Mythological monsters of history
TOP 31: chupacabra
The popular description of that entity is that it would be a small creature (1 m tall or smaller), which would have greenish and scaly skin, large, bulging eyes, and oval head. This vague description coincides with another being from contemporary mythology, the little alien beings known as "grays." He is also credited with a canine face with large eyes and fangs and long ankles like those of a kangaroo.
TOP 30: driade
In Greek mythology, the Driades (in ancient Greek Δρυάδες druádes, of δρῦς drũs, 'oak') are the nymphs of oaks in particular and of trees in general. They emerged from a tree called "Tree of Hesperides." Some of them went to the Garden of the Hesperides to protect the golden apples that were in it. Dryads are not immortal, but they can live a long time. Among the best known are notably Eurydice, the woman of Orpheus and Daphne who was persecuted by Apollo and the gods turned her into a laurel tree. The late tradition distinguishes between Driades and Hamadríades, considering the latter specifically associated with a tree, while the former were freely wandering through the forests
TOP 29: treant
A treant is a hybrid between man and tree, with a skin formed by a thick brown bark that makes it almost indistinguishable from trees. His character is calm, but he can become dangerous if he is enraged. They hate fire because of their bark skin. His arms are formed by branches and his feet fit like a tree trunk. They also have long leaves that change color during winter, although they rarely fall off. They measure between 4 and 5 meters. A treant is an intelligent being who speaks several languages apart from his own, also has other skills such as animating trees and keeping them under his control. The Treants live in small communities among forests, and they don't usually reveal themselves while they are in a forest, although they get enraged if they light a fire near them or, simply, someone goes through an ax. Despite this fact, a treant has a peaceful nature.
TOP 28: naga
Within the framework of Hinduist mythology, the Nagás are a type of lower serpent-shaped beings or demigods.
TOP 27: sylph
The sylph is a fabulous mythological creature of the western tradition. This term has its origin in the work of Paracelsus, who described them as invisible beings of the air, his elementals of the air. There are no considerable myths associated with them. Since alchemy in the West derived from Paracelsus, the alchemists and their annexed movements (such as Rosicrucianism) kept talking about sylphs in their hermetic literature.
TOP 26: grayas
The Grayas or Greas (in ancient Greek Γραῖαι Graĩai, 'old') were pre-Olympic deities, three sisters (some versions count two) daughters of Forcis, one of the aspects of the 'old man of the sea' (halios geron), and Keto, for what they are counted among the Forcides (being sometimes considered marine deities, personifications of the foam of the sea). The Grayas were born already old and with gray hair, although the poets sometimes designated them euphemistically as "beautiful," and became older and older.
TOP 25: charon
In Greek mythology, Charon (in ancient Greek Χάρων Khárôn, 'intense brightness') or Caron was the boatman of Hades, who was in charge of guiding the wandering shadows of the recent deceased from one side of the Aqueronte river to the other if they had a symbol for pay for the trip, which is why in ancient Greece the bodies were buried with two coins in their eyes. Those who could not pay had to wander a hundred years along the banks of the Aqueronte, until Charon agreed to carry them without charge.
TOP 24: manticora
The manticore is a mythological creature, a type of chimera with a human head (often with horns), the red body (sometimes a lion), and the tail of a dragon or scorpion, capable of firing poisonous thorns to incapacitate or kill their prey. Depending on the mythological story, its size varies from that of a lion to that of a horse, and its description may or may not include the presence of wings.
TOP 23: Cyclops
In Greek mythology, the Cyclops (in Greek Κύκλωψ Kýklops, plural Κύκλωπες Kýklopes, which comes from κύκλος kyklos, 'wheel', 'circle' and ὤψ ops, 'eye') were the members of a race of giants with one eye in the middle of the forehead.
TOP 22: fairy
A fairy (from Latin fatum: fate, destiny) is a fantastic and ethereal creature, usually personified in the form of a beautiful woman, who according to tradition are protective of nature, product of imagination, tradition or beliefs and belonging to that Fabulous world of elves, gnomes, goblins, mermaids and giants that gives color to the legends and mythologies of all ancient peoples. You can provoke contact with them by developing ethereal vision according to legends. Most of them are represented with wings.
TOP 21: harpy
In Greek mythology, the Harpies or Harpies (in ancient Greek Άρπυια Harpyia, 'flying and looting') were beautiful winged women known primarily for stealing Phineus' food steadily before he could eat it, thus enforcing a punishment imposed by Zeus. This led them to fight with the Argonauts. In later traditions they were transformed into winged malefic geniuses of sharp claws, which is how they are popularly known.
TOP 20: caribdis
TOP 19: basilisk
Basilisk (from the Greek βασιλίσκος basilískos: "little king") is a mythological being created by Greek mythology that was described as a small snake loaded with lethal poison and could kill with the simple look, which they considered the king of snakes. Subsequently it has been represented in various ways always with reptilian characteristics.
TOP 18: sphinx
In Greek mythology, the Sphinx (in ancient Greek Σφίγξ, perhaps σφίγγω, 'strangle') was a demon of destruction and bad luck, which was depicted as a woman's face, lion's body and bird's wings.
TOP 17: nymph
In Greek mythology, a nymph (in ancient Greek νύμφα) is a minor deity of nature, typically associated with a geographical accident or specific place, despite which they were designated by the title of Olympians, summoned to meetings of the gods in Olympus and described as daughters of Zeus. Different from the gods, nymphs are often considered divine spirits that animate nature, and be represented in works of art such as beautiful maidens, naked or half-naked, who love to sing and dance; later poets sometimes describe them with sea-colored hair. [1] It was believed that they lived on the earth: in groves, on mountain tops, in rivers, streams, ravines and grottos. [2] Depending on where they live, they are called Agronomists (ἀγρονόμοι), [3] Orestias (ὀρεστιάδες) [4] and Náyades (νηϊάδες). [5] They are very long-lived, but not necessarily immortal.
TOP 16: centaur
In Greek mythology, the centaurs (in Greek Κένταυρος Kentauros, 'bullfighter', 'one hundred strong', plural Κένταυρι Kentauri; in Latin Centaurus / Centauri) are a race of beings with the torso and the head of human and body of horse. The female versions are called centáurides.
TOP 15: Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness monster, familiarly called Nessie, is the name of a legendary creature that is said to inhabit Loch Ness, a deep freshwater lake (known in Scotland as Loch Ness) near the city of Inverness. Together with Big Foot and the Yeti, Nessie is perhaps the most widespread "mystery" of cryptozoology. Most scientists and other experts claim that the evidence supporting Nessie's existence is not convincing, and they consider such reports to be fraudulent or misidentifications of real creatures.
TOP 14: the yeti
The Yeti or abominable snowman or according to the lamas of the Himalayas as they also know him as Migou is a cryptic, interpreted as a giant ape related to the American Big Foot. Given the total absence of evidence, there are only stories that describe him as a giant biped ape that is believed to be located in the wooded areas of the Himalayas.
TOP 13: titans
In Greek mythology, the Titans - male - and Titanides - female - (in ancient Greek Τιτάν, plural Τιτᾶνες) were a race of powerful gods who ruled during the legendary golden age.
TOP 12: Unicorn
The unicorn is a mythological creature usually depicted as a white horse, with antelope legs, goatee, and a horn on its forehead. In modern representations, however, it is identical to a horse, only differentiating itself in the existence of the aforementioned horn.
TOP 11: siren
Mermaids (in ancient Greek, Σειρήν Seirến, 'chained', surely inspired by the Sanskrit Kimera, 'chimera') are fabulous beings, originating in Greek mythology and widely extended in the fantastic narratives of Western literature, whose function and representation They have varied over time. Although in their original form they were hybrid beings of women and birds, later the most common representation describes them as young women with fishtails. That is why in many non-Latin languages they distinguish the original classical mermaid (English siren, German Sirene) from the fish-tailed siren (English mermaid, German Meerjungfrau).
TOP 10: jellyfish
In Greek mythology, Medusa (in ancient Greek Μέδουσα Médousa, 'guardian', 'protector') [1] was a female chthonic monster, who turned stone to those who looked at her. He was beheaded by Perseus, who later used his head as a weapon [2] until he gave it to the goddess Athena to put on her shield, the aegis. Since classical antiquity, the image of Medusa's head has been depicted in the contraption that drives away the evil known as Gorgoneion. [3
TOP 9: squill
In Greek mythology, Scylla (in Greek Σκύλλα) was a sea monster, who had previously been a beautiful nymph daughter of Forcis and Hecate. Scylla is described as a monster with a woman's torso and a fish's tail, as well as with six dogs starting from her waist with two legs each, making a total of twelve; according to other versions, it would be a being with six long and serpentine necks with grotesque heads, while its twelve legs would be of another nature; Finally, according to other sources, I would share some of both descriptions. However, it is always said that he possessed in each head three tight rows of sharp teeth, as well as emitting a howl similar to that of a dog. This being lived in a narrow sea passage, on the opposite side of its Caribdis counterpart. The sides of the canal were within the reach of an arrow, so that the ships trying to avoid Caribdis should approach Scylla, and vice versa. Over time it was transformed by the gods into a rock, still existing, which posed serious dangers for sailors. This mythological figure appears in the adventures of Odysseus.
TOP 8: Pegasus
Pegasus was born of the blood shed by Medusa when Perseus cut off his head. It is usually represented in black or white and has two wings that allow it to fly. A characteristic of his flight is that when he does it, he moves his legs as if he were actually running through the air. According to the classic sources, Perseus did not get to fly mounted to Pegasus, since he did it thanks to winged sandals, however, many Renaissance artists represented him flying on this horse.
TOP 7: Minotaur
The Minotaur (from the Greek Μινόταυρος, Minótauros), was a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull. The myth has its most complete version in the mythological Library of Apollodorus. [1] Its name means "Toro de Minos", and was conceived of the union between Pasífae and a magnificent bull on the occasion of a divine affront. It was enclosed in a maze designed by the architect Dédalo, made expressly to retain it, [2] probably located in the city of Knossos on the island of Crete. For many years, men and women were taken to the labyrinth as a sacrifice to be the food of the beast until its life ended in the hands of the hero Theseus
TOP 6: hydra
In Greek mythology, the Hydra of Lerna (in ancient Greek Λερναία Ὕδρα) was an ancient and ruthless polyethalic snake-shaped chonic aquatic monster (whose number ranges from 3 or 5 to 100 and even 10,000 depending on the source) and poisonous breath ( Higino, 30) which Heracles killed in the second of his twelve works. Its lair was the lake of Lerna in the Gulf of Argolis (near Nafplio), although archaeologists have confirmed that this sacred place is prior even to the Mycenaean city of Argos, as Lerna was the site of the myth of the Danaides. Under its waters was an entrance to the Underworld that the Hydra guarded. [1] The Hydra was the daughter of Typhoon and the Echidna. She was raised by Hera under a banana near the Amimone fountain in Lerna. It was said that she was the sister of the Lion of Nemea and therefore sought revenge for his death at the hands of Heracles. This is why it was said that she had been chosen as a job for Heracles, so that he died. He also had seven heads and if he cut one more two they would regenerate from the wound.
TOP 5: tap
The tap (Greek γρυφος gryphos, Persian شیردال shirdal, 'lion-eagle') is a mythological creature, whose upper part is that of a giant eagle, with golden feathers, sharp beak and powerful claws. The lower part is that of a lion, with yellow fur, muscular legs and tail.
TOP 4: kraken
The Kraken is a marine creature of Scandinavian and Finnish mythology commonly described as a type of giant octopus or squid that, emerging from the depths, attacked ships and devoured sailors. The legend may have actually originated from sightings of real giant squid that would be estimated to be 13 to 15 meters long, including the tentacles. [1] [2]
TOP 3: Cerberus
In Greek mythology, Cerberus (in Greek Κέρβερος Kérberos, 'demon of the well'), also known as Can Cerberos, was the dog of Hades, a three-headed monster, with a snake instead of a tail. Cerberus guarded the door of Hades (the Greek underworld) and ensured that the dead did not leave and that the living could not enter. He was the son of Echidna and Typhoon, and brother of Ortro. The existence of an infernal dog at the entrance of the underworld seems to be already present in the original Indo-European mythology, as it appears in the myths of other Indo-European peoples, as is the case of the bloodied dog Garm in Scandinavian mythology.
TOP 2: phoenix
The Phoenix or Phoenix, as the Greeks knew it, is a mythological bird the size of an eagle, with incandescent red, orange and yellow plumage, with a strong beak and claws. It was a fabulous bird that was consumed by fire every 500 years, and then resurfaced from its ashes. According to some myths, he lived in a region that comprised the area of the Middle East and India, reaching Egypt, in North Africa. Very present in Arabic poetry (In Arabic: العَنْقَاء Al-Anka).
TOP 1: dragon
The dragon (from the Latin draco, and this one from the Greek δρακων, drakon, 'viper' or 'snake') is a mythological animal that appears in various forms in various cultures around the world, with different associated symbolisms. The most familiar interpretations of dragons are the European Dragons, derived from the popular tradition and mythology of Greece and the Near East, and also those of Eastern Dragons. The word dragon derives from the Greek δράκων (drákōn), "dragon, large snake, or water snake", which probably comes from the verb δρακεῖν "see clearly." [1