MYTHICAL BEASTS--VI

General

51.       Dragon: almost every culture across the world features

Dragons in its mythology. This interesting ‘convergence of
myth’ has led many to propose that Dragons were in fact
at one time real - otherwise how would belief in them have
been so widespread?! Generally seen as reptilian beasts with
wings (and often the ability to breathe fire) there are plenty
of ‘real world’ theories as to their origin, from huge lizards
(such as the Komodo Dragon of today) to spitting cobras,
Nile crocodiles and more.

52.       Bunyip: in Aboriginal mythology, the Bunyip would lurk

in waterholes, creeks and riverbeds. Descriptions of its
appearance vary significantly across Australia, ranging from
a hybrid with the face of a dog, head of a crocodile, tail of a
horse and bill of a duck to an ‘enormous starfish’ according
to the Moorundi people. In 1847, a skull purporting to
have belonged to a Bunyip was displayed in the Australian
Museum, although experts dismissed it as belonging to a
deformed calf.

53.       Manananggal: if you’re in the Philippines, beware of the

Manananggal. A hideous female form with bat-like wings,
this blood-sucker mostly prays on pregnant women, using
its tube-like tongue to suck out the heart of the unborn
foetus.

54.       Ponaturi: Maori legend tells of the Ponaturi, a group of

goblins who by day live in a land under the sea, and at night return to sleep by the shore. The malevolent creatures appear in a number of stories in the folklore of the indigenous people of New Zealand.

55.       Taniwha: the Maoris will also tell you of Taniwha, beings that

inhabit pools or caves by the sea - especially in dangerous areas with strong currents. Some Taniwha are considered protective guardians (known as kaitiaki) whereas others are known as dangerous creatures who may even set out to enslave anyone who passes nearby. Interestingly, belief in the existence of these spirits ensured that a major New Zealand highway was re-routed so as not to infringe on the territory of one protective Taniwha.

56.       Vodyanoy: this naked old man with a frog’s face is

prominent in Czech mythology. With his green beard, long
hair and body made of black fish scales (which themselves
are covered in algae), this creature would drown people and
animals when he was angered; to appease him fishermen,
millers and even bee-keepers would make sacrifices in his
honour.

57.       Incubus: if you are female and you have ever woken up

in the middle of the night unable to move your limbs, it
is quite possible that you have been visited by an Incubus.
Considered a demon in some cultures, this creature is said
to prey on unwilling victims in the middle of the night, his
visit almost always accompanied by paralysis of his victim.

58.       Succubus: if you are male on the other hand, the same

symptoms would suggest an encounter with a succubus -
also referred to as a night hag. As the experience of one’s
mind being awake whereas the body appears to be asleep
is common across all cultures, scientists have looked into
the causes of this further. Known as sleep paralysis, these
‘visits’ from incubi or succubi are today explained as being
in a particular state half-way between awake and dreaming,
in which one often feels pressure on their chest - possibly
causing the hallucination of a demon or other creature on
top of you... pretty scary stuff!

59.     Orang Pendek: another creature akin to Bigfoot, Orang

Pendek is said to inhabit the mountainous forests on the
island of Sumatra. Both locals and visitors to the island
have reportedly seen this ape which walks on two feet like
a human. Said to be around one metre tall, and covered in
grey-brown fur, this legendary creature is in fact said to have
a ‘high possibility of actual existence’ by scientists who have
studied the stories of the beast and its local environment.

60.       Kraken: first referred to in an Old Icelandic saga called

Orvar-Oddr,  the  Kraken  is  a  sea  monster  of  giant
proportions. Whereas many have scoffed at tales of a many-
legged sea creature of humongous size, the relatively recent
discovery of a species we refer to as a colossal squid (which
can grow up to fifteen metres long), stories of the Kraken no
longer seem as unlikely as they once did! In the very earliest
works however, Kraken were in fact described as being
more like crabs than squid - perhaps there is still a hitherto
unknown enormous sea creature lurking at the bottom of
the Greenland Sea as described in the old texts!

The Kraken