Mythical Creatures
Mythical creatures are creatures originating from myths, legends, fables, folklore, and religions all around the world. These creatures are often fantastic and mysterious, and sometimes carry extraordinary powers. Perhaps their most defining characteristic is that they are legendary, often featuring in the tales of gods and heroes, and have been a source of inspiration for many cultures throughout the ages.
- Dragons
Types of Mythical Creatures
Dragons are one of the most iconic mythical creatures, featuring in cultures all over the world. Often possessing magical powers and extreme strength, they are generally depicted as large, fire-breathing, reptilian, and scaly creatures existing in isolated mountains or underground lairs. Many legends involve dragons protecting important objects or performing tasks for a hero.
- Unicorns
The unicorn is a beautiful mythical creature dating as far back as ancient Mesopotamian and Greek mythology. It is a creature often associated with innocence and purity, and it is said to have magical powers of healing. Legends depicted it as a horse-like creature with a single horn growing from its forehead.
- Mermaids
Mermaids are part human, part fish beings originating in stories of the sea. They are often depicted as beautiful, mysterious creatures, possessing the ability to transform and enchant sailors. Tales depict them as living in the depths of oceans and seas, often associating them with having magical powers, such as the ability to either help or hinder sailors on the open seas.
- Griffins
Griffins are legendary creatures which have the body of a lion and the head, wings and talons of an eagle. They are typically depicted as strong and powerful guardians, where in some myths and legends, they serve as guardians to important locations, treasures or people.
- Centaurs
The Centaur is a mythical creature with the upper body of a human, and the lower body of a horse. They are often depicted as fair and noble creatures with great strength and can be incredibly wise. In ancient Greek legends, centaurs were wild and often destructive, but eventually learned to become more civilized and noble, living in peaceful communes in the woods.
- Phoenixes
The Phoenix is a mythical bird with a colorful plumage and a tail of gold and scarlet, said to be the one bird that never died, but was instead reincarnated into a new body every 500 years. It is a creature of immense beauty, with stories saying that it could purify and rejuvenate everything around it.
- Giant’s
Giants are humans of extraordinarily large size, often depicted in legends as huge and powerful creatures. They are often portrayed as having enormous strength, eating whole farms or villages within one bite. They feature in Norse and Greek mythology, with tales involving them competing against heroes or gods for dominance.
Popular Representations of Mythical Creatures
Mythical creatures have been a source of fascination and inspiration for many years, with them featuring in books, movies and pop culture in a variety of ways.
Books
One of the most prolific examples of mythical creatures in literature is J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, his Middle-earth having dragons, orcs, trolls, and orcs, amongst many other creatures. Another example is the Harry Potter series, where fantastic beasts have been a prominent part of the story, ranging from dragons to Hippogriffs.
Movies
Mythical creatures have often been portrayed on the silver screen both from Western and Eastern cultures. Eastern culture recently saw its iconic creatures brought to life in Yuen Woo-ping’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Western Culture has seen many famous characters take on fantastic creatures, including E.T., where Elliot’s alien friend was seen as part human, part alien.
Television
The late 80s and early 90s saw a surge in mythical creatures appearing on our screen, with popular series such as the highly successful X-Files devoting a significant amount of time to exploring the supernatural and mythical. A more recent example is the hit series Game of Thrones, where dragons, giants and wraiths have featured tied into the stories of the protagonists.
Mythical creatures have been a source of fascination and inspiration for many cultures around the world. They have featured in myths, legends, fables, folklore and religion, and become a major part of books, movies and television. With their beauty, mystery and strength, mythical creatures have become part of our collective experience and journey through life, and will likely continue to inspire us for many years to come.
