Mythological Creatures: Search and Destroy

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Dragons vs. Wyverns!

Pegasus vs. Unicorn!

Manticores, Chimeras, Griffins, etc.

This is a thread for mythological beasts and heraldic animals!

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 07:00 (twenty years ago)

Good Night's Sleep vs. Healthy Snack

― Truckdrivin' Buddha (Rock Hardy), Monday, 1 August 2005 07:04 (twenty years ago)

http://www.tarkusbattlefield.net/images/tarkus_cover.jpg

― i can move move move any mountain (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 1 August 2005 07:04 (twenty years ago)

Who would win in a fight between a Griffin and a Roc?

http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/images/Griffin.gif

vs.

http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/images/Roc.gif

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 07:09 (twenty years ago)

S: Gnomes
D: Cthulhu

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Monday, 1 August 2005 07:16 (twenty years ago)

Awww, where is the tentacle love?

http://www.loserscomic.com/strips/sketch-cthulu.jpg

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 07:18 (twenty years ago)

This is not a cthulu, but it looks like one:

ihttp://mgonline.com/orchid125_Bulbophyllum_X_Elizabeth_Ann.jpg

(Perhaps I need to start another thread for weird flowers.)

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 07:30 (twenty years ago)

Minotaur

http://www.utexas.edu/courses/larrymyth/images/theseus/IF-Theseus-Minotaur-1.jpg

Sphinx

http://www.civilization.ca/civil/egypt/images/arch25b.jpg

And, of course, Cerberus

http://www.spin.net.au/~soren/cerberus.jpg

― beanz (beanz), Monday, 1 August 2005 07:37 (twenty years ago)

Cerberus's outer two heads look a bit dim there... ;-)

More classical monsters and Egyptian monsters please!

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 07:39 (twenty years ago)

Dragon

http://www.civilization.ca/mce_ccm/images/cmdra15.jpg

Nessie

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/79/Lochnessmonster.jpg

Golem of Prague

http://www.hatesauce.com/prague/nov9/golem.jpg

― beanz (beanz), Monday, 1 August 2005 07:56 (twenty years ago)

Medusa

http://www.pacificnet.net/~spectre/Temple/graphlib/medusa.jpg

― beanz (beanz), Monday, 1 August 2005 07:58 (twenty years ago)

Cockatrice is cool.

http://www.occultopedia.com/images/topic/basilisk2.jpg

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:00 (twenty years ago)

More Celtic monsters needed. Where's the respect for Ysbaddaden Chief Giant?

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:02 (twenty years ago)

aw, the golem is so cute!

― i can move move move any mountain (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:02 (twenty years ago)

Well, post pictures, then, Forest!

Ah, shall we add the Cockatrice to our Roc vs. Griffin deathmatch?

Also, what of the taxonomy of dragons? Spindly Japanese river dragons vs. squat and terrifying Germanic Wurms and whether or not they breathe fire and/or fly?

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:03 (twenty years ago)

I can't find any good ones of Ysbaddaden, sadly.

Talking of Wurms: the Lambton Worm

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/efft/img/01.jpg

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:05 (twenty years ago)

This is clearly incorrectly labeled:

http://pharyngula.org/images/chimeric_creature.jpg

It claims to be a chimera, but it is clearly cthulonic!

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:05 (twenty years ago)

I was going to ramble on about Robert Graves' theories about chimeric animals and sacred calendars, but have just remembered that I have rambled on to Kate about that before.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:06 (twenty years ago)

Well, you have not rambled online, have you? IIRC, that was in person, wasn't it? So feel free to ramble here.

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:07 (twenty years ago)

More Germanic monsters Grendel:

ihttp://surbrook.devermore.net/gallery/galleryother/grendel.jpg

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:12 (twenty years ago)

What about Sea Monsters? (Here be dragons, etc.)

Behold the SHIP-EATING KRAKEN!!!

http://dox.media2.org/barista/archives/kraken-2.jpg

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:14 (twenty years ago)

(Grendel looks a bit like Wolverine. Did Beowulf really vanquish that?)

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:14 (twenty years ago)

I remember being terrified as a child by these things that lived in water and had sort of flip top heads, and looked a bit like evil turtles - the only way to kill them was to make the water that they kept in their heads spill out. WTF were they?

― Archel (Archel), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:14 (twenty years ago)

Archel, were they real or mythological?

More kraken-fun:

http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/images/kraken2.jpg

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:16 (twenty years ago)

Arrgh mythological I hope!!!

― Archel (Archel), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:17 (twenty years ago)

they're not mythological, but gila monsters are so legendary i feel there's a place for them on this thread:

http://musicalpeace.org/Rattlebox/gallery/albums/October19/sz_gila_monster_101903.jpg

― i can move move move any mountain (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:20 (twenty years ago)

Graves' theory, essentially, was that all mythological chimaeric animals are made of three parts, so therefore represent the ancient three-season calendar. He went on to say that all the ancient legends where the chimaeras are killed by a big, beefy masculine hero are about the development of patriarchal dominance: the hero killing the monster represents the patriarchy coming to power and suppressing the old sacred calendar and the associated Mother Goddess rituals.

This is all very nice, but there's not very much external evidence for it. Academically, it relies on the work of people like Marija Gimbutas, who had a bit of a mother-goddess fixation. Graves went on to say that the dominance of the patriarchy in ancient Greece occurred when the patriarchal warlike Hellenic tribes migrated into Greece and conquered the peaceful, Mother-worshipping acorn-eating matriarchal hunter-gatherer societies which preceded them. This is very probably bollocks, but fifty years ago when he wrote it it was the epitome of archaeological theory, so he's kind of excused.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:20 (twenty years ago)

Ok they were Kappas: A mythological river imp that preys on travelers. A kappa has fish scales, a turtle shell, a face like a bird or a monkey, and a dish-shaped depression on the top of its head that holds a liquid that is the source of their superhuman strength.

― Archel (Archel), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:22 (twenty years ago)

http://www.classicgaming.com/startropics/other_images/kappa.jpg
*shudders*

― Archel (Archel), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:23 (twenty years ago)

IIRC, that was in person, wasn't it?

Yes, and you were half-asleep at the time too i think.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:23 (twenty years ago)

Argh, is that a Japanese creature, Archel?

x-post, I vaugely recall the conversation though it seemed to be slightly mythological. Which would be explained by the sleepiness.

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:25 (twenty years ago)

Creatures of the new world, scary Quetzalcoatl!

http://www.astrologycom.com/images/quetzalcoatl.gif

(It was the mascot for a school I attended while a wee nipper.)

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:30 (twenty years ago)

The Leviathan:

http://www.whyprophets.com/images/leviathan.jpg

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:41 (twenty years ago)

My god, it looks like it eats Kraken for breakfast!

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:43 (twenty years ago)

TROLLS!

http://home.arcor.de/andre.aronsen/Troll_web.jpg
http://geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/4122/Image4.jpg
http://geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/4122/Image8.jpg
ihttp://geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/4122/Image15.jpg

I love Theodore Kittelsen's artwork

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:43 (twenty years ago)

Centaur

ihttp://www.columbia.edu/itc/arthist/rosand/AHpics/content/botticelli/images/pallas%20and%20centaur,%201480's.jpg

― beanz (beanz), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:46 (twenty years ago)

Awwww! Mythological trolls are so cute!

(Much cuter than the interweb kind.)

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:46 (twenty years ago)

http://homepage.mac.com/jbotofte/iblog/B1587448903/C1773540076/E111443824/Media/ForestTroll.jpg

another one!

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:46 (twenty years ago)

http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/bauer6.jpg

This one's by John Bauer

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:48 (twenty years ago)

They remind me somewhat of:

http://andrejkoymasky.com/liv/fam/bioj1/jans3/jans2e.jpg

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:49 (twenty years ago)

(I am also trying to find Arthur Rackham's picture of a Kelpie but having no luck. Though perhaps some other Rackham pictures would be in order.)

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:53 (twenty years ago)

(Also the Loup Garou)

http://littlesun.canalblog.com/illustr_loup_garou_1_.jpg

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:54 (twenty years ago)

Tengu - men or birds who can extend their noses

http://www.aikikai.it/riviste/3001/IMG/Tengu.jpg

― beanz (beanz), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:55 (twenty years ago)

Not a Rackham, but still some nice Kelpies...

http://www.lavendise.com/images/kelpie.jpg

(So now you know where Guiness got their beer/seahorses things from.)

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:56 (twenty years ago)

loup garou eh? Is that not just French for werewolf?

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 1 August 2005 08:58 (twenty years ago)

Well, sure, but by that logic "Kelpie" is just Gaelic for seahorse.

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 09:00 (twenty years ago)

I tried searching for selkies, but all I got was a pile of manga.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 1 August 2005 09:01 (twenty years ago)

Celtic monsters are great, but their names are forever being appropriated for other things. Do you know how hard it is to google up a *real* Banshee?

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 09:14 (twenty years ago)

I wish "google up" was slang for "magically conjure up" :-)

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 1 August 2005 09:22 (twenty years ago)

Errr, since the beast in question is a howling nasty things which foretells peoples' DEATHS, I am rather glad I cannot conjure up a Banshee!

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 09:27 (twenty years ago)

The sidhe in general are not very nice, and to be avoided.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 1 August 2005 09:30 (twenty years ago)

of course, one of the traits that most mythological creatures share - especially the more humanoid ones - is that their morality is completely alien to ours. Which is, of course, why things usually end up going Horribly Wrong for any humans that get involved with them.

(have we mentioned the Cottingley Fairies yet? Sir Arthur Conan ~~The Barbarian~~ Doyle to thread!)

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Monday, 1 August 2005 09:32 (twenty years ago)

I searched for Sidhe and managed to google up Antipodean Kate!!!

http://www.lavendise.com/images/fkat.jpg

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 09:37 (twenty years ago)

http://www.rotten.com/library/hoaxes/cottingley-fairies/cottingley-cropped.jpg

― beanz (beanz), Monday, 1 August 2005 10:32 (twenty years ago)

Hang on. Someone's shcool has Quetzalcoatl as a mascot. Weren't human sacrifices involved in his cult? And I thought Catholic schools were fucked up.

― Stone Monkey (Stone Monkey), Monday, 1 August 2005 11:52 (twenty years ago)

It was an alternative school, after all.

― Masonic Boom (kate), Monday, 1 August 2005 11:55 (twenty years ago)

where is teh phear for the JERSEY DEVIL

http://www.swizzle.ca/jersey_devil.jpg

― i can move move move any mountain (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 1 August 2005 12:01 (twenty years ago)

CYCLOPS!

Oh No! Cyclops! Oh No!

Wahoo!

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 1 August 2005 15:57 (twenty years ago)

Chickenbear!

― jel -- (jel), Monday, 1 August 2005 16:00 (twenty years ago)

jel otm

― stockholm cindy (from norway) (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 1 August 2005 16:05 (twenty years ago)

http://www.magiclibrary.net/rarities/summer-shivan-dragon.jpg

http://www.magiclibrary.net/rarities/summer-serra-angel.jpg

― The Original Jimmy Mod (The Famous Jimmy Mod), Monday, 1 August 2005 16:07 (twenty years ago)

Lorelei
ihttp://www.wga.hu/art/s/steinle/lorelei1.jpg

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:09 (twenty years ago)

http://www.diamondcomics.com/update/500-599/512/wendigo_1.jpg

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)

rusalka, the slavic lorelei:

http://seattle-opera.visit-seattle.com/Rusalka-1990.jpg

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/fb_gallery/83571.jpg

http://www.omda.bg/images/RUSALKI.JPG

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:30 (twenty years ago)

baba yaga, the russian witch:

http://www.fief.org/kathleen/qg4/baba%20yaga.jpg

ihttp://www.oldrussia.net/finbababig.jpg

baba yaga's home:

ihttp://www.dartmouth.edu/~russian/courses/folk/Baba%20Yaga's%20house.jpg

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:34 (twenty years ago)

the jersey devil:

http://theshadowlands.net/jd6.gif

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:39 (twenty years ago)

Anubis, scariest member of the scariest of all pantheons:

ihttp://www.digital-images.net/Images/Universal/Anubis_5893.jpg

― chap who would dare to thwart the revolution (chap), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:42 (twenty years ago)

ihttp://www.abm-enterprises.net/artgall2/minerva.jpg
Centaur

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:45 (twenty years ago)

Manticore? More like hardcore:

http://img14.imgspot.com/u/05/212/16/top3mant.gif

― Anti-Pope Consortium (noodle vague), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:48 (twenty years ago)

But Vague I recognise kinship with the Squonk.

http://img14.imgspot.com/u/05/212/16/0102Skouonk.jpg

Respect that, ho.

― Anti-Pope Consortium (noodle vague), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:51 (twenty years ago)

have you ever seen a squonk's tears? well, look at mine.

― stockholm cindy (from norway) (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 1 August 2005 20:54 (twenty years ago)

seven months pass...

That Lambton Worm!

http://www.yvonnegilbert.com/cardprnt/womdg600.jpg

― Life In An Expanding Multiverse (kate), Thursday, 16 March 2006 14:34 (nineteen years ago)

And we never did work out the Wyvern V. Dragon issue.

2 legs good, 4 legs bad. Or is it the other way around?

http://www.eaudrey.com/myth/images/Wyvern.gif

vs.

http://www.the-wood.com/photos/patterns/dragon/dragon-12.jpg

― Life In An Expanding Multiverse (kate), Thursday, 16 March 2006 14:38 (nineteen years ago)

That latter dragon appears to be made of paisley and is the most beautiful thing I've seen since, erm, this morning.

― Life In An Expanding Multiverse (kate), Thursday, 16 March 2006 14:39 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.tvsquad.com/images/2005/10/normal_hugo-cap448.jpg

the others in lost

― Nathalie (stevie nixed), Thursday, 16 March 2006 14:45 (nineteen years ago)

Unicorn:

http://www.maplecourthotel.co.uk/images/unicorn.jpg

Harpyiai (Harpies):

http://www.theoi.com/image/P20.1Harpyiai.jpg

― beanz (beanz), Thursday, 16 March 2006 14:59 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.snowstone.com/moviepics/sciapod.gif ihttp://www.snowstone.com/moviepics/blemye.gif

― Markelby (Mark C), Thursday, 16 March 2006 15:33 (nineteen years ago)

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