Legendary creatures of this world and beyond

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Legendary Creatures, Creatures of Myth and Mystery, Are they Real?

I have always been fascinated by legendary creatures. They appear in tales of wonder, fantasy, legends and mythologies of all cultures. Some appear in the tales of many cultures, others are specific, peculiar even, to a particular culture. Some are beautiful, bringers of good fortune and happiness; others are dangerous, evil, and have to be battled and defeated by heroes. Whatever their nature, these creatures of myth and legend are certainly wondrous. Without them, our world would be a duller place.

Fairy Falls
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Legendary Creatures Are Mysterious and Wonderful! 

Legendary creatures are found in mythology or folklore, and are sometimes called "fabulous creatures." These mythical creatures are not just the "talking" creatures, clever animals able to communicate with human beings in our own language, like those that appear in Disney movies.

Dragon's Dream

Mythical Creatures - Dragon and Fairy
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Many mythical creatures are chimeras, combinations of two or more animals. For example, the griffin has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle; Pegasus is the horse with wings found in Greek mythology. Some are even combinations of a human being and one or more other creatures: A centaur is a combination of a man and horse, a minotaur of a man and bull. The mermaid, or merman if it's male, has the head and torso of human and the lower body and tail of a fish.

A Mermaid, 1900
Mermaids are chimeras - part human part fish.
A Mermaid, by John Waterhouse, 1900
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Many mythical creatures were believed to have supernatural powers, some good, some evil, powers that even in contemporary times have no physical explanation. In fact, legendary creatures came to symbolize the power of good or evil, or virtues and vices. Most cultures have some variation on these creatures, often with similar legends and cautionary tales.

There are special books called "bestiaries" that describe the "beasts" of legend. Particularly popular in the Middle Ages, they were often illustrated with lovely pictures and accompanied by a moral lesson.

Bestiaries 

Bestiaries were common in the Middle Ages, and give a unique insight into the medieval mind. They feature beautiful illustrations and moral tales, some with religious overtones as mystical meanings are derived from supernatural creatures.
Bestiary: Being an English Version of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, MS Bodley 764
Bestiary: Being an Englis...
The Book of Beasts : Being a Translation from a Latin Bestiary of the Twelfth Century
The Book of Beasts : Bein...
Mythological Creatures: A Classical Bestiary
Mythological Creatures: A...
The Mythic Bestiary: The Illustrated Guide to the World's Most Fantastical Creatures
The Mythic Bestiary: The...
Bestiary: An Illuminated Alphabet of Medieval Beasts
Bestiary: An Illuminated...

Creatures of Legend - Are They Real or Imaginary? 

These legendary creatures come in all shapes, sizes and characters. They have a variety of different abilities, some plausible albeit in an unknown form (like the single horn of the unicorn, or the monster that lives in the deep waters), others supernatural (like the fire-breathing dragon or the immortal phoenix).

Maiden and Dragon

Real or Imaginary? A Girl with a Unicorn, a Dragon and a Squirrel.
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Some may have actually have existed in the past but have since become extinct. Others like the Loch Ness Monster or Sasquatch continue to be "sighted" and people continue to search for them while skeptics continue to seek to disprove their existence.

So, the origins of these legendary creatures are disputed and varied. But it is for sure that they have played significant roles in human society for hundreds if not thousands of years. They have played significant educational roles, inculcating cultural values and norms. Many have been used by parents to discipline their children by telling tales of the scary Baba Yaga or the Yeti or the troll that captures and even eats naughty children!

The Girl and the Baba Yaga

A Girl and the Baba Yaga
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For sure these mystical creatures stimulate our imagination and give substance to our desire to experience more than this physical world. For many people, whether they truly exist in physical form is actually secondary to their role as symbols of virtues and vices, challenges to be overcome by heroes, and reminders of the frailty of human beings in the face of the wonders of the world.

For me their existence is real, at least in the mind and spirit, the realm of existence that transcends our physical bodies. This realm can be considered the world of imagination, or the world of spirit. Either way, its existence adds immeasurably to our life experience and I'm a great believer in that!

What Do You Think? 

Are Legendary Creatures Real or Imaginary?

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Yes, they are real (or at least some of them are)!

Nope, they're all made up just to tell a good story!

 

Legendary Dragons - They Breathe Fire! 

My Chinese zodiac sign is the dragon, so that's one of my favorites and where I'll start. I love dragons, collect them, and love to read about them or watch movies about them, especially when they're shown in a somewhat sympathetic light since I'm a dragon! Actually dragons are rather scary if they're not on your side.

Dragon

Fire Breathing Dragon
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Dragons are special, they fly and they breathe fire. That's pretty cool! Certainly more exciting than many of the other Chinese zodiac signs, I reckon. Dragons are the only mystical creatures in the Chinese zodiac - goats, monkeys, snakes, rats, horses and so on are all real creatures that we find in the physical world. The dragon, however, is different. It doesn't exist in our world, at least not now, and maybe not ever. Yeah, a giant flying lizard, maybe a dinosaur, could have existed, but do you think a creature can actually breathe fire? That's the stuff that myths and legends are made of! Dragons are generally pretty dangerous to people, and many stories exist of them burning peoples' homes, carrying off sheep and other creatures to eat, even capturing young maidens and flying off with them. So dragons are dangerous!

Whitby Wyrm

Dangerous Dragon
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Most of the legends about dragons have been of their ferocity and danger to humankind. In many cases, though, they provided a special, supernatural even, challenge for a hero to overcome in his quest to achieve some good purpose.

A typical example is the tale of Saint George who famously slew a dragon which had been terrorizing a city. Upon his victory over the dragon the people were grateful and converted to Christianity. George became the patron saint of several European nations, including England, so I heard all about him growing up. Of course, since I lived in Scotland we weren't so impressed by him, but slaying a dragon was still considered quite notable. I guess, though, he really became the patron saint on account of converting people to Christianity, not for killing the dragon!

Wizard and Dragon


Wizard and Dragon by Ken Rowe
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Dragons are also associated with tales of magic, wizards and such. All the best wizards deal with dragons at some point! That's probably because there are really mythical creatures, not just extinct dinosaurs, but beings with supernatural abilities.

My Favorite Dragon Movie 

Dragonheart - Collector's Edition

Dragonheart - Collector's Edition

Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 12/30/2009)Buy Now

This is my favorite dragon movie! It features the last great dragon, Draco, who is the good sort. And he happens to be voiced by Sean Connery, which certainly makes him sound good! The movie is a lighthearted look at the last days of this last dragon and his fight against evil, assisted by a former dragon slayer, played by Dennis Quaid, and assisted by a rescued maiden (of course) and the ridiculous Pete Postlethwaite. Such fun!

Oriental Dragons - Spiritual Symbols of Heavenly Power 

Later, I discovered that there are major differences between the European dragons I knew about growing up and the dragons referred to in the Chinese zodiac.

The Chinese dragon is wingless and has a long serpentine body. It usually has a beard on its face. Unlike the Western dragon that is dangerous and usually considered evil, the oriental dragon is a powerful spiritual creature, benevolent and a bringer of good fortune. In China, the dragon was often adopted by emperors as a sacred symbol of power.

A Chinese Dragon


A Chinese Dragon
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So, since the zodiac sign of the dragon belongs to Chinese mythology I reckon my dragon is this kind, a spiritual creature symbolizing heavenly spiritual power!

Unicorns Are Good Mythical Creatures 

Unicorns, basically white horses with a single horn, are very special creatures. They are good mythical creatures. Most legendary creatures have some pretty scary, sometimes downright evil, characteristic and usually inspire fear. Such creatures have to be defeated by the hero. The unicorn, on the other hand, is truly beautiful, pure, and brings only goodness, even able to cure evil. Being so good and pure, it is often said that only the pure virgin can tame a unicorn. Thus the unicorn is enjoyed as a symbol of purity and beauty, and as one of the few mythical creatures not associated with fear and violence.

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Unicorn and Foal
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Not to be confused with Pegasus, the unicorn doesn't fly. Pegasus is the winged horse of Greek mythology who helped Bellerophon, the tragic Greek hero, to defeat the fearsome chimera by letting him ride his back. Pegasus is often depicted as a beautiful white flying horse, and so rather resembles the white unicorn. In fact, they look pretty good together!

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Unicorns and Pegasus
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The Last Unicorn Movie 

The Last Unicorn

The Last Unicorn

Amazon Price: $12.49 (as of 12/30/2009)Buy Now

Based on the book by Peter S. Beagle "The Last Unicorn" is my favorite unicorn movie. It has simple animation but the voices from an all star cast and the haunting soundtrack make it wonderful. This is just a lovely movie with such sympathy toward the unicorn, and with a host of other mythical creatures as well as humans, even a magician!

Fairies - Favorite Creatures of Legend and Mythology 

Fairies, or faeries, are supernatural beings, small and humanoid. There are many types of fairy, and they appear in numerous stories, legends, and of course "fairy tales"! Fairies in older times were depicted much differently. Both tall shining beings, somewhat like angels, and short troll-like creatures were descriptions of the past. Wings were not needed, as fairies could fly by magic or on the backs of birds. In modern times fairies are usually young and beautiful, female, and often have wings.

Faerie Guardians

Faerie Guardians by Howard Johnson
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Fairies have a variety of characters, some are tricksters, noted for their mischief and malice perhaps leading travelers astray, others are playful but benign, often protectors of nature, and wise and helpful to humans.

Fairies along the Water

Fairies along the Water by Arthur Rackham
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Fairies are popular in art as well as literature. Well known artists who have produced amazing pictures of fairies include Arthur Rackham and Brian Froud.

Brian Froud - Gwenhwyfar

Brian Froud - Gwenhwyfar
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There are even those who seek to photograph fairies! Perhaps the most famous of these are the The Cottingley Fairy Photographs taken by two young girls back in 1917. These caused great excitement and even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle believed the photographs to be genuine. The girls later confessed to have faked them, except that there was a fifth photograph taken in 1920 of the fairies alone in the sunbath. The girls swore that this photograph was a genuine photograph of the Cottingley Fairies.

The Fairies Enjoying Their Sun-Bath

The Fifth Photograph of the Cottingley Fairies, claimed to be real.
"The Fairies Enjoying Their Sun-Bath" taken in 1920
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Phoenix - Legendary Immortal Bird 

The phoenix exists in many cultures around the world, symbolic of the immortality that human beings long for. It is a bird of brightly colored plumage, which lives a long time and then dies in a fire of its own making, only to rise again from the ashes.

Phoenix Rising

Immortal Phoenix Rising from the Fire
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The Chinese phoenix, or Feng huang, is slightly different in nature. Unlike the Western phoenix which goes through a never-ending cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, the Feng Huang is immortal so it never dies.

Fong Hoang, The Chinese Phoenix

Feng Huang, The Chinese Phoenix
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The Feng Huang is a sacred Chinese bird, the most beautiful of all the birds in China. It is gloriously adorned with feathers of all colors, its tail colored red, azure, yellow, white, and black. Feng Huang sings a special sweet song, which is said to be the source of the Chinese five note musical scale.

Nessie - The Scottish Legendary Creature 

Nessie is special to me, since I grew up in Scotland. Loch Ness is a large, deep body of water, very dark in color. The atmosphere around the loch is mysterious, with often a mist forming on the water. No wonder people imagine monsters living in the depths!
Loch Ness print
Loch Ness Monster by Tony Hayes at zazzle.com

There have been numerous sightings of Nessie, who is described as having a long, slender neck and a rounded body with four large flippers. Generally grey or dark brown in color, Loch Ness Monsters apparently range in size from an elephant to a whale.

Some of the sightings of Loch Ness Monsters have been accompanied by photographs and more recently video recordings; but many of these turned out to be fake, such as the famous "Surgeon's Photograph" hoax. I've been to Loch Ness where Nessie lives, but not actually caught sight of anything I can swear is the Loch Ness Monster. But that doesn't mean there isn't one!

What's your Favorite Legendary Creature? 

Do you love unicorns, dragons, phoenixes or fairies? Feel free to give comments on your favorite mythical creatures. Or just leave a comment on the lens!

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Lenses on Legendary Creatures 

Check out these lenses on some of my favorite creatures of myth and legend!
featured lens Loch Ness Monsters

Loch Ness Monsters, or perhaps just the one known as "Nessie," are reputed to live in Loch Ness in Scotland. The loch, or lake, is a large, deep body of water, that is very dark in color. There have been numerous sightings of Nessie, who is...

featured lens Feng Huang - Chinese Phoenix

The Feng Huang is a legendary or mythical creature, in some ways the Chinese version of the Western phoenix. Actually, though, it has many differences. First off, the Feng Huang is actually a composite of two birds, the male Feng and the female Huan...

featured lens Baba Yaga - Who Is She?

Baba Yaga, does that sound familiar? Maybe not. She's an Eastern European, particularly Russian, legendary or mythical creature, a wild old woman, a hag, a witch, who lives in the forest in a cabin built on chicken legs. Baba Yaga is rather frigh...

featured lens Selkies

A Selkie is a seal that can turn into a human by shedding its skin. Selkies are also known as Seal faeries, Roane, Roan, Silkies and Selchies. On this page you will find information about selkies in books and films, links to other sites about selki...

featured lens Fantasy Unicorns

Unicorns are fantastic fantasy creatures. Their weapon of choice is their horn, which is also the source of their magical power. Watch them in many different scenes for their wonderful beauty.

 

featured lens Basilisks and Cockatrices

So, basilisks and cockatrices, creatures of myth and legend, what are they? Not the most well known of the mythical creatures, a basilisk does have its 15 minutes of fame in the Harry Potter book "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." B...

featured lens Pegasus : Tales of the Ancient Greeks

Pegasus, the white winged horse, is the result of a close encounter between Medusa the Gorgon, and Poseidon the dishonourable God of the Sea. When Perseus slew the Gorgon, blood flew out of her head and mingled with the foam of the ocean and Pegasus...

featured lens Dragons and Dragon Mythology

The dragon is my favorite mythical creature, probably because I was born in the year of the dragon! Also they are typically portrayed as having supernatural or spiritual qualities - nothing mundane about your average dragon! The Western version usual...

featured lens Fairies and Folklore

Red, spotted mushrooms, trees with nooks, fireflies, a dark green forest, these are just a few things that come to mind when thinking of fairies. We often picture them to be extremely tiny, winged, and beautiful. Often, Shakespeare's fairies come...

featured lens The Magic of Dragons

Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten. In the world of fabulous creatures, the dragon is unique. No other beastie has appeared in such a rich variety of forms...

 

featured lens Fairies and Fairy Lore

Fairies (also written faeries) are "little folk" or "wee folk," mystical beings, humanoid in appearance but usually able to fly. Sometimes fairies are portrayed with wings; other times they just fly "magically." Fairies...

featured lens Chimeras and Chimera Mythology

The Chimera appears in Greek mythology as a monstrous creature, apparently a combination of several different animals. While the chimera, or hybrid, creature, may exist only in legend and myth, the creatures from which it is composed are real. Some c...

featured lens Unicorns and Unicorn Mythology

Unicorns are one of my favorite legendary creatures. They are basically white horses with a single horn. But they also have some special, supernatural abilities. Unicorns are always portrayed as good, unlike most of the mythical creatures of legend a...

featured lens Griffins and Griffin Mythology

The Griffin (also spelled gryphon or griffon) is a chimera or hybrid mythical creature. It has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. It may also have the legs and talons of an eagle, often only the front legs. Griffins are often port...

featured lens Centaurs and Centaur Mythology

Centaurs first appeared In Greek mythology as barbaric, dangerous creatures. They were part man, part horse. In this way, the centaur brings together human beings, able to talk, think, and reason, with the strength and speed of a strong, swift animal...

More about Legendary Creatures 

Mythical creature
Article on New World Encyclopedia.
Bestiary: Fabulous Beast, Men, Spirits
Online bestiary by the Theoi Project.

About Me 

Lensmaster jptanabe has been a member since May 9 2009, has rated 961 lenses, favorited 54, and has created 99 lenses from scratch. Jennifer Tanabe donates their royalties to Save the Children. This member's top-ranked page is "Chocolate Christmas Ornaments". See all my lenses

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by jptanabe

team one,giant squid challenge

I just love mythical creatures! I'm a dragon in the Chinese zodiac so I'm partial to them, griffins are a bit similar, and I love Loch Ness and Ness... (more)

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