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Splinter Cat
The Splinter Cat is a creature from lumberjack folklore, particularly in Wisconsin and Minnesota. They’re described as large cats with hardened skulls. They solely feed on raccoons and bees by charging into trees and breaking them into splinters. The result of their actions makes the trees look like they were struck by lightning. Citations: Rose, Carol. Giants Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia Of Folklore Legend And Myth. United Kingdom, WW Norton, 2001.
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Sisior
In a story from the island of Yap, there was a woman from Maki named Sisior. She went to bathe next to her house, and her tattoos were visible as she undressed. A demon in the form of an eel saw this and fell in love with her. When it approached her, she panicked and ran away. In her dreams, she saw a handsome man who asked why she ran away when he approached her in the water. She was confused until the man explained he appeared in the form of an eel. She explained she did see him but was afraid of the eel, so he asked her to…
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Steep Rock Lake Water Bandits
The Steep Rock Lake Water Bandits come from a sighting that was later revealed to be a hoax. The supposed encounter was sent in as an anonymous letter to the local newspaper and said to have occurred on July 2, 1950, near Sawmill Bay on Steep Rock Lake, northwest Ontario. A couple was having a picnic when the air began to vibrate from shock waves. They saw a ship on the water resembling two saucers with one on top of the other with one upside down. The couple watched these beings from behind a rock. A hatch at the top of the ship opened and several figures wearing metallic uniforms…
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Sukuyan
The Sukuyan is a vampiric form of witch from Trinidad and Tobago. They remove their skin to fly around at night in the form of a ball of light. They can also take the form of jungle cats, big dogs, and predatory night birds. They prey on sleeping humans but must return to skin before dawn, or perish. 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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Dipsa/Situla
The Dipsa is an obscure creature from Greek myth. They’re described as serpents so small they cannot be seen. Their body is destroyed when they’re stepped on and they deliver a lethal bite. The venom acts so fast that the victim doesn’t feel the pain of the bite before death, though it’s believed that its bite causes an unquenchable thirst. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Shar Khorkhoi
The Shar Khorkhoi is a rare cryptid similar to the Mongolian Death Worm. They have been sighted along the Tost Mountains of Mongolia. They were described as long yellow worms when several came out of holes in the ground. The witness ran away and looked back to see over 50 approaching. Citation: Shuker, Karl. The Beasts That Hide from Man: Seeking the World’s Last Undiscovered Animals. United States, Paraview Press, 2014.
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Sea Monk
The Sea Monk is a Medieval fish with a human head and a monk’s tonsure haircut. They’re thought to have a scarlet-colored and speckled body. With the upper body covered by a cape, and two long tentacles rather than arms. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.
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Sabbatarian
A Sabbatarian is a mystical form of person born on a Saturday from the belief of the Balkans. It’s thought that they can cure illnesses, detect supernatural creatures, and destroy them since they have special powers over vampires, ghosts, and spirits. Often they are accompanied by creatures called Fetch Dogs. Twins are thought to become especially powerful Sabbatarians. There is a report of a Sabbatarian luring a Vrykolakas into a barn, forcing it to count seeds, and then nailing it to a wall. It was thought vampires were confined to coffins all Saturday and Sabbatarians hunted them then, and they would sometimes wear their underwear inside out to help oppose…
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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…
