This is a list of legendary creatures from mythology, folklore and fairy tales, sorted by their classification or affiliation. Creatures from modern fantasy fiction and role-playing games are not included.
Animals, creatures associated with
Aquatic and marine mammals
- Bahamut - (Arabic) Whale monster whose body supports the earth. Word seems far more ancient than Islam and may be origin of the word Behemoth in modern Judeo-Christian lore.
- Bake-kujira (Japanese) – Ghost whale
- Cetus (Greek) – a monster with the head of a boar or a greyhound, the body of a whale or dolphin, and a divided, fan-like tail
- Devil Whale (English) – Whale capable of swallowing ships
- Encantado (Brazilian) – shapeshifting trickster dolphins
- Glashtyn (Celtic) – Horse goblin from the sea
- Makara (Hindu mythology) – half terrestrial animal in the frontal part (stag, deer, or elephant) and half aquatic animal in the hind part (usually of a fish, a seal, or a snake, though sometimes a peacock or even a floral tail is depicted)
- Mug-wamp - (Canadian) giant sturgeon monster said to inhabit Lake Temiskaming in Ontario. Name is of Native origin. Monster may also be Native, but name was given from Native language by local whites & not the original name, if so.
- Sea goat (Greek) – Half goat, half fish
- Selkie (Scottish) – Shapeshifting seal people
- Water bull (Scottish) – Nocturnal amphibious bull
- Water Horse – General name for mythical water dwelling horses of many cultures
- Ceffyl Dŵr (Welsh) – Water horse
- Each-uisge (Scottish) – Malevolent shapeshifting oceanic water horse
- Enbarr (Irish) – Manann's horse, capable of traversing land and sea
- Hippocampus (Greek) – Horse with a fish tail
- Ichthyocentaurs (Greek) – Upper body of a man, the lower front of a horse, tail of a fish
- Kelpie (Scottish) – Water horse
- Morvarc'h (Breton) – Legendary horse that could gallop on the waves
- Nixie (Germanic) – Shapeshifting water being, known for appearing as horses
- Nuckelavee (Orcadian) – Skinless oceanic water horse with pestilent breath
- Nuggle (Scottish) – Mischievous male water horse
- Tangie (Scottish) – Shapeshifting sea water horse
Arthropods
- Anansi (West African) – Trickster spider
- Arachne (Greek) – Weaver cursed into a spider
- Carbuncle (Chilote) – one of its many descriptions is a greenish-red fiery light reminiscent of fireflies
- Gold-digging ant (Greek) – Reported by Herodotus to live in either Ethiopia or Indian subcontinent
- Iktomi - (Lakota) Name for a very narrowly believed in trickster spider. Also known in parts of the Rockies.
- Jorōgumo (Japanese) – Ghost woman who shapeshifts into a spider
- Karkinos (Greek) – Cancer the crab
- Khepri (Ancient Egyptian) – Beetle who pushes the sun
- Mothman (American cryptid) – Man with moth wings and features
- Myrmecoleon (Christian) – Ant-lion
- Myrmidons (Greek) – Warriors created from ants by Zeus
- Pabilsag (Babylonian) – Sagittarius-like creature with scorpion tail
- Scorpion man (Babylonian) – Protector of travellers
- Selket (Ancient Egyptian) – Scorpion death/healing goddess
- Tsuchigumo (Japanese) – Shapeshifting giant spider
Bats
- Balayang (Australian Aboriginal) – Bat-god and brother to Bunjil
- Camazotz (Mayan) – Bat spirit and servant of the lords of the underworld
- Leutogi (Polynesian) – Samoan princess rescued by bats
- Minyades (Greek) – Three sisters who refused to take part in the worship of Dionysus, and turned into bats by Hermes.
- Tjinimin (Australian Aboriginal) – Ancestor of the Australian people
- Vetala (Hindu) – Vampiric entity that takes over cadavers.
Birds
- Ababil (Islamic) – a miraculous bird
- Adarna (Philippine) – has healing powers, put people to sleep, and turn people into stone
- Avalerion (English) – only a single pair was said to live at any time
- Alicanto (Chilean) – bird with luminescent feathers which feeds on gold or silver [1]
- Anqa (Arabian) – large mysterious or fabulous female bird
- Anzû (Mesopotamian) – massive bird who can breathe fire and water
- Bare-fronted Hoodwink (Cryptid) – bird with the ability to be "almost seen"
- Bird People
- Alkonost (Slavic) – female with body of a bird
- Gumyōchō (Yōkai) – twin-headed human-bird
- Harpy (Greek) – ugly winged bird woman, steals food
- Horus (Ancient Egyptian) – deity
- Inmyeonjo (Korean) – bird with a human face
- Kalavinka (Buddhist) – a fantastical immortal creature in Buddhism, with a human head and a bird's torso and long flowing tail
- Karura (Japanese) – divine creature with human torso and birdlike head
- Kinnara (Buddhist) – Half-bird musicians
- Siren (Greek) – Bird-women known for their compelling singing
- Achelois – name meaning "she who drives away pain", surname for the daughters of Achelous
- Aglaonoe – Daughter of Achelous and Terpsichore
- Agalaope – name meaning "with lambent voice", daughter of Achelous and Terpsichore
- Leucosia – name meaning "white", daughter of Achelous and either Melpomene or Terpsichore
- Ligeia – name meaning "clear-toned", daughter of Achelous and either Melpomene or Terpsichore
- Parthenope – name meaning "maiden-voiced", Daughter of Achelous and Terpsichore
- Pisinoe – daughter of Achelous and either Melpomene or Sterope
- Thelxinoë – name meaning "mind charming"
- Swan maiden (Multi-cultural) – shapeshifts from human to swan
- Caladrius (Roman) – white bird with healing powers
- Chalkydri (Jewish) – heavenly creatures of the Sun
- Chamrosh (Persian mythology) – body of a dog, head & wings of a bird
- Cinnamon bird (Greek) – greek myth of an arabian bird that builds nests out of cinnamon
- Devil Bird (Sri Lankan) – shrieks predicting death
- Gagana (Russian) – a miraculous bird with an iron beak and copper claws
- Gandabherunda (Hindu) – two-headed magical bird
- Gamayun (Slavic) – prophetic bird with woman's head
- Garuda (Hindu) – known as the primordial bird and the progenitor of all birds; vehicle of Lord Vishnu
- Hakawai (Māori) – bird that was sometimes heard but not usually seen
- Hudhud (Islamic) – messenger to prophets
- Huginn and Muninn (Norse) – two ravens that serve as messengers (Norse mythology)
- Itsumade (Japanese) – monstrous bird with a human face
- Jingwei (Chinese) – a bird who is determined to fill up the sea
- Lamassu (Mesopotamian) – goddess with a human head, the body of a bull or a lion, and bird wings
- Luan (Chinese) – a bird which carries a shield and tramples on snakes while wearing one on its breast
- Minokawa (Philippine) – Giant, Dragon-like bird in Philippines (Philippines)
- Nachtkrapp (German folklore) – The Night Raven
- Nine-headed Bird (Chinese) – a totem creature, predecessor to the Fenghuang
- Oozlum bird (English) – (Australian and British folk tales)
- Pamola (Abenaki) – bird/moose spirit who causes cold weather
- Peng (Chinese) – an enormous bird transformed from a giant fish which flies over the great oceans (China)
- Phoenix (Greek) –
- Bennu (Egyptian) – self-creating bird deity
- Chol (Biblical) – regenerative bird
- Firebird (Slavic) – legendary bird with glowing eyes and feathers, brings misfortune if captured.
- Fenghuang (Chinese) – a phoenix who reigns over all other birds
- Huma bird (Persian) – a bird that flies too high to be seen and never lands
- Konrul and Toghrul (Turkic)
- Vermilion Bird (Chinese)
- Piasa (American) Based on monster depicted on real Illinois rock painting on the Mississippi River and a local native word for Thunderbird, but the Piasa itself is uniquely an American creation. The painting actually originally depicted an Underwater Panther.[2]
- Qingniao (Chinese) – blue or green messenger birds of the Queen Mother of the West (China)
- Ra (Ancient Egyptian) – Deity
- Rain Bird (Native American) – bird who brought rain
- Raróg (Slavic) – fiery demon falcon
- Roc (Arabian) – enormous legendary bird of prey
- Shangyang (Chinese) – rainbird
- Shedu (Mesopotamian) – male counterpart to Lamassu
- Simurgh (Persian)
- Stymphalian birds (Greek) – man-eating birds
- Tengu (Japanese) – has human and bird characteristics, name means dog
- Three-legged bird (various cultures)
- Thunderbird (Native American) – (Native American, American Southwest, Great Lakes, and Great Plains)
- Thoth (Ancient Egyptian) – deity
- Turul (Hungarian) – mythological bird of prey
- Veðrfölnir - (Scandanavian) a hawk that sits atop an eagle that rests atop the world tree, Yggdrasil.
- Vucub Caquix (Mayan) – bird demon
- Wampum Bird- (Huron-Wyandot) Giant heron with shell armor instead of feathers.
- Yatagarasu (Shinto) – three-legged crow
- Zhenniao (Chinese) – poisonous bird
Chickens
- Alectryon – rooster (Greek)
- Basan, a fire-breathing chicken from Japanese mythology
- Cockatrice, a chicken-headed dragon or serpent, visually similar to or confused with the Basilisk.
- Gallic rooster, a symbolic rooster used as an allegory for France
- Gullinkambi, a rooster who lives in Valhalla in Norse mythology
- Rooster of Barcelos, a mythological rooster from Portugal
- Sarimanok, a legendary chicken of the Maranao people who originate from Mindanao (Philippines)
- Víðópnir, a rooster that sits atop Yggdrasil in Norse mythology
Eagles
- Aethon – eagle tormentor of Prometheus
- Griffin – guards treasure and priceless possessions (Greek)
- Hippogriff – winged horse with the head and upper body of an eagle (French, England)
- Hræsvelgr – jötunn who takes the form of an eagle (Norse mythology)
- Poukai (Māori) – monstrous predatory bird, likely based on an extinct species
- Shahbaz (Persian mythology) – a god who helped the Iranian peoples and guided the Faravahar to the Iranian lands
- Triple-headed eagle (multi-cultural) –
- Wuchowsen - (Abenaki) One of the four wind spirits in Abenaki lore. Depicted as a giant eagle who lives atop a mountain.
- Ziz (Jewish) – giant griffin
- Zu – divine monster depicted as a lion-headed eagle
Owls
Carnivorans
Bears
- Bugbear (Celtic) – child-eating hobgoblin
- Callisto (Greek) – A nymph who was turned into a bear by Hera.
- Stiff-Legged Bear- (Iroquois) giant, hairless bear monster. Colonial interpretations also turned it into a pig monster, with tusks or tried to associate it with the Mammoth or Mastodon, during a time when colonial settlers believed such animals likely still existed somewhere in the continent.
Canines
- Adlet
- Amarok
- Anubis – jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife (Egypt)
- Aralez
- Asena
- Axehandle hound – a dog-like beast that reputedly subsists on axe-handles left unattended (United States & Canada)
- Black dog, also known as Barghest, Black Shuck, or Grim – associated with the Devil, Hellhound (Britain)
- Beast of Gévaudan – man-eating wolf, terrorized the province of Gévaudan (France)
- Carbuncle (Chilote) – one of its many descriptions is a luminescent small dog[3]
- Cerberus – multi-headed dog, guards the gates of the Underworld, son/brother of Orthrus (Greek, Roman)
- Chupacabra (Latin American) – Alleged creature reputed to attack and drink the blood of livestock, occasionally described with bat-like features. Sometimes thought to resemble, or mistaken for a hairless coyote.
- Cu Sith (or Cusith) – Hellhound, harbinger of death (Scotland, the Hebrides, Ireland)
- Crocotta – mythical dog-wolf, related to the hyena (India, Ethiopia)
- Cynocephaly – having the head of a dog or jackal
- Dogs of Actaeon – Hunting dogs that turned on Actaeon after he was turned into a deer
- Fenrir – monstrous wolf, father of the wolves (Norse)
- Gelert
- Hellhound – supernatural dog, bringers of death (worldwide)
- Huli jing or Kitsune or Kumiho – Fox spirits, like Fairies (China, Japan, Korea)
- Huodou – a large black dog that can emit flames from its mouth (China)
- Orthrus – two headed dog, father/brother of Cerberus (Greek)
- Penghou – tree spirit that appears like a black dog and tastes like dog-meat (Chinese)
- Salawa – the "Typhonian Animal," a slender, vaguely canine-animal that is the totemic animal of Set
- Sigbin – is a creature in Philippine mythology (Philippines)
- Sky Fox (mythology), a celestial nine-tailed Fox Spirit that is 1,000 years old and has golden fur (Chinese)
- Shug Monkey – dog/monkey creature found in Cambridgeshire (Britain)
- Tanuki – Japanese raccoon dog, legends claim is a shapeshifting trickster (Japan)
- Vǎrkolak, or "Vukodlak" (Slavic) – undead vampire werewolf
- Werewolf – human, shapeshifts to a wolf because of an affliction, lycanthrope (Worldwide)
Felines
- Bael (Demonology) – First king of Hell with three heads: a man, a toad, and a cat
- Ball-tailed cat (North American) – a feline similar to a mountain lion, except with a long tail with a bulbous end used for striking its prey
- Cactus cat (North American) – a feline of the American Southwest with hair-like thorns that intoxicates itself by the consumption of cactus water
- Canaima- (Mexico) term for a sort of were-jaguar. May be related to skinwalkers.
- Cat-sìth (Celtic mythology) – spectral cat that haunts the Scottish Highlands
- Cath Palug (Welsh) – a monstrous cat said to have killed 180 warriors
- Carbuncle (Chilote) – one of its many descriptions is a cat with a luminescent chin[4]
- Demon Cat (North American) – a ghost cat who is purported to haunt the government buildings of Washington, D.C.
- Tyger
- Underwater panther
- Vapula
- Wampus cat - (American) Said to have various Native origins in Southern Appalachia. Cat with six legs and a long tail. Was said to have once been a man who was cursed into a monster after losing his love to another man. May have been loosely based on some version of the Underwater Panther mythos.
- White Tiger (Chinese) – a Guardian Of The West cardinal point
- Winged cat
Lions
- Arimanius (Greek) – minor lion-headed greek god
- Ammit (Egyptian) – goddess with the forequarters of a lion, the hindquarters of a hippopotamus, and the head of a crocodile
- Barong (Balinese) – Benevolent king of spirits.
- Beast of the First Kingdom (Christian) – A beast like a lion with eagle's wings seen in the Book of Revelations.
- Brunswick Lion (German) – Loyal companion of Henry the Lion after the two slew a dragon together.
- Chimera (Greek) –
- Chinese guardian lions (Chinese) – Statues depicted in pairs believed to be protectors
- Dawon (Tibetan) – Mount of the goddess Durga
- Egyptian lion gods – Lions were a symbol of warfare and most all of these gods were warriors
- Aker – earth and underworld god
- Ȧmi-Pe – A lion god
- Apedemak – depicted as a figure with a male human torso and a lion head
- Bast – Lioness goddess of fertility and protection against disease.
- Hert-ketit-s
- Ḥuntheth – A lioness goddess
- Ipy (goddess) – head and feet of a lion, body of a hippo, arms of a human
- Maahes – name means "he who is true beside her"
- Matit – A funerary cat goddess who had a cult center at Thinis
- Mehit – depicted as a reclining lioness with three bent poles projecting from her back
- Menhit
- Pakhet
- Repyt
- Sekhmet – warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing
- Seret – A lioness goddess possibly originally from Libya
- Shesmetet
- Taweret – depicted as a hippopotamus with lion paws and crocodile tail
- Tefnut –
- Tutu – body of a striding, winged lion, the head of a human, other heads of hawks and crocodiles projecting from the body, and the tail of a serpent
- Urit-en-kru – A lioness headed hippopatomus goddess
- Griffin (Europe)
- Lamassu (Mesopotamian)
- Lampago mythical heraldic beast in the form of a "man-tiger or man-lion"
- Leo (Greek) –
- Lion of Al-lāt (Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia) – lion icon of Al-Lat
- Manticore
- Manussiha (Burmese) – statue with a human head and two lion hindquarters
- Merlion (Singaporean) – a fish with a lion's head
- Narasimha (Hindu)
- Nian (Chinese) – a flat-faced lion with the body of a dog and prominent incisors, warded away by New Year's celebrations.
- Nongshāba (Sanamahism)
- Pixiu (Chinese) – powerful, winged lions who protect Feng shui practitioners
- Questing Beast (Arthurian) – Beast with the head and neck of a snake, the body of a leopard, the haunches of a lion, and the feet of a hart.
- Sea-lion
- Serpopard (Egyptian) – Lion/leopard body with a snake head.
- Sharabha (Hindu) – part Lion, part bird-beast, with eight legs.
- Simhamukha (Tibetan) – a wisdom dakini of the Dzogchen tradition with the head of a snow lion
- Snow Lion (Tibetan) – a celestial animal of Tibet
- Sphinx (Egyptian) –
- Criosphinx (Egyptian) – ram-headed sphinx
- Gopaitioshah (Persian) – being a winged bull or lion with human face
- Hieracosphinx (Egyptian) – has the head of a hawk and the body of a lion.
- Stratford Lyon
- Tigris – giant lion of the forest of Bei Ilai
- Vaikuntha Chaturmurti (Hindu) – a four-headed aspect of the Hindu god Vishnu: a human head, a lion head, a boar head and a fierce head
- Winged lion
- Yali (mythology) (Hindu) – Portrayed with the head and the body of a lion, the trunk and the tusks of an elephant, and sometimes bearing equine features.
- Yaghūth – a god of the era of the Prophet Noah
- Yaldabaoth (Gnostic) – lion-headed serpent god.
Hyenas
Musteloids, mongoose and civets
- Azeban
- Gef
- Ichneumon
- Kamaitachi
- Kushtaka (Tlingit) – shapeshifting "land otter man"
- Mujina
- Ramidreju
- Raijū
Procyonids
- Azeban is a lower-level trickster spirit in Abenaki mythology. The traditional homeland of the Abenaki is Wobanakik (Place of the Dawn), what is now called northern New England and southern Quebec. Azeban (also spelled Azban, Asban or Azaban) is a raccoon, the Abenaki trickster figure. Pronounced ah-zuh-bahn. Azeban does many foolish and/or mischievous things in Abenaki folktales, but unlike animal tricksters in some other tribes, is not dangerous or malevolent.
Fish
- Fish People
- Mermaid / Merman – half-human, half-fish (worldwide)
- Water spirit – (worldwide)
- Undine – water elementals in the alchemical writings of Paracelsus
- Abaia
- Gurangatch
- Hippocamp
- Ika-Roa
- Isonade
- Namazu
- Ningyo
- Kun
- Salmon of Wisdom
- Shachihoko (Japanese) – a creature with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp
Insectivores
- Lavellan A Lavellan, làbh-allan, la-mhalan or la-bhallan etc. is a mythological creature from northern Scotland. It was generally considered to be a kind of rodent, and indeed the name "làbh-allan" is also used for a water shrew or water vole in Scottish Gaelic. It was however, reportedly larger than a rat, very noxious, and lived in deep pools in rivers. Its poisonous abilities were legendary, and it was said to be able to injure cattle over a hundred feet away.
Marsupials
Molluscs
- Akkorokamui – octopus monster (Ainu, Japan)
- Carbuncle (Chilote) – one of its many descriptions is a luminescent bivalve[4][3]
- Lou Carcolh – A giant, man-eating snail with fur and tentacles (France)
- Kraken – squid monster (Worldwide)
- Shen – A clam-dragon that creates mirages and fata morgana at sea (China)
Primates
- Agropelter – a beast that amuses itself by hurling twigs and tree branches at passersby (United States & Canada)
- Bigfoot or Sasquatch – Cryptid, animal of the Northwest (North America)
- Hibagon or Hinagon – ape-like, similar to Bigfoot, or the Yeti (Japan)
- Jué yuán – blue-furred man-sized rhesus monkey that abducts human women (China & Japan)
- Satori – mind-reading magical ape or monkey (Japan)
- Shōjō – anthropomorphic spirit, depicted as furred, somewhat confounded with orangutan (Japan)
- Shug Monkey – dog/monkey (Britain)
- Sun Wukong (proper name) – powerful warrior-magician in the form of a monkey who hatched from a stone egg (China)
- Vanara – humanoid apes or monkeys (India, Hindu)
- Yeren – man-monkey, cryptid hominid, resides in remote mountainous (China)
- Yeti – Abominable Snowman, ape-like cryptid similar to Bigfoot, that inhabits the Himalayas (Nepal, Tibet)
- Yowie – hominid said to live in the Australian wilderness, a cryptid similar to the Himalayan Yeti (Australia)
Rabbits and hares
- Al-Mi'raj – rabbit with unicorn horn (Arabia)
- Jackalope – (North America)
- Moon rabbit – a rabbit living on the moon (Chinese)
- Skvader
- Wisakedjak - (Native American) aka Whiskeyjack. One of several names for the rabbit trickster spirit believed in across the Eastern Woodlands and Great Plains.
- Wolpertinger
Reptiles, Limbed
- Agoa- (American) turtle monster of West Virginian lore centered around the Monongahela River. Name derived from Lenape language word for snake, but creature completely made up by whites.
- Ammut – female demon, funerary deity and animal hybrid (Egypt)
- Bakunawa – Serpent-like Dragon in Philippines (Philippines)
- Basilisk – king of serpents, has the power to cause death with a single glance (Europe)
- Black Tortoise – one of the four symbols of the Chinese constellations
- Chalkydri
- Chinese Dragon – serpentine creature with four legs
- Cipactli – sea monster, part crocodile, fish and toad. Always hungry, thousands of mouths (Spanish, Aztec)
- Dragon – serpentine, reptilian traits (worldwide)
- Dungavenhooter – a crocodile creature with no mouth and huge nostrils using its tail to pound victims into a vapor, which it inhales for through its nose
- Knucker – sea serpent like dragon
- Kurma
- Loch Ness Monster – sea monster cryptid (Scotland)
- Loveland frog – Humanoid cryptid (The United States (Ohio))
- Makara
- Mokele Mbembe
- Moʻo (Hawaiian) class of shapeshifting lizard monsters
- Morgawr (Cornish) – Crocodile-like sea serpent that affects fishing
- Mungoon-Gali – a giant goanna (Australia)
- Peluda
- Reptilian humanoids
- Sewer alligator
- Sobek
- Taniwha
- Whowie – a giant frog-headed goanna with six legs (Australia)
- Wyvern
- Zaratan
Reptiles, Serpents and Worms
- Alicante
- Amphisbaena
- Amphithere
- Apep/Apophis
- Azhi Dahaka
- Basilisk
- Bakonawa
- Biscione
- Cockatrice
- Dragon
- Drake
- Echidna (Greek)
- Fáfnir
- Feathered serpent
- Garafena (Russian)
- Gorgon (including Medusa) (Greek)
- Hoop snake
- Indus worm
- Hydra (Greek)
- Jaculus/Jaculi
- Jasconius
- Jörmungandr (the Midgård serpent)
- Lamia
- Lindworm
- Madame White Snake
- Meretseger
- Mongolian Death Worm
- Naga (Worldwide)
- Níðhöggr
- Orm
- Ouroboros
- Python
- Rainbow serpent
- Sea serpent
- Tarasque
- Tsuchinoko
- Typhon
- Ur
- Wyvern
- Yamata no Orochi
- Zilant
Rodents
- Afanc
- Ratatoskr
- Rat king; phenomena when a number of rats become intertwined at their tails (Germany, France)
- Wolpertinger
Ungulates
Antelopes and deer
- Actaeon (Greek) – a hunter turned into a deer and tore apart by his dogs.
- Ceryneian Hind (Greek) – Artemis' large, sacred golden hind
- Deer Woman (Native American) – female human above the waist, deer below. Male version is Elk Man.
- Eikþyrnir (Norse mythology) – stag which stands upon Valhalla
- Goldhorn (Slavic) – white golden-horned antelope
- Jackalope (North American) – jackrabbit with antelope horns
- Keresh (Jewish) – giant deer of the forest of Bei Ilai
- Peryton (Argentina) – Stag with bird parts
- Qilin (Chinese) – East Asian chimerical good luck symbol
- Tarand (European) also Parandrus. Antelope or deer like creature said to be found in Ethiopia who can change the color of their fur at will to camouflage.
- White stag (worldwide) – magic white deer
- Xeglun (Tungusic mythology) – celestial elk
Bovines
Camelids
- Allocamelus – A donkey-headed camel.
- Heavenly Llama[5]
Caprids
- Amalthea
- Aries
- Barometz
- Capricornus
- Chimera
- Dahu
- Faun – a Roman version of satyr. It has a human head and torso and a goat waist and legs.
- Goldhorn – also known as Zlatorog
- Heiðrún – goat in Norse mythology, which produces mead for the einherjar
- Khnum
- Satyr – a goat legged human that is associated to the deity Dionysus. Known to be drunk partiers.
- Sidehill gouger
- Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr – Thor's magical goats
- Chrysomallos – a sheep with golden fleece from Greek mythology
Equines
- Anggitay – is a creature with the upper body of a female human and the lower body of a horse from waist down (Philippines)
- Arion – Talking immortal horse (Greek)
- Balius and Xanthus Greek – offspring of harpies, immortal
- Buraq – Al-Burāq, steed from the heavens that transported the prophets (Islam, Persian Art)
- Centaur – head, arms, and torso of a human, the body and legs of a horse (Greek)
- Cheval Gauvin – horse which tries to kill its rider (French/Swiss)
- Cheval Mallet; horse that tempts and kidnaps weary travelers (French)
- Chiron – centaur believed to be exceptional among his brethren (Greek)
- Chollima – a winged horse too swift to be mounted by any mortal (Chinese)
- Drapé - (France) Ghostly horse monster who finds and spirits away children wandering at night to an unknown location, never to be seen again.
- Haizum – horse of the archangel Gabriel (Islam)
- Hippogriff – winged horse with the head and upper body of an eagle (French, England)
- Ipotane – half-horse, half-humans, original centaurs (Greek)
- Karkadann – monstrous, highly aggressive unicorn (India, Persia)
- Kotobuki (Japanese) – Yokai with traits of all members of the Chinese zodiac
- Longma – fabled winged horse with dragon scales (China)
- Mankayia- (Kiowa) tornado spirit in the form of a horse.
- Onocentaur – part human, part donkey (Greek)
- Pegasus – white winged stallion (Greek)
- Pooka – spirits, or fairies who lived near ancient stones, good or bad (Ireland)
- Sleipnir – Odin's eight-legged horse, which he rode to Hel (location) (Norse)
- Simurgh – like the Hippogriff with the head of a human (Persian)
- Sihuanaba – a shapeshifting spirit that typically takes the form of an attractive, long haired woman seen from behind, before revealing her face to be that of a horse
- Tikbalang – creature with the body of a man and the head and hooves of a horse, lurks in the mountains and forests (Philippines)
- Uchchaihshravas – seven-headed all white flying horse (Hindu)
- Unicorn – horse-like creature with a single horn, often symbolizing purity (Worldwide)
- Water Horse – General name for mythical water dwelling horses of many cultures
- Ceffyl Dŵr (Welsh) – water horse
- Each-uisge (Scottish) – Malevolent shapeshifting oceanic water horse
- Enbarr (Irish) – Manann's horse, capable of traversing land and sea
- Hippocampus (Greek) – Horse with a fish tail
- Ichthyocentaurs – upper body of a man, the lower front of a horse, tail of a fish (Greek)
- Kelpie (Scottish) – water horse
- Morvarc'h (Breton) – Legendary horse that could gallop on the waves
- Nixie (Germanic) – Shapeshifting water being, known for appearing as horses
- Nuckelavee (Orcadian) – Skinless oceanic water horse with pestilent breath
- Nuggle (Scottish) – Mischievous male water horse
- Tangie (Scottish) – shapeshifting sea water horse
- White horse
Pachyderms
See List of elephants in mythology and religion
Pigs and boars
Xenarthrans
Megafauna
See List of megafauna in mythology and folklore
Giants
See List of giants in mythology and folklore
Artificial creatures
This listing includes creatures that are man-made, mechanical or of alchemical origins.
- Automaton (worldwide) – self-operating machine; most famous example is Greek mythology's Talos
- Blodeuwedd (Welsh) – wife of Lleu Llaw Gyffes
- Brazen head (Medieval legends) – living head of brass purported to be able to answer any question given to it
- Doll Woman- (Lenape) lifelike doll spirit. Must stay properly appeased, or will cause mischief in the home.
- Frankenstein's monster
- Galatea (Greek) – ivory statue carved by Pygmalion
- Gingerbread man – from German folk tales
- Golem (Jewish) – animated humanoid construct
- Homunculus (Alchemy) – diminutive, animated construct
- Nephele (Greek) – nymph formed from a cloud by Zeus to resemble the goddess Hera
- Shabti (Egyptian) – clay model used as workers
- Tokeloshe (Zulu mythology) – diminutive, hairy humanoid with various magical powers
- Tilberi (Iceland) – creations of witches from a rib bone and wool for the purpose of stealing milk
- Tsukumogami (Japanese) – objects that come to life, of their own accord, after 100 years
- Tulpa (Tibetan Buddhism) – creature brought to life through meditation
- Tupilaq (Inuit) – large statues brought to life to serve witches and shamans
- Ushabti (Egyptian) – clay guardians/assistants
- Various objects animated by gods, demons and spirits in mythology, legend and folklore
Body parts, creatures associated with
Blood
Bone
Eye
One-eyed
Face
Hair
Head
Limbs
- Asura (Indian)
- Deva / Devi (Indian)
- Hekatonkheires
- Hinkypunk - (English) variation on Will o the wisp. A single, in corporeal leg hopping around bogs with a lantern.
- Kui
- O'nya:ten (Iroquoian) aka Dry Fingers. Mummified hand. Appears and leaps out at people after certain transgressions, such as speaking ill of the dead, or butting into other people's personal business.
- Sleipnir
- Three-legged bird
Mouth
Skin
Tail
Neck
Torso
Abdomen
Concepts, creatures associated with
Battle, Vengeance, Violence, and War
Birth and Rebirth
Death and Immortality
Dream, the Mind, and Sleep
Evil Eye and Sight
- Basilisk
- Balor of the Evil Eye – king of the Fomorians, a race of giants, and a cyclops (Irish)
- Catoblepas
- Cockatrice
- Gorgon – woman with hair made of living, venomous snakes, and eyes that turned men to stone (Greek):
Fertility and Human Sexuality
Fortune, Luck, and Wealth
Light
Love and Romance
Sound
Speech
Note: see Talking animal
Time and Technology
Wisdom
Demons
Elements, creatures associated with
Aether
Air and wind
See also: List of flying mythological creatures
Darkness
Earth and subterranean
Fire
Light and rainbow
Metal and gold
Thunder and lightning
Water
- Afanc
- Amefurikozō
- Aspidochelone
- Bloody Bones
- Buggane
- Bunyip
- Camenae
- Capricorn
- Cetus
- Charybdis
- Chinese Dragon
- Cai Cai-Vilu
- Crinaeae
- Davy Jones' Locker
- Draug
- Each uisge
- Elemental
- Fish People
- Fossegrim
- Fur-bearing trout
- Gargouille
- Grindylow
- Haetae
- Hippocamp
- Hydra
- Ichthyocentaur
- Jasconius
- Jengu
- Kappa
- Kelpie
- Kraken
- Lake monster
- Lavellan
- Leviathan
- Loch Ness monster
- Lorelei
- Lusca
- Makara
- Melusine
- Mami Wata
- Mermaid / Merman
- Merrow
- Morgens
- Muc-sheilch
- Naiad
- Näkki
- Nereid
- Nix
- Nymph
- Pisces
- Ponaturi
- Potamus
- Rusalka
- Samebito
- Sea monster
- Sea serpent
- Selkie
- Shen
- Siren
- Taniwha
- Tiamat
- Triton
- Ondine
- Vodyanoy
- Water dragon
- Water leaper
- Water sprite
- Yacuruna
- Zaratan
Habitats, creatures associated with
Cave and underground
Celestial and heaven
- Angel
- Asteriae
- Chalkydri
- Deva / Devi
- Feathered serpent
- Heavenly Llama[5]
- Pegasus
- Grim Reaper
- Swan Maiden
- Tennin
- Three-legged bird
- Valkyrie
Desert
Temperate forest and woodland
Tropical forest and jungle
Temperate grassland and garden
Savanna
- Ennedi tiger
- Werehyena
Lake and river
Mountain and hill
Sea
Swamp and marsh
Volcano and lava
Polar, ice, and winter
Urban and house
Underworld and hell
Humanoids
- See Mythic humanoids
Hybrids
Astronomical objects, creatures associated with
Sun
- Chalkydri beings from the Second Book of Enoch[7]
- Kua Fu a giant in China
- Three-legged bird in China, Korea, and Japan
- Phoenix in Greek Mythology
Moon
Constellation
World
See also: List of mythological places
Creatures associated with Plants
- Alraune
- Dryad
- Ghillie Dhu
- Green Man
- Hamadryad
- Jubokko
- Kodama
- Leshy
- Mandrake
- Penghou
- Snake Tree- (Lakota) Tree brought to life by a witch. Lashes out at anything that comes close with branches covered in poisonous thorns that paralyze the victim.
- Spriggan
- Tree of life
- Vegetable Lamb of Tartary
- See Trees in mythology
Shapeshifters
Creatures associated with Times
Day and diurnal
- Griffin
- Jackalope
- Unicorn (rather resembles the moon)
- Wolpertinger
Night and nocturnal
Undead
- Aswang
- Banshee – (Scottish, Gaelic, Irish)
- Chindi - (Navajo) The dark side of the soul which has the ability to remain behind in the earth after death and become a sort of dark spirit.
- Ghost – (Worldwide)
- Inipi- (California Native) shapeshifting ghosts
- Jikininki
- Kuchisake-onna
- Poltergeist – (Worldwide)
- Preta
- Revenant
- Sluagh
- Spirit – (Worldwide)
- Tei Pai Wanka - (Wampanoag) Term for swamp lights in Algonquian lore. Enslaved souls of people taken by the Little People who are used to scare people who've done wrong or lure them to their deaths.
- Vampire
- Wanagi- (Lakota) Lakota name for Siouan shadow people. Essentially ghosts.
- Wewe Gombel
- Wili
- Will o' the wisp – Jack o lantern (English)
- Wraith
- Yurei
See also: Category:Ghosts, and Ghosts in Hindu Mythology – Bhoot, Baital & Pishacha
Corporeal
Miscellaneous
- Anaye - (Navajo) various monsters that take the forms of animals, living objects and other things. Derived from a time where men and women bet on who would last the longest without the other sex and the women pleasuring themselves with whatever random things they thought would do the job, which caused their chosen toys to father them monstrous, man-eating children.
- Daimon
- Demon
- Fairy
- Familiar
- Genie – or Jinn, Djinn
- Monster
- Sprite
- Yōkai
References
- ^ a b Montecino Aguirre, Sonia (2015). "Alicanto". Mitos de Chile: Enciclopedia de seres, apariciones y encantos (in Spanish). Catalonia. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-956-324-375-8.
- ^ Illinois, Reboot (30 October 2014). "5 Illinois Monster Stories That Will Make You Want to Check Under the Bed". HuffPost. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ a b Quintana Mansilla, Bernardo. "El Carbunco". Chiloé mitológico (in Spanish).
- ^ a b c d Montecino Aguirre, Sonia (2015). "Carbunclo". Mitos de Chile: Enciclopedia de seres, apariciones y encantos (in Spanish). Catalonia. p. 130. ISBN 978-956-324-375-8.
- ^ a b c Montecino Aguirre, Sonia (2015). "Llamas". Mitos de Chile: Enciclopedia de seres, apariciones y encantos (in Spanish). Catalonia. p. 415. ISBN 978-956-324-375-8.
- ^ "Geryon". Theoi. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
a three-bodied, four-winged giant
- ^ Platt, Rutherford (1926). The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden. Entry: The Book of the Secrets of Enoch chapter XII
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