Monsters of Myth

Back in 2006 I ran a Tripod site called Lair of the Beast, which was a field guide to the wildlife of a fictitious world named Hibradel, where mankind is still in the medieval ages and mythological monsters are real. The key point was that there was no magic involved, so the monsters were all treated as normal, naturally occurring beasts. They had predators and prey, habitats, a spot on an evolutionary tree, etc.

It was sort of a neat idea... I just didn't do a very good job with it.

The problem was that when I started the site, it wasn't meant to be about mythological creatures in general. It was meant to be about dragons. So when the staff and I made the switch it wound up being really dragon heavy. And since the dragons were what I was most interested in I concentrated on them. And since I also happened to be the owner of the site, it lead to a LOT of bias. Looking back on it, I really don't care for the way I portrayed a lot of the monsters, especially the non-dragons.
I remembered this after seeing some of that SyFy show "Beast Legends", and then immediately started wondering what I'd do differently if I remade LOTB today...


[Not that I'm proposing that. This was just for fun!]


So here are some various mythological monsters drawn in a more naturalistic style.

*Dragon. Though warmblooded, Dragons are true reptiles. Their ancestors were small, tree-climbing crocodiles that ambushed their prey by dropping down on them. Over time they developed large, webbed feet to allow for gliding- this gave rise to the formation of primitive wings, and eventually, powered flight. Since then many dragon species have emerged and they can be found all over the world. Some grow to gargantuan lengths, though the largest of these have only vestigial wings and are too heavy to fly. Dragons in general are very dangerous creatures, and their bony, armored hide makes them incredibly hard to kill.

*Sea Serpent. A little-known but very infamous breed of sea monster, Sea Serpents are massive, long-bodied carnivorous fish. Encounters with them are rare and violent, and very few men have had the opportunity to study them. Candidates for Sea Serpent ancestors include ropefish, lizardfish, and eels, but in truth no one knows their origins. Serpents come in many shapes and sizes, but all are elongate and live in deep waters far from shore. Some can be aggressive.

*Cockatrice. Cockatrice are small, primitive birds known for their foul temper and ungainly appearance. Closer to small theropod dinosaurs than modern day birds, they have tails, clawed forelimbs, and beak teeth. They are clumsy fliers but can move with surprisingly agility on the ground. Unlike the chickens they superficially resemble, Cockatrices are not viewed as particularly good eating. Weasels, on the other hand, are very fond of them.

*Wyvern. Though often mistaken for them, Wyverns are not related to Dragons. Though it is true that both are Archosaurs, the Wyverns belong to a separate clade and are actually the descendants of meat-eating dinosaurs. They are poorly researched and little is understood about how they survived the Mesozoic extinction or developed flight. Wyverns are swift, bipedal predators and can grow to large sizes while still being flight-capable thanks to their lightweight build and hollow bones. Many have defensive quills on their backs or tails, which are venomous in some species.

*Kappa. Kappa are large, freshwater turtles that inhabit rivers and streams. They prey on large fish and waterfowl, and attacks on swimmers (especially small children) are not uncommon. They may be omnivorous, as it is rumored they enjoy cucumbers. Because Kappa spend so much time laying still on the riverbed they typically gather algae on their shells; often they can become entangled in weeds, creating the illusion of a mane of hair. Kappas have a blue, hardened plate on the top of their head, called a bowl. It does not appear until adulthood and is used by males as part of a mating display.

*Gryphon. Known for their brave demeanor and ferocity in defending their young, Gryphons are a well-respected bird that appear on many Coat of Arms. They are capable of flight, but not exceptionally good at it, and do most of their hunting by gliding. While roosting they stand like any other bird, but thanks to the clawed, fully-functioning hands on their wings, they can also crawl, stalk, and climb on all fours. Gryphons are strong, adaptable, and very territorial.

*Minotaur. Minotaurs are fearsome, legendary beasts. Their intelligent, aggressive nature caught the attention of black-market traders many centuries ago and today it is common practice for the cruel and powerful to use them as a means of doing away with their enemies. It is through these circumstances that most people came to know about Minotaurs, and not surprisingly, accounts of them were rare and embellished by fear. They were long believed to be half-man, half-bull creatures, but in actuality they are primates, closely related to the mandrill and baboon. This accounts for their elongated face, carnivorous attitude, and ability to use crude weapons, but the function of their horns remains a mystery.

*Unicorn. Horse-like creatures known for their one horn, Unicorns appears in many myths and legends and (like the Dragon and Gryphon) are a popular image in symbology. They are not true equids, though, having descended from the prehistoric rhinoceros Elasmotherium. Despite having evolved into a smaller, swifter form, they still retain the strength of their rhino ancestors and are nearly impossible to tame. They can be a force to be reckoned with when made angry, which unfortunately is not a hard thing to do. Unicorns prefer the gentler demeanor of women and children and are more likely to tolerate them than men.

*Catoblepas. Catoblepas are large, armored boars typically seen foraging with their heads down. They are opportunistic feeders and hardy animals in general, able to safely digest many plants that other animals find poisonous. Their breath often has a noxious quality as a result, though its strength has been largely exaggerated by some. Catoblepas are covered in a thick, armored hide (not unlike a rhino's) which has a rough, scaly texture. They possess tusks, as well as a great number of bony protuberances, and are an ugly but very rarely preyed upon animal.

*Manticore. Manticores are large, predatory cats known for their great strength and trumpet-like roar. They are known in some parts of the world as simply "Man Eaters". Manticores have shorter faces and more compact jaws than other big cats. They also have a second (and in some species, third) row of teeth on both jaws; together this gives them the most formidable bite of any felid alive today. Also worthy of note are the red, bristly hairs on their mane, front legs, and tail. Though a person could safely run their hand across them from front-to-back, the hairs become stiff and sharp in reverse, and can stab into flesh like quills.

*Werewolf. Werewolves, like Minotaurs, are greatly misunderstood beasts that were once believed to be half-human, half-animal hybrids. In reality Werewolves are simply canines, closely related to wolves. They are by far the largest of the canines, comparable in size and musculature to tigers. Their forelimbs are disproportionally long, even more so than a hyena's*, and have surprisingly dexterous paws- perhaps one of the traits that inspired the human/Werewolf connection. The same may also be said of their intelligence, which is lower than a primate's but still quite impressive for a canid. Werewolves are apt at working in packs, but rarely do.

*Fairy. Fairies are perhaps the most misunderstood of all the legendary creatures. Seen in large numbers at night, typically in the woods, they were thought in olden times to be tiny, winged humans. This belief has persisted even into modern times, despite the fact that science proved long ago that they are a totally different kind of creature: a bug. Fairies are in fact a type of short-bodied insect related to Mayflies and Dragonflies. They are a common sight in the summer, flying low to the ground and trying to impress mates by swaying their long forelegs in the air and producing a bright, bioluminescent glow. Many people see this as waving arms and an aura of mystic light, and mistake the bug's cerci for a pair of dangling legs. The understandable (but comically incorrect) result: tales of tiny, forest-dwelling people flying on insect wings.


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* Which are not canines themselves, by the by!