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Digital representation of a trap-feeding humpback, thought to be the phenomenon explaining Hafgufa and other sea monsters. Source: J. McCarthy/Marine Mammal Science

Medieval Sea Monster Was Likely a Whale, New Research Reveals

A team of Australian researchers has come up with an intriguing theory about a gigantic sea creature referenced in 13th century Norse manuscripts. Known as the Hafgufa in Norway, this huge sea...
Mythical creatures from around the world include the legendary Griffin shown here. Source: ShiaoHuai / Adobe Stock

Ten Mythical Creatures in Ancient Folklore from Around the World

Mythical creatures, legendary beasts , and supernatural, mystical, and god-like beings have fascinated us since ancient times. They have filled folklore, stories, songs, and works of art. Sometimes...
The terrifying sea monster Charybdis was the cause of deadly whirlpools in Greek mythology. Source: DaemonTheDemon / CC BY SA

Charybdis: The Terrifying Whirlpool Monster of Greek Mythology

Greek mythology is full of fascinating monsters. One of the most powerful and dangerous of these was the sea monster, Charybdis. Charybdis was not just a monster, she was a force of nature who...
The Altamaha-ha legend has its roots in Muscogee traditions. This cryptid river monster with an alligator shaped head and long neck, is said to inhabit the Altamaha river and nearby marshes in southern Georgia. Will it be the next cryptid proven real? Source: Daniel Eskridge / Adobe Stock

7 Legendary Cryptids that Turned Out to Be Real!

Cryptozoology is the search for and study of animals that mainstream science considers to be mythical or non-existent. Animals studied by cryptozoologists are called cryptids. Famous examples include...
The cyclopes were one-eyed mythological giants of ancient Greece. But did the myth originate from elephant skulls like this?   Source: Left; John Cummings, CC BY-SA 3.0, Right; bigjom/ Adobe Stock

Were Cyclopes Legends Inspired by Ancient Elephant Skulls?

Ancient Greek mythology is full of fantastic beasts and monsters. One of the most famous examples is the brutal one-eyed race of giants, the cyclopes. Several different cyclopes appeared in various...
Typhon and Echidna were parents to a pantheon of Greek monsters. Statue of Echidna in Parco dei Mostri, Bomarzo, Italy  Source: Public Domain

Typhon and Echidna: Monster Makers of Greek Mythology

Greek mythology is full of terrible monsters. Although it is difficult to choose the worst or most terrible of the Greek monsters, Typhon and Echidna are strong contenders. Both were giant behemoths...
The Lamia demon terrified ancient Greeks. Source: Andrey Kiselev / Adobe Stock

The Lamia of Ancient Greek Mythology: The Original Bogeyman

Ancient Greek mythology is absolutely full of things that go bump in the night. It’s one of the many reasons Greek mythology is still so popular today. How many films, novels, and video games take...
Modern depiction of harpies. Source: Сергей Панасенко-Михалкин / CC BY-SA 3.0

Harpies: Terrifying Bird-Women of Greek Mythology

There are many interesting creatures in the world of Greek mythology, but some of the most daunting are the harpies. Harpies are half-woman, half-bird creatures that are said to be the spirits of...
The malevolent Mishipizheu monster-god of Lake Superior. Source: SJB1995 / CC-BY-SA

Godlike Power and Monster Malevolence: Mishipizheu of Lake Superior

In Gordon Lightfoot’s 1976 song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald , he figuratively blames the sinking of that ship on the “witch” of November. Folks more familiar with Ojibway mythology might,...
Beowulf & Grendel: Monsters, Mistranslations & A Genetic Interpretation

Beowulf & Grendel: Monsters, Mistranslations & A Genetic Interpretation

The 6th century epic poem Beowulf echoes as loud today as it did when it was written fifteen hundred years ago. Ink has been spilt, careers made, films produced, and academic wars have been waged in...
Detail, the medieval Hereford Mappa Mundi, “Cloth of the World” in Hereford, England. Circa 1300.

Hereford Mappa Mundi: Legendary Cities, Monstrous Races, and Curious Medieval Beasts

A large calfskin canvas was secreted away beneath the floor of an English cathedral, featuring what, at first glance, appeared to be a map of the world. Once recovered and repaired, the map which is...
Aerial view of Frankenstein Castle in southern Hesse, Germany          Source: Iurii / Adobe Stock

Witches, Monsters and Dragons, All at Frankenstein Castle

Castles are often associated with the supernatural and gruesome events and none more so than one of the most famous castles in all of Germany, Frankenstein Castle. This ruined fortress is synonymous...
Nura Rupert, Australia, c.1933. Pitjantjatjara people, South Australia, Mamu (Spooky spirits) 2006, Ernabella, South Australia, synthetic polymer paint on linen 92x122cm. Ed and Sue Tweddell Fund for South Australian Contemporary Art 2006. Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide.            Source: © Nura Rupert, courtesy of Ernabella Arts.

Aboriginal Monsters and their Hidden Meanings

Christine Judith Nicholls / The Conversation A rich inventory of monstrous figures exists throughout Aboriginal Australia. The specific form that their wickedness takes depends to a considerable...
The Hell Hound Cerberus.

Cerberus: Legendary Hell Hound of the Underworld

In ancient Greek mythology, there exists a three headed dog called Cerberus that guards the entrance to Hades, a misty and gloomy Underworld in which spirits of the dead are permitted to enter but...
Drawing of a werewolf in woodland at night. Main illustration for the story "The Werewolf Howls". Internal illustration from the pulp magazine Weird Tales

Why We Should Welcome the Return of ‘Old Stinker’, the English Werewolf

Sam George / The Conversation In 2016, there was something of a folk panic in Yorkshire, northern England, following reported sightings of an eight-foot werewolf with a very human face. The werewolf...
Aristotle’s Masterpiece Completed in Two Parts.

Ancient X-Rated Book of Perversion Goes Up For Sale. Any Bidders?

A perverted "sex manual" featuring shocking magical and mythical X-rated content will be sold at a UK auction next month. The first edition of this sordid book entitled Aristotle's Masterpiece...
Detail of two ancient Egyptian 'gate spells'. On the top register, Ani and his wife face the ‘gates of the House of Osiris'. Below, they encounter the 'mysterious portals of the House of Osiris in the Field of Reeds'. All are guarded by unpleasant underworld protectors.

Through the Twelve Chambers of Hell: The Afterlife in Ancient Egypt

Death, the ancient Egyptians believed, was not the end of our struggles. They believed in an afterlife and that the worthy would go on to paradise, but their dead didn’t simply pass over to the other...
Ogre in the park of monsters, close to Bomarzo

Where the Wild Things Are: Garden of Monsters Was Built to Convey the Despair of its Creator

Located in the Garden of Bomarzo, in Northern Lazio, Italy is The Sacro Bosco , or “Sacred Grove,” also known as the Park of Monsters, or the Villa of Wonders. The park was commissioned in 1552 by...
Illustration of Ogopogo and an image of a Wendigo

Bigfoot Is Not the Only Elusive Creature Said to Roam the Canadian Wilds

By Tara MacIsaac , Epoch Times In Beyond Science, Epoch Times explores research and accounts related to phenomena and theories that challenge our current knowledge. We delve into ideas that stimulate...
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: A History of Monsters, from Werewolves to Hippogriffs

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: A History of Monsters, from Werewolves to Hippogriffs

The latest instalment in the Harry Potter franchise, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , sees wizard Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) entering New York in 1926, smuggling a briefcase full of...
Magical Creatures of the Ancient World

Magical Creatures of the Ancient World

The Basilisk The basilisk can look like a giant venomous snake or like a being with the body of a snake, and the head, wings, and legs of a rooster. This terrifying beast is known for killing its...
Strange beasts, mythological and real, graced the pages of ancient bestiaries.

Bestiary, The Book of Beasts: Compendiums of Medieval Monsters and Moral Lessons

During the Middle Ages the phoenix rose from its ashes to be reborn, dangerous dragons battled elephants to the death, and the pelican tore out its own breast to feed its young with its life’s blood—...
Sigurd and Fafnir (Public domain). Fáfnir was a son of the dwarf king Hreidmar. After being affected by the curse of Andvari's ring and gold, Fafnir became a dragon and was slain by Sigurd.

Outlaws, trolls and berserkers: Meet the hero-monsters of the Icelandic sagas

Iceland’s medieval literature is rich in many regards: in Eddas and sagas, it tells us about early Scandinavia and its expanding world-view, ranging from the mythology of the North, the legends and...