Egypt
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Serket
Serket is a minor goddess of scorpions and other venomous things. People call to her if they get hurt by something venomous. She is depicted as a woman with a scorpion on her head primed and ready to strike. She protected the throne of the king in the form of a scorpion. In a select few other interpretations she has been depicted as a woman, holding knives, with the head of a lioness and a crocodile head coming out of her back. She is the mother to a god named Nehebu-Kau, and she is also seen as a minor death goddess who guards the canopic jars or the god Qebehsenuef.…
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Sal’awa/Salawa/Al-Salaawa/Al-Salawwa/Silawa
The Sal’awa is a mysterious creature from Egypt. Their name means “she-wolf” in Arabic. Sometimes they are related to Djinn, while others view them as a cryptid. They’re described as nocturnal dog-like animals sometimes resembling a cross between a jackal and an anteater. They have square ears, a drooping nose, a hyena-like muzzle, big canine teeth with prominent fangs, and a poofy forked tail. They are roughly the size of dogs with beige or black fur, and back legs longer than the front. They are thought to live in the desert and are often related to depictions of the Egyptian god Set. They are known to attack and kill humans,…
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Qattara Cheetah
The Qattara Cheetah is a mysterious big cat from Northern Africa, specifically the Qattara Depression in Egypt. They resemble pale cheetahs with thick coats and are thought to be a morph population of cheetahs. Reports of this creature go back to the 1960’s and a specimen was captured in 1967 by a Bedouin tribesman, but this wasn’t viewed by any scientists. Cheetah-like tracks have been photographed twice in the 1960’s. Citations: Eberhart, George M.. Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. United Kingdom, ABC-CLIO, 2002. Newton, Michael. Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide to Hidden Animals and Their Pursuers. United Kingdom, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Shuker, Karl. The Beasts That Hide…
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Nephthys
Nephtyhys is a goddess of Egyptian myth. She is a funerary goddess and the goddess of weaving. She was closely associated with mummification and the linens used in this process are sometimes referred to as the “Tresses of Nephthys.” She was one of the children of Geb and Nut, and was married to her brother Set. She is often depicted as a human woman with a crown that says “mansion.” Nephthys alongside Isis guarded the mummified corpse of Osiris in the form of kites. Despite being married to Set, she lived with Isis and Osiris and had a child with Osiris named Anubis. She is thought to guide rulers through…
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Isis
Isis is the Egyptian goddess of wisdom and magic, as well as the wife to Osiris. She is one of the daughters of Geb and Nut. She is seen as the mother to kings and is depicted as a human with a crown that has cow horns and a sun disk, though she may be depicted with the features of a hawk or just fully as a hawk. She has a symbol attributed to her known as the Tyet, or the Isis Knot. It is thought this symbol represents life and well-being, and some believe it to be a depiction of an ancient tampon. She saved Osiris when Set threw…
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Ghaddar
The Ghaddar are mythical creatures from the deserts of Yemen, Tihamah, and Egypt. They’re described as female demons appearing as women so attractive almost none can resist her seduction. They lure men away, beat them half to death, torture them for hours or days, and then eat their genitals. The victim is often alive when she feeds but is certainly not afterward. Only those who are devoutly Muslim are thought to be able to resist their seduction. 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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Ankh-Aapau
Ankh-Aapau is from Egyptian mythology. It is a monstrous serpent from the fifth hour of the River of the Night in the Duat. It lives in the flames that it spits from its mouth. It is watched, along with the snake Tepan, by Sphinxes. In front of these two snakes there are four seated gods with hidden symbols of the god Seker on their knees. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Abu Rigl Maslukha
Abu Rigl Masluka is from Egyptian folklore (not mythology). The name means “man with burnt skin” or “man with burnt leg.” The story goes that he was burned because he didn’t listen to his parents telling him to stay away from something hot. He serves as a bogeyman figure. He kidnaps disobedient children to cook and eat. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Giants and Humanoids in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Ab-Ta
Ab-Ta is from Egyptian mythology. This creature was a monstrous giant snake that guarded the entrance to the ninth hour of the river of the night. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Ab-She/Ab-Shaw/Āb-Shau
Ab-She is a monstrous giant crocodile from Egyptian myth. It exists in the seventh hour of the river of the night. It was seen as the warden of symbols in a particular city in the Duat. It devours the souls of any who become lost in this hour, unless they know the image of him consuming his own body as Ra travels through the night. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Spirits and Ghosts in World Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Budge, Ernest Alfred Wallis. The Egyptian Heaven and Hell. United…
