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Piast/Biast/Bestia
The Piast is a monstrous creature from Irish myth. They are described as giant lake monsters, being part salmon and part serpent. They are also thought to be capable of breathing fire. It is believed Piast are one of the kinds of monsters banished by St. Patrick until judgment day. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Phantom Clowns/Killer Clowns
The Phantom Clowns are an odd phenomenon encountered in New England, 1981. Many others were seen in various locations during the spring of 1981. Witnesses described various clowns attempting to lure away children, often into vans. They were noted to have targeted elementary school children, often trying to lure children in with candy. Some brandished weapons. They evaded capture and detection by any, other than potential victims. Despite their name, they are believed to be flesh and blood. They do however add a layer of validity to a larger Urban Legend of killer clowns. Citations: American Myths, Legends, and Tall Tales: An Encyclopedia of American Folklore [3 Volumes]: An Encyclopedia…
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Pesanta
The Peasant is a strange creature from Catalonian myth. They act similar to the Alp or Mara, sitting on peoples chest at night. This action causes nightmares and breathing troubles. They appear as giant black dogs or cats. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Peng/P’eng
Peng is gigantic bird from Chinese myth. It is thought to have started its life as a fish named K’un. Its back measures thousands of leagues across, and the ocean moves in conjunction with its wing flaps. It flies so high that it can’t tell if the sky is blue. It lives in a place known as North Gloom and migrates to a place known as South Gloom. This migration causes whirlwinds and tsunamis. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Peluda/La Velue/Shaggy Beast/The Shaggy Beast Of La Ferte-Bernard/Peallaidh/Pehuda
The Peluda is a large dragon thought to have lived near the Huisine River in the village of La Ferte-Bernard, France. This creature was spoken of in Medieval times, and it was thought that it refused a ride on Noah’s ark but still survived the great flood. It was thought to have had four stubby legs, quills covering its back, a scaly tail, shaggy green fur, turtle claws, and the ability to breath fire. It was so large that it flooded nearby farms when it entered the river. One day, it ate a young maiden, whose fiancé sought out a wise woman to find the creature’s weakness. He was told…
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Pau-Walu
Pau-Walu lived by the Wailua river in Maui, Hawaii. His name translates to “eight dead”. He warned people going fishing that a shark would kill eight of them, and then he turned into a shark and killed eight of them. People quickly figured out what’s going on, and he was confronted, captured, and bound by a hero known as Hau-Ola the Strong then thrown into a fire. Citations: Beckwith, Martha Warren. Hawaiian Mythology. United States, University of Hawaii Press, 1976.
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Pastinaca
The Pastinaca was a creature from medieval belief. They look like weasels but are the size of elephants. They smell so terrible that they kill trees just by being near them. Citations: Cawson, Frank. The Monsters in the Mind: The Face of Evil in Myth, Literature and Contemporary Life. United Kingdom, Book Guild, 1995. Gilmore, David D.. Monsters: Evil Beings, Mythical Beasts, and All Manner of Imaginary Terrors. United States, University of Pennsylvania Press, Incorporated, 2012.
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Ovengua
The Ovengua are from Guinea. They are created when an evil sorcerer or a corrupt person dies. Their bones escape their grave one by one and gather back up in a secret location. They move through the forest and attack travelers at night. They catch and eat people and may drink blood. They live in caverns during the day. They can be attacked by a lot of spears and must be burned completely to ash or they will come back. They may take a ghostly or a physical form, which is for the sake of feeding. The creatures can be appeased by leaving out bowls of animal blood outside the…
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Otgiruru/Owenga
The Otgiruru is an undead creature from the Herero people of Namibia, that may be related to the Ovengua, Ovengwa, or Owenga. They are created when evil sorcerers do not not pass to the afterlife, either by choice or by not being allowed to. Sometimes they are thought to be ancestors that come back due to anger to torment the living. They rise from the dead and construct a new body for themselves out of whatever bad things they can get ahold of such as dirt, raw meat and organs from animals, insects, and other similar things. The body they create typically resembles a dog rather than a human. They…
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Oomph
The Oomph is a weird creature that comes from Lumberjack Folklore. It goes by the “scientific” name Ranaincumbramentum alvinshwartzi. They are sneaky creatures that are difficult to catch, and eat eggs they find in bird nests. They are roughly the size of a dog, appear to be a hybrid of lizard and toad, with long claws, sharp spines along their backs, and large spots all over their body. They are named after the sound that it makes when finding bird nests, which sounds like ‘oomph oomph.’ Citations: Yarns of the Big Woods, Written and Illustrated by Art Childs
