|
|
| Name |
Origin |
Description |
| Centaur |
Greek Mythology |
Centaurs were half man and half horse. Aside from Chiron and Pholos, the centaur population as a whole was associated with drunkenness. They are often showed as violent and war-like, but they can get along with people. Some were kind and educated humans like Chiron who taught Hercules and Achilles. |
| Boggart |
??? |
A Boggart is dark and hairy household spirits that are described having long, sharp noses that have two small nostrils. Some believe that a boggart is a memory of a haunting ancestor. |
| Basilisk |
Greek Mythology |
The word Basilisk is from the Greek word basiliskos which means, “Little King”. It is a native of the province of Cyrenaica, not more than 12 inches long, very poisonous, and decorated with a bright white marking on the head like a crown. The Basilisk’s looks are so horrible that if it could see itself in a mirror it would burst apart with disgust and fright. It moves with its middle raised high. The Basilisk was called Kings of Serpents or an Amphysian Cockatrice. A weasel and the rooster’s crow are fatal to the Basilisk. In Christian art, it is the symbol of sin and the spirit of evil. |
| Goblins |
??? |
Goblins enjoy frightening and hurting humans and are evil and hateful spirits. Goblins are omnivores, which means feeds on both animal and vegetable substances. Goblins have a tendency to be small and revolting and try to keep away from sunlight. They wear crude leather armor and carry primitive weapons and live in gangs. The have immense strength and usually live underground, and rarely live in human houses. Some say that Goblin’s smile curdles the blood, and their laugh causes milk to sour and causes fruit to fall off tress. They generally only cause nightmares but can be very dangerous. |
| Gnomes |
Greece |
Gnome comes from the Greek word “Gnosis”, which means “knowledge”. There were called this because it was said that they knew were valuable metal was located and were excellent metal workers. Gnomes are slightly smaller than Dwarves. They are typically described as bizarre Dwarves wearing body-hugging brown clothes and simple hoods and being old because they normally live for hundreds of years. They live underground. Sometimes it is said that Gnomes move through the ground like fish swim in water. They can disappear into the trunks of trees to hide from humans. Gnomes are generally friendly and dependable, but they have a tendency to be sad because they rule in cold places. Gnomes are vegetarians, which means eat only vegetables and fruits and don’t eat meat, eggs, or milk. |
| Troll |
Norse Mythology |
Trolls were known as mindless man eating creatures. They were hideous, evil, hairy and huge. They lived in the mountains and hollow hills in caverns. These Trolls would be turned to stone if the sun hit them. Trolls have no allegiance to each other and find humans more ugly than we find them. They like to steal women and children. |
| Pixies |
??? |
Pixies are happy, mischievous faeries that have red hair, green eyes, a cruel smile, and an up-turned nose and are customarily no larger than a human hand but can change there size at will. Their eyes are always squinting and there mouths hang wide open. Their clothes are green and snug. Pixies are tricksters who like to guide humans off course, but can be blocked if a person wears their coat inside out. Farmers keep Pixies on their farms and welcome the presence of Pixies. Farmers will leave milk out for them to drink and they will sweep the fireplace so that the pixies have a squeaky clean place to dance. |
| Pheonix |
Egyptian Mythology |
A Phoenix is like a bird with red and gold feathers and known to have a beautiful song. A Phoenix life span varies from different versions, 500 years, 540 years, 1000 years, 1461 years and even 12,9994 years. The Phoenix builds a nest and sets itself on fire and a new Phoenix springs from the pyre. In ancient Egypt the Phoenix represented the sun and in Greek Mythology it presents the early morning. Early Christian custom adopted the Phoenix as a symbol of immortality and resurrection and modern folklore uses the Phoenix as a sign of rebirth, renewal, and starting one more. There only exists one Phoenix at a time. One potential explanation for the Phoenix legend is that some large birds spread their wings over fires so that the smoke exterminates vermin. |
| Unicorn |
??? |
Unicorns are the same size or larger than a horse. They had white bodies with dark red heads, dark blue eyes and a foot and a half horn on its head. A unicorns horn is called a Alicorn and is said to have medicine powers. The dust filed from the horn was believed to defend against diseases if diverse into a tonic. The horn in the center of its forehead also signifies a spiritual arrow, the sword of god. A Unicorn is difficult to hunt; if a young virgin is placed in the Unicorn’s way it will advance with admiration, lie down beside her and put its head on her lap and fall asleep. In the Middle Ages the Unicorn was a sign of power, glory and purity. In Job, chapter thirty-nine, lines nine through twelve in the bible the Unicorn is mentioned and is said to be extinct because it was thrown out of Noah’s ark and drowned. |
| Merfolk |
Babylonian Mythology |
Ea who later was called Oannes by the Greeks, was a water god. He portrayed as having the upper body of a man and the lower body of a fish. Mermaids are half woman and half fish and are often showed holding a mirror and a comb and sits on the rocks and sings, tempting sailors to their doom. Mermen are big half-man, half-fish, and often pictured with green hair, beard, and a trident. They are frequently more aggressive than mermaids and may cause storms or attacks on ships. Most sightings by sailors were probably ordinary marine animal like Manatees. |
| Sphinx |
Egyptian Mythology |
The name Sphinx come from the Greek word “Sphiggein” meaning “To draw tight”. The Sphinx was illustrated as having the body of a lion, wings, and a human face. In Greek Mythology the Sphinx is female and a mean creature. Hesiod claimed that the Sphinx was the offspring of Echindna who was the mother of a lot of Greek monsters. The Sphinx would sit on a rock and block all travelers, testing them with a riddle. If that traveler didn’t answer right, the Sphinx ate him. The Great Sphinx at Giza in Egypt was constructed around 2500 B.C. The Sphinx is the personification of royalty and characterizes a form of divine punishment. The human head on a Sphinx is said to represent cleverness and knowledge and the lion’s body represents strength. |
| Hippogriff |
??? |
A Hippogriff was a winged horse that had a head and claws of an eagle. A Hippogriff could fly long distances and at high altitudes from the Riphaean Mountains. They were also called Simmoorgh, Simurgh, or Senmury. |
| Dragons |
??? |
Dragon comes from the Greek word “Draconta” which means “To Watch”. Dragons are often pictured as protecting and object or an area. In Western myths, Dragons are usually dangerous reptiles. They are categorized by appearance. Guivres don’t have any legs or wings, they only have a large serpent body with a dragon head. A Lindworm has one pair of legs and doesn’t have any wings. Wyvern has one pair of legs and has wings. Amphiptere has no legs but has wings. A Heraldic Dragon has two pairs of legs and wings. Dragons live in caves, mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans, and swamps. |
| Barghest/Barguest |
Northern England |
A Barghest is a goblin in English folklore that was said to exist in Cornwall and northern England that often appears in the shape of a large dog with huge teeth and claws that appeared at night. It was believed to foreshadow forthcoming death or misfortune to anyone who saw a Barghest clearly. Inhabitants of Lancashire call it the Shriker because it produces a screech when it is invisible, and Trash because when it walks it makes splashing sounds. In Wales, the dog was the red-eyed Gwyllgi, the Dog of Darkness and on the Isle of Man it was called Mauthe Dogg.
Thank-you Lizard219 for you information! |
|
|
