Mythical Creatures

BANSHEE a spirit, usually a woman, appears before and Irishman when a member of his family dies. Only the oldest Irish families who can trace their lineage to the legendary Irish heros of the Middle Ages have Banshees. BASILISK This creature can be one of 4 things: a venom-spitting serpent, a ferocious lizard, a towering dragon, or a chimera. They have the power to kill its victim by its stare but has 2 Achilles heels : the scent of a weasel and the sound of a rooster crowing.   BOGGART A shapeshifting spirit, while normally invisible, it can materialize as a human, an animal, a skeleton, or a demon. In America, its known as the boogie man. CENTAUR The most famous of these half man half horse is Chiron, who served as a teacher and mentor to many young men destined for greatness, including Hercules, Achilles, Jason, and Ascleplus. Known for his wisdom and sense of justice, Chiron was skilled in medicine, hunting, herbology and celestiial navigation. DRAGONS enormous serpents, armored with inpenetrable scales and equipped with one of two pairs o f l egs and a set of bbat-like wings, wedge-shaped heads and long, poisonous fangs. Some sported twin hornes, enormous claws and a forked or barbed tail. Welsh dragons were often red, German were white, others came in black, yellow, green, purple, or blue.   DWARF These little men have the power to become invisible and to assume any shape. They live for several hundred years and can see the future. They usually look like men with large heads, wizened faces, long grey beards and misshapen legs and feet.   ELF They come in all shapes and sizes but all work very powerful magic. Most resemble slender humans in their natural shape, but they can change or vanish in the blink of an eye. Dark elves of Germany are said to be hideous while Danish elves are renowned for their beauty. In English folklore, male elves are described as wizened old men while the females are lovely, golden haired madens. An elf may be small enough to sleep under a toadstool or largge enough to pas as human. Some elves steal babies, rustle cattle, pilfer food, and cause disease. They sit on people as they sleep, causing bad dreams. FAIRY Usually take the shape of the fairest humans. The realm of the fairy are only discovered by chancece. Always keep your hearth clean and try to pay your fairies for their services with bowls of milk. GIANT One of the most famous one is Goliath. They are ranked with dragons. In Celtic legend, the Fomorians (a clan of Giants) were the first inhabitants of Ireland. Famous poem - "Fee, fi, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he live or be he dead, I'll crush his bones to make my bread" GNOME Good natured, old, and hunchbacked, their skin is always earth toned (grey or brown usually) so they can blend in with their surroundings. They can move through the earth in any direction without tunels, like a fish in water. GOBLINS elpful yet tempramental imps. They attatch themselves to onoe persono or family, moving into their home. They vary in size but most are about half an adult human. Grey hair and beards, bodies and facial features are distorted. It is said that their smile can curdle milk. Also known as hobgoblins although all hobgoblins are good. GRIM Spirit in the form of a menacing dog. They never leave church yards or burial grounds. They are usually invisible except in storms, midnight before a death and they can be seen standing guard on a belltower during a burial. GRINDYLOW Has the face of a hag, long green hair, green skin, green fangs, and a pointy mouth. To get rid of one, give them one swift kick to the head - NOT two though!! HINKYPUNK a wispy, one-legged spirit who lurks in remote areas at night waiting for an approaching traveler before he lights a lantern and then steps into view. HIPPOGRIFF the offspring of a male griffin and a female horse. In medieval times, they wre charged with crimes. (animals that were large enough to be imprisioned were placed in jail with people and put under the same treatment - they were even tortured for confessions) KAPPA Amphibious water spirit of Japanese folk lore that drags its victims into the water and drowns and mutilates them. They dwell in rivers, lakes, and ponds. They are the size of a ten year old boy with scaly yellow-green skin, the face of a monkey and the back of a tortoise. The best method of subduing them is to bow to it repeatedly or to give it a cucumber with your name carved in it. LEPRECHAUN Shoemakers of Irish folklore. Humans may share in their wealth but only if they are clever enough to capture him. MANTICORE Its reddish, hairy body resembles a lions, it has a human face, melodious voice, and a scorpion like tail spiked with poison darkts which he could shoot like arrows MERMAIDS/MERMEN Also known as Merrymaid (Cornish), Merrow (Irish), Blue Men (Scotland),meerfrau, nix, nixe, lorele (Germany) and the Rusalka (Russia). Half woman/man and half fish.