysus, in whose cult they played a decisive role. These wine-loving creatures are bearded, furry, long-haired, with protruding horns or horse ears, tails and hooves; however, their torso and head are human. Cunning, cocky and lustful, the satyrs frolicked in the forests, chasing nymphs and maenads, playing tricks on people.
The Encyclopedia of Mythology website contains about a hundred articles about fabulous tribes, legendary animals and mythical creatures of the ancient world, which can be found in our mythological dictionary.
Unicorns and mermaids - fact or fiction? We present a list of mythical creatures, evidence of the existence of which people continue to look for over the centuries.
water creatures
Loch Ness monster
The monster, according to legend, lives in Loch Ness, the Scots affectionately call Nessie. The first mention of this creature is found in the chronicle of the Aion monastery, dated to the 5th century BC.The next mention of the "water beast" is found in 1880 - because of a sailboat that drowned in Loch Ness. The circumstances of the crash were very unusual: according to the descriptions of eyewitnesses, as soon as the ship reached the middle of the reservoir, it was suddenly broken in half by something resembling tentacles or a tail.
Rumors about the existence of the monster began to spread widely after 1933, when the Evening Couriers newspaper published a detailed account of an "eyewitness" who noticed an unknown creature in the lake.
In September 2016, amateur photographer Ian Bremner managed to take a picture of a 2-meter snake-like creature slicing through the expanse of Loch Ness. The photo is quite convincing, but the press accused Bremner of a hoax, and someone decided that the photo depicts three frolicking seals.
Mermaids
It is widely believed that mermaids are girls living at the bottom of a river or sea, and instead of legs they have a fish tail. However, in the myths different peoples mermaids are the guardians of forests, fields and reservoirs, and they walk on two legs. IN Western cultures mermaids are called Nymphs, Naiads or Undines. 
In Slavic folklore, the souls of drowned women turned into mermaids. Some ancient Slavic peoples they also believed that the mermaid is the spirit of a deceased child, whom death overtook on the Rusal (preceding the holiday of the Trinity) week. It was believed that during these 7 days, mermaids walk the Earth, who came out of the water after the Ascension of the Lord.
Mermaids are classified as evil spirits that can harm a person, for example, drown him. It was customary to portray these creatures naked and without a headdress, less often in a torn sundress.
Sirens
According to legend, sirens are winged maidens with charming voices. They received their wings from the gods when they instructed them to find the fertility goddess Persephone kidnapped by Hades. 
According to another version, they became winged because they could not fulfill the order of the gods. As punishment, the Thunderer Zeus left them a beautiful girlish body, but turned his hands into wings, because of which they could no longer remain in the world of people.
The meeting of people with sirens is described in Homer's poem "The Odyssey". The mythical maidens enchanted the sailors with their singing, and their ships crashed on the reefs. Captain Odysseus ordered his crew to plug their ears with beeswax to counter the sweet-voiced half-woman half-birds, and his ship escaped destruction.
kraken
Kraken is a Scandinavian monster that sinks ships. A half-dragon with huge octopus tentacles inspired fear in Icelandic navigators of the 18th century. In the 1710s, the Danish naturalist Erik Pontoppidan first described the kraken in his diaries. According to legend, an animal the size of a floating island darkened the sea surface and dragged ships to the bottom with huge tentacles. 
200 years later, in 1897, researchers discovered the giant squid Architeutis in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, reaching 16.5 meters in length. It has been suggested that this creature was mistaken for the kraken two centuries earlier.
It is not so easy to see the kraken in the vastness of the ocean: when its body protrudes above the water, it is easy to mistake it for a small island, of which there are thousands in the ocean.
flying creatures
Phoenix
The Phoenix is an immortal bird with fiery wings that can burn itself and be reborn. When the phoenix senses the approach of death, it burns, and in its place a chick appears in the nest. Phoenix life cycle: about 500 years. 
Mentions of the phoenix are found in the myths of Ancient Greece in the mythology of the ancient Egyptian Heliopolis, in which the phoenix is described as the patron of large time cycles.
This fairy bird with bright red plumage personifies renewal and immortality, and in contemporary culture. So, the phoenix rising from the flame, accompanied by the inscription "The only Phoenix of the whole world" is depicted on the medals of the English Queen Elizabeth II.
Pegasus
A snow-white horse with eagle wings is named Pegasus. This fabulous creature- the fruit of the love of Medusa Gorgon and Poseidon. According to legend, Pegasus came out of the neck of Medusa when Poseidon cut off her head. There is another legend that says that Pegasus appeared from the drops of Gorgon's blood. 
In honor of this fictional winged horse, the constellation Pegasus is named, which is located southwest near Andromeda and consists of 166 stars.
Dragon
Dragon - evil character Slavic fairy tales and epics. His characteristic- three fire-breathing heads. The body, covered with shiny scales, ends with an arrow-shaped tail, and on its paws it has sharp claws. He guards the gate that separates world of the dead and the world of the living. This place is located on Kalinov bridge, which is above the Smorodina River, or the fiery river. 
The first mention of the Serpent dates back to the 11th century. On the harp, made by the settlers of the Novgorod lands, you can find images of a three-headed lizard, which was originally considered the king of the underwater world.
In some legends, Gorynych lives in the mountains (therefore, it is believed that his name comes from the word "mountain"). In others, he sleeps on a stone in the sea and combines the ability to control two elements at once - fire and water.
wyvern
A wyvern is a mythical dragon-like creature with one pair of legs and wings. It is not capable of spewing fire, but its fangs are saturated with deadly poison. In other myths, the poison was contained at the end of the sting, with which the lizard pierced its victim. Some legends say that it was wyvern venom that caused the first plague. 
It is known that the first legends about wyverns appeared in the Stone Age: this creature personified ferocity. Subsequently, his image was used by the leaders of the troops to instill fear in the enemy.
A wyvern-like creature can be found on Orthodox icons, depicting the struggle of St. Michael (or George) with the dragon.
ground creatures
Unicorns
Unicorns are stately noble creatures, symbolizing chastity. According to legend, they live in forest thickets and only innocent maidens are able to catch them. 
The earliest evidence for the existence of unicorns dates back to the 5th century BC. The ancient Greek historian Ctesias was the first to describe "Indian wild donkeys with one horn on their foreheads, blue eyes and a red head," and whoever drinks wine or water from the horn of this donkey will be cured of all diseases and never get sick again.
No one except Ctesias saw this animal, but his story was widely disseminated thanks to Aristotle, who included a description of the unicorn in his History of Animals.
Bigfoot/Yeti
Bigfoot, or Yeti, is a huge humanoid creature that has similar features to a monkey and lives in deserted highlands. 
The first mention of Bigfoot was recorded from the words of Chinese peasants: in 1820 they met a tall, shaggy monster with large paws. In the 1880s European countries began to equip expeditions to search for traces of Bigfoot. The Valkyries Carry the Dead to Valhalla
On rare occasions, the maidens are allowed to decide the outcome of a battle, but more often than not, they carry out the will of their father, Odin, who decides who will be victorious in a bloody battle.
Valkyries are most often depicted in armor and helmets with horns, and shining light emanates from their swords. The story goes that the god Odin endowed his daughters with the capacity for compassion so that they would accompany the dead in battle to the “hall of the slain.”
Sphinx
The name of the mythical creature sphinx comes from the ancient Greek word "sphingo", which means "strangle". The earliest images of this creature were created 10 thousand years BC in the territory of modern Turkey. However, the image of the sphinx with the body of a lion and the head of a woman is known to us from the myths of ancient Greece. 
Legend has it that a sphinx woman guarded the entrance to the city of Thebes. Everyone who met her on their way had to guess the riddle: "Who walks on four legs in the morning, on two in the afternoon, and on three in the evening?" Unguessed people died from clawed paws, and only Oedipus could name the correct answer: man.
The essence of the clue is that when a person is born, he crawls on all fours, in adulthood he walks on two legs, and in old age he is forced to rely on a cane. Then the monster dropped from the top of the mountain into the abyss, and the entrance to Thebes became free.
