L
-
Vermillion Bird/Zhūquè/Suzaku/Meng Chang Phoenix/Su-Zaku/Ling Kuang
The Vermillion Bird is a creature that was initially a Chinese symbol and was later adapted into Japanese myth. It is one of the Shijin along with the White Tiger, Azure Dragon, and the Black Tortoise. It’s associated with the South, the color red, fire, and summer. It was thought to represent heat, passion, and love, and was also often connected to the Ogura-No-Ike pond. It resembles a large bird with big wings and a long tail, covered in bright red and orange feathers, and these features typically lead to this creature being related to, and confused with, the Phoenix. It has the associated mansions (these being associated with the…
-
Tatsu/Lung/Ryo/Ryu
The Tatsu is a common term for a dragon in Japanese. They are thought to be descended from a primitive form of a three toed Chinese dragon. They are associated with the sea and rain and live in rivers or the sea. They give proper amounts of rain to those who properly appeased them, and cause droughts and whirlwinds when angered. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon, and DeKirk, Ashley. Dragonlore: From the Archives of the Grey School of Wizardry. United States, Red Wheel Weiser, 2006.
-
Niuhi/Lala-Kea/Kihikihi
The Niuhi is a class of man eating sea creature from Hawaiian myth. An alternate name Lala-Kea was once treated as a proper name, but eventually became synonymous with this classification. Sometimes any shark measuring over 3.5 meters is identified as a Niuhi, though they are sometimes believed to be the souls of demigods entering sharks after, or even before, their death. Alternate names like Lālākea refers to reef sharks, and Kihikihi refers to hammerhead sharks. They are believed to be capable of taking human form, have glowing fiery eyes, and are feared for their ferocity and reputation to devour all people. They are dark grey in color with lighter…
-
Lupo Mannaro/Lupo Manaro
The Lupo Mannaro is a form of werewolf from Italian myth. They date back to Roman times and are related to people banned from their communities. They were described as men who could turn into wolves. Attacks victims and kills or rapes them. They are not welcome among humans or animals due to their odd nature. 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.
-
Lucy And Nancy Creature
The Lucy And Nancy Creature is a cryptid sighted in Florida in 1849. Its name comes from the fact it was sighted by people aboard the ship Lucy And Nancy. It was described as a sea serpent measuring ninety feel long, and seven feet across. It had a dirty brown back, a large serpentine head, and clawed fins that were several feet in length. Renowned Cryptozoology Bernard Heuvelmans suggested it could either be a long necked aquatic mammal, or a giant eel. 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.
-
Löwenmensch
The Löwenmensch are known from stone age carvings first found in 1930s Germany. The initial depiction is a statue standing 28-31 cm tall carved from mammoth ivory. It shows a lion-headed human and has been suggested by radiocarbon to be somewhere near 40,000 years old. The statue was found by Gustav Rieck in the Vogelherd cave in the Swabian Jura region in Southern Journey in 1931. Due to WWII, the statue was improperly sorted until it was “rediscovered” in 1969 by Joachim Hahn. It’s one of the oldest examples of human art and shows the ability of early man being able to think abstractly. It’s thought to have taken over…
-
Loup Garou
The Loup Garou is a French form of werewolf that traveled to the US with colonialism. They are known to feed on blood and the flesh of humans. There are various distinct forms of Loup Garou. The oldest form starts out human and changes fully into a wolf with human intelligence. Often this version of transformation is induced by wearing a magic belt made of wolf skin. The next form, these stories starting in the eighteenth century, only partially transform, turning into human-wolf hybrids. This form had incredible strength, speed, and was very difficult to kill. The next form, these stories starting in the nineteenth century, were people who did…
-
Long Prairie Beer Can Aliens
The Long Prairie Beer Can Aliens were sighted in Long Prairie Minnesota October 23, 1965, at 7:15 p.m. The Witness was a 19-year-old named James Townsend who was driving outside of Long Prairie when his engine and headlight suddenly stopped. 20 feet ahead of him in the middle of the road was a metal rocket-shaped object glowing as bright as the sun. It was 30-40 feet high and stood on 3 leg-like fins measuring 10 feet wide. 3 creatures emerged from behind the ship. The creatures were 6 inches tall and resembled tin beer cans with arms and legs like matchsticks. After a few minutes, the creatures returned to the…
-
Lokha
The Lokha is a creature from the myths of the Seminole and Oklahoma Native Americans. They are described as a form of spirit animal that lives inside of a human. It emerges from the human mouth during sleep in the form of a chicken. In this form they steal and eat human hearts. People with Lokha in their bodies can be identified as their breathing sounds like a chicken. Citations: Gill, Sam D., and Sullivan, Irene F.. Dictionary of Native American Mythology. United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 1994.
-
Log Gar
The Log Gar is a fish from Lumberjack Folklore. It has saw-like teeth. They can cut through anything in the water and cut off limbs immediately. They will go through anything to kill prey. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.
