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Cougar Fish
The Cougar Fish is a creature from Lumberjack folklore. They have the “scientific name” Pterygium unguis acutis. They’re described as violent and savage fish with claws at the ends of their fins. They’re found only in the Big Onion River and rest in shallow rough sections of water, clawing any lumberjacks that pass. A reward was placed on them, and after which the fish seemed to disappear, and none were ever found. Citations: Wyman, Walker D. Mythical Creatures of the USA and Canada.(River Falls, WI: Univ of Wisconsin Riverfalls Press,1978.)
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Cihuateteo/Civatateo
The Cihuateteo are a form of vampiric creature from Aztec myth. They were thought to be women who died during childbirth, and their unborn children would become a different vampiric creature. They often dressed in imitation of the goddess Tlazolteotl and may appear as a normal mother and child. The two creatures target children to infect them with an illness that causes them to waste away, while other times they feed on blood, or the misery they cause. These creatures were thoght to be repelled by ancient Aztec holy relics. Citations: Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us.…
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Caballi/Cabales
The Caballi is a vampiric creature existing on the astral plane. They are created when a man dies before his time and retains his intelligence in the astral plane. They prey on humans going through the astral plane, and mediums. They desire interaction with the physical world and possess mediums to do so temporarily. They are similar to the Incubus or Succubus and latch onto humans for sexual activity. The Caballi will persist until it reaches the day it was supposed to die naturally. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017.
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Conjoined Giants/Denecho Keníhshon
The Conjoined Giants come from a story in Slavey myth. After the figure Wolverine stole a child, this child accidentally mistook these giants for his grandparents. They were connected at the back and faced opposite directions. They were dragging a giant toboggan. They were known to eat humans and ate the boy who had been stolen. Thankfully the father of the boy prayed for his son’s resurrection. Unfortunately, the boy made the same mistake and died again, but this time he wasn’t brought back. The boy’s father tricked them into killing each other by shooting an arrow at them while they were covered by a blanket. This caused each to…
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Choleree
Choleree is a monster from Evens mythology in Siberia. He was described as an ogre having one arm, one leg, one eye in the center of the forehead, and iron teeth that he constantly gnashed. He appeared in a story about a brother and sister. He asked the sister if she could live with them, and the girl agreed. She snuck Choleree into their home. He locked away all the brother’s loyal animals and told the brother to wash himself so Choleree could eat his liver and innards. A duck the brother had spared came and freed his two bears, two wolves, and two foxes. The animals instructed the brother…
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Zduhać/Aloviti/Vjedogonja/Wind Chasers/Cloud Chaser/Hail Defender/Fairy Man/Dragon Man
The Zduhać are mythical figures from Slavic myth. They are described as people capable of protecting people, homes, and entire villages from rain and hail. They are often thought of as mythical creatures, like dragons or fairies, but in human form. Sometimes they were seen as prophets and connected to angels and saints. They are generally seen as heroic figures that look entirely human, though often melancholic, thoughtful, strong, resourceful, and resilient. A Zduhać could be detected from birth if they were born with the caul still on their head, and they would also often have an affinity to crows. Some believed however that a Zduhać could only be born…
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Jiangshi/Chiang-Shih/Kiang-Shi/Kuang-Shi
The Jiangshi are a form of undead creature from Chinese myth. They’re most often formed when someone dies from murder, hanging, drowning, suicide, or dying during the committing of a crime. It is believed they are the lesser of the two souls, called the p’o, that remains in the body after death. They have incredibly stiff bodies due to rigor mortis and have to hop around because of this. They’re believed to become stronger the longer they exist, with rigor mortis wearing off, and they would become smarter and more malicious. They can leap from massive distances and even learn how to fly. They have been known to appear as…
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Dard/Cat-Headed Snake
The Dard is a strange cryptid from Europe. Its name means “forked tongue” in French. They’re lizard-like creatures with cat heads, four legs, viper tails, and horse manes running down their backs. They are known to bite viciously when provoked, but have no venom. They are known to hiss very loudly and consume milk from cows. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Eberhart, George M.. Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. United Kingdom, ABC-CLIO, 2002.
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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…
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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.
