(1997). Republican Newsroom, et al. ", "Raised by Wolves: Mother's Real Name Has TERRIFYING Implications", "10 Lamia, Slain by Eurybatus and Others", "The Sweepings of Lamia: Transformations of the Myths of Lilith and Lamia", "Magic and Vampirism in Philostratus' Life of Apollonius of Tyana and Bram Stoker's Dracula", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lamia&oldid=1133907789, Articles with Latin-language sources (la), Articles containing Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2007, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 02:23. In Greek: " , ", Cupid refers to Psyche's sisters as Lamiae, Apul. (Mapuche Mythology/Folklore), 90. [9] Heraclitus's euhemerized account explains that Hera, consort of Zeus, gouged the eyes out of the beautiful Lamia. Radford, Benjamin. ). Wyvern: A creature with reptilian body and dragons wings and head (European Heraldry), 58. Werebear A Ursidae therianthropic creature. In the 1st-century Life of Apollonius of Tyana the female empousa-lamia is also called "a snake",[40] which may seem to the modern reader to be just a metaphorical expression, but which Daniel Ogden insists is a literal snake. Cockatrice: Two-legged serpent like dragon creature with head of a rooster (Medieval Bestiaries), 51. She lifted her eyes towards the ferryman. Monsters of the Sea. It was also used as an answer to severe depression and violent thoughts that a mother might have towards her children since it was believed that no mother could ever hurt her own child unless she wasnt truly the mother. Indrik: One-horned gigantic bull with deer legs and head of a horse vaguely resembling a rhinoceros (Russian Mythology/Folklore), 95. [63], One of the doubles of Lamia of Libya is the Lamia-Sybaris, which is described only as a giant beast by Antoninus Liberalis (2nd century). Here, Lamia is the common vulgar term and empousa the proper term. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. [14][27], Numerous sources attest to the Lamia being a "child-devourer", one of them being Horace. Hippogriff: Hind half of horse and front half of an eagle (Medieval Bestiaries), 13. If you want to sleep soundly tonight, you might not want to read about these mythological creatures discussed on, How I Learned To Love Myself While Living With AStoma, 25 Twisted Urban Legends That Will Cause You To Lose Sleep Tonight (And TomorrowToo), 25 People Discuss The Unexplainable, Unsolved Mystery In Their PersonalLife, The 23 Scariest Urban Legends You Will Ever Hear In YourLife. 11(. Werewolves are a widespread feature of European mythology. [i][47][48] The same joke was used in theatrical Greek comedy,[49] and generally. The creepiest one in my opinion has always been the Doppelgngerfrom Bavarian folklore, which is similar to the Changelingfrom Irish folklore except its not related to fairies. The Man-Wolves of Ossory [14][15], Diodorus's rationalization was that the Libyan queen in her drunken state was as if she could not see, allowing her citizens free rein for any conduct without supervision, giving rise to the folk myth that she places her eyes in a vessel. In a description on Pottermore, Rowling describes the creatures as follows: Diodorus Siculus (fl. Modern commentators have also tried to establish that she may have originally been a dragoness, by inference. Jorgumo from the Gazu Hyakki Yagy by Toriyama Sekien. Basically a mass of teeth, tentacles and milky blind eyes sitting in the center of reality, being soothed by his demonic chorus. However, there are also superstitions which claim thedoppelgangeris a non-human entity which can alter its physical appearance to literally become someone else and take their place. Someone who naturally looks exactly like someone else without any blood relation. A Pukwudgie, also spelled Puk-Wudjie (another spelling, Puck-wudj-ininee, is translated by Henry Schoolcraft as "little wild man of the woods that vanishes"),[1] is a human-like creature of Wampanoag folklore, found in Delaware and Prince Edward Island, sometimes said to be 2-to-3-foot-tall (61 to 91cm). He is a participant in several well-known legends. [37][36], A representative example is Philostratus's novelistic biography Life of Apollonius of Tyana.[37]. They famously pulled the Greek sun god Apollo through the sky. 5. Fish-Man: Amphibian Human-looking Cryptid (Cantabrian Mythology), 84. Oxford University Press. Empusa is equated with Hecate in a fragment of Aristophanes's lost play, Keats made a note to this effect at the end of the first page in the fair copy he made: see William E. Harrold, "Keats' 'Lamia' and Peacock's 'Rhododaphne'". If the kid answers yes or screams, she cuts them to resemble herself. Its like a possessing force that makes a person want to eat human flesh, found mostly in northern climates where getting stranded without food in the winter is a much more common possibility. They are known to kidnap people, push them off cliffs, attack their victims with short knives and spears, and to use sand to blind their victims. It is known for its fearsome screech that compares to the cackle of a hyena. It is a fairy creature said to often resemble a black cat. It is believed that whoever listened to her play would die rather sooner than later. Typhon: Deadly Serpentine Giant (Greek Mythology), 22. An account of Apollonius of Tyana's defeat of a lamia-seductress inspired the poem Lamia by John Keats. Each culture has different mythical creatures that come from many different origins. Although the lower body of Draper's Lamia is human, he alludes to her serpentine history by draping a shed snakeskin about her waist. Lamia are featured in the progressive rock album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis on the track "The Lamia." These animals have then gone on to be described as mythical beasts in stories and subsequent interpretations. [13][12], According to one myth, Hera deprived Lamia of the ability to sleep, making her constantly grieve over the loss of her children, and Zeus provided relief by endowing her with removable eyes. The creepiest version of this Ive seen is a floating humanoid figure that moves quickly with the wind, with a starved figure and a distended belly because theyre always starving for more human flesh. Goddamn things are terrifying. The mythical story of the Graeae has changed over the course of time. Imp: Similar to goblin or fairy (European Folklore), 28. Cynocephaly: Jackal-headed humanoid (Medieval Bestiaries), 71. From ancient mythology (in Mesopotamia, India, Greece, and China) all the way into the. Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0 FR, via Wikimedia Commons. Sluaghs are heightening creatures that hunt down souls. Note the snakeskin wrapped around her arm and waist. They are frightened of gold, and even a single gold pin can drive a Dullahan away. CheGaffero. Eliots The Waste Land (1922). Huay Chay: Half-man, half beast creature (Mayan Mythology), 99. Medusa. They the fairies and the pygmies, The Pukwudgie is also native to America: a short, grey-faced, large-eared creature distantly related to the European goblin. The Dullahan /dulhn/ is a headless rider, usually on a black horse who carries his or her own head under one arm. When they consulted Tiresias, he asserted that women had greater pleasure than men, and Hera thereupon struck him blind. [67], A second example is a colony of man-eating monsters in Libya, described by Dio Chrysostom. [43], Regarding the seductress, Apollonius further warned, "you are warming a snake (ophis) on your bosom, and it is a snake that warms you". His enemy, Typhoeus, is a threat because of his hundreds of flame-spurting eyes. Cyclops: One-Eyed Giants (Greek Mythology), 19. The Graeae share certain similarities with the three Norns, known as Shapers of Destiny in Norse mythology. Many may choose to believe myths, legends, fables, and stories, while many others may want an explanation, evidence and/or proof of what is said in such stories. Scylla: Monster that lived by the water (Greek Mythology), 44. Fachan: Ferocious Giant with Half a body (Scottish-Irish Mythology). 12. [54][55][m][n], Meroe has seduced a man named Socrates, but when he plots to escape, the two witches raid his bed, thrust a knife in the neck to tap the blood into a skin bag, eviscerate his heart, and stuff the hole back with sponge. The centaur or hippocentaur is a legendary creature from Greek mythology. The Norns were goddesses who ruled the fates of people, determined the destinies and lifespans of individuals. This type of weapon is referenced in Greek and Roman mythology. The mouth is usually in a hideous grin that touches both sides of the head. For the Basque lamia, see. One editor coined the word, Glawackus. Fachan, a creature from Celtic mythology with one eye, one arm and one leg The Graeae, the three witches (or sisters) that shared one eye and one tooth between them; often depicted as clairvoyant. Tiresias also had a role in Homers Odyssey. Dragons are well-known mythical creatures. "a Lamia's groin" (Benjamin Bickley Rogers, 1874), "a foul Lamia's testicles" (Athenian Society, 1912), "sweaty Crotch of a Lamia" (Paul Roche, 2005). There are mystical mythical creatures that inhabit land, the sea and the air. Perseus took the eye from the Graeae to kill Medusa. Sea Serpent: A large type of dragon-snake monster found in the sea (Greek Mythology), 23. She mainly targets young women who have just come-of-age. While the existence of mythical beasts may not be widely believed, the possibility of the unknown taking the form of an animal, hybrid, or part animal-part human does exist. While these theories have not been proven (and might be impossible to prove), belief among believers is exceedingly high. They may have drastic differences in skin color and eye type and may have scales, fur, claws, and tails. Founded in 2010, Thought Catalog is owned and operated by The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. 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