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I am aware that some mythologies/religions include species apart from humans and gods (e.g. Islam and Norse mythology). However, are there any stories which are written about them? My definition for "stories" for this questions, will be stories that are about individuals or groups seen as the protagonists, or heroes, of the stories.

Please note that I am not looking for origin stories of a particular species, nor stories about people who are (semi-)divine, like avatars of Hinduism or demigods of Greco-Roman mythology.

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  • Mahabharata does include other species. See Garudas, a race of bird people, descendants of Garuda. Also Nagas that are half human and half snake.
    – MathGod
    Commented Mar 5, 2017 at 7:18
  • @Ishan Singh Firstly, there is only 1 Garuda and secondly, they are not the protagonists
    – user1385
    Commented Mar 5, 2017 at 10:34
  • No, there are many Garudas. Read further in the link I gave.
    – MathGod
    Commented Mar 6, 2017 at 1:55
  • @Ishan Singh your link claims that Garuda fathered birds , not "Garudas".
    – user1385
    Commented Mar 6, 2017 at 8:50
  • Just to be clear, the creatures have to be the protagonists, thus "Arabian Nights" is not an answer b/c the Jinn are not the "hero" of the story? Also assuming Aesop's fables about animals are not what you're looking for?
    – DukeZhou
    Commented Mar 7, 2017 at 23:06

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You mention nymphs, so I'll direct you to Daphne, who is the heroine of her story. It may start with Apollo, but he is distinctly the antagonist, thus, while the story involves him, it is about her. (I suspect Ovid's Metamorphosis will be fertile ground for you in your search.)

I am also going to propose John Gardner's Grendel, which may not be strictly canonical, but is certainly worthwhile and a part of the overall Beowulf body of literature.

(Also, technically, Sun Wukong is neither human nor a god, but a monkey born from a magical stone who gains power through Taoist training.)

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    I think calling John Gardner's novel "not strictly canonical" is somewhat generous. I would call it "not remotely canonical".
    – femtoRgon
    Commented Mar 10, 2017 at 17:26
  • @femtoRgon :) but it has led to some fertile ground in modern adaptations of Beowulf, and is within the greater canon of literature, if not mythology, strictly
    – DukeZhou
    Commented Mar 10, 2017 at 17:29

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