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Zburator
The Zburator is a vampiric creature from Romanian folklore similar to an incubus. Its name means “flying thing,” and they are described as resembling handsome young men with black eyes and hair, and wings. When flying across the night sky, they’re said to resemble shooting stars. They visit girls and women at night to have sex. Doing this drains the victim of their life essence, and repeated visits slowly cause the victim to become ill and waste away. They can be repelled by leaving garlic on the windowsill. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia…
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Yuki-Onna/Yuki-Ona/Yuki-Joro/Yuk-Musume/Yuki-Onba/Yukionna/Yuki-Onne/Yukinko
The Yuki-Onna is a ghostly Yokai from Japanese myth. Its name translates to “snow woman.” They are typically described as beautiful and tall women with long hair and unnaturally pale skin. They hover above the ground, wearing a pure white kimono or appearing totally naked. Sometimes they may be seen cradling a child. They aggressively hunt human victims, but are only active in the winter months. They are perfectly camouflaged in the snow, especially with their ability to shapeshift into a cloud of mist or falling snow. They lead travelers astray, either leaving them to die of hypothermia or speeding up the process with their icy breath. They are known…
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Xolotl
Xolotl is a deity from Aztec mythology. He was viewed as a disguise of, and twin to, Quetzalcoatl. Typically, he was depicted with deformities such as backwards feet and hands, and ears pointing in different directions. Because of these features, he was associated with dwarves and hunchbacks. He was thought to have given humans fire, but is still described as monstrous in nature. It was believed he would accompany Quetzalcoatl into the underworld to collect bones. He was known to chase the sun through the day and catch it every night. He would then drag it into the underworld until the morning. When the gods sacrificed themselves to create mankind,…
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Wyrm/Ormr/Verm/Worm
The Wyrm is a form of dragon originating in Norse myth. They’re described as serpentine creatures and deemed dragons when large enough. The earliest known depiction of this creature is a wood panel from the year 1100. This image shows a Wyrm with an open mouth filled with teeth, eating a person. It had almond-shaped eyes, a curved nose on a long snout, a recurved horn, and ears that were laid back. Its long neck was in two coils, and it appeared it may have had a rider on its back at some point. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland,…
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Shade/Shadow/Umbra
The Shade are a form of ghost from theosophical beliefs. It was believed to be the spirit that remains after the body dies and hovers near where it was buried. After death, the Romans believed the spirit was separated into the Anima, which ascended to heaven, the Mane, which descended to the underworld, and the Shade that remained on earth. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Spirits and Ghosts in World Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Shachihoko
The Shachihoko is a mythical creature from Japanese and Chinese myth. They’re known to have a striped tiger head or the head of a dragon. The body is described as resembling a carp covered in poisonous spikes or scales. It’s believed they can crawl onto land to transform fully into a tiger. Carvings of Shachihoko are used similar to Gargoyles in Japan. Duer to their ability to make rain, it was thought their statues deterred fire. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us,…
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Red-Legged Scissor-Man/Great Long-Legged Scissor-Man/The Great Tall Tailor
The Red-Legged Scissor-Man was a bogeyman figure from children’s stories in England and Germany. He was used by Victorian parents to scare their children into behaving, and originated in a book called Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann in 1847. The story follows a boy named Conrad who had a habit of sucking his thumbs. His mother warned him that the Red-Legged Scissor-Man would come for him if he continued. He didn’t believe her and continued sucking his thumb as soon as she left. The Red-Legged Scissor-Man burst in with a giant pair of scissors and cut off both of his thumbs. Citations: Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of…
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Quickfoot/Ghost Ape of Marwood/Martyn’s Ape
Quickfoot is a hairy hominid cryptid sighted in Great Britain. It’s described as being covered in hair with a large muzzle, green eyes, and a human-like face. It stands six feet tall and is known to run quickly. In 1978, three boys in the woods near Kings Nympton, Devon, England, sighted a strange hairy humanoid similar to an ape or a bear. In another incident, a man driving in Bathgate Hills, West Lothian, Scotland, saw a humanoid figure running down a path at high speeds. Citations: Eberhart, George M.. Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. United Kingdom, ABC-CLIO, 2002.
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Orobon
The Orobon is a monstrous creature from medieval belief. They were thought to have lived in the Red Sea and the Mount Mazocan region. They were described as amphibious creatures measuring nine to ten feet in length. They were covered in thick scales like a crocodile and had long tails. They would use these tails to grab humans and constrict them to death, before pulling them into the water, where they would be swallowed whole. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Jaracacas/Jaracas
The Jaracacas is a vampiric and demonic creature from Brazilian myth. They move around in the form of a snake searching for humans to feed on. Often, they prey on mothers who are breastfeeding. They nurse off the sleeping mothers and drain their blood at the same time. Sometimes they are thought to consume the entire breast. If the baby cries in response to this creature, then it stuffs its tail in the child’s mouth. This keeps the infant quiet, but may also suffocate it. When attacking a man, they feed off the upper arm and take a small amount of blood. They will repeatedly feed on the same victim,…
