Leviathan

 

 

ORIGIN

 

He is believed to have originated within the legends of the Ancient peoples that the Jews came into contact with, possibly either Babylonian or Canaanite (both who have their own versions of the monster).

 

FIRST SIGHTED/RECORDED

They have been apart of sea lore for hundreds, possibly thousands of years. They may even be older than the bible itself. Like most sea lore, it is hard to pick out a starting point as a lot of it is either not recorded or passed down, almost like an urban legend.

 

APPEARANCE

They are of immense size. In some cases he has the head similar to a dragon with razor sharp teeth that hold deadly venom. He has the body of a very large snake/serpent and sometimes has either legs or wings. In some depictions he has 7 heads.

 

GENDER

The monster is thought to be male.

 

ALSO KNOWN AS

In modern Hebrew, the name simply means "whale".

 

REPELLED BY

As he is described as unstoppable, there does not seem to be anything that can kill him as such. In some cases, there may be a way in which he can be controlled and this can only be achieved by or through a higher power.

 

MAGICAL POWERS/SKILLS

Because he is an ancient creature, he is known for his super human strength, his powerful jaws filled with razor sharp teeth (in which hold his deathly venom) in particular being the most fearsome thing about him. He is also said, in some cases, to be able to fly (or to jump to great heights). Some may also be able to shape shift and have the power of clairvoyance, although, this is not really associated with him too much. Too some people who believe him to be good, he has the power to heal.

 

HISTORY/ABOUT

He is a large sea monster that is also referenced in the Tanakh (The Old Testament). They are also very popular within the mythology of the Ancient Near East. In Sumeria, he is depicted as being overcome by the God Ninurta. Sometimes the creature is identified as a Dragon possibly because of the way it looks. God has apparently created him and a mate called Taninim. God then destroyed her saying that if they were to procreate, the world would not be able to stand against them. It is said that one day he will be slain and his flesh will be served in a feast to the righteous and, in time, his skin will be used to cover the tent where the banquet will take place. He angrily churns the oceans, waiting for judgement day to devour the souls of the damned. Gabriel will fight and overcome him at the time of resurrection.

 

CAN BE FOUND

He can be found in the deepest of seas with no preference to whether it is cold or hot.

 

TALES

In the Old Testament, he is mentioned 6 times, going into detail about how he looks in particular (Job 41:1 - 34). In Psalm 74, God is said to break his heads into pieces and in Isaiah 27:1 he is called the "wriggling serpent" who will be killed at the end of time. In other Jewish tales, he is thought to be unstoppable, with no sword taking effect on him.

 

ANY SIGHTINGS?

In June 1983. a man called Owen Burham discovered a carcass on Bungalow Beach in Gambia. He had no camera however so had to bring back a description and some measurements. They found that it was unavailable for analysis by those who tried to identify it. It was thought to be some prehistoric marine animal that was still living in the waters. There was also a sighting on May 1st 1983 by an African biologist called Marcellin Agnagna. He spotted a Mokele-mbembe (a name for a legendary water dwelling creature of the Congo River folklore).

 

SIMILAR CREATURES

Tiamat, Behemoth, Hydra

Baba Yaga

 

 

ORIGIN

She comes from Slavic folklore.

 

FIRST SIGHTED/RECORDED

The first recorded folktale concerning her was in Mikhail V. Lomonosov's Rossijskaya grammatika (Russian grammar) in 1755, where she is mentioned as a figure of largely Slavic tradition.

 

APPEARANCE

In most pictures, she is shown as an elderly looking woman who is deformed in some way and, at times, very ferocious looking. She is often seen flying around in a large mortar whilst holding a pestle (in some cases this can either be a mop or a broom). In some tales, her nose is depicted as sticking to the ceiling (maybe assuming that it was either very long or very large). Other parts of her body such as her breasts, buttocks and her genitalia have also been described as repulsive. She also has extremely long teeth.

 

GENDER

Female

 

ALSO KNOWN AS

She is sometimes referred to as Baba Yaga Bony Legs (Baba Yaga Kostianaya Noga). The word baba in Old Russian may refer to either "midwife", "sorceress" or "fortune teller". In modern Russia, the word babushka means "grandmother" as does the Polish word babcia. This can also be used in a detrimental way. There is no clear term for the word yaga, it is thought to maybe represent a "snake" or "serpent".

 

REPELLED BY

There doesn't seem to be anything specific that she is repelled by. As she cannot affect those who have a pure heart, it is quite possible that a show of love or a pure act can distract her or possibly kill her.

 

MAGICAL POWERS/SKILLS

As she is closely associated with a hag it is quite possible that she can both cast spells and make powerful potions. It appears that she has no power over those who are of a pure heart. She also seems to be able to rule over the elements, with the red, white and black horseman as her servants, whom she refers to as her red sun, bright dawn and dark midnight. In her more benevolent aspect, she also gives advice.

 

HISTORY/ABOUT

She is mainly depicted as a single Witch but at times she can be one of a trio of sisters of the same name. Her personality is not strictly the same. In some cases she may either help or hinder you, maybe even take on a maternal role as such. She also has strong associations with wildlife. She has often been identified as one of the most memorable figures in Eastern Europe. It is also said that inside her hut, she can be found stretched over her stove. You may also find that she mentions the "Russian scent" (russkiy dukh) which is basically a human scent.

 

CAN BE FOUND

It is said that she can be found deep within the forest, living in her hut that stands on chicken legs. Around the house is a fence that is decorated with human skulls.

 

TALES

There have been tales that she likes to frighten the hero of the story, usually by telling him that she is going to eat him. However, she will help him if he shows her that he is brave. In Vladimir Propp's Morphology Of The Folktale, she often appears as the villain of the story. In various other tales, she kidnaps children, roasts them in her oven and eats them. In a version of "The Maiden Tsar" by Alexander Afanasyev, released in the 19th century, she is depicted as a trio. In the story, a merchants son makes his way to the home of one of them.

 

ANY SIGHTINGS?

In most of the tales that have been told about her, the one that stands out most with people is the one were people search for her in hope that they may receive help from her. It is safe to say that people still try and do this to this day, walking through a deep forest in search for the strange little hut, to no avail obviously. Some claim however, that they have met her and she has helped change their lives, almost like finding a Genies lamp. The best one however is a "sighting" in 2007 in Ohio where someone spotted what they thought was a Baba Yaga's hut.

 

SIMILAR CREATURES

Jezibaba, Hag, Baba Roga

　

Bhoot

 

 

ORIGIN

They are of Indian origin.

 

FIRST SIGHTED/RECORDED

For thousands of years, possibly longer. People have been spiritual for as long as they have been on this Earth so there is a possibility that the legends could have been around then.

 

APPEARANCE

Most commonly, they are said to appear in only white clothing. In most cases they appear to look the exact same as before they died, with more of a translucency. They cast no shadows. When they speak, they do it with a nasal twang.

 

GENDER

They can be young or old of both gender.

 

ALSO KNOWN AS

The name can also be spelled as bhut. The name is a Sanskrit term that basically translates as "past" and "being". It has Indo-European roots, hence similar words such as bha (Irish), be (English), but (Latvian) and budan (Persian). The name is also somewhat of an Idiom in the languages of the Northern subcontinent such as Hindu, Punjabi and Sindhi.

 

REPELLED BY

They are supposed to be afraid of water, steel and iron objects. Keeping these nearby you is enough to scare them off. Burnt turmeric is also said to ward them off. The holy figures and deities have also been invoked to ward them off. Sprinkling Earth on yourself can also prevent you from harm seeing as the can not be in contact with it. In Hindu mythology, a soul cannot be destroyed, and seeing that the Bhoot is still a soul, albeit an evil and angry one, it can never be destroyed. Instead, they perform a ritual called the Atma-shanti, according to the Atharva Veda, which is basically like a promise by the person that they will do everything in their power to help them with their unfinished business. The Bhoot will stop troubling them as it is getting what it wants.

 

MAGICAL POWERS/SKILLS

They can both alter and assume the form of many animals at their own will. The only thing that gives them away however is the fact that there feet face the opposite way.

 

HISTORY/ABOUT

They are a supernatural creature. They tend to be the ghost of a deceased person. There are many tales about how they came to be this way but the most popular definition is that they became this way through a violent and sudden death which has caused them to not move on and become restless. In some other cases, they have either got unfinished business or they were not given the proper burial rights when they passed on. In India, the Earth is regarded as sacred and this is why they will go to almost any lengths to avoid any contact with it. This is why they are said to float. There is a kind of Bhoot called a Churail, who is a woman that has died either during pregnancy or childbirth. There is also a select few called Bhutas who are the defiled spirits of heroes, evil beings and Hindu deities. They are often wrongly thought of as being "ghosts" or "demons" and are actually protective, despite being extremely violent and powerful.

 

CAN BE FOUND

It is said that they like to lurk about in the trees. They may also haunt specific houses (also known as "bhoot banglas" or "bhoot bungalows"). These houses usually tend to be ones that they were either killed/died in or one that they have a significant attachment to.

 

TALES

Many tales in the region take on the house that they are usually attached to. One of the most popular ones is someone fails to flee a house when approached by a Bhoot. They then unwillingly accept their companionship (In some tales, they have met them in the forest or they have picked them up in their car after seeing them by the road at night). Through time they become very aware that the person is not alive (the backwards feet being the big giveaway). Another tale is that they love to immerse themselves in milk. They like to contaminate it which then gives them possession over humans.

 

ANY SIGHTINGS?

As they are in a similar category to the Western Ghost, there are plenty of pictures and video footage of them all over the internet. As to whether these are real or not is another matter for you to decide. Some are very convincing I have to say but it is hard to trust anything over the internet. The most interesting ones are the "real life" recounts. Some are very deep and dare I say, quite frightening (even if they do turn out to be fake).

 

SIMILAR CREATURES

Ghosts, Churail

 

 

　

 

Black Shuck

 

 

ORIGIN

The countrysides of East Anglia.

 

FIRST SIGHTED/RECORDED

They were first recorded in England in 1577, this was also the first supposed sighting. Werewolf tales however, have been around much longer so it is possible that at some point, some of the tales may have clashed or had a wrong origin. It is also possible that the animal may have been around a lot longer than we are led to believe.

 

APPEARANCE

They are most commonly thought to have shaggy black fur, sharp teeth and bright red eyes (in some accounts, he has a single eye and in others, his eyes are green). His size may also vary depending on who you ask. He can be from the size of a large dog to the size of a horse. In 1877, Walter Rye wrote that the Shuck was "the most curious of our local apparitions, as they are no doubt varieties of the same animal". They are classified as Cryptid, which is an animal whose existence has been suggested but not recognised by a scientific consensus. In some rare accounts, he is either headless or seen floating on a carpet of mist.

 

GENDER

Generally referred to as either male or unknown.

 

ALSO KNOWN AS

Old Shuck, Old Shock or just Shuck. Other variations of the name include Yeth (Devon), Pooka (Ireland) and Barguest (Yorkshire).

 

REPELLED BY

There is not anything specific that he is recorded as being repelled by. There are however tales of him being linked to or being the Devil himself. If this is the case then holy artefacts could possibly work. If his is linked to a Werewolf then there could be a chance that he has a weakness to silver.

 

MAGICAL POWERS/SKILLS

No magical powers are recorded. If he is supernatural then there is a chance that he has a heightened strength to go with it.

 

HISTORY/ABOUT

It is a ghostly black dog that is said to roam wild on the coastlines and in the countryside's of East Anglia. All across the British Isles, there are many tales of black dogs, with him being possibly one of the most famous ones. His name is thought to have derived from scucca, an Old English word that means "demon". It is also possible that the name came the local dialect word for shucky which means either "shaggy" or "hairy". In 1577, there was an alleged sighting at Bungay and Blythburgh. It has become somewhat of a famous account as this is the point (or so believed) when the sinister dogs became apart of the iconography of that area. Dr Simon Sherwood believes that the earliest surviving description of the animal is in an account of an incident that happened in Peterborough Abbey, recorded in the Peterborough Chronicle around 1127. This is one of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles.

 

CAN BE FOUND

Although it is said to roam in the countryside's, it is possible that they may hide out in deep forests or woodlands in order to conceal themselves. Luckily for them, England is known for its woodlands so it has no shortage of hiding places. He is also said to haunt side roads, cross roads, graveyards and coastlines.

 

TALES

Most of the folklore originates around the areas of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and the Cambridgeshire Fens. Although some are regarded as companions to men, most times they are held as an omen of death. It is said that his appearance bodes ill to the eyes of the beholder. An example of this came from the Malden and Dengue areas of Essex, where sightings of him meant almost immediate death. Some tales tell of him not physically harming his victims but terrifying them to the point of illness and even death. W.A. Dutt gives a description of him in his 1901 book "Highways & Byways in East Anglia". It is because of his description that he is commonly known as "Old Snarleyow", a description of a dog found in Fredrick Marryat's 1837 novel "Snarleyyow" or "The Dog Fiend". It is thought that Conan Doyle based "Hound Of The Baskervilles" after hearing one of the legends. In contrast to the previous tales, there are however benign ones which say that he accompanied women on the way home so as to protect them. They have even been known to help lost travellers find their way.

 

ANY SIGHTINGS?

Over the years there have been many "sightings" of the animal, to many to list here as they are all very similar. Most of them occur around people taking walks at night or walking through some of the local churches. Whether or not these are real is for you to decide. The pictures that circulate on the internet are primarily fakes or too hard to give a real answer too. In some cases, some peoples tales appear to be genuine so it is possible that someone may have seen something.

 

SIMILAR CREATURES

Werewolves

　

Minotaur

 

 

ORIGIN

He is from Greek mythology.

 

FIRST SIGHTED/RECORDED

The tales are very old, possibly around 65 BC. There is even evidence to suggest that it may have came from the 13th century BC. It is hard to pinpoint them exactly.

 

APPEARANCE

He is most popularly depicted as having the head of a bull and the body of a man.

 

GENDER

Male.

 

ALSO KNOWN AS

In Crete, he is also known by his proper name, Asterion.

 

REPELLED BY

N/A

 

MAGICAL POWERS/SKILLS

He doesn't have any magical powers apart from superhuman strength.

 

HISTORY/ABOUT

His Father was a Cretan bull and his Mother was Pasiphae. King Minos prayed to Poseidon to send him a snow white bull as a sign of support, a bull that he was to also sacrifice in honour of the God. He received the bull, but was so overwhelmed by its beauty, he kept it and sacrificed one of his own bulls. Aphrodite punished him by making his wife, Pasiphae, fall deeply in love with the white bull. His mother had the craftsman, Daedalus, make her a hollow wooden cow so that she could mate with the bull. This is how he was conceived. His mother nursed him through his infancy but as he grew older, he became more ferocious. As he was an unnatural offspring, he did not have any natural source of nourishment so he could only eat man as this sustained him. Due to this, Minos had Daedalus build a gigantic labyrinth to contain him.

 

CAN BE FOUND

He is said to have lived in the center of the Cretan Labyrinth in Crete, Greece. His hideout was designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus.

 

TALES

There is a tale that says that Athens was compelled by the cruel plague to pay penalties for the killing of Androgeos, son of King Minos. Aegeus, King of Athens, averted the plague by sending 7 youths and 7 maidens, drawn by lots, every 7 or 9 years to be devoured by the Minotaur. Aegeus's son, Theseus, volunteered to slay the monster, promising his father that, if he was successful, he would put up white sails and if he wasn't, he would make his crew put up black sails. Both Mino's daughters, Ariadne and Phaedra, fell in love with Theseus. Ariadne helped him find his way through the labyrinth by giving him a ball of thread. He killed the Minotaur and rescued the remaining Athenians. He abandoned Ariadne on the island of Naxos and continued home with Phaedra, his future wife. He forgot to change his sails however and when his father saw the black sails, he presumed his son was dead and threw himself into the sea. Theseus then became king.

 

ANY SIGHTINGS?

There isn't any evidence of him so to speak but that doesn't stop rumours of sightings or encounters with him. Everything that I have seen on the internet so far is not to be trusted but I am sure something will come along one day that will prove me wrong,

 

SIMILAR CREATURES

Apis, Shedu, Sarangay