Bestiary of the world of unprecedented creatures. List of monsters, demons, giants and magical creatures of ancient Greek mythology
Centaurs
Centaurs, in Greek mythology wild creatures, half-humans, half-horses, inhabitants of mountains and forest thickets. They lived in Thessaly, ate meat, drank and were famous for their violent temper. The centaurs fought tirelessly with their neighbors the Lapiths, trying to kidnap the wives from this tribe for themselves. Defeated by Hercules, they settled throughout Greece. Centaurs are mortal, only Chiron was immortal. Chiron, unlike all centaurs, was skilled in music, medicine, hunting and the art of war, and was also famous for his kindness. He was friends with Apollo and raised a number of Greek heroes, including Achilles, Hercules, Theseus and Jason, and taught healing to Asclepius himself. Chiron was accidentally wounded by Hercules with an arrow poisoned by the poison of the Lernaean hydra. Suffering from an incurable sore, the centaur longed for death and renounced immortality in exchange for Zeus freeing Prometheus. Zeus placed Chiron in the sky in the form of the constellation Centaur.
Lapiths
Lapiths, in Greek mythology, a Thessalian tribe that lived in the mountains and forests of Ossa and Pelion. Children of Lapiths - Lapiths became the ancestors of the families of this tribe. In the legends about the Lapiths, historical motifs and mythology are closely intertwined. Probably, there was a tribe of Lapiths - one of the oldest post-Pelasgian tribes of Thessaly, expelled, according to legend, by the Dorians.
Werewolf
Werewolf. A werewolf who, through witchcraft, transforms or is transformed for a certain period of time into a wolf. It is generally accepted that the name volkolak is formed by combining the words wolf and the South Slavic dlak “wool, skin.” Volkolak comes from the Dvoedushniki. Ideas about Volkolak are most fully preserved in Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish traditions, where the plots of many tales are connected with Volkolak: a sorcerer turns wedding participants into wolves; a man is turned into a Werewolf by a girl rejected by him; an evil mother-in-law (wife) turns her unloved son-in-law (husband) into a Werewolf; the sorcerer turns into a werewolf to cause evil to people; The husband, the wolf-lak, turns into a wolf at the appointed hour and attacks his wife, who later identifies him after seeing a piece of her dress in his teeth.
Harpies
Harpies - in ancient Greek mythology - the daughters of the sea deity Thaumant and the oceanid Electra, archaic pre-Olympic deities, personifications of various aspects of the storm. Their number ranges from two to five; are depicted as winged wild half-women, half-birds of a disgusting appearance. In myths, they are represented as evil kidnappers of children and human souls, suddenly swooping in and disappearing as suddenly as the wind.
Sirens
Sirens are sea creatures in Greek mythology who personified the deceptive but charming surface of the sea, under which sharp cliffs or shoals are hidden. Sirens are half-birds, half-women (in some sources half-fish, half-women), who inherited wild spontaneity from their father, and a divine voice from their mother-muse. They lured sailors into the depths of the sea with their charming singing.
Hippopotamus (less commonly hippopotamus)
Selection of records
Every person is familiar with the concept of “mythical creatures”. In childhood, everyone dreams of a miracle; children sincerely believe in beautiful and kind elves, honest and skillful fairy godmothers, smart and powerful wizards. It is sometimes useful for adults to detach themselves from the outside world and be carried away into the world of incredible legends, where magic and magical creatures live.
Typologies of magical creatures
The encyclopedia and reference books give approximately the same explanation for the term “magical creatures” - these are characters of non-human origin, a certain magical power that they use for both good and evil deeds.
Different civilizations had their own characteristic characters. These magical animals belonged to a specific species and genus, which were determined based on who their parents were.
People tried to classify mystical characters. Most often they are divided into:
- good and evil;
- flying, sea and living on earth;
- half-humans and half-gods;
- animals and humanoids, etc.
Ancient mythical creatures are classified not only by description, but also in alphabetical order. But this is impractical, because the collection does not take into account their type, lifestyle and impact on humans. The most convenient classification option is by civilization.
Images of ancient Greek mythology
Greece is the cradle of European civilization. Ancient Greek myths open the door to a world of unimaginable fantasies.
To understand the uniqueness of the Hellenic culture, you need to get acquainted with the magical creatures from their legends.
- Drakaines are female reptiles or snakes that have been given human characteristics. The most famous dragons are Echidna and Lamia.
- Echidna is the daughter of Forkys and Keto. She was depicted as a humanoid creature. She has a beautiful face and body of a snake, captivating with girlish beauty. She combined meanness and beauty. Together with Typhon, she gave birth to many different monsters. An interesting fact is that a mammal completely covered with spines and a poisonous snake were named after Echidna. They live on an island in the ocean located near Australia. The myth of Echidna is one of the explanations for the appearance of dragons on Earth.
- Lamia is the queen of Libya, daughter of the Lord of the Sea. According to myth, she was one of Zeus’s lovers, for which Hera hated her. The goddess turned Lamia into a monster that kidnaps children. In Ancient Greece, lamias were the name given to ghouls and bloodsuckers who hypnotized young girls and boys, killed them or drank their blood. Lamia was depicted as a woman with a snake body.
- Grai - goddesses of old age, sisters of the Gorgons. Their names are Terror (Enyo), Anxiety (Pefredo) and Trembling (Deino). From birth they were gray-haired, they had only one eye for three, so they used it in turns. According to the myth of Perseus, the Graians knew the location of the Gorgon. To obtain this information, as well as to find out where to get the invisibility helmet, winged sandals and bag, Perseus took the eye from them.
- Pegasus is a fairy-tale winged horse. Translated from ancient Greek, his name meant “stormy current.” According to myth, no one before Bellerophon could ride this wonderful white horse, which, at the slightest danger, flapped its huge wings and flew beyond the clouds. Pegasus is a favorite of poets, artists and sculptors. A weapon, a constellation, and ray-finned fish are named in his honor.
- The Gorgons are the daughters of Keto and her brother Phokis. Mythology suggests that there were three gorgons: the most famous is Medusa the Gorgon and her two sisters Stheno and Euryale. They caused indescribable fear. They had women's bodies, covered with scales, snakes instead of hair, huge fangs, body. Everyone who looked into their eyes turned to stone. In a figurative sense, the word “gorgon” means a grumpy and angry woman.
- The Chimera is a monster whose anatomy was terrifying and amazing at the same time. It had three heads: one was a goat's, the other was a lion's, and instead of a tail there was a snake's head. The beast breathed, destroying with fire everything that came in its way. The chimera was the personification of a volcano: there are many green pastures on its slopes, a lion’s den at the top, and snake coblas at the base. In honor of this magical creature, orders of fish were named. Chimera is a prototype of gargoyles.
- The Siren is a demonic female folkloric character who was born from Melpomene or Terpsichore and the god Achelous. The Siren was depicted as half-fish, half-woman or half-bird, half-maiden. From their mother they inherited a beautiful appearance and a unique voluptuous voice, and from their father - a wild disposition. The demigoddesses attacked the sailors, starting to sing, the men lost their minds, sent their ships to the rocks and died. The merciless maidens fed on the bodies of sailors. Sirens are muses of the other world, so their images were often painted on tombstones and monuments. These mythical creatures became the prototype for a whole group of mythical sea creatures.
- Phoenix is a popular mythical character, represented in the form of a magical bird with golden-scarlet feathers. Phoenix is a collective image of various birds: peacock, heron, crane, etc. Most often it is depicted as an eagle. The distinctive quality of this fabulous winged character was self-immolation and rebirth from the ashes. The Phoenix has become an indicator of man's desire for immortality. He is a favorite poetic symbol of light. A plant and one of the brightest celestial constellations were named in his honor.
- Hecatoncheires (Cyclopes) are little-known but interesting magical giants that look like men. Distinctive characteristic Hecatoncheires was that they had many eyes. And one body could hold fifty heads. They lived in dungeons, because immediately after their birth, Uranus imprisoned them in the ground for its own safety. After the complete defeat of the titans, the hecotoncheires volunteered to guard the entrance to the place where the titans were imprisoned.
- Hydra is another female creation, which, according to myths, was produced by Echidna and Typhon. This is a dangerous and terrible creature that was amazing in its description. She had nine dragon heads and the body of a snake. One of these heads was unkillable, that is, immortal. Therefore, she was considered invincible, because when her head was cut off, two more grew in its place. The monster was constantly hungry, so she devastated the local surroundings, burning crops, killing and eating animals that got in her way. It was of enormous size: as soon as the mythical creature rose on its tail, it was visible far beyond the forest. The constellation, satellite of the planet Pluto and the genus Coelenterata are named after Hydra.
- Harpies are pre-Olympic creatures who are the daughters of Electra and Thaumant. Harpies were depicted as girls with beautiful faces, long hair and wings. They were constantly hungry and, thanks to their origin, invulnerable. While hunting, harpies descended from the mountains into forest thickets or fields near settlements, attacked livestock with piercing screams and devoured the animals. The gods sent them as punishment. Mythical monsters did not allow people to eat normally, this happened until the moment the person became exhausted and died. The name “harpy” is inherent in extremely greedy, insatiable, evil women.
- Empusa is a little-known mythical demoness who lives in an otherworldly realm. She was a ghost - a vampire with the head and body of a woman, and lower limbs she had donkeys. Her peculiarity is that she could take on different forms - sweet and innocent maidens, dogs or horses. Ancient people believed that she stole small children, attacked lonely travelers and sucked their blood. To drive away Empusa, you need to have a special amulet with you.
- Griffins are good mythical creatures, because in mythology they personified vigilant power and unique insight. This is an animal with the body of a lion, huge and powerful wings and the head of an eagle. The griffin's eyes had a golden hue. The griffin had a simple functional purpose - to protect. The ancient Hellenes believed that these creatures were the guardians of the gold reserves of Asia. The image of a griffin was depicted on weapons, coins and other objects.
North American magical creatures
America was colonized quite late. For this, Europeans often called the continent the New World. But if we return to historical origins, then North America is also rich in ancient civilizations that have sunk into oblivion.
Many of them have disappeared forever, but various mythical creatures are still known today. Here is a partial list of those:
- Lechuza (Lechusa) - the ancient inhabitants of Texas called a werewolf witch with the head of a woman and the body of an owl. Lechuzas are girls who, in exchange for magical powers sold their souls to the devil. At night they turned into monsters, so they were often seen flying around in search of profit. There is another version of the appearance of lechuza - it is the spirit of a murdered woman who returned for revenge. Lechusa was compared to such representatives of the ancient world as harpies and banshees.
- Tooth fairies are small and very kind fairy-tale characters, whose image is actively used in modern Western culture. According to legend, they got their name because they put money or gifts under a child's pillow in exchange for a lost tooth. The main benefit of this character with wings is that they encourage the child to take care of his appearance and compensate for the loss of a tooth. It was possible to give a gift to the fairy on any day except December 25, because on Christmas such a gift would entail the death of the fairy.
- La Llorona is the name given to a ghostly woman mourning her children. Her image is very common in Mexico and the surrounding North American states. La Llorona is depicted as a pale woman in white, wandering near bodies of water and along deserted streets with a bundle in her hands. A meeting with her is dangerous, because after this the person begins to have problems. This image was popular among parents, who intimidated their naughty children by threatening that La Llorona might take them away.
- Bloody Mary - if you open the atlas, this mystical image is associated with the state of Pennsylvania. Here a legend appeared about a small and evil old woman who lived in the thicket of the forest and practiced witchcraft. In nearby villages and hamlets, children began to disappear. One day, a miller tracked his daughter to Bloody Mary’s home. For this, her fellow villagers burned her at the stake. Burning, she shouted a curse. After her death, children's bodies were found buried around the house. The image of Bloody Mary was used for fortune telling on Halloween night. A cocktail is named in her honor.
- Chihuateteo is a word used in Aztec mythology to describe rare creatures unusual women who died during childbirth and subsequently became vampires. Childbirth is a form of battle for life. According to legend, Chihuateos accompanied male warriors at sunset. And at night, like succubi, they seduced representatives of the stronger half, sucking energy out of them, and also kidnapped children to quench their thirst. To charm and subjugate, the Chihuateteo could practice magic and witchcraft.
- Wendigos are evil spirits. IN ancient world, people meant by this word “all-consuming evil.” The Wendigo is a tall creature with sharp fangs, a lipless mouth, it is insatiable and its silhouette features are similar to those of a human. They split into small groups and pursue their victims. People who find themselves in the forest initially hear strange sounds, while looking for the source of these sounds, they could only see a flashing silhouette. It is impossible to hit a Windigo with conventional weapons. Only silver items can take it, and it can also be destroyed by fire.
- A goatman is a humanoid that is similar to a satyr or faun. He is described as having a human body and the head of a goat. According to some reports, he is depicted with horns. Height up to 3.5 m, he attacks animals and people.
- Hodag is a powerful monster of an indeterminate kind. It is described as a large animal, reminiscent of a rhinoceros, but instead of a horn, the hodag has a diamond-shaped appendage, thanks to which the fairy-tale character can only see straight ahead. According to legend, he ate bulldogs white color. According to another description, he has bone growths in the area of his back and head.
- The Great Serpent is the central religious and social symbol of the Mayan tribe. The serpent is associated with the celestial bodies; according to legend, it helps to cross the space of the heavens. Shedding old skin is a symbol of renewal and full rebirth. He was depicted as having two heads. With horns, the spirits of previous generations emerged from its jaws.
- Baycock is a prominent representative of the mythology of the Cherokee Indians. He was presented as an emaciated man with scarlet fiery eyes. He was dressed in rags or ordinary hunting clothes. Every Indian could become a beycock if he died shamefully, or committed a bad deed: lying, killing relatives, etc. They hunted only warriors, were fast and merciless. To stop the chaos, you need to collect the baycock bones and arrange a normal funeral. Then the monster will calmly go to rest in the afterlife.
European mythical characters
Europe is a huge continent that contains a lot different states and nationalities.
European mythology has collected many fairy-tale characters that are associated with ancient Greek civilization and the Middle Ages.
| Creation | Description |
| Unicorn | A magical creature in the form of a horse with a horn protruding from its forehead. The unicorn is a symbol of search and spiritual purity. He played a huge role in many medieval tales and legends. One of them says that when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden for sin, God gave the unicorn a choice - to leave with the people or stay in Paradise. He preferred the former, and was especially blessed for his sympathy. Alchemists compared swift unicorns with one of the elements - mercury. |
| Undine | In Western European folklore, undines are the spirits of young maidens who committed suicide because of unrequited love. Their real names were hidden. They are like sirens. Ondines were distinguished by their beautiful appearance, luxurious, long hair, which they often combed on the coastal stones. In some legends, undines were like mermaids, they had a fish tail instead of legs. The Scandinavians believed that those who got to the Undines did not find their way back. |
| Valkyries | Famous representatives of Scandinavian mythology, assistants of Odin. At first they were considered angels of death and spirits of battle. Later they were depicted as Odin's shield-bearer, maidens with golden curls and fair skin. They served the heroes by serving drinks and food in Valhalla. |
| Banshee | Mythological creatures from Ireland. Mourners dressed in gray cloaks, with bright red eyes and white hair from tears. Their language is incomprehensible to humans. Her cry is the sobs of a child mixed with the howling of a wolf and the cry of geese. She can change her appearance from a pale-skinned girl to an ugly old woman. Banshees protect representatives of ancient families. But the meeting with the creature foreshadowed imminent death. |
| Huldra | A young girl from a clan of trolls, fair-haired, of extraordinary beauty. The name "huldra" means "hiding". According to tradition, she is considered an evil spirit. What distinguished the huldra from ordinary women was the tail of a cow. If a baptism ceremony was performed on her, she lost her tail. Huldra dreamed of becoming related to a person, so she lured men. After meeting her, the man became lost to the world. Male representatives taught them various crafts, including playing musical instruments. Some managed to give birth to a child from a man, then they gained immortality. |
At all times, people have tried to explain what they could not control and what they could not interfere with. This is how many legends and mythological characters appeared. Different peoples had approximately the same idea of magical creatures. Therefore, the little mermaid and the undine, the banshee and La Llorona, are identical.
Incredible facts
From the very beginning of its history, humanity has been drawn to legends and myths, many of which had very real reasons. The heroes of these myths often became prototypes of real-life creatures.
In 1799, the English zoologist George Shaw wrote that the platypus looks as if “the beak of a duck had been attached to the head of some quadruped.” However, the platypus for a long time confused scientists not only with his appearance, but also with other oddities.
Naturalists around the world for a long period of time could not decide whether this creature was a mammal. Did it lay eggs or was it viviparous? In fact, it took scientists a hundred years to get answers to these and other questions regarding the platypus (which, by the way, happens to be one of the few egg-laying mammals).
Myths of Ancient Greece
Sirens
The legends about sirens are almost as old as the history of human navigation. One of the earliest mentions of sirens is associated with the era when the first mentions of the half-sister of Alexander the Great, Thessalonica, appeared.
Legend has it that after Alexander returned from his a journey filled with dangers connected with the search for the source of eternal youth, he washed his sister’s hair in living water.
After Alexander died, his sister (and some sources claim that his mistress) decided to drown herself in the sea. However, Thessalonica could not drown in it. But she was able to turn into a siren.
According to legend, she called out to the sailors with the question: "Is King Alexander Alive?" If they answered that, they say, "he's alive, lives, reigns and continues to conquer the world" , then Thessalonica allowed sea travelers to sail past calmly.
If the unfortunate people dared to tell Thessalonica that the king was dead, she immediately turned into a terrible monster (perhaps the same Kraken?), which grabbed the ship and dragged it into the depths of the sea along with the entire crew.
The only possible explanation for the fact that sailors regularly reported sightings of sirens (that is, demonic creatures with the body of a woman and the tail of a fish) was that men confused them with herbivorous mammals living in sea water (for example, with dugongs or sea cows).
This explanation looks rather strange, since the same sea cows are far from being able to be called at all attractive and seductive creatures on Earth. How could the sailors make such a cruel mistake? Perhaps they had been swimming too long without women...
However, perhaps the reason was that manatees (that is, sea cows) have a habit of sticking their heads out of the water, shaking them in such a way that it looks like a man bobbing in water. When viewed from the back, their rough skin below the head may appear to have hair flowing down from the head.
Another reason could be the fact that the first navigators, who spent a long time at sea, often suffered from hallucinations. It is possible that, from a distance, with only the light of the moon, they could confuse the manatee with women. By the way, a group of animals was named after the mythical sirens, which included manatees and dugongs.
Vampires
Sight modern man on vampires was formed largely thanks to the famous (one might say cult) Irish writer Bram Stoker's Dracula, which was first published back in 1897.
Ever since then appearance The “average” vampire remained virtually unchanged - they were a stranger with pale, thin skin, speaking with an unbearable accent (apparently Romanian), sleeping in a coffin during the daytime. Plus, he was more or less immortal.
It is well known that the prototype of Bram Stoker's main vampire was a real historical character - Vlad III Tepes, Prince of Wallachia. It is also quite possible that Stoker was inspired by numerous rumors and superstitions regarding death and burial itself. These rumors were caused by the ignorance of people who did not particularly understand the processes of decomposition of the human body at that time.
After death, a person’s skin dries out in such a way that teeth and nails look more prominent and prominent against its background. It feels like they have grown up. In addition, internal organs disintegrate, various fluids leave the human body through the mouth and nose, leaving dark stains. People often interpreted these stains as if a dead man drank the blood of living people.
In addition to the above, there were other signs of vampirism that fueled superstition, associated, for example, with coffins. The thing is that sometimes on inner surface coffin lids, after exhumation, showed scratches, which were perceived as a direct indication that the dead had ceased to be such and were trying to rise from the grave.
Such cases are explained by the terrible mistakes that were common in those days; sometimes they buried a seemingly dead person who was, in fact, in a short-term coma, for example. The unfortunate man, waking up and finding himself in pitch darkness, of course, frantically scratched the lid of the coffin from the inside, trying to get out...
It is also believed that the famous Scottish monk and philosopher, Blessed John Duns Scotus, died in this way. An exhumation was carried out, as a result of which it was discovered that his body in the coffin was curved in an unnatural way. The fingers were torn, and there was dried blood everywhere. Another person buried alive tried unsuccessfully to get out...
Greek mythology
Giants
Giants have remained a constant part of folklore for thousands of years. In Greek mythology, we encounter a whole tribe of giants who were born into the world by the goddess Gaia after she was fertilized with blood collected during the castration of the sky god and her husband Uranus by Kronos.
Germanic-Scandinavian mythology speaks of creation the largest giant of Aurgelmir from drops of water formed at the moment of contact between the land of ice and mists (Niflheim) and the land of heat and flame (Muspellsheim).
It must have been really big! After Aurgelmir was killed by the gods, our Earth appeared. A stronghold was formed from the giant’s flesh, seas and oceans from his blood, mountains from his bones, stones from his teeth, the sky from his skull, and clouds from his brain. Even his eyebrows came in handy: they began to encircle Midgard, inhabited by people (that’s what the Vikings called the Earth).
The strengthened belief in giants can be partly explained by the phenomenon of hereditary gigantism (however, not in all countries). Scientists are confident that they managed to isolate a gene that leads to familial gigantism. According to the results of various studies, people suffering from gigantism often suffer from pituitary gland cancer, which stimulates uncontrolled body growth.
The height of the biblical giant Goliath, according to legend, reached 274 centimeters. IN modern world There is no clear rule or definition that would allow us to unambiguously say that a person of such and such height is a giant. The reason for this is that different nations– different average height (the difference can reach 30 centimeters or more).
One study published in the international medical journal Ulster Medical Journal suggested that Goliath (killed, as we know, by David with a stone thrown from a sling), whose family tree easily identified, suffered from autosomal dominant inheritance of diseases.
They say that the stone that David used hit Goliath in the forehead. And if Goliath suffered from a tumor of the pituitary gland, which put pressure on his optic chiasm, then this could certainly lead to visual impairment, which did not allow the giant to see the stone flying at him.
Banshee
In Irish folklore, a banshee (that is, a woman from Shea, if translated from the language of the Scottish Celts) is a beautiful young woman, fairy, with flowing white hair and eyes red from continuous tears. He cries, thereby warning the person who hears it that someone in his family will soon die.
Her crying and lamentations are perceived more as a kind of help to a person, rather than a threat. Hearing the howls of a banshee, a person understands that he will soon have to say goodbye forever to someone close to him; and, thanks to the banshee, he has a little time for this.
It is not entirely clear when this legend first began. There are certain references to banshees, dateableXIV century. More precisely, in the year 1350, when a large-scale clash took place near the village of Torlaug between representatives of the Irish and English noble families.
After this, the banshee was almost never forgotten, until the middle of the 19th century. In fact, mourning the dead with lamentations has always been part of the tradition of Irish women, thus expressing bitterness, pain and the severity of loss.
Representatives of the fairer sex stood on the edge of the grave and began to scream at the top of their voices, mourning their loss. This tradition gradually died out during the 19th century because turned into a kind of “attraction” for tourists, who came to look at the mourners from a “real Irish funeral.”
In fact, it is not difficult to accept the fact that the impressionable Irish, who were always ready to believe in something supernatural, mixed their women wailing in grief and fairy tales to end up with a beautiful story about banshees warning outside the windows of the house his owners about the approaching grief...
Hydra
According to Greek mythology, Hydra is a gigantic snake with nine (or more) heads, one of which is immortal. If Hydra had one head cut off, then instead, two new heads grew from a fresh wound(or three - different data can be found in different mythological sources).
The killing of the Hydra is one of the 12 glorious labors of the great Hercules. To defeat this monstrously dangerous creature, Hercules enlisted the support of his nephew Iolaus, who helped the hero by cauterizing the heads severed by the strongman.
The confrontation was difficult, but all the animals were also on Hercules’ side. The battle continued until until Hercules cut off all of Hydra's heads, except for one – immortal. The strong man eventually chopped her off too, and then buried her in the ground near the road, covering her with a heavy boulder on top.
The myth of the many-headed hydra was probably inspired to the ancient Greeks by Mother Nature herself. Since ancient times, there have been numerous references to snakes with several heads (although no one has yet mentioned nine heads!). In fact, cases of polycephaly (being born with multiple heads) are much more common among reptiles than among any other animal.
Moreover: thanks to the study of Siamese twins, scientists themselves learned to create polycephalic animals. Known experiments of the German embryologist Hans Spemann, who at the beginning of the 20th century attached slamander embryos together using a child's human hair. As a result, a creature with two heads was born.
Mythical animals
dire wolves
These days, the so-called dire wolves are very well known to those who watch the TV series Game of Thrones. After all, these were the wolves that were given to the young Starks. In fact, dire wolves are not a figment of the imagination of the writers and authors of the famous series.
Dire wolves are real wolves that existed on the territory North America huge wolves, extinct more than ten thousand years ago. These menacing creatures were larger, but stockier (due to shorter legs) modern wolves.
About four thousand fossilized remains of dire wolves (in addition to many more remains of other animals) have been discovered in the area of tar lakes called Rancho La Brea, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Researchers believe they became trapped in these tar pits when they arrived there to profit from the remains of numerous other animals, trapped in underground bitumen coming to the surface.
The dire wolf had a huge skull, but its brain was smaller than the brain of a modern wolf. Perhaps if the brains of these ferocious creatures were a little larger, they would realize that the remains of various animals did not end up in these tar pits by chance...
If you remember, there was an albino wolf in Game of Thrones. In fact, it is unknown whether there were albinos among dire wolves, although Among the population of modern wolves, albinos are far from uncommon. It is also noteworthy that dire wolves were not as agile as modern wolves.
Basilisk
According to the famous Greek myths and films about Harry Potter (choose for yourself which source is more authoritative for you), the basilisk was a snake with a deadly look and a deadly breath. Legends say that the basilisk hatched from the egg of an ibis bird, which was hatched by a snake.
It is assumed that the basilisk was afraid only of the cock's crow and caress, who was immune to his poisonous bites. Yes, they almost forgot about Harry Potter’s sword, with which he killed this snake - his basilisk, too, as it turned out, was afraid...
In Greek mythology, the basilisk was a normal-sized snake, but by the time this creature ended up at Hogwarts (the school of wizards where Harry Potter studied), it unexpectedly increased to the size of a mammoth (not to mention the length). This creature has had many other reincarnations over these past centuries...
The likelihood that a snake will actually hatch an ibis egg is almost zero (not to mention the fact that an ibis, in principle, is not able to lay an egg with a snake inside). Nevertheless, the legend of the basilisk has a very real basis. Researchers are convinced that the prototype of the mythical basilisk is an ordinary Egyptian cobra.
However, the Egyptian cobra is not so ordinary - it is an extremely dangerous reptile that constantly hisses, and even spits venom at a distance of up to two and a half meters. Moreover, he aims directly between the eyes of his potential enemy or victim.
If someone looks like a human, talks like a human, and even smells like a human, it may not be human at all.
Who are they?
Many of the creatures look human or wear a mask. Many of them, including vampires, ghosts and werewolves, have fascinated and frightened us for centuries. For good reason, we are all very afraid of them, because we simply do not know who or what is hiding in the dark. Have you ever seen your colleague eat garlic? Or you can say that you were there for him during full moon? How do you know your closest friends aren't something else entirely? Are you sure that the people you communicate with are people and not the creatures described?
Changelings
Stories about switched children are popular in European folklore. These are creatures that are planted by evil spirits in place of stolen children. The children who were replaced rarely lived a normal human life. When they grew up, they looked and behaved completely differently from ordinary people. Why did fairies or other creatures do this? According to some, just for fun. But other stories argue that it is more respectable to be raised by humans than by other creatures, so switching was a way to increase the child's social status.
Medieval literature was rife with stories of changelings as society struggled to come to terms with such horrors as infant mortality, disability, childhood illnesses, and the like. It was difficult for parents to understand why some children suffered while others enjoyed life, because everyone was under the protection of God. And it all ended with the fact that they began to invent different stories about kidnapped children and substitutions to try to understand the tragic reality.
But this is not just medieval fear. In the 2008 film "Changeling" with Angelina Jolie in leading role reveals itself real case about replacing children. In 1928, in Los Angeles, a mother discovered that her son had been kidnapped. The police managed to find the child a few days later, but the mother does not believe that the boy returned to her, it was not her son.
Demons and the devil
The best way to lead people into sin is to convince them that you are one of your own and live among them. To achieve this, demons and the devil sometimes disguise themselves as humans to carry out their evil plan. Sometimes this manifests itself as the possession of one person by another, but often demons simply take on human form. However, they are bad at disguise, especially if the people they are trying to deceive are righteous. Some neglect to hide their horns, so to speak, or their forked tongues.
When demons take human form, they can usually be easily spotted. If suddenly they are discovered, then, as a rule, they will have to disappear. However, sometimes a person who noticed a demon or devil did not renounce him and was not against the temptation. The best example of this in folklore is Faust, who sold his soul to the devil. Tom Walker in Nathaniel Hawthorne's story "The Devil and Tom Walker" does the same thing.
Angels
Demons are not the only ones who consider the human form to be a good cover. Angels also disguise themselves to deal directly with humans, although the Bible describes them as beings that cannot be seen. However, the first appearance of angels in the Bible occurs in the Book of Genesis, where they are sent to assess the moral state of Sodom and Gomorrah. In order to do this, they pretended to be ordinary travelers.
Many stories describe angels or beings believed to be angels, such creatures that visit people. If demons often prefer to take the form of influential people, businessmen or lawyers, then angels tend to turn into people with a more modest standard of living. They usually try to use words and wisdom to gently nudge people towards the right path, although they may become angry if they are treated in the wrong way.
Angels disguise themselves just like demons, they try to be invisible. Where demons are "dark", angels tend to be shining, white and pure. Their holiness outshines and outstrips their false human forms. But those who are corrupted by sin will not be able to see this, and they risk facing divine punishment.
Doubles
Perhaps this is the most famous creature in this list. It is an entity that resembles someone else. It is obvious that these people are completely different, the double is not even human. They are completely impossible to distinguish. But in all actions they are the same.
Maybe each of us has our own doppleganger - an exact duplicate who lives in the next city or a few streets away, but we never meet because we have different social circles, we never come into contact with each other. But should we meet? If you see your doppelganger, this is an omen of death. It won't kill you, but something will definitely happen.
Many people believe that everyone has a double, and this is true. It's possible that we all have a doppelganger that we have yet to meet. What if you're still alive and it's because your doppleganger saw you first and not the other way around? How do you know you're not a doppelganger?
Kitsune
These are foxes in Japanese folklore and mythology. Like foxes, they use their cunning and intelligence to outwit those they encounter, but their most important ability is to disguise themselves as humans. Why do they do this? Maybe it's a game or a prank to steal something or just to attack the victim. Sometimes kitsune uses human form to have sex with sleeping people. Whatever the reason, a kitsune in disguise is always a wolf in sheep's clothing.
However, many kitsune disguises are imperfect. Some retain their shadow, despite the fact that they look human, their long red hair gives them away. However The best way to see a kitsune in disguise - keep her near you until she gives herself away and says something that will prove: she is not a person. Can you outsmart the fox?
Werewolves, ghouls, vampires
Many different creatures try to look human, and some succeed. For example, vampires. They are almost indistinguishable from people, but you can’t hide their fangs. They have many physical limitations that clearly mark them as vampires. Werewolves have similar problems - they are usually human, but in certain days become disgusting, carnivorous animals.
Zombies, vampires, ghouls, ghosts - they all exist, and they all can be among us. These creatures push us to consider what it means to be human. What does it say about us as humans that these creatures make us question how human we are?
But such monsters are penetrating deeper and deeper into our fears. Any woman we date could be a kitsune, or our friends could be vampires, or when our newborn babies seem a little strange, everything immediately changes for us. We feel betrayed, captured and used for evil purposes. And when we think that this creature is an individual whose life is practically no different from ours, what does this say about us? How long can we believe that it is our actions that make us human? It's scary to think that we share such an intense personal connection with the worst killers and criminals, being similar. We are all so close to monsters and don't even realize it.
Conclusion
All these evil and good beings in disguise encourage us to confront our fear and determine our own human path.
Mythological genre(from the Greek word mythos - legend) is a genre of art dedicated to events and heroes about which the myths of ancient peoples tell. All peoples of the world have myths, legends and traditions, they make up important source artistic creativity.
The mythological genre was formed during the Renaissance, when ancient legends provided rich subjects for the paintings of S. Botticelli, A. Mantegna, Giorgione, and frescoes by Raphael.
In the 17th - early 19th centuries, the idea of paintings in the mythological genre expanded significantly. They serve to embody a high artistic ideal (N. Poussin, P. Rubens), bring closer to life (D. Velazquez, Rembrandt, N. Poussin, P. Batoni), create a festive spectacle (F. Boucher, G. B. Tiepolo) .
In the 19th century, the mythological genre served as the norm for high, ideal art. Along with the themes of ancient mythology, themes from Germanic, Celtic, Indian and Slavic myths became popular in the visual arts and sculpture in the 19th and 20th centuries.
At the turn of the 20th century, symbolism and Art Nouveau style revived interest in the mythological genre (G. Moreau, M. Denis, V. Vasnetsov, M. Vrubel). It received a modern rethinking in the graphics of P. Picasso. See historical genre for more details.
Mythical creatures, monsters and fairy-tale animals
Fear ancient man before the powerful forces of nature, he was embodied in mythological images of gigantic or vile monsters.
Created by the fertile imagination of the ancients, they combined body parts of familiar animals, such as the head of a lion or the tail of a snake. The body, made up of different parts, only emphasized the monstrousness of these disgusting creatures. Many of them were considered inhabitants depths of the sea, personifying the hostile power of the water element.
In ancient mythology, monsters are represented by a rare wealth of shapes, colors and sizes; more often they are ugly, sometimes they are magically beautiful; Often these are half-humans, half-beasts, and sometimes completely fantastic creatures.
Amazons
The ancient Greeks believed that these fierce beauties certain time years they married men from other tribes. They gave the born boys to their fathers or killed them, and raised the girls in a warlike spirit. During the Trojan War, the Amazons fought on the side of the Trojans, so the brave Greek Achilles, having defeated their queen Penthisileia in battle, zealously denied rumors of a love affair with her.
Stately female warriors attracted more than one Achilles. Hercules and Theseus took part in the battles with the Amazons, who kidnapped the Amazon queen Antiope, married her and with her help repelled the invasion of warrior maidens into Attica.
One of the twelve famous labors of Hercules consisted of stealing the magic belt of the queen of the Amazons, the beautiful Hippolyta, which required considerable self-control from the hero.
Magi and Mages
Magi (wizards, magicians, sorcerers, sorcerers) are a special class of people (“wise men”) who enjoyed great influence in ancient times. The wisdom and power of the Magi lay in their knowledge of secrets inaccessible to ordinary people. Depending on the degree of cultural development of the people, their magicians or sages could represent different degrees of “wisdom” - from simple ignorant witchcraft to truly scientific knowledge.
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| Kedrigern and other magicians Dean Morrissey |
But the further statement of these magi that they came to Jerusalem because they saw in the East the star of the born king of the Jews, whom they came to worship, shows that they belonged to the category of those eastern magi who were engaged in astronomical observations.
Upon returning to their country, they devoted themselves to contemplative life and prayer, and when the apostles scattered to preach the Gospel throughout the world, the Apostle Thomas met them in Parthia, where they were baptized by him and themselves became preachers new faith. Legend says that their relics were subsequently found by Queen Helena; they were first placed in Constantinople, but from there they were transferred to Mediolan (Milan), and then to Cologne, where their skulls, like a shrine, are kept to this day. In their honor, a holiday was established in the West, known as the holiday of the three kings (January 6), and they generally became patrons of travelers.
Harpies
Harpies, in Greek mythology, the daughter of the sea deity Thaumantas and the oceanid Electra, the number of which ranges from two to five. They are usually depicted as disgusting half-birds, half-women.
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| Harpies Bruce Pennington |
Myths speak of harpies as evil kidnappers of children and human souls. From the harpy Podarga and the god of the west wind Zephyr, the divine fleet-footed horses of Achilles were born. According to legend, harpies once lived in the caves of Crete, and later in the kingdom of the dead.
Dwarves in the mythology of the peoples of Western Europe are small people who live underground, in the mountains or in the forest. They were the size of a child or a finger, but they possessed supernatural strength; they have long beards and sometimes goat legs or crow's feet.
Dwarves lived much longer than people. In the depths of the earth, little men kept their treasures - precious stones and metals. Dwarves are skilled blacksmiths and could forge magic rings, swords, etc. They often acted as benevolent advisers to people, although black gnomes sometimes kidnapped beautiful girls.
Goblins
In the mythology of Western Europe, goblins are called mischievous ugly creatures that live underground, in caves that do not tolerate sunlight, and lead an active night life. The origin of the word goblin seems to be connected with the spirit Gobelinus, which lived in the lands of Evreux and is mentioned in manuscripts of the 13th century.
Having adapted to life underground, representatives of this people became very hardy creatures. They could go without food for a whole week and still not lose strength. They also managed to significantly develop their knowledge and skills, became cunning and inventive and learned to create things that no mortal had the opportunity to do.
It is believed that goblins love to cause minor mischief to people - sending nightmares, making people nervous with noise, breaking dishes with milk, crushing chicken eggs, blowing soot from the stove into a clean house, sending flies, mosquitoes and wasps on people, blowing out candles and spoiling milk.
Gorgons
Gorgons, in Greek mythology, monsters, daughters of the sea deities Phorcys and Keto, granddaughters of the earth goddess Gaia and the sea Pontus. Their three sisters are Stheno, Euryale and Medusa; the latter, unlike the elders, is a mortal being.
The sisters lived in the far west, off the banks of the world river Ocean, near the Garden of the Hesperides. Their appearance was terrifying: winged creatures covered with scales, with snakes instead of hair, fanged mouths, with a gaze that turned all living things to stone.
Perseus, the liberator of the beautiful Andromeda, beheaded the sleeping Medusa, looking at her reflection in the shiny copper shield given to him by Athena. From the blood of Medusa appeared the winged horse Pegasus, the fruit of her relationship with the ruler of the sea, Poseidon, who, with a blow of his hoof on Mount Helicon, knocked out a source that gives inspiration to poets.
| Gorgons (V. Bogure) |
Demons and Demons
A demon, in Greek religion and mythology, is the embodiment of a generalized idea of an indefinite formless divine force, evil or benign, determining the fate of a person.
In Orthodox Christianity, “demons” are usually denounced as “demons.”
Demons, in ancient Slavic mythology, are evil spirits. The word “Demons” is common Slavic and goes back to the Indo-European bhoi-dho-s - “causing fear.” Traces of ancient meaning survive in archaic folklore texts, especially spells. In Christian ideas, demons are servants and spies of the devil, they are warriors of his unclean army, they oppose the Holy Trinity and heavenly army led by Archangel Michael. They are the enemies of the human race
In the mythology of the Eastern Slavs - Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians - the general name for all lower demonological creatures and spirits, such as evil spirits, devils, demons etc. - evil spirits, evil spirits.
According to popular beliefs, evil spirits are created by God or Satan, and according to popular beliefs, they appear from unbaptized children or children born from intercourse with evil spirits, as well as suicides. It was believed that the devil and the devil could hatch from a cock's egg carried under the left armpit. Evil spirits are omnipresent, but their favorite places were wastelands, thickets, and swamps; intersections, bridges, holes, whirlpools, whirlpools; “unclean” trees - willow, walnut, pear; underground and attics, space under the stove, baths; The representatives of evil spirits are named accordingly: goblin, field worker, waterman, swamper, brownie, barnnik, bannik, underground etc.
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| DEMONS OF HELL |
Fear of evil spirits forced people not to go into the forest and field during Rusal Week, not to leave the house at midnight, not to leave dishes with water and food open, to close the cradle, to cover the mirror, etc. However, people sometimes entered into an alliance with evil spirits , for example, he told fortunes by removing the cross, healed with the help of spells, and sent damage. This was done by witches, sorcerers, healers, etc..
Vanity of vanities - Everything is vanity
Vanitas still lifes emerged as an independent genre around 1550.
Dragons
The first mention of dragons dates back to the ancient Sumerian culture. In ancient legends there are descriptions of the dragon as an amazing creature, unlike any other animal and at the same time resembling many of them.
The image of the Dragon appears in almost all creation myths. The sacred texts of ancient peoples identify it with the primordial power of the earth, the primordial Chaos, which enters into battle with the Creator.
The dragon symbol is the emblem of warriors on Parthian and Roman standards, the national emblem of Wales, and the guardian depicted on the prows of ancient Viking ships. Among the Romans, the dragon was the badge of a cohort, hence the modern dragon, dragoon.
The dragon symbol is a symbol of supreme power among the Celts, a symbol of the Chinese emperor: his face was called the Face of the Dragon, and his throne was called the Dragon Throne.
In medieval alchemy, primordial matter (or otherwise the world substance) was designated by the most ancient alchemical symbol - a snake-dragon biting its own tail and called ouroboros ("tail eater"). The image of the ouroboros was accompanied by the caption “All in One or One in All.” And Creation was called circular (circulare) or wheel (rota). In the Middle Ages, when depicting a dragon, different parts of the body were “borrowed” from various animals, and, like the sphinx, the dragon was a symbol of the unity of the four elements.
One of the most common mythological plots is the battle with the dragon.
The battle with the dragon symbolizes the difficulties that a person must overcome in order to master the treasures of inner knowledge, defeat his base, dark nature and achieve self-control.
Centaurs
Centaurs, in Greek mythology, wild creatures, half-human, half-horse, inhabitants of mountains and forest thickets. They were born from Ixion, the son of Ares, and the cloud, which, by the will of Zeus, took the form of Hera, on whom Ixion attempted. They lived in Thessaly, ate meat, drank and were famous for their violent temper. The centaurs fought tirelessly with their neighbors the Lapiths, trying to kidnap the wives from this tribe for themselves. Defeated by Hercules, they settled throughout Greece. Centaurs are mortal, only Chiron was immortal
Chiron, unlike all centaurs, he was skilled in music, medicine, hunting and the art of war, and was also famous for his kindness. He was friends with Apollo and raised a number of Greek heroes, including Achilles, Hercules, Theseus and Jason, and taught healing to Asclepius himself. Chiron was accidentally wounded by Hercules with an arrow poisoned by the poison of the Lernaean hydra. Suffering from an incurable sore, the centaur longed for death and renounced immortality in exchange for Zeus freeing Prometheus. Zeus placed Chiron in the sky in the form of the constellation Centaur.
The most popular of the legends where centaurs appear is the legend of the “centauromachy” - the battle of the centaurs with the Lapiths who invited them to the wedding. Wine was new to the guests. At the feast, the drunken centaur Eurytion insulted the king of the Lapiths, Pirithous, trying to kidnap his bride Hippodamia. The “Centauromachy” was depicted by Phidias or his student in the Parthenon, Ovid sang it in book XII of “Metamorphoses”, it inspired Rubens, Piero di Cosimo, Sebastiano Ricci, Jacobo Bassano, Charles Lebrun and other artists.
Painter Giordano, Luca depicted the plot of the famous story of the battle between the Lapiths and the centaurs, who decided to kidnap the daughter of King Lapith
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| RENI GUIDO Deianira, kidnapped |
Nymphs and Mermaids
Nymphs, in Greek mythology, are the deities of nature, its life-giving and fruitful powers in the form of beautiful girls. The most ancient ones, the Meliads, were born from drops of the blood of castrated Uranus. There are nymphs of water (oceanids, nereids, naiads), lakes and swamps (limnads), mountains (restiads), groves (alseids), trees (dryads, hamadryads), etc.
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| Nereid J. W. Waterhouse 1901 |
Nymphs, owners of ancient wisdom, the secrets of life and death, healers and prophetesses, from marriages with gods gave birth to heroes and soothsayers, for example Achille, Aeacus, Tiresias. Beauties, who usually lived far from Olympus, at the behest of Zeus were summoned to the palace of the father of gods and people.
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| GHEYN Jacob de II - Neptune And Amphitrite |
Of the myths associated with nymphs and Nereids, the most famous is the myth of Poseidon and Amphitrite. One day, Poseidon saw, off the coast of the island of Naxos, the Nereid sisters, daughters of the prophetic sea elder Nereus, dancing in a circle. Poseidon was captivated by the beauty of one of the sisters, the beautiful Amphitrite, and wanted to take her away in his chariot. But Amphitrite took refuge with the titan Atlas, who holds the vault of heaven on his mighty shoulders. For a long time Poseidon could not find the beautiful Amphitrite, daughter of Nereus. Finally, a dolphin opened her hiding place to him. For this service, Poseidon placed the dolphin among the celestial constellations. Poseidon stole the beautiful daughter Nereus from Atlas and married her.
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| Herbert James Draper. Sea melodies, 1904 |
Satires
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| Satyr in Exile Bruce Pennington |
Satyrs, in Greek mythology, spirits of the forests, demons of fertility, together with the Silenians, were part of the retinue of Dionysus, in whose cult they played a decisive role. These wine-loving creatures are bearded, covered with fur, long-haired, with protruding horns or horse ears, tails and hooves; however, their torso and head are human.
Cunning, cocky and lustful, satyrs frolicked in the forests, chased nymphs and maenads, and played evil tricks on people. There is a well-known myth about the satyr Marcia, who, having picked up a flute thrown by the goddess Athena, challenged Apollo himself to a musical competition. The rivalry between them ended with God not only defeating Marsyas, but also skinning the unfortunate man alive.
Trolls
Jotuns, thurs, giants in Scandinavian mythology, trolls in the later Scandinavian tradition. On the one hand, these are the ancient giants, the first inhabitants of the world, preceding the gods and people in time.
On the other hand, the Jotuns are the inhabitants of a cold, rocky country on the northern and eastern outskirts of the earth (Jotunheim, Utgard), representatives of elemental demonic natural forces
T Rollie, in German-Scandinavian mythology, evil giants who lived in the depths of the mountains, where they kept their countless treasures. It was believed that these unusually ugly creatures had enormous strength, but were very stupid. Trolls, as a rule, tried to harm people, stole their livestock, destroyed forests, trampled fields, destroyed roads and bridges, and engaged in cannibalism. Later tradition likens trolls to various demonic creatures, including gnomes.
Fairies
Fairies, according to the beliefs of the Celtic and Roman peoples, are fantastic female creatures, sorceresses. Fairies, in European mythology, are women with magical knowledge and power. Fairies are usually good sorceresses, but there are also “dark” fairies.
There are many legends, fairy tales and great works of art in which fairies do good deeds, become patrons of princes and princesses, and sometimes themselves act as wives of kings or heroes.
According to Welsh legends, fairies existed in the form ordinary people, sometimes beautiful, but sometimes terrible. At will, when performing magic, they could take the form of a noble animal, flower, light, or could become invisible to people.
The origin of the word fairy remains unknown, but in mythologies European countries it's quite similar. The words for fairy in Spain and Italy are “fada” and “fata”. Obviously they are derived from Latin word"fatum", that is, fate, fate, which was recognition of the ability to predict and even control human destiny. In France, the word "fee" comes from the Old French "feer", which apparently appeared on the basis of the Latin "fatare", meaning "to enchant, to bewitch". This word speaks of the ability of fairies to change the ordinary world of people. From the same word comes English word"faerie" - "magic kingdom", which includes the art of witchcraft and the entire world of fairies.
Elves
Elves, in the mythology of the Germanic and Scandinavian peoples, are spirits, ideas about which go back to the lower natural spirits. Like elves, elves are sometimes divided into light and dark. Light elves in medieval demonology are good spirits of the air, atmosphere, beautiful little men (about an inch tall) in hats made of flowers, inhabitants of trees, which, in this case, cannot be cut down.
They loved to dance in circles in the moonlight; the music of these fabulous creatures enchanted listeners. The world of the light elves was Apfheim. The light elves were engaged in spinning and weaving, their threads were flying webs; they had their own kings, fought wars, etc.Dark elves are gnomes, underground blacksmiths who store treasures in the depths of the mountains. In medieval demonology, elves were sometimes called lower spirits of natural elements: salamanders (spirits of fire), sylphs (spirits of air), undines (spirits of water), gnomes (spirits of earth)The myths that have survived to this day are full of dramatic stories about gods and heroes who fought dragons, giant snakes and evil demons.
In Slavic mythology, there are many myths about animals and birds, as well as creatures endowed with a bizarre appearance - half-bird, half-woman, human-horse - and extraordinary properties. First of all, this is a werewolf, a werewolf. The Slavs believed that sorcerers could turn any person into a beast with a spell. This is the frisky half-man, half-horse Polkan, reminiscent of a centaur; wonderful half-birds, half-maidens Sirin and Alkonost, Gamayun and Stratim.
An interesting belief among the southern Slavs is that at the dawn of time all animals were people, but those who committed a crime were turned into animals. In return for the gift of speech, they received the gift of foresight and understanding of what a person feels.
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