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Hone-Onna
The Hone-Onna is an undead Yokai from Japanese myth. The name translates to “bone woman.” They often linger in dark streets, down alleyways, and graveyards. They are believed to be women who die and return from death due to love, rather than anger. They return to their partner in life to continue living a life with them, appearing at night and leaving during the day. They appear as they did in life, though their true form is that of a rotting skeletal woman. The strength of their illusion grows stronger as they continue to further rot. The only ones who could see this form are those unaffected by love and…
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Hodag/Black Hodag
The Hodag is a well known creature from Lumberjack Folklore. They live in the swamps of West Virginia and Wisconsin. They have horns and spikes on their bodies and are often depicted with a crazed grin. Sometimes they have the head of a bull with a human face, short legs, clawed feet, a humped back like a dinosaur, and a prehensile serpentine tail ending in an arrowhead. Some describe them as chimerical hybrids of a frog, lizard, and mammoth. They eat wildlife, often feed on turtles, snakes, and muskrats from nearby swamps, and sometimes also eat humans. They smell so bad that people have been known to faint when they…
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Hinqumemen/Engulfer
The Hinqumemen is a creature from the myth of the Coeur d’Alene Native Americans. It is a living sentient lake. If any take water from the lake, it will follow them back to their village in an amorphous form. It engulfs its victims in water and drags them back to the lake. Once back, it drowns them. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Hidebehind
The Hidebehind is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore. It is incredibly dangerous and is often responsible for men disappearing in the woods. It will follow behind a person, and no matter how quickly they turn around, it will immediately hide behind something. At the right moment it will ambush them and drag them away. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Matthews, John, and Matthews, Caitlin. The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A-Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic. United Kingdom, Harper Element, 2009.
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Hi-Hi-Aka-La-La-Hai
Hi-Hi-Aka-La-La-Hai was a strong and handsome man who tried to court the Hawaiian goddess Poliahu. She agreed to give him an answer if he scaled a cliff at night and reached the top before dawn. He failed this task, so she transformed him into the first Hau Tree. This tree grew large before it was uprooted and relocated by a strong windstorm. It grew even larger there, until it was broken into five pieces by a flash flood. These pieces spread throughout the island and formed the large amounts of these trees present today. The lines on the leaf of this tree represent this mountain, and the five main rivers…
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Hellidad
The Hellidad is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore. They resemble crosses between ostriches and zebras. They are known to lick bald people’s heads while they sleep. They are recounted in stories of Pecos Bill. Citations: Bowman, James Cloyd. Pecos Bill: The Greatest Cowboy of All Time. United States, Albert Whitman, 2017. Fantasy: Shapes of Things Unknown. United States, Scott, Foresman, 1974.
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Hedammu
Hedammu was a giant sea serpent from Mesopotamian myth. It was thought to remain in deep waters and could drag down entire ships and consume its crew. It would attack ships non-stop as it was constantly hungry. Hedammu was thought to be the child of a man named Kumarbi and a daughter of the sea god. It was also seen as a challenger to the storm gods. To deal with the Hedammu, the gods sent Ishtar to seduce it. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006. Wandering Myths: Transcultural Uses of…
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Hayopan
The Hyaopan is a form of Aswang from the Philippines. Hayopan are known to settle in swampy areas and keep crocodiles as familiars. It is often interpreted as having no distinction from other Aswang other than them not actively hunting and instead using crocodiles to find prey. These crocodiles hunt and kill, and then bring the best pieces of meat back to their master. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006.
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Hauhau
The Hauhau are strange creatures from Tsimshian myth. They resemble bear cubs or puppies, and dogs can be transformed into Hauhau on command. They are monstrous and powerful with a loud roar and the ability to kill many mountain sheep at once. Txamsem, the Raven, created a pair of these creatures for when he retired into the mountains, and they bring him meat every day. Citations: Barbeau, Marius, and Beynon, William. Tsimshian Narratives: Tricksters, shamans, and heroes. Canada, Directorate, Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1987. Boas, Franz, and Tate, Henry W.. Tsimshian Mythology. United States, U.S. Bureau of American ethnology, 1916. Gill, Sam D., and Sullivan, Irene F.. Dictionary of Native…
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Haugbui
The Haugbui is an undead creature from Scandinavian mythology. Its name means “mound dweller.” They are thought to be corpses who rise from the dead and collect treasure. When angered, Haugbui bring disease and misfortune that lasts through generations. They are believed to use a specific form of black magic called Trollskap. They can be appeased if offered the first bit of milk from a cow who just birthed a calf, or the first glass of ale brewed in a household. In desperate times, people would sacrifice cows to this creature. In other situations, they can be killed with fire or a large group of armed warriors. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan.…
