Mythical beings

Brace yourself. I have The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference's mythology section open and I'm going to give you everything they've got you haven't listed:

Known Races: (A "race" being an actual population. I'm including them because werewolves often have a population when they are used)

Fairies
Elves
Trolles
Goblins
Dwarves
Giants
Orcs
Merfolk

Fantasy Beings: (Usually there is only one in mythology)

Bunyips: Described as having a croc's tail with the rest of it's body as a bandicoot, emu or man. They devour people, preferring women and children.

Cylopes: One-eyed giants of Greek myth.

Djinn/Genie: Found in Arabian and Eastern legends. They are capable of great magical feats. Can be good or bad to humans. Are usually bound to an item and do human's bidding (Just like in Aladdin). There are also Peris, which are kinder, and Efrits, who are almost always evil and dangerous.

Goliath: The Old Testament giant.

Golem: Created by a Jewish rabbi in the city of Prague. The Jews that lived there were being persecuted. The golem was constructed as a means of protection and was made of clawy. It was given life when the word "name" was written on parchment and put in its mouth. "Truth" was written on its forehead. When the city began to fear its own creation, the rabbi destroyed the golem by changing the word "emet" (Name in Jewish) to "Met" (Which is death)

Gorgons: Medusa was the mortal one. She had two sister. They had snakes for hair and their gaze could turn people to stone. (There are other accounts, but they are recorded in most Greek myths. ^_^)

The Graeae: Sisters to the Gorgons, they were three grey women who shared an eye and a tooth. Again from Greek myth.

Harpies: Usually have the head and chest of women and the body of a large bird. Their smell ruins anything they come near. Used by Zues to punish people.

Leperchauns

Lorelei: A water spirit of German legend. Known for beautiful appearance and beautiful song. She uses song to lure men to their death like sirens. Takes its name from a large rock that sits in the Rhine River. It sits there and sings.

Manticore: Creature associated with India. Has the head of a man, body of a lion and tail of a scorpion. Three rows of teeth, can shoot spikes from its tail like arrows. Savage beast with a voracious appetites. Often prays on people.

The Minotaur: Bull/human hybrid of Greek myth.

Nymphs: Usually associated with natural object, such as rivers and mountains. (Each group having their own name). Are usually gentle but have been known to lead men into their watery homes. (The men never being seen again)

Puca: English woodland faeries with small human forms. Known for trickster qualities. Often depicted as having the lower body of a goat. These creatures are known in Wales as Pwca and are considered to be ill-tempered and ugly, often fighting amongst themselves. In Germany, they are goat-bodied kornblockes and are said to help grow grain. But will steal or spoil if given a reason.

Satyrs and Fauns: Satyrs have the upper body of a man and the lower body of a goat, with small horns on their heads. Fawns have the upper body of a man and the lower body of a deer. Satyrs are usually in the pursuit of nymphs. Fawns are usually much gentler.

Sasquatch: aka- bigfoot or yeti. Giant humanoid apes that live in the mountains and/or forests.

Shark-man: Think werewolf, but turns into a shark instead. They usually prey upon members of their village.

Sirens: Lure men to steer their boat onto their rock with their song. Sometimes said to have the bodies of birds and heads of women. Other accounts say nobody has survived them so there is no account of what they look like.

Sphinx: Body and chest of a woman, body of a lion, wings of an eagle. The Greek sphinx would guard a pass and ask people a riddle. Those that could not answer, she ate. When Oedipus answered the riddle, she was said to have killed herself in shame.

Tengu: Creatures of Japanese Shinto religion. Half-man, half-bird creatures. Some accounts say they have the body of men and the faces of birds that carry large fans of feathers. In others, they look like men with wings, bird-claws for feet and beaklike noses. Stated that they taught humans how to use weapons of war. Sometimes said to posses a person and have them show great skill in battle. When the tengu spirit is driven out, the person has no memory of what happened.

~

If you want/need more info on any of these creatures, let me know!

~Rosey

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