Descriptionary

chimera Homeric beast having a front like a lion, a middle like a goat, and a rear like a serpent; some­times depicted with the three heads of these beasts.

cuero a giant octopus of South America having clawed tentacles and ears covered with eyes.

Cyclops a cave-dwelling, one-eyed giant described in the Odyssey.

devil fish heraldic compound beast of the devil with a fishlike body.

devil's dandy dogs fiery-eyed, fire-breathing dogs of Cornish legend who followed Satan over the moors on stormy nights.

dobie a brownie guardian of hidden treasure.

dragon a creature taking many forms, sometimes winged, sometimes fire-breathing; usually known for guarding a huge hoard of treasure.

dragon tygre a heraldic compound beast.

dragon wolf a heraldic compound beast.

drake from Celtic and Germanic folklore, a dragon­like ogre that hunts and travels on horseback; it lives in a place and eats humans.

dwarf in Scandinavian mythology, a little man with a large head and a long beard, born from the earth or from mold. It lives in a hollow hill or mound, and sunlight will turn it to stone. Dwarves are usually tal­ented metalsmiths.

elf a little, humanlike creature dwelling under­ground; noted for its love of music, dancing, mischief, and practical jokes.

enfield heraldic beast having the head of a fox, the body of a lion, the hindquarters of a wolf, and the talons of an eagle.

Erymanthian boar a giant boar driven into a snow­drift and trapped there by Hercules.

fachan an evil Irish spirit known for killing and mutilating travelers; it had one eye in its forehead and one hand protruding from its chest, and it was covered with feathers.

falcon-fish heraldic compound of a fish and a fal­con with a hound's ears.

falin Scottish mountain demon.

faun in Greek legend, part goat, part man, similar to a nymph.

fire-drake a cave-dwelling, fire-breathing dragon who hoarded treasures of the dead.

fuath a Scottish water spirit with webbed feet and yellow hair.

Gabriel Ratchet a ghost hound heard yelping in the sky in the midst of severe storms, believed to be a portent of death.

Ganesha in Hindu culture, a creature having a human body and an elephant head.

gargouille a dragon who made waterspouts in the Seine; the inspiration for gargoyles.

gargoyle a fantastic medieval sculpture having a wide-open mouth for spouting rain- or wastewater near the roofs of buildings.

Geryon a three-headed, three-bodied man joined at the waist, shot by Hercules.

ghul an evil spirit encountered by travelers in the Arabian desert.

gigelorum a microscopic beast of Scottish folklore; it made its nest in a mite's ear.

Girtablili in the Babylonian epic of creation, a half- man, half-scorpion.

glastig in Scottish folklore, a half-woman, half-goat who wore green and was kind to the old and feeble but who liked to misdirect travelers.

gremlins rabbitlike creatures who sabotaged air­planes and pulled pranks in World War II. Were believed to live in holes around airfields.

griffin in Indian and Arabian folklore, part lion and part eagle.

grylio a medieval, salamanderlike creature said to poison apples in apple trees.

gryphon a griffin.

Harpies vulturelike birds having the head and breasts of women, from Greek legend.

hidebehind a mysterious creature known to hide behind trees and sneak up on lumberjacks in North America; they were never seen, however.

hippocampus a half-horse, half-fish with a serpent's tail; it pulled Poseidon's chariot.

hodag a horned, human-eating beast with a spiked back, said to live in the swamps of Wisconsin.

hoop snake a snake said to hold its tail in its mouth and roll about like a wheel, from American lore.

hydra a beast with seven to nine heads, one of which is immortal. If any of the heads were cut off the blood would cause a new head to grow back. Hercu­les killed this beast by burning the heads and burying the immortal head under a rock.

jinshin uwo the giant fish on which Japan was thought to float; the lashing of its tail was the expla­nation for earthquakes.

kraken a sea creature said to be a mile and a half in length in sailor lore of the 1600s and later, and prob­ably based on the giant squid.

leprechaun an Irish fairy less than 2 feet in height, believed to haunt wine cellars and to guard huge hoards of treasure.

Leviathan the great fish of Hebrew myth.

lindorm a snakelike, heraldic dragon.

Loch Ness monster the elusive lake monster of Scotland.

Medusa the snake-headed Gorgon who turned peo­ple to stone.

minocane a heraldic beast, half-child, half-spaniel.

Minotaur a bull-headed man kept in a labyrinth and slain by Theseus.

monoceros a howling beast something like a cross between a rhino and a unicorn.