Mythical Creatures and Beasts - Recently Updated Pages

Stories and Fiction

stonepony83 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:45:21 CDT

Story #1

Hey Guy's I got lots a stories that I'm just dying to Tell!. Please comment if you think the stories are fiction or fact.

Also, Please don't tell anyone these stories after you read them. Although i wanna keep the reasoning to myself. ^_^

Enjoy, The creepy, the Ooky, and the everyday spooky!

Story #2

well, i can tell you allot of stories, that I've experienced, or people in my family have, My grandma told me lots.

Here's One, But please don't retell these stories on other web's.

My grandma used to attend a all- girl boarding school. And since is in old Europe , they did not have the money build actual washroom's. so they had outhouse's.

Anyways the thing is, there was a rumor going around, that a girl in her class, was turning into a bat at night, since she always disappeared and often didn't come back till early morning. So she and the other girl's decide they would try to follow her to see what was really happening. So the bat- girl, without knowing bout my grandma following her, walked into the outhouse, and then, when she walked out, (the bat girl) she had a blue tail, and had glowing eye's. that convinced my grandma to retreat thinking she knew enough, and was scared.

She never dared to talk to that girl again, and she decided that she would keep what she saw to herself, until she told my, mom, and then, my mom told me.

Story #3

when i was five we lived in our old house in GA. well i was lying in bed, wile everyone was down stairs, well i was wide awake but didn't feel like coming down. so i was just lying there when i herd someone coming so my basic instinct is to pretend I'm asleep. so i close my eyes and someone come in, they sit on the bed and place there hand on mine. I'm thinking its my mom, but i don't open my eyes, then after a few moments they get up and leave, they leave the door open. well i get curious and go down stairs, i find my mom cooking, so i ask if she had been to my room, she said no that she and everyone else had been down stairs. i still don't know who/what was in my room.

Story #4

we had just moved in to our new house in SC. i was sleeping in my room when i suddenly woke up. i look around an see these two glowing red eyes in my closet, now I'm only 5-6 so i jump up and run as fast as i can to my parents room only to find there door open and the two eyes staring back at me, i bolt for my room jump under the covers and don't come out until morning.

Story #5

ok i know i have a lot of stories but this is the last one,

i was about 9-10 when i was sleeping in my room, when i woke up, so i started to watch tv, i was wide awake in a few min, so a hour went by and i was fine, when all of a sudden this ghostly hand reaches up from my floor and turns off my tv. i freak out but i cant move so i just sit there until morning.

Story #6

This is a TRUE experience that Alienman1000 had. Very interesting poltergeist account, so please read.

"I was at my Nana's. I was 6 or 7....and I was crazy. So I pretended to play a show on the piano. All of a sudden, after I finished, I heard clapping & cheering. It wasn't my Nana, she was too far away to hear me or for me to hear her noise. I looked outside, to see if anyone was there. No one. I looked around, but saw nothing. I asked my Nana if she had ghosts in her house, and she said 'the only ghost i know of in this house would be my mother'. "

Story #7

I have many stories but I'll tell the one that I actually have literary/textual support of. Until the age of twelve I lived in Mission Viejo, California in Orange County. I had a really good friend named Morgan who lived down the street from me and we would often have sleep overs. The very first sleep over I ever had over there, at the age of 7, was the thing that set me onto researching myths and folklore. Their house, on the inside, had medieval swords, suits of armor, etc. because her parents were interested in that kind of thing and had traveled many places in the world. At about three in the morning I woke up and woke Morgan up because I needed something to drink. We went out to the kitchen, got a glass of water, and sat down on the couch to drink it and talk. As we were whispering all of the sudden Morgan stopped talking. When I asked her what was wrong all she did was pointed. There in the middle of the room were five children ranging from about 8-4 doing ring-around-the-rosy. We could hear them as clear as day and as soon as they were finished singing it, after they had all fell down, they joined hands and walked off, disappearing. We went back into her room and did not leave until that morning when we could smell pancakes. We brought it up with her parents and we actually found out that their, and houses in the surrounding area, were built on an old cemetery that had a lot of children in it. They showed us a book that had old pictures in it of the area and you could see what they meant. The parents said that they had seen things to, and not to fear anything that we saw or heard because nothing would happen to us. To this day I remember that night and what we saw, and I've seen more since then, but I always know that there is a reason for it. AVMidian

Story #8

It was a strange summer night. I was about 6-7 when it happened, but I remember it perfectly. It was about midnight, and I was awake, and everyone else was sleeping. I decided to get a glass of water, and so I almost walked into the hallway, when I saw a shadow flash across the kitchen, and then a head peeked out. It was too dark to see, so I didn't see who, or what it was. I was so frightened, I ran a few feet away, back where I was before, and hid under the covers, staying there. I was soon fast asleep. I awoke in the morning, remembering the strange shadow and the head...
~Vyrie
(BEFORE POSTING YOUR STORIES PLEASE MAKE THE USE OF SPELL CHECK!)

Story #9

Back in the day, when I lived by the beach and was a Junior in the Girl Scouts--making me around nine or ten--my troop went on a weekend camp out at the local state park . . . A local state park that was well known by basically everyone who lived near it that weird things happened at Oscar Scherer state park. Alligators climbed up and over the chain-link fencing that surrounds the lake, tents would just collapse, and at night you would hear footsteps and even at times the pounding of horses hooves, only there would be nothing around your campsite what so ever.
So, now that everyone has a sense of how this place is, let's get to my story of when I was a girl scout and ready to explore and be all girl scoutish.
My older brother had told me of places that were okay to go, and places to stay away from. My brother had been there, knew the stories, and he was a Eagle scout . . . I really wished I would have listened to him back then.
Railroad tracks ran through the park, and was a popular place for the boy and girl scouts to go. My brother told me not to follow them, and to by no means necessary, go to the bridge. Well, my friends wanted to follow the tracks to the old bridge. I remembered my brother's words, but, when they kept talking about it, I kept getting this really bad feeling. I didn't want to go, but they kept saying that it wouldn't be fun if I didn't go, meaning that I would make a good scape-goat if something went wrong. I kept getting these horrible nervous tensions. Feelings that usually warned me before something happened, before I tread to far into an area I shouldn't go, but I ignored my intuition, and followed my friends. I took the lead, midsummer sun blasting down on us while I was decked out in jeans, hiking boots and a long sleeved shirt 'cause I wasn't about to get a tick on me, and something just told me that I needed to dress that way.
As we walked along the old tracks, and stepped upon the old steel tracks, they would begin to vibrate like crazy and a loud rumbling would sound in the distance but, there was no train. The closer we got to the bridge, the worst my stomach tightened. The more nauseated I felt. I was ahead of my friends, watching the path for snakes or what be it, only to stop when my friends began to scream. I turned, only to find them being swarmed by wasp. We quickly headed back to camp, all my friends mad at me because I didn't get stung, but I felt that we were warned to not go near the bridge, being that two boys had died there, messing around as we were, and were hit by a train. That is my first story, about my encounter at Oscar Scherer State park.
-stonepony83-

Drawings of Mythical Creatures

stonepony83 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:58:10 CDT

Add your drawings and sketches here!

Paste your sketch and artworks and add in your username.

Drawing created by: Mythical Creatures Artwork

Stonepony83 my character version of a harpy w/ osprey attributes, and yes I know, he's male and not a traditional version of what a harpy looks like, but we can imagine can't we?

Stonepony83 A character version of a gorgon

Stonepony83

monsterhunter I know this is'nt a drawing but this was the only area for any kind of artwork. This is a sculpture that I am working on that is 1:1 scale and will be cast in resin and painted and mounted on a plaque like a trophy. I hope to create several different kind of dragons as well as other mythical creatures. By: Seth398 (Sorry its bad.I did it on MS Paint.)

Fairy by emilieautumn (Victoria)	Hope you like them. It took forever!!!^^
	It's the dimond prierer from http://thedwweb.wetpaint.com
PhantomsPlay

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cat!

isy102 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:51:03 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

sphinx

AVMidian — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:10:31 CDT

The Sphinx is said to have guarded the entrance to the Greek city of Thebes, and to have asked a riddle of travelers to obtain passage. The exact riddle asked by the Sphinx was not specified by early tellers of the stories about the sphinx, and was not standardized as the one given below until late in Greek history.
It was said in late lore that Hera or Ares sent the Sphinx from her Ethiopian homeland (the Greeks always remembered the foreign origin of the Sphinx to Thebes in Greece where, in the writings of Sophocles, she asks all passersby history's most famous riddle: "Which creature in the morning goes on four feet, at noon on two, and in the evening upon three?" She strangled and devoured anyone unable to answer.Oedipus solved the riddle: answering, Man—who crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and walks with a cane in old age.
Bested at last, the tale continues, the Sphinx then threw herself from her high rock and died. An alternative version tells that she devoured herself. Thus Oedipus can be recognized as a liminal or "threshold" figure, helping effect the transition between the old religious practices, represented by the death of the Sphinx, and the rise of the new, Olympian deities.

The Egyptian Sphinx in Giza The Greek Sphinx:
from the end of the archaic age.
Made from marble and is housed
in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Welcome to Mythical Creatures and Beasts

Ravenite — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:35:25 CDT

Mythical Creatures Guide

Welcome to the ultimate user-generated encyclopedia of mythical creatures and beasts. Know more about mythical sea serpents, magical mythical creatures and their mysteries. Learn more about mythical dragons and magical beings. Discover the power of folklores, mythical legends, cryptids and stories behind the beasts.

Special thanks to Max (Ashish Makati) who originally created this site.

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Mythical Creatures Guide is an online guide about mythical creatures, beasts, magical and mythical monsters, dragons from legends, folklore, fantasy, mythology and cryptozoology. We've got information on banshees and bigfoot, zombies and vampires and everything in between!
View all creature photos on the Pictures of Mythical Creatures page or sort out your reading by looking on to our List of Mythical creatures page.

Sightings / Claims

Ravenite — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:02:54 CDT

People have claimed to have witnessed all sorts of bizarre creatures. A few of them have even claimed that they have captured living specimens, photographs and video footages.

Do you believe it? Well give your input.

Bigfoot Found? (12/08/08)

Ravenite — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:57:54 CDT

Two Bigfoot hunters claim they have the body of one and plan to release a photo and what they claim is DNA evidence at a news conference in Palo Alto on Friday.

The Bigfoot is claimed to have been found in the woods of northern Georgia by Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, and the claim is being supported by a Bay Area Bigfoot researcher Tom Biscardi, a multiple local Democratic candidate.

Other sites are suggesting this could be the “real deal;” who knows, we’ll have to wait for the press conference and the proof.

If the group does have a Bigfoot carcass (and if they actually show the body, instead merely displaying photographs of a supposed body), then perhaps scientists will take note. Still, it's not clear how, exactly, the group will prove that what they have is a Bigfoot. Because there is no comparison specimen, there is no DNA analysis that can definitively identify Bigfoot tissue.

Readers may recall the much-hyped press conference held on May 30, where a man claimed he would provide "definitive proof" of alien visitation. His "proof" turned out to be a short fuzzy video clip of what he said was an alien head outside his window trying to ogle his teen daughters. Needless to say, top scientists were not awestruck by his evidence.

History repeats?

This is not the first time a Bigfoot body has been claimed to have been found. A man named Tom Biscardi, founder of something called the Great American Bigfoot Research Organization, once claimed he had captured a Bigfoot. On Aug. 19, 2005, Biscardi appeared on the radio show "Coast to Coast with George Noory." Biscardi claimed his group had captured a Bigfoot a week earlier, a male beast that weighed over 400 pounds and stood 8-feet tall. He said he would be presenting photos of it several days later. It turned out to be a hoax. Interestingly, Biscardi is also involved in the new Bigfoot body discovery.

Speaking on behalf of the Georgia men this week, Biscardi said, "Extensive scientific studies will be done on the body by a team of scientists including a molecular biologist, an anthropologist, a paleontologist and other scientists over the next few months at an undisclosed location" under armed guard.

If it all sounds very cloak-and-dagger, it is. Unnamed experts? Undisclosed location? Sounds more like "The X-Files" than real science.

Marketing scheme?

In 2005, Biscardi promoted a pay-per-view cable TV show in which he offered viewers the chance to see a Bigfoot captured on live television for only $59.95. That never happened, but Biscardi did recently direct and produce a film called "Bigfoot Lives."

Surely the publicity from this press conference might boost his film's sales...

Bigfoot researcher Loren Coleman, while stopping short of authenticating the claims, wrote on the Web site Cryptomundo.com, "I feel, in all honesty, this, indeed, may be the real deal, and I say this carefully after reviewing information that has been shared privately with me."

So has a Bigfoot finally been found, after all these years? Or is this just the latest hoax to embarrass Bigfoot believers and bring further ridicule to a field sorely in need of science?

Further Reference Material

Ravenite — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:37:56 CDT

Here one can find additional information on mythical creatures. Sources could have information about 1 or even more myths / creatures. All has been catagorized under: Books; Websites.

Should I find more media forms I will update accordingly.
Also I will update the list as I come across more sources.
Should you wish to add your own, feel free to do so. Just make sure to add a note of what the source is about.

BOOKS:

1) A Wizard's Bestiary (by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart) - The book lists a number of mythical creatures with useful descriptions of each.

2) Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide - Lists a number of creatures, mostly the commonly known ones. Though it is based on a fictional novel series, the creatures listed are actual mythical creatures.

3) Dragonlore - (by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart) Detailed information about dragons.

4) Grimoire For The Apprentice Wizard - (by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart) It has a lot of details about wizardry, how to create spells, history and even a small bestiary

5) Creatures Of The Outer Edge - (by Loren Coleman) *Sorry, don't know much about this.*

6) Cryptozoology A to Z - (by Loren Coleman) *Sorry, don't know much about this.*

7) Vampires - (by Dr. Bob Curan) A field guide to the creatures that stalk the night

8) Encyclopedia Of The Undead - (by Dr. Bob Curan) A field guide to the creatures that cannot rest in peace

9) Lost Lands, Forgotten Realms - (by Dr. Bob Curan) Sunken Continents, vanished cities and the kingdoms that History misplaced

10) The World's Most Haunted Places - Compilation of records from Ghostvillage.com

11) The Ghost Files - Paranormal encounters, discussions and research from Ghostvillage.com

12) Dinosaur's - Dead Or Alive - A listing of potentially still living dinosaurs compiled by Phillip O'Donnell

WEBSITES:

1) Mythical Creatures - An alphabetical list of known mythical creatures. Some names link to incorrect information; could be due to the site still being updated.

2) Cryptozoology - A blog site regarding rumors, sightings and personal experiences involving known mythical creatures.

3) Encyclopedia Mythica - As the name implies, an online encyclopedia regarding Mythical creatures.

4) Becoming a Werewolf... - Again as the name implies. It's about werewolves and tranformation theories.

5) MOTHMAN! - The history of the mysterious Mothman sightings in Point Pleasant.

6) Death / Curse List of The Mothman - A collected list of the deaths rumored to be tied in with the Mothman.

7) Ghostvillage - A site dedicated to Ghost research and possible sightings.

8) Timeless Myths - A small collection of myths (Norse, Arthurian, Classical and Celtic)

9) World Mythologies - A collection of World Mythologies. As it is a wikipage, one can add their own knowledge to the mix.

10) Supernatural Fan Site - Though this is a site dedicated to the TV series Supernatural, they have a page that is chock full of details of creatures based on in their TV series. Also, as it is a wikipage, one can add their own knowledge to the mix.

11) The Viking Answer Lady - A site all about Vikings (history, technology, agriculture and more) however this specific link takes you directly to their Myths and Religion.

12) Unexplained Mysteries.com - You get a wide selection to browse through here, be it mythical creatures, urban legends, political conspiracies and much, much more. Check out the forum. There are several sections dedicated to mythical creatures as well.

13) Mokele-Mbembe - All about a type of living dinosaur. It offers a range of information.

14) Living Pterosaurs - Eyewitness accounts and Expedition recordings, all about the possibility that the Pterosaur may still exist today.

15) Cryptomundo.com - Listings of eye witness accounts, expeditions, myths and more.

16) Cryptozoology.com - Listings of eye witness accounts, expeditions, myths and more.

17) Ghost Photographs - An interesting site which shows some of the most baffling ghost photos and ways to spot a fake one.

18) PROOF Paranormal - A team set on finding evidence about Ghosts. They have a site which has photos, videos and information about the most known (and least known haunts)

19) Egyptian Myths - All about Egyptian gods and folklore; courtesy of AVMidian

20) Egyptian Guardians - Another, more detailed site, about Egyptian guardians and Gods. Courtesy of AVMidian

21) The Bermuda Triangle Theories - Not exactly about mythical creatures but the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle is a decent read for anyone! Courtesy of Kat4676

22) Models of Mermans - Though the site features fake mermaids and mermans, it is interesting to see just how believable the human hand can make things seem. Courtesy of Asriloth

23) Hawaiian Legends - Legends all about the Hawaiian islands.

24) World Mythology (Gods, Heroes & Myth) - A collection of myths and legends regarding some very famous cultures

25) Lady Gryphon's Mythical Realm - More legends, specifically about the creatures rather than the heroes.

26) Folklore and Legend - A list of creatures, gods and legends

27) Bigfoot Encounters - A website dedicated to the mysterious bigfoot. The site takes a biological outlook on the creature and even hosts several rumored sightings.

28) The Shadow Lands - And another site dedicated to the mysterious bigfoot. This one focuses more on the legend and the sightings rather than its habits and habitats.

Dragon

friendlysoviet — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:19:19 CDT

The definition of Dragons:-
A mythical beast usually represented as a huge, winged, fire-breathing reptile that is often warm-blooded.

For centuries the dragon has been prominent in the folklore of many peoples; thus, its physical characteristics vary greatly and include combinations of numerous animals. The dragon has often been associated with evil. In many legends a dragon had the ability to wreak havoc upon a land and therefore had to be either propitiated by a human sacrifice, or killed; it was also often the guardian of a treasure or a maiden. The highest achievement of a hero in medieval legend was the slaying of a dragon, as in the story of St. George. King Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon (dragon's head), also killed a dragon. The giant red dragon of the Apocalypse gave rise to the use of the beast as symbolic of Satan in Christian art and literature. In ancient China the dragon was associated with fertility and prosperity. Many of the beliefs connected with the dragon are echoed in snake worship.

Dragons deserve a category all their own because they are beasts found all over the world. But there are two distinct types of dragon: the dragon of the Western world and the dragon of the Eastern world.

Western Dragons

Native Americans believed in snake dragons, supernatural wisdom.

These enormous, fire-breathing serpents have scaly green bodies and huge red wings. Greedy creatures, they hoard gold treasure in dens under the earth. Fierce and always hungry, a Western dragon will eat anything but especially likes weak, young, human flesh. Dragons live in caves, mountains, or lakes. They were particularly active in the Middle Ages, when brave knights challenged them to battle.

Eastern Dragons Compared to Western dragons, these beasts are quite small. Their bodies are long, and they have two horns for ears. They have no wings, and their soft breath is said to form clouds. They do not roar; instead they make the sounds of beating gongs and jingling bells. Chinese dragons dine on sparrows. They live wherever there is water. They are kind and wise friends of human beings.

The western and eastern dragons are some of the most referred to of the dragon species. Many trans-breed dragons have derived from these two types. In a few instances, some Dragons will take livestock from nearby farms. Many times the missing will be sheep.

Tiamat

friendlysoviet — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:15:18 CDT

Mythical Creature Monster Dragons

In Babylonian mythology, Tiamat is the sea, personified as a goddess, and a monstrous embodiment of primordial chaos. In the Enûma Elish,the Babylonian epic of creation, she gives birth to the first generation of gods; she later makes war upon them and is split in two by the storm-god Marduk, who uses her body to form the heavens and the earth.

She was known as Thalattē (the Greek word for "sea") in the Hellenistic Babylonian Berossus' first volume of universal history, and some copyists of Enûma Elish slipped and substituted the ordinary word for "sea" for Tiamat.

Though Tiamat is often described by modern authors as a sea serpent or dragon, no ancient texts exist in which there is a clear association with those kind of creatures.

Though the Enûma Elish specifically states that Tiamat did give birth to dragons and serpents, they are included among a larger and more general list of monsters including scorpion men and merpeople, none of which imply that any of the children look like the mother or are even limited to aquatic creatures. Within the Enûma Elish her physical description includes, a tail, a thigh, "lower parts" (which shake together), a belly, an udder, ribs, a neck, a head, a skull, eyes, nostrils, a mouth, and lips.

The depiction of Tiamat as a multi-headed dragon was popularized in the 1970s as a fixture of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game thanks to earlier sources associating Tiamat with later mythological characters such as Lotan and others.

Mothman

friendlysoviet — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:12:35 CDT

The Mothman is one of the strangest and most terrifying of anomalous creatures ever to be recorded in America. Between November 12, 1966 and December 15, 1967, it terrorized citizens in the Point Pleasant area of West Virginia. It was said to have been encountered by at least 100 people over the course of that year. According to author John A. Keel (The Mothman Prophecies, 1975) who was on hand investigating the reports during the time of the sightings, the creature was reported to be roughly man-shaped, either grey or brown, and between five and seven feet tall. Its body was wider than a man's. It did not appear to have a head, but rather its "eyes" were set on the upper chest. These "eyes" were very large, and alternately described as glowing red lights, or a reflected red like a bicycle reflector. When it walked it shuffled on what appeared to be human-like legs, but no feet were ever observed. Rather than arms it had bat-like wings which it did not flap. It was always seen to glide. The non-flapping of the wings, even in ascent, is particularly disturbing. Indeed, it was reported to regularly ascend straight up like a helicopter - and again be it noted, without any wing-action. (In regards to the wings, John Keel determined that a man the size and heft of the Mothman would require 24 foot wings to be able to glide.) It was fast in flight, able to pace cars going over 100 miles an hour. In flight it emitted a humming sound and often emitted a "mouse-like squeaking." Occasionally it was heard to also emit a screeching sound something like a woman screaming. (This "woman screaming" sound is common among anomalous creatures, particularly the Bigfoot creatures.) No one who saw it was indifferent to the creature - it struck terror into the hearts of all its viewers. Recently, interest in Mothman has been rekindled due to the release of the movie The Mothman Prophecies starring Richard Gere. Cryptozoologist Loren Colman has also contributed a new book on the subject: Mothman & Other Curious Encounters (2002). For comprehensive accounts of the Point Pleasant/Mothman events, please refer to links such as: prairieghosts.com, and mothmanlives.com.

Back to Cryptozoology Photos

See also: Big Foot | Chupacabra | Loch Ness Monster

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List of Mythical Creatures

bluey1992 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:03:46 CDT

This list of mythical creatures provides an updated and complete list of creatures you will find in this wiki. It is arranged alphabetically to help you find easily the creatures you are looking for. It also contains links to subcategories. This list is updated every time another mythical creature or beast is added.

Please help build out this site by clicking on your favorite beasts below. If you want to add another beast, click "EasyEdit" above and add the name. You can then click on "Add a new page" in the page toolbox on the right to create a new page about the new beast!

Pictures of Mythical Creatures

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Norse Mythology

AVMidian — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:33:14 CDT

Norse Mythology: pre-Christian religious beliefs of the Norse people. The Norse legends and myths about ancient heroes, gods, and the creation and destruction of the universe developed out of the original common mythology of the Germanic peoples and constitute the primary source of knowledge about ancient German mythology. Because Norse mythology was transmitted and altered by medieval Christian historians, the original pagan religious beliefs, attitudes, and practices cannot be determined with certainty. Clearly, however, Norse mythology developed slowly, and the relative importance of different gods and heroes varied at different times and places. Thus, the cult of Odin, chief of the gods, may have spread from western Germany to Scandinavia not long before the myths were recorded; minor gods including Ull, the fertility god Njord, and Heimdallmay represent older deities who lost strength and popularity as Odin became more important. Odin, a god of war, was also associated with learning, wisdom, poetry, and magic.

Most information about Norse mythology is preserved in the Old Norse literature, in the Eddas and later sagas; other material appears in commentaries by the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus and the German writer Adam of Bremen (fl. about 1075). Fragments of legends are sometimes preserved in old inscriptions and in later folklore.Gods and Heroes. Besides Odin, the major deities of Norse mythology were his wife, Frigg, goddess of the home; Thor, god of thunder, who protected humans and the other gods from the giants and who was especially popular among the Norse peasantry; Frey, a god of prosperity; and Freya, sister of Frey, a fertility goddess. Other, lesser gods were Balder, Hermod, Tyr, Bragi, and Forseti; Idun, Nanna, and Sif were among the goddesses. The principle of evil among the gods was represented by the trickster Loki. Many of these deities do not seem to have had special functions; they merely appear as characters in legendary tales.

Many ancient mythological heroes, some of whom may have been derived from real persons, were believed to be descendants of the gods; among them were Sigurd the Dragon-slayer; Helgi Thrice-Born, Harald Wartooth, Hadding, Starkad, and the Valkyries. The Valkyries, a band of warrior-maidens that included Svava and Brunhild, served Odin as choosers of slain warriors, who were taken to reside in Valhalla. There the warriors would spend their days fighting and nights feasting until Ragnarok, the day of the final world battle, in which the old gods would perish and a new reign of peace and love would be instituted. Ordinary individuals were received after death by the goddess Hel in a cheerless underground world.

Norse mythology included dwarves; elves; and the Norns, who distributed fates to mortals. The ancient Norse also believed in personal spirits, such as the fylgja and the hamingja, which in some respects resembled the Christian idea of the soul. The gods were originally conceived as a confederation of two formerly warring divine tribes, the Aesir and the Vanir. Odin was originally the leader of the Aesir, which consisted of at least 12 gods. Together all the gods lived in Asgard Creation Myth. The Eddic poem Völuspá (Prophecy of the Seeress) portrays a period of primeval chaos, followed by the creation of giants and gods and, finally, of humankind. Ginnungagap was the yawning void, Jotunheim the home of the giants, Niflheim the region of cold, and Muspellsheim the realm of heat. The great world-tree, Yggdrasil, reached through all time and space, but it was perpetually under attack from Nidhogg, the evil serpent. The fountain of Mimir, source of hidden wisdom, lay under a root of the tree. Religious Ritual. The Norse gods were served by a class of priest-chieftains called godar. Worship was originally conducted outdoors, under guardian trees, near sacred wells, or within sacred arrangements of stones. Later, wooden temples were used, with altars and with carved representations of the gods. The most important temple was at Old Uppsala, Sweden, where animals and even human beings were sacrificed.

All of the ^above^ information is from: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/delphi/8991/scanda.html

Browse the following creatures originating from Norse Mythology:

Dwarf
Sea Serpent (located in Sea Creatures section)
Troll

cannable fat

bluey1992 — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:31:02 CDT

The cannibal fat was a deadly fat that was said to have been used to make flesh by Zeus. it is very dangerous when not in use so it was locked away. but Athena stole one to kill sailors so she would get worshipped more than Poseidon. it looks like a jelly fish but much more transparent and can only die if it would eat its own heart. it eats by sucking up its prey to be crushed in its elastic like innards.

Scylla

bluey1992 — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:59:05 CDT

The Scylla is a sea creature that is a nymph waist up which goes under water when it attacks with its six
enormous wolf heads waist down. It was orignally a girl that was raised by wolfs and was trying to follow a man who promised love and riches of her imagination but the man was just using her to kill a man. Then she drowned trying to swim aboard the man's boat but, when she drowned Poseidon changed her into a nymph but instead she turned into a half nymph half deadly 6 headed wolf beast.

Pixie

bluey1992 — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:16:31 CDT

Pixies are mythical creatures of English folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall, suggesting some Celtic origin for the belief and name. In regional dialect, these mischievous little folk are sometimes referred to as piskies/piskeys or the little people. They are usually depicted as wingless, with pointed ears, and often wearing a green outfit and pointed hat. Sometimes their eyes are described as being pointed upwards at the temple ends.

The pixie also has a matured cousin called the heather pixie.

Aliens

stereoagnostic — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:38:22 CDT

What are Aliens?

A creature from outerspace; an extraterrestrial; not of earth. A Xenomorph.

When many people think of aliens, they think of UFOs and crop circles and Area 51. Many people have reported seeing aliens, although their existence has not been proven. Aliens can appear in many colors including the most popular being green or gray. Some are said to have large round or oval shaped heads, while others have crescent or small heads.

Aliens in Fiction

Many movies have been made about them,including Signs ,Alien nation, Independence Day, Night Feeders, and possibly the most popular, the Alien franchise which includes E.T, Alien,Aliens, Alien3, and Alien:Resurrection, along with the AVP movies(Alien vs Predator and Alien vs Predator:Requiem)and Tv shows such as The X Files . Also in many of the alien movies they are trying to take over the Earth. Many are described as creatures who abduct and probe people to learn more about the human race. Many aliens are considered to have very advanced technology that is way higher /advanced than that of human technology.

Crop circles are sometimes considered ways in which aliens are trying to communicate with people or possibly warn them of something. Alien

weapons have also included the use of laser guns, guns that make people instantly disappear, and guns that erase human minds. In a few cases, aliens are said to have the power to use mind control. This ability has been put into many movies where aliens control humans, pets, and even monsters. Another commonly seen characteristic of aliens in movies is the words "I come in peace." or "I bring you no harm."

Fae

Ravenite — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:44:30 CDT

also Fey or Fay

In the English Language fey means otherwordly, able to see the future, or touched in the head. In popular culture the fey, if recognized at all, have been reduced to small, winged, humanoid, female creatures who are frequently portrayed in the nude. In mythology and folklore "fey" encompasses many magical creatures including, but not limited to;

Sidhe (pronounced "shee"
- Seelie Court (Light)
- Unseelie Court (Dark)
Dwarves
Elves
Fairies
Trolls
Nymphs
Sprites

There are fey in every culture when the definition is stretched to its broadest definition. For the purposes of this site, however, it will be limited mainly to British, Irish, Scottish and North American myths. Please feel free to add creatures to this list and help to edit pages.

artist: Copyright 2008 Howard David Johnson

Chinese Mythology

kinkybear121284 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:47:53 CDT

I have a list here of known Chinese Mythical creatures. I will add them accordingly in time. Feel free to fill them out yourselves as well. (Note this page will be edited once all the details have been put it)

Bashe

Birds:

Fenghuang

Ji Guang
Jian

Jingwei
Shang-Yang

Nine-headed Bird

The nine-headed bird is one of the earliest forms of the Chinese Pheonix, worshiped by ancient natives in Hubei Province, which during the Warring State Period was part of the kingdom of Chu. Nine-headed bird was also called "Nine Phoenix" , which together with Chinese Dragon, were two the most vastly worshiped divine/mythical creatures throughout Chinese history.
The number "Nine" was thought to possess mysterious power in Chinese culture. Nine-headed bird was, and still is believed to be a symbol of wisdom and good fortune.

Su Shuang

Peng

In Chinese Mythology, the Peng and Kun are different forms of the same creature. Translated from the ancient literature, Zuhang Zi's Xiao Yao You.There lived a kind of giant mysterious fish in the northern sea. These fish are called Kun. Nobody knows how big these fish actually are. They can turn into giant birds. When they are in bird form, they are known as Peng. Nobody knows how big these birds actually are. When they fly, their wings are like the colorful clouds in the sky. When there is a storm in the northern sea, the Peng will fly to the southern sea. They travel three thousand (Chinese miles) in one flap of their wings. They can fly for six months without rest. Note: the southern sea mentioned in the story is also known as Tian Chi.

Qing Niao
Zhu

Chinese dragons:

Yinglong

Dragon King

Fucanglong

Shenlong

Dilong

Tianlong

Li (hornless dragon)
Jiaolong

Qilin
Long Ma
KuiKun
Jiang Shi
Luduan
Yaoguai
Huli jing
Nian, the beast
Ox heads & horse faces
Pixiu
Rui Shi
Qīng Lóng
Xuán Wǔ
Bái Hǔ
Zhū Què
Tao Tie
Xiao
Xiezhi
Xing Tian
Chinese Monkey
Yifan Zhang

Egyptian Mythology

kinkybear121284 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:33:11 CDT

Browse the following selection in our Egyptian Mythology page:

Amaunet
Amon
Antaios
Anubis
Anuket
Apis
Aton
Atum
Geb
Hathor
Horus
Isis
Khnum
Khonsu
Min
Mut
Nut
Osiris
Ptah
Ra
Sekhmet
Serapis
Set (Seth)
Shu
Sobek
Thoth

Wadjet

Egypt before the pharaohs.

The period we normally think of as "Ancient Egypt" is the time when Egypt was ruled by the pharaohs- after c. 3100 B.C. But who lived in Egypt before the pharaohs? In the early Stone Age people in Egypt lived on sites fairly high up on the land above the Nile from the Delta to Aswan. By about 5000 B.C, they had become farmers and began to grow wheat and barley, and to raise and domesticate cattle. They also built villages of mud huts in parts of the flood plain that seemed safe from the annual Nile flood. The farmers prospered and formed kingdoms. Recent excavation shows that by 3,500 B.C, some of them were already living in cities and had made the first steps in inventing writing. They have left behind objects such as magnificently carved ivories, and slate palettes, as well as fine pots, often buried with their owners in brick lined graves.

Burials at this time, before mummification had evolved, involved arranging the corpse in a sleeping position with the elbows and knees drawn together. The body was placed in a pit with a selection of possessions, and sand was thrown on top of it. The sand absorbed all the water from the body, drying it out and preserving it, so that the person's spirit would recognize it and inhabit it.

On the banks of the Nile.

Desert covers more than 90% of Egypt. Called the Red Land, the desert is supported only small settlements in wadis and oases. The Egyptians lived on the banks of the river Nile or beside canals leading from it. This was Kemet or the Black Land, named after the rich dark silt on which the farmers grew their crops. Without this fertility, there would have been no civilization in Egypt. Right up until modern times the pattern of life in Egypt for the majority of the population has depended on the exploitation of its fertile agricultural resources. Today the population explosion, growth of cities, and construction of large industrial plants is changing Egyptian lifestyles. The Nile flood began the year for the Egyptian farmer, when the river, increased by the rising waters of the Blue Nile and White Nile converging just north of Khartoum in the Sudan, brought deposits of silt into Egypt. When the Nile waters subsided the farmers got to work sowing barley and ember wheat. The result was usually a good summer harvest. The High Dam at Aswan, built in the 1960's, totally changed the regime of the river in Egypt.

Famous pharaohs.

The king was not only the most powerful and important man in Egypt- he was thought to be a god. He was known as the pharaoh- a word which derives from a respectful way of referring to the king by describing him as the "great house", (per-ao), meaning the palace where he lived. The Queen of Egypt could also be seen as a goddess but was usually given the title of "Great Royal Wife"- only rarely did women rule Egypt in their own right. There was an effective system of training a prince to become a pharaoh, involving him becoming an expert sportsman and potential war leader. Often the ruling pharaoh would adopt his heir as "co-regent" to enable a smooth take-over when he died. Princes sometimes had to wait a long time. One pharaoh holds the record for the longest reign we know of any monarch, Pepy II came to the throne when he was six years old. He was still king of Egypt 94 years later when he was 100. It is quite remarkable in Egypt's long history that we have only a few references to pharaohs being assassinated, usually as a result of a plot in the court to put a prince who was not the true heir on to the throne.

Hatshepsut
This determined women ruled Egypt for about 20 years. She was supposed to be regent for her young stepson, but took over the reins of government. She wore the pharaoh's crown and royal ceremonial beard.

Akhenaten and Nefertiti.

In Akhenaten's reign the traditional Egyptian gods were banished- only the sun god was worshiped. To break the links with other gods, Akhennaten founded a new capital city and closed the temples of other gods.
Queen Nefertiti helped her husband set up the cult of the sun gods Aten and proberly ruled with him. After their death Tutankhamun and successors restored the old gods. The names of Akhenaten and Nefertiti became hated and were removed from inscriptions and their temples were torn down.

Tutankhamun.
This ruler came to the throne at only nine years old. He was obviously guided by his high officials, but seems to have been determined to bring back the old gods who had been banished by Akhenaten.

Ramesses The Great.
In the 13th century B.C., Ramesses II reigned over Egypt for 67 years. He built more monuments and set up more statues than anyother pharaoh.

Tuthmosis IV.
This king was famous because he freed the great sphinx at Giza from the desert sand that had blown around it. He is protected by the cobra goddess Wadjet on his forehead, only kings and queens were entitled to wear cobra goddess, who it was thought would deal out instant death by spitting flames at enemies.

Journey to the afterlife.
Below the earth the ancient Egyptians imagined there existed an underworld which they called Duat. Some parts of it were full of perils like lakes of fire, poisonous snakes, and executioners. Spells were used to counteract these dangers. Many of them were written on coffins, together with a map of the underworlds. These developed into ornate scrolls of papyrus which we call Books of the Dead, since many were discovered on or near mummies. The book was a passport through all the perils lurking in Duat. If you could recite the correct spells, you could pass through unharmed. The ultimate danger was to fail the test set for you in the Hall of the Two Truths, where your heart was weighed against your past deeds. The papyrus helped you as much as possible to pass the examination and reach a land that was just like Egypt itself.

Ram-Headed God.

Sometimes statues of underworld gods were taken into the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. With their power to ward off evil, they were meant to protect the king as he traveled through the underworld. These gods had heads of creatures such as tortoises, hippos, or rams. They are quite different from other animal-headed deities, who flourished above ground.

Gods and Goddesses.
The Egyptians worshiped hundreds of different Gods and Goddesses, and sometimes it is difficult to work out who was who. Many of the Gods are represented by animals; a baboon might stand for Thoth, God of wisdom, at one temple, and a moon-God called Khonsu at another. Each of the 42 different administrative districts (or nomes) had its own God, and there were many others besides. Overall the sun-God was the dominant deity in Egyptian religion, although he could take different forms. At dawn he would be Khepri, the scarab beetle rolling the sun disc above the eastern horizon. In the evening the God was Atum, an old man. He could become Re-Harakhty, the great hawk soaring in the sky. He was seen as responsible for all creation- people, animals, the fertility of the soil, and the king's journey through the underworld. As Amun-Re he was king of the Gods and protector of the pharaoh when he went on military campaigns. The pharaoh Akhenaten saw the sun-God as a disc with rays ending in human hands holding the sign of life to the royal family, and he banished all the other Gods. His son Tutankhamen restored them once more.

Amulets.
The wedjet eye symbolizes both the vengeful eye of the sun god and the eye of the god Horus, torn out by Seth in the struggle for the throne of Egypt, but magically restored. It was said to protect everything behind it. The scarab beetle symbolized the sun god Khepri. The real insect pushes a ball of dung around, and the Egyptians imagined that the sun was propelled in a similar way. The sacred ibis represents Thoth, god of wisdom. The king of Egypt was the embodiment of the god Horus and was therefore thought to be divine himself. The hawk-headed god was also a solar deity- the hawk high in the sky whose eyes were thought of as the sun and moon. The name Horus in Egyptian meant "He who is far above".

Bastet.
The cat goddess Bastet was the daughter of Re, the sun-god. She represented the power of the sun to ripen crops. Many bronze cat figures were dedicated in her now ruined temple in the northeast Delta.

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cannable fat

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also Fey or Fay

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