Definition: According to Greek mythology, Sirens are dangerous creatures that use their enchanting voices to lure sailors to their deaths. They are the daughters of the river god Achelous and Melpomene the muse.

Characteristics: Sirens were described as creatures with the head of a woman, body of a bird, and scaly feet.

The amount of Sirens has been said to be anywhere from 2-5 depending on who is telling it. In the Odyssey it was said that there were only two Sirens. They were originally companions of Persephone (daughter of Demeter). There are a few different stories that tell about how the Sirens got their wings. One of the stories say that Demeter gave the Sirens wings in order to help protect Persephone. After Persephone had been abducted by Hades the Sirens sang a sad and beautiful melody eternally waiting for her return. Another story says that after Hades abducted Persephone, Demeter gave the Sirens wings to assist in searching for her. Eventually the Sirens gave up and stopped on the island of Anthemoessa (another name for this island is Sirenum scopuli). Another version says that Demeter gave the Sirens wings as a punishment for not being able to guard Persephone.

When Orpheus joined the Argonauts on an expedition he saved them from the music of the Sirens by playing his own loud enough to drown out their singing and save them from crashing.

When Odysseus and his crew were nearing the Sirens he advised his men to fill their ears with wax to drown out the Sirens songs and tie him to the mast of the ship so he could hear them sing and told them not to untie him no matter how much he pleaded. As they reached the island Odysseus started begging his men to let him go but they couldn't hear him and instead they tied him up even more until they were far enough out of the way.

Definition: A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope is a mythical human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf either on purpose or because they are under a curse.

Origins: There is more than one story that talks about the origin of werewolves. One of these origin stories comes from a Native American tribe (god tribe) located in Wisconsin, USA. In this legend, it says that there is a spirit-god named Wisakachek (pronounced Wee-ZA-Kah-Chek) who was a shapeshifter that lived in the woods and his default physical form was a wolf. One day while Wisakachek was in the woods he came upon 2 brothers from the fox tribe that were out hunting, these boys were named Keme and Matchitehew and they had caught a deer with their bow and arrows. Wisakachek approached the boys disguised as a hungry and lost wanderer from a different tribe and Keme offered him some of his deer meat, which Wisakachek accepted. About one week later, Wisakachek daw these same boys out hunting again and Matchitehew told him that ever since they had last been out here they hadn't been able to catch anything. When Wisakachek remembered the generosity they showed him before, he explained that he had no meat to offer them but he could give them the ability to shapeshift into a wolf to help them hunt easier. The only condition however was that they could not harm humans and only use their ability to hunt.

Months had gone by and all was going well, the boys were bringing in plenty of deer to feed their entire village, but one day Matchitehew was arguing with another boy and out of anger turned into a wolf and killed him. After this both of the boys were forced to leave the tribe and live in the woods. When Wisakachek found out he became so angry that he put a spell on Matchitehew that prevented him from changing shape at will and he could only be in human form during the day and wolf form at night.

The next origin story of the werewolf comes from Greek mythology with king Lycaon who was the king of Arcadia. One day the god Zeus showed up to his home and Lycaon tried to trick the god into eating human flesh during the feast that he held for him because he wanted to test Zeus’ divinity. Zeus was not deceived and he became enraged and turned Lycaon into a werewolf and killed all of his sons, Lycaon could change shape at his own will.

Abilities: There are many abilities that come with being a werewolf than include: super strength and speed, improved sense of smell, better vision, faster healing, can share thoughts with other werewolves while in wolf form.

1. The Shapeshifter Werewolf - This is believed to be the original power of the first werewolf. They have the ability to change their shape at will. Although in some cases an unintentional shapeshift may occur if they become angry enough.

2. The Wolfman - This type of werewolf is described as a humanoid combination between a wolf and a man. It has a human shaped body, stands on its 2 back legs, and is covered in wolf fur and has claws and fangs.

3. The True Werwolf - This is a human that uncontrollably changes into a wolf during a full moon. While in wolf form, they have an uncontrollable hunger and rage and they kill everything in sight. When they wake up the next morning they have no memory of what they did that night, this is also the type of werewolf that can change others by biting them.

How to kill a werewolf: The most efficient way to kill a werewolf is by shooting it in the heart with a silver bullet. Another method would be to decapitate the werewolf.

Definition: A Skunk Ape is a hominid cryptid living in the areas around Florida, North Carolina, and Arkansas. It is called the Skunk Ape due to the unpleasant smell that is said to accompany it. The Skunk ape is said to live near swamps.

Characteristics: Hairy ape-like creature, stands on 2 legs, large, foul smelling. They can reach a height of 6-7 feet tall and have reddish colored hair all over their bodies. They have four toes on each foot.

Definition: According to Greek mythology, a Chimera is a hybrid creature composed of parts from more than one animal.

Characteristics: The head and body of a lion, snake for a tail, and a fire-breathing goat protruding from its back.

Definition: From Greek mythology, a centaur is a creature with the upper body a human and the lower body of a horse.

Origin: The word centaur may have meant bull-killer and referred to people who hunted bulls on horseback in Thessaly. All centaurs come from one centaur who was called Centaurus. Centaurus is the offspring of Ixion and a cloud nymph that was made to resemble the goddess Hera. Centaurus then mated with Magnesian mares to produce his offspring of centaurs.

Fenris is a giant wolf that is the eldest son of Loki and a giantess named Angur-boda. The gods were in fear of the strength and size Fenris and his siblings so they decided to put them somewhere where they could do no harm. For Fenris, they took him to Asgard and asked him to test his strength by breaking different chains of varying strengths. Fenris was able to easily break out of these chains every time. Finally the gods send Skirnir to go to Svart-alfa-heim and have the elves make a chain that cannot be broken. The elves proceeded to make a silken rope from the sound of cat’s footsteps, a woman’s beard, the roots of a mountain, the longings of the bear, the voice of fishes, and the spittle of birds. When it was finished the dwarves said that the more this rope was strained the stronger it would become. This rope was called Gleipnir. With Gleipnir, the gods sent to the island of Lyngvi with Fenris and again asked him to test his strength. Fenris didn't trust this rope that looked so frail and only agreed to be bound if one of the gods consented to put their hand in his mouth. Tyr volunteered and put his hand into Fenris’ mouth while the other gods bound him. When Fenris could not escape from Gleipnir he bit off Tyr’s hand. In order to silence the wolf the gods thrust a sword into his open mouth and kept it stuck open. The pool of blood that came out of its mouth a great river that is now called Von. Fenris was to be stuck in these bonds until the last day, the day of Ragnarök, when his bonds would break and he would get his revenge. 

In Norse mythology, Jörmungandr (The Midgard Serpent) is a giant serpent that lives in the ocean that surrounds Midgard (Earth). Jörmungandr is the middle son of Loki and Angrboða. When Jörmungandr was captured by Odin he released the serpent into the ocean where it grew so large that it wrapped around all of Midgard.

At one point the god Thor goes fishing for Jörmungandr and fails to catch him when Hymir severs the line cause he fears that it would start Ragnarök. However, when Ragnarök does happen, Thor and Jörmungandr are destined to fight each other.

In Irish mythology, the Pooka (Púca, phouka) is a shapeshifting fairy.

Definition: In Scandinavian folklore, Hulder are a seductive creature that live in and protect forests. A female Hulder is called Huldra and a male Hulder is called Huldrekall.

Characteristics: From the front Hulder may look like a beautiful woman (or man) with long hair, but from the back they are hollow like a tree trunk and has a tail like that of a cow or fox that they try to hide from humans.

In Brazilian folklore, Corpo-Seco (Dry Body) is a man that was so evil that, after he died he was rejected by heaven and hell because of how evil he was. During his lifetime he tortured and killed slaves, animals, and even family members. He would torture and rape women and children and burn men at the stake. As he became older he would bribe other people to do what he no longer could, and threatened that if they didn't do what he wanted he would burn them and they would be so frightened that they would do as he asked and carry out his evil wishes.

Originating in Greek mythology, a Gryphon (also spelled Griffin or Griffon) is a creature with the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. Gryphons are the offspring of an eagle (king of the birds) and a lion (king of the beasts). They are known to collect and guard gold against the Arimaspi, which are one-eyed people that are constantly trying to take their gold. The oldest known findings of a Gryphon in Greece dates back to sometime around the 15th century B.C. which depicted a Gryphon in the Palace of Knossos.  In places like Europe it is said the Gryphons are mated for life and if their mate dies, the other would live out the rest of its life alone.

There are creatures in mythology that are very similar to Gryphons, one of which is called the Lamassu from Assyrian mythology with the head of a man,and the body of either a lion or bull and wings of an eagle.

Also, in Hindu mythology, there is a creature called a Garuda who carries the god Vishnu. It is a hybrid between a bird and human, it has the body of a human and the head and wings of an eagle.

The Goatman is a cryptid that is half man and half goat from North America. It is said that the Goatman was originally a scientist who worked in a research center and experimented on goats. However, one of his experiments backfired on him and it mutated him into a goat-like creature, closely resembling a satyr. The Goatman lives somewhere in Beltsville, Maryland. He has been said to carry an axe with him and has attacked people in their cars along Fletchertown road. Other stories say that the goat man was a man named Jack who lived out on a farm and owned a lot of goats. He used these goats to sell milk, meat and goat hides.  A lot of people thought he was a very strange person and never wanted to know about his private affairs for they feared that he was working for the devil. Also, they thought that he was having sex with his goats and producing hybrid children with them. Eventually, the people went to his farm and beat him, killed his goats and threw him and the goats into a nearby creek. Then a few weeks later as a family was crossing over a bridge along that same creek they smelled what seemed to be a rotting animal mixed with sulfur and urine. One of them turned around and saw a huge 9-foot tall goat-like creature with red eyes staring at them. It was holding Jack’s dead body in one hand and the head of a goat in the other.

Definition: El Chupacabra or “the goat sucker” is a cryptid in American folklore.

Characteristics: It is described as a reptile-like creature with leathery or gray skin, has sharp spikes along its spine, and is approximately 3 or 4 feet tall.

Background: The first known attack from the Chupacabra happened back in 1995 in Puerto Rico when 8 sheep were found dead with puncture holes in their chests, and they were completely drained of blood. When the Chupacabra kills its victim is does not eat the flesh as would most predators, instead, it drains its victim of its blood and then leaves.

Attacks: On a farm in Florida 69 chickens, goats and ducks were found dead and all of them had been drained of their blood.


Another farmer, this time in central Chihuahua, found 10 of his animals dead with head and neck wounds that he believed to have been caused by the Chupacabra.


In Horizon City, two men found 30 of their chickens dead, 20 of them in one pile without any blood, and later on, found 10 more dead chickens in a different coop. The men claimed that they looked up the injuries and claimed it be from a Chupacabra. Also, they found tracks from the creature and followed them for 4 blocks before they vanished.

In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr is a giant red squirrel whose name roughly translates to drill-tooth. Ratatoskr constantly runs from one end of Yggdrasil to the other to carrying gossip between the Eagle at the top of Yggdrasil to Nidhug the serpent at the bottom. By doing this it helps keep the hatred between these two creatures going. Some suggest that by his continuing of this gossip he hopes in eventually destroying Yggdrasil and is sometimes said to naw at the tree as well. 

Definition: The Dullahan is a type of unseelie fairy from Irish mythology that is headless (similar to the headless horseman).

Characteristics: It rides a black horse, carries its head under one arm and human spine that is used as a whip in the other hand.

Background: It is said that wherever a Dullahan stops, that is the spot where someone is going to die. Also, if the Dullahan stops and calls out your name you will die. If someone watches Dullahan as it passes by, it will throw a bucket of blood in that person's face or blind them in one eye. A dullahan can go through any barricade or entrance no matter how strongly it is closed off, as soon as it comes near a gate or barricade, it automatically opens in its presence.

Definition: In Colombian folklore, Madremonte (Mother Mountain) is a forest spirit.

Characteristics: tall, covered in moss, has large teeth, large and bony hands, her hair covers her face which is also made of moss.

Background: Madremonte is still believed today in places such as Antioquia, Amazonas, Caldas, Guiana, and a few other places throughout Colombia. Madremonte is said to live in mountains and jungles (in other places she is said to live in swamps and and streams). She is the protector of nature and has control over the winds, rain, and vegetation. People who come into her territory are punished by becoming lost (trails disappear, mountains change shape, and they often fall asleep for hours). If children enter her territory they are taken away and never seen again. It is believed that people who get sick after drinking river water is because Madremonte has washed her hair in that river.

Defense: If you do come across Madremonte while in the forest, you can try insulting her or whip her, also, to avoid her completely tobacco smoke can help keep her away.

According to Sami mythology, there is a monster called a Water Draug that is the ghost of a person that drowned. It has hatred towards humans for its fate so it tries to get revenge on any living thing that comes across it. Children are advised by their parents to be cautious of these creature because it is especially biased towards kids. They hate kids more because they have a long life ahead of them, anyone that gets to close to water where a Draug lives will be dragged to its underwater realm and drowned. Draugs can live in lakes, seas, rivers, ponds, and wells. 

Definition: The Beast of Bray Road is a werewolf-like cryptid said to live in Wisconsin, USA.

Sightings: The first public sighting the Bray Road Beast occurred in October of 1999 by a woman named Doristine Gipson. She said that she was driving along Bray Road near Delavan and as she neared an intersection she looked down to change the radio station when she hit some kind of bump in the road. She then stopped the car and got out to see what she hit; when she looked around, she saw something dark and hairy racing towards her out of the woods. She quickly got back into her car and as she drove away she felt the creature hop onto the back of her car but it fell off after a short time. She later described the beast as being built like someone who worked out with weights a lot. The next day she told her neighbor about the encounter and showed her the marks on the back of her car; after word spread of the event more people started coming forwards with encounters of their own they had had with this beast.

Another encounter happened that same year but this time by Lorianne Endrizzi who was driving down the same road. As she was coming around the corner she saw what appeared to be a person hunched over on the side of the road, when she came closer she saw a beast with brown hair, pointy ears, and fangs. She said that it's face was “… long and snouty, like a wolf.” Lorianne also mentioned later on the the beast’s eyes glowed when when reflected in the car lights the way an animal's does and that it's arms were “jointed as a man’s would be and it seemed to be holding food with its palms upward, completely like any animal that she had ever heard of. The arms were muscular (“like a man who had worked out a little bit”) and the creature seemed to have human-like fingers with claws on the ends.” She called what she had seen that night a freak of nature.

A woman named Karen Bowey confessed that she and her daughter had seen a similar creature back in 1989. They had been playing outside and spotted what they thought was a large dog - until it stood on its hind legs. She talked about its odd legs and the way they were shaped as well as how fast it could move.

Definition: Originating in Philippine folklore, the Aswang is a monster feeds on humans and drinks their blood. It’s name derives from the Sanskrit word asura which means demon.

Characteristics: very thin, shapeshifter, long tongues, walk with their feet backwards.

Background:  During the daytime, Aswangs look and act for the most part just like normal people although they tend to be somewhat shy and reserved. At night however, they shapeshift into animals like pigs, birds, or dogs. The Aswang tend to use vocal tricks to deceive their prey, if they're close then they will sound far away and if they’re far away then they’ll sound close which will trick their prey into thinking that the Aswang is far away.

How to turn: One way is for a dying Aswang to get it’s mouth close to the person it wishes to turn and the chicken inside it will go into it’s new host. Another way to turn is to tie a fertilized chicken egg to your stomach and the chicken inside will eventually pass into your stomach; the eggshell then needs to be buried inside an bamboo tube with coconut oil and chicken poop.

Weaknesses: If you look into the eyes of an Aswang your reflection will be upside down or their eyes will be bloodshot, they can be repelled by garlic or killed by decapitation.

Definition: In Scandinavian folklore, the Kraken is a giant squid or octopus of massive size. Its name means “unhealthy animal or something twisted” in Norwegian, and in German it means octopus.

Background: The Kraken is said to be the size of a small island and is known for taking down ships out at sea, it can also cause whirlpools as it takes ships under. It lives somewhere off the coast of Greenland and Norway. It spends most of its time lying at the bottom of the ocean feeding on very large amounts of fish who always gather around it as a source of food because its excrement is similar in smell of other fish which draws them in. Although it is mostly described as a squid or octopus, it has sometimes also been described as a giant crab.

Possible Origin: One possible origin for the Kraken comes from an old 13th century Saga called Örvar-Oddr which mentions a sea monster named Hafgufa (sea mist) which could be referencing the Kraken:

“...the hafgufa is the hugest monster in the sea. It is the nature of this creature to swallow men and ships, and even whales and everything else within reach. It stays submerged for days, then rears its head and nostrils above the surface and stays that way at least until the change of tide.”

Another possible origin for the Kraken is the giant squid which can grow up to 42 feet and, like the Kraken, live near the bottom of the ocean and feeds on fish.

Definition: In Norse mythology, Draugr, whose name means “again-walker”, are undead warriors. They are also spirits of those who drowned at sea.

Characteristics: Draugr have superhuman strength, dead and decaying bodies, can increase their body size and mass, and can rise through graves as wisps of smoke and even go through solid rock.

Background: Draugr live in their graves and they will often time be guarding treasure that has been buried with them. A sea Draugr (spirit who died at sea) is said to have its head replaced by seaweed. Other sources describe them as headless fishermen and sail in half of a boat.

Prevention: To prevent a person from becoming a Draugr, people would place an open pair of iron scissors on the dead person’s chest. Also they would put twigs in their clothes and needles were driven through the soles of their feet to prevent them from leaving their grave.

How to turn: A person can be turned into a draugr if their body is buried in an upright or sitting position. Also, if a person has been rude or greedy during life they can become a Draugr. Another way to turn is to be infected by a Draugr.

How to kill: decapitate it, burn it to ash, and throw the ashes into the sea.

Definition: Gateway dogs are guardians of the gateways to hell/underworld and prevent the dead from leaving.

A half-human half-dog in Taino mythology that only allows those who were worthy to enter Coabey and denied spirits who didn't do good deeds during their lifetime. 

A three-headed dog in Greek mythology that prevented the dead from trying to escape Hades. Some accounts say that he even has 50 heads. The demigod Heracles had to fetch the guard dog as one of his 12 labors. His name is thought to mean either Spotted or Spot. He is the son of Echidna and Tyhpon and the brother of Orthrus.

A dog (sometimes said to be a wolf) from Norse mythology who guards the gateway to the underworld. He is said to be to dogs what Odin is to gods and Yggdrasil is to trees; essentially the best/greatest among them. During Ragnarok (end of the world) Garm and Tyr will fight and kill eachother.

In Japanese mythology, Yamata-No-Orochi is a giant serpent that has eight heads and eight tails. It is said to be as big as eight valleys and hills. It also has trees and moss growing on its back.

Yamata-No-Orochi had been demanding of this couple (Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi) one of their children as a sacrifice every year and this was the year he demanded their eighth daughter. Meanwhile, Susanoo, the storm god, had been cast out of heaven and went down to Mt. Torikama which was located near the Hi River. Susanoo then ran into the couple and asked why they were weeping. When they explained the situation he told them that he was the brother of the sun goddess Amaterasu and he then offered to slay the beast for their daughter's hand in marriage. They agreed and he then began his plan to defeat Yamata-No-Orochi.

The first thing Susanoo did was turn Kushinada hime (their daughter) into a comb and put it into his hair. Next, he had the couple build a fence with eight gates and a platform for each one with a vat on it. Then they poured sake (liquor) into each of the vats and waited for Yamata-No-Orochi to come.

When he came up he approached the fence and noticed the sake there and all eight of his heads leaned in and drank it all down. Afterward, he became drunk and fell fast asleep. Susanoo took this chance to cut Yamata-No-Orochi into little pieces with his sword. There was so much blood from this that the Hi River was flowing with it. By the time Susanoo had started to cut off the fourth tail his sword shattered on impact. When he examined the tail he found in its flesh a sword, it was the legendary katana Kusanagi. He took the sword and presented it to his sister Amaterasu who then allowed him back into heaven.

In Australian Aboriginal mythology, Mokoi is an evil spirit that kills sorcerers that use black magic (magic used for evil purposes). Mokoi also kidnap children and eats them. It is believed to be the main cause of death by causing an illness or accident.

In Indonesian folklore, Wewe Gombel are the evil spirits of women who died barren (unable to have children). Wewe Gomel kidnaps children from parents who mistreat or neglect them and takes care of them until the child's parents repent for what they did wrong. While the kids are with her she feeds them poop but makes them believe it is good food. She is described as having long breasts and some modern adaptations give her fangs.

Definition: In Latin American, Portuguese and Spanish folklore, Cucuy (Coco, Coca, Cuco, or Cucuí) is the equivalent of a boogeyman used by parents to scare children. Cucuy is said to devour or take away disobedient children. 

Characteristics: The characteristics of the Cucuy varies from place to place, some describe it as a werewolf-like creature, or a ghost, or an old man, or a cloaked figure like the Grim Reaper. 

Background: The oldest known rhyme about Cucuy dates back to the 17th century:

Sleep child, sleep now...
Else Coco comes and will eat you.

- Auto de los desposorios de la Virgen by Juan Caxés.

The first written mention of a Cucuy is from Portugal dating back to 1274 in a book called Livro 3 de Doações de Dom Afonso Terceiro (Book 3 of Grants of King Alfonso the Third) where it is described as a malignant sea creature.

In Greek mythology, the Lernean Hydra was a nine-headed water-serpent that lived in the swamps of Lerna. It is the offspring of Typhon and Echidna.

Heracles was sent to kill the Hydra during one of his 12 labors under King Eurystheus. However, every time he would cut off one of its heads, two more would grow back. So he got help from Iolaus who would burn the stump after it was decapitated to prevent it from growing back. The Hydra was later placed among the stars by Hera as a constellation by the same name.

Definition: In Algonquin (North American tribe) mythology, the Wendigo (Windigo) is a monster that only desires human flesh and can never be satisfied no matter how much it has.

Characteristics: It is said to be up to 15tf tall, humanoid, and is covered in hair and decaying flesh. They also have glowing eyes and long yellow fangs. 

How to turn: A person will transform into a Wendigo if they devour human flesh. They are more likely to eat another human during winter months when food and resources are scarce. As soon as a person eats another person their hearts will turn to ice and they will turn into a Wendigo.

How to kill: Since Wendigos have an icey heart, it is believed that you can kill one by burning it and melting the icey heart. Some say that it can free the person from the Wendigo but other times it may kill both the person and the Wendigo that has possessed it. Another way to kill it is to decapitate it.

In Scandinavian and Germanic folklore, Nøkken (Nøkk, neck) is a shapeshifting water spirit. They played enchanted violins that would attract women and children to the water and cause them to drown. As shapeshifter it's form can change depending on source/area but often times it is described as either a naked man or woman, or as a brook horse.

Definition: In Japanese mythology, Gashadokuro is a giant skeleton that wonders the countryside at night and has a tendency to eat humans that it finds.

Background: The Gashadokuro is one giant skeleton made out of an enormous group of skeletons. The skeletons are from the rotten bodies of people such as soldiers and other victims who die without a proper burial. Since they cannot pass to the afterlife properly they come back as ghosts filled with anger and wishing for revenge. They gather together in groups of hundreds to form the ginormous skeleton that is Gashadokuro. These giants cannot be killed, the only way they can die is once the and anger within them wears out.

In Aboriginal mythology, the Muldjewangk is a large water monster that is said to live in the Murray River and Lake Alexandrina. It is sometimes described as a large half man/half fish creature. They have been known to hide among clumps of seaweed. This creature was used as a way to make sure kids didn't play mear the water at night. 

In Native American tribes such as Arapaho and Cheyenne, there are cannibalistic dwarves called Teihiihan. They are said to have superhuman strength and speed as well as the ability to turn invisible. Teihiihan are described as being 2-4ft tall with dark skin and sharp teeth. The Teihiihan are said to be so aggressive because they need to be killed in battle in order to go the afterlife. It is said that the dwarves were all killed off in a war against the Arapaho and their allied tribes.

Definition: Greek mythology, Geryon is a giant that has three chests and four wings. He is the son of Chrysaor and Callirhoe (Oceanid).

Background: Geryon lived on the island of Erytheia where he had a heard of red cattle. He had a dog named Orthros that was two-headed and had a serpent tail that he used to protect the cattle. He was killed by Heracles during one of his twelve labors which was to get Geryon's red cattle. Heracles killed Geryon, his dog Orthros and the cattle herder Eurytion.

In Serbian mythology, Karakondzula is a goblin-like creature. It is said to appear during the 12 days of Christmas (December 25 through January 6). They are described as being squat, heavy and ugly. It is said that if a person is out during the night of one of the 12 days of Christmas, the Karakondzula would jump on that person's back and make them carry it wherever they wanted (Similar to Pooka from Irish myths but Pooka put people on their back and take them around on a wild ride). The ride would only end when a rooster crows announcing the dawn, at that point it will hop off and run away.

In Bengali mythology, Mecho Bhoot is a type of ghost. It's name literally means fish-eating ghost. They usually live around places like lakes and rivers and are known to haunt fisherman while they're fishing and try and get their fish from them by asking "Machh Diye Ja" which means give me the fish. If that doesn't work then they start making threats to them. They are also known to steal fish from people's kitchens.

In Icelandic mythology, Grýla is a giantess with horns, 15 tails and has a hunger for disobedient/naughty children (mostly during Christmas). She takes children and cooks them in a large pot and eats them as stew. Grýla is also the mother of the 13 Yule Lads that attack and steal from people during the 13 days of Christmas each in their own way. 

Definition: In Greek mythology, Harpies (Harpyiai) are Daimones (spirits) of sharp gusts of wind. They are the daughters of Thaumas (personified wonders of the sea) and Electra (Oceanid).

Characteristics: They are depicted as winged bird-like women with the ugly face of a woman and the body of a bird. 

Background: Harpies are known as the hounds of Zeus and he will often send them onto people to snatch them away.

Harpies and King Phineus: King Phineus was the ruler of Thrace. He decided that he would reveal the secrets of the gods. As punishment, Zeus sent the Harpies upon him and every time he would try and eat they would come down and take it from him.

Definition: Similar to the Keplie from Scottish myths, Nykur (Nix) is a horse from Faroese mythology. It only ever appears in lake shores with its body half way out of the water.

Characteristics: Nykurs are usually described as grey horses with inverted hoofs that are only half way out of the water.

Background: Nykurs will try and get anyone they can to come close to them in the water, and once they try and pet it or get on it, the Nykur will then start into a barrel role and drag their victim to the bottom of the lake. The victim will not be able to escape as the Nykur's skin is very sticky.

Weakness: There is one way to defend yourself from a Nykur, you must simply just say its name (Nykur) and it will flee and leave you alone (similar to the Skinwalker from Navajo myths).

Definition: In Aztec mythology, Ahuizotl is a dog-like creature that drowns people and takes their eyes, nails and teeth.

Etymology: Auizotl means "spiny aquatic thing".

Characteristics: It is described as a dog with spiky hair, pointy ears, a long tail with a human hand at the end of it and its front hands are like that of a raccoon or monkey.

Background: Ahuizotl is said to live in watery caverns. If anyone is in front of its entrance or in the water where it dwells, it will grab onto them and drag them under. The person that Ahuizotl drowns will no longer have their eyes, nails or teeth, however, the person's body is unblemished and slippery.

If Ahuizotl has not taken anyone in a long time, it will get annoyed and start making sounds similar to a child crying to lure people in. It is said that those who are killed by Ahuizotl are destined for the paradise of the god Tlaloc.

In Mayan mythology, Ekuneil is a large black snake that has a pronged tail. It would sneak up on mother's who were breastfeeding their babies and stick its pronged tail into the mother's nose. Once it did this it made the mother fall asleep, Ekuneil would then feed on the breastmilk. If the baby were to start crying, Ekuneil would put the prong into the baby's mouth to let it feed. However, while the baby is feeding on the snake, the snake is draining the life force of both the mother and child. Ekuneil would feed on them until they both died of malnutrition.

In Betsileo (tribe in Madagascar) legends, the Ramanga is a living vampire that serves the chief of the tribe. Whenever the chief sheds nail clippings or loses blood in some way, the Ramanga is there to eat it in order to make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands (like a witch). If the Ramanga is not around when the chief loses one of these then it is preserved until they return.

Others say that the Ramanga attacks people, drinks their blood and eats their finger nails rather than being at the side of nobles to take care of them.

In Bavarian mythology, Tatzelwurm is a lizard-like creature that has a body like a serpent and the head of a cat. It is said to have either four legs or two forelegs. The Tatzelwurm is known for making a high pitched hissing sound. It also is venomous or has poisonous breath (similar to Catoblepas from Greek myths). 

In Polish mythology, The Wawel Dragon (The Dragon of Wawel Hill), was a dragon that lived at the base of Wawel Hill in a cave near the Vistula River. The dragon required a weekly offering of cattle, if it didn't get any, it would eat humans instead. The king who lived there at the time was King Krakus, wanting to get rid of the dragon, the king called upon his two sons, Lech, and Krakus II. They were not able to defeat the dragon by hand so they instead took calfskin and put smoldering sulfur inside of it. When they fed it to the dragon it died a fiery death. However, the brothers got into a conflict over who got the honor of ending it. Lech ended up taking his brother's life and told everyone that the dragon killed him. Lech became the new king, but not much long after, his secret was revealed and he was kicked out of the country.

Another version of the story says that the dragon was defeated by a shoemaker named Skuba. Skuba stuffed hay and sulfur inside a sheepskin and fed it to the dragon. The sulfur was burning inside the dragon's throat, to try and put it out, the dragon ran to the Vistula river and drank. But because water cannot extinguish sulfur, the dragon exploded. Skuba was then rewarded for defeating the dragon and saving everyone. 

In European folklore, the Kallikantzaros is a goblin-like creature. They are said to live underground sawing away at the world tree to try and make it collapse. As soon as the tree is almost ready to collapse,  Christmas starts and they come to the surface to wreak havoc on earth. They are on earth until January 6th and when they go back underground they find that the world tree has healed itself so they have to start all over again.

Descriptions of the Kallikantzaros can vary by place, they are sometimes described as having hairy bodies and horse legs or small humans with a really bad smell and long black tails.

A person can turn into a Kallikantzaros if they are born during the 12 days of Christmas. To prevent this, you can bind your child in either straw or garlic tresses. Also, anyone born on a Saturday is said to have the ability to see or talk to the Kallikantzaros. 

If you want to protect yourself from the Kallikantzaros, then you should have a fire burning all night so they can't enter through the chimney. Another way is to set out a colander on your doorstep. It is said that they will either sit out all night counting the holes until the sun comes up, causing them to flee or because 3 is a holy number, when they say it (while counting) it would cause them to commit suicide.

In East Anglian folklore, the Black Shuck, also known as Old Shuck, or Shuck, is a ghost-like black dog. It is often seen as a sign of death. It is thought that its name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word Scucca or Sceocca which means "demon".

Black Shucks are described as very large black dogs with glowing eyes sometimes red or yellow (they have also been said to have only one eye). And wears a chain collar that rattles as it moves. They are known to live in places such as graveyards, and lonesome roads at night.

When you see a Black Shuck it is supposed to be a sign of coming death or bad luck. This might not go for just Black Shucks but for Black Dog folklore in general, there is a saying that goes: "If you meet the Black Dog once, it shall be for joy; if twice, it shall be for sorrow; and the third time shall bring death." And I've heard a couple stories of this happening, I don't remember exactly who it was but I think it was in West Peak Connecticut where a man had seen a black dog twice and was out there with his friend the third time he saw it. After he saw it, the rock he was standing on collapsed under him and he fell to his death. When his friend sent a search party to recover the body, they saw a black dog standing over him and ran away as they got closer.

Definition: In Orkey mythology, Finfolk are a race of shapeshifting mermaids. Unlike the Selkie from Scottish myths, Finfolk are not nice towards humans. 

Background: They live in a place called Finfolkaheem, which means "Finfolk's Home". This place is said to be their place of origin. It is described as having massive crystal halls and has gardens of multi-colored seaweed. It is never dark in Finfolkaheem because at night, the phosphorescent sea creatures that live there light it up. There is another place where the Finfolk dwell that is called Hildaland or "Hidden Land". This is the place where they keep the humans that they kidnap and marry them. The males (Finman) and females (Finwife) have different tactics for how they capture humans. Finmen will normally turn themselves into a fisherman in a row boat and trick humans to come closer. Finwives will just appear as they are which is that of a mermaid with golden hair, white skin and a long fish tail. Some sat that they have a beautiful singing voice that they will use to lure in humans. It is also thought that the island Hildaland is actually Eynhallow Island.

Defense: There are a couple of ways that a human can defend themselves against Finfolk, one way is with silver jewelry or coins, take any silver you may have and throw it away from yourself, they will go after it and you will hopefully have time to get away. The other way is to draw a cross on the bottom of your boat using either tar or chalk.

One day Odin went down to Jötunheim on his horse Sleipnir where he met a Jötunn named Hrungnir. Hrungnir claimed that his horse Gullfaxi (Gold-mane) was faster than Sleipnir so Odin bet his own head that his horse was faster. Hrungnir became angry and raced Odin back to Asgard, Odin barely beat the Jötunn but invited him to stay and have a drink.

Hrungnir became very intoxicated and started threatening to take Valhalla to Giantsland and end all of the gods except for Freyja and Sif who he would keep as his wives. So the gods called up Thor and the two agreed to fight. Hrungnir is said to have a heart, head, and shield made of stone and with him, he carries a whetstone hammer. Thor threw his hammer Mjolnir and in return, Hrungnir threw his whetstone. The whetstone broke in two and one piece ended up lodged in Thor's head, Mjolnir met with Hrungnir's skull, crushing it and ending the Jötunn. Those pieces of Whetstone remained in Thor's skull until his demise in Ragnarök.

December 5th is known as Krampus Night or Krampusnacht. On this night, Krampus goes around, Along with St. Nicholas dispensing punishment to bad children. He would literally just beat them, put them into a sack on his back and drag them to Hell (his lair). There is also Krampus Run or Krampuslauf where men dress up as Krampus, get drunk and run through the streets.

In the mythology of the Solomon Islands, Adaro is a merman. However, this merman is said to be created from the evil part of a person's spirit. The Adaro part of the person's spirit lingers on as a ghost after the person dies while the Aunga (good) part dies with them. Adaro is described as a man with gills behind his ears, a dorsal fin, fins instead of feet, and a sawfish-like spear protruding out of his head. Adaro is said to travel inside waterspouts (like that water tornado thing) and in rainbows. They will take fishermen's lives by firing poisonous fish at them.

In Greek mythology, the Sphinx is a creature that was sent by the gods to plague the town of Thebes. The Sphinx had the body of a lion, the breasts and head of a woman, and the wings of an eagle. It was the offspring Typhon and Echidna. Kreon, the King of Thebes at the time, said that whoever could defeat the creature would become the next ruler of Thebes. The Sphinx would prey on the youth of the city and devour those who could not solve her riddle. The Sphinx was later defeated by Oedipus, after he solved the riddle, she cast herself off the mountainside. Oedipus, having saved Thebes, became its next king.

Mánagarm* (moon-dog), whose name means something like moon destroyer is the most powerful offspring of a giantess who lives in the ironwoods. This unnamed giantess gave birth to many different wolves. In the Gylfaginning, it is said that "... He (Mánagarm) is filled with the life of all people who die, and he will swallow the heavenly bodies, and bespatter with blood the heaven and all the sky. Thence the sun will lose its shine, and winds will not be gentle and will roar hither and yon". The wolf Hati, who chases the Moon until Ragnarök is also born from this giantess and this may be who Mánagarm is referring to although this is only a presumption.

* Garm is used as a base word in this instance and other kennings (combination of two words) and is not directly related to the Hellhound Garm that guards the gates to Helheim.

In the Caribbean and Jamaican folklore, the Duppy is a type of ghost or spirit. It can either be the soul of a dead person or a nonhuman spirit. Duppy can appear as the form of the dead person or as a shadow. They mostly haunt people at night, some Jamaicans believe that if you wash your face with rice water at night you will be able to see them. If you hear someone calling your name, don't answer the first call cause it might be a Duppy.

In Greek mythology, the Gegenees (Gegeines) were a race of six-armed, loincloth wearing giants that inhabited the island of the Doliones people. Jason and the Argonauts crew fought these giants and escaped. Except for Heracles who had to continue fighting them on his own until the crew returned for him. 

The Raven Mocker or Kâ'lanû Ahkyeli'skï, is an evil spirit and witch from Cherokee mythology. Raven Mocker takes the hearts of those that are sick and dying without leaving a mark on the skin. They have the ability to become invisible, fly in a fiery shape, and make the sound of a raven's cry. If you hear the sound of the Raven Mocker, someone in the area will die soon (similar to the Irish Banshee). Whenever the Raven Mocker takes a heart from its victim, for every year that person would have lived is added onto its own lifespan. Shamans are the only ones that can protect against this witch and will stand guard over those that are dying.