Questions tagged [mythical-creatures]
For questions about animals or non-human beings described in folklore and legends, which may or may not be based on actual creatures.
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Who was the first to depict long-tailed fauns?
I have seen several pieces of artwork that depict fauns with long, tufted tails. I initially thought this was just something that C.S. Lewis had made up*, but now I'm curious.
Who was the first person ...
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How big is a ziz?
I initially asked this question on Worldbuilding, and a few people said this site would be a better fit. How big is the ziz? Mythology states that it was large enough to block out the sun with its ...
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Help! Looking for a list of bird-human hybrids in mythology
I'm looking either for a list (linked or in your answer) of half human creatures from any and all mythology that can fly. Specifically, half human half bird. I am aware of harpies and sirens, although ...
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Mythology of Crete
Are there any mythological beings that are Cretan ,and not Greek .For example the minotaur is set in Crete but a Greek story .Are there any pure Cretan legends or Myths .
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What is a reptile with many heads meant to symbolize?
I'm from Romania, a country where you fill like you are in a trash can in urban zones, but feels like a fairy tale in rural zones. In school we learn about fairy tales (which is a species of very ...
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Is there a mythological creature that causes its viewer to commit suicide?
I've found a lot of creatures that kill, but not one that compels someone to commit suicide. Does anything like this exist?
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Which culture believed in a bird whose flight sustains the universe?
I came across a mythological belief a few weeks ago, I believe in a Sam Kriss piece (1).
It centered around a bird (a swan or goose, I want to say?) that ceaselessly flew (in a primordial void/chaos?) ...
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What species were new centaurs born from?
Centaurs are typically only depicted as male. I remember reading something about centaurs reproducing with human women. There's also a vague memory I have of reading that centaurs can mate with horses....
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Persian name for the al-mi'rāj (one-horned rabbit)
The al-mi'rāj is a creature of Persian myth, which resembles a one-horned rabbit. Despite being a Persian myth, most sources seem to have been written in Arabic, hence the Arabic name(s), but what is ...
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What is the "Lert" creature mentioned in Mistral's Poem of the Rhône?
In Frédéric Mistral's epic poem "Lou Pouèmo dóu Rose" (The Poem of the Rhône) from 1897, in Song XI, Verse XCVI is mentioned a creature. Here are the relevant lines in the original Provençal,...
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Is there any creature or being with the role of keeping good and evil balanced?
Is there any creature or being in either mythology or folklore that serves as a form of "negotiator" between good and evil, with the role of keep order and balance between them
(whether it's ...
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Myths about creatures/items/beings that talked with people or took away their problems?
Are there any myths about beings/items/creatures that talked with people in a friendly way? Almost as if the being was a therapist to the human or something? I can think of the caladrius that ...
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How many different werewolf variants are there?
I know there are different types of lycanthrope, a shapeshifter with 2 shifts. I know that different cultures (like japanese, western, norse) discuss the consent of lycanthropes. But how many ...
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What are the "nine fearful curses that plague mankind" of Orcadian folklore, besides the 'Stoor Worm'?
The 'Stoor Worm' of Orcadian folklore is described as one of the nine fearful curses that plague mankind, what are the other curses if there are any?
Islanders were terrified of the serpent; it was ...
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What creatures are there that adopt and take care of children?
I really want to know if there is a creature that adopts or take care of children. I tried to find one myself but it almost shows a creature that scares children or eats them which is the opposite of ...
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