19 scariest creatures. In the mythology of the Eastern Slavs - Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians - the common name for all lower demonological creatures and spirits, such as evil spirits, devils, demons, etc.

The history of mankind is filled with all sorts of myths and legends about ghosts, vampires, werewolves and other mythical creatures, legendary monsters and supernatural monsters. Some of them, of course, are fiction, others are probably too, but perhaps a tiny part of these stories have some truth. Instead of talking about fictional Hollywood monsters, such as the vampires and werewolves mentioned above, we will look at some little-known, but no less mysterious creatures from the legends and myths of different countries, cultures and continents.

Menehune

According to historical facts, dwarves prefer cold, snowy mountains, but menehunes are slightly different creatures, and they are lucky with the climate. Like their fellow cave creatures, the menehunes were considered incredibly talented craftsmen. Apart from this piece of information, we know little about this race of humanoids. When the first Polynesians arrived in Hawaii, they saw the remains of a relatively advanced civilization with roads, temples, and amazing statues spread over several islands. To this day, there are no physical remains or direct evidence of who the menehune are or if they existed at all.

Tarasque

What do you get if you suddenly try to combine a lion's head, six short legs like a bear, a body like an ox, covered with a tortoiseshell, and a scaly tail with a sting of a scorpion? Monster, that's what you get. A nightmare, because Tarasque is a hellish demon (or so everyone thought) that terrorized France a long time ago, until he was tamed by a wandering Christian woman named Martha. She sprinkled the Tarasque with some holy water, and after that this monster became her pet. But that was until she returned to the city of Nelruk to show the people that these creatures posed no threat. But the wild, frightened people did not appreciate her gesture and threw stones at the poor creature before she could open her mouth and explain something to them. People are so stupid in these old legends.

lamassu

In Mesopotamian mythology and legend, Lamassu is a deity who has the body of a bull (or lion), the wings of an eagle, and the head of a man (or woman). Some people believe that the inconsistency in the description of this creature is a refuting factor, they say, it means that it never existed, but many saw it as at least two sexes, or possibly a subspecies with different body types. Too bad we'll never know the truth. But we assume that they are aliens!

Draug

Many first heard about the draug when they played in the Skyrim project. And just like in this game, draugs, according to Norse folklore and mythology, are incredibly powerful humanoids. Like any other notorious zombie, these guys loved to gnaw on human flesh and drink human blood. What is even more disturbing is that they can enter their victim's dreams and torture them in this way. And yes, Jason and Freddy were partly inspired by the draug. Maybe you know a lot more about these terrible creatures than we do?

baba yaga

Far away in the Russian tundra lives an old witch with terrible powers that you have never seen or imagined. The power of transformation and reincarnation allows her to change her appearance and thereby mislead people. She has a magical flying device, her house stands on a giant chicken leg, and she eats babies for breakfast! At least that's what folk tales say. If you suddenly go into the forest and see an old witch with babies in her bag, who will land near the house with a chicken leg, then do not panic! It's just your wild imagination.

Dullahan

This is the original headless horseman from Irish folklore, but he is just as terrifying as the American one. It is said that he was a harbinger of death, galloping on a dead horse with his own severed head, which was at his fingertips. This is a sight that you will definitely not forget anytime soon.

Abatwa

You might think that abatwa are giant ants, but in African mythology they are tiny people. They, as history tells us, can hide under a blade of grass, as well as ride small bugs and, of course, ants. If you go to Africa and see one of these guys, tell them that you saw them from afar, because if you don't, they will try to kill you. Well, unless you're a 4-year-old, a pregnant woman, or a magician. Nonsense, and nothing more. These Zulu legends are incredibly crazy!

Fomorians

Irish mythological scoundrels - Fomorians - a semi-divine race of immortal beings that slightly resemble the Greek titans. It must be admitted that there were quite a few of them. Most of them had the heart of a goat, one arm, one leg and one eye, while the other creatures were beautiful. According to the legends, the Fomorians were the gods of the wild.

Basilisk

Take a large bowl, throw in a rooster's head, a lizard's body, add some flying and breathing fire - your pet creature is ready! It will be something like a fire-breathing dragon chicken. Do you think it's delicious?

Goblin

And, finally, the most terrible creature of all those mentioned above is the goblin. He can change his appearance, he has long hair and a beard, which are woven from grass and vines. He also has a cow's tail, hooves and of course horns. He is known as the god of the forest and protects trees and wild life from humans and their noisy vehicles. So what is so terrible about this creature? As long as they're not pissed, they can copy someone's voice and lure people into their lair to tickle them to death. And do you still believe it?

Ancient Greece is considered the cradle of European civilization, which has given modern times a lot of cultural wealth and inspired scientists and artists. The myths of Ancient Greece hospitably open the doors to a world inhabited by gods, heroes and monsters. The intricacies of relationships, the deceit of nature, divine or human, unthinkable fantasies plunge us into the abyss of passions, making us shudder with horror, empathy and admiration for the harmony of that reality that existed many centuries ago, but so relevant at all times!

1) Typhon

The most powerful and frightening creature of all those generated by Gaia, the personification of the fiery forces of the earth and its vapors, with their destructive actions. The monster has incredible strength and has 100 dragon heads on the back of its head, with black tongues and fiery eyes. From its mouths one hears the ordinary voice of the gods, then the roar of a terrible bull, then the roar of a lion, then the howling of a dog, then a sharp whistle that echoes in the mountains. Typhon was the father of mythical monsters from Echidna: Orff, Cerberus, Hydra, the Colchis Dragon and others who threatened the human race on earth and under the earth until the hero Hercules destroyed them, except for the Sphinx, Cerberus and Chimera. From Typhon all the empty winds went, except Notus, Boreas and Zephyr. Typhon, crossing the Aegean, scattered the islands of the Cyclades, which had previously been closely spaced. The fiery breath of the monster reached the island of Fer and destroyed its entire western half, and turned the rest into a scorched desert. The island has since taken on the shape of a crescent. Giant waves raised by Typhon reached the island of Crete and destroyed the kingdom of Minos. Typhon was so intimidating and strong that the Olympian gods fled from their abode, refusing to fight with him. Only Zeus, the bravest of the young gods, decided to fight Typhon. The fight went on for a long time, in the heat of battle, the opponents moved from Greece to Syria. Here Typhon shattered the earth with his giant body, subsequently these traces of the battle were filled with water and became rivers. Zeus pushed Typhon north and threw him into the Ionian Sea, near the Italian coast. The Thunderer incinerated the monster with lightning and threw him into Tartarus under Mount Etna on the island of Sicily. In ancient times, it was believed that the numerous eruptions of Etna occur due to the fact that lightning, previously thrown by Zeus, erupts from the mouth of the volcano. Typhon served as the personification of the destructive forces of nature, such as hurricanes, volcanoes, tornadoes. The word "typhoon" came from the English version of this Greek name.

2) Dracains

They represent a female snake or dragon, often with human features. Dracains include, in particular, Lamia and Echidna.

The name "lamia" etymologically comes from Assyria and Babylon, where the demons who killed infants were called so. Lamia, the daughter of Poseidon, was the queen of Libya, the beloved of Zeus and gave birth to children from him. The extraordinary beauty of Lamia herself kindled a fire of revenge in the heart of Hera, and out of jealousy, Hera killed Lamia's children, turned her beauty into ugliness and deprived her husband's beloved of sleep. Lamia was forced to take refuge in a cave and, at the behest of Hera, turned into a bloody monster, in desperation and madness, kidnapping and devouring other people's children. Since Hera deprived her of sleep, Lamia wandered tirelessly at night. Zeus, who took pity on her, gave her the opportunity to take out her eyes in order to fall asleep, and only then could she become harmless. Becoming in a new form half woman, half snake, she gave birth to a terrible offspring called lamias. Lamia have polymorphic abilities, can act in various guises, usually as animal-human hybrids. However, more often they are likened to beautiful girls, because it is easier to charm careless men. They also attack the sleeping and deprive them of their vitality. These nocturnal ghosts, under the guise of beautiful maidens and young men, suck the blood of young people. Lamia in ancient times was also called ghouls and vampires, who, according to the popular idea of ​​the modern Greeks, hypnotically lured young men and virgins and then killed them by drinking their blood. Lamia, with some skill, is easy to expose, for this it is enough to make her give a voice. Since the tongue of lamias is forked, they are deprived of the ability to speak, but they can whistle melodiously. In later legends of European peoples, Lamia was depicted as a snake with the head and chest of a beautiful woman. It was also associated with a nightmare - Mara.

The daughter of Forkis and Keto, the granddaughter of Gaia-Earth and the god of the sea Pontus, she was depicted as a gigantic woman with a beautiful face and a spotted snake body, less often a lizard, combining beauty with an insidious and malicious disposition. She gave birth to a whole host of monsters from Typhon, different in appearance, but disgusting in their essence. When she attacked the Olympians, Zeus drove her and Typhon away. After the victory, the Thunderer imprisoned Typhon under Mount Etna, but allowed Echidna and her children to live as a challenge to future heroes. She was immortal and ageless and lived in a gloomy cave underground far from people and gods. Crawling out to hunt, she lay in wait and lured travelers, further mercilessly devouring them. The mistress of snakes, Echidna, had an unusually hypnotic gaze, which not only people, but also animals were unable to resist. In various versions of the myths, Echidna was killed by Hercules, Bellerophon or Oedipus during her undisturbed sleep. Echidna is by nature a chthonic deity, whose power, embodied in his descendants, was destroyed by the heroes, marking the victory of ancient Greek heroic mythology over primitive teratomorphism. The ancient Greek legend of Echidna formed the basis of medieval legends about the monstrous reptile as the most vile of all creatures and the unconditional enemy of mankind, and also served as an explanation for the origin of dragons. Echidna is the name given to an egg-laying mammal covered with spines, living in Australia and the Pacific Islands, as well as the Australian snake, the largest of the poisonous snakes in the world. Echidna is also called an evil, caustic, insidious person.

3) Gorgons

These monsters were the daughters of the sea god Phorkis and his sister Keto. There is also a version that they were the daughters of Typhon and Echidna. There were three sisters: Euryale, Stheno and Medusa Gorgon - the most famous of them and the only mortal of the three monstrous sisters. Their appearance inspired horror: winged creatures covered with scales, with snakes instead of hair, fanged mouths, with a look that turns all living things into stone. During the fight between the hero Perseus and Medusa, she was pregnant by the god of the seas, Poseidon. From the headless body of Medusa with a stream of blood came her children from Poseidon - the giant Chrysaor (father of Gerion) and the winged horse Pegasus. From the drops of blood that fell into the sands of Libya, poisonous snakes appeared and destroyed all living things in it. Libyan legend says that red corals appeared from the stream of blood that spilled into the ocean. Perseus used the head of Medusa in a battle with a sea dragon sent by Poseidon to devastate Ethiopia. Showing the face of Medusa to the monster, Perseus turned it into stone and saved Andromeda, the royal daughter, who was intended to be sacrificed to the dragon. The island of Sicily is traditionally considered the place where the Gorgons lived and where Medusa, depicted on the flag of the region, was killed. In art, Medusa was depicted as a woman with snakes instead of hair and often boar tusks instead of teeth. In Hellenic images, a beautiful dying gorgon girl is sometimes found. Separate iconography - images of the severed head of Medusa in the hands of Perseus, on the shield or aegis of Athena and Zeus. The decorative motif - gorgoneion - still adorns clothes, household items, weapons, tools, jewelry, coins and building facades. It is believed that the myths about the Gorgon Medusa are connected with the cult of the Scythian snake-footed goddess Tabiti, whose existence is evidenced by references in ancient sources and archaeological finds of images. In the Slavic medieval book legends, Medusa Gorgon turned into a maiden with hair in the form of snakes - the maiden Gorgonia. The animal jellyfish got its name precisely because of the resemblance to the moving hair-snakes of the legendary Gorgon Medusa. In a figurative sense, a "gorgon" is a grouchy, vicious woman.

Three goddesses of old age, granddaughters of Gaia and Pontus, Gorgon sisters. Their names were Deino (Trembling), Pefredo (Alarm) and Enyo (Horror). They were gray from birth, for three of them they had one eye, which they used in turn. Only the Grays knew the location of the island of Medusa Gorgon. On the advice of Hermes, Perseus went to them. While one of the grays had an eye, the other two were blind, and the sighted gray led the blind sisters. When, having taken out the eye, the graya passed it on to the next one in turn, all three sisters were blind. It was this moment that Perseus chose to take the eye. The helpless grays were horrified and were ready to do everything if only the hero would return the treasure to them. After they had to tell them how to find Medusa Gorgon and where to get winged sandals, a magic bag and an invisibility helmet, Perseus gave the eye to the Grays.

This monster, born of Echidna and Typhon, had three heads: one was a lion's, the second was a goat's, growing on its back, and the third, a snake's, ended with a tail. It breathed fire and burned everything in its path, devastating the houses and crops of the inhabitants of Lycia. Repeated attempts to kill the Chimera, made by the king of Lycia, suffered invariable defeat. Not a single person dared to come close to her dwelling, surrounded by the decaying carcasses of decapitated animals. Fulfilling the will of King Jobat, the son of King Corinth, Bellerophon, on a winged Pegasus, went to the cave of Chimera. The hero killed her, as predicted by the gods, hitting the Chimera with an arrow from a bow. As proof of his feat, Bellerophon delivered one of the severed heads of the monster to the Lycian king. Chimera is the personification of a fire-breathing volcano, at the base of which snakes are teeming, there are many meadows and goat pastures on the slopes, flames blaze from the top and there, above, lions' dens; probably the Chimera is a metaphor for this unusual mountain. The Chimera Cave is considered to be the area near the Turkish village of Cirali, where there are exits to the surface of natural gas in concentrations sufficient for its open combustion. A detachment of deep-sea cartilaginous fish is named after the Chimera. In a figurative sense, a chimera is a fantasy, an unrealizable desire or action. In sculpture, images of fantastic monsters are called chimeras, while it is believed that stone chimeras can come to life to terrify people. The prototype of the chimera served as the basis for the terrible gargoyles, considered a symbol of horror and extremely popular in the architecture of Gothic buildings.

The winged horse that emerged from the dying Gorgon Medusa at the moment when Perseus cut off her head. Since the horse appeared at the source of the Ocean (in the ideas of the ancient Greeks, the Ocean was a river encircling the Earth), it was called Pegasus (translated from Greek - “stormy current”). Swift and graceful, Pegasus immediately became the object of desire for many heroes of Greece. Day and night, hunters set up ambushes on Mount Helikon, where Pegasus, with one blow of his hoof, made clean, cool water of a strange dark violet color, but very tasty, spring up. This is how the famous source of Hippocrene's poetic inspiration appeared - the Horse Spring. The most patient have happened to see a ghostly steed; Pegasus let the luckiest ones get so close to him that it seemed just a little bit more - and you could touch his beautiful white skin. But no one was able to catch Pegasus: at the last moment, this indomitable creature flapped its wings and, with the speed of lightning, was carried away beyond the clouds. Only after Athena gave the young Bellerophon a magical bridle, he was able to saddle the wonderful horse. Riding Pegasus, Bellerophon was able to get close to the Chimera and struck down the fire-breathing monster from the air. Intoxicated by his victories with the constant help of the devoted Pegasus, Bellerophon imagined himself equal to the gods and, saddling Pegasus, went to Olympus. The angry Zeus struck the proud, and Pegasus received the right to visit the shining peaks of Olympus. In later legends, Pegasus fell into the number of horses of Eos and into the society strashno.com.ua of muses, in the circle of the latter, in particular, because he stopped Mount Helikon with the blow of his hoof, which began to oscillate at the sound of the songs of the muses. From the point of view of symbolism, Pegasus combines the vitality and power of a horse with liberation, like a bird, from earthly gravity, so the idea is close to the unfettered spirit of the poet, overcoming earthly obstacles. Pegasus personified not only a wonderful friend and faithful comrade, but also boundless intelligence and talent. The favorite of the gods, muses and poets, Pegasus often appears in the visual arts. In honor of Pegasus, the constellation of the northern hemisphere, a genus of marine ray-finned fish and weapons are named.

7) Colchis dragon (Colchis)

Son of Typhon and Echidna, vigilantly awake fire-breathing huge dragon guarding the Golden Fleece. The name of the monster is given by the area of ​​​​its location - Colchis. The king of Colchis, Eet, sacrificed a ram with a golden skin to Zeus, and hung the skin on an oak tree in the sacred grove of Ares, where Colchis guarded it. Jason, a pupil of the centaur Chiron, on behalf of Pelius, king of Iolk, went to Colchis for the Golden Fleece on the Argo ship, built specifically for this trip. King Eet gave Jason impossible assignments so that the Golden Fleece would remain forever in Colchis. But the god of love Eros ignited love for Jason in the heart of the sorceress Medea, daughter of Eet. The princess sprinkled Colchis with a sleeping potion, calling for help from the god of sleep, Hypnos. Jason stole the Golden Fleece, hastily sailing with Medea on the Argo back to Greece.

The giant, the son of Chrysaor, born from the blood of the Gorgon Medusa, and the oceanid Kalliroi. He was known as the strongest on earth and was a terrible monster with three bodies fused at the waist, had three heads and six arms. Geryon owned wonderful cows of unusually beautiful red color, which he kept on the island of Erifia in the Ocean. Rumors about the beautiful cows of Geryon reached the Mycenaean king Eurystheus, and he sent Hercules after them, who was in his service. Hercules went through all of Libya before reaching the extreme West, where, according to the Greeks, the world ended, which was bordered by the Ocean River. The path to the ocean was blocked by mountains. Hercules parted them with his mighty hands, forming the Strait of Gibraltar, and installed stone steles on the southern and northern shores - the Pillars of Hercules. On the golden boat of Helios, the son of Zeus sailed to the island of Erifia. Hercules slew with his famous club the watchdog Orff, who was guarding the flock, killed the shepherd, and then took the fight with the three-headed master who came to the rescue. Geryon covered himself with three shields, three spears were in his powerful hands, but they turned out to be useless: the spears could not penetrate the skin of the Nemean lion thrown over the hero's shoulders. Hercules also fired several poisonous arrows at Geryon, and one of them turned out to be fatal. Then he loaded the cows into the boat of Helios and swam across the Ocean in the opposite direction. So the demon of drought and darkness was defeated, and the heavenly cows - rain-bearing clouds - were released.

A huge two-headed dog guarding the cows of the giant Gerion. The offspring of Typhon and Echidna, the older brother of the dog Cerberus and other monsters. He is the father of the Sphinx and the Nemean lion (from Chimera), according to one version. Orff is not as famous as Cerberus, therefore much less is known about him and information about him is contradictory. Some myths report that in addition to two dog heads, Orff has seven more dragon heads, and there was a snake in place of the tail. And in Iberia, the dog had a sanctuary. He was killed by Hercules during the execution of his tenth feat. The plot of the death of Orff at the hands of Hercules, who led away the cows of Geryon, was often used by ancient Greek sculptors and potters; presented on numerous antique vases, amphoras, stamnos and skyphos. According to one of the very adventurous versions, Orff in ancient times could simultaneously personify two constellations - Canis Major and Minor. Now these stars are combined into two asterisms, and in the past their two brightest stars (Sirius and Procyon, respectively) could well be seen by people as fangs or the heads of a monstrous two-headed dog.

10) Cerberus (Cerberus)

The son of Typhon and Echidna, a terrible three-headed dog with a terrible dragon tail, covered with menacingly hissing snakes. Cerberus guarded the entrance to the gloomy, full of horrors of the underworld of Hades, making sure that no one came out of there. According to ancient texts, Cerberus welcomes those who enter hell with his tail and tears to pieces those who try to escape. In a later legend, he bites the new arrivals. To appease him, a honey gingerbread was placed in the coffin of the deceased. In Dante, Cerberus torments the souls of the dead. For a long time, at Cape Tenar, in the south of the Peloponnese, they showed a cave, claiming that here Hercules, on the instructions of King Eurystheus, descended into the kingdom of Hades in order to bring Cerberus out of there. Appearing before the throne of Hades, Hercules respectfully asked the underground god to allow him to take the dog to Mycenae. No matter how severe and gloomy Hades was, he could not refuse the son of the great Zeus. He set only one condition: Hercules must tame Cerberus without weapons. Hercules saw Cerberus on the banks of the Acheron River - the border between the world of the living and the dead. The hero grabbed the dog with his mighty hands and began to strangle him. The dog howled menacingly, trying to escape, the snakes writhed and stung Hercules, but he only squeezed his hands tighter. Finally, Cerberus gave in and agreed to follow Hercules, who took him to the walls of Mycenae. King Eurystheus was horrified at one glance at the terrible dog and ordered him to be sent back to Hades as soon as possible. Cerberus was returned to his place in Hades, and it was after this feat that Eurystheus gave Hercules freedom. During his stay on earth, Cerberus dropped drops of bloody foam from his mouth, from which the poisonous herb aconite later grew, otherwise called hecatine, since the goddess Hecate was the first to use it. Medea mixed this herb into her witch's potion. In the image of Cerberus, teratomorphism is traced, against which heroic mythology is fighting. The name of the vicious dog has become a household name to refer to an overly harsh, incorruptible watchman.

11) Sphinx

The most famous Sphinx in Greek mythology was from Ethiopia and lived in Thebes in Boeotia, as mentioned by the Greek poet Hesiod. It was a monster spawned by Typhon and Echidna, with the face and chest of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. Sent by the Hero to Thebes as a punishment, the Sphinx settled on a mountain near Thebes and asked each passerby a riddle: “Which of the living creatures walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?” Unable to give a clue, the Sphinx killed and thus killed many noble Thebans, including the son of King Creon. Dejected with grief, Creon announced that he would give the kingdom and the hand of his sister Jocasta to the one who would save Thebes from the Sphinx. Oedipus solved the riddle by answering the Sphinx: "Man." The monster in despair threw himself into the abyss and crashed to death. This version of the myth supplanted the older version, in which the original name of the predator that lived in Boeotia on Mount Fikion was Fix, and then Orf and Echidna were named his parents. The name Sphinx arose from the rapprochement with the verb “compress”, “strangle”, and the image itself - under the influence of the Asia Minor image of a winged half-maiden-half-lion. Ancient Fix was a ferocious monster capable of swallowing prey; he was defeated by Oedipus with weapons in his hands during a fierce battle. Depictions of the Sphinx abound in Classical art, from 18th-century British interiors to Romantic Empire furniture. Freemasons considered sphinxes as a symbol of the mysteries and used them in their architecture, considering them as guardians of the gates of the temple. In Masonic architecture, the sphinx is a frequent decorative detail, for example, even in the version of the image of his head on the form of documents. The Sphinx personifies mystery, wisdom, the idea of ​​a person's struggle with fate.

12) Siren

Demonic creatures born from the god of fresh waters Aheloy and one of the muses: Melpomene or Terpsichore. Sirens, like many mythical creatures, are mixanthropic in nature, they are half-birds-half-women or half-fish-half-women who inherited a wild spontaneity from their father, and a divine voice from their mother. Their number ranges from a few to many. Dangerous maidens lived on the rocks of the island, littered with the bones and dried skin of their victims, whom the sirens lured with their singing. Hearing their sweet singing, the sailors, losing their minds, sent the ship straight to the rocks and eventually died in the depths of the sea. After that, the merciless virgins tore the bodies of the victims to pieces and ate them. According to one of the myths, Orpheus on the ship of the Argonauts sang sweeter than the sirens, and for this reason the sirens, in despair and violent anger, rushed into the sea and were turned into rocks, for they were destined to die when their spells were powerless. The appearance of sirens with wings makes them similar in appearance to harpies, and sirens with fish tails to mermaids. However, sirens, unlike mermaids, are of divine origin. Attractive appearance is also not their obligatory attribute. Sirens were also perceived as muses of another world - they were depicted on tombstones. In classical antiquity, wild chthonic sirens turn into sweet-voiced wise sirens, each of which sits on one of the eight celestial spheres of the world spindle of the goddess Ananke, creating the majestic harmony of the cosmos with their singing. To appease the sea deities and avoid shipwreck, sirens were often depicted as figures on ships. Over time, the image of sirens became so popular that a whole detachment of large marine mammals was called sirens, which includes dugongs, manatees, as well as sea (or Steller's) cows, which, unfortunately, were completely exterminated by the end of the 18th century.

13) Harpy

Daughters of the sea deity Thaumant and the oceanides Electra, archaic pre-Olympic deities. Their names - Aella ("Whirlwind"), Aellope ("Whirlwind"), Podarga ("Swift-footed"), Okipeta ("Fast"), Kelaino ("Gloomy") - indicate a connection with the elements and darkness. The word "harpy" comes from the Greek "grab", "abduct". In ancient myths, harpies were gods of the wind. The proximity of the strashno.com.ua harpies to the winds is reflected in the fact that the divine horses of Achilles were born from Podarga and Zephyr. They interfered little in the affairs of people, their duty was only to carry the souls of the dead to the underworld. But then the harpies began to kidnap children and annoy people, swooping in suddenly, like the wind, and just as suddenly disappearing. In various sources, harpies are described as winged deities with long flowing hair, flying faster than birds and winds, or as vultures with female faces and sharp hooked claws. They are invulnerable and stinking. Eternally tormented by a hunger that they cannot satisfy, the harpies descend from the mountains and, with piercing cries, devour and soil everything. The harpies were sent by the gods as punishment for the people who had been guilty of them. Monsters took away food from a person every time he took food, and this lasted until the person died of hunger. So, the story is known about how the harpies tortured King Phineus, damned for an involuntary crime, and, stealing his food, doomed him to starvation. However, the monsters were expelled by the sons of Boreas - the Argonauts Zet and Kalaid. The heroes of Zeus, their sister, the goddess of the rainbow Irida, prevented the heroes from killing the harpies. The habitat of the harpies was usually called the Strofada Islands in the Aegean Sea, later, along with other monsters, they were placed in the kingdom of gloomy Hades, where they were ranked among the most dangerous local creatures. Medieval moralists used harpies as symbols of greed, gluttony, and uncleanliness, often confusing them with furies. Evil women are also called harpies. The harpy is a large bird of prey from the hawk family that lives in South America.

The brainchild of Typhon and Echidna, the hideous Hydra had a long serpentine body and nine dragon heads. One of the heads was immortal. Hydra was considered invincible, since two new ones grew from a severed head. Coming out of the gloomy Tartarus, the Hydra lived in a swamp near the city of Lerna, where the killers came to atone for their sins. This place became her home. Hence the name - Lernaean Hydra. The hydra was eternally hungry and devastated the surroundings, eating herds and burning crops with its fiery breath. Her body was thicker than the thickest tree and covered with shiny scales. When she rose on her tail, she could be seen far above the forests. King Eurystheus sent Hercules on a mission to kill the Lernean Hydra. Iolaus, the nephew of Hercules, during the battle of the hero with the Hydra, burned her neck with fire, from which Hercules knocked down his heads with his club. Hydra stopped growing new heads, and soon she had only one immortal head. In the end, she was demolished with a club and buried by Hercules under a huge rock. Then the hero cut Hydra's body and plunged his arrows into her poisonous blood. Since then, the wounds from his arrows have become incurable. However, this feat of the hero was not recognized by Eurystheus, since Hercules was helped by his nephew. The name Hydra is given to Pluto's satellite and the constellation in the southern hemisphere of the sky, the longest of all. The unusual properties of Hydra also gave their name to the genus of freshwater sessile coelenterates. A hydra is a person with an aggressive character and a predatory demeanor.

15) Stymphalian birds

Birds of prey with sharp bronze feathers, copper claws and beaks. Named after Lake Stimfal near the city of the same name in the mountains of Arcadia. Having multiplied with extraordinary speed, they turned into a huge flock and soon turned all the surroundings of the city almost into a desert: they destroyed the entire crop of the fields, exterminated the animals that grazed on the fat shores of the lake, and killed many shepherds and farmers. Taking off, the Stymphalian birds dropped their feathers like arrows, and they hit everyone who was in the open area with them, or tore them apart with copper claws and beaks. Upon learning of this misfortune of the Arcadians, Eurystheus sent Hercules to them, hoping that this time he would not be able to escape. Athena helped the hero by giving him copper rattles or timpani forged by Hephaestus. Alarming the birds with noise, Hercules began to shoot at them with his arrows poisoned by the poison of the Lernaean Hydra. Frightened birds left the shores of the lake, flying to the islands of the Black Sea. There the Stymphalidae were met by the Argonauts. They probably heard about the feat of Hercules and followed his example - they drove the birds away with a noise, hitting the shields with swords.

Forest deities who made up the retinue of the god Dionysus. Satyrs are shaggy and bearded, their legs end in goat (sometimes horse) hooves. Other characteristic features of the appearance of satyrs are horns on the head, a goat or bull tail and a human torso. Satyrs were endowed with the qualities of wild creatures with animal qualities, who thought little about human prohibitions and moral standards. In addition, they were distinguished by fantastic endurance, both in battle and at the festive table. A great passion was dancing and music, the flute is one of the main attributes of satyrs. Also, thyrsus, flute, leather bellows or vessels with wine were considered attributes of satyrs. Satyrs were often depicted on the canvases of great artists. Often the satyrs were accompanied by girls, for whom the satyrs had a certain weakness. According to a rationalistic interpretation, a tribe of shepherds who lived in forests and mountains could be reflected in the image of a satyr. A satyr is sometimes called a lover of alcohol, humor and sorority. The image of a satyr resembles a European devil.

17) Phoenix

Magic bird with golden and red feathers. In it you can see the collective image of many birds - an eagle, a crane, a peacock and many others. The most striking qualities of the Phoenix were the extraordinary life expectancy and the ability to be reborn from the ashes after self-immolation. There are several versions of the Phoenix myth. In the classical version, once every five hundred years, the Phoenix, bearing the sorrows of people, flies from India to the Temple of the Sun in Heliopolis, Libya. The head priest kindles a fire from the sacred vine, and the Phoenix throws itself into the fire. Its incense-soaked wings flare and it quickly burns. With this feat, Phoenix returns happiness and harmony to the world of people with its life and beauty. Having experienced torment and pain, three days later a new Phoenix grows from the ashes, which, having thanked the priest for the work done, returns to India, even more beautiful and shining with new colors. Experiencing cycles of birth, progress, death and renewal, Phoenix strives to become more and more perfect over and over again. Phoenix was the personification of the most ancient human desire for immortality. Even in the ancient world, the Phoenix began to be depicted on coins and seals, in heraldry and sculpture. The Phoenix has become a beloved symbol of light, rebirth and truth in poetry and prose. In honor of the Phoenix, the constellation of the southern hemisphere and the date palm were named.

18) Scylla and Charybdis

Scylla, the daughter of Echidna or Hekate, once a beautiful nymph, rejected everyone, including the sea god Glaucus, who asked for help from the sorceress Circe. But out of revenge, Circe, who was in love with Glaucus, turned Scylla into a monster, which began to lie in wait for sailors in a cave, on a steep rock of the narrow Strait of Sicily, on the other side of which lived another monster - Charybdis. Scylla has six dog heads on six necks, three rows of teeth and twelve legs. In translation, her name means "barking". Charybdis was the daughter of the gods Poseidon and Gaia. She was turned into a terrible monster by Zeus himself, while dropping into the sea. Charybdis has a gigantic mouth into which water flows non-stop. She personifies a terrible whirlpool, the opening of the deep sea, which arises three times in one day and absorbs and then spews water. No one has seen her, as she is hidden by the water column. That is how she ruined many sailors. Only Odysseus and the Argonauts managed to swim past Scylla and Charybdis. In the Adriatic Sea you can find the Scylleian rock. According to local legends, it was on it that Scylla lived. There is also a shrimp with the same name. The expression "to be between Scylla and Charybdis" means to be in danger from different sides at the same time.

19) Hippocampus

A marine animal that looks like a horse and ends in a fish tail, also called hydrippus - a water horse. According to other versions of the myths, the hippocampus is a sea creature in the form of a seahorse with the legs of a horse and a body ending in a snake or fish tail and webbed feet instead of hooves on the front legs. The front of the body is covered with thin scales in contrast to the large scales on the back of the body. According to some sources, lungs are used for breathing by the hippocampus, according to others, modified gills. Sea deities - nereids and tritons - were often depicted on chariots harnessed by hippocampuses, or seated on hippocampuses dissecting the abyss of water. This amazing horse appears in the poems of Homer as a symbol of Poseidon, whose chariot was drawn by fast horses and glided over the surface of the sea. In mosaic art, the hippocampus was often depicted as a hybrid animal with a green, scaly mane and appendages. The ancients believed that these animals were already the adult form of the seahorse. Other fish-tailed land animals that appear in Greek myth include the leocampus, a lion with a fish tail), the taurocampus, a bull with a fish tail, the pardalocampus, a fish-tailed leopard, and the aegikampus, a goat with a fish tail. The latter became a symbol of the constellation Capricorn.

20) Cyclops (Cyclops)

Cyclopes in the 8th-7th centuries BC. e. were considered a product of Uranus and Gaia, the titans. Three immortal one-eyed giants with eyes in the form of a ball belonged to the Cyclopes: Arg (“flash”), Bront (“thunder”) and Sterop (“lightning”). Immediately after the birth, the Cyclopes were thrown by Uranus into Tartarus (the deepest abyss) along with their violent hundred-handed brothers (hekatoncheirs), who were born shortly before them. The Cyclopes were freed by the rest of the Titans after the overthrow of Uranus, and then again thrown into Tartarus by their leader Kronos. When Zeus, the leader of the Olympians, began a struggle with Kronos for power, he, on the advice of their mother Gaia, freed the Cyclopes from Tartarus to help the Olympian gods in the war against the titans, known as gigantomachy. Zeus used lightning bolts made by the Cyclopes and thunder arrows, which he threw at the titans. In addition, the Cyclopes, being skilled blacksmiths, forged a trident and a manger for Poseidon for his horses, Hades - an invisibility helmet, Artemis - a silver bow and arrows, and also taught Athena and Hephaestus various crafts. After the end of the Gigantomachy, the Cyclopes continued to serve Zeus and forge weapons for him. As henchmen of Hephaestus, forging iron in the bowels of Etna, the Cyclopes forged the chariot of Ares, the aegis of Pallas and the armor of Aeneas. The mythical people of one-eyed cannibal giants who inhabited the islands of the Mediterranean Sea were also called Cyclopes. Among them, the most famous is the ferocious son of Poseidon, Polyphemus, whom Odysseus deprived of his only eye. Paleontologist Otenio Abel suggested in 1914 that ancient finds of pygmy elephant skulls gave rise to the myth of the Cyclopes, since the central nasal opening in the elephant's skull could be mistaken for a giant eye socket. The remains of these elephants have been found on the islands of Cyprus, Malta, Crete, Sicily, Sardinia, the Cyclades and the Dodecanese.

21) Minotaur

Half-bull-half-human, born as the fruit of the passion of the queen of Crete Pasiphae for a white bull, love for which Aphrodite inspired her as a punishment. The real name of the Minotaur was Asterius (that is, "star"), and the nickname Minotaur means "the bull of Minos." Subsequently, the inventor Daedalus, the creator of many devices, built a labyrinth in order to imprison her monster son in it. According to ancient Greek myths, the Minotaur ate human flesh, and in order to feed him, the king of Crete imposed a terrible tribute on the city of Athens - seven young men and seven girls had to be sent to Crete every nine years to be eaten by the Minotaur. When Theseus, the son of the Athenian king Aegeus, fell to the lot to become a victim of an insatiable monster, he decided to rid his homeland of such a duty. Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos and Pasiphae, in love with the young man, gave him a magic thread so that he could find his way back from the labyrinth, and the hero managed not only to kill the monster, but also to free the rest of the captives and put an end to the terrible tribute. The myth of the Minotaur was probably an echo of the ancient pre-Hellenic bull cults with their characteristic sacred bullfights. Judging by the wall paintings, bull-headed human figures were common in Cretan demonology. In addition, the image of a bull appears on Minoan coins and seals. The minotaur is considered a symbol of anger and bestial savagery. The phrase "Ariadne's thread" means a way to get out of a difficult situation, to find the key to solving a difficult problem, to understand a difficult situation.

22) Hecatoncheires

Hundred-armed fifty-headed giants named Briares (Egeon), Kott and Gies (Guy) personify the underground forces, the sons of the supreme god Uranus, the symbol of Heaven, and Gaia-Earth. Immediately after their birth, the brothers were imprisoned in the bowels of the earth by their father, who feared for his dominion. In the midst of the fight against the Titans, the gods of Olympus called on the Hecatoncheirs, and their help ensured the victory of the Olympians. After their defeat, the titans were thrown into Tartarus, and the hekatoncheirs volunteered to guard them. Poseidon, the lord of the seas, gave Briareus his daughter Kimopolis as his wife. Hecatoncheirs are present in the book by the Strugatsky brothers "Monday begins on Saturday" as loaders at the Research Institute of FAQ.

23) Giants

The sons of Gaia, who were born from the blood of castrated Uranus, absorbed into the Earth-mother. According to another version, Gaia gave birth to them from Uranus after the titans were cast down by Zeus into Tartarus. The pre-Greek origin of the Giants is obvious. The story of the birth of the Giants and their death is told in detail by Apollodorus. The giants inspired horror with their appearance - thick hair and beards; their lower body was serpentine or octopus-like. They were born on the Phlegrean Fields in Halkidiki, in northern Greece. In the same place, then the battle of the Olympic gods with the Giants took place - gigantomachy. Giants, unlike titans, are mortal. By the will of fate, their death depended on the participation in the battle of mortal heroes who would come to the aid of the gods. Gaia was looking for a magical herb that would keep the Giants alive. But Zeus was ahead of Gaia and, having sent darkness to the earth, cut this grass himself. On the advice of Athena, Zeus called for Hercules to participate in the battle. In the Gigantomachy, the Olympians destroyed the Giants. Apollodorus mentions the names of 13 Giants, of which there are generally up to 150. Gigantomachy (like titanomachy) is based on the idea of ​​ordering the world, embodied in the victory of the Olympic generation of gods over chthonic forces, strengthening the supreme power of Zeus.

This monstrous serpent, born of Gaia and Tartarus, guarded the sanctuary of the goddesses Gaia and Themis in Delphi, at the same time devastating their surroundings. Therefore, it was also called Dolphin. By order of the goddess Hera, Python raised an even more terrible monster - Typhon, and then began to pursue Laton, the mother of Apollo and Artemis. The grown-up Apollo, having received a bow and arrows forged by Hephaestus, went in search of a monster and overtook him in a deep cave. Apollo killed Python with his arrows and had to remain in exile for eight years in order to appease the angry Gaia. The huge dragon was periodically mentioned in Delphi during various sacred rites and processions. Apollo founded a temple on the site of an ancient soothsayer and established the Pythian games; this myth reflected the replacement of chthonic archaism by a new, Olympian deity. The plot, where a luminous deity kills a snake, a symbol of evil and an enemy of mankind, has become a classic for religious teachings and folk tales. The Temple of Apollo at Delphi became famous throughout Hellas and even beyond its borders. From a crevice in the rock, located in the middle of the temple, vapors rose, which had a strong effect on the consciousness and behavior of a person. The priestesses of the temple of the Pythia gave often confusing and vague predictions. From Python came the name of a whole family of non-poisonous snakes - pythons, sometimes reaching up to 10 meters in length.

25) Centaur

These legendary creatures with a human torso and a horse's torso and legs are the embodiment of natural strength, endurance, cruelty and unbridled disposition. Centaurs (translated from Greek as “killing bulls”) drove the chariot of Dionysus, the god of wine and winemaking; they were also ridden by the god of love, Eros, which implied their propensity for libations and unbridled passions. There are several legends about the origin of centaurs. A descendant of Apollo named Centaur entered into a relationship with the Magnesian mares, which gave the appearance of a half-man, half-horse to all subsequent generations. According to another myth, in the pre-Olympic era, the smartest of the centaurs, Chiron, appeared. His parents were the oceanid Felira and the god Kron. Kron took the form of a horse, so the child from this marriage combined the features of a horse and a man. Chiron received an excellent education (medicine, hunting, gymnastics, music, divination) directly from Apollo and Artemis and was a mentor to many heroes of the Greek epics, as well as a personal friend of Hercules. His descendants, the centaurs, lived in the mountains of Thessaly, next to the Lapiths. These wild tribes coexisted peacefully with each other until, at the wedding of the king of the Lapiths, Pirithous, the centaurs tried to kidnap the bride and several beautiful Lapithians. In a violent battle, called centauromachia, the Lapiths won, and the centaurs were scattered across mainland Greece, driven into mountainous regions and deaf caves. The appearance of the image of a centaur more than three thousand years ago suggests that even then the horse played an important role in human life. Perhaps the ancient farmers perceived horse riders as an integral being, but, most likely, the inhabitants of the Mediterranean, prone to inventing "composite" creatures, having invented the centaur, thus simply reflected the spread of the horse. The Greeks, who bred and loved horses, were well acquainted with their temper. It is no coincidence that it was the nature of the horse that they associated with the unpredictable manifestations of violence in this generally positive animal. One of the constellations and signs of the zodiac is dedicated to the centaur. To refer to creatures that do not look like a horse, but retain the features of a centaur, the term "centauroids" is used in the scientific literature. There are variations in the appearance of centaurs. Onocentaur - half man, half donkey - was associated with a demon, Satan or a hypocritical person. The image is close to satyrs and European devils, as well as to the Egyptian god Seth.

The son of Gaia, nicknamed Panoptes, that is, the all-seeing, who became the personification of the starry sky. The goddess Hera forced him to guard Io, the beloved of her husband Zeus, who was turned into a cow by him in order to protect him from the wrath of his jealous wife. Hera begged a cow from Zeus and assigned to her an ideal caretaker, the hundred-eyed Argus, who vigilantly guarded her: only two of his eyes closed at the same time, the others were open and vigilantly watched Io. Only Hermes, the crafty and enterprising herald of the gods, managed to kill him, freeing Io. Hermes put Argus to sleep with a poppy and cut off his head with one blow. The name of Argus has become a household name for the vigilant, vigilant, all-seeing guardian, from whom no one and nothing can hide. Sometimes this is called, following an ancient legend, a pattern on peacock feathers, the so-called "peacock eye". According to legend, when Argus died at the hands of Hermes, Hera, regretting his death, collected all his eyes and attached them to the tails of her favorite birds, peacocks, which were supposed to always remind her of her devoted servant. The myth of Argus was often depicted on vases and on Pompeian wall paintings.

27) Griffin

Monstrous birds with a lion's body and an eagle's head and front paws. From their cry, flowers wither and grass withers, and all living beings fall dead. The eyes of a griffin with a golden tint. The head was the size of a wolf's head with a huge, intimidating beak, wings with a strange second joint to make it easier to fold them. The griffin in Greek mythology personified insightful and vigilant power. Closely associated with the god Apollo, appears as an animal that the god harnesses to his chariot. Some of the myths say that these creatures were harnessed to the cart of the goddess Nemesis, which symbolizes the speed of retribution for sins. In addition, the griffins rotated the wheel of fate, and were genetically related to Nemesis. The image of the griffin personified dominance over the elements of earth (lion) and air (eagle). The symbolism of this mythical animal is associated with the image of the Sun, since both the lion and the eagle in myths are always inextricably linked with it. In addition, the lion and eagle are associated with mythological motifs of speed and courage. The functional purpose of the griffin is protection, in this it is similar to the image of a dragon. As a rule, guards treasures or some secret knowledge. The bird served as an intermediary between the heavenly and earthly worlds, gods and people. Even then, ambivalence was embedded in the image of the griffin. Their role in various myths is ambiguous. They can act both as defenders, patrons, and as vicious, unrestrained animals. The Greeks believed that griffins guard the gold of the Scythians in northern Asia. Modern attempts to localize griffins vary greatly and place them from the northern Urals to the Altai Mountains. These mythological animals are widely represented in antiquity: Herodotus wrote about them, their images were found on the monuments of the period of prehistoric Crete and in Sparta - on weapons, household items, on coins and buildings.

28) Empusa

A female demon of the underworld from the retinue of Hekate. Empusa was a nocturnal vampire with donkey legs, one of which was copper. She took the form of cows, dogs or beautiful maidens, changing her appearance in a thousand ways. According to existing beliefs, the empusa often carried away small children, sucked blood from beautiful young men, appearing to them in the form of a lovely woman, and, having had enough of blood, often ate their meat. At night, on deserted roads, the empusa lay in wait for lone travelers, either frightening them in the form of an animal or a ghost, then captivating them with the appearance of a beauty, then attacking them in their true terrible form. According to popular beliefs, it was possible to drive away the empusa with abuse or a special amulet. In some sources, the empusa is described as close to the lamia, onocentaur, or female satyr.

29) Triton

The son of Poseidon and the mistress of the seas Amphitrite, depicted as an old man or a young man with a fish tail instead of legs. Triton became the ancestor of all newts - marine mixanthropic creatures frolicking in the waters, accompanying Poseidon's chariot. This retinue of lower sea deities was depicted as a half-fish and half-man blowing a snail-shaped shell to excite or tame the sea. In their appearance, they resembled classic mermaids. Tritons in the sea became, like satyrs and centaurs on land, minor deities serving the main gods. In honor of the tritons are named: in astronomy - a satellite of the planet Neptune; in biology - the genus of tailed amphibians of the salamander family and the genus of prone gill mollusks; in technology - a series of ultra-small submarines of the USSR Navy; in music, an interval formed by three tones.

In the culture of every nation there are mythical creatures with both positive and negative qualities.

Some of them are known all over the world. Others, on the contrary, are familiar only to a specific ethnic group.

In this article, we present a popular list of mythical creatures with pictures. What's more, you'll get to know their origins as well as those related to them.

Homunculus

In the Middle Ages, alchemists believed that such a mythical creature as Homunculus (Latin homunculus - little man) can be obtained artificially, like.

Faust with Homunculus

To do this, it was necessary to comply with many different conditions, with the obligatory use of mandrakes. The alchemists were sure that such a little man was able to protect his master from harm.

Brownie

This is one of the most popular mythical creatures in Slavic folklore. Most people know about him from fairy tales. Until now, some believe that Brownie can influence the life of the owner of the house.

According to the myth, in order for him not to harm any of the owners, he must be coaxed with various treats. However, this often backfires.

Babai

In Slavic mythology, this is a night spirit. Usually they scare naughty children. And although Babai does not have any specific image, they often talk about him as an old man with a bag in which he puts harmful children.

Nephilim

The Nephilim lived in pre-Flood times and are even mentioned in the Bible. These beings are fallen angels who once were seduced by the beauty of earthly women and entered into sexual relations with them.

As a result of these connections, the Nephilim began to be born. Literally, the word means "those who cause others to fall." They were very large in stature, and also distinguished by incredible strength and cruelty. The Nephilim attacked the people and caused great destruction.

Abaasy

In Yakut folklore, these stone monsters were depicted with iron teeth, living in the wilderness. As they get older, they look more and more like children.

Initially, the Abaas ate plant foods, and later began to hunt people. They are depicted with one eye, one arm and one leg. These mythical creatures harm every person, sending him illness and misfortune.

Abraxas

This mythical creature appeared in the teachings of the Gnostics. At the dawn of Christianity, there were quite a few sects that tried to create a religion based on Judaism and paganism.

According to one teaching, everything that exists occurred in the highest Realm of light, from which 365 categories of spirits emanate. The chief of them is called Abraxas.

He is depicted with the body of a man and the head of a rooster. Instead of legs, he has two writhing snakes.

Baavan Shi

In Scottish mythology, it meant a bloodthirsty creature. When a person saw a crow turning into a beautiful girl in a dress, it meant that Baavan shi himself was in front of him.

It was not for nothing that the evil spirit wore a long dress, because under it he could hide his deer hooves. These evil mythical creatures won over men, and then drank all the blood from them.

Baku

Werewolf

One of the most famous mythical creatures found among different peoples of the world. A werewolf is a person who can transform into animals.

Most often, werewolves are wolves. Such modifications can occur at the request of the werewolf, or in connection with the lunar cycles.

Viryava

The peoples of the north so called the mistress of the forests. As a rule, she was depicted as a beautiful girl. Viryava is served by animals and birds. She is friendly to people, and if necessary, she can help them.

wendigo

Wendigo is an evil ogre. He is an ardent opponent of any excesses in human behavior. He likes to hunt and surprise his victims.

When a traveler finds himself in the forest, this mythical creature begins to make frightening sounds. As a result, a person rushes to his heels, but he fails to escape.

Shikigami

In Japanese myths, these are spirits that the sorcerer Omme-do can summon. Despite their small size, they can possess animals and birds in order to control them later.

It is very dangerous for a magician to manipulate Shikigami, because at any moment they can start attacking him.

Hydra

This mythical creature is described in the work of the ancient Greek poet Hesiod. Hydra has a snake body and many heads. If you cut off one of them, two new ones immediately grow in its place.

Destroying the Hydra is almost impossible. She guards the entrance to the realm of the dead and is ready to attack anyone who gets in her way.

Fighting

In English mythology, the water fairies are so named. Turning into wooden saucers slowly floating on the surface of the water, they try to lure women into a trap.

As soon as a woman touches such a saucer, Drak immediately grabs her and drags her to his bottom, where she has to look after his children.

Sinister

These are pagan evil spirits in the myths of the ancient Slavs. They pose a great danger to humans.

Sinister pester people and can even move into them, especially if they are alone. Often these mythical creatures take the form of poor old people.

incubi

In the legends of many European countries, so-called male demons, thirsty for female love.

In some old books, these creatures were represented as fallen angels. They have such a high reproductive rate that entire nations have emerged from them.

Goblin

Most people know that the mythical creature Leshy is the owner of the forest, vigilantly watching all his property. If a person does not do anything bad to him, then he treats him friendly and can even help him find a way out of the thicket.

mythological genre(from the Greek word mythos - legend) - a genre of art dedicated to events and heroes, about which the myths of ancient peoples tell. All peoples of the world have myths, legends and legends; they constitute an important source of artistic creativity.

The mythological genre was formed in the Renaissance, when ancient legends provided the richest subjects for paintings by S. Botticelli, A. Mantegna, Giorgione, and frescoes by Raphael.
In the 17th - early 19th century, the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bpaintings of the mythological genre expanded significantly. They serve to embody a high artistic ideal (N. Poussin, P. Rubens), bring them closer to life (D. Velasquez, Rembrandt, N. Poussin, P. Batoni), create a festive spectacle (F. Boucher, J. B. Tiepolo) .

In the 19th century, the mythological genre serves as the norm for high, ideal art. Along with the themes of ancient mythology, the themes of Germanic, Celtic, Indian and Slavic myths became popular in the 19th and 20th centuries in the visual arts and sculpture.
At the turn of the 20th century, symbolism and Art Nouveau revived interest in the mythological genre (G. Moreau, M. Denis, V. Vasnetsov, M. Vrubel). He received a modern rethinking in the graphics of P. Picasso. See more Historical genre.

Mythical creatures, monsters and fabulous animals
The fear of ancient man before the powerful forces of nature was embodied in the mythological images of gigantic or vile monsters.

Created by the rich imagination of the ancients, they combined parts of the body of familiar animals, such as the head of a lion or the tail of a snake. The body, composed of heterogeneous parts, only emphasized the enormity of these disgusting creatures. Many of them were considered the inhabitants of the deep sea, personifying the hostile power of the water element.

In ancient mythology, monsters are represented by a rare wealth of shapes, colors and sizes, more often they are ugly, sometimes they are magically beautiful; often they are half-humans, half-beasts, and sometimes absolutely fantastic creatures.

Amazons

The ancient Greeks believed that these fierce beauties would marry men from other tribes at certain times of the year. Born boys they gave to their fathers or killed, and girls were brought up in a warlike spirit. During the Trojan War, the Amazons fought on the side of the Trojans, so the brave Greek Achilles, having defeated their queen Penfisilea in battle, zealously denied rumors of a love affair with her.

Stately warriors attracted more than one Achilles. Hercules and Theseus took part in the battles with the Amazons, who kidnapped the Amazon queen Antiope, married her and with her help repelled the invasion of the warrior maidens in Attica.

One of the twelve famous labors of Hercules was the kidnapping of the magic belt of the queen of the Amazons, the beautiful Hippolyta, which required considerable self-control from the hero.

Magi and Magi

Magi (wizards, magicians, sorcerers, sorcerers) are a special class of people (“wise men”) who enjoyed great influence in antiquity. The wisdom and strength of the Magi consisted in their knowledge of secrets inaccessible to ordinary people. Depending on the degree of cultural development of the people, its magicians or sages could represent different degrees of "wisdom" - from simple ignorant quackery to truly scientific knowledge.

Cedrigern and other magicians Dean Morrissey

Harpies

Harpies, in Greek mythology, the daughters of the sea deity Thaumant and the oceanid Electra, the number of which ranges from two to five. Usually they are depicted as disgusting half-birds, half-women.

Harpies Bruce Pennington

The myths speak of harpies as vicious kidnappers of children and human souls. From the harpy Podarga and the god of the western wind Zephyr, the divine fleet-footed horses of Achilles were born. According to legend, harpies once lived in the caves of Crete, and later in the realm of the dead.

Gnomes in the mythology of the peoples of Western Europe are small men who live underground, in the mountains or in the forest. They were as tall as a child or a finger, but possessed supernatural strength; they have long beards and sometimes goat or crow's feet.

Gnomes lived much longer than humans. In the bowels of the earth, little men kept their treasures - precious stones and metals. Dwarves are skilled blacksmiths and could forge magic rings, swords, etc. They often acted as benevolent advisers to people, although black dwarves sometimes kidnapped beautiful girls.

Goblins

In the mythology of Western Europe, goblins are called mischievous ugly creatures living underground, in caves that cannot tolerate sunlight, leading an active night life. The origin of the word goblin seems to be connected with the spirit Gobelinus, who lived in the lands of Evreux and is mentioned in manuscripts of the 13th century.

Having adapted to life underground, the representatives of this people have become very hardy creatures. They could go without food for a whole week and still not lose strength. They also managed to greatly develop their knowledge and skills, became cunning and inventive and learned to create things that no mortal had the opportunity to do.

It is believed that goblins love to inflict small mischief on people - send nightmares, make noise nervous, break dishes with milk, crush chicken eggs, blow soot out of the oven into a clean house, put flies, mosquitoes and wasps on people, blow out candles and spoil milk.

Gorgons

Gorgons, monsters in Greek mythology, daughters of the sea deities Phorky and Keto, granddaughters of the earth goddess Gaia and the sea of ​​Pontus. Their three sisters are Stheno, Euryale and Medusa; the latter, unlike the older ones, is a mortal being.

The sisters lived in the far west, along the banks of the world ocean river, near the garden of the Hesperides. Their appearance inspired horror: winged creatures covered with scales, with snakes instead of hair, fanged mouths, with a gaze that turns all living things to stone.

Perseus, the liberator of the beautiful Andromeda, beheaded the sleeping Medusa, looking at her reflection in a shiny copper shield given to him by Athena. From the blood of Medusa, the winged horse Pegasus appeared, the fruit of her connection with the lord of the sea Poseidon, who knocked out a source that gives inspiration to poets with a hoof strike on Mount Helikon.

Demons and Demons

Demon, in Greek religion and mythology, the embodiment of a generalized idea of ​​an indefinite formless divine power, evil or benevolent, which determines the fate of a person.

In Orthodox Christianity, "demons" are usually denounced as "demons".
Demons, in ancient Slavic mythology, are evil spirits. The word "Demons" is common Slavic, goes back to the Indo-European bhoi-dho-s - "causing fear." Traces of the ancient meaning have been preserved in archaic folklore texts, especially incantations. In Christian ideas, demons are servants and spies of the devil, they are warriors of his unclean army, they oppose the Holy Trinity and the heavenly army led by Archangel Michael. They are the enemies of the human race

In the mythology of the Eastern Slavs - Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians - the common name for all lower demonological creatures and spirits, such as villains, devils, demons etc. - evil spirits, evil spirits.

According to popular beliefs, evil spirits were created by God or Satan, and according to popular beliefs, it appears from unbaptized children or children born from intercourse with evil spirits, as well as suicides. It was believed that the devil and the devil could hatch from a cock's egg worn under the arm on the left. Evil is omnipresent, but its favorite places were wastelands, thickets, swamps; crossroads, bridges, pits, whirlpools, whirlpools; "unclean" trees - willow, walnut, pear; undergrounds and attics, a place under the stove, baths; representatives of evil spirits are named accordingly: goblin, field worker, water, swamp, brownie, barn, bannik, underground etc.

DEMONS OF HELL

Fear of evil spirits forced people not to go to the forest and field during the Mermaid Week, not to leave the house at midnight, not to leave dishes with water and food open, to close the cradle, hang a mirror, etc. However, a person sometimes entered into an alliance with evil spirits , for example, he guessed, removing the cross, healed with the help of conspiracies, sent damage. This was done by witches, sorcerers, healers, etc..

Vanity of vanities - All is vanity

The vanitas still lifes emerged as an independent genre around 1550.

dragons

The first mention of dragons refers to the ancient Sumerian culture. In ancient legends, there are descriptions of the dragon as an amazing creature, unlike any other animal and at the same time resembling many of them.

The image of the Dragon appears in almost all myths about the creation of the world. The sacred texts of the ancient peoples identify it with the primordial power of the earth, the primordial Chaos, which comes into conflict with the Creator.

The dragon symbol is the emblem of the warriors on the Parthian and Roman standards, the national emblem of Wales, the guardian depicted on the prows of the ships of the ancient Vikings. Among the Romans, the dragon was the badge of the cohort, hence the modern dragon, dragoon.

The dragon symbol is a symbol of supreme power among the Celts, a symbol of the Chinese emperor: his face was called the Dragon Face, and the throne was the Dragon Throne.

In medieval alchemy, the primordial matter (or otherwise the world substance) was denoted by the most ancient alchemical symbol - a snake-dragon biting its own tail and called ouroboros ("tail-eater"). The image of ouroboros was accompanied by the caption "All in One or One in All". And Creation was called circular (circulare) or wheel (rota). In the Middle Ages, when depicting a dragon, different parts of the body were "borrowed" from various animals, and, like the sphinx, the dragon was a symbol of the unity of the four elements.

One of the most common mythological plots is the battle with the dragon.

The battle with the dragon symbolizes the difficulties that a person needs to overcome in order to master the treasures of inner knowledge, defeat his base, dark nature and achieve self-control.

centaurs

Centaurs, in Greek mythology, wild creatures, half-humans, half-horses, inhabitants of mountains and forest thickets. They are born from Ixion, the son of Ares, and a cloud that, at the behest of Zeus, took the form of Hera, whom Ixion attempted. They lived in Thessaly, ate meat, drank and were famous for their violent temper. The centaurs fought tirelessly with their Lapith neighbors, trying to steal wives from this tribe for themselves. Defeated by Hercules, they settled throughout Greece. Centaurs are mortal, only Chiron was immortal

Chiron, unlike all centaurs, he was skilled in music, medicine, hunting and martial arts, and was also famous for his kindness. He was friends with Apollo and brought up a number of Greek heroes, including Achilles, Hercules, Theseus and Jason, taught Asclepius himself to heal. Chiron was accidentally wounded by Hercules with an arrow poisoned by the poison of the Lernean hydra. Suffering from an incurable brine, the centaur longed for death and refused immortality in exchange for the release of Prometheus by Zeus. Zeus placed Chiron in the sky in the form of the constellation Centaur.

The most popular of the legends where centaurs appear is the legend of "centauromachy" - the battle of the centaurs with the lapiths who invited them to the wedding. Wine was new to the guests. At the feast, the tipsy centaur Eurytion offended the king of the Lapiths Pirithous, trying to kidnap his bride Hippodamia. "Centauromachia" Phidias or his student portrayed in the Parthenon, Ovid sang in book XII "Metamorphoses", she inspired Rubens, Piero di Cosimo, Sebastiano Ricci, Jacobo Bassano, Charles Lebrun and other artists.

Painter Giordano, Luca depicted the plot of the famous story of the battle of the Lapiths with the centaurs, who decided to kidnap the daughter of the king of Lapithos

RENI GUIDO Dejanira, kidnapped

Nymphs and Mermaids

Nymphs, in Greek mythology, the deities of nature, its life-giving and fruitful forces in the form of beautiful girls. The most ancient, the meliads, were born from the drops of blood of castrated Uranus. There are nymphs of water (oceanids, nereids, naiads), lakes and swamps (limnades), mountains (orestiads), groves (alseids), trees (dryads, hamadryads), etc.

Nereid J. W. Waterhouse 1901

Nymphs, owners of ancient wisdom, the secrets of life and death, healers and prophetesses, from marriages with the gods gave birth to heroes and soothsayers, such as Axilla, Aeacus, Tiresias. The beauties, who usually lived far from Olympus, were summoned to the palaces of the father of gods and people at the behest of Zeus.

GHEYN Jacob de II - Neptune And Amphitrite

Of the myths associated with nymphs and Nereids, the myth of Poseidon and Amphitrite is the most famous. One day, Poseidon saw near the coast of the island of Naxos how the Nereid sisters, the daughter of the sea prophetic elder Nereus, were dancing. Poseidon was captivated by the beauty of one of the sisters - the beautiful Amphitrite, and wanted to take her away in his chariot. But Amphitrite took refuge with the titan Atlas, who holds the vault of heaven on his mighty shoulders. For a long time Poseidon could not find the beautiful Amphitrite, the daughter of Nereus. Finally, a dolphin opened her hiding place to him. For this service, Poseidon placed the dolphin among the celestial constellations. Poseidon stole the beautiful daughter of Nereus from Atlas and married her.

Herbert James Draper. Sea Melodies, 1904

satires

Exiled Satyr Bruce Pennington

Satyrs, in Greek mythology, the spirits of the forests, the demons of fertility, together with the Sileni, were part of the retinue of Dionysus, in whose cult they played a decisive role. These wine-loving creatures are bearded, furry, long-haired, with protruding horns or horse ears, tails and hooves; however, their torso and head are human.

Cunning, cocky and lustful, the satyrs frolicked in the forests, chasing nymphs and maenads, playing tricks on people. There is a well-known myth about the satire Marsyas, who, having picked up a flute thrown by the goddess Athena, challenged Apollo himself to a musical competition. The rivalry between them ended with the fact that God not only defeated Marsyas, but also tore the skin off the unfortunate man alive.

trolls

Jötuns, Turses, giants in Scandinavian mythology, trolls in the later Scandinavian tradition. On the one hand, these are the ancient giants, the first inhabitants of the world, in time preceding the gods and people.

On the other hand, jotuns are inhabitants of a cold rocky country on the northern and eastern outskirts of the earth (Jotunheim, Utgard), representatives of elemental demonic natural forces

T rolli, in Norse mythology, evil giants who lived in the bowels of the mountains, where they kept their countless treasures. It was believed that these unusually ugly creatures had great strength, but were very stupid. Trolls, as a rule, tried to harm a person, stole his cattle, destroyed forests, trampled fields, destroyed roads and bridges, and engaged in cannibalism. A later tradition likens trolls to various demonic creatures, including gnomes.

fairies

Fairies, according to the beliefs of the Celtic and Romanesque peoples, are fantastic female creatures, sorceresses. Fairies, in European mythology, are women with magical knowledge and power. Fairies are usually good sorceresses, but there are also "dark" fairies.

There are many legends, fairy tales and great works of art in which fairies do good deeds, become the patrons of princes and princesses, and sometimes act as the wives of kings or heroes themselves.

According to Welsh legends, fairies existed in the form of ordinary people, sometimes beautiful, but sometimes terrible. At will, doing magic, they could take the form of a noble animal, flower, light, or could become invisible to people.

The origin of the word fairy remains unknown, but in the mythologies of European countries it is very similar. The word fairy in Spain and Italy corresponds to "fada" and "fata". Obviously, they are derived from the Latin word "fatum", that is, fate, fate, which was a recognition of the ability to predict and even control human destiny. In France, the word "fee" comes from the Old French "feer", which apparently appeared on the basis of the Latin "fatare", meaning "to charm, bewitch". This word speaks of the ability of fairies to change the ordinary world of people. From the same word comes the English word "faerie" - "magic kingdom", which includes the art of witchcraft and the whole world of fairies.

elves

Elves, in the mythology of the Germanic and Scandinavian peoples, spirits, ideas about which go back to the lower natural spirits. Like elves, elves are sometimes divided into light and dark. Light elves in medieval demonology are good spirits of the air, the atmosphere, beautiful little men (an inch tall) in hats made of flowers, inhabitants of trees, which, in this case, cannot be cut down.

The myths that have survived to this day are full of dramatic stories about gods and heroes who fought dragons, giant snakes and evil demons.

In Slavic mythology, there are many myths about animals and birds, as well as creatures endowed with a bizarre appearance - half-birds, half-women, human horses - and extraordinary properties. First of all, it is a werewolf, a wolf-dlak. The Slavs believed that sorcerers could turn any person into a beast with a spell. This is the frisky half-man-half-horse Polkan, reminiscent of a centaur; wonderful half-birds-half-maidens Sirin and Alkonost, Gamayun and Stratim.

An interesting belief among the southern Slavs is that at the dawn of time all animals were people, but those of them who committed a crime were turned into animals. Instead of the gift of speech, they received the gift of foresight and understanding of what a person feels.

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BEYOND

List of monsters, demons, giants and magical creatures of ancient Greek mythology

cyclops- in ancient Greek mythology, giants with a large, round, fiery eye in the middle of the forehead. The first three Cyclops were born by the goddess Gaia (Earth) from Uranus (Heaven). In ancient times, the Cyclopes were the personifications of thunderclouds, from which the “eye” of lightning sparkles.

Cyclops Polyphemus. Painting by Tischbein, 1802

Hecatoncheires - children of Gaia and Uranus, hundred-armed giants, against whose terrible power nothing can resist. Mythical incarnations of terrible earthquakes and floods. The Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires were so strong that Uranus himself was horrified by their power. He tied them up and threw them deep into the earth, where they went on a rampage, causing volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. The presence of these giants in her womb began to cause terrible suffering to Earth-Gaia, and she persuaded her youngest son, the titan Kron (“Time”), to take revenge on her father, Uranus, by castrating him. Kron made it with a sickle.

From the drops of blood of Uranus shed during castration, Gaia conceived and gave birth to three Erinnius- goddesses of vengeance with snakes on their heads instead of hair. Erinnia's names are Tisiphone (killing avenger), Alecto (tireless pursuer) and Megara (terrible).

The Goddess of the Night (Nyukta), in anger at the lawlessness committed by Kron, gave birth to terrible, monstrous creatures: Tanata (Death), Eridu(Discord) Apatou(Deception), Ker(goddesses of violent death), Hypnos(Dream), Nemesis(Revenge), Gerasa(Old age), Charon(carrier of the dead to the underworld).

Forky- the evil god of the stormy sea and storms. The children of Phorky in ancient Greek mythology were the monsters Gorgons, Grays, Sirens, Echidna and Skilla.

Keto- the evil goddess of the deep sea, sister and wife of Phorky. Both of them personified the majestic and terrible phenomena of the sea.

Grays- personifications of old age. Three ugly sisters: Deino (trembling), Pemphedo (Anxiety) and Enyo (malice, horror). Gray from birth, they have one eye and one tooth for three. This eye was once stolen from them by the hero Perseus. In exchange for the return of the eye, the Grays had to show Perseus the way to Medusa Gorgon.

Skill(Scylla - "Barking") - a terrible monster with 12 paws, six necks and six heads, each of which has three rows of teeth. Scylla emits a continuous shrill bark.

Charybdis- the personification of the all-consuming sea abyss. A terrible whirlpool that absorbs and spews sea moisture three times a day. The ancient Greeks believed that Scylla and Charybdis lived on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina (between Italy and Sicily). Odysseus sailed between Scylla and Charybdis during his wanderings

Gorgons- three sisters, three winged snake-haired monsters. Gorgon names: Euryale ("far jumping"), Stheno ("mighty") and Medusa ("sovereign, guardian"). Of the three sisters, only Medusa was mortal, possessing the ability to turn everything to stone with her terrible gaze. She was killed by the hero Perseus. The look of the dead Gorgon Medusa, which retained its magical power, later helped Perseus defeat the sea monster and save the beautiful Andromeda.

Head of Medusa. Painting by Rubens, c. 1617-1618

Pegasus- a winged horse, a favorite of the muses. Conceived by the Gorgon Medusa from the god Poseidon. During the murder of Medusa, Perseus jumped out of her body.

Sirens- in ancient Greek myths, monsters that have a beautiful female head, and the body and legs are birdlike (according to other stories - fish). With the bewitching singing of the sirens, the sailors were lured to their magical island, where they were torn to pieces and devoured. Only the ship Odysseus safely passed by this island. He ordered all his companions to cover their ears with wax so as not to hear the voices of the sirens. He himself enjoyed their singing, tightly tied to the mast.

Odysseus and the Sirens. Painting by J. W. Waterhouse, 1891

Echidna("Viper") - a gigantic half-woman half-snake of a ferocious nature, with a beautiful face and a spotted snake body.

Tavmant- the god of sea miracles, an underwater giant. Harpies were considered his daughters.

Harpies- in ancient Greek mythology - the personification of destructive storms and whirlwinds. Monsters that have the wings and clawed feet of a vulture, but the chest and head are female. They suddenly come and go. Kidnap children and human souls.

Typhon("Smoke, Chad") - a terrible monster born of Gaia-Earth. The personification of gases that burst from the bowels of the earth and cause volcanic eruptions. Typhon entered into a struggle with Zeus for power over the universe and almost won it. In ancient Greek myths, Typhon is a giant who had one hundred hissing dragon heads with black tongues and flaming eyes. Zeus blew off all Typhon's heads with lightning bolts and threw his body into the abyss of Tartarus.

Zeus throws lightning at Typhon

Kerberos(Cerberus) - a terrible three-headed dog, the son of Typhon and Echidna. The guardian of the exit from the underworld of Hades, who does not let anyone out of there. Hercules, during his eleventh feat, took Cerberus out of the bowels of the earth, but then he was returned back

Orff- a monstrous two-headed dog, the son of Typhon and Echidna, the father of the Sphinx and the Nemean lion. Belonged to the giant Gerion and guarded his magical bulls. Killed by Hercules during the abduction of these bulls (tenth feat).

("The Strangler") - in ancient Greek mythology (as opposed to Egyptian) - a monstrous maiden with the body of a dog, wings of a bird and a female head. Having settled near the city of Thebes in Boeotia, the Sphinx devoured young men who could not solve her riddle: "who walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening." The riddle was solved by the hero Oedipus, and the Sphinx then threw herself into the abyss.

Sphinx. Detail of a painting by F.C. Fabre. Late 18th - early 19th centuries

Empusa- in ancient Greek mythology, a night ghost, a woman with donkey legs, who knew how to take on a wide variety of guises (most often a cow, a beautiful girl or a dog with one copper leg and the other made of dung). She sucked blood from sleeping people, often ate their meat.

Lamia- in ancient Greek myths, the daughter of Poseidon, with whom Zeus entered into a relationship. The wife of Zeus, angry at this, Hera, deprived Lamia of her beauty, made her an ugly monster and killed her children. In desperation, Lamia began to take children away from other mothers. She ate these children. She has since regained her beauty only to seduce men and then kill them and drink their blood. Coming into a mad frenzy, Lamia can fall asleep only after she takes out her own eyes and puts them in a bowl. In later fairy tales, lamias were called a special kind of creature close to medieval vampires.

nemean lion son of Typhon and Echidna. A lion of enormous size with a skin that no weapon could penetrate. Strangled by Hercules during the first labor.

Hercules kills the Nemean Lion. Copy from the statue of Lysippos

lernaean hydra Daughter of Typhon and Echidna. A huge snake with nine heads, in which, instead of one cut off, three new ones grew. Killed by Hercules during the second feat: the hero, having cut off the Hydra's head, burned the severed place with a burning brand, which caused new heads to stop growing.

Stymphalian birds - monstrous birds fed by the god Ares with copper beaks, claws and feathers, which they could pour on the ground like arrows. They ate people and crops. Partly exterminated, partly driven off by Hercules during his third labor.

kerinean fallow deer - a deer with golden horns and copper legs, never knowing fatigue. She was sent as a punishment to people by the goddess Artemis to the ancient Greek region of Arcadia, where she rushed through the fields, devastating crops. Caught by Hercules during his fourth labor. The hero pursued the doe for a whole year and overtook it far to the north, at the source of the Istra (Danube).

Erymanthian boar - a huge boar that lived in Arcadia, on Mount Erimanthe, and terrified the whole district. The fifth feat of Hercules was that he drove this boar into deep snow. When the boar got stuck there, Hercules tied him up and took him to King Eurystheus.

Hercules and the Erymanthian boar. Statue of L. Tuyon, 1904

Horses of Diomedes - the mares of the Thracian king Diomedes ate human meat and were chained to the stalls with iron chains, for no other fetters could hold them. During his eighth feat, Hercules took possession of these monstrous horses, but they tore apart his companion, Abder.

Geryon- a giant from the island of Erifia, located on the western edge of the earth. It had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs. Making his tenth feat, Hercules reached Erithia on the golden boat of the solar god Helios and entered into battle with Geryon, who threw three spears at him at once. Hercules killed the giant and the two-headed dog Orff, which belonged to him, after which he stole the magic cows of Gerion to Greece.

periphet- in ancient Greek mythology, a lame giant, the son of the god Hephaestus. He lived in the mountains near the cities of Epidaurus and Troesena and killed all passing travelers with an iron club. Killed by the hero Theseus, who since then carried the club of Perithet everywhere with him, like Hercules the skin of the Nemean lion.

Sinid- a ferocious giant robber who killed the people he met, tying them to two bent pines, which he then released. The pines, straightening up, tore the unfortunate. Killed by the hero Theseus.

Skiron- a giant robber who lived on the edge of one of the rocks of the Greek Isthmus Isthm. He forced passers-by to wash their feet. As soon as the traveler bowed to do this, Skiron kicked him off the cliff into the sea. The bodies of the dead were devoured by a gigantic turtle. Skiron was killed by Theseus.

Kerkion- a monstrous giant who challenged Theseus to a wrestling match. Theseus strangled him with his hands in the air, as once Hercules Anthea.

Procrustes(“Extractor”) - (another name is Damast) a fierce villain who laid people who fell into his hands on his bed. If the bed was short, Procrustes chopped off the unfortunate legs, and if it was long, he stretched it to the desired size. Killed by Theseus. The expression "Procrustean bed" has become a household word.

Minotaur- a son born to the wife of the Cretan king Minos, Pasiphae, from an unnatural passion for a bull. The Minotaur was a monster with a human body and a bull's head. Minos kept him in the Labyrinth, which was built by the great master Daedalus in the capital of Crete, Knossos. The Minotaur was a cannibal and fed on criminals sentenced to death, as well as young men and women who were sent to Crete from Athens in the form of tribute. Killed by Theseus: he voluntarily went to Minos among the doomed "tributaries", killed Minos in the Labyrinth, and then safely left this intricate structure with the help of the Minotaur's sister, Ariadne, in love with him, and her thread.

Theseus kills the Minotaur. Drawing on an ancient Greek vase

Lestrigons- in ancient Greek myths, a tribe of cannibal giants that lived on one of the islands, past which Odysseus sailed. The captured seafarers were strung on stakes like fish, and carried away to be eaten, and their ships were smashed, throwing huge stones from the rocks.

Pick(among the Romans Circe) - the daughter of the sun god Helios, the sister of the evil king of Colchis Eeta, from whom the Argonauts stole the golden fleece. An evil sorceress who lived on the island of Ee. Friendlyly luring travelers into her house, she treated them to delicious dishes with an admixture of a magic potion. This potion turned people into animals (most often into pigs). Odysseus, who visited Kirka, was saved from her witchcraft with the help of a “moth” flower received from the god Hermes. Odysseus entered into a love affair with Kirk, and she had three sons from him.

Kirka hands Odysseus a bowl of witchcraft. Painting by J. W. Waterhouse

Chimera("Young goat") - in ancient Greek mythology, a monster with the head and neck of a lion, the body of a goat and a snake's tail. Killed by the hero Bellerophon.

Styx(from the common Indo-European root "cold", "horror") - the personification of primitive horror and darkness and the goddess of the river of the same name in the underworld of Hades. Dwells in the extreme west, in the abode of the night. He lives in a luxurious palace, whose silver columns rest against the sky.

Charon- among the ancient Greeks, the carrier of the souls of the dead across the river Styx. A gloomy old man in rags, with feverishly looking eyes. The name is sometimes translated as "having a sharp look."

Python(from the word "rot") - a terrible dragon who owned the Delphic sanctuary in ancient times. Python, like Typhon, was the son of Gaia. Python wrapped around Delphi with seven or nine rings of its long body. The god Apollo entered into a fight with him and killed Python, firing 100 (according to other ancient Greek myths - 1000) arrows. After that, the Delphic sanctuary became the temple of Apollo. By the name of Python, his soothsayer, Pythia, is named.

Giants- the sons of Gaia-Earth. 150 terrible monsters with dragon tails instead of legs and human bodies. The giants were covered in thick hair and had long beards. Gaia gave birth to them either from drops of blood from the cut off sexual organ of Uranus, or from the seed of Tartarus, or by herself, angry that