The following is a list of monster names found in the Final Fantasy series that have some basis in myth,folklore, or a random source such as D&D oddly enough.

"Abaddon is one of the compartments of Gehenna. In the Book of Job, it is Death personified. The New Testament identifies Abaddon as the "Angel of the Abyss" (Rev. 9:11)."

"The destroyer". In the new testament of the Bible, Apollyon is called the angel of the bottomless pit. Abaddon, a poetic name for the land of the dead in the old testament, is Apollyon's Greek translation from the Hebrew language. Apollyon, in early Christian literature, is a name for the devil. He is identified as an angel of death, "hideous to behold, with scales like a fish, wings like a dragon, bear's feet, and a lion's mouth."

Tortoise: 1 : any of a family (Testudinidae) of terrestrial turtles; broadly : TURTLE
Adamant: 1 : a stone (as a diamond) formerly believed to be of impenetrable hardness 2 : an unbreakable or extremely hard substance

Alternative name of Angra Mainyu, the personified principle of darkness.

any of various neuropterous insects (as of the genus Myrmeleon) having a long-jawed larva that digs a conical pit in which it lies in wait to catch insects (as ants) on which it feeds

The container for the Tables of the Law (Ten Commandments), but also a dwelling for God himself. In Exodus 25:8, God gives his reason for building the Ark: "... and let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." He instructs this sanctuary to be built after the pattern of the tabernacle. In this way, in battle, the Hebrews actually carried God before them. During the wilderness period, it was kept in the Tabernacle and after King Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, it was kept in the Holy of Holies, the inner shrine. The Ark of the Covenant is described as a gold box with two large cherubim forming the foundation of the mercy seat from which God communed with the Children of Israel. The Ark was lost in the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE. It is furthermore described in Exodus 25:10-22.

nuisance, menance. (See Merriam-Webster's Unabridged for full definition.)

1 : a legendary reptile with fatal breath and glance 2 : any of several crested tropical American lizards (genus Basiliscus of the family Iguanidae) related to the iguanas and noted for their ability to run on their hind legs

Mythical King of the serpents.

In the Old Testament (Book of Job, verse 40:15), behemoth is the name for a very large animal, like the hippopotamus or crocodile. They both play a part in the Apocalyptic, as monsters that must be killed. In later Christian religion, the behemoth is identified with Satan.

Baalat is queen of the gods. She is associated with books, libraries, and writers. She was worshipped primarily in the city of Byblos (which is the original source of papyrus) and Byblos is what the Greeks called papyrus and, eventually, books.

In some tales, the catoblepas was a creature that looked like a bull with scales. It was mentioned in a book by Gustave Flaubert, but it was first "sighted" by Pliny on a travel between Ethiopia and Egypt. He said that the locals called it "Catoblepas."

In Greek mythology, the three-headed watchdog who guards the entrance to the lower world, the Hades. It is a child of the giant Typhon and Echidna, a monstrous creature herself, being half woman and half snake. Originally, the dog was portrayed having fifty or hundred heads but was later pictured with only three heads (and sometimes with the tail of a serpent). Cerberus permitted new spirits to enter the realm of dead, but allowed none of them to leave. Only a few ever managed to sneak past the creature, among which Orpheus, who lulled it to sleep by playing his lyre, and Heracles, who brought it to the land of the living for a while (being the last of his Twelve Labors). In Roman mythology, the Trojan prince Aeneas and Psyche were able to pacify it with honey cake. (See also: Garm.)

In Greek mythology, the Chimera is a monster, depicted as an animal with the head of a lion, the body of a she-goat, and the tail of a dragon (sometimes it has multiple heads). It is a child of Typhon and Echidna. It terrorized Lycia (in Asia Minor), but was eventually killed by the Corinthian hero Bellerophon.

A cockatrice is a legendary creature, "an ornament in the drama and poetry of the Elizabethans" (Breiner). The cockatrice was invented in the late twelfth century based on a hint in Pliny's Natural History, as a duplicate of the basilisk or regulus, in appearance resembling a giant rooster, with a lizard-like tail. It was supposed to be born from an egg laid by a cock[1] and incubated by a toad or serpent. Attempts to identify it with any particular biological species, often of snakes, are fruitless: it is a bogey of the wasteland. Its reputed magical abilities include turning people to stone or killing them by either looking at them�"the death-darting eye of Cockatrice"[2]�touching them, or sometimes breathing on them. The cockatrice is very similar (if not identical) to another legendary creature, the basilisk; the Jewish Encyclopedia (1906) considers them identical.

Coeurl is a fictional alien race of predators created by the late science fiction novelist A. E. van Vogt (1912-2000) and featured in his short story Black Destroyer, included later in the novel The Voyage of the Space Beagle. Its resemblance is comparable to a large cat, except that its forelegs are twice as long as its hind legs, and he possesses tentacles (most likely two) attached to its shoulders. These tentacles terminate in seven finger-like protrusions. Its skin coloration is not mentioned, but it may be inferred from the title of the story that it is black. It sustains itself by feeding upon a substance it calls the Id of other beings, which is not related to the Freudian concept but is actually organic phosphate. It appears indifferent to environment and can survive in different atmospheres. It also has the ability to manipulate electric vibrations at will, and seems to communicate via these vibrations.

The Dullahan (also Durahan, Gan Ceann) is a type of undead legendary creature. It is headless, usually seen riding a headless black horse and carrying his head under one arm. The myth may have inspired The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. When he stops riding, a mortal dies.

Garuda is one of the three principal animal deities in the Hindu Mythology that has evolved after the Vedic Period in Indian history. The other two are Ganesha, the elephant-headed son of the goddess Durgha, and Hanuman, the monkey god. It is after Garuda that the Indonesian National Airlines is named. Even today, Garuda is much revered by devout Hindus for his ethics and his strength in applying his ethics to correct evil-doers. Garuda is the king of the birds. He mocks the wind with the speed of his flight. As the appointed charger of Vishnu he is venerated by all, including humans. Garuda is the son of Kashyap, a great sage, and Vinata, a daughter of Daksha, a famous king. He was hatched from an egg Vinata laid. He has the head, wings, talons, and beak of an eagle and the body and limbs of a man. He has a white face, red wings and golden body. When he was born he was so brilliant that he was mistaken for Agni, the god of fire, and worshipped.

Gigas is a Greek word meaning "giant", originally used to describe the race of Gigantes in Greek mythology. It is roughly similar to "titan" in use, describing huge, powerful creatures, often with supernatural abilities.

Goblins are a different, more grotesque variety of gnomes. They are known to be playful, but at other time they are evil and their tricks could seriously harm people. A goblin smile curdles the blood and a laugh sours the milk and causes fruit to fall from the trees. They pester humans in a number of ways, such as hiding small objects, tipping over pails of milk and altering signposts. Goblins originated in France and spread rapidly all over Europe. They have no homes and usually live in mossy clefts in rocks and roots of ancient trees, although they never stay very long in the same place. The name 'hobgoblin' is thought to be an abbreviation of 'Robin Goblin', the name Druids gave to the first goblins when they entered Britain.

In Jewish legend, a golem is an image or form that is given life through a magical formula, such as the power of the letters of the divine name. The word is used to denote anything that is not yet fully developed. In the Middle Ages is was believed that there were wise men who could instill life in effigies by the use of a magic spell. These golems then took the form of a robot, or automaton. They would carry out their master's command and could perform easy tasks, as well as protecting their creators.

The myth's outline is that Zeus had seduced Io when Hera arrived on the scene. Zeus transformed Io into a cow to hide his infidelity, but Hera was not deceived. When Hera asked, Zeus was obliged to give her the cow. Hera appointed her servant Argus to guard the cow, and Hermes, at Zeus' command, killed Argus. The detail omitted in this summary varies depending on which source is referenced. Two prominent sources of the myth of Argus's death are Aeschylus's play Prometheus Bound (c. 500 BCE) and Ovid's Metamorphoses (c. 8 CE). In Prometheus Bound Io, as a cow, has been wandering all over Greece desperately fleeing from a stinging gadfly ever since Hermes killed Argus. She comes upon Prometheus and relates her story in exchange for a prophecy. According to Aeschylus, the ghost of "Argus --that evil thing-- / The hundred-eyed- / Earth born herdsmen" (617-9) was the gadfly sent by "Hera's curse... [to pursue Io] ever on [her] endless round" (657-8). Little else is revealed about Argus in the play, as Io focuses on her wanderings. The play presents the myth in a manner that suggests it should be familiar to the audience, revealing only the details that are pertinent to the themes of the play.

A more popular name for this entity is genie. Historically the imp was thought to be a small demon kept in a bottle or ring. When released or awaken the entity served its master in magical, alchemical, or healing purposes. Supposedly there are both good and bad imps. Magicians evoke them in rituals of ceremonial magic and command them with incantations, words and names of power. The alchemist Paracelsus (1493-1541) was thought to have kept an imp trapped in the crystal pommel of his sword. Artwork shows that the pommel was labeled with the word Zoyh, which was thought to be the name of the imp; but apparently it was not, but a reference to azoth, the alchemists' vital mercury. During the trails of the witch-hunts in the Middle Ages imps became confused with familiars and both terms were used interchangeably in the trails. Supposedly witches sent imps to do evil deeds against innocence people, in return the witched allowed the imps to suckle their blood through their fingers or protuberances on their bodies. The witch-hunters thus searched witches' bodies for evidence of warts, discolored skin and unnatural lumps that could have served as teats or paps.

The ancient Greeks believed that the Lamia was a vampire who stole little children to drink their blood. She was portrayed as a snake-like creature with a female head and breasts. Usually female, but sometimes referred to as a male or a hermaphrodite. According to legend, she was once a Libyan queen (or princess) who fell in love with Zeus. Zeus' jealous wife Hera deformed her into a monster and murdered their offspring. She also made Lamia unable to close her eyes, so that she couldn't find any rest from the obsessing image of her dead children. When Zeus saw what had be done to Lamia, he felt pity for her and gave his former lover a gift: she could remove her eyes, and then put them on again. This way, though sleepless, she could rest from her misfortune. Lamia envied the other mothers and took her vengeance by stealing their children and devouring them. In Lamia and other Poems (1820), the English poet John Keats writes about Lamia too. In this version, based on the information he found in Anatomy of Melancholy of the 1600s, Lamia has the ability to change herself into a beautiful young woman. Here she assumes a human form to win a man's love. Another version of this myth states that Hera killed Lamia's children and that it was her grief that turned her into a monster.

The mandrake or mandragora has, in folklore and superstition, always been regarded as a plant with special powers. This idea is based on the shape of the root which is forked and roughly resembles the human figure. It was supposed to grow under the feet of a hanged man and could only be pulled from the ground after performing the necessary rituals. It was advisable to put wax in the ears before one attempted to do this: the mandrake would scream when pulled free and this could cause deafness. The mandrake root was used for invulnerability, for discovering treasures, and as a charm for pregnancy. When properly prepared it could also be used as an aphrodisiac.

any of several extremely large rays (genera Manta and Mobula) that are widely distributed in warm seas and have enlarged pectoral fins resembling wings

A marine creature with the head and upper body of a beautiful young maiden and with the lower body of a fish. She can be found in seas and lakes, or lying on a rock and combing her hair with one hand while holding a mirror in the other. Mermaids sometimes foretell the future and are often accompanied by seals. According to myth, they lure sailors by singing and with lovely music. They live in a kingdom on the bottom of the sea, and it is here they take their prisoners to. From this story, the fear amongst the sailor grew and they thought that seeing a mermaid would cause bad luck: it could predict death by drowning.

he Mindflayer is based on the creature of the same name which was first introduced via Dungeons & Dragons' in 1975. They are semi-humanoid beings with an octopus-like head with psychic powers that often live in moist caverns and underground cities. They capture cave dwellers and other creatures living underground such as drow and dwarves, using them as slaves and as a food source, much like cattle.

Before he ascended the throne of Crete, Minos struggled with his brothers for the right to rule. Minos prayed to Poseidon to send him a snow-white bull, as a sign of approval by the gods for his reign. He promised to sacrifice the bull as an offering, and as a symbol of subservience. A beautiful white bull rose from the sea, but when Minos saw it, he coveted it for himself. He assumed that Poseidon would not mind, so he kept it and sacrificed the best specimen from his herd instead. When Poseidon learned about the deceit, he made Pasipha, Minos' wife, fall madly in love with the bull. She had Daedalus, the famous architect, make a wooden cow for her. Pasipha climbed into the decoy and fooled the white bull. The offspring of their lovemaking was a monster called the Minotaur. The creature had the head and tail of a bull on the body of a man. It caused such terror and destruction on Crete that Daedalus was summoned again, but this time by Minos himself. He ordered the architect to build a gigantic, intricate labyrinth from which escape would be impossible. The Minotaur was captured and locked in the labyrinth. Every year for nine years, seven youths and maidens came as tribute from Athens. These young people were also locked in the labyrinth for the Minotaur to feast upon. When the Greek hero Theseus reached Athens, he learned of the Minotaur and the sacrifices, and wanted to end this. He volunteered to go to Crete as one of the victims. Upon his arrival in Crete, he met Ariadne, Minos's daughter, who fell in love with him. She promised she would provide the means to escape from the maze if he agreed to marry her. When Theseus did, she gave him a simple ball of thread, which he was to fasten close to the entrance of the maze. He made his way through the maze, while unwinding the thread, and he stumbled upon the sleeping Minotaur. He beat it to death and led the others back to the entrance by following the thread.

One of the Nats in the beliefs of the Kachin people (Burma). He is the demon of the sky.

Mu and/or M designates a series of Japanese booster rockets. All rockets of the series use solid fuels and are started at the Uchinoura Space Center. These rockets were originally developed for Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, which was later merged into the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

An otyugh ("AHT-yuhg") or gulguthra is a fictional monster featured in several popular games, though it originated as one of Gary Gygax's creations in Dungeons and Dragons. An otygugh is an aberration with a huge, bloated body covered with a rock-like skin that is brownish gray in color, which is in turn covered with dung. Its three thick legs give an otyugh slow ground movement but enables it to pivot quickly. With three eyes on a leaf-like stalk that moves quickly from side to side, it can quickly scan a large area. An otyugh's primary means of attack is by two long tentacles which are laden with bony thorn-like ridges. Even more fearsome then the otyugh is the neo-otyugh, a larger, more ferocious species of otyugh, which has some psionic powers as well as a bite which can lead to super-tetanus. One other species of otyugh (appearing in the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual III) is the Lifeleech Otyugh, which posesses additional tentacles and a supernatural ability allowing it to benefit from healing spells cast in the vicinity as if it were an additional target.

Sahagins are mythical creatures popularized by fantasy role playing games and video games. They are based on old eastern European legends of hags, also referred to as sea hags. These were creatures similar to the Greek siren which appeared to sailors as beautiful women. However, as the sailors neared them they revealed their true form, that of an ugly old woman, and eventually led them to their doom. They appeared in Dungeons & Dragons and were subsequently incorporated into many RPG video game series in the late eighties, chief amongst these being their appearance in the Final Fantasy series. The original Final Fantasy game featured a monster called "SAHAG" that appeared as a sort of fish-man similar in appearance to Hollywood's Creature from the Black Lagoon. It is common in video games to have many variations of the same basic enemy, such as several different types of imps or goblins. A variation of the hag enemy was called the Sand Hag. Because of the success of the Final Fantasy games, many aspects of the games were copied over to other series. By Final Fantasy IV the name had been restored to the original "Sea Hag" and "Sand Hag" but retained their fish-man appearance. However, by this time the Sahag enemy had already appeared in numerous other RPG series. Even in these other games they usually kept the merman-like appearance, staying more true to their Final Fantasy counterparts than the original European legend. Over time the name was lengthened to Sahagin. In an alternate spelling, Dungeons & Dragons features a creature known as the Sahuagin, which is depicted as a sort of malevolent "mer-folk". This varies slightly from the Sahagin, which is always depicted as an anthropomorphic creature of a more amphibious nature.

In Babylonian myths, Tiamat is a huge, bloated female dragon that personifies the saltwater ocean, the water of Chaos. She is also the primordial mother of all that exists, including the gods themselves. Her consort is Apsu, the personification of the freshwater abyss that lies beneath the Earth. From their union, saltwater with freshwater, the first pair of gods were born. They are Lachmu and Lachamu, parents of Ansar and Kisar, grandparents of Anu and Ea. In the creation epic Enuma elish, written around 2000 BCE, their descendants started to irritate Tiamat and Apsu so they decided to kill their offspring. Ea discovered their plans and he managed to kill Apsu while the latter was asleep. Tiamat flew into a rage when she learned about Apsu's death and wanted to avenge her husband. She created an army of monstrous creatures, which was to be led by her new consort Kingu, who is also her son. Eventually, Tiamat was defeated by the young god Marduk, who was born in the deep freshwater sea. Marduk cleaved her body in half, and from the upper half he created the sky and from the lower half he made the earth. From her water came forth the clouds and her tears became the source of the Tigris and the Euphratus. Kingu also perished, and from his blood Marduk created the first humans.

In Sumero-Akkadian mythology, Zu is a divine storm-bird and the personification of the southern wind and the thunder clouds. This demon, half man and half bird, stole the "Tablets of Destiny" from Enlil and hid them on a mountaintop. Anu ordered the other gods to retrieve the tablets, eventhough they all feared the demon. According to one text, Marduk killed the bird, but in another text it died through the arrows of the god Ninurta. The bird is also referred to as Imdugud or Anzu.