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mystery.
TREESQUEAK | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Arborexusta stridens (Tryon), Tree-squeak Treesqueaks make a whole variety of sounds, including vocalizations that evoke the wind in the trees, a cougar’s whine, a piglet’s squeal, and firecrackers at a wedding. These critters of the northern woods are small, prehensile-bodied, and can change color to match the treethey’re on.
QIQIRN | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Quiquern The Qiqirn is a huge dog of Inuit folklore. It is hairless except for its mouth, feet, and ear and tail tips. The mere presence of a qiqirn around men or dogs causes them to suffer fits, a state which ends only when the qiqirn leaves. However, the qiqirn is also extremely scared PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOLKLORE Variations: Númhyělekum. Númhyalikyu, “one chief one”, is an enormous, monstrous halibut of Pacific Northwest Kwakwaka’wakw folklore. Its back looks like a beach, complete with ripples left behind by the waves. It has the head of a seal, with a shining spot that gleams like fire. BELGIUM | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Traîcousse, also known as Trécouche (pronounced tré-coutche) is a vile creature that can be found lurking in the ponds and waterways of the Southwestern Ardennes and the Semois, especially Hautes-Rivières in France and Bohan in Belgium. As a water bogey, it is invoked to discourage children from entering rivers. NADUBI | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Nadubi is one of a variety of evil nocturnal spirits that haunt Australia. Nadubi may be found on the rocky plateau of Arnhem Land. They serve as a warning against traveling alone in the bush during the chilly hours of night. Nadubi are a spirit peopleHAAKAPAINIŽI
Haakapainiži, the Grasshopper as he is known to the Kawaiisu, is an unpleasant ogre from Southern California, although he lives on a rock in a Nevadan lake. His counterpart in Chemehuevi folklore is Aatakapitsi, and their tales are parallel. Haakapainiži takes several forms, but the best known is that of a giant grasshopper walking ontwo
ROLLING-CALF
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside tricksters. They may be found in bamboo thickets and cottonwood groves, and feed on bamboo, "duppy pumpkin", and strangler figs. Duppies appear from SHĀDAWĀR | A BOOK OF CREATURES The shādawār has been incorrectly described as a flesh-eater, using its music to attract potential prey. In fact, Al-Qazwini makes no mention of any carnivorous tendencies. Al-Mustawfi, however, combines Al-Qazwini’s account of the shādawār with that of the carnivorous Sirānis immediately preceding it. It is the sirānis that lures prey GROOTSLANG | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Groot Slang, Big Snake, Great Snake, Great Snake of the Orange River, Ki-man The Grootslang, literally “big snake” or “great snake”, dwells in or around the Orange River in the Richtersveld, South Africa, in association with fabulous diamond deposits. Its home may be in the Orange River itself, a pool underneath the King George Cataract, ROPERITE | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Roperite is one of the few Fearsome Critters found outside the northern lumberwoods. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where the digger pine grows, and it tends to live in herds. An active and gregarious animal, it has not been seen in a while, and there is concern that it may already be extinct. Roperite biology is amystery.
TREESQUEAK | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Arborexusta stridens (Tryon), Tree-squeak Treesqueaks make a whole variety of sounds, including vocalizations that evoke the wind in the trees, a cougar’s whine, a piglet’s squeal, and firecrackers at a wedding. These critters of the northern woods are small, prehensile-bodied, and can change color to match the treethey’re on.
QIQIRN | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Quiquern The Qiqirn is a huge dog of Inuit folklore. It is hairless except for its mouth, feet, and ear and tail tips. The mere presence of a qiqirn around men or dogs causes them to suffer fits, a state which ends only when the qiqirn leaves. However, the qiqirn is also extremely scared PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOLKLORE Variations: Númhyělekum. Númhyalikyu, “one chief one”, is an enormous, monstrous halibut of Pacific Northwest Kwakwaka’wakw folklore. Its back looks like a beach, complete with ripples left behind by the waves. It has the head of a seal, with a shining spot that gleams like fire. BELGIUM | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Traîcousse, also known as Trécouche (pronounced tré-coutche) is a vile creature that can be found lurking in the ponds and waterways of the Southwestern Ardennes and the Semois, especially Hautes-Rivières in France and Bohan in Belgium. As a water bogey, it is invoked to discourage children from entering rivers. NADUBI | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Nadubi is one of a variety of evil nocturnal spirits that haunt Australia. Nadubi may be found on the rocky plateau of Arnhem Land. They serve as a warning against traveling alone in the bush during the chilly hours of night. Nadubi are a spirit peopleHAAKAPAINIŽI
Haakapainiži, the Grasshopper as he is known to the Kawaiisu, is an unpleasant ogre from Southern California, although he lives on a rock in a Nevadan lake. His counterpart in Chemehuevi folklore is Aatakapitsi, and their tales are parallel. Haakapainiži takes several forms, but the best known is that of a giant grasshopper walking ontwo
ROLLING-CALF
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside tricksters. They may be found in bamboo thickets and cottonwood groves, and feed on bamboo, "duppy pumpkin", and strangler figs. Duppies appear from SHĀDAWĀR | A BOOK OF CREATURES The shādawār has been incorrectly described as a flesh-eater, using its music to attract potential prey. In fact, Al-Qazwini makes no mention of any carnivorous tendencies. Al-Mustawfi, however, combines Al-Qazwini’s account of the shādawār with that of the carnivorous Sirānis immediately preceding it. It is the sirānis that lures prey CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves. PONTAROF | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Tebuch, Thébuch, Tebuch Pontarof Thevet tells of a West Indian fish called the Tebuch, Thébuch, or Pontarof, which means “robber fish” or “evil fish”. A pontarof is the size of a porpoise or bigger, but not as long. Its round head is human in appearance except forA BOOK OF CREATURES
A Complete Guide to Entities of Myth, Legend, and Folklore. You may be reading A Book of Creatures, but have you considered reading other books of creatures? Perhaps you just finished reading The Crystal Witch’s Encyclopedia of Elemental Birds and Beasts and are wondering whether or not it’s adequately researched? Or maybe you’re just one of my annoying fans convinced that I have theA BOOK OF CREATURES
A Complete Guide to Entities of Myth, Legend, and Folklore. La Grande Encylopédie des Lutins/Fées/Elfes (The Great Encyclopedia of Faeries; The Complete Encyclopedia of Elves, Goblins, and other Little Creatures). by Pierre Dubois, illustrations by Claudine and RolandSabatier
QIQIRN | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Quiquern The Qiqirn is a huge dog of Inuit folklore. It is hairless except for its mouth, feet, and ear and tail tips. The mere presence of a qiqirn around men or dogs causes them to suffer fits, a state which ends only when the qiqirn leaves. However, the qiqirn is also extremely scaredA BOOK OF CREATURES
A Complete Guide to Entities of Myth, Legend, and Folklore. Here we have a menacing alpine dragon – what would be called a tatzelwurm nowadays (a regional name that has since come to conveniently apply to alpine dragons as a whole, but back then they were all simplydragons).
DODO | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Kadindi, Kaddodi, Kadda, Swallower-of-Men The Dodo is a monstrous humanoid creature from the folklore of the Hausa people. He can be found lurking in the deep forests and swamps of sub-Saharan West Africa, with a range including Sudan, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Côte d'Ivoire. The dodo has nothing in common with the extinctflightless
ARABIAN FOLKLORE
The Zoureg is a snake, one foot in length, that lives in the Arabian desert. When it moves it goes through everything in its path like a hot knife through butter; rocks, trees, walls and human bodies are all equally powerless to stop it. Anyone who a zoureg goes through dies instantly. It can only be killed by decapitating it in its sleep.A BOOK OF CREATURES
In the face of a natural world of infinite wonder, humanity found it necessary to create beings of their own. These are the creatures of the imagination, invented to explain phenomena, provide cautionary tales, or simply amuse the listeners.QASOǴONAǴA
Variations: Gasogonaga, Kasogonagá, Kasogongá, QasoGonaGa; Lightning; Owner of Storms/Lightning For the Toba of Argentina, lighning takes the form of a small, hairy creature called Qasoǵonaǵa, the Owner of Storms. It is an anteater, or perhaps an elephant, with a long snout, long rainbow-colored hair, and four tiny feet. Qasoǵonaǵa can also appear in human form, retaining a smallA BOOK OF CREATURES
A Book of Creatures. Our imagination has always been our greatest ally, and our worst enemy. In the face of the unknown, we populated it with creatures of all shapes and sizes, from minuscule spirits to gigantic cosmic monsters. These entities have shared our world ever since we earned the capacity to wonder. CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves. GROOTSLANG | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Groot Slang, Big Snake, Great Snake, Great Snake of the Orange River, Ki-man The Grootslang, literally “big snake” or “great snake”, dwells in or around the Orange River in the Richtersveld, South Africa, in association with fabulous diamond deposits. Its home may be in the Orange River itself, a pool underneath the King George Cataract, TREESQUEAK | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Arborexusta stridens (Tryon), Tree-squeak Treesqueaks make a whole variety of sounds, including vocalizations that evoke the wind in the trees, a cougar’s whine, a piglet’s squeal, and firecrackers at a wedding. These critters of the northern woods are small, prehensile-bodied, and can change color to match the treethey’re on.
MOSKITTO | A BOOK OF CREATURES Moskittos are a cautionary tale about the perils of introducing invasive species. They originated with the Chippewa River mosquitos, which were large enough to straddle a stream, pick lumberjacks off logs as they floated by, and drain them dry. They were so big, in fact, that if caught in such a straddle, they could be ROPERITE | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Roperite is one of the few Fearsome Critters found outside the northern lumberwoods. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where the digger pine grows, and it tends to live in herds. An active and gregarious animal, it has not been seen in a while, and there is concern that it may already be extinct. Roperite biology is amystery.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOLKLORE Variations: Númhyělekum. Númhyalikyu, “one chief one”, is an enormous, monstrous halibut of Pacific Northwest Kwakwaka’wakw folklore. Its back looks like a beach, complete with ripples left behind by the waves. It has the head of a seal, with a shining spot that gleams like fire. NADUBI | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Nadubi is one of a variety of evil nocturnal spirits that haunt Australia. Nadubi may be found on the rocky plateau of Arnhem Land. They serve as a warning against traveling alone in the bush during the chilly hours of night. Nadubi are a spirit people QIQIRN | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Quiquern The Qiqirn is a huge dog of Inuit folklore. It is hairless except for its mouth, feet, and ear and tail tips. The mere presence of a qiqirn around men or dogs causes them to suffer fits, a state which ends only when the qiqirn leaves. However, the qiqirn is also extremely scaredROLLING-CALF
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside tricksters. They may be found in bamboo thickets and cottonwood groves, and feed on bamboo, "duppy pumpkin", and strangler figs. Duppies appear fromA BOOK OF CREATURES
A Book of Creatures. Our imagination has always been our greatest ally, and our worst enemy. In the face of the unknown, we populated it with creatures of all shapes and sizes, from minuscule spirits to gigantic cosmic monsters. These entities have shared our world ever since we earned the capacity to wonder. CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves. GROOTSLANG | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Groot Slang, Big Snake, Great Snake, Great Snake of the Orange River, Ki-man The Grootslang, literally “big snake” or “great snake”, dwells in or around the Orange River in the Richtersveld, South Africa, in association with fabulous diamond deposits. Its home may be in the Orange River itself, a pool underneath the King George Cataract, TREESQUEAK | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Arborexusta stridens (Tryon), Tree-squeak Treesqueaks make a whole variety of sounds, including vocalizations that evoke the wind in the trees, a cougar’s whine, a piglet’s squeal, and firecrackers at a wedding. These critters of the northern woods are small, prehensile-bodied, and can change color to match the treethey’re on.
MOSKITTO | A BOOK OF CREATURES Moskittos are a cautionary tale about the perils of introducing invasive species. They originated with the Chippewa River mosquitos, which were large enough to straddle a stream, pick lumberjacks off logs as they floated by, and drain them dry. They were so big, in fact, that if caught in such a straddle, they could be ROPERITE | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Roperite is one of the few Fearsome Critters found outside the northern lumberwoods. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where the digger pine grows, and it tends to live in herds. An active and gregarious animal, it has not been seen in a while, and there is concern that it may already be extinct. Roperite biology is amystery.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOLKLORE Variations: Númhyělekum. Númhyalikyu, “one chief one”, is an enormous, monstrous halibut of Pacific Northwest Kwakwaka’wakw folklore. Its back looks like a beach, complete with ripples left behind by the waves. It has the head of a seal, with a shining spot that gleams like fire. NADUBI | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Nadubi is one of a variety of evil nocturnal spirits that haunt Australia. Nadubi may be found on the rocky plateau of Arnhem Land. They serve as a warning against traveling alone in the bush during the chilly hours of night. Nadubi are a spirit people QIQIRN | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Quiquern The Qiqirn is a huge dog of Inuit folklore. It is hairless except for its mouth, feet, and ear and tail tips. The mere presence of a qiqirn around men or dogs causes them to suffer fits, a state which ends only when the qiqirn leaves. However, the qiqirn is also extremely scaredROLLING-CALF
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside tricksters. They may be found in bamboo thickets and cottonwood groves, and feed on bamboo, "duppy pumpkin", and strangler figs. Duppies appear from CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves.A BOOK OF CREATURES
A Complete Guide to Entities of Myth, Legend, and Folklore. La Grande Encylopédie des Lutins/Fées/Elfes (The Great Encyclopedia of Faeries; The Complete Encyclopedia of Elves, Goblins, and other Little Creatures). by Pierre Dubois, illustrations by Claudine and RolandSabatier
PONTAROF | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Tebuch, Thébuch, Tebuch Pontarof Thevet tells of a West Indian fish called the Tebuch, Thébuch, or Pontarof, which means “robber fish” or “evil fish”. A pontarof is the size of a porpoise or bigger, but not as long. Its round head is human in appearance except forA BOOK OF CREATURES
A Complete Guide to Entities of Myth, Legend, and Folklore. Here we have a menacing alpine dragon – what would be called a tatzelwurm nowadays (a regional name that has since come to conveniently apply to alpine dragons as a whole, but back then they were all simplydragons).
A BOOK OF CREATURES
In the face of a natural world of infinite wonder, humanity found it necessary to create beings of their own. These are the creatures of the imagination, invented to explain phenomena, provide cautionary tales, or simply amuse the listeners. ICELAND | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Bjarndýrakóngur, the “King of the Bears”, is the undisputed monarch of the polar bears of Iceland. It is born from a female polar bear and a walrus or a bull. A bjarndýrakóngur has red cheeks and a single horn on its forehead. The horn, which is its scepter ofauthority, has a
SOUTH AMERICAN FOLKLORE Norato was a boiúna who would leave the Tocantins river and head into Carolina at night to party. He was an avid dancer who swapped his scaly hide for a dashing white jacket. A man once saw a giant snake leave the river and turn into a man, leaving his QIQIRN | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Quiquern The Qiqirn is a huge dog of Inuit folklore. It is hairless except for its mouth, feet, and ear and tail tips. The mere presence of a qiqirn around men or dogs causes them to suffer fits, a state which ends only when the qiqirn leaves. However, the qiqirn is also extremely scared ABÚHUKÜ | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Abúhuwa (pl.) The victims of the Abúhuwa, the rainforest demons of the Cubeo people of the Colombian Amazon, are easily recognized. An abúhukü will cut a hole in the skull before sucking out the contents of the body. Sometimes prey is rolled in palm leaves and tenderized. Either way, they leave an empty skin BELGIUM | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Traîcousse, also known as Trécouche (pronounced tré-coutche) is a vile creature that can be found lurking in the ponds and waterways of the Southwestern Ardennes and the Semois, especially Hautes-Rivières in France and Bohan in Belgium. As a water bogey, it is invoked to discourage children from entering rivers.A BOOK OF CREATURES
A Book of Creatures. Our imagination has always been our greatest ally, and our worst enemy. In the face of the unknown, we populated it with creatures of all shapes and sizes, from minuscule spirits to gigantic cosmic monsters. These entities have shared our world ever since we earned the capacity to wonder. CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves. GROOTSLANG | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Groot Slang, Big Snake, Great Snake, Great Snake of the Orange River, Ki-man The Grootslang, literally “big snake” or “great snake”, dwells in or around the Orange River in the Richtersveld, South Africa, in association with fabulous diamond deposits. Its home may be in the Orange River itself, a pool underneath the King George Cataract, TREESQUEAK | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Arborexusta stridens (Tryon), Tree-squeak Treesqueaks make a whole variety of sounds, including vocalizations that evoke the wind in the trees, a cougar’s whine, a piglet’s squeal, and firecrackers at a wedding. These critters of the northern woods are small, prehensile-bodied, and can change color to match the treethey’re on.
ROPERITE | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Roperite is one of the few Fearsome Critters found outside the northern lumberwoods. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where the digger pine grows, and it tends to live in herds. An active and gregarious animal, it has not been seen in a while, and there is concern that it may already be extinct. Roperite biology is amystery.
MOSKITTO | A BOOK OF CREATURES Moskittos are a cautionary tale about the perils of introducing invasive species. They originated with the Chippewa River mosquitos, which were large enough to straddle a stream, pick lumberjacks off logs as they floated by, and drain them dry. They were so big, in fact, that if caught in such a straddle, they could be PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOLKLORE Variations: Númhyělekum. Númhyalikyu, “one chief one”, is an enormous, monstrous halibut of Pacific Northwest Kwakwaka’wakw folklore. Its back looks like a beach, complete with ripples left behind by the waves. It has the head of a seal, with a shining spot that gleams like fire.HAAKAPAINIŽI
Haakapainiži, the Grasshopper as he is known to the Kawaiisu, is an unpleasant ogre from Southern California, although he lives on a rock in a Nevadan lake. His counterpart in Chemehuevi folklore is Aatakapitsi, and their tales are parallel. Haakapainiži takes several forms, but the best known is that of a giant grasshopper walking ontwo
QIQIRN | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Quiquern The Qiqirn is a huge dog of Inuit folklore. It is hairless except for its mouth, feet, and ear and tail tips. The mere presence of a qiqirn around men or dogs causes them to suffer fits, a state which ends only when the qiqirn leaves. However, the qiqirn is also extremely scaredROLLING-CALF
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside tricksters. They may be found in bamboo thickets and cottonwood groves, and feed on bamboo, "duppy pumpkin", and strangler figs. Duppies appear fromA BOOK OF CREATURES
A Book of Creatures. Our imagination has always been our greatest ally, and our worst enemy. In the face of the unknown, we populated it with creatures of all shapes and sizes, from minuscule spirits to gigantic cosmic monsters. These entities have shared our world ever since we earned the capacity to wonder. CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves. PONTAROF | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Tebuch, Thébuch, Tebuch Pontarof Thevet tells of a West Indian fish called the Tebuch, Thébuch, or Pontarof, which means “robber fish” or “evil fish”. A pontarof is the size of a porpoise or bigger, but not as long. Its round head is human in appearance except for GROOTSLANG | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Groot Slang, Big Snake, Great Snake, Great Snake of the Orange River, Ki-man The Grootslang, literally “big snake” or “great snake”, dwells in or around the Orange River in the Richtersveld, South Africa, in association with fabulous diamond deposits. Its home may be in the Orange River itself, a pool underneath the King George Cataract, TREESQUEAK | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Arborexusta stridens (Tryon), Tree-squeak Treesqueaks make a whole variety of sounds, including vocalizations that evoke the wind in the trees, a cougar’s whine, a piglet’s squeal, and firecrackers at a wedding. These critters of the northern woods are small, prehensile-bodied, and can change color to match the treethey’re on.
ROPERITE | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Roperite is one of the few Fearsome Critters found outside the northern lumberwoods. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where the digger pine grows, and it tends to live in herds. An active and gregarious animal, it has not been seen in a while, and there is concern that it may already be extinct. Roperite biology is amystery.
MOSKITTO | A BOOK OF CREATURES Moskittos are a cautionary tale about the perils of introducing invasive species. They originated with the Chippewa River mosquitos, which were large enough to straddle a stream, pick lumberjacks off logs as they floated by, and drain them dry. They were so big, in fact, that if caught in such a straddle, they could be PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOLKLORE Variations: Númhyělekum. Númhyalikyu, “one chief one”, is an enormous, monstrous halibut of Pacific Northwest Kwakwaka’wakw folklore. Its back looks like a beach, complete with ripples left behind by the waves. It has the head of a seal, with a shining spot that gleams like fire. QIQIRN | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Quiquern The Qiqirn is a huge dog of Inuit folklore. It is hairless except for its mouth, feet, and ear and tail tips. The mere presence of a qiqirn around men or dogs causes them to suffer fits, a state which ends only when the qiqirn leaves. However, the qiqirn is also extremely scaredROLLING-CALF
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside tricksters. They may be found in bamboo thickets and cottonwood groves, and feed on bamboo, "duppy pumpkin", and strangler figs. Duppies appear from CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves.A BOOK OF CREATURES
A Complete Guide to Entities of Myth, Legend, and Folklore. La Grande Encylopédie des Lutins/Fées/Elfes (The Great Encyclopedia of Faeries; The Complete Encyclopedia of Elves, Goblins, and other Little Creatures). by Pierre Dubois, illustrations by Claudine and RolandSabatier
QIQUE | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Qi-magpie, Qidui “Where does the Qi-magpie dwell?” asks the Questions of Heaven. According to the Shan Hai Jing it makes its home on North Shouting Mountain. It looks like a chicken with a white head, the feet of a rat, and the claws ofA BOOK OF CREATURES
Variations: Polevoi, Polievik, Poludnitsa, Poludnica The Polevik or Polevoi (from pole, “field”) is the Russian spirit of fields, plains, and noontime. His appearance varies considerably. In Belozersk District and the northern forest regions he is a man dressed in white. ICELAND | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Bjarndýrakóngur, the “King of the Bears”, is the undisputed monarch of the polar bears of Iceland. It is born from a female polar bear and a walrus or a bull. A bjarndýrakóngur has red cheeks and a single horn on its forehead. The horn, which is its scepter ofauthority, has a
SOUTH AMERICAN FOLKLORE Norato was a boiúna who would leave the Tocantins river and head into Carolina at night to party. He was an avid dancer who swapped his scaly hide for a dashing white jacket. A man once saw a giant snake leave the river and turn into a man, leaving his QIQIRN | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Quiquern The Qiqirn is a huge dog of Inuit folklore. It is hairless except for its mouth, feet, and ear and tail tips. The mere presence of a qiqirn around men or dogs causes them to suffer fits, a state which ends only when the qiqirn leaves. However, the qiqirn is also extremely scaredARABIAN FOLKLORE
The Zoureg is a snake, one foot in length, that lives in the Arabian desert. When it moves it goes through everything in its path like a hot knife through butter; rocks, trees, walls and human bodies are all equally powerless to stop it. Anyone who a zoureg goes through dies instantly. It can only be killed by decapitating it in its sleep. BELGIUM | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Traîcousse, also known as Trécouche (pronounced tré-coutche) is a vile creature that can be found lurking in the ponds and waterways of the Southwestern Ardennes and the Semois, especially Hautes-Rivières in France and Bohan in Belgium. As a water bogey, it is invoked to discourage children from entering rivers. ABÚHUKÜ | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Abúhuwa (pl.) The victims of the Abúhuwa, the rainforest demons of the Cubeo people of the Colombian Amazon, are easily recognized. An abúhukü will cut a hole in the skull before sucking out the contents of the body. Sometimes prey is rolled in palm leaves and tenderized. Either way, they leave an empty skinA BOOK OF CREATURES
A Book of Creatures. Our imagination has always been our greatest ally, and our worst enemy. In the face of the unknown, we populated it with creatures of all shapes and sizes, from minuscule spirits to gigantic cosmic monsters. These entities have shared our world ever since we earned the capacity to wonder. CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves. GROOTSLANG | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Groot Slang, Big Snake, Great Snake, Great Snake of the Orange River, Ki-man The Grootslang, literally “big snake” or “great snake”, dwells in or around the Orange River in the Richtersveld, South Africa, in association with fabulous diamond deposits. Its home may be in the Orange River itself, a pool underneath the King George Cataract, TREESQUEAK | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Arborexusta stridens (Tryon), Tree-squeak Treesqueaks make a whole variety of sounds, including vocalizations that evoke the wind in the trees, a cougar’s whine, a piglet’s squeal, and firecrackers at a wedding. These critters of the northern woods are small, prehensile-bodied, and can change color to match the treethey’re on.
ROPERITE | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Roperite is one of the few Fearsome Critters found outside the northern lumberwoods. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where the digger pine grows, and it tends to live in herds. An active and gregarious animal, it has not been seen in a while, and there is concern that it may already be extinct. Roperite biology is amystery.
MOSKITTO | A BOOK OF CREATURES Moskittos are a cautionary tale about the perils of introducing invasive species. They originated with the Chippewa River mosquitos, which were large enough to straddle a stream, pick lumberjacks off logs as they floated by, and drain them dry. They were so big, in fact, that if caught in such a straddle, they could be PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOLKLORE Variations: Númhyělekum. Númhyalikyu, “one chief one”, is an enormous, monstrous halibut of Pacific Northwest Kwakwaka’wakw folklore. Its back looks like a beach, complete with ripples left behind by the waves. It has the head of a seal, with a shining spot that gleams like fire.HAAKAPAINIŽI
Haakapainiži, the Grasshopper as he is known to the Kawaiisu, is an unpleasant ogre from Southern California, although he lives on a rock in a Nevadan lake. His counterpart in Chemehuevi folklore is Aatakapitsi, and their tales are parallel. Haakapainiži takes several forms, but the best known is that of a giant grasshopper walking ontwo
QIQIRN | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Quiquern The Qiqirn is a huge dog of Inuit folklore. It is hairless except for its mouth, feet, and ear and tail tips. The mere presence of a qiqirn around men or dogs causes them to suffer fits, a state which ends only when the qiqirn leaves. However, the qiqirn is also extremely scaredROLLING-CALF
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside tricksters. They may be found in bamboo thickets and cottonwood groves, and feed on bamboo, "duppy pumpkin", and strangler figs. Duppies appear fromA BOOK OF CREATURES
A Book of Creatures. Our imagination has always been our greatest ally, and our worst enemy. In the face of the unknown, we populated it with creatures of all shapes and sizes, from minuscule spirits to gigantic cosmic monsters. These entities have shared our world ever since we earned the capacity to wonder. CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves. GROOTSLANG | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Groot Slang, Big Snake, Great Snake, Great Snake of the Orange River, Ki-man The Grootslang, literally “big snake” or “great snake”, dwells in or around the Orange River in the Richtersveld, South Africa, in association with fabulous diamond deposits. Its home may be in the Orange River itself, a pool underneath the King George Cataract, TREESQUEAK | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Arborexusta stridens (Tryon), Tree-squeak Treesqueaks make a whole variety of sounds, including vocalizations that evoke the wind in the trees, a cougar’s whine, a piglet’s squeal, and firecrackers at a wedding. These critters of the northern woods are small, prehensile-bodied, and can change color to match the treethey’re on.
ROPERITE | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Roperite is one of the few Fearsome Critters found outside the northern lumberwoods. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where the digger pine grows, and it tends to live in herds. An active and gregarious animal, it has not been seen in a while, and there is concern that it may already be extinct. Roperite biology is amystery.
MOSKITTO | A BOOK OF CREATURES Moskittos are a cautionary tale about the perils of introducing invasive species. They originated with the Chippewa River mosquitos, which were large enough to straddle a stream, pick lumberjacks off logs as they floated by, and drain them dry. They were so big, in fact, that if caught in such a straddle, they could be PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOLKLORE Variations: Númhyělekum. Númhyalikyu, “one chief one”, is an enormous, monstrous halibut of Pacific Northwest Kwakwaka’wakw folklore. Its back looks like a beach, complete with ripples left behind by the waves. It has the head of a seal, with a shining spot that gleams like fire.HAAKAPAINIŽI
Haakapainiži, the Grasshopper as he is known to the Kawaiisu, is an unpleasant ogre from Southern California, although he lives on a rock in a Nevadan lake. His counterpart in Chemehuevi folklore is Aatakapitsi, and their tales are parallel. Haakapainiži takes several forms, but the best known is that of a giant grasshopper walking ontwo
QIQIRN | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Quiquern The Qiqirn is a huge dog of Inuit folklore. It is hairless except for its mouth, feet, and ear and tail tips. The mere presence of a qiqirn around men or dogs causes them to suffer fits, a state which ends only when the qiqirn leaves. However, the qiqirn is also extremely scaredROLLING-CALF
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside tricksters. They may be found in bamboo thickets and cottonwood groves, and feed on bamboo, "duppy pumpkin", and strangler figs. Duppies appear from CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves.A BOOK OF CREATURES
A Complete Guide to Entities of Myth, Legend, and Folklore. La Grande Encylopédie des Lutins/Fées/Elfes (The Great Encyclopedia of Faeries; The Complete Encyclopedia of Elves, Goblins, and other Little Creatures). by Pierre Dubois, illustrations by Claudine and RolandSabatier
A BOOK OF CREATURES
Variations: Bonguru According to the mythology of the Solomon Islands, there was once a time when the waters flooded the Earth. This great flood, the Ruarua, engulfed all of the islands, even the 4,000 feet high San Cristoval hills; those drowned in it turned into stone pillars, which can still be seen at Mwata.It was Umaroa, leader of the Muara clan, who saved his people by taking them, a QIQUE | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Qi-magpie, Qidui “Where does the Qi-magpie dwell?” asks the Questions of Heaven. According to the Shan Hai Jing it makes its home on North Shouting Mountain. It looks like a chicken with a white head, the feet of a rat, and the claws ofA BOOK OF CREATURES
Variations: Polevoi, Polievik, Poludnitsa, Poludnica The Polevik or Polevoi (from pole, “field”) is the Russian spirit of fields, plains, and noontime. His appearance varies considerably. In Belozersk District and the northern forest regions he is a man dressed in white. ICELAND | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Bjarndýrakóngur, the “King of the Bears”, is the undisputed monarch of the polar bears of Iceland. It is born from a female polar bear and a walrus or a bull. A bjarndýrakóngur has red cheeks and a single horn on its forehead. The horn, which is its scepter ofauthority, has a
QIQIRN | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Quiquern The Qiqirn is a huge dog of Inuit folklore. It is hairless except for its mouth, feet, and ear and tail tips. The mere presence of a qiqirn around men or dogs causes them to suffer fits, a state which ends only when the qiqirn leaves. However, the qiqirn is also extremely scaredARABIAN FOLKLORE
The Zoureg is a snake, one foot in length, that lives in the Arabian desert. When it moves it goes through everything in its path like a hot knife through butter; rocks, trees, walls and human bodies are all equally powerless to stop it. Anyone who a zoureg goes through dies instantly. It can only be killed by decapitating it in its sleep. ABÚHUKÜ | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Abúhuwa (pl.) The victims of the Abúhuwa, the rainforest demons of the Cubeo people of the Colombian Amazon, are easily recognized. An abúhukü will cut a hole in the skull before sucking out the contents of the body. Sometimes prey is rolled in palm leaves and tenderized. Either way, they leave an empty skin BELGIUM | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Traîcousse, also known as Trécouche (pronounced tré-coutche) is a vile creature that can be found lurking in the ponds and waterways of the Southwestern Ardennes and the Semois, especially Hautes-Rivières in France and Bohan in Belgium. As a water bogey, it is invoked to discourage children from entering rivers. CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves. GROOTSLANG | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Groot Slang, Big Snake, Great Snake, Great Snake of the Orange River, Ki-man The Grootslang, literally “big snake” or “great snake”, dwells in or around the Orange River in the Richtersveld, South Africa, in association with fabulous diamond deposits. Its home may be in the Orange River itself, a pool underneath the King George Cataract, ROPERITE | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Roperite is one of the few Fearsome Critters found outside the northern lumberwoods. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where the digger pine grows, and it tends to live in herds. An active and gregarious animal, it has not been seen in a while, and there is concern that it may already be extinct. Roperite biology is amystery.
TREESQUEAK | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Arborexusta stridens (Tryon), Tree-squeak Treesqueaks make a whole variety of sounds, including vocalizations that evoke the wind in the trees, a cougar’s whine, a piglet’s squeal, and firecrackers at a wedding. These critters of the northern woods are small, prehensile-bodied, and can change color to match the treethey’re on.
CANADIAN FOLKLORE
Onniont. The Onniont is a huge serpent of Huron folklore that looks like an armored fish. When it travels, it breaks through everything in its path. Rocks, trees, and bears are all grist to its mill. An onniont is unstoppable. Any small part of it would make a potent talisman. Nobody ever saw an onniont. PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOLKLORE Variations: Númhyělekum. Númhyalikyu, “one chief one”, is an enormous, monstrous halibut of Pacific Northwest Kwakwaka’wakw folklore. Its back looks like a beach, complete with ripples left behind by the waves. It has the head of a seal, with a shining spot that gleams like fire.HAAKAPAINIŽI
Haakapainiži, the Grasshopper as he is known to the Kawaiisu, is an unpleasant ogre from Southern California, although he lives on a rock in a Nevadan lake. His counterpart in Chemehuevi folklore is Aatakapitsi, and their tales are parallel. Haakapainiži takes several forms, but the best known is that of a giant grasshopper walking ontwo
BELGIUM | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Traîcousse, also known as Trécouche (pronounced tré-coutche) is a vile creature that can be found lurking in the ponds and waterways of the Southwestern Ardennes and the Semois, especially Hautes-Rivières in France and Bohan in Belgium. As a water bogey, it is invoked to discourage children from entering rivers.ROLLING-CALF
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside tricksters. They may be found in bamboo thickets and cottonwood groves, and feed on bamboo, "duppy pumpkin", and strangler figs. Duppies appear from SHĀDAWĀR | A BOOK OF CREATURES The shādawār has been incorrectly described as a flesh-eater, using its music to attract potential prey. In fact, Al-Qazwini makes no mention of any carnivorous tendencies. Al-Mustawfi, however, combines Al-Qazwini’s account of the shādawār with that of the carnivorous Sirānis immediately preceding it. It is the sirānis that lures prey CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves. GROOTSLANG | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Groot Slang, Big Snake, Great Snake, Great Snake of the Orange River, Ki-man The Grootslang, literally “big snake” or “great snake”, dwells in or around the Orange River in the Richtersveld, South Africa, in association with fabulous diamond deposits. Its home may be in the Orange River itself, a pool underneath the King George Cataract, ROPERITE | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Roperite is one of the few Fearsome Critters found outside the northern lumberwoods. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where the digger pine grows, and it tends to live in herds. An active and gregarious animal, it has not been seen in a while, and there is concern that it may already be extinct. Roperite biology is amystery.
TREESQUEAK | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Arborexusta stridens (Tryon), Tree-squeak Treesqueaks make a whole variety of sounds, including vocalizations that evoke the wind in the trees, a cougar’s whine, a piglet’s squeal, and firecrackers at a wedding. These critters of the northern woods are small, prehensile-bodied, and can change color to match the treethey’re on.
CANADIAN FOLKLORE
Onniont. The Onniont is a huge serpent of Huron folklore that looks like an armored fish. When it travels, it breaks through everything in its path. Rocks, trees, and bears are all grist to its mill. An onniont is unstoppable. Any small part of it would make a potent talisman. Nobody ever saw an onniont. PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOLKLORE Variations: Númhyělekum. Númhyalikyu, “one chief one”, is an enormous, monstrous halibut of Pacific Northwest Kwakwaka’wakw folklore. Its back looks like a beach, complete with ripples left behind by the waves. It has the head of a seal, with a shining spot that gleams like fire.HAAKAPAINIŽI
Haakapainiži, the Grasshopper as he is known to the Kawaiisu, is an unpleasant ogre from Southern California, although he lives on a rock in a Nevadan lake. His counterpart in Chemehuevi folklore is Aatakapitsi, and their tales are parallel. Haakapainiži takes several forms, but the best known is that of a giant grasshopper walking ontwo
BELGIUM | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Traîcousse, also known as Trécouche (pronounced tré-coutche) is a vile creature that can be found lurking in the ponds and waterways of the Southwestern Ardennes and the Semois, especially Hautes-Rivières in France and Bohan in Belgium. As a water bogey, it is invoked to discourage children from entering rivers.ROLLING-CALF
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside tricksters. They may be found in bamboo thickets and cottonwood groves, and feed on bamboo, "duppy pumpkin", and strangler figs. Duppies appear from SHĀDAWĀR | A BOOK OF CREATURES The shādawār has been incorrectly described as a flesh-eater, using its music to attract potential prey. In fact, Al-Qazwini makes no mention of any carnivorous tendencies. Al-Mustawfi, however, combines Al-Qazwini’s account of the shādawār with that of the carnivorous Sirānis immediately preceding it. It is the sirānis that lures preyA BOOK OF CREATURES
A Book of Creatures. Our imagination has always been our greatest ally, and our worst enemy. In the face of the unknown, we populated it with creatures of all shapes and sizes, from minuscule spirits to gigantic cosmic monsters. These entities have shared our world ever since we earned the capacity to wonder. QIQUE | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Qi-magpie, Qidui “Where does the Qi-magpie dwell?” asks the Questions of Heaven. According to the Shan Hai Jing it makes its home on North Shouting Mountain. It looks like a chicken with a white head, the feet of a rat, and the claws ofA BOOK OF CREATURES
Variations: Bonguru According to the mythology of the Solomon Islands, there was once a time when the waters flooded the Earth. This great flood, the Ruarua, engulfed all of the islands, even the 4,000 feet high San Cristoval hills; those drowned in it turned into stone pillars, which can still be seen at Mwata.It was Umaroa, leader of the Muara clan, who saved his people by taking them, aA BOOK OF CREATURES
Variations: Polevoi, Polievik, Poludnitsa, Poludnica The Polevik or Polevoi (from pole, “field”) is the Russian spirit of fields, plains, and noontime. His appearance varies considerably. In Belozersk District and the northern forest regions he is a man dressed in white.AMERICAN SOUTHWEST
Variations: Cac na’alka hi, Bear that Pursues, Tracking Bear The fearsome Sasnalkáhi, the Bear that Pursues, was a monstrous bear that terrorized the Navajo people. As one of the Anaye, Sasnalkáhi was born from unnatural sexual practices; in this case, his “fathers” were a smooth stone and a leg sinew. HUMANOIDS | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Zankallala is a terrifyingly mighty creature from the folklore of the Hausa people. He is only the size of two clenched fists, but he wields a snake as a walking-stick, a pair of scorpions as spurs, and a swarm of bees as a hat. His mount is a jerboa. Wherever he goes, he is followed by birds that sing his praises and attack his enemies.CANADIAN FOLKLORE
Onniont. The Onniont is a huge serpent of Huron folklore that looks like an armored fish. When it travels, it breaks through everything in its path. Rocks, trees, and bears are all grist to its mill. An onniont is unstoppable. Any small part of it would make a potent talisman. Nobody ever saw an onniont. MALTA | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Thunder Camel In Maltese, dajna refers to a fallow deer or an unkempt woman. It is also the name of a titanic primordial camel that lived on Malta before the Deluge. A dajna or thunder camel had the head and neck of a camel but was ten times the size of anelephant.
ANAYE | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Cac na’alka hi, Bear that Pursues, Tracking Bear The fearsome Sasnalkáhi, the Bear that Pursues, was a monstrous bear that terrorized the Navajo people. As one of the Anaye, Sasnalkáhi was born from unnatural sexual practices; in this case, his “fathers” were a smooth stone and a leg sinew. SHĀDAWĀR | A BOOK OF CREATURES The shādawār has been incorrectly described as a flesh-eater, using its music to attract potential prey. In fact, Al-Qazwini makes no mention of any carnivorous tendencies. Al-Mustawfi, however, combines Al-Qazwini’s account of the shādawār with that of the carnivorous Sirānis immediately preceding it. It is the sirānis that lures prey CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves. GROOTSLANG | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Groot Slang, Big Snake, Great Snake, Great Snake of the Orange River, Ki-man The Grootslang, literally “big snake” or “great snake”, dwells in or around the Orange River in the Richtersveld, South Africa, in association with fabulous diamond deposits. Its home may be in the Orange River itself, a pool underneath the King George Cataract, ROPERITE | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Roperite is one of the few Fearsome Critters found outside the northern lumberwoods. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where the digger pine grows, and it tends to live in herds. An active and gregarious animal, it has not been seen in a while, and there is concern that it may already be extinct. Roperite biology is amystery.
TREESQUEAK | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Arborexusta stridens (Tryon), Tree-squeak Treesqueaks make a whole variety of sounds, including vocalizations that evoke the wind in the trees, a cougar’s whine, a piglet’s squeal, and firecrackers at a wedding. These critters of the northern woods are small, prehensile-bodied, and can change color to match the treethey’re on.
CANADIAN FOLKLORE
Onniont. The Onniont is a huge serpent of Huron folklore that looks like an armored fish. When it travels, it breaks through everything in its path. Rocks, trees, and bears are all grist to its mill. An onniont is unstoppable. Any small part of it would make a potent talisman. Nobody ever saw an onniont. PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOLKLORE Variations: Númhyělekum. Númhyalikyu, “one chief one”, is an enormous, monstrous halibut of Pacific Northwest Kwakwaka’wakw folklore. Its back looks like a beach, complete with ripples left behind by the waves. It has the head of a seal, with a shining spot that gleams like fire.HAAKAPAINIŽI
Haakapainiži, the Grasshopper as he is known to the Kawaiisu, is an unpleasant ogre from Southern California, although he lives on a rock in a Nevadan lake. His counterpart in Chemehuevi folklore is Aatakapitsi, and their tales are parallel. Haakapainiži takes several forms, but the best known is that of a giant grasshopper walking ontwo
BELGIUM | A BOOK OF CREATURESDEADLY MYTHICAL CREATURESLIST OF DARK MYTHICAL CREATURESMYTHICAL HUMAN LIKE CREATURESMYTHICAL MOUNTAINCREATURES
The Traîcousse, also known as Trécouche (pronounced tré-coutche) is a vile creature that can be found lurking in the ponds and waterways of the Southwestern Ardennes and the Semois, especially Hautes-Rivières in France and Bohan in Belgium. As a water bogey, it is invoked to discourage children from entering rivers.ROLLING-CALF
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside tricksters. They may be found in bamboo thickets and cottonwood groves, and feed on bamboo, "duppy pumpkin", and strangler figs. Duppies appear from SHĀDAWĀR | A BOOK OF CREATURES The shādawār has been incorrectly described as a flesh-eater, using its music to attract potential prey. In fact, Al-Qazwini makes no mention of any carnivorous tendencies. Al-Mustawfi, however, combines Al-Qazwini’s account of the shādawār with that of the carnivorous Sirānis immediately preceding it. It is the sirānis that lures prey CANADA | A BOOK OF CREATURES According to the Huron, the Angont is the source of death, disease, and all the misfortunes of the world. It is a monstrous snake that lives in a number of dark and secluded areas, including lakes, rivers, deep woods, under rocks, and in caves. GROOTSLANG | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Groot Slang, Big Snake, Great Snake, Great Snake of the Orange River, Ki-man The Grootslang, literally “big snake” or “great snake”, dwells in or around the Orange River in the Richtersveld, South Africa, in association with fabulous diamond deposits. Its home may be in the Orange River itself, a pool underneath the King George Cataract, ROPERITE | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Roperite is one of the few Fearsome Critters found outside the northern lumberwoods. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada where the digger pine grows, and it tends to live in herds. An active and gregarious animal, it has not been seen in a while, and there is concern that it may already be extinct. Roperite biology is amystery.
TREESQUEAK | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Arborexusta stridens (Tryon), Tree-squeak Treesqueaks make a whole variety of sounds, including vocalizations that evoke the wind in the trees, a cougar’s whine, a piglet’s squeal, and firecrackers at a wedding. These critters of the northern woods are small, prehensile-bodied, and can change color to match the treethey’re on.
CANADIAN FOLKLORE
Onniont. The Onniont is a huge serpent of Huron folklore that looks like an armored fish. When it travels, it breaks through everything in its path. Rocks, trees, and bears are all grist to its mill. An onniont is unstoppable. Any small part of it would make a potent talisman. Nobody ever saw an onniont. PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOLKLORE Variations: Númhyělekum. Númhyalikyu, “one chief one”, is an enormous, monstrous halibut of Pacific Northwest Kwakwaka’wakw folklore. Its back looks like a beach, complete with ripples left behind by the waves. It has the head of a seal, with a shining spot that gleams like fire.HAAKAPAINIŽI
Haakapainiži, the Grasshopper as he is known to the Kawaiisu, is an unpleasant ogre from Southern California, although he lives on a rock in a Nevadan lake. His counterpart in Chemehuevi folklore is Aatakapitsi, and their tales are parallel. Haakapainiži takes several forms, but the best known is that of a giant grasshopper walking ontwo
BELGIUM | A BOOK OF CREATURESDEADLY MYTHICAL CREATURESLIST OF DARK MYTHICAL CREATURESMYTHICAL HUMAN LIKE CREATURESMYTHICAL MOUNTAINCREATURES
The Traîcousse, also known as Trécouche (pronounced tré-coutche) is a vile creature that can be found lurking in the ponds and waterways of the Southwestern Ardennes and the Semois, especially Hautes-Rivières in France and Bohan in Belgium. As a water bogey, it is invoked to discourage children from entering rivers.ROLLING-CALF
Variations: Rolling Calf A duppy is a type of ghost or spirit native to Jamaica. While described as the souls of dead people, duppies have much in common with Old World shapeshifters and roadside tricksters. They may be found in bamboo thickets and cottonwood groves, and feed on bamboo, "duppy pumpkin", and strangler figs. Duppies appear from SHĀDAWĀR | A BOOK OF CREATURES The shādawār has been incorrectly described as a flesh-eater, using its music to attract potential prey. In fact, Al-Qazwini makes no mention of any carnivorous tendencies. Al-Mustawfi, however, combines Al-Qazwini’s account of the shādawār with that of the carnivorous Sirānis immediately preceding it. It is the sirānis that lures preyA BOOK OF CREATURES
A Book of Creatures. Our imagination has always been our greatest ally, and our worst enemy. In the face of the unknown, we populated it with creatures of all shapes and sizes, from minuscule spirits to gigantic cosmic monsters. These entities have shared our world ever since we earned the capacity to wonder. QIQUE | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Qi-magpie, Qidui “Where does the Qi-magpie dwell?” asks the Questions of Heaven. According to the Shan Hai Jing it makes its home on North Shouting Mountain. It looks like a chicken with a white head, the feet of a rat, and the claws ofA BOOK OF CREATURES
Variations: Bonguru According to the mythology of the Solomon Islands, there was once a time when the waters flooded the Earth. This great flood, the Ruarua, engulfed all of the islands, even the 4,000 feet high San Cristoval hills; those drowned in it turned into stone pillars, which can still be seen at Mwata.It was Umaroa, leader of the Muara clan, who saved his people by taking them, aA BOOK OF CREATURES
Variations: Polevoi, Polievik, Poludnitsa, Poludnica The Polevik or Polevoi (from pole, “field”) is the Russian spirit of fields, plains, and noontime. His appearance varies considerably. In Belozersk District and the northern forest regions he is a man dressed in white.AMERICAN SOUTHWEST
Variations: Cac na’alka hi, Bear that Pursues, Tracking Bear The fearsome Sasnalkáhi, the Bear that Pursues, was a monstrous bear that terrorized the Navajo people. As one of the Anaye, Sasnalkáhi was born from unnatural sexual practices; in this case, his “fathers” were a smooth stone and a leg sinew. HUMANOIDS | A BOOK OF CREATURES The Zankallala is a terrifyingly mighty creature from the folklore of the Hausa people. He is only the size of two clenched fists, but he wields a snake as a walking-stick, a pair of scorpions as spurs, and a swarm of bees as a hat. His mount is a jerboa. Wherever he goes, he is followed by birds that sing his praises and attack his enemies.CANADIAN FOLKLORE
Onniont. The Onniont is a huge serpent of Huron folklore that looks like an armored fish. When it travels, it breaks through everything in its path. Rocks, trees, and bears are all grist to its mill. An onniont is unstoppable. Any small part of it would make a potent talisman. Nobody ever saw an onniont. MALTA | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Thunder Camel In Maltese, dajna refers to a fallow deer or an unkempt woman. It is also the name of a titanic primordial camel that lived on Malta before the Deluge. A dajna or thunder camel had the head and neck of a camel but was ten times the size of anelephant.
ANAYE | A BOOK OF CREATURES Variations: Cac na’alka hi, Bear that Pursues, Tracking Bear The fearsome Sasnalkáhi, the Bear that Pursues, was a monstrous bear that terrorized the Navajo people. As one of the Anaye, Sasnalkáhi was born from unnatural sexual practices; in this case, his “fathers” were a smooth stone and a leg sinew. SHĀDAWĀR | A BOOK OF CREATURES The shādawār has been incorrectly described as a flesh-eater, using its music to attract potential prey. In fact, Al-Qazwini makes no mention of any carnivorous tendencies. Al-Mustawfi, however, combines Al-Qazwini’s account of the shādawār with that of the carnivorous Sirānis immediately preceding it. It is the sirānis that lures preyA BOOK OF CREATURES
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* A Book of CreaturesARASSAS
The Arassas hails from the folklore of Lagrand in the Hautes-Alpes region of France. It is a greyish-colored animal with the head of a cat and the body of a lizard. It lives in ruined houses and old crumbling walls. Its gaze kills immediately. Like other European mountain dragons, it is likely derived from superstitions about otters and martens.REFERENCES
van Gennep, A. (1948) _Le folklore des Hautes-Alpes, Tome II_. J. P. Maisonneuve et Cie, Paris.__12 Comments
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__ November 18, 2019abookofcreatures
A , Deadly gaze
, Dragons
, Forest and Mountain, France
, Hybrids
, Mammals
, Reptiles
Dragons , French folklore, Mammalian
folklore ,
Mammals , Reptile folklore, Reptiles
CATHACH
VARIATIONS: Cáthach Ireland’s three dragon sisters Dabran, Farbagh, and Cathach were the offspring of the gatekeeper of Hell and the all-devouring sow; they were nursed by the red demon of West Ireland. Cathach, the youngest of the three, made her home on Inis Cathaig (now Scattery Island). A horrible sight she was to see, a great dragon bigger a small isle, with a back like a round island covered with scales and shells. A rough bristly mane like a boar’s covered her foreparts. When she opened her cavernous mouth filled with a double row of sharp teeth, her entrails could be seen. A cruel eye gleamed in her head. Her body stood on two short, thick, hairy legs armed with iron nails that struck sparks on the rocks as she moved. Her belly was like a furnace. The tail of a whale she had, a tail with iron claws on it that ploughed furrows in the ground behind her. Cathach could move on land and swim with equal ease, and the sea boiled around her. Dabran and Farbagh were both slain by Crohan, Sal, and Daltheen, the three sons of Toraliv M’Stairn. When Cathach sensed the loss of her siblings, she went on a rampage, laying waste to the lands around the Shannon Estuary from Limerick to the sea, sinking ships and paralyzing commerce for a year. When the three brothers returned and saw the destruction wreaked by Cathach, they were so distraught that they flung themselves into the sea to their deaths. Cathach herself was defeated by a far more humble and unassuming hero. When Saint Senan made landfall on Inis Cathaig, Cathach prepared to devour him whole. But the holy man made the sign of the cross in front of her face, and she was quieted. “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, leave this island, and hurt no one here or wherever you leave to”. And Cathach did as she was told. She disappeared into the estuary and went to Sliab Collain without harming anyone; and if she is still alive, she has remained obedient toSenan’s command.
The ruins of the church of Saint Senan can still be seen to this dayon Scattery Island.
REFERENCES
Hackett, W. (1852) _Folk-lore – No. I. Porcine Legends_. Transactions of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society, 2(1), pp. O’Donovan, J. (1864) _The Martyrology of Donegal_. Alexander Thom,Dublin.
Stokes, W. S. (1890) _Lives of Saints from the Book of Lismore_. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Stokes, W. (1905) _The Martyrology of Oengus the Culdee_. Harrison andSons, London.
Watts, A. A. (1828) _The Literary Souvenir_. Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, & Green, London.__13 Comments
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__ November 15, 2019abookofcreatures
C , Dragons
, Firebreathers
, Ireland
, Islands
, Pond and River
, Reptiles
Dragons , Irish folklore, Reptile folklore
, Reptiles
, River and lake monstersFAMOCANTRATRA
VARIATIONS: Famocantraton (Dapper) The Famocantratra (as Flacourt describes it) or Famocantraton (in Dapper and subsequent works) is a small lizardlike animal found in Madagascar. Its name means “leaper at the chest”. The famocantratra’s back, chin, and top of its neck, legs, and tail are made of small paws or claws which allow it to adhere to trees like glue. It is almost impossible to see as it sticks to trunks. Its mouth is always open to capture insects and other small invertebrates. It will leap onto the chest of anyone who passes by, and it holds on so fast that the skin has to be sliced off with a razor. For this reason it is feared and avoided by the natives of Madagascar.REFERENCES
Dapper, O. (1686) _Description de l’Afrique_. Wolfgang, Waesberge, Boom, & van Someren, Amsterdam. de Flacourt, E. (1661) _Histoire de la Grande Isle Madagascar_. Francois Clouzier, Paris.__7 Comments
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__ November 11, 2019abookofcreatures
F , Jungle and Rainforest,
Madagascar ,
Reptiles
Madagascar folklore
, Reptile
folklore ,
Reptiles
COME-AT-A-BODY
VARIATIONS: _Quadrupes improvisus _(Tryon) Bravado and surprise are the weapons of the terrifying Come-at-a-body, a native of New Hampshire’s White Mountains. According to a Mr. B. B. Bickford of Gorham, NH, this is a small, woodchuck-like animal with soft velvety fur like a kitten’s. It runs directly at unsuspecting passers-by from out of the brush and comes to a sudden halt a few inches away from its startled quarry. Then the come-at-a-body spits like a cat, emits a mink-like stench, and runs away again.REFERENCES
Tryon, H. H. (1939) _Fearsome Critters_. The Idlewild Press,Cornwall, NY.
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__ November 8, 2019
abookofcreatures
C , Fearsome Critters, Forest and
Mountain ,
Mammals , United
States
C , Fearsome Critters, Mammalian
folklore ,
Mammals , North Americanfolklore
BÈS
VARIATIONS: Hantu (Malay) The Bès are the evil spirits of the Jah Hut, an Orang Asli people from peninsular Malaysia. They are true spirits, existing independently and not emerging from humans alive or dead. The vast majority of bès, or hantu as they are known in Malay, are malevolent beings associated with disease. Far less numerous than the bès are the jin (underground spirits), nabi (guardian spirits), and kemoch (spirits of the dead). All the bès were created along with ‘iblis, the evil one, by Proman, God’s assistant, who botched the creation of the first man. Their great stronghold is a Pauh Janggi Bringin Sungsang, a “Giant Mango Tree Entwined by a Strangler Fig”, that stands beyond the ocean. From there they sally forth to cause all kinds of trouble. God allows it because the bès keep the world in balance, taking life that others may in turn live. Sickness is caused by the influence of the bès. This usually happens by night – while we sleep, our soul leaves our body and wanders in the jungle. A bès who finds that soul will prevent it from returning, and the owner of the soul will fall ill. Healing is the duty of the puyang or medicine man. It is their job to locate the missing soul and return it with the help of the good spirits, otherwise their charge will die. The b_ě_ni’sòy ceremony is used in those cases. It involves drawing the evil spirits out of the body and transferring them into a palm leaf bundle brushed over the skin. Once the bès is trapped, the bundle can be safely disposedof.
Spiritual wood carvings of the bès in question are made to help draw the evil spirit out. These carvings establish an iconography for the bès and allow us to see them as the Jah Hut do.REFERENCES
Teoh, B. S. (1986) _Bes Hyang Dney: A Jah Hut Myth of Peninsular Malaysia_. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 59(2), pp. 139-144. Werner, R. (1975) _Jah-h__ě__t of Malaysia, Art and Culture_. Penerbit Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.__3 Comments
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__ November 4, 2019
abookofcreatures
B , Bès
, Jungle and Rainforest,
Malaysia , Spirits
Bès , Malaysian folklore, Spirits
CELESTIAL STAG
VARIATIONS: Celestial Roe Celestial Stags or Celestial Roes are neither roe stags nor are they celestial. They are Chinese spirits that haunt deep areas, corpse-demons native to the ore mines of Yunnan province. As with numerous other creatures, their name is probably phonetically derived. Celestial stags are born from the souls of miners unfortunate enough to be trapped deep underground by cave-ins. There the trapped miners are kept alive by the breath of the earth and of the rare metals around them. Their material substance dies and rots away, but their essences cling to life and become celestial stags. Perhaps because of this traumatic genesis, the primary goal of a celestial stag is to reach the surface. The stag will do anything it can to reach this goal. When a celestial stag meets a miner it is overjoyed and asks for tobacco. Then it begs the miner to take it to the surface. Stags will try to bribe miners by promising them the choicest veins of gold and silver. If this fails they become violent and torture miners to death. But worse yet is the outcome if their wishes are granted. A celestial stag that reaches the open air dissolves – flesh, bones, clothes, and all – into a pestilential liquid that spreads disease and death. The only way to escape these creatures is to kill them before they can do harm. If celestial stags are discovered, miners will wall them up in abandoned galleries. Another way out is to promise to haul the stags to the surface in a bamboo lift. Halfway up the rope is cut and the stags plummet to their death – a merciful end to their grimlives.
Borges attributes his account of the celestial stag to G. Willoughby Meade’s _Chinese Ghouls and Goblins_.REFERENCES
Borges, J. L.; trans. di Giovanni, N. T. (2002) _The Book of Imaginary Beings_. Vintage Classics, Random House, London. De Groot, J. J. M. (1907) _The Religious System of China, Volume V, Book II – On the Soul and Ancestral Worship_. E. J. Brill, Leiden.__10 Comments
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__ November 1, 2019
abookofcreatures
C , China
, Desert and Cave
, Humanoids
, Hybrids
, Spirits
Chinese folklore ,
Humanoids , Spirits
LIQIMSA
VARIATIONS: Dhuga
The Borana Oromo people of Ethiopia were once in thrall to the Liqimsa, “swallowers”. These were two vile man-eating monsters that looked like elephants, and they demanded a daily tribute of humanflesh.
At this rate, the Borana knew they would be exterminated before long. Some fled their tormentors, settling in different areas and starting new lineages. Others went south, but the liqimsa followed them andswallowed them all.
Only thirty warriors survived and took refuge on the Namdur hill. Among those were two brothers – the elder was known for his cunning, and the younger renowned for his courage. The older of the brothers faced the liqimsa and announced “By the grace of Waaqa, whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will become immortal!” The two monsters began to argue, then fight, each claiming to more deserving of the gift of immortality. Soon they were uprooting trees and bludgeoning each other in their fury. This was the perfect opportunity for the younger brother to seize two lances, heat their points in fire, and run the monsters through their bellies. With the liqimsa dead the Borana were free to repopulate and recolonize the areas they had lost, as well as conquer new regions and drive out their inhabitants. Huntingford saw the legend of the liqimsa as a mythologizing of a historical event – namely, a series of military defeats inflicted by the Sidama people on the Borana. The tale of Dhuga is probably derived from the liqimsa. Dhuga (“he drinks”) was bigger than an elephant and as tall as the Mega escarpment. A man would be sacrificed to him every day as food. This ended when a passing stranger released Dhuga’s current victim and attacked the monster while it was rolling in the dust to scratch its back and remove parasites. The stranger ran Dhuga’s belly through with a lance whose tip had been heated red-hot in fire, and that was the end of the monster.REFERENCES
Bader, C. (2000) _Mythes et legendes de la Corne de l’Afrique_. Editions Karthala, Paris. Huntingford, G. W. B. (1955) _The Galla of Ethiopia – The Kingdoms of Kafa and Janjero_. International African Institute, London.__2 Comments
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__ October 28, 2019
abookofcreatures
Ethiopia , Giants
, L
, Mammals
, Ogres
, Plains and Fields
,
Sub-saharan Africa
,
Swallowers
African folklore ,
Elephants , Mammalianfolklore ,
Mammals , Ogres
, Swallowers
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ABOUT ABC
Our imagination has always been our greatest ally, and our worst enemy. In the face of the unknown, we populated it with creatures of all shapes and sizes, from minuscule spirits to gigantic cosmic monsters. These entities have shared our world ever since we earned the capacity to wonder. Their stories are told here. UPDATING WITH NEW CREATURES MONDAY AND FRIDAY!CONTACT
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All artwork and text on the official creature entries are © A Book of Creatures. All rights reserved. Images and text not by me (typically in the asides) are © their respective owners where applicable or in the public domain, and are credited whenever possible. The usage of images that are not mine goes under “Fair Use” (if there are any issues let me know!)CREATURE FACEBOOK
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