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[[Image:crane-man.jpg|thumb|The crane-man or goose-headed man]] The '''crane-man''' or '''goose-headed man''' is a character that was popular in medieval bestiaries.

...found sitting upon the tower. Now, thou must know that this ass was one of the Mazikeen. ''THE FAIRY MYTHOLOGY'' BY THOMAS KEIGHTLEY (1850)

...'' (also: Ossaart, Osschaard) is a waterspirit or shapeshifting demon from the Flemish and Dutch folklore. ...any animal he wants, but he usually appears in the shape of a bull with a man's head and chains in his hands.

In Melanesia there is a belief in the '''tamaniu''' or atai which is an animal counterpart to a person with which ...tence. This creature is corporeal, can understand human speech, and shares the same soul as its master, leading to legends which have many characteristics

...t of his house was occupied by a spirit. After the priest recited a chant, the tree never caused any trouble again.

...s of Central Celebes believe that the inside parts only of the man take on the animal shape, a state which they term '''lamhoyo'''. The lamboyo may be distinguished from an ordinary animal by being misshapen to

...but are deathly afraid of dogs; the best way to repel an attack is through the use of a dog to drive them away. ...protected from the Hobyahs by the family dog, Turpie. Whenever Turpie saw the Hobyahs coming, he would bark, putting them to flight.

..., is the name of the [[Qliphoth]] corresponding to the Sephirah Chokmah in the Tree of Life. ...er, unwilling to 'bow down to man' and take material form, as described in the Islamic legend regarding Iblis, or Satan.

...n of the the many famines of Ireland. It is emaciated, and wanders through the land begging for food. Those that give food freely are rewarded with good l

The Danish peasantry give the following account of their '''EllefoIk''' or Elve-people. ...hearts. The man may be often seen near the EIle-moors, bathing himself in the sunbeams, but if any one comes too near him, he opens his mouth wide and br

...icheff''', also known as ''The Dog of the Caucasus'' or ''The Siberian Dog-Man'' was an early sideshow performer and person born with a rare condition kno ...rned on prayers to be said after their deaths. He died four years after at the age of 59.

The '''Hombre Caiman''', or Alligatorman, is a legendary creature that possesse This South American folk tale is particularly popular in Plato, Magdalena, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, especially in rural and less populated areas.

[[Image:The Man Who Laughs Comprachicos.jpg|thumb|155px|right|''The Man Who Laughs'']] ...ance of human beings by manipulating growing children, in a similar way to the horticultural method of bonsai

In the Hebrides the '''Loireag''' is a water-fairy, but like the lowland [[habetrot]] she is a patroness of spinning. ...la as 'a small mite of womanhood that does not belong to this world but to the world thither', and as a 'plaintive little thing, stubborn and cunning'.

...e pronunciation of the Irish words ''fear dearg'', meaning ''Red Man'', as the far darrig is said to wear a red coat and cap. ...far darrig is classified as a solitary fairy along with the leprechaun and the clurichaun, all of whom are "most sluttish, slouching, jeering, mischievous

Dressed in a black suit and with no visible face, the '''Slender Man''' is an apparition with arms that stretch wide to entrap his chosen prey. Due to his attire, the Slender Man has been linked to the notorious "Men in Black", who are thought to be government agents who haras

The '''Tzadikim Nistarim''' or '''Lamed Wufniks''' are a group of thirty-six ho ...''lamed'' and ''vuv'', whose numerical value when combined is thirty-six. The term ''Nistarim'' means "concealed ones".

...ntrim, Rathlin Island and parts of Donegal, were also found on the Isle of Man, where they are called ''phynnodderee''. Resembling a very small elderly man, though covered in coarse, dense reddish hair or fur, he wears no clothes,

...'' (shark man in Japanese) is a creature that appears in "The Gratitude of the Samebito", a short story by Lafcadio Hearn. ...ed [[Kojin]] by Kyokutei Bakin. The kojin are creatures thought to live in the South China Sea, which resemble [[ningyo]], are always weaving at their loo

...s''' or '''Wulvers''' are a peculiar kind of werewolves in the folklore of the Shetland Islands of Scotland. The wulver is described as a man, covered with short brown hair but with a wolf's head and most of his or he

Many of the Indians in Guiana believe that '''Kanaima''' are possessed by human spirits ...jaguar, kanaima approach the lonely sleeping-places, or waylay Indians in the forests and devour what pass nearby.

...cktree Brag''' is a shapeshifting goblin who haunts ''Picktree hamlet'' in the North of England. ...s a calf, with a white handkerchief around its neck; as an ass; as a naked man without a head; and as four men holding up a white sheet.

[[Image:Gancanagh.gif|thumb|155px|right|The Gancanagh]] The Gancanagh usually appears as a debonair little man in lonely glens, with a purse in one of his pockets, and a dudeen (short Ir

...is the ancestor of the Yao people (a tribe located at the lower reaches of the Chang Jiang in China) and a canine shapeshifter that married an emperor's d ...picted as a shapeshifter, all of him can become human except for his head. The race(s) descended from P'an Hu were often characterized by Chinese writers

The '''Albastor''' is an [[incubus]] or [[succubus]] spirit from Russian folklo ...he shape of a shooting star that trails sparks. On the ground, it can take the form of any creature, although humans are its favorite shape.

...n in Prussian mythology. He was one of the three main deities worshiped by the Old Prussians. ...Peckols. He was also depicted on the Flag of Widewuto as as a young, merry man with a wreath of grain on his ears. As creatures of Potrimpo, snakes were w

...ved. According to a later account by Thomas Bartholinus, if someone pushed the breast of Joannes Baptista, he moved his hands, ears and lips. ...es Baptista Colloredo quite diligently and personally observed the man for the purpose of documentation. Lazarus Colloredo and his parasitic twin, Joannes

...anubis was popular during the period of Roman domination over Egypt. He is the son of Osiris and Nephthys. ...was placed upon his role as a guide, leading the souls of the dead through the underworld.

...Book of Imaginary Beings''. Borges claimed that he had found the legend in the book ''On Malay Witchcraft'' (1937), by C.C. Iturvuru. ...tiful landscape in the world. The Á Bao A Qu waits on the first step for a man brave enough to try to climb up.

Radica and Doodica were xiphopagus twins, joined at the chest by a band of cartilage, similar to Chang and Eng. ...turning them over to a local temple. The monks of the temple looked after the twins and gave them their names.

...''vjeshtitze'' and sometimes spelled as ''vestizsa'') is a female witch in the lore of Montenegro and Serbia, whose main prey was infants but were also so ...oth, or a fly. In this form, she enters houses and feeds upon the blood in the heart of her victims.

...ilton ''' was a ghost or brownie that lived in Hilton Hall, in the vale of the Wear, in England. ...e frequently the case. They were resolved to banish him if they could, and the spirit, who seemed to have an inkling of their design, was often heard sing

...y (the Northwest of England) which was exceptionally beautiful and gentle. The Asrai only rose from their depths once every hundred years and had to retur ...and turn into a pool of water. They are, however, said to enjoy bathing in the moonlight.

...rn with a conjoined twin and displayed in sideshows as ''The Double-Bodied Man''. ...ation, using the X-ray, and in his report he declares there is imbedded in the normal body a formation that resembles a rudimentary head; this he claims h

[[Image:Yucca Man.jpg|thumb|Joshua Tree National Park]] '''The Yucca Man''' is a Bigfoot-like creature that supposedly live around Joshua Tree Natio

...hee''' or '''Lannan Shee''' is a vampiric spirit of the Isle of Man taking the form of a beautiful woman in order to seduce them and drink their blood. Corporeal to the beloved, but invisible as for spirit or ghost to anybody else, Lhiannan She

[[Image:Machlyes.jpg|thumb|From the Nurenburg Chronicle of 1493]] ...n tribe of hermaphrodites whose bodies were male on one side and female on the other.

...i mythology, '''Nuku-mai-tore''' are forest-dwelling spirits that sit upon the branches of trees or on parasitical plants such as wharawhara and kiekie pl ...f the nuku-mai-tore are delivered by Caesarean section, guaranteed to kill the mother.

...a species of beings who have a striking and surprising correspondence with the Gothic Fairies. as every thing preternatural is in Africa. The Africans call the Yumboes, Bakhna Rakhna, or Good People.

[[Image:bigorne.jpg|thumb|Bigorne devours a man in a landscape - 1621]] The '''bigorne''' or '''bicorn''' is a mythical beast in the folklore of Anjou, Normandy and Auvergne in France.

...o live underground, in mushrooms, or else are household spirits helping in the home. ...ng to the [[gnome]]s family and are akin to the Scandinavian [[Tomte]] and the German [[kobold]].

...Ramparsad''' was born with a parasitic twin and displayed in sideshows as the ''Handsome, Healthy, Happy Hindoo''. ...n finery. He referred to the twin as a "sister" in order to add a touch of the risque to his act.

...tephan Bibrowski Lionel the Lion-Faced Man.jpg|thumb|Lionel the Lion-Faced Man]] '''Stephan Bibrowski''' (1891–1932), better known as '''Lionel the Lion-Faced Man''', was a famous sideshow performer and a person born with a rare condition

The '''Blemmyes''' (Latin ''Blemmyae'') are a race of legendary acephalous (hea ...s traduntur capita abesse, ore et oculis pectore adfixis ("It is said that the Blemmyes have no heads, and that their mouth and eyes are put in their ches

...ve been a Countess who lived in a castle called the Chateau de Deux-Forts. The story goes as follows: ...could not be removed. The next morning, much to the Comtesse's annoyance, the ugly spot was still there. If anything, it looked as if it had grown a litt

'''Pondoro''' are shapeshifters in the folklore of the Makololo people in Africa. ...for days and sometimes even for a month, during which time he wandered in the woods where his wife had built a den for him and took care that he was prov

[[Image:Hermaphroditos.jpg|thumb|Hermaphroditos and the nymph]] ...ermaphroditos''' (or ''Hermaphroditus'') is a son of Hermes and Aphrodite, the gods of male and female sexuality.

[[Image:urisk.gif|thumb|The urisk]] An '''urisk''' or '''ùruisg''' is a goblin of Lowland Scotland similar to the [[Brownie]]

...e same bed with him. He played most beautifully on the harp, and he was in the habit of staking great sums of money at dice. ...s, he went away without offending any one. Some call him King Vollmar, and the chamber in which he lived is still said to be called Vollmar’s Chamber.

'''Hödeken''' is a Kobold (House-spirit) that used to live in the palace of the bishop of Hildesheim. ...ld the bishop and others of what was to happen, and he took good care that the watchmen should not go to sleep on their post.

...s. In later tradition, the role of king of Annwn was largely attributed to the Welsh psychopomp, [[Gwyn ap Nudd]]. However, Arawn's memory is retained in ...places with him for a year and a day and defeat Hafgan, Arawn's rival, at the end of this time, something Arawn has attempted but has been unable to do.

The '''Shriker''', also known as '''Skriker''' or '''Striker''', is a monstrous ...ker'' is a local term for a complainer or a whining person, a reference to the creature's cry. Instead of barking, it only whines or moans constantly, as

The '''hair beast''' or Hair Demon is a demonic beast in the foklore of Korea ...is city had to coat their hair in deers blood every night before sunset or the Hair Beast could get them. Those that couldn't would wake up tomorrow with

...he Dog-Faced Boy''', he was a famous sideshow performer who was brought to the United States of America by P.T. Barnum. ...s Reynolds. Reynolds advertised the boy as having been raised by wolves in the wilderness of Siberia.

'''Alice Elizabeth Doherty''' (the ''Minnesota Woolly Girl'') is a person born with a rare condition known as ..."She has pretty blue eyes, and is as frolicsome as a kitten." She also, at the time, had no teeth, and no signs that she would ever grow any.

'''Wesakechak''' is a trickster character, hero of the Cree tribe. ...current world with magic, either on his own or with powers given to him by the Creator for that specific purpose.

The '''Padfoot''' or '''Padfooit''' is a monstrous shapeshifting [[Black Dog]] The Padfoot's name comes from the padding sound it makes as it walks behind someone.

...ly Blin''' is an English and Lowland Scottish household spirit, similar to the [[brownie]]. ...anic mythology, and later evolved into ''Blind Harie'', the "blind man of the game" in Scotland.

...'Succarath''' is a ferocious beast that lives in the cold, wild country at the tip of South America (Patagonia). Half tiger and half wolf, the Sù has the head of a beautiful but malicious woman. Its tail looks like a large, flat,

'''Blanche Dumas''' is a prodigy born in the French Carribeans with three legs and two genitalia. ...b; it's unknown at this time whether this stump was naturally occurring or the site of a surgical amputation, but promoters sought to maximize its appeal

...the fairies. Due to Shakespeare's influence, later fiction has often used the name "Titania" for fairy queen characters. ...itania' from Ovid's '’Metamorphoses'', where it is an appellation given to the daughters of Titans.

...ns Danny and Larry. Chuy is married and has two daughters, one of whom has the condition. His sister, Lili, was also born with hypertrichosis. She is marr ...'' for the BBC. Chuy has worked backstage on Circus Vargas and is now with the Brothers Grim Side Show, in Dallas, Texas

...shape-shifting water horse from Celtic folklore that is believed to haunt the rivers and lochs of Scotland and Ireland. ...h hairy man who would grip and crush travellers, but it most commonly took the form of a beautiful tame horse standing by a stream or river.

...(including areas of Mississippi and Tennessee), an area once populated by the Chickasaw people. ===The Wildcat Clan===

[[Image:Arimaspian.jpg|thumb|155px|right|Arimaspian from the Nurenburg Chronicle, 1493]] ...bly the Carpathians) in northern Skythia. They were constantly at war with the gold-guarding,

...in Saw Massacre movies. He is a six foot four inch tall mentally disturbed man who wields a chainsaw. ...y suggested Robert Sawyer. His older brother Chop Top calls him "Bubba" in the second movie.

[[Image:The Sacred Hairy Family of Burma.jpg|thumb|The Sacred Hairy Family of Burma]] '''The Sacred Hairy Family of Burma''' is a family of people suffering from hypert

...e legs and two hearts and appeared in sideshows as the ''Only Three Legged Man on Earth'' ...told doctors in 1885; in his sideshow pitch, he claimed that he had broken the leg in a train accident in France, rendering it useless. Additionally, Lipp

'''Dracs''' are fairy creatures in the folklore of South France. ...is apparently derived from ''Draco'' or ''Duerg''. We must recollect that the Visigoths long occupied Provence and Languedoc. ''Fa le Drac'', in Provenç

...'''fenoderee''' is a [[brownie]]-like creature that dwells on the Isle of Man [[Image:fenoderee.gif|thumb|The fenoderee ]]

...'''Moddey Dhoo''' or '''Mauthe Doog''' is a black dog haunting the Isle of Man, especially Peel Castle. ...he eponymous anti-heroic vicious ship's dog in an 1837 novel ''Snarleyyow, the Dog Fiend'' by Captain Frederick Marryat.

'''Percilla Bejano''', also known as ''The Monkey Girl'', was a sideshow performer and a person born with a rare condi ...ld Percilla's hirsuteness drew attention from both the public at large and the medical community. As a baby, Percilla and her parents traveled to New York

...epicted as a little horse or a donkey, which changes form into a man under the conjurer's request. ...ng with a rough voice. He also answers what is asked about, and stays with the conjurer until he or she is satisfied.

[[Image:Noppera-bo.gif|200px|thumb|The Noppera-bō]] The '''Noppera-bō''' (のっぺら坊) is a kind of faceless ghost in Japanese

The '''cucuy''' or '''el cucuy''' is the boogeyman of Latin American cultures. ...ies such as Mexico, Argentina and Chile. In the Mexican-American community the creature is known as ''El cucuy''. Other names include '''coco, cocu, cuco,

In demonology, '''Paimon''' is one of the Kings of Hell. ...demons under his rule, half of them from the Angelic Order, and half from the Order of Powers.

[[Image:Morbach Monster.png|thumb|The Morbach Monster Shrine]] ...' (''Munster Von Morbach'') is a werewolf that has been allegedly haunting the area of Wittlich in Germany.

...road monster and [[Black Dog]] from Belgian folklore, found in and around the town of Hamme. ...abbit. It was a road monster with elements of the [[Barghest]], but unlike the Barghest it had no set form. There was no sure way to identify an animal as

[[Image:Yara-ma-yha-who.jpg|thumb|The Yara-ma-yha-who]] The '''Yara-ma-yha-who''' is a little vampiric furry creature from the Australian Aboriginal folklore.

...y to the West''. He is called "Pigsy" or "Pig" in many English versions of the story. ...kes use of constant alchemical imagery and Bajie is most closely linked to the Wood element, as seen by another one of his nicknames, Mùmǔ (木母, "Woo

The '''Monaciello''', or Little Monk is a house-spirit in the Napolitan Folklore. ...aciello is usually depicted as a short thick kind of little man dressed in the long garments of a monk with a broad brimmed hat.

...ggy Beast''' or '''La Velue''', is a [[dragon]]-like beast that terrorized the city of La Ferté-Bernard, France, in medieval times. ...an for "hairy". "La Velue" means "The Hairy One" in French, a reference to the dragon's main method of defense.

...how they are uncannily well informed, UFOlogists claim that they work for the government, although US intelligence agencies have denied all knowledge of ...of deadly force if necessary. They usually confiscate any "evidence" that the contacted might have collected.

...dieval legend, '''Ceridwen''' was an enchantress, who was said to possess the cauldron of Poetic Inspiration (Awen). ...es, she had two children representing dark and light aspects emerging from the One Goddess her daughter '''Crearwy''' being light and beautiful, and her s

The '''Mi-go''' are a race of extraterrestrials in the [[Cthulhu Mythos]] created by H. P. Lovecraft and expanded on by others. The name was first applied to the creatures in Lovecraft's short story "The Whisperer in Darkness".

An [[Aatxe]] is an evil spirit in the shape of a red or fiery bull which, the Basques believe, leaves its cave on stormy nights to wreak havoc and destru The name Aatxe translates into English as ''young bull'' or simply ''calf.'' It

...the fact that the Umibozu is said to have a large, round head, resembling the shaven heads of Buddhist monks. Umibozu are believed to be drowned priests, and exhibit the shaven head and typically appears to be praying.

...d, is said to bring famine, plague, fires, and other kinds of disasters to the villages it hits. This is a legend told by many Japanese fisherman and sailors that describes the Bake-Kujira:

[[Image:pangu.jpg|thumb|155px|right|Pangu Creating the World from Tui Bei Quan Tu, 1820 copied by Wu-Yi Chao Xie, circa 1900.]] '''Pangu''' was the first living being and the creator of the universe in Chinese mythology.

...on the bluffs of the Mississippi River in Alton. Wings were not present in the original painting.]] ...that was depicted in a mural painted by Native Americans on a cliff above the Mississippi River.

The '''Shunka Warakin''' (also shunka warak'in) is an American beast from crypt In the language of the American Indian Ioway people, as discovered and collected by Loren Coleman,

...human skeletons are known to be personified death in Western culture since the Middle Ages. *The [[Grim Reaper]] is often depicted as a hooded skeleton holding a scythe and

The '''Pukwudgies''' are troll-like creatures that haunt the forests of New England. ...sachusetts and Southern New England and has been sighted until recently in the area of Cape Cod.

...ed with specific real-life persons, such as serial killer [[Albert Fish]]. The term ''bogeyman'' is also used metaphorically to mean a person or thing of ...or under the bed). The bogeyman is said to lurk like this and then attack the sleeper.

[[Image:estries vampires.jpg|thumb|An estrie in the process of feeding.]] The name derives from the French strix, a term for a night owl.

In science fiction and ufology, '''insectoid''' is the name given to alien creatures or extraterrestrials/subterraneans that share ...in his files where separate witnesses reported identical circumstances in the same place and year.

...azotz 3.jpg|thumb|Bat god, Zapotec, Period III-A - Mesoamerican objects in the American Museum of Natural History, NYC, USA]] Camazotz is formed from the Kʼicheʼ words ''kame'', meaning "death", and ''sotz'', meaning "bat".

...e female moss people are known as ''Moosfräulein'' and have a queen called the ''Buschgroßmutter''. ...''sceaga'', both meaning "forest", and therefore represented a cognate of the moss people in Gothic folklore. Subsequent authors, however, have related s

[[Image:Black Dog pub sign Bouley Jersey.jpg|thumb|The monstrous black dog reputed to haunt Bouley Bay in Jersey is depicted on th '''Barghest''', '''Bargtjest''' or '''Bargest''' is the name given in the north of England, especially in Yorkshire, to a mythical monstrous goblin-d

...was cold enough to extinguish flames. Its spittle was so poisonous that a man's hair would fall off his body at its touch. This creature's presence was b [[Image:Salamander.jpg|thumb|The crowned salamander of François 1er]]

the size of an average The most famous hellhound is most likely Cerberus

...laced the sins of the people after which he is sent into the wilderness in the biblical ceremony for Yom Kippur. ...ible. This translation was later appropriated in the King James Version of the Bible.

...from an 18th century Icelandic manuscript, shows Loki with his invention - the fishing net.]] ...rch, "the figure of Loki remains obscure; there is no trace of a cult, and the name does not appear in place-names".

'''Julia Pastrana''' (1834–25 March 1860), also kown as ''the ape woman'', was a Mexican woman born with hypertrichosis and a sideshow pe Pastrana, an indigenous Mexican, was born in 1834, somewhere in the Sierra of Sinaloa State. Her ears and nose were unusually large and her tee

[[Image:nixie.jpg|thumb|155px|right|The Rhine maidens warn Sigfried by Arthur Rackham, 1912.]] ...who may lure men to drown, akin to the Celtic [[Melusine]] and similar to the Greek [[Siren]].

...Xuanzang in the classic Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''. He is given the name Friar Sand or Sandy in many English versions. ...nlike his other victims whose bone sank to the river bottom, the skulls of the monks floated. This fascinated and delighted Wujing, who strung them on a r

...eatures with a single, large foot extending from one thick leg centered in the middle of their body. The name Sciapodes is derived from σκιαποδες- 'shadow foots' in Greek,

The '''Buggane''' was a huge ogre-like creature, native to the Isle of Man. ...ost often seen in the form of a horse or a cow, but who could also take on the appearance of humans. However, a Buggane in human guise could easily be spo

..., and a herd of magnificent red cattle that were guarded by Orthrus, and a man named Eurythion. ...a third species; and blood dripped from their bark, just as gold does from the Heliad poplar" (v.5).

...on that must wander restlessly, burdened by former sins, until it inhabits the body of a living person ...fill its function in its lifetime is given another opportunity to do so in the form of a dybbuk.

...ry kind of elf popular in folklore around Scotland and England (especially the north). Tiny, shaggy-looking man with wrinkled brown skin about 25 inches in height. They wear little ragged

...he body of a man or, conversely, with the body of a bull and the head of a man. ...orical site of Knossos is usually identified as the site of the labyrinth. The Minotaur was eventually killed by Theseus.

...or [[death]] of the victim. From [[mythology]] and fantasy, [[Lilith]] and the [[Lilin]] (Jewish), [[Lilith|Lilitu]] (Sumerian) and [[Rusalka]] (Slavic) w ...gnate women. Children so begotten were supposed to be more susceptible to the influence of demons.

...an hybrid fairy creature from the Northern Scottish (Orkney) folklore from the Fuath family. ...ged the two monsters so that rider and horse become one - a vile hybrid of man and beast.

...03). It was said to be the child of the biblical serpent [[Leviathan]] and the [[Bonnacon]]. [[Image:tarasque.jpg|thumb|The tarasque and St Martha]]

...sprite. The latter would have only one arm and one leg, the face of an old man on a boy's body, and by some accounts a disproportionately long penis and a ...They are also immensely strong. The ridge goes from above its forehead to the back of its head, and with this ridge it can knock down an ox by butting it

...o have played an instrumental role in the fall of Rome. It originates from the [[Book of Imaginary Beings]] by [[Jorge Luis Borges]]. ...r light blue in color. Its skin cannot be pierced by any known weapon, and the creatures themselves are invulnerable and possibly immortal, or at least ve

The '''Kongamato''' is a pterosaur-like cryptid from the border area of Zambia, Cameroon, Angola and Congo. Kongamato means 'breaker of boats'. In Kenya the creature is called '''Batamzinga''' and in Cameroon, '''[[Olitiau]]'''.

[[Image:Headless.jpg|right|frame|The Dullahan on its nightly run]] The '''Dullahan''' (also ''Durahan, Gan Ceann'') is a headless spirit that wand

...lude the Swedish '''skogsrå''' or '''skogsfru''' (meaning "lady (ruler) of the forest") and '''Tallemaja''' (pine tree Mary). ...ox. In Norway she has often been described as a typical dairymaid, wearing the clothes of a regular farm-girl, although somewhat more dazzling than most g

'''Kitsune''' is the Japanese word for ''fox''. ...reat intelligence, long life, and magical powers. Foremost among these is the ability to [[Therianthropy|shapeshifting]] into human form; a fox is said t

...nd to have eaten the liver of her victims. She supposedly haunted areas in the Appalachian Mountains, where she is said to still inhabit today. ...side was about the gap on the trail where Chilhowee mountain comes down to the river.

[[Image:Nain Rouge.jpg|thumb|The Nain Rouge]] The '''Nain Rouge''' (French for '''red gnome''') is a malevolent fairy creatur

[[Image:Cynocephali.jpg|thumb|A cynocephalus. From the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493).]] The '''Cynocephali''' are dog-headed bipedal creatures in the mythologies of Europe, India and China.

...ots, carries a pikestaff, and wears a red cap upon his head. The latter is the source of his name, and Redcap periodically redyes his cap by drenching it ...sometimes by pushing boulders off cliffs on to them, or pushing them from the ramparts of their castles.

...gar were believed to live in the graves of dead Vikings, being the body of the dead. The original Nordic meaning of the word Draugr (pronounced "droo-GORE") is ghost.

The word has a Greek origin and means ''owl'', with which bird it is usually id The Latin feminine plural form of ''stryx'' is ''striges''.

...''king of the serpents''', is a fabulous beast which has been depicted as the most dangerous serpent that ever existed on Earth. ...eged to be hatched by a cockerel from the egg of a serpent (the reverse of the cockatrice, which is hatched from a hen's egg incubated by a serpent's nest

'''Samael''' is one of the seven Archangels and also believed to be the Angel of Death. ...the seven regents of the world served by two million angels; he resides in the Seventh Heaven.

...ginal novel — Frankenstein was the name of the creature's creator, and not the monster itself. ..., and completely unaware of who or what he is, the monster wanders through the wildnerness searching for someone who would understand and shelter him.

[[Image:Thalos.jpg|thumb|Talos the Bronze Giant from Jason and the Argonauts]] ...hology, that some writers say was the last survivor from the Bronze Age of man.

...were despatched by the god to snatch away (harpazô) people and things from the earth. ‘’’Harpyiae’’’ (Harpuiai), means "the swift robbers," in Greek and are, in the Homeric poems, nothing but personified storm winds. (Od. xx. 66, 77.)

...lklore, notably in Ireland and Wales. The Púca is considered by many to be the most terrifying of all faery creatures. One reason for this is its appearan ...it is also a term that can be used to describe almost any cave or hole in the ground.

In the Philippine Islands today, the term '''Aswang''' (or ''Asuwang'') aswang is a generic term that applied to The myth of the aswang is popular in the Western Visayan regions such as Capiz, Iloilo and Antique. Other entities w

...tes du temps passé'' (1697).[[Image:ogre.jpg|thumb|Meeting with an ogre in the forest]] ...whom were French authors. Other sources say that the name is derived from the word Hongrois, which means Hungarian.

...van T. Sanderson and Gerald Russell in 1932. It is sometimes confused with the kongamato. ...hat the name ''olitiau'' may not be the native term for the bat itself, as the locals could have misinterpreted Sanderson's description as that of a devil

...e real creatures, mainstream scientists and experts generally contend that the chupacabra is a mythological creature, or a type of urban legend. ...o Pérez, who intended the name to be a joke. This claim is doubtful, since the word had already been used in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park,

...c [[Mora]], the German [[Mahr]], and the Scandinavian [[Mara]], from which the word [[nightmare]] is derived. [[Image:nightmare.jpg|thumb|Henry Fuseli - ''The Nightmare'' exhibited 1782]]

[[Image:selkie_1.jpg|thumb|The selkie]] ...ently originated on the Orkney Islands, where ''selch'' or ''selk''(ie) is the Scots word for ''seal'' (from Old English ''seolh'').

...a few etymologists have assumed it to be a proper name from the start. In the Book of Jubilees, uncircumcised heathens are called "sons of Belial". ...f Hell. He controls the element of earth and reigns over the Earth demons. The other princes of Hell include Olias, Asmoday, and Vassago.

...n Sumerian mythology, among other things. ''Cthulhu'' is often preceded by the title ''Great'' or ''Dread''. ...merely the closest that the human vocal apparatus can come to reproducing the syllables of an alien language. Other possible pronunciations include ''k-T

In some Native American traditions (Navajo, Hopi, Mohawk...) the '''skin-walker''' or '''yeenaaldlooshii''' is a human who is able to shapes ...'' means literally "with it, he goes on all fours" in the Navajo language. The Mohawk Indian word "limikkin" is sometimes used to describe all skin-walker

...spirit or fairy who presage a death by wailing. She is popularly known as the '''Banshee'''. ..., Cyoerraeth, Gwrach y Rhibyn, Eur-Cunnere Noe, Bean sidhe, Bean Chaointe, the Bean-nighe, Kannerez-Noz

...he head of a ram, of a falcon or of a person, invented by the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom, before being imported in Greek mythology. ...'sphingo''''', meaning "to draw tight". This may be her proper name, but ''The Penugin Dictionary of Classical Mythology'' states that her given name was

prized by Enlil, the Great Kur, king, who turned out the mes-tree in the Abzu,

...in which the playful trope of the clown is rendered as disturbing through the use of horror elements and dark humor. ...n, reckless, or simply insane — that of the giggling maniac. This includes the notorious Canio who murdered Nedda and Silvio (recorded in Leoncavallo's op

'''Cookie Monster''' is a popular Muppet character on the children's television show Sesame Street. ...pepper shakers, napkins, telephones, motorcycles, and the four letters in the word "food". Once, he even attempted to eat Guy Smiley.

[[Image:Nightmare2.jpg|thumb|John Henry Fuseli - The Nightmare]] '''Mare''' in the word ''nightmare'' is not a female horse, but a '''mara''', an Anglo-Saxon

...ng it in 1967 and 1969 to the final ''El libro de los seres imaginarios''. The English edition, created in collaboration with translator Norman Thomas di ...the shifting patterns of a kaleidoscope"; and that "legends of men taking the shapes of animals" have been omitted.

...and "dumb", and literally means "cocoon". The name appears to derive from the word ''gelem'' (גלם), which means "raw material". ===Origins of the word===

[[Image:doppleganger.jpg|thumb|The famous airman ghost]] ...t of physical double that look very similar to the ghosts of the deceased. The idea of a doppelganger is sometimes similar to that of an "evil twin."

[[Image:changeling.jpg|thumb|Henri Fuseli 'The Changeling' 1780]] ...for this conduct stems from the desire to have a human servant (domestic), the love of a human child, or from malice. Some people believed that trolls wo

The '''tatzelwurm''' is a dragon-like beast and cryptid reported from the Alps mountains areas covering part of Austria, Bavaria and Switzerland. ...s, possibly juveniles, are considerably smaller. Local folklore holds that the Tatzelwurm is able to defend itself by expelling poisonous fumes that are c

...1703), about a cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for his penniless and low-born master. ...he fictional Marquis of Carabas. The cat continues making gifts of game to the king for several months.

...e '''devil'''. For the Christian devil, see [[Devil in Christianity]], for the Islamic devil, see [[Iblis]].'' [[Image:Michael Pacher 004.jpg|thumb|right|''Saint Wolfgang and the Devil'' by Michael Pacher.]]

Similarly to the other [[cryptid]]s, no one has produced proof of the existence of reptilian humanoids, and allegations of their existence can at ...mmon are the myths of "Serpents of Wisdom" who enlightened humanity before the dawn of civilization; but it has been noted by mythologists that here "serp

...), a race of creatures. The word "jinn" literally means anything which has the connotation of concealment, invisibility, seclusion and remoteness. ...the word ''génie'' as a translation of ''jinni'' because it was similar to the Arabic word both in sound and in meaning; this meaning was also picked up i

...d his retinue find the sleeping Ariadne whom Theseus has just abandoned on the island of Naxos. ]] ...ociated with the Italic '''Liber'''), the Thracian God of wine, represents the intoxicating power of wine, but also its social and beneficent influences.

...as a giant huntsman in Greek mythology whom Zeus placed among the stars as the constellation of Orion. ...us consented and, as a memorial to the hero's death, added the Scorpion to the heavens as well.

...the head, beak and wings of an eagle, the body of a lion and occasionally the tail of a serpent. ...to modern day lions. The oldest and strongest male used to be the head of the group.

...s is more a reflection of fiction's influence than an authentic feature of the folk [[legend]]s. Werewolves are sometimes held to become [[vampire]]s afte ==Origins and variations of the word==

...unter and are able to provide detailed reports of the grey beings anatomy. The information about these creatures varies from source to source. Greys are the most widely reported type of alien and usually depicted as hairless small h

...ns) from numerous organic components. The term is often used to illustrate the functioning of a system. ...id in the ground surrounded by horse manure for forty days, at which point the embryo would form.

...although these fictional depictions often do not bear much resemblance to the original mythology. The word “Wendigo” (pronounced wehn-dee-go) comes from the Native American Algonquian language, meaning “evil spirit that devours ma

...n modern fantasy literature and role-playing games, trolls are featured to the extent of being stock characters. The meaning of the word ''troll'' is uncertain. It might have had the originally meaning of ''supernatural'' or ''Magic'' with an overlay of ''ma

...nt spellings in Haiti; '''Vudu''' in the Dominican Republic) is applied to the branches of a West African ancestor-based [[Spiritism|spiritist]]-[[Animism ...Lemba (originally a cult practiced among the Bakongo) is as widespread as the West African elements, but has largely been overlooked by North Americans.

...Spriggans, Welsh Knockers, Cornish Knockers, German Kobolds and Wichtlein, the Irish Phooka and even Shakespeare's infamous Puck . ...to some traditions, ''goblin'' comes from ''Gob'' or ''Ghob'', the king of the [[gnome|gnomes]], whose inferiors were called ''Ghob-lings''.

A '''Martian''' is the alleged or fictional native inhabitant of the planet Mars. ...vessels; they had no organs for digestion. The ear, located in the back of the head, was believed to have been useless in our atmosphere.

...a letter sent to the London Central News Agency by someone claiming to be the murderer. ...the victims led some officials at the time of the murders to propose that the killer possessed anatomical or surgical knowledge.

'''Anansi''' (/əˈnɑːnsi/ ə-nahn-see) the trickster is the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore. ...s evolved into Aunt Nancy. He is a spider, but often acts and appears as a man.

[[Image:daleknew.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A Dalek from the 2005 series]] ...so, collectively, the greatest alien adversaries of the Time Lord known as the Doctor. Their most infamous catchphrase is "EX-TER-MIN-ATE!", with each syl