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Trapspringer
The Trapspringer is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore with the scientific name Inconcinnuscasus wymani. They’re small creatures with spring-like legs. They only come out at night and use their weird legs to trigger traps and still avoid being caught. They live in the dens of fur-bearing animals who give them food in return for keeping them safe from the traps intended for them. Citations: Yarns of the Big Woods, Written and Illustrated by Art Childs
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Tizheruk
The Tizheruk is an ocean-dwelling monster from Inuit mythology. They are similar to Pal-Rai-Yuk and sometimes seen as a variation of it from King Island. They have 7-foot-long heads on 15-foot-long serpentine bodies with flippers on both ends. They are known to grab people from docks and piers. Citations: Eberhart, George M.. Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology. United Kingdom, ABC-CLIO, 2002. Gerhard, Ken. A Menagerie of Mysterious Beasts: Encounters with Cryptid Creatures. United States, Llewellyn Worldwide, Limited, 2016. McElroy, D.R.. Superstitions: A Handbook of Folklore, Myths, and Legends from Around the World. United States, Wellfleet Press, 2020.
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Tirisuk/Tirichuk
The Tirisuk is a monster from Inuit myth. They are creatures similar to dragons but often combine the features of reptiles and either centipedes or caterpillars. They have large leathery feelers or antennae which they use to grab prey. Sometimes they have four legs, and jaws like snapping turtles that could tear through anything. They typically eat humans and even whole hunting parties. They are sometimes thought to live in a giant hole, or in the Buckland and Noatak rivers. Citations: Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016. Francis, Scott. Monster Spotter’s Guide to North America. United States, Adams…
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Tiamat
Tiamat is a primordial goddess from Sumerian, Babylonian, Akkadian, and Mesopotamian mythology. She is a creator goddess who is thought to embody the water of the ocean. She is thought to have combined with Apsu, who embodies freshwater, and birthed eleven monstrous creatures. She became incredibly angry at Enki and Marduk for leading the deities who later killed Apsu. She created and then married the god Kingu to fight Marduk. Marduk eventually split her in half, using half of her body to make the vault of heaven, and using her eyes as the water sources for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Citations: Jordan, Michael. Encyclopedia of Gods: Over 2,500 Deities…
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Rabisu/Rōbēs
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Thunder Horse/Thunder Beasts
The Thunder Horse is a mythical creature from the Oglala Sioux people of Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota. They are huge terrifying creatures that leap from the sky to the ground during storms. It’s thought the hoofbeats were the origin of thunder. They drove buffalo towards the Sioux and vanished into the earth when the storm ended. They were also thought to belong to the deity Wakan Tanka. In 1875 bones were produced and studied. They were classified as Brontotherium by Dr. Othniel C. Marsh, this name meaning “Thunder Beasts.” These are the most famous members of the extinct class of animals Titanotheres. Citations: D’Aoust, Gerald, and Breese, Daryl. God’s…
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Three Tailed Bavalorous
The Three Tailed Bavalorous is a creature from Lumberjack Folklore. It has the scientific name “Theriornis tricauda unicornus.” It’s described as half animal and half bird. Its front half was covered in feathers and the back half was covered in hair. It had legs like a cow or a buffalo, a horn like a corkscrew coming from its forehead, and three tails. The end of one tail was a barb as sharp as a spear, which it used for fighting. The end of the second tail was broad and flat and was used as a chair. The end of the third tail was fanned out like a peacock tail and…
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Thaman-Chah/θamá̃ ʤá
The Thaman-Chah is a mythical creature from Burma depicted in a watercolor painting from a Christian missionary. They are known to live in caves in the deepest forests. The story of their origin is that there were medicine men searching for a poisonous plant that could be used to create medicine. They found the plants but failed to say the proper mantras before collecting them, and were turned into tigers as punishment. Similar to this origin, it is sometimes believed that attempting to make a specific rejuvenating medicine (likely the same as the original) would cause a person to become a Thaman-Chah. Citations: Tantra, Magic, and Vernacular Religions in Monsoon…
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Thags Yang
The Tags Yang is a demonic creature from Tibetan myth. They attack travelers, wrestle them to the ground, and then drain their life’s breath. They can take the form of humans, tigers, or human tiger hybrids. They can be stopped from attacking if you are strongly religious, and they seek out those who don’t say prayers of protection. 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. Steiger, Brad. The Werewolf Book: The Encyclopedia of Shape-Shifting Beings. United Kingdom, Visible Ink Press, 2011.
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Tenatz
The Tenatz are from Bosnian legends. They are undead shapeshifters. They can turn into mice or other small burrowing creatures to escape from their graves. They return to the form of a walking corpse once above ground. They consume blood. Cutting the hamstrings of a corpse is thought to prevent them from rising as a Tenatz. If they have already risen, they can be stopped with fire or exorcism. 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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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…
