chimera Homeric beast having a front like a lion, a middle like a goat, and a rear like a serpent; sometimes depicted with the three heads of these beasts.
cuero a giant octopus of South America having clawed tentacles and ears covered with eyes.
Cyclops a cave-dwelling, one-eyed giant described in the
devil fish heraldic compound beast of the devil with a fishlike body.
devil's dandy dogs fiery-eyed, fire-breathing dogs of Cornish legend who followed Satan over the moors on stormy nights.
dobie a brownie guardian of hidden treasure.
dragon a creature taking many forms, sometimes winged, sometimes fire-breathing; usually known for guarding a huge hoard of treasure.
dragon tygre a heraldic compound beast.
dragon wolf a heraldic compound beast.
drake from Celtic and Germanic folklore, a dragonlike ogre that hunts and travels on horseback; it lives in a place and eats humans.
dwarf in Scandinavian mythology, a little man with a large head and a long beard, born from the earth or from mold. It lives in a hollow hill or mound, and sunlight will turn it to stone. Dwarves are usually talented metalsmiths.
elf a little, humanlike creature dwelling underground; noted for its love of music, dancing, mischief, and practical jokes.
enfield heraldic beast having the head of a fox, the body of a lion, the hindquarters of a wolf, and the talons of an eagle.
Erymanthian boar a giant boar driven into a snowdrift and trapped there by Hercules.
fachan an evil Irish spirit known for killing and mutilating travelers; it had one eye in its forehead and one hand protruding from its chest, and it was covered with feathers.
falcon-fish heraldic compound of a fish and a falcon with a hound's ears.
falin Scottish mountain demon.
faun in Greek legend, part goat, part man, similar to a nymph.
fire-drake a cave-dwelling, fire-breathing dragon who hoarded treasures of the dead.
fuath a Scottish water spirit with webbed feet and yellow hair.
Gabriel Ratchet a ghost hound heard yelping in the sky in the midst of severe storms, believed to be a portent of death.
Ganesha in Hindu culture, a creature having a human body and an elephant head.
gargouille a dragon who made waterspouts in the Seine; the inspiration for gargoyles.
gargoyle a fantastic medieval sculpture having a wide-open mouth for spouting rain- or wastewater near the roofs of buildings.
Geryon a three-headed, three-bodied man joined at the waist, shot by Hercules.
ghul an evil spirit encountered by travelers in the Arabian desert.
gigelorum a microscopic beast of Scottish folklore; it made its nest in a mite's ear.
Girtablili in the Babylonian epic of creation, a half- man, half-scorpion.
glastig in Scottish folklore, a half-woman, half-goat who wore green and was kind to the old and feeble but who liked to misdirect travelers.
gremlins rabbitlike creatures who sabotaged airplanes and pulled pranks in World War II. Were believed to live in holes around airfields.
griffin in Indian and Arabian folklore, part lion and part eagle.
grylio a medieval, salamanderlike creature said to poison apples in apple trees.
gryphon a griffin.
Harpies vulturelike birds having the head and breasts of women, from Greek legend.
hidebehind a mysterious creature known to hide behind trees and sneak up on lumberjacks in North America; they were never seen, however.
hippocampus a half-horse, half-fish with a serpent's tail; it pulled Poseidon's chariot.
hodag a horned, human-eating beast with a spiked back, said to live in the swamps of Wisconsin.
hoop snake a snake said to hold its tail in its mouth and roll about like a wheel, from American lore.
hydra a beast with seven to nine heads, one of which is immortal. If any of the heads were cut off the blood would cause a new head to grow back. Hercules killed this beast by burning the heads and burying the immortal head under a rock.
jinshin uwo the giant fish on which Japan was thought to float; the lashing of its tail was the explanation for earthquakes.
kraken a sea creature said to be a mile and a half in length in sailor lore of the 1600s and later, and probably based on the giant squid.
leprechaun an Irish fairy less than 2 feet in height, believed to haunt wine cellars and to guard huge hoards of treasure.
Leviathan the great fish of Hebrew myth.
lindorm a snakelike, heraldic dragon.
Loch Ness monster the elusive lake monster of Scotland.
Medusa the snake-headed Gorgon who turned people to stone.
minocane a heraldic beast, half-child, half-spaniel.
Minotaur a bull-headed man kept in a labyrinth and slain by Theseus.
monoceros a howling beast something like a cross between a rhino and a unicorn.