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Creatures & Spirits
Explore myths, traditions and legendary beings grouped under Creatures & Spirits.
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Tarasque
The Tarasque is a legendary monster associated with Provence in southern France, especially the town of Tarascon on the Rhône. In Christian legend, it was a dangerous beast that lived near the settlement of Nerluc until …
Selkie
Selkies are shape-shifting seal people from the folklore of the Northern Isles of Scotland, especially Orkney and Shetland. In their animal form they resemble ordinary seals; on land, they may remove a magical seal skin …
Rokurokubi
Rokurokubi is a Japanese yōkai, or supernatural being of folklore, traditionally described as a person whose neck can stretch to an unnatural length. In many stories, the creature appears human by day but reveals its nat…
Ogopogo
Ogopogo is the name commonly given to a legendary lake creature associated with Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. In modern popular culture it is usually portrayed as a long, serpentine “lake monster,” but the o…
Nuckelavee
The Nuckelavee is one of the most frightening beings in the folklore of Orkney, the island group north of mainland Scotland. It is usually described as a skinless, horse-like monster with a human torso joined to its back…
Nandi Bear
The Nandi bear is a legendary animal associated chiefly with western Kenya and the Nandi people of the Kalenjin-speaking region. It is usually described as a large, powerful, bear-like creature that attacks livestock and…
Mothman
Mothman is a modern American legendary creature associated chiefly with Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and the surrounding Ohio River Valley. Reports of a large, winged humanoid with glowing red eyes began there in Novem…
Mokele-Mbembe
Mokele-Mbembe is the name most often given to a legendary creature said to inhabit the rivers, swamps and remote forests of the Congo Basin in Central Africa. In modern popular culture it is usually portrayed as a living…
Mapinguari
Mapinguari is a feared forest monster associated with Amazonian folklore, especially traditions from the Brazilian Amazon and neighbouring parts of the wider rainforest region. Stories describe it as a large, powerful be…
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster, commonly called Nessie, is a legendary creature associated with Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. In modern descriptions, Nessie is usually imagined as a large aquatic animal with a long neck, a…
Kraken
The kraken is a legendary sea monster associated chiefly with Scandinavian folklore, especially traditions from Norway and Denmark. In older accounts, it was not a god, demon or creature from a single canonical myth. Ins…