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Cabyll-Ushtey/Glashtinhe
The Cabyll-Ushtey is a mythical creature from Manx folklore. Their name means “water horse” and they are similar to the Kelpie and Each-Uisge. They resemble pale grey horses, but may take the form of a handsome man. They prey on cattle and humans, and are known to stampede horse herds and steals children.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
Cactus Cat
The Cactus Cat is a creature from Lumberjack folklore. It is from Arizona and has the “scientific name“ cactifelinus inebrius. They live among cholla and palo verde trees. They have thorny hairs covering their body, a forked tail, and sharp knife-like bones coming from their paws. They slash open large cacti to drink the sap from inside. The Cactus Cat lets it ferment during the day and returns at night to drink up the alcohol and yells through the night while intoxicated.
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.
Cafre
The Cafre is a creature from the Philippines. They resemble a boar with long tusks and black fur. They are significantly stronger and faster than normal boars. They can stand on two legs and understand human speech. They are relentless in hunting and tracking but are stupid and easy to trick.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
Cagrino
The Cagrino is from Roma mythology. They are demonic yellow hedgehogs that are one and a half feet in length and width. They ride horses to exhaustion causing them sickness and tangled hair. They can be kept from horses by tying them to stakes covered in garlic juice and making a cross from red thread and laying it on the ground. They can also be repelled by making bread from the horse’s hair along with salt, meal, and bat blood, rubbing the bread on the horse’s hooves, then hiding the mixing bowl used to make this bread and saying “Tarry, pipkin, in this tree, till such time as full ye be.”
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
Caladrius
The Caladrius is a creature that resembles a white bird and is capable of predicting the fate of a sick person, either death or recovery. If the bird is placed next to a sick person and looks away, the person will die; if it looks at the person then it will absorb the illness from the person. It takes the absorbed illness and burns it off, allowing it to flow away into the wind. Looking at the bird was thought to cure jaundice and its droppings were capable of healing the blind.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
La Calchona/Chiludo
La Calchona is a mythical creature from South America whose name means “ghost” or “bogeyman.” It sometimes looks like a large, bearded man covered in sheep-like wool, but in Chile its thought to look like a large dog with tangled wooly fur. It’s nocturnal and lives in fields and hills. They mostly just scare horses and travelers and sometimes steal food.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
Callitrice/Callitrix
The Callitrice is a mythical creature from Medieval myth. They resemble Satyrs with long beard, and long thick tails. They’re thought to live in desolate parts of Ethiopia, and tend to hide from humans. Though they are very hard to find, they’re thought to be easy to capture.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
Callopode
The Callopode is a strange creature from Lumberjack Folklore. It has the “scientific name” Musicacorpus tryoni. They make music at the start of spring. They breathe in through a hollow knot on top of their heads and breathe out through their trumpet-like noses. They have been known to cover some of the holes from the five rows on its chest to change the sound.
Citations:
Yarns of the Big Woods, Written and Illustrated by Art Childs
Calopus
The Calopus is a hybrid creature from Medieval heraldry. They have wolf-like bodies, feet, and tails, with cat-like heads and serrated horns.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
Mt. Cameron Yeti Alien
The Mt. Cameron Yeti Alien was sighted in June 1932 at Mt. Cameron, in Colorado. It was sighted by a man named William Lamb. He found tracks measuring 17 inches long and 4-6 inches wide. He saw a fireball dropping from the sky which vanished and transformed into a creature. It stood 8 feet tall and resembled the yeti. The creature started chasing him, and he eventually managed to escape by jumping off a cliff onto a pine tree. He believes this is the same creature as the yeti from the Himalayas.
Citations:
Rosales, Albert. Humanoid Encounters 1930-1949: The Others Amongst Us. N.p., CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016.
Camp Chipmunk/Tigermunks
The Camp Chipmunks are powerful creatures from Lumberjack Folklore. They were once normal sized chipmunks but grew massive after eating countless prune pits left behind by the camp cooks of Paul Bunyan. They have been known to lift their tails and scream into the moonlight. Despite their strength and ferocity, they are thought to be cowards at heart. They became so strong that they killed all the bears and mountain lions in the area, until they were hunted down and killed by Paul Bunyan and his men.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
Lewis, Allen, and Stevens, James. Paul Bunyan. United Kingdom, A. A. Knopf, 1925.
Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.
Carolina Parakeet
The Carolina Parakeet is a cryptid classified as a Lazarus Taxon (an animal believed to be extinct but then found alive again). The Carolina Parakeet was first described in 1891 and goes by the scientific name Conuropsis carolinensis. It’s a small bird with green plumage that has sections of yellow and orange. It is the only bird in the parakeet family native to North America and could be found in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Due to their tendency to eat fruit, many were killed en mass by farmers. This along with them being sold as pets, or used as decorations for women’s hats, led to their extinction. The last known wild specimen was seen in 1904 and the last in captivity died in 1918. Despite extinction, they continued to be sighted for the next twenty years. Now many forms of parakeets can be found in these areas, therefore opening the possibility of mistaken identity.
Citations:
Newton, Michael. Florida’s Unexpected Wildlife: Exotic Species, Living Fossils, and Mythical Beasts in the Sunshine State. United States, University Press of Florida, 2007.
Cauchemar
The Cauchemar is a vampiric demon or witch from French myth whose name translates to “nightmare.” Sometimes they act as a succubus or incubus and enter the beds of evil people. Someone sleeping with a Cauchemar is enslaved to its will and drained of their life energy. Signs of an attack from a Cauchemar are waking up having drooled, having no energy, and having leg cramps. Attacks can be prevented by putting salt, stones, or beans under the pillow. A broom propped in the corner deters the Cauchemar as does having screens on the windows. Sleeping on one’s stomach can keep a Cauchemar away, and they cannot enter a house if someone prays and hangs a religious icon. Touching a victim of the Cauchemar during an attack causes the victim to die when the creature retreats.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017.
Central American Whintosser
The Central American Whintosser is from Lumberjack Folklore. Mean and constantly causing trouble, they are often found in coastal California. They have a long body shaped like a triangular prism with a set of four legs on each of its three sides. If there is an earthquake, they are unbothered as they won’t lose their footing even if they roll. Their heads and tails are connected to their bodies in a swiveling joint for this same reason. They have forward-facing bristling fur. They cannot be clubbed, spiked, or shot and have more lives than a cat. They can be killed by luring them into an area where all three sets of legs touch a surface. This will cause them to attempt running in multiple directions and they will rip themselves apart.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
Cetus
The Cetus is an enormous sea monster from Greek myth. It was thought to be owned by Posiedon and possibly created by Zeus. It was made to kill princess Andromeda. She was chained to a rock to be fed to the Cetus because her mother bragged about her beauty and insulted the goddesses and nymphs. It ended up being turned to stone by Perseus by use of the head of Medusa. It had a giant body like a bloated whale or dolphin, with a tail divided into two fan-like sections. It was colored brownish-yellow and turquoise with no limbs other than vestigial membranous flippers on its torso. It had a fiery red crest surrounding its head, a head like a greyhound, and walrus tusks.
Citations:
Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.
Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon, and DeKirk, Ashley. Dragonlore: From the Archives of the Grey School of Wizardry. United States, Red Wheel Weiser, 2006.
Chacao Miranda Martian
The Chacao Miranda Martians are Aliens sighted in Chacao Miranda, Venezuela December 8, 1954. Several saucer-like UFOs were sighted landing in the area. A man named Toms Betancourt attempted to grapple with one of the creatures he called thought to be a Martian. He said it was gelatinous and incredibly slippery which allowed it to escape.
Citations:
Rosales, Albert. Humanoid Encounters 1950-1954: The Others Amongst Us. N.p., CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016.
Chedipe
The Chedipe is a mythical creature from India whose name means “prostitute.” They’re often depicted as seductive women on top of large tigers standing in the moonlight. They often target entire households rather than a single person, casting magic to make the entire house sleep before they enter. They seek out the household’s strongest man and drain blood from his toes, draining small amounts and returning multiple times. Repeated feeding eventually causes the victim to waste away and die. They often sexually assault their victims to ruin trust and faithfulness so it can feed on the resulting misery. They can be kept out of a house if it is sanctified with incense and holy icons. This incense has to be changed hourly, and the presence of someone awake at night keeping up sanctification scares the Chedipe away.
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.
Cheeroonear
The Cheeroonear are mythical creatures from Australian myth. They’re described as humanoid creatures with dog faces, heads, and ears. They have long arms with hands that trail along the ground as they walk. They have a dewlap extending from the bottom of the neck all the way to the wrinkles on the belly. They hunted humans in the Nullabor Plain. There was a drought and the Cheeroonear kept mankind from the water sources. One chugged so much water his stomach distended and he vomited up water and the skulls of several missing people. This Cheeroonear declared he would kill them and then left. The people returned to their village and sought help from the Wirinuns, or medicine men. They left two lines of brushwood leading to a waterhole and waited. When the pack of Cheeroonear appeared to get water, they were decapitated one by one with the boomerangs of the Wirinuns. Another came to investigate and was beaten to death, and his wife closely followed and was chopped to bits. A monstrous snake emerged from her body and slithered off to continue the evil of the Cheeroonear.
Citations:
Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.
Chelid/Kalit
The Chelid are powerful spirits from Palau sometimes identified as gods. It’s believed ancestral spirits called Bladek could become Chelid. Sacrifices were made to Chelid in a community house known as a Bai. These sacrifices were sometimes animals, but more often they were symbolic. The Father of all Chelid is called Ucheliangl. The Chelid would interact with humans through spiritual leaders known as Koran who would frequently undergo ritual possession and speak for the Chelid. Sometimes Chelid would only reveal themselves to certain people. They would typically be called to deal with issues too large for Bladek to help with. Often Chelid could be used to assist in divination, however this could anger the Chelid and require animal sacrifices to appease them. Sometimes a Chelid would demand people dance and would insist that pregnant women not eat pork. There are thought to be two major forms of Chelid; those based in politics and those based in nature. Political Chelid, often called Territorial Chelid, guarded villages and had major roles that varied depending on the political climate. They typically guard over a village, but if their village conquered another, then the Chelid could expand its reach. Chelid could also be “married” to connect two different villages. They have an upright stone symbol in the village, and this is taken with them if the village moves. Due to their significance, the Korong of these Chelid often served vital roles and sometimes even served as the chiefs of their villages. Sometimes the Korong was referred to as a Chelid themselves. The second form of Chelid are related to nature, and there are thought to be countless of them. The Chelid embodied the natural world and would need to be appeased whenever anything was taken from nature.
Citations:
Dobbin, Jay, and Hezel, Francis X.. Summoning the Powers Beyond: Traditional Religions in Micronesia. Germany, University of Hawaii Press, 2011.
Cherufe
The Cherufe is a creature originating from the myths of the Mapuche and Araucanian people of Chile and Argentina. The Cherufe is thought to inhabit magma pools and active volcanoes, and the body of the Cherufe is thought to be made of the same molten materials. The Cherufe is described in various manners.
– Some in cryptozoology believe the Cherufe to be an undiscovered species capable of living in magma pools. Often these are depicted as lizard-like humanoids.
– Some stories say that the Cherufe came to earth as cannibalistic giants disguised as comets. Sometimes they’re described like dragons, or giant humanoids with reptilian skin. These Cherufe prey on any who enter their territory.
– Sometimes Cherufe refers to lesser nature spirits wielded by any and all Kalku. The Cherufe was thought to symbolize comets, fireballs, whirlwinds, and stone axes (which were thought to be sent from the heavens.)
– Some stories depict the Cherufe as a singular figure in the form of a giant immortal monster. This monster caused earthquakes and eruptions unless offered a virgin sacrifice, and would do this to indicate its hunger. After consuming the sacrifice, it lit the head of its sacrifice on fire and threw it out of the volcano. Sometimes it would consume all of a person’s flesh leaving only charred bones, while other times it would simply consume the victim’s life essence. The Cherufe was sometimes known to walk around and instantly cook anyone nearby with their intense body heat, and seeing the fire from the Cherufe was thought to be an omen of death. The sun god (possibly Antu, not specified in research) sent two of his warrior daughters wielding icy swords from space. They drove the Cherufe back but couldn’t kill it as it’s immortal. They guard his volcanic prison, but sometimes the Cherufe escapes and attacks more people until they chase it back to the volcano.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures. United Kingdom, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2014.
Fantastic Fearsome Beasts. United Kingdom, AMBER BOOKS Limited, 2015.
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.
Matthews, John, and Matthews, Caitlin. The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A–Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic. United Kingdom, HarperCollins Publishers, 2010.
Porterfield, Jason, and Brezina, Corona. Chile: A Primary Source Cultural Guide. United States, Rosen Publishing Group, 2004.
Rosanes, Kerby. Mythic World. United States, Penguin Publishing Group, 2022.
Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.
Cheuksin/Cheuksingaksi/Cheuksinbuin
Cheuksin is the Korean goddess of the outhouse. She is known to be powerful but also incredibly hostile. She has long hair and uses this hair to choke people who surprise her, and being strangled by Cheuksin causes an incurable illness. It is advised to cough before entering to the bathroom to avoid startling her. Incidents occurring in outhouses were seen as curses and often related back to Cheuksin. To avoid these curses, a sacrifice of rice cakes was required if someone fell into the toilet. While not worshiped on a regular basis, small offerings are made after memorial services, torn off and offered to her without holding vessels. Additionally honorific terms like Cheuksinaksi and Cheuksinbuin are used to appease her wrath.
Citations:
Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Beliefs. South Korea, National Folk Museum of Korea, 2013.
World Mythology Lite. N.p., Frederick Holiday.
Children of Judas
The Children of Judas are from Serbian, Bulgarian, and Romanian myth. They are a type of vampire who always have red hair and can drain victims of every drop of blood through a single bite. Their bite marks often resemble the way the Latin number thirty is written, XXX, symbolizing the amount of silver Judas took to betray Jesus.
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.
Chimera
The Chimera is from Greek mythology and is the daughter of Typhon and Echidna. It caused havoc in Lycia and the surrounding area. It is thought to have had the front half of a lion, the back half of a dragon (or a full lion body with a snake, or three snakes, for a tail) and the head of a goat in the middle of the back. Some said it had the lion’s head, the body of a female goat, and a snake’s tail. Other iterations said it had a lion, goat, and dragon head. It began killing the moment it was born. It was raised by a king of Caria to extort the people of Lycia in exchange for their lives. It could breathe fire and kill entire towns. It was eventually killed by the Hero Bellerophon who rode on top of Pegasus. He killed the Chimera by either shooting a lead arrow, or throwing a lead spear, into its mouth which due to his fire breath melted and suffocated it to death.
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, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006.
Chindi
The Chindi is a form of ghost from Navajo myth. They are believed to be all the wickedness of a person leaving their body after death. They cause mischief and sickness for any of their living relatives. If proper rituals are performed the Chindi will blow away in the wind and fade into the night sky.
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.
Chonchon
The Chonchon are mythical creatures from the Mapuche people of Chile. They’re a vampiric form of witches with vulture-like heads and some believe it is an undead creature. Sometimes they take the form of birds with the head of a Kalku and they can shapeshift to appear as people with large ears. They’re a form of Wekufe, summoned by a Kalku and hunted by the Machi. They swoop down and knock people to the ground, ripping out their throats to feed on their blood. They can be driven away by warriors using weapons enchanted by a Machi, but can only be killed by Familiars of the Machi turned into snakes or hunting birds. A person could become a Chonchon through sheer will. They grow wings out of their ears and detach their heads to fly away from their bodies. Their cry sounds like “tui tui tui.”
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, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006.
Chorti
The Chorti are mythical creatures from Mexico and Guatemala. They resemble hairy humanoids standing seven feet tall or larger, with arms and shoulders heavily packed with muscles. They have bowed legs and long ape-like arms with large claws at the end of their fingers for tearing bark off trees, cracking stones, and decapitating humans. Sometimes they’re described with backward facing feet by the Yaqui native americans. On occasion, they are viewed as nature spirits that guard forests, and other times just violent predatory creatures that kill humans to feed on their flesh and blood. They are known to leave footprints and claw marks on trees that have been seen and photographed.
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.
Chuchunya
The Chuchunya is a hairy hominid from East Siberia. They stand 6-7 feet tall, have heavy builds, prominent brow ridges and are covered in dark hair. Some are sighted alone, while some are sighted in small groups. Sometimes they are described as wearing animal skin clothes. They are omnivores who eat berries, fish, and reindeer. Some believe that several Chuchunya were killed by the Russian military during their civil war.
Citations:
Newton, Michael. Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide to Hidden Animals and Their Pursuers. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2014.
Club-Tailed Glyptodont/Clubtailed Glyptodont
The Club-Tailed Glyptodont is a strange creature from Lumberjack Folklore. Often found in Texas, they can be seen throwing large boulders up mountains to watch them roll back down. They have large flat tails made of a substance similar to a bull’s horns, but their tails are also incredibly springy. They use their tails to pick up the boulders they throw, to bounce through the air, and to cushion even the highest falls. When throwing a boulder into the air they stand on their back legs, spin around, and hit the boulder with their tail to launch it.
Citations:
Bratcher, James T.. Analytical Index to Publications of the Texas Folklore Society, Volumes 1-36. United States, Southern Methodist University Press, 1973.
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.
Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.
A Treasury of American Folklore: Stories, Ballads, and Traditions of the People. United States, Garden city books, 1951.
Coje Ya Menia
The Coje Ya Menia is a cryptid from Angola. They are aquatic creatures fitting the cryptozoological classification of Water Lion. They are slightly smaller than a hippopotamus and have large canine teeth, or tusks. They are nocturnal and move around in smaller amounts of water during the rainy season, while typically living in rivers and swamps. They can be identified by their loud, rumbling roars and their elephant-like footprints. They are known to kill hippos but not eat them. It has been suggested that they are surviving saber tooth tigers, giant monitor lizards, or some form of surviving dinosaur.
Citations:
Eberhart, George M.. Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. United Kingdom, ABC-CLIO, 2002.
Columbia River Sand Squink
The Columbia River Sand Squink is from Lumberjack Folklore. They have the front half of a coyote and the back half of a bobcat with a spotted rear. They can produce an electrical discharge. They also lay plastic-like eggs to protect them from the electricity they produce.
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.
Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.
Come-At-A-Body/Jump-At-A-Body
The Come-At-A-Body is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore. They are known by the “scientific” name “Quadrupes improvisus.” They are harmless creatures resembling woodchucks, with short stubby limbs, flat faces, and large eyes. They also have green whiskers and a mark on their backs or stomachs resembling a dollar sign. They have very soft fur, but also have a ball of matted hair on their tails with holes in them that makes a loud moaning or whistling noise when it moves through the wind. They make this noise when attacking or looking for a mate. Some claim their legs are shorter on one side of their body to help them walk along mountains. They rush at people from the bushes and stops inches from the person if they don’t run away in surprise. If the person don’t run, then they expel a musky scent from their rear end.
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.
Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.
Coonigator
The Coonigator is a cryptid with a rounded body, grey fur, and a reptilian alligator head. They are the same size as a raccoon and live in wooded areas around Montpelier, Vermont. They’re thought to be scavengers that raid trash cans.
Citations:
Francis, Scott. Monster Spotter’s Guide to North America. United States, Adams Media, 2007.
Craqueuhhe
The Craqueuhhe is an undead creature from France. They were thought to be incredibly strong, virtually unstoppable and utterly immune to pain. These creatures could be formed when a person died who was unbaptized. They had waxy white skin, sunken eyes, and greasy hair with clods of dirt and maggots stuck in it. Their fingers were commonly ripped and torn from digging themselves out of their graves. They were capable of moving no matter how mutilated or decayed they were. They sustain themselves by eating flesh and drinking blood, and they will keep eating until their entire stomach is full. It was thought you would need a mob with consecrated weapons, sharp sticks, and torches to confront this creature. Due to their strength, they could only be killed by having several people hold them down and burn them to ash. If even a tiny piece of the Craqueuhhe isn’t burned they will continue attacking. If any of it is buried, it will infect the ground and create more Craqueuhhe from the nearby corpses.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017.
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.
Crazy Critter Of Bald Mountain
The Crazy Critter Of Bald Mountain is an alien that was sighted near Bald Mountain, Washington in 1974. It was described as being the size of a horse, covered in scales, with rubbery legs like tentacles. It had a head shaped like a football, and long antennae. It was also reported to give off an iridescent green glow. During the time of the sighting, there was a fiery UFO seen crashing to the ground in the nearby area.
Citations:
Marsh, Carole. Washington History!. United States, Gallopade International, 1996.
Cricket-Mantis Aliens
The Cricket-Mantis Alien was sighted in January 2007. The witness woke up to a two-tone digital sound. He saw a large creature appear suddenly by a window. He compared the creature to a hybrid of a cricket or a mantis. Despite its strangeness, it invoked a strange feeling of comfort and recognition. It was seen with two flying disks circling each other around a central axis and glowing red, orange, and yellow. The witness then lost an hour and a half of time.
Citations:
Steiger, Brad, and Steiger, Sherry Hansen. Real Aliens, Space Beings, and Creatures from Other Worlds. United Kingdom, Visible Ink Press, 2011.
Cropsey/Cropsey Maniac
Cropsey is an urban legend of a serial killer from New York State. Supposedly he started as a respected member of the community, but then started stalking and killing campers to get revenge for the accidental death of a family member. He was initially seen as an ax murderer but later viewed as some undead person. It’s thought he eludes the police in life and death.
Citations:
de Vos, Gail. What Happens Next? Contemporary Urban Legends and Popular Culture. United Kingdom, ABC-CLIO, 2012.
Le Croque-Mitaine
Le Croque-Mitaine is a bogeyman from France. Its name means “hand cruncher” or “mitten biter.” It is unclear as to what it is. Some guesses are a fairy, one of the Fates, a goblin, or a cat-like humanoid who is sporadically savage and sly. It grinds its teeth.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
Cuco
The Cuco is a Hispanic and Lusophone form of bogeyman. They take children if they don’t go to sleep on time. They are sometimes believed to be the male version of a creature called the Coca. The Cuco has inconsistent representation, but is often depicted with a jack o lantern. The female version, the Coca, was the linguistic origin of the coconut, as they were hairy and had holes resembling a face.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2013.
Landy, David. Tropical Childhood: Cultural Transmission and Learning in a Rural Puerto Rican Village. United States, University of North Carolina Press, 1959.
Maberry, Jonathan, and Kramer, David F.. They Bite. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2009.
Cucuy/Cucui
El Cucuy is a bogeyman figure from Mexico and other Spanish speaking areas. It is usually described as a small creature hiding in closets and under beds, but could be described simply as a scary person or beast. It can be identified by its glowing red eyes that can be seen in the dark. It is considered most dangerous to those out at night.
Citations:
Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
Herrera-Sobek, María. Celebrating Latino Folklore: An Encyclopedia of Cultural Traditions. United Kingdom, ABC-CLIO, 2012.
El Cuero/El Bien Peinado
El Cuero is from South America, Lago Lacar, and the Andes mountains. It is a monstrous octopus. It has claws at the end of each of its tentacle and a bulbous head with large ears covered in eyes. These eyes can change at will. The large eyes see great distances and the smaller eyes see into small dark crevices. Its name El Cuero translates to “cow hide” due to skin resembling cowhide. The name El Bien Peinado translates to “the smooth headed one”. It attacks on land and in the water. The strange tracks of the creature have been seen.
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.