Mythological flying creatures. Mythical creatures (40 photos)

10 mythical creatures, did they really exist? As the saying goes, there is truth in every joke. The same can be said about myths, which are considered fiction, because there is a particle of reality in them. It only at first glance seems that all mythical creatures, such as cyclops, unicorns and others, were invented in ancient times. Looking more closely at these mysterious animals, one can understand that people only slightly embellished the creatures that existed in the past, and composed myths about them. Here we will understand 10 mythical creatures, and see where these legends come from.

1. Unicorns (Elasmotheria)

You probably will not meet a person who does not imagine what a unicorn looks like. Even small children are well aware that unicorns are horses with one horn sticking out of their foreheads. These animals have always been associated with chastity and spiritual purity. In almost all world cultures, unicorns were described in legends and myths.

The first images of these unusual creatures were found in India more than 4 thousand years ago. Following the Indian people, unicorns began to be described in legends in the west of Asia, and then in Greece and Rome. In the fifth century BC, unicorns began to be described in the West. What is most surprising, in ancient times, these animals were considered quite real, and myths were passed off as stories that happened to people.

Most of the animals that existed in the world are similar to unicorns elasmotheria. These animals lived in the steppes of Eurasia and resembled our rhinos. Their habitat was a little further south than that of the woolly rhinoceros. This happened during the ice age, at the same time the first rock carvings of elasmotheriums were recorded.

These animals reminded us of our horses, only the Elasmotherium had a long horn on its forehead. They disappeared in the same period of time as the rest of the inhabitants of the megafauna of Eurasia. However, some scientists still believe that the Elasmotherium managed to survive and exist for a long time. It was in their image that the Evenks formed legends about bulls with a black color and a large horn on their foreheads.

2. Dragons (Magalania)

AT folk art there are many stories about dragons and their varieties. Depending on the culture of the people, the image of these mythical animals also changed. So, in Europe, dragons were described as large creatures living in the mountains and exhaling fire. This description is classic for most people. However, in China, these animals were described in a completely different way, and more like huge snakes. In most of the legends, dragons signified a serious obstacle that needed to be overcome in order to receive a generous reward. It was also believed that by defeating the dragon and invading its torso, one could obtain eternal life. That is, the dragon meant both rebirth and temporary death.

AT mythological stories references to dragons most likely appeared due to the remains of dinosaurs found, which were mistaken for the bones of mythical animals. Of course, legends about dragons did not appear without foundation, and in reality there were animals that served as a pretext for the emergence of myths.

The largest terrestrial lizards known in the scientific field were called magalanias. They lived in the Pleistocene era in Australia. It is proved that they existed from 1.6 million to 40,000 years ago. Magalania fed exclusively on mammals, and the size of the prey did not matter. Their habitat was sparse forests and grassy savannahs.

It is believed that some varieties of magalania managed to survive until the time when ancient people appeared. From there, images of huge lizards appeared, the length of which could reach up to 9 meters, and weight up to 2200 kilograms.

3. Krakens (Huge squids)

Icelandic sailors from ancient times described terrible monsters that resembled cephalopods. It was from the sailors of those times that stories began about a monster called the kraken. The first mention of this animal was recorded by a naturalist from Denmark. According to his descriptions, this animal was the size of a floating island, and possessed such strength that it could drag the most bulky warship to the bottom with its tentacles. Also, the conquerors of the seas were afraid of the whirlpools that arose when the kraken abruptly sank under water.

Many scientists today are convinced that krakens still exist. They only call them big squids and do not find anything mythical in them. There is also evidence of the vital activity of these animals, from a large number of fishermen. Disputes are only about the size of the mollusk. So, quite recently, in the southern seas, scientists managed to find a huge squid, the size of which was about 14 meters. It is also claimed that this mollusk, in addition to the usual suckers, had pointed claws at the ends of the tentacles. Faced with such a monster, even a man of our time would be frightened. What can we say about medieval fishermen, who in any case would have considered a huge squid for a mythical creature.

4. Basilisks (Poisonous snakes)

There are many legends and stories about basilisks. In them, these monsters were most often described as snakes of unimaginable size. Basilisk venom was deadly to any living creature. There were stories about this animal as early as the first century BC. However, at that time, a small, thirty-centimeter snake was called a basilisk, on the head of which there was a white spot. A little later, in the III century, the basilisk acquired a new image and was described as a fifteen-centimeter snake. Half a century later numerous authors legends began to add more and more new details to the basilisks, making a monster out of an ordinary snake. So, he got black scales, which were located all over his body, large wings, claws, like those of tigers, an eagle beak, emerald eyes and a lizard tail. In some cases, the basilisks were even "dressed" with a red crown. It was about such a creature that legends were made in Europe of the thirteenth century.

Modern scientists put forward a logical version that the basilisk is a prototype of some types of snakes. For example, it could be the well-known cobra. The rather ferocious behavior of this snake, as well as the ability to inflate the hood and spit poison, could well have caused a violent fantasy in the minds of ancient writers.

In ancient Egypt, the basilisk was considered a viper with horns. This is how he was depicted in hieroglyphs. Many believe that this was the reason for talking about the crown on the head of the snake.

5. Centaurs (Riders on horseback)

Talk of centaurs has come down to us from ancient greece. They were described as beings with a horse's body, but with a human torso and head. It was also mentioned that centaurs were mortal, just like ordinary people. It was possible to meet them only in the thicket of the forest or high in the mountains. Ordinary people these creatures were feared, as it was believed that the centaurs were violent and unrestrained. In mythology, centaurs have been described in different ways, claiming that some of them shared their wisdom and experience with people, teaching and instructing them. Other centaurs were hostile and constantly fought with the common people.

It is believed that these creatures were invented by people from nomadic tribes who lived in the north. Despite the fact that civilization already existed at that time, and people learned to ride horses, in some places this was not suspected. So, the first mention of centaurs is attributed to the Scythians, Taurians and Kassites. These tribes lived at the expense of cattle breeding, in particular they raised fierce and huge bulls, from which the temper for the centaur was taken.

6. Griffins (Protoceratops)

Griffins were described as creatures with the bodies of lions and the head of an eagle. In addition, these creatures had huge and sweeping wings, large claws, and lion tails. In some cases, the wings of the griffins were golden in color, while in other stories they were snow-white. The nature of the griffins was described ambiguously: sometimes they were the embodiment of evil, which could not be restrained by anything, and they could also be wise and kind patrons responsible for justice.

The first mention of these mythical animals also appeared in ancient Greece. It is believed that the Scythians from Altai, who were looking for gold in the Gobi desert, told about outlandish animals about the inhabitants of this country. Wandering through the sandy expanses, these people accidentally found the remains of a protoceratops and mistook it for an unprecedented creature.

Nowadays, scientists have established that the description of the griffin is almost identical to the dinosaurs of this species. For example, the size of the fossil and the presence of a beak matched. In addition, Protoceratops had a horny growth on the back of the head, which could eventually disintegrate and become like ears and wings. This was the reason for the appearance of griffins in all sorts of myths and legends.

7. Bigfoot (Gigantopithecus)

Bigfoot has a huge number of different names. In some places he is known as a yeti, in others bigfoot or sascoche. However, according to the descriptions, Bigfoot is almost the same everywhere. He is represented as a being similar to a man, but big size. It is completely covered with wool and lives only in the mountains or thickets of forests. scientific evidence there is no existence of this creature, although legends that it roams in the forests exist in our time.

People who talk about their encounters with the yeti claim that these monsters have a muscular body, a pointed skull, disproportionately long arms, a short neck and a heavy, protruding lower jaw. Everyone describes the color of the coat in different ways, to some it seemed red, to others white or black. There were even individuals with a gray cover.

Until now, scientists have been debating about what kind of Bigfoot can be attributed to. Among the plausible assumptions is that this creature is a mammal that is related to humans and primates. It was born in the prehistoric period and somehow managed to survive. There is also an opinion that Bigfoot comes from another planet, that is, an extraterrestrial life form.

To date, most opinions agree that the Yeti is none other than a variety of Gigantopithecus. These animals were humanoid apes, whose growth could reach up to 4 meters.

8. Sea serpent (Selyanoy king)

Mentions of encounters with the sea serpent are found all over the world. According to eyewitnesses, this mythical creature resembled a snake and was large. The snake's head was like a dragon's mouth, while in other sources it resembled a horse's.

The image of a sea serpent could have arisen among people not only of the ancient, but also of the modern world after meetings with a herring king or with a belt-fish. Due to its belonging to the belt-bodied fish, the herring king has a ribbon-like shape. However, only the length of the body is striking, it can reach up to 4 meters. The height of the body usually does not exceed 30 cm. Of course, there are also larger individuals, whose weight reaches 250 kilograms, but this is very rare.

9 Korean Dragons (Titanoboa)

Even by the name of the dragon, one can understand that it was invented in Korea. At the same time, the creature was endowed with such features that are characteristic of this particular country. The Korean dragon was a serpentine creature without wings, but with a large and long beard. Despite the fact that in most countries of the world these animals were described as fire-breathing creatures that destroy everything in their path, the Korean dragon was a peaceful creature. They were protectors of rice fields and reservoirs. Also in Korea, they believed that their mythical dragon was capable of causing rain.

The appearance of such an amazing creature is confirmed by science. In the not so distant past, scientists managed to discover the remains of a huge snake. It was this creature that lived on earth in the period from 61.7 to 58.7 million years BC that was given the name Titanoboa. The dimensions of this snake were simply colossal - an adult had a length of about 13 meters and weighed more than 1 ton.

10. Cyclopes (Pygmy Elephants)

Beliefs about the Cyclopes came from ancient Greece. There they were described as humanoid creatures, having a large stature and only one eye. Cyclopes were mentioned in many myths, where they were described as aggressive creatures with inhuman powers. In those days, the Cyclopes were considered a whole people living separately from all mankind.

From a scientific point of view, the legends of the Cyclops originated from pygmy elephants. Finding the remains of these animals, people could take the central hole on the elephant's head for the eye socket of a cyclops.

Now we know the fundamental principle and understand what mythical creatures were meant when talking about unicorns, dragons and cyclops. Perhaps for other myths you can find a very real justification?

Wahana(Skt. वहन, vahana IAST from Skt. वह, "sit, ride something") - in Indian mythology - an object or creature (character) used by the gods as a means of transportation (usually a mount).

Airavata

Surely you have heard of such mystical animals as the Centaur, but do you know who Airavata is?

This magical animal comes from India. It is believed that this is a white elephant, which is the vahana of God Indra. Such an entity has 4 tusks and as many as 7 trunks. They call this entity in different ways - Cloud Elephant, War Elephant, Brother of the Sun.

In India, there are a lot of legends that are associated with this elephant. People believe that the White Elephant was born after Brahma sang the sacred vedic hymns over the shell of the egg from which the Garuda hatched.

After Airavata emerged from the shell, seven more elephants and eight female elephants were born. Subsequently, Airavata became the king of all elephants.

Mystical animal of Australia - Bunyip

One of the most amazing creatures known from Australian Aboriginal mythology is the Bunyip. It is believed that this is an animal of enormous size that lives in swamps, in various reservoirs.

There are many descriptions appearance animal. However, they are all very different from each other. But some features always remain similar: a horse's tail, large flippers and fangs. It is believed that the monster devours any animals and people, and its favorite delicacy is women.

In 2001, Robert Holden in his book described at least 20 variations in the appearance of the creature, which he learned from various tribes. Until now, such a magical creature, which is a dangerous enemy of man, remains a mystery. Some believe that it really exists. These people rely on eyewitness accounts.

In the nineteenth-twentieth century, researchers really saw strange aquatic animals, which were about 5 meters long, one and a half meters high, with a small head and a very long neck. However, these data remained unconfirmed, and the legend of a powerful and insidious magical creature still lives on.

Monster from Greece - Hydra

Anyone who has read the myths about Hercules knows who the Hydra is. It is hard to say that this is just an animal, albeit a magical one. This is a mythological entity that has the body of a dog and 9 snake heads. A monster appeared from the womb of Echidna. Such a monster lives in a swamp near the city of Lerna.

At one time, such a monster was considered invincible, because if you cut off her head, then two more would immediately grow in her place. However, Hercules managed to defeat the monster, as his nephew cauterized the decapitated neck of the Hydra as soon as the hero chopped off one head.

The peculiarity of this creature was also that its bite was fatal. As you remember, Hercules dipped his arrows into deadly bile so that no one could heal the wounds inflicted by him.

kerinean fallow deer

The Kerinean Doe is the magical animal of the goddess Artemis. The doe differed from others in that it had golden horns and copper hooves.

kerinean fallow deer

The main task of the animal is to devastate the fields. This was the punishment that fell on Arcadia, as the locals angered Artemis.

There is also a myth that in fact there were only five such creatures. They were huge, even larger than a bull. Four of them were caught by Artemis and harnessed to her chariot, but the last one was able to escape thanks to Hera.

Magic unicorn

Probably one of the most famous characters mythology is a unicorn. Such an entity is described differently by different sources. Someone believes that the animal has the body of a bull, others believe that it has the body of a horse or a goat. The main difference of this creature is the presence of a horn in the forehead.

Unicorn

This image is a symbol of chastity. In modern culture, the unicorn is depicted as a snow-white horse with a red head and blue eyes. It is believed that it is almost impossible to catch this magical animal, since it is insatiable and can run away from its pursuers. However, a noble animal will always bow before a virgin. The only way to hold a unicorn is with a golden bridle.

The image of a one-horned bull first appeared in the third millennium BC on seals and from the cities of the Indus Valley. Various legends associated with this mythical creature are found in Chinese, Muslim, German fairy tales. Even in Russian legends there is a terrible invincible beast that looks like a horse, and all its power lies in the horn.

In the Middle Ages, a wide variety of properties were attributed to the unicorn. It was believed that it cures diseases. According to legend, using the horn, you can purify the water. Unicorns eat flowers, honey, morning dew.

Often, lovers of everything supernatural and magical wonder - are there unicorns? It can be answered that this essence is one of the best creations of human imagination. To date, there is no evidence of the existence of such an animal.

Iku-turso - sea monster

In Karelian-Finnish mythology, Iku-Turso is an animal that lived in the depths of the sea. It was believed that the god of thunder Ukko was the father of this monster.

Iku-Turso

Unfortunately, a detailed description of the appearance of the sea monster does not exist. However, it is known that he was described as a thousand-horned. It is worth noting that very often the northern peoples called the tentacles horns. For example: octopuses or squids. Therefore, it is quite logical to assume that a thousand horns may suggest the presence of a thousand tentacles.

By the way, if we translate the word "turso" from Old Finnish, we get the word "walrus". Such a creature has its own special symbol, which is somewhat reminiscent of a swastika and is called "Heart of Tursas".

According to the legend, the essence is associated not only with water element, but also with fiery. There is a legend about how a creature set fire to a haystack, in the ashes of which an acorn was planted and an oak grew out of it.

Some researchers believe that this is an analogue of the Miracle Yud known to many. However, this is just a theory.

Heavenly dog ​​from Asia - Tiangou

In Chinese, Tiangou means "sky dog". It is a magical entity in ancient Chinese mythology. The creature is described in different ways. It is believed that this is a white-headed fox, which brings harmony and tranquility to human life. People believed that the creature could protect from any troubles and the attacks of robbers.

There is also a black, evil hypostasis of this creature. They imagined an evil double in the form of a black dog that lives on the Moon and eats the Sun during an eclipse. The myths mention that in order to save the Sun, it is necessary to beat the dogs. Then the animal will spit out the moon and disappear.

Are you familiar with Greek mythology? This list will help you test your knowledge or even enrich it. Legendary creatures from ancient Greek folklore not without reason became famous throughout the world, because they possessed simply extraordinary qualities. These mythical monsters are some of the most bizarre, scary and incredible creatures, among which there are not only amazing animals, but also the strangest humanoids imaginable. Are you ready for the educational program?

25. Python or Python

Usually depicted as a snake guarding the entrance to the Delphic oracle. According to legend, the cruel Python was killed by Apollo himself, one of the famous Olympian gods. After the death of the serpent, Apollo founded his own oracle on the site of the Delphic oracle.

24. Orff, Orth, Ortr, Orthros, Orfr


Photo: wikimedia commons

A two-headed dog whose task was to guard a huge herd of magical red bulls. This monster was killed by the Greek hero Heracles, who took the whole herd for himself as proof of his victory over Orff. Orff was rumored to be the father of several other monsters, including the Sphinx and the Chimera, and his brother was the legendary Cerberus.

23. Ichthyocentaurs


Photo: Dr Murali Mohan Gurram

These were the sea gods centaurs-tritons, in which the upper body looked like a human, the lower pair of limbs was a horse, and they were followed by a fish tail. They were often depicted next to Aphrodite during her birth. Perhaps you could also meet these ichthyocentaurs in paintings dedicated to the zodiac constellation Pisces.

22. Skill


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The six-headed Skilla was a sea monster that lived on one side of a narrow strait under a rock, while on the other side the no less dangerous Charybdis was waiting for the sailors (point 13). The distance between the shores of this narrow strait and the shelters of evil mythical creatures was equal to the flight of a launched arrow, so travelers very often sailed too close to one of the monsters and died.

21. Typhon


Photo: wikimedia commons

Typhon was the personification of the volcanic forces of the Earth and at the same time was considered the most deadly demon in all of Greece. His upper body was human, and this character was so huge that he propped up the starry sky, and his arms reached the eastern and western corners of the world. Instead of the usual human head, a hundred dragon heads erupted from Typhon's neck and shoulders.

20. Ophiotaurus


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The Ophiotaurus was another Greek hybrid monster that was feared more than death. According to legend, the murder and ritual burning of the insides of this half-bull-half-snake gave the power with which you can defeat any gods. For the same reason, the titans killed the monster to overthrow the Olympian gods, but Zeus managed to send the Eagle to peck the giblets of the defeated creature before they were burned on the altar, and Olympus was saved.

19. Lamia

Photo: wikimedia commons

It is said that Lamia was once a beautiful ruler of the Libyan kingdom, but later became a cruel devourer of children and a dangerous demon. According to the myth, Zeus loved the charming Lamia so much, his wife Hera, out of jealousy, killed all the children of Lamia (except for the damned Skilla) and transformed the Libyan queen into a monster hunting other people's children.

18. Grays or Phorkiads


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The Grays were three sisters with one common eye and tooth. It is not surprising that they were not famous at all for their beauty, but rather for their gray hairs and ugliness, instilling fear in everyone. In addition, their names were very eloquent: Deino (trembling or death), Enyo (horror) and Pemphredo (anxiety).

17. Echidna

Photo: shutterstock

Half woman half snake. Echidna was called the mother of all monsters, since most of the monsters from the ancient Greek myths were considered her offspring. According to legend, Echidna and Typhon passionately loved each other, and it was their union that gave rise to many insidious creatures. The Greeks believed that she produced a poison that caused insanity.

16. Nemean lion


Photo: Yelkrokoyade

The Nemean Lion was a vicious monster that lived in the Nemea region. As a result, he was killed by the famous ancient Greek hero Hercules. It was impossible to kill this mythical creature with a simple weapon because of its unusual golden wool, which was unrealistic to pierce with ordinary swords, arrows or stakes, and therefore Hercules had to strangle the Nemean lion with bare hands. The strong man managed to tear off the skin of the beast only with the help of the claws and teeth of the most defeated lion.

15. Sphinx


Photo: Tilemahos Efthimiadis / Athens, Greece

The Sphinx was a zoomorphic creature with the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, the tail of a bull, and the head of a woman. According to legend, this character was a ruthless and insidious monster. Those who could not solve the riddles, according to the tradition of all myths, died a painful death in the jaws of a furious Sphinx. The monster itself died only after the brave king Oedipus solved his riddle.

14. Erinyes

Photo: wikimedia commons

Erinia is translated from Greek as "angry". They were avenging goddesses. According to legend, they punished anyone who uttered false oaths, committed any atrocity, or said anything against one of the gods.

13. Charybdis


Photo: shutterstock

The daughter of Poseidon and Gaia, Charybdis was a huge sea monster with a mouth full of face and fins or flippers instead of arms and legs. Three times a day, she absorbed a huge amount of sea water, and then spat it back out, thus creating powerful whirlpools that easily sucked in large ships. It was she who was the neighbor of the deadly Skilla from 22 points.

12. Harpies


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They were creatures with the bodies of birds and women's faces. They stole food from innocent victims and sent sinners straight to the vengeful Erinyes (point 14). Harpy translates as "kidnapper" or "predator". Zeus often turned to them so that these creatures would punish or torture someone.

11. Satyrs


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Satyrs are often depicted as hybrids of humans and goats. They usually have goat horns and hind legs. Satyrs loved to drink, play the flute, and served the god of winemaking, Dionysus. These forest demons were true lazybones and led the most careless and unbridled way of life.

10. Sirens


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Beautiful and very dangerous mythical characters. These fish-tailed goddesses of fate lured sailors with their sweet voices, and because of their charms, ships more than once flew into the rocks and crashed off the coast. Drowning wanderers were torn to pieces and eaten by these creatures.

9. Griffin


Photo: shutterstock

The griffin is a mythical creature with the body, tail and hind legs of a lion, and its head, wings and claws on the front legs were eagle. The lion was traditionally considered the king of all land monsters, and the eagle was the king of all birds, so in ancient Greek mythology the griffin was an incredibly powerful and majestic character.

8. Chimera


Photo: wikimedia commons

The Chimera was a fire-breathing monster whose body consisted of 3 different animals: a lion, a snake, and a goat. The monster was from Lycia (the ancient state of Asia Minor). Most often, a chimera was called any mythical or fictional creature with body parts from different animals. In a figurative sense, the chimera is considered the personification of any unfulfilled desire or fantasy.

7. Cerberus


Photo: wikimedia commons

Cerberus is one of the most famous characters in ancient Greek mythology. According to legend, it was a three-headed dog with a snake tail, guarding the gates to the Underworld. No one who crossed the river Styx could escape from the underworld, and the ferocious Cerberus strictly followed this, until one day Hercules defeated him.

6. Cyclops

Photo: Odilon Redon

The Cyclopes were a separate race of one-eyed giants. But these creatures were cruel and ferocious monsters who were not even afraid of the gods, but at the same time they served the god of fire and blacksmithing, Hephaestus.

5. Hydra


Photo: shutterstock

The Hydra was an ancient sea monster resembling huge snake with the features of a reptile, from the body of which grew countless heads. Instead of one severed head, she always grew 2 new heads. The hydra had poisonous breath, and even its blood was so dangerous that the slightest contact with it was fatal.

4. Gorgons


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Probably the most famous of all the ancient Greek Gorgons was Medusa. She was also the only mortal gorgon among her evil sisters. Instead of hair, Medusa grew snakes, and one look from her was enough to turn a person to stone. According to legend, Perseus managed to behead her, armed with a mirror instead of a shield.

3. Minotaur


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The Minotaur was a mythical creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man who ate innocent people. He lived in the Knossos labyrinth, built by the ancient Greek engineer and artist Daedalus and his son Icarus. The monster was eventually slain by an Attic hero named Theseus.

2. Centaur


Photo: shutterstock

Centaur was fabulous creature with the head, arms and torso of a man, and below the waist he resembled an ordinary horse. Chiron was one of the most famous centaurs in Greek mythology. Most of the centaurs were violent and hostile creatures who liked to drink and revered only the god of winemaking Dionysus. However, Chiron was a wise and kind creature and even a mentor to such ancient Greek heroes as Hercules and Achilles.

1 Pegasus


Photo: shutterstock

This is one of the most famous mythical creatures of the ancient world. The Greeks believed that Pegasus was a divine stallion of snow-white color, and that he had huge wings. According to legend, Pegasus was the child of Poseidon and the Gorgon Medusa. According to one of the legends, every time this fabulous horse hit the ground with its hoof, a new source of water was born.

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

1) Dragon

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

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

According to the hypothesis of some scientists, the image of a dragon in the form that combines the features of birds and snakes refers to approximately the same period when the mythological symbols of the site of animals as such gave way to gods, combining the features of man and animal. Such an image of a dragon was one of the ways to combine opposite symbols - the symbol of the upper world (bird) and the symbol of the lower world (snake). Nevertheless, the dragon can be considered a further development of the image of the mythological serpent - the main features and mythological motifs associated with the dragon, in general, coincide with those that characterized the serpent.

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

2) Unicorn

A creature in the form of a horse with one horn coming out of the forehead, symbolizing chastity, spiritual purity and quest. An important role was played by the unicorn in medieval legends and fairy tales, it was ridden by wizards and sorceresses. When Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise, God gave the unicorn a choice: stay in Eden or leave with the people. The unicorn preferred the latter and was blessed for being sympathetic towards humans.

There are scattered accounts of encounters with unicorns from ancient times to the Middle Ages. In his Notes on the Gallic War, Julius Caesar talks about a deer with a long horn that lives in the Hercynian Forest in Germany. The earliest mention of a unicorn in Western literature belongs to Ctesias of Knidos, in the 5th century BC. in his memoirs, who described an animal the size of a horse, which he and many others called the Indian wild ass. “They have a white body, a brown head and blue eyes. These animals are extremely fast and strong, so that no creature, be it a horse or anyone else, can cope with them. They have one horn on the site of their head, and the powder obtained from it is used as a remedy against deadly potions. Those who drink from vessels made from these horns are not subject to convulsions and epilepsy, they become resistant even to poisons. Ctesias describes an animal similar in appearance to the unicorn as it would be depicted in European tapestries a good two millennia later, but with varied colors.

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

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

3) Angel and demon

An angel is a spiritual, incorporeal being with supernatural abilities and created by God before the creation of the material world, over which they have significant power. There are far more of them than all people. The purpose of the angels: the glorification of God, the embodiment of His glory, the fulfillment of His instructions and will. Angels are eternal and immortal, and their mind is much more perfect than human. In Orthodoxy, there is an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bsent by God to every person immediately after his baptism.

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

Demons also hunt for every person - fallen angels who have lost God's mercy and grace and want to destroy human souls with the help of inspired fears, temptations and temptations. In the heart of every person there is a constant battle between God and the devil. Christian tradition considers demons to be evil servants of Satan, living in hell, but able to roam the world, looking for souls ready to fall. Demons, according to the teachings of the Christian church, are powerful and greedy creatures. In their world, it is customary to trample the lower ones into the dirt and kowtow to the stronger ones. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, demons, as intermediaries of Satan, became associated with sorcerers and witches. Demons are depicted as extremely ugly creatures, often combining the appearance of a person with several animals, or as dark-colored angels with tongues of fire and black wings.

Both demons and angels play an important role in European magical traditions. Numerous grimoires (witchbooks) are permeated with occult demonology and angelology, which have their roots in Gnosticism and Kabbalah. The magic books contain the names, seals and signatures of the spirits, their duties and abilities, as well as the ways of their evocation and submission to the will of the magician.

Each angel and the site of the demon has different abilities: some "specialize" in the virtue of non-possession, others strengthen faith in people, others help in something else. Similarly, demons - some catch up with fornication passions, others - anger, others - vanity, etc. In addition to personal guardian angels assigned to each person, there are patron angels of cities and entire states. But they never quarrel, even if these states are at war with each other, but they pray to God to enlighten people and grant peace on earth.

4) Incubus and succubus

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

The woman chosen for the visit is introduced into a special state, on the border of sleep and wakefulness, something like a hypnotic trance. At the same time, she sees, hears and feels everything, but has no way to move or call for help. Communication with a stranger occurs silently, through the exchange of thoughts, telepathically. Feelings from the presence of a demon can be both frightening, and vice versa, pacifying and desirable. The incubus usually appears in the guise of a handsome man, and the succubus, respectively, a beautiful woman, in reality, their appearance is ugly, and sometimes the victims feel disgust and horror from contemplating the real appearance of the creature who visited them, and then the demon is fed not only by sensual energy, but and fear and despair.

5) Undine

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

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

By Scandinavian legends, a man who once got to the undines, no longer returned back to the site of the earth, exhausted by their caresses. Sometimes Undines married people on earth, as they received an immortal human soul especially if they have children. Undine legends were popular both in the Middle Ages and among writers of the Romantic school.

6) Salamander

Spirits and fire keepers of the medieval period, dwelling in any open fire and often appearing as a small lizard. The appearance of a salamander in the hearth usually does not bode well, but it does not bring much luck either. From the point of view of influencing the fate of a person, this creature can be safely called neutral. In some ancient recipes for obtaining the philosopher's stone, the salamander is mentioned as a living embodiment of this magical substance. However, other sources specify that the non-combustible salamander only maintained the required temperature in the crucible, where lead was converted into gold.

In some old books site appearance of the salamander is described as follows. She has the body of a young cat, rather large membranous wings behind her back (like some dragons), the tail resembles a snake. The head of this creature is similar to the head of an ordinary lizard. The skin of a salamander is covered with small scales of a fibrous substance resembling asbestos. The breath of this creature has poisonous properties and can strike to death any animal not large sizes.

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

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

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

Gnomes were depicted, as a rule, in the form of old fat dwarfs with long white beards in brown or green clothes. Their habitats, depending on the species, were caves, stumps, or cabinets in castles. Often they build their dwellings from a substance resembling marble. Hamadryad gnomes live and die with the plant of which they are a part. Dwarfs of poisonous plants are ugly; the spirit of the poisonous hemlock resembles a human skeleton covered with dried skin. Gnomes can, at will, as the personification of the earthly ether, change their size. There are good-natured gnomes and evil gnomes. Magicians warn against deception of elemental spirits, which can take revenge on a person and even destroy him. It is easiest for children to make contact with gnomes, since their natural consciousness is still pure and open to contacts with invisible worlds.

Gnomes are dressed in clothes woven from the elements that make up their habitat. They are characterized by stinginess and gluttony. Gnomes do not like field work that harms their underground economy. But they are skilled artisans, making weapons, armor, jewelry.

8) Fairies and elves (elves)

Magic people in the German-Scandinavian and Celtic folklore. There is a popular belief site that elves and fairies are one and the same, but they can be either the same or different creatures. Despite the frequent similarity of description, traditional Celtic elves could be depicted as winged, unlike the Scandinavian ones, who in the sagas differed little from ordinary people.

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

The attitude of elves and fairies towards people is rather ambivalent. On the one hand, they are wonderful little people”, living in flowers, singing magical songs, fluttering on the light wings of butterflies and dragonflies and captivating with its unearthly beauty. On the other hand, elves and fairies were quite hostile towards people, it was deadly dangerous to cross the borders of their magical world. Moreover, the elves and fairies were distinguished by extreme ruthlessness and insensitivity and were as cruel as they were beautiful. The latter, by the way, is optional: elves and fairies could, if desired, change their appearance and take on the appearance of birds and animals, as well as ugly old women and even monsters.

If a mortal happened to see the world of elves and fairies, he could no longer live in peace in his real world and eventually died of inescapable anguish. Sometimes a mortal fell into eternal captivity in the country of the elves and never returned to his world. There was a belief site that if in midsummer night to see the ring of magical lights of the dancing elves in the meadow and enter into this ring, then in this way the mortal forever became a prisoner of the world of elves and fairies. In addition, elves and fairies often abducted babies from people and replaced them with their ugly and capricious offspring. To protect their child from abduction by elves, mothers hung open scissors over the cradles, resembling a cross, as well as garlic and rowan brushes.

9) Valkyries

In Scandinavian mythology, warlike maidens involved in the distribution of victories and deaths in battles, Odin's helpers. Their name comes from the Old Norse "chooser of the slain". Originally, the Valkyries were sinister battle spirits, angels of death who took pleasure in the sight of bloody wounds. On horseback, they swept over the battlefield like vultures, and in the name of Odin they decided the fate of the warriors. The chosen heroes of the Valkyries were taken to Valhalla - the site of the "hall of the slain", the heavenly camp of Odin's warriors, where they improved their military art. The Scandinavians believed that, influencing the victory, the warrior maidens held the fate of mankind in their hands.

In later Scandinavian myths, the images of the Valkyries were romanticized, and they turned into the shield-bearing maidens of Odin, virgins with golden hair and snow-white skin, who served food and drinks to the chosen heroes in the banquet hall of Valhalla. They circled over the battlefield in the form of lovely swan-maidens or horsewomen, galloping on magnificent pearly cloud-steeds, whose rainy manes irrigated the earth with fertile hoarfrost and dew. According to Anglo-Saxon legends, some of the Valkyries descended from elves, but most of them were princely daughters who became the chosen ones of the gods during their lifetime, and could turn into swans.

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

Judging by later myths, the idealized Valkyries were creatures more gentle and sensitive than their ferocious predecessors, and often fell in love with mortal heroes. The tendency to deprive the Valkyries of the sacred charms was clearly seen in the legends of the beginning of the 2nd millennium, in which the authors often endowed Odin's militant assistants with the appearance and fate of the real inhabitants of Scandinavia. The stern image of the Valkyries was used by the German composer Richard Wagner, who created the famous opera Valkyrie.

10) Troll

Creatures from Norse mythology, appearing in many fairy tales. Trolls are mountain spirits associated with stone, usually hostile to humans. According to legend, they frightened the locals with their size and witchcraft. According to other beliefs, trolls lived in castles and underground palaces. In the north of Britain there are several large rocks that are legendary, as if they were trolls caught in the sunlight. In mythology, trolls are not only huge giants, but also small, gnome-like creatures that usually live in caves, such trolls were usually called forest trolls. The details of the image of trolls in folklore are highly dependent on the country. Sometimes they are described in different ways even in the same legend.

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

The dead, rising from their graves at night or appearing in the form of bats, sucking blood from sleeping people, sending nightmares. It is believed that "unclean" dead - criminals, suicides, who died an untimely death and died from vampire bites - became vampires. The image is extremely popular for cinema and fiction, although vampires from works of art usually have some site differences from mythological vampires.

In folklore, the term is usually used to refer to a blood-sucking creature from Eastern European legends, but similar creatures from other countries and cultures are often referred to as vampires. Characteristic features of the vampire in different legends vary greatly. During the day, experienced vampires are very difficult to distinguish - they perfectly imitate living people. Their main feature is that they do not eat or drink anything. A more attentive observer may notice that neither in sunlight nor in moonlight do they cast shadows. Also, vampires are big enemies of mirrors. They always seek to destroy them, because the reflection of the vampire is not visible in the mirror, and this betrays him.

12) Ghost

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

Sometimes it happens that ghosts or ghosts appear, because the site is that a person after death was not buried according to the established custom. Because of this, they cannot leave the earth and rush about in search of peace. There have been cases when ghosts pointed people to the place of their death. If the remains were interred in the earth according to all the rules of church rituals, the ghost disappeared. The difference between ghosts and ghosts is that, as a rule, a ghost appears no more than once. If a ghost appears constantly in the same place, then it can be classified as a ghost.

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

It is not given to every mortal to see. Usually it comes to someone who is destined to experience something terrible soon. There is an opinion that ghosts and ghosts have the ability to talk to a person or transmit certain information to him in some other way, for example, using telepathy.

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

A monstrous chimera that has the ability to kill not only with poison, but also with a look, breathing, from which the grass dried up and rocks cracked. In the Middle Ages, it was believed that the basilisk came out of an egg laid by a rooster and incubated by a toad, so in medieval images it has the head of a rooster, the torso and eyes of a toad, and the tail of a snake. He had a crest in the form of a diadem, hence his name - "the king of snakes." One could save himself from a deadly look by showing him a mirror: the serpent died from its own reflection.

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

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

The basilisk is a very ancient and very common symbol in medieval art, but it is rarely seen already in Italian painting the Renaissance. In heraldry, the basilisk is a symbol of power, threat and royalty. Speech turns "the look of a basilisk", "eyes, like a site at a basilisk" mean a look full of malice and murderous hatred.

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

15) Werewolf

A person who can turn into animals, or vice versa, an animal who can turn into people. This skill is often possessed by demons, deities and spirits. Forms of the word "werewolf" - the German "werwolf" ("werwolf") and the French "lupgaru" (loup-garou), ultimately derived from the Greek word "lycanthrope" (lykanthropos - wolf man). It is with the wolf that all the associations born by the word werewolf are associated. This change in site can occur both at the request of the werewolf, and involuntarily, caused, for example, by certain lunar cycles or sounds - howling.

Traditions about exist in the beliefs of almost all peoples and cultures. Phobias associated with belief in werewolves reached their apogee at the end of the Middle Ages, when werewolves were directly identified with heresy, Satanism and witchcraft, and the figure of a wolfman was the main theme of various "Hammers of the Witches" and other theological instructions of the Inquisition.

Werewolves are of two types: those that turn into beasts at will (with the help of sorcery spells or other magical rituals), and those who suffer from lycanthropy - the disease of turning into animals (scientifically, lycanthropy is a mental illness). They differ from each other in that the former can turn into animals at any time of the day or night, without losing the ability to think rationally as a human being, while others only at night, for the most part on the full moon, against their will, while the human the essence is driven deep inside, releasing the bestial nature. At the same time, a person does not remember what he did, being in animal form. But not all werewolves show their abilities on a full moon, some can become werewolves at any time of the day.

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

16) Goblin

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

Now the classic goblin is considered an anthropomorphic ugly creature from half a meter to two, with long ears, scary cat-like eyes, and long claws on the hands, usually with greenish skin. Turning into or disguising themselves as people, goblins hide their ears under a hat, their claws in gloves. But they can’t hide their eyes in any way, therefore, according to legend, you can recognize them by their eyes. Like dwarves, goblins are also sometimes credited with a passion for the complex machinery and technology of the steam age.

17) Lingbakr

Lingbakr is a monstrous whale mentioned in ancient Icelandic legends. The floating lingbakr looks like an island, and the name comes from the Icelandic words for heather and back. According to legend, sea travelers, mistaking the whale for a harsh northern island overgrown with heather, made a halt on its back. The sleeping lingbakr woke up from the heat of the fire, lit by sailors, and dived into the depths of the ocean, dragging people with him into the abyss.

Modern scientists suggest that the myth of such an animal arose due to the repeated observation by sailors of islands of volcanic origin, periodically arising and disappearing in the open sea.

18) Banshee

Banshee is a weeper, a creature from Irish folklore. They have long flowing hair, which they comb with a silver comb, gray cloaks over green dresses, eyes red from tears. website Banshees are guarded by ancient human races, utter heartbreaking cries, mourning the death of one of the family members. When several banshees come together, it foreshadows the death of a great man.

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

19) Anku

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

Anku appears in the form of a tall, emaciated site of a man with long white hair and empty eye sockets. He is dressed in a black cloak and a black wide-brimmed hat, sometimes he takes the form of a skeleton. Anku drives a funeral wagon drawn by horse skeletons. According to another version, a skinny yellow mare. In terms of its functions, the anku approaches another Celtic harbinger of death - the banshee. Basically, the fact that, like the Irish harbinger of death, he warns of death and enables a person to prepare for it. According to legend, whoever meets Anka will die in two years. A person who meets an Anka at midnight will die within a month. The creaking of Anku's cart also portends death. Sometimes it is believed that the anku lives in cemeteries.

In Brittany, there are quite a few stories about the ancu. In some, people help him fix the wagon or the scythe. In gratitude, he warns them of imminent death, and thus they have time to prepare for the site of their death, having settled the last affairs on earth.

20) Water jumper

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

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

21) Selkie

In the folklore of the British Isles, there are entire nations of magical creatures that can be very different from everyone else. Selks (silks, roans), seal people are one of such peoples. Selkie legends are found throughout the British Isles, although they are most often told in Scotland, Ireland, the Faroe Islands and Orkney. The name of these magical creatures comes from the Old Scottish selich - "seal". Outwardly, selkie resemble humanoid seals with delicate brown eyes. When they shed their seal skins and appear on the shore, they appear as beautiful young men and women. Seal skins allow them to live in the sea, but they must come up from time to time to take a breath of air.

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

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

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

Sometimes the Black Dog appears as a site for the execution of divine justice, pursuing the guilty until justice is somehow served. Descriptions of the Black Dog are often vague, mainly because years fear, inspired by him and deeply rooted in the minds of people. The appearance of this terrible creature fills the one who sees it with a chilling despair and a sense of hopelessness, giving way to a decline in vitality.

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

23) Brownie

Scottish with disheveled hair and brown skin, hence the name (English: "brown" - "brown, brown"). Brownies belong to a class of creatures that are different in habits and character from the fickle and mischievous elves. He spends the day in seclusion, away from the old homes he loves to visit, and at night diligently performs whatever hard work the site deems desirable for the family he has dedicated himself to serving. But brownies don't work for rewards. He is grateful for the milk, sour cream, porridge or pastries left to him, but the brownie perceives an excessive amount of food left as a personal insult and leaves the home forever, so it is advisable to observe moderation.

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

24) Kraken

In the legends of the Scandinavian peoples site, a giant sea monster. The kraken was credited with incredibly large dimensions: its huge back, more than a kilometer wide, protrudes from the sea like an island, and its tentacles are capable of embracing the largest ship. There are numerous testimonies of medieval sailors and travelers about alleged encounters with this fantastic animal. According to the descriptions, the kraken looks like a squid (octopus) or an octopus, only its dimensions are much larger. There are frequent stories of sailors about how they themselves or their comrades landed on the "island", and he suddenly plunged into the abyss, sometimes dragging the ship along with it, which fell into the whirlpool that was formed. In different countries, the kraken was also called polypus, pulp, krabben, kraks.

The ancient Roman scientist and writer Pliny described how a huge polypus raided the coast, where he liked to feast on fish. Attempts to hunt the monster with dogs failed: he swallowed all the dogs. But one day, the guards nevertheless managed to deal with it and, admiring its enormous size (the tentacles were 9 meters long and as thick as a human body), they sent a giant mollusk to be eaten by Lucullus, the proconsul of Rome, famous for its feasts and gourmetism.

The existence of giant octopuses was later proven, however, the mythical kraken of the northern peoples, due to the incredibly large size attributed to it, is most likely the fruit of the fantasy of seafarers who were in trouble.

25) Avank

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

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

26) Wild Hunt

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

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

27) Draugr

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

A draugr's body can swell to an enormous size, sometimes remaining undecomposed for many years. Unbridled appetite, reaching the point of cannibalism, brings the draugr closer to the folklore image of vampires. Sometimes the soul is preserved. The appearance of the draugr depends on the type of their death: water constantly flows from the drowned fighter, and bleeding wounds gape on the body of the fallen fighter. The skin can vary from dead white to cadaverous blue. Draugrams are credited with supernatural power and magical abilities: to predict the future, the weather. Anyone who knows a special spell can subdue them. They are able to transform into various animals, but at the same time they retain human eyes and the mind that they had in their "human" form.

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

28) Dullahan

According to Irish legends, the dullahan is a malevolent spirit in the form of a headless, usually on a black horse, carrying his head under his arm. The Dullahan uses the human spine as a whip. Sometimes his horse is harnessed to a covered wagon, hung with all sorts of attributes of death: skulls with burning eye sockets hang outside, illuminating his path, the spokes of the wheels are made of femur bones, and the lining of the wagon is made of a worm-eaten burial shroud or dried human skin. When a dullahan stops his horse, it means that death awaits someone: the spirit loudly calls out the name, after which the person immediately dies.

According to Irish beliefs, the Dullahan cannot be protected by any obstacles. Any gates and doors open before him. Dullahan also can't stand being watched: he can throw a bowl of blood on someone spying on him, which means that the site that person will die soon, or even whip a curious person in the eyes. However, the Dullahan is afraid of gold, and even a slight touch of this metal is enough to drive him away.

29) Kelpie

In Scottish lower mythology, a water spirit, hostile to man and living in many rivers and lakes. Kelpie appears in the form of a grazing near the water, offering his back to the traveler and then dragging him into the water. According to the Scots, the kelpie is a werewolf that can turn into animals and humans.

Before a storm, many people hear how kelpies howl. Much more often than a human, a kelpie takes the form of a horse, most often black. It is sometimes said that his eyes glow or are full of tears, and his gaze causes chills or attracts like a magnet. With all its appearance, the kelpie, as it were, invites the passerby to sit on itself, and when he succumbs to the trick on the site, he jumps together with the rider into the waters of the lake. A person instantly gets wet to the skin, and the kelpie disappears, and his disappearance is accompanied by a roar and a blinding flash. But sometimes, when the kelpie is angry with something, he tears his victim to pieces and devours.

The ancient Scots called these creatures water kelpies, horses, bulls, or simply spirits, and mothers from time immemorial forbade babies to play close to the shore of a river or lake. The monster can take the form of a galloping horse, grab the baby, put it on its back, and then, with the helpless little rider, plunge into the abyss. Kelpie tracks are easy to recognize: his hooves are set back to front. Kelpie is able to stretch in length as much as he likes, and a person seems to stick to his body.

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

30) Huldra

In Scandinavian folklore, huldra is a girl from the forest people or from the genus of trolls, but at the same time beautiful and young, with long blond hair. Traditionally referred to as evil spirits". The name "Huldra" means "he (she) who hides, hides." This is a mysterious creature that constantly lives next to people and sometimes leaves traces by which one can guess about its existence. However, the huldra still showed itself to people in the eyes. The only thing that distinguished a huldra from an earthly woman was a long cow's tail, which, however, is not immediately detectable. If a christening ceremony was performed on the huldra, then the tail fell off. Apparently, he site and served outward sign its "unclean" origin, connected it with the wild animal world, hostile to the Christian church. In some areas, other "animal" attributes were also attributed to the hüldre: horns, hooves and a wrinkled back, but these are deviations from the classical image.

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

The Huldra have always wanted to be related to the human race. Numerous stories tell how peasants married huldra or entered into relationship with them. Often a person, bewitched by her beauty, became a lost site for the human world. Huldra could take not only boys, but also girls to their villages. In the mountains, the Huldra taught people many arts - from household crafts to playing musical instruments and poetic skills.

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

31) Yule cat

Icelandic children are being scared by the Yule cat, one of the symbols of Icelandic Christmas. AT northern countries The ancient holiday of Yule was celebrated many centuries before the emergence of Christian religion. Yule celebrates both abundant food on the tables and the giving of gifts, which is reminiscent of Christian Christmas traditions. It is the Yule cat that takes with him at night or eats those children who have been mischievous and lazy during the year. And the cat brings gifts to obedient children. Yule cat is huge, very fluffy and unusually gluttonous. The cat confidently distinguishes loafers and loafers from all other people. After all lazy people always meet the holiday in old clothes.

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

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

32) Double (doppelganger)

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

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

A huge creature with a snake head and neck that lives in the Scottish Loch Ness and is affectionately called Nessie. Among the locals there was always a warning about a giant monster, but the general public did not hear about it until 1933, when the first site witnesses from travelers appeared. If we turn to the very depths of Celtic legends, then the Roman conquerors first noticed this animal. And the very first mention of the Loch Ness monster dates back to the 5th century AD, where one of the chronicles mentions the water beast of the Ness River. Then all mention of Nessie disappears until 1880, when a sailboat with people went to the bottom in a dead calm. The northern Scots immediately remembered the monster and began to spread all sorts of rumors and legends.

One of the most common and plausible speculations is that the Loch Ness monster may be a plesiosaur that has survived to this day. This is one of the marine reptiles that existed during the age of dinosaurs, which ended about 63 million years ago. Plesiosaurs were very similar to dolphins or sharks, and an expedition of scientists to the lake in 1987 could well support this hypothesis. But the fact is that about ten thousand years ago, there was a huge glacier on the site of Loch Ness for a long time, and hardly any animals could survive in the ice water. According to researchers, the Loch Ness monster does not belong to the younger generation of immigrants. The family of the largest marine animals that arrived in Loch Ness several decades or centuries ago has nothing to do with the family of whales or dolphins, otherwise their appearance would often be observed on the surface of Loch Ness. Most likely, we are talking about a giant octopus, which is rarely shown on the surface. In addition, eyewitnesses could observe different parts of his gigantic body, which can explain the conflicting descriptions of the monster by many witnesses.

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

Spring-Heeled Jack is one of the most famous London characters of the Victorian era, a humanoid creature, notable primarily for its ability to jump of amazing heights. Jack wanders the night streets of the British capital, easily walks through puddles, swamps and rivers, enters houses. He lashes out at people, flays their skin and kills them mercilessly, agitating the police. The very first reports about London date back to 1837. Later, his appearances were recorded in many places in England - especially a site in London itself, its suburbs, Liverpool, Sheffield, the Midlands and even Scotland. Messages peaked in the 1850s-1880s.

Not a single photograph of Jack the Jumper exists, although at that time the photograph already existed. It is possible to judge his appearance only by the descriptions of the victims and eyewitnesses of his appearances and attacks on people, many of which are very similar. Most people who have seen Jack describe him as a tall, athletic humanoid being with a hideous, devilish face, pointed, protruding ears, large claws on his fingers, and luminous, bulging eyes that resemble red fireballs. In one of the descriptions, it is noted that Jack was dressed in a black cloak, in another - that he had a kind of helmet on his head, and he was dressed in tight-fitting white clothes, over which a waterproof cloak was thrown over. Sometimes he was described as a devil, sometimes as a tall and thin gentleman. Finally, on the site, many descriptions indicate that Jack could emit puffs of blue and white flames from his mouth, and that the claws on his hands were metal.

There are a large number of theories about the nature and personality of Jack the Jumper, however, none of them is scientifically proven and does not give affirmative answers to all questions related to him. Thus, its history remains unexplained until now, science does not know about the device with which a person could make jumps like Jack, and the fact of his real existence is disputed by a significant number of historians. urban legend about Jumping Jack was incredibly popular in England in the second half of the 19th century - primarily because of his unusual appearance, aggressive eccentric behavior and the mentioned ability to make incredible jumps - to the point that Jack became the hero of several works of fiction in European tabloid literature site XIX-XX centuries.

35) Reaper (Soul Reaper, Grim Reaper)

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

Medieval European legends of the Grim Reaper with the scythe may have originated from the custom of some European nations bury people with braids. Reapers are creatures that have power over time and human consciousness. They can change how a person sees the world and themselves, thus facilitating the transition from life to death. The Reaper's true form is too complex to reproduce, but most people see them as ghostly figures in rags or dressed in grave robes.

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.

Video from the channel " Interesting Facts"

1. Wyvern

wyvern-This creature is considered a "relative" of the dragon, but it only has two legs. instead of the front - 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 old 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, it 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, the unicorn purifies water poisoned by a snake with its horn). The unicorn is a creature of another world and most often portends happiness.

4. Basilisk

Basilisk- a monster with the head of a rooster, the eyes of a toad, the wings of a bat and the body of a dragon (according to some sources, a huge lizard) that exists in the mythologies of many peoples. 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 feeds only on fresh human meat. Therefore, on medieval miniatures, you can often see the image of a manticore with a human hand or foot in its teeth. In medieval works of 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 evil ones 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- in Greek mythology, a fire-spewing monster with the head and neck of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a dragon (according to another version, the Chimera had three heads - a lion, a goat and a dragon) Apparently, the Chimera is the personification of a fire-breathing volcano. In a figurative sense, a chimera is a fantasy, an unrealizable desire or action. In sculpture, images of fantastic monsters are called chimeras (for example, chimeras of Notre Dame Cathedral), but it is believed that stone chimeras can come to life to terrify people.

13. Sphinx

sphinx s or Sphinga in ancient Greek mythology, a winged monster with the face and 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, the hero of Arabian fairy tales Sinbad the Sailor. One day he found himself on a desert island. Looking around, he saw a huge white dome without windows 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 summer time), 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 wandering and traveling people, 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 Russia, 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- in 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 mythology European Middle Ages, wishing 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. AT " 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, the type of Mandragora root distinguishes between male and female plants and even gives them the appropriate names. Old herbalists depict Mandragora Roots as male or female forms, with a tuft of leaves sprouting from the head, sometimes with a chained dog 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, supposedly 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. From his cry, flowers wither and grass withers, 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 Iry garden, the Alatyr mountain and the apple tree with golden apples are guarded by griffins and basilisks. Whoever tries these golden apples will receive eternal youth and power over the Universe. And the 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, and its tentacles are capable of embracing the largest ship. This huge back protrudes from the sea, like a huge island. The Kraken has a habit of darkening the sea water by spewing some kind of liquid. This statement gave rise to the hypothesis that the Kraken is an octopus, only enlarged. Among Tenison's youthful writings, 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 women's perfume 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.