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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…
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Teke Teke/Shaka Shaka/ Pata Pata/ Kata Kata/Koto Koto/ Hijikake Babā
The Teke Teke is a form of ghost from Japanese urban legends. The name is an onomatopoeia meant to reference the sound of them dragging themselves with their hands. They are almost always women and look like people cut in half at the waist. Despite the fact that they crawl, they are thought to be capable of keeping up with cars when in pursuit, sometimes reaching 150km per hour. They commonly carry scythes or sickles. Teke Teke can be found in urban areas, commonly along dark roads. Getting attacked by a Teke Teke is horrific, but stories are often unclear about the specifics of these attacks. Commonly victims are cut…
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Susszheevo Aquatic Alien
The Susszheevo Aquatic Alien was sighted near Susszheevo, Tver Province, Russia in the Summer of 2001 in the evening. It was sighted by Oleg Smelkov and a friend Nikolay. They went to a lake Northwest of Moscow to go fishing. While searching for a fishing spot they found the lake covered in a dense eerie fog. Eventually, they found a spot and started fishing, later it got darker and the wind picked up. They heard splashing 20 meters ahead of them and a head emerged from the water. The creature slowly approached and suddenly jumped on the riverbank. It was a humanoid creature with a huge head, a wide mouth…
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Sundel Bolong/Sundal Bolong
The Sundel Belong is a form of ghost from Indonesia. The name translates to “prostitue hole” referring to the large hole in their backs. Sometimes they’re ghosts of women who died while pregnant outside of marriage. As the baby is still inside her body when she’s buried, it is born in the grave and bursts out of her back. This action leaves a massive hole in her back. She often has long black hair reaching all the way down her back to cover the hole. They often take the form of a seductive woman in a white dress. They appear pale but entirely human aside from the hole in their…
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Sucuriju/Sucuriju Gigante
The Sucuriju is a cryptid from the jungles of South America. Its name means “giant anaconda” or “giant boa.” It’s described as a massive green anaconda measuring between 45-130 feet in length. It’s described as dark brown in color with black rings and oval spots along its body. Several supposed pictures of Sucuriju eating bulls have appeared, though none have been confirmed. Colonel Percy Fawcett supposedly encountered one that was estimated to be 62-feet-long and 1 foot in diameter. Citations: Emmer, Rick. The Giant Anaconda and Other Cryptids: Fact Or Fiction?. United States, Facts On File, Incorporated, 2010. Storm, Rory. Monster Hunt: The Guide to Cryptozoology. United States, Sterling Publishing…
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Strigoi
The Strigoi is a form of vampiric monster from Romanian myth. The term Strigoi can be used as a general term for any evil entity, and it comes from the Italian word “strega” meaning Witch. They often shapeshift into night birds like owls. Over time they transformed from witch vampires to an undead form of vampire. 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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Striga/Strigen/Strigle(pl)
The Striga are powerful shapeshifting witches from Hebrew and Roman myth. Its name comes from the Italian word “strega” meaning “witch” which also serves as the root word to many other mythical creatures. They resemble old women, and it is unclear whether they are living creatures or undead. They can transform into birds like magpies and crows, but often take the form of owls which they are commonly represented as. They are thought to be intelligent and very strong, and they drain the blood of children. When children are attacked by the Striga, they are either drained of blood or cursed to waste away and die. It’s thought they cannot…
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Stregoni Benefici
The Stregoni Benefici is a unique supernatural creature from Italian belief. Sometimes they are seen as an Italian variation of the Krsnik. Their name translates to “beneficial vampire.” They are thought to be a form of living vampire, or half vampire, that repents from evil and is forgiven by the church. They abstain from drinking blood and become powerful monster hunters. Sometimes they aren’t actually vampires at all and are simply humans who dedicate their life to vampire hunting. Citations: Bunson, Matthew. The Vampire Encyclopedia. United Kingdom, Gramercy Books, 2000. Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2017. Gothic Shakespeares. Ukraine, Taylor & Francis, 2008. Maberry,…
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Steipereidur
The Steipereidur is a form of sea monster from medieval times. They’re described as a gentle and tame form of whale, that fought other sea monsters who endangered fishermen. They measure at least 100 cubits (roughly 147 feet) in length and have the scientific name “Balænopetra sibbaldi.” It was forbidden to hunt this creature, but it was thought their meat tastes like beef. Citations: Carpenter, Alfred, and Wilson-Barker, David. Nature Notes for Ocean Voyagers: Being Personal Observations Upon Life in “the Vasty Deep” and Fishes, Birds, and Beasts Seen from a Ship’s Deck; with Popular Chapters on Weather, Waves, and Legendary Lore. United Kingdom, C. Griffin, limited, 1915. Jenkins, James…
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Squonk
The Squonk is a sad creature from Lumberjack Folklore. They can be found most commonly in Pennsylvania. They have loose, wrinkly skin covered in moles and warts. They only travel at dusk and at night, and they constantly cry because of their ugly appearance. They can be found if hunters follow the paths left by their tears. When captured or cornered, they cry so much that their body dissolves. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
