"Indus worm The skōlex (Indus Worm or the horrible Indian worm), in ancient Greek writings, was a supposed giant, white, carnivorous worm with a large pair of teeth that lived in the Indus River. Gustav Oppert in the 19th century reasoned that ""skōlex"" referred to a like-sounding word in the Indian language, and was convinced the word was ""culukī"" () for ""fish"" or ""porpoise"". In his opinion, the word could refer even to a ""crocodile"" by extension. Scholar Erik Seldeslachts, in a 1998 paper, has suggested parallel with ""kṛmiḥ"" () which has the duel meaning of ""worm"" and a name"
"Drekavac Drekavac (Cyrillic: дрекавац, , literally """"the screamer"""" or """"the yeller""""), also called drekalo, krekavac, zdrekavac or zrikavac, is a mythical creature in South Slavic mythology. The name is derived from the adjective """"drečati"""" (Cyrillic: дречати) as meaning ""yelling"". In South Slavic mythology it is described as furry humanoid forest demon bearing long claws on the front limbs. In later folk tales this creature has been variously described: A modern description of a supposed drekavac describes it as a canine creature similar to a dog or some kind of bird. The drekavac was originally thought to have come from the"
"which have been known as ""lemurs"" ever since. The name derives from the Latin term ""lemures"", which refers to the ""spirits of the dead"" from Roman mythology. According to Linnaeus' own explanation, the name was selected because of the nocturnal activity and slow movements of the slender loris. Being familiar with the works of Virgil and Ovid and seeing an analogy that fit with his naming scheme, Linnaeus adapted the term ""lemur"" for these nocturnal primates. However, it has been commonly and falsely assumed that Linnaeus was referring to the ghost-like appearance, reflective eyes, and ghostly cries of lemurs. It"
"Europe. ""Strega"" (obviously derived from Latin ""striga"") is the Italian term for ""witch"", and in Romanian ""strigăt"" means 'scream', ""strigoaică"" is the name of the Romanian feminine vampire, and ""strigoi ""is the Romanian male vampire. Both can scream loudly, especially when they become poltergeists—a trait they have in common with the banshees. ""Strigăt"" is also the Romanian name of the barn owl and of the death's-head hawkmoth. Primary sources Secondary sources Strix (mythology) The strix (plural striges or strixes), in the mythology of classical antiquity, was a bird of ill omen, the product of metamorphosis, that fed on human flesh"
"gave the name ""Cerberus"" to a genus of Asian snakes, which are commonly called ""dog-faced water snakes"" in English. Cerberus In Greek mythology, Cerberus (; ""Kerberos"" ), often called the ""hound of Hades"", is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. Cerberus was the offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon, and usually is described as having three heads, a serpent for a tail, and snakes protruding from parts of his body. Cerberus is primarily known for his capture by Heracles, one of Heracles' twelve labours. Descriptions of Cerberus vary, including"
"a latinisation of the Greek word for ""eighteen"", from ""deca"", ""ten"", and ""octo"", ""eight"". In Greek mythology, a servant complained bitterly about pay of just 18 pieces a year, and the gods changed her to a dove that still cries mournfully. It is a medium-sized dove, distinctly smaller than the wood pigeon, similar in length to a rock pigeon but slimmer and longer-tailed, and slightly larger than the related turtle dove, with an average length of from tip of beak to tip of tail, with a wingspan of , and a weight of . It is grey-buff to pinkish-grey overall,"
"cry"". In the Sherlock Holmes novel ""The Hound of the Baskervilles"" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the naturalist Stapleton proposes the boom of a bittern as an explanation for the howl attributed to the mystical hound. Because of its secretive and skulking nature, it was for long unclear exactly how the bittern produced its distinctive booming call. A Mediaeval theory held that the bittern thrust its beak into the boggy ground of the marsh in which it lived, making its vocalization which was amplified and deepened as it reverberated through the water. A reference to this theory appears in 1476"
"word γοργός ""gorgós"", which means ""grim, dreadful"", and appears to come from the same root as the , """", which is defined as a guttural sound, similar to the growling of a beast, thus possibly originating as an onomatopoeia. Gorgons were a popular image in Greek mythology, appearing in the earliest of written records of Ancient Greek religious beliefs such as those of Homer, which may date to as early as 1194–1184 BC. Because of their legendary and powerful gaze that could turn one to stone, images of the Gorgons were put upon objects and buildings for protection. An image"
"Strix (mythology) The strix (plural striges or strixes), in the mythology of classical antiquity, was a bird of ill omen, the product of metamorphosis, that fed on human flesh and blood. It also referred to witches and related malevolent folkloric beings. The ""strix"" is described as a large-headed bird with transfixed eyes, rapacious beak, greyish white wings, and hooked claws in Ovid's ""Fasti"". This is the only thorough description of the strix in Classical literature. Elsewhere, it is described as being dark-colored. The ""strīx"" () was a nocturnally crying creature which positioned its feet upwards and head below, according to"
"Euryale (Gorgon) Euryale (; ""far-roaming""), in Greek mythology, was the second eldest of the Gorgons, the three sisters that have the hair of living, venomous snakes. Euryale and her sisters were daughters of primordial sea god and goddess Phorcys and Ceto, who personified the dangers of the sea. According to Hyginus, the parents of the Gorgons were Gorgon and Ceto. Euryale and her sister Stheno were immortal, whereas Medusa was mortal. In some versions of mythology, Euryale also had the ability to turn anyone to stone with her gaze. In many stories, Euryale is noted for her bellowing cries, particularly"
"Peuchen The Peuchen (also known as ""Piuchen, Pihuchen, Pihuychen, Pihuichen, Piguchen,"" or ""Piwuchen"") is a creature from the Mapuche mythology and Chilote mythology pertaining to southern Chile, a much feared shapeshifting creature which could instantly change into animal form. It has often been described as gigantic flying snake which produced strange whistling sounds, while its gaze could paralyse an intended victim and permit it to suck its blood. It has often been reported as the cause of sucking blood from sheep. The creature can be eliminated by a ""machi"" (Mapuche Medicine Woman). In Chile, this word ""Peuchen"" also designates to"
"nocturnal, particularly when singing its loud wailing songs, which are reminiscent of that of curlews. Food consists of insects and other small invertebrates, and occasionally small reptiles, frogs and rodents. It lays 2–3 eggs in a narrow scrape in the ground. The Eurasian stone curlew occurs throughout Europe, north Africa and southwestern Asia. It is a summer migrant in the more temperate European and Asian parts of its range, wintering in Africa. The genus name ""Burhinus"" comes from the Greek ""bous"", ox, and ""rhis"", nose. The species name ""oedicnemus"" comes from the Greek ""oidio"", to swell, and ""kneme"", the shin"
"peacock looks at its ugly feet and cries whereupon the tears are fed on by the peahen causing it to be orally impregnated while other variants incorporate sperm transfer from beak to beak. Similar ideas have also been ascribed to Indian crow species. In Greek mythology the origin of the peacocks plumage is explained in the tale of Hera and Argus. The main figure of the Yazidi religion Yezidism, Melek Taus, is most commonly depicted as a peacock. Peacock motifs are widely used even today such as in the logos of the US NBC and the PTV television networks and"
"variations to beasts. The root of the word itself refers to water, and this led to several beasts, mostly serpents, being so labeled. Isidore of Seville lists the hydros, a water snake that causes those bitten to swell up, the cure for which is the dung of an ox. The hydrus was also confused with the Hydra of the Hercules legend, some texts saying that it was a many-headed water dragon, living in the swamp of Lerna, that could grow new heads. A hydrus has no set appearance. Normally it is considered to be a water snake, although Pliny the"
"and argue, and sing a song about their miserable plight. Amphisbaena The amphisbaena (, plural: amphisbaenae; ) is a mythological, ant-eating serpent with a head at each end. The creature is alternatively called the amphisbaina, amphisbene, amphisboena, amphisbona, amphista, amfivena, amphivena, or anphivena (the last two being feminine), and is also known as the ""Mother of Ants"". Its name comes from the Greek words ""amphis"", meaning ""both ways"", and ""bainein"", meaning ""to go"". According to Greek mythology, the amphisbaena was spawned from the blood that dripped from the Gorgon Medusa's head as Perseus flew over the Libyan Desert with her"
"he has finished weeping, the Samebito is also pardoned by the dragons, and the story ends happily. Hearn notes that the name for this being is usually read as Kōjin. The ""kōjin"" are creatures thought to live in the South China Sea, which resemble ""ningyo"", are always weaving at their looms, and whose tears become jewels. Hearn's story appears to have been based on another story called ""Kōjin"" by Kyokutei Bakin. Samebito The is a creature that appears in ""The Gratitude of the Samebito"", a short story by Lafcadio Hearn. It is described as a shark-like humanoid with inky black"
"Chimera (mythology) The Chimera ( or , also Chimaera (""Chimæra""); Greek: , ""Chímaira"" ""she-goat"") was, according to Greek mythology, a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature of Lycia in Asia Minor, composed of the parts of more than one animal. It is usually depicted as a lion, with the head of a goat arising from its back, and a tail that might end with a snake's head, and was one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of such monsters as Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra. The term ""chimera"" has come to describe any mythical or fictional animal with"
"Gorgon In Greek mythology, a Gorgon (; plural: Gorgons, ""Gorgon""/""Gorgo"") is a mythical creature portrayed in ancient Greek literature. While descriptions of Gorgons vary across Greek literature and occur in the earliest examples of Greek literature, the term commonly refers to any of three sisters who had hair made of living, venomous snakes, as well as a horrifying visage that turned those who beheld her to stone. Traditionally, while two of the Gorgons were immortal, Stheno and Euryale, their sister Medusa was not and she was slain by the demigod and hero Perseus. The name derives from the ancient Greek"
"in a peacock's tail. The myth makes the closest connection of Argus, the neatherd, with the bull. In the ""Library"" of pseudo-Apollodorus, ""Argos killed the bull that ravaged Arcadia, ""then clothed himself in its skin."""" Argus is commemorated in the scientific names of at least six animals, each of which bears a pattern of eye spots: reptiles ""Cnemaspis argus, Eremias argus, Sibon argus"", and ""Sphaerodactylus argus""; the pheasant ""Argusianus argus""; and the cowry ""Arestorides argus"". Argus Panoptes Argus Panoptes (All-seeing) () or Argos () is a many-eyed giant in Greek mythology. The figure is known for having spawned the saying"
"on the concerns of Ancient Greece's settled, sheep-herding world. His most famous is the fable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, which is directed at those who knowingly raise false alarms, and from which the idiomatic phrase ""to cry wolf"" is derived. Some of his other fables concentrate on maintaining the trust between shepherds and guard dogs in their vigilance against wolves, as well as anxieties over the close relationship between wolves and dogs. Although Aesop used wolves to warn, criticize and moralize about human behavior, his portrayals added to the wolf's image as a deceitful and dangerous animal. Isengrim"
"Brimo In ancient Greek religion and myth, the epithet Brimo— ""angry"" or ""terrifying""— may be applied to any of several goddesses with an inexorable, dreaded and vengeful aspect that is linked to the land of the Dead: to Hecate or Persephone, to Demeter Erinyes— the angry, bereft Demeter— or, perhaps, to Cybele. ""Brimo"" is the ""furious"" aspect of the Furies. In the solemn moment when Medea picks the dire underworld root for Jason, she calls seven times upon Brimo, ""she who haunts the night, the Nursing Mother [""Kourotrophos""]. In black weed And murky gloom she dwells, Queen of the Dead""."
"Melpomene Melpomene (; ), initially the Muse of Chorus, she then became the Muse of Tragedy, for which she is best known now. Her name was derived from the Greek verb melpô or melpomai meaning ""to celebrate with dance and song."" She is often represented with a tragic mask and wearing the cothurnus, boots traditionally worn by tragic actors. Often, she also holds a knife or club in one hand and the tragic mask in the other. Melpomene is the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Her sisters include Calliope (muse of epic poetry), Clio (muse of history), Euterpe (muse of"
"and the ""[[Man'yōshū]]"". The owner of this crying voice was traditionally described as a yellow-red bird as big as a [[Columbidae]], but nowadays there is the accepted theory that it is the [[scaly thrush]]. Since the people of the Heian Period regarded the sorrowful sounding voices of this bird as an ill [[omen]], they were considered to be a wicked bird, and it is said that when the emperor or nobles heard its crying voice, they would make prayers that nothing disastrous would happen. The monster in the ""Heike Monogatari"", in the end, was merely ""something that cries with the"
"likened to a woman's scream."" The plot of the 1961 Mexican film ""The Curse of the Crying Woman"" ""(La maldición de la llorona)"" involves the resurrection of the spirit of La Llorona. La Llorona appeared as the ""monster of the week"" in the NBC TV series ""Grimm"", in the ninth episode of the second season which first aired on October 2012. In this storyline, she is a ghost-like creature (her exact origin and nature is undefined) who appears in different cities at yearly intervals around Halloween, always luring three children to a point where three rivers meet, attempting to 'sacrifice'"
"Hydrus (legendary creature) The Hydrus (also known as ""Enhydros, Enidros, Hildris, Hydra, Idra, Idres, Ydre, Ydris"", and ""Ydrus"") is a creature from Medieval bestiaries. They were said to be found in the Nile River. While in the Nile, a crocodile would roll the hydrus in the mud before eating the smaller creature. However, once inside the crocodile's stomach, the hydrus would burst free from the stomach lining. In medieval Christian tradition, this bursting free from the crocodile became an emblem of the resurrection of Christ bursting free from Hell. There is considerable confusion in applying the name hydrus and its"
"Classical times, and Uranus does not appear among the usual themes of Greek painted pottery. Elemental Earth, Sky, and Styx might be joined, however, in a solemn invocation in Homeric epic. The most probable etymology traces the name to a Proto-Greek form *""worsanós"" (Ϝορσανός) enlarged from *""ṷorsó-"" (also found in Greek ""ouréō"" 'to urinate', Sanskrit ""varṣá"" 'rain', Hittite ""ṷarša-"" 'fog, mist'). The basic Indo-European root is ""*ṷérs-"" 'to rain, moisten' (also found in Greek ""eérsē"" 'dew', Sanskrit ""várṣati"" 'to rain', Avestan aiβi.""varəšta"" 'it rained on'), making Ouranos the 'rainmaker'. A less likely etymology is a derivative with meaning 'the one"
"The Cave of the Storm Nymphs The Cave of the Storm Nymphs is a painting by British artist Edward Poynter, depicting three nude sirens or nymphs from Greek mythology that lure sailors to their deaths. Poynter painted two versions, one in 1902 and the other in 1903, with minor differences. The former is housed in the Norfolk's Hermitage Museum, and the latter is in the private collection of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. One of the depicted sirens is playing a golden stringed, tortoise-shell lyre, while the other two sirens rejoice amid the foundering ship, expecting to add to the cave’s"
"Questing Beast The Questing Beast, or the Beast Glatisant (Barking Beast), is a monster from Arthurian legend. It is the subject of quests undertaken by famous knights such as King Pellinore, Sir Palamedes, and Sir Percival. The strange creature has the head and neck of a snake, the body of a leopard, the haunches of a lion, and the feet of a hart. Its name comes from the great noise that it emits from its belly, a barking like ""thirty couple hounds questing"". ""Glatisant"" is related to the French word ""glapissant"", 'yelping' or 'barking', especially of small dogs or foxes."
"children in their beds at night, sucking their blood. Like 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 that fed on human flesh and blood. The Romanian vampire breed named ""Strigoï"" has no direct relation to the Greek ""striges"", but was derived from the Roman term ""strix"", as is the name of the Albanian ""Shtriga"" and the Slavic ""Strzyga"", though myths about these creatures are more similar to their Slavic"
"children, he can take any animal form he pleases; he first appears in the story as a dark brown moth. His name in Greek means ""all-compassionate"". He changes into many forms throughout the series, ranging from a dragon to an eagle, but his favourite forms are a snow-white ermine, a moth, a wildcat, and a mouse. He is portrayed as a cautious and level-headed counterpoint to Lyra's impulsive, inquisitive, and sometimes reckless character. Lyra must separate from Pantalaimon when she enters the Land of the Dead in ""The Amber Spyglass"", causing extreme pain to both of them; Pantalaimon avoids Lyra"
"Though the creature is used in precautionary tales for children, there are adults who still believe in its existence. According to the guide of a reporter of ""Duga"" magazine, numerous villagers on the mountain of Zlatibor report seeing it, and many inhabitants claim to have heard it. Some modern sightings happened: Drekavac is rarely depicted in video and roleplaying games. Drekavac Drekavac (Cyrillic: дрекавац, , literally """"the screamer"""" or """"the yeller""""), also called drekalo, krekavac, zdrekavac or zrikavac, is a mythical creature in South Slavic mythology. The name is derived from the adjective """"drečati"""" (Cyrillic: дречати) as meaning ""yelling"". In"
"33) offers a view of the significance of both snake and staff: In any case the two symbols certainly merged in antiquity as representations of the snake coiled about the staff are common. It has been claimed that the snake wrapped around the staff was a species of rat snake, ""Elaphe longissima"", the Aesculapian snake. Some commentators have interpreted the symbol as a direct representation of traditional treatment of dracunculiasis, the Guinea worm disease. The worm emerges from painful ulcerous blisters. The blisters burn, causing the patient to immerse the affected area in water to cool and soothe it. The"
"from the loins to feet underneath. Achlys Achlys ( ""mist"" or ""darkness"") is an ancient Greek goddess, symbol mist of death; in Greek mythology, according to some ancient cosmogonies, is the eternal Night before Chaos. If Achlys was a daughter of Nyx (Night) then she may have been numbered amongst the Keres. According to Hesiod, Achlys was the personification of misery and sadness, and as such she was represented on the shield of Heracles: pale, emaciated, and weeping, with chattering teeth, swollen knees, long nails on her fingers, bloody cheeks, and her shoulders thickly covered with dust. She may also"