"seven most courageous youths and the seven most beautiful maidens were to board a boat and be sent as tribute to Crete, never to be seen again. In another version, King Minos had waged war with the Athenians and was successful. He then demanded that, at nine-year intervals, seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls were to be sent to Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monster that lived in the Labyrinth created by Daedalus. On the third occasion, Theseus volunteered to talk to the monster to stop this horror. He took the place of one"
"seven young men and seven virgin maidens to feed the Minotaur every year (which corresponded directly to the Minoans' meticulous records of lunar alignments - a full moon falls on the equinoxes once every eight years). This continued until Theseus killed the Minotaur with the help of Ariadne, Minos' lovestruck daughter. Minos was also part of the King Nisus story. Nisus was King of Megara, and he was invincible as long as a lock of crimson hair still existed, hidden in his white hair. Minos attacked Megara but Nisus knew he could not be beaten because he still had his"
"of the eight mountain pillars. These include Xiwangmu and others on Kunlun. Although not originally located on Kunlun, but rather on a Jade Mountain neighboring to the north (and west of the Moving Sands), Xiwangmu, the Queen Mother of Meng Hao in the West, in later accounts was relocated to a palace protected by golden ramparts, within which immortals (xian) feasted on bear paws, monkey lips, and the livers of dragons, served at the edge of the Lake of Gems. Every 6000 years the peaches which conferred immortality upon those who ate them would be served (except the time when"
"Four eats tulip trees, Five drinks the seas, Six sleeps on houses, and Seven unscrews his head. The final frame shows the giant monsters captured and restrained by the relatively tiny townspeople. Seven Little Monsters Seven Little Monsters is a children's picture book by American author and illustrator Maurice Sendak. It was published by Harper & Row in 1977 and served as the basis for the Canadian-Chinese-Philippines PBS Kids show of the same name (2000-2004). ""Seven Little Monsters"" is a small format book measuring 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches (22 cm x 11.5 cm). Seven giant monsters, each named"
"seven witches in incantations. Her evil deeds included (but were not limited to): slaying children, unborns, and neonates; causing harm to mothers and expectant mothers; eating men and drinking their blood; disturbing sleep; bringing nightmares; killing foliage; infesting rivers and lakes; and being a bringer of disease, sickness, and death. Pazuzu, a god or demon, was invoked to protect birthing mothers and infants against Lamashtu's malevolence, usually on amulets and statues. Although Pazuzu was said to be bringer of famine and drought, he was also invoked against evil for protection, and against plague, but he was primarily and popularly invoked"
"witches and demons respectively. Empusa was the daughter of the goddess Hecate and was described as a demonic, bronze-footed creature. She feasted on blood by transforming into a young woman and seduced men as they slept before drinking their blood. The Lamia preyed on young children in their beds at night, sucking their blood, as did the ""gelloudes"" or Gello. Like the Lamia, the ""striges"" feasted on children, but also preyed on adults. They were described as having the bodies of crows or birds in general, and were later incorporated into Roman mythology as ""strix"", a kind of nocturnal bird"
"Devil and giving birth, seven years prior at age 53, to a monster with a wolf's head and a serpent's tail. The monster's sole food consisted of babies, which were either slain by Angéle de la Barthe or dug up from their graves in remote churchyards. She confessed to having fed it babies for two years, before the monster ran away in the middle of the night. She also boasted of having had commerce with the Demon, and of being a constant attendant at the Sabbat. Hugues de la Beniols did not inquire if it was true that for two"
"Ogre An ogre (feminine: ""ogress"") is a legendary monster usually depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world. They appear in many classic works of literature, and are most often associated in fairy tales and legend with a taste for infants. In mythology, ogres are often depicted as inhumanly large and tall and having a disproportionately large head, abundant hair, unusually colored skin, a voracious appetite, and a strong body. Ogres are closely linked with giants and with human cannibals in"
"the seven legendary monsters, diminishing their power (and thus the power of evil as a whole). Several of the first humans were considered to have ascended upon their deaths and become minor deities. Kerana, the beautiful daughter of Marangatu, was captured by the personification or spirit of evil called Tau. Together the two had seven sons who were cursed of the high goddess Arasy, and all but one were born as hideous monsters. The seven are considered primary figures in Guaraní mythology, and while several of the lesser gods or even the original humans are forgotten in the verbal tradition"
"was described by Traill Dennison, who transcribed its story, as ""the worst of the nine fearful curses that plague mankind"". A further tale recorded by Traill Dennison gives a brief mention of another stoor worm, described as the progeny of the Orcadian monster, which is killed when it is severed in two by an oversized mythical ship. The king of one country threatened by the imminent arrival of the stoor worm sought the advice of a wise man or spaeman, who suggests that the beast might be appeased if it is fed seven virgins every week. In line with the"
"and meaning in life. The following Murrinh-patha myth, for instance, is performed in Murrinh-patha ceremonies to initiate young men into adulthood. ""A woman, ""Mutjinga"" (the 'Old Woman'), was in charge of young children, but instead of watching out for them during their parents' absence, she swallowed them and tried to escape as a giant snake. The people followed her, spearing her and removing the undigested children from the body."" Within the myth and in its performance, young, unadorned children must first be swallowed by an ancestral being (who transforms into a giant snake), then regurgitated before being accepted as young"
"incantation must be recited three times a day, besides further food sacrifices. At dusk on the third day, the figurine is taken outdoors and buried near the wall. Lamashtu In Mesopotamian mythology, Lamashtu (Akkadian ""La-maš-tu""; Sumerian ""Dimme"" ""Dim-me"") was a female demon, monster, malevolent goddess or demigoddess who menaced women during childbirth and, if possible, kidnapped their children while they were breastfeeding. She would gnaw on their bones and suck their blood, as well as being charged with a number of other evil deeds. She was a daughter of the Sky God Anu. Lamashtu is depicted as a mythological hybrid,"
"Mormo Mormo (, ""Mormō"") was a female spirit in Greek folklore, whose name was invoked by mothers and nurses to frighten children to keep them from misbehaving. The term mormolyce (; pl. ""mormolykeia"" ), also spelt mormolyceum ( ""mormolukeîon""), is considered equivalent. The name ""mormo"" has the plural form ""mormones"" which means ""fearful ones"" or ""hideous one(s)"", and is related to an array of words that signify ""fright"". The variant ""mormolyce"" translates to ""terrible wolves"", with the stem ""-lykeios"" meaning ""of a wolf"". The original Mormo was a woman of Corinth, who ate her children then flew out; according to"
"Echidna (mythology) In Greek mythology, Echidna (; , ""She-Viper"") was a monster, half-woman and half-snake, who lived alone in a cave. She was the mate of the fearsome monster Typhon and was the mother of monsters, including many of the most famous monsters of Greek myth. Echidna's family tree varies by author. The oldest genealogy relating to Echidna, Hesiod's ""Theogony"" (c. 8th – 7th century BC), is unclear on several points. According to Hesiod, Echidna was born to a ""she"" who was probably meant by Hesiod to be the sea goddess Ceto, making Echidna's likely father the sea god Phorcys;"
"myth to a more werewolf-like creature is because Luison was the seventh son. The seventh son, especially in Paraguay, was thought to be cursed to become a werewolf. Luison Luison, Luisõ or Lobison is the name of a monstrous creature from Guaraní mythology. Being one of the seven cursed children of Tau and Kerana, the Luison is one of the primary figures of legend in Guaraní-speaking cultures today, such as Paraguay. Of the original myths of the Guaraní people, the Luison is one of the few whose story has changed significantly in modern times. The name of Luison is a"
"of the king, and his sole heir. Within a short time, the country is in turmoil as the evil stoor worm has arrived in the kingdom. A gigantic vile sea serpent, it is capable of destroying entire villages; the king is advised by a sorcerer that the only way to appease the monster is by feeding it seven virgins each Saturday. The citizens are outraged as their daughters are eaten by the stoor worm and insist the king finds an alternative solution. After seeking further advice, the king is told the only way to make the monster leave is to"
"According to Hesiod, Cerberus was the offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon, was fifty-headed, ate raw flesh, and was the ""brazen-voiced hound of Hades"", who fawns on those that enter the house of Hades, but eats those who try to leave. Stesichorus (c. 630 – 555 BC) apparently wrote a poem called ""Cerberus"", of which virtually nothing remains. However the early-sixth-century BC-lost Corinthian cup from Argos, which showed a single head, and snakes growing out from many places on his body, was possibly influenced by Stesichorus' poem. The mid-sixth-century BC cup from Laconia gives Cerberus three heads and a"
"is the cosmic snake Shesha and gourd is the crescent moon. She plays the instrument during the deluge that drowns the world. Chamunda is one of the saptamatrikas or Seven Mothers. The Matrikas are fearsome mother goddesses, abductors and eaters of children; that is, they were emblematic of childhood pestilence, fever, starvation, and disease. They were propitiated in order to avoid those ills, that carried off so many children before they reached adulthood. Chamunda is included in the ""Saptamatrika"" (seven Matrikas or mothers) lists in the Hindu texts like the ""Mahabharata"" (Chapter 'Vana-parva'), the ""Devi Purana"" and the ""Vishnudharmottara Purana""."
"one account, from the Orphic tradition, Echidna was the daughter of Phanes (the Orphic father of all gods). Hesiod's Echidna was half beautiful maiden and half fearsome snake. Hesiod described ""the goddess fierce Echidna"" as a flesh eating ""monster, irresistible"", who was like neither ""mortal men"" nor ""the undying gods"", but was ""half a nymph with glancing eyes and fair cheeks, and half again a huge snake, great and awful, with speckled skin"", who ""dies not nor grows old all her days."" Hesiod's apparent association of the eating of raw flesh with Echidna's snake half suggests that he may have"
"The seven female Cranes. Iros, Hippon, Menesthes, Telamon, Phormion: The five male Cranes (apart from Theseus and Amyntor). Lukos: a Cretan officer who commands a detachment of African warriors in the service of King Minos. Sent to collect the tribute of fourteen youths and maidens from Athens, Lukos serves as an example of the polished and sophisticated courtiers of the Labyrinth in contrast to the crude but energetic values of mainland Greece. Kerkyon: The 20-year-old, strongly built year-king of Eleusis. The name 'Kerkyon' is given to all year-kings: his real name is not given. Theseus kills him in a wrestling"
"in a banquet for the gods. The gods became aware of the gruesome nature of the menu, so they did not touch the offering; only Demeter, distraught by the loss of her daughter, Persephone, absentmindedly ate part of the boy's shoulder. Clotho, one of the three Fates, was ordered by Zeus to bring the boy to life again. She collected the parts of the body and boiled them in a sacred cauldron, rebuilding his shoulder with one wrought of ivory made by Hephaestus and presented by Demeter. The revived Pelops grew to be an extraordinarily handsome youth. The god Poseidon"
"Lamashtu In Mesopotamian mythology, Lamashtu (Akkadian ""La-maš-tu""; Sumerian ""Dimme"" ""Dim-me"") was a female demon, monster, malevolent goddess or demigoddess who menaced women during childbirth and, if possible, kidnapped their children while they were breastfeeding. She would gnaw on their bones and suck their blood, as well as being charged with a number of other evil deeds. She was a daughter of the Sky God Anu. Lamashtu is depicted as a mythological hybrid, with a hairy body, a lioness' head with donkey's teeth and ears, long fingers and fingernails, and the feet of a bird with sharp talons. She is often"
"with a height of thirty feet, and proportionately awful of aspect."" Cirein-cròin Ceirean, Cirein-cròin or cionarain-crò was a large sea monster in Scottish Gaelic folklore. An old saying claims that it was so large that it fed on seven whales: Local folklores say this huge animal can disguise himself as a small, silver fish when fisherman come in contact with it. Other accounts state the reason for the disguise was to attract its next meal; when the fisherman would catch it in its small silver fish form, once aboard it changed back to the monster and ate him. According to"
"Lamia Lamia (; ), in ancient Greek mythology, was a woman who became a child-eating monster after her children were destroyed by Hera, who learned of her husband Zeus's trysts with her. Hera also afflicted Lamia with sleeplessness so she would anguish constantly, but Zeus gave her the ability to remove her own eyes. ""Lamia"" was also used as a bogey word to frighten and discipline children. In later traditions and storytelling, the ""lamiai"" became a type of phantom, synonymous with the empusai which seduced youths to satisfy their sexual appetite and fed on their flesh afterward. A fabulous biography"
"Yelbeghen Yelbeghen (Йилбегән, ""Yilbegän"" or ""Yelbegän"", Tatar: ""Cilbegän"" / Җилбегән) is a multi-headed man-eating monster in the mythology of Turkic peoples of Siberia, as well as Siberian Tatars. In some myths Yilbegän is a winged dragon or serpent-like creature, while in others he is an ogre-like behemoth who rides a 99-horned ox. Some epics feature multiple Yilbegän with different numbers of heads who are the offspring of Altan Sibaldai, ""the golden witch"", a cohort of the lord of the underworld. Some epics also mention a Yilbegän king named ""Yelmogus"". In a legend of the Altai, there was a seven-headed ogre,"
"one Azog, while Gollum is described as having eaten a young Goblin-imp (Goblins often being synonymous with orcs) shortly before he first met Bilbo (which seems to be alluded to in ""The Lord of the Rings"" films when Gollum goes on (with himself) about how unpleasant-tasting orcs are and that sweet Hobbit meat would suit Shelob better). In an unpublished letter, written in 1963 to a Mrs. Munsby (and auctioned in 2002 at Sotheby's), Tolkien confirmed that female Orcs did exist. He wrote: ""There must have been orc-women. But in stories that seldom if ever see the Orcs except as"
"the tale is often told differently because the Guaraní did not have a written language, and some accounts tell of Tau and Kerana being married. Whichever the case, the product of Tau and Kerana's intercourse was seven children who were cursed by the goddess Arasy and born as monsters. Each of the seven were revered or feared, each possessing different abilities and traits, central to Guaraní lore. The seven children were, in order of birth: Tau (mythology) Tau is the name of an evil spirit in Guaraní mythology. Although Tau is not quite synonymous with the Devil in Christian beliefs,"
"Cirein-cròin Ceirean, Cirein-cròin or cionarain-crò was a large sea monster in Scottish Gaelic folklore. An old saying claims that it was so large that it fed on seven whales: Local folklores say this huge animal can disguise himself as a small, silver fish when fisherman come in contact with it. Other accounts state the reason for the disguise was to attract its next meal; when the fisherman would catch it in its small silver fish form, once aboard it changed back to the monster and ate him. According to Forbes, ""[In another saying] cionarain-cro here is substituted, as Avill be"
"of chaos. As a result of their ability to mate with anything, they have the body of a man and features of their animal parent, often deer, goats, antelope, cattle, and sheep. The animal parent normally dies with the child eating its way out of the host at full gestation. They worship Malia, the Mother of Disease, and Thed, the goddess of rape and mother of Chaos. Scorpionmen are belligerent folk, who look like a sort of scorpion-human centaur. They are described as stupid, vicious and live in violent matriarchies with a religious emphasis on devouring. They are chaotic in"
"with a name of Maras, women who took on the appearance of the night looking for huge monster half human and half wolf. If a female at midnight stretches the membrane which envelopes the foal when it is brought forth, between four sticks and creeps through it, naked, she will bear children without pain; but all the boys will be shamans, and all the girls Maras. The Nisse is sometimes said to be a shapeshifter. This trait also is attributed to Huldra. Gunnhild, Mother of Kings (""Gunnhild konungamóðir"") (c. 910 – c. 980), a quasi-historical figure who appears in the"
"the Sleeping Beauty. He sang all of his magical songs, but the other woke her up with a kiss. According to the wager he had to die. Kölyök (; ""Boy""), naïve ghost, 530-year-old: when the king marched nude before his people, he was the one who had the bravery to mention it first. Because of this he was sentenced to death. His name is no longer remembered. (This character is usually played by women). Lámpás (; ""Illuminator""), often Törpe (; ""Dwarf""), the dwarf, crabby ghost, 670-year-old: miner, born on April 7, 1318. He was on guard to protect his seven"
"and Menestheus. Sacrificial victims of Minotaur In Greek mythology, the people of Athens were at one point compelled by King Minos of Crete to choose 14 young noble citizens (seven young men and seven maidens) to be offered as sacrificial victims to the half-human, half-taurine monster Minotaur to be killed in retribution for the death of Minos' son Androgeos. The victims were drawn by lots, were required to go unarmed, and would end up either being consumed by the Minotaur or getting lost and perishing in the Labyrinth, the maze-like structure where the Minotaur was kept. The offerings were to"
"sometimes depicts Maenads, Dionysus' female worshippers, eating raw meat as part of their worship; however, there is little solid evidence that historical Maenads consumed raw meat. The Dionysiac diet of raw meat may be more properly attributed to Dionysus himself, rather than his followers—he received sacrifices of raw meat and was believed to consume them, but his followers did not share in the consumption. The Orphic mysteries originated as a ritual which focused on purification and the afterlife; the mysteries were based on the stories of Dionysus Zagreus. Zagreus was the child of Zeus and Persephone, who was torn apart"