Questions tagged [mythical-creatures]
For questions about animals or non-human beings described in folklore and legends, which may or may not be based on actual creatures.
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questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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What does this ear stud show in Chinese Mythology?
Does someone know what this ear stud shows?
Because of the Yin/Yang symbol it should be chinese - so no Yōkai.
Could it be a Yaoguai? A Huli jing?
I have absolutely no idea but I just want to know ...
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What are some sentient creatures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican mythology?
I have read a bit about the five suns world creation myth, and I am curious if the original peoples of Mesoamerica believed in other sentient beings similar to the fairies, centaurs and such of ...
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Why does the Yara-ma-yha-who live on fig trees?
The Yara-ma-yha-who is the indigenous Australian version of the vampire. It's a "little red man with a very big head, a large mouth with no teeth and suckers on the ends of its hands and feet" that ...
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What do we know of the Willauk, the Tebwem and the Pioial?
Wikipedia lists the three creatures as originating in Tasmanian mythology, but other than a very short description it provides no details or references:
Tasmania
Willauk, giant demon that ...
- 17k
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2
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Is there an ancient basis for the Cretan bull-headed sea serpent god in Mika Waltari's The Egyptian?
Mika Waltari's excellent historical novel The Egyptian, set in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten1, features a bull-headed sea serpent Cretan god.
Here's a quick summary of the time ...
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3
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Wolf and snake chimera
Is there any mythical creature that is a chimera between a wolf and a snake?
Cerberus could be considered one but he was definitely a dog, not a wolf.
2
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Persian name for the al-mi'rāj (one-horned rabbit)
The al-mi'rāj is a creature of Persian myth, which resembles a one-horned rabbit. Despite being a Persian myth, most sources seem to have been written in Arabic, hence the Arabic name(s), but what is ...
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What is the "Lert" creature mentioned in Mistral's Poem of the Rhône?
In Frédéric Mistral's epic poem "Lou Pouèmo dóu Rose" (The Poem of the Rhône) from 1897, in Song XI, Verse XCVI is mentioned a creature. Here are the relevant lines in the original Provençal,...
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Is there a supernatural rat like this?
I had this weird dream including some kind of ghost rats, at first there was this noise they make that was like an indication that the ghost rats were there.
You can not see them and you can only ...
- 21
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Creatures known for excessive planning - demonic or evil favored
I'm looking for creatures that are mostly known for either acting very carefully planned or for providing well thought out plans to others. Specifically creatures that are demonic or otherwise of a ...
- 129
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Could loin cloths be considered as a 1:1 unique item for trolls?
Ok full backstory:
In a post on World Building SE I asserted based on my understanding of classical troll mythology that loin clothes could be collected from dead trolls as uniquely identifiable ...
- 171
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Human and fox offspring in Shinto?
When a kitsune take human form and marries a human, they often have children. When the offspring are human, they inherit abilities (special physical or supernatural qualities). These in turn are ...
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Is there any creature or being with the role of keeping good and evil balanced?
Is there any creature or being in either mythology or folklore that serves as a form of "negotiator" between good and evil, with the role of keep order and balance between them
(whether it's ...
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143
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Planctae vs. Symplegades
In the Argonautica, both the Planctea and the Symplegades are mentioned. One on the way in search of the Golden Fleece and the other on the way back. The Planctea was also known as, "the Wondering ...
- 6,685
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Do fox-wives have to give birth under a tree?
Kitsune are born and give birth under a tree. The tree is then connected to the kitsune. The tree will gain power from the kitsune, never getting sick or being infested with worms or bug (don't know ...
- 6,685
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Are there unique names for the different types of Kitsune?
There are thirteen different kinds of Kitsune, each with a corresponding element, listed as follows: Heaven (or Celestial or Prime), Void (or Dark), Wind, Spirit, Fire, Earth, River, Ocean, Mountain, ...
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Is there a difference between a gold fur and a white fur kitsune?
After a kitsune gains its ninth tail, its fur becomes either gold or white. Is there any specific reason why a kitsune would become white instead of gold and vise versa?
- 6,685
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What were author's explanation for Oedipus solving the more ancient of the riddles?
The riddle we all know is- What creature walks on 4 legs in the morning, 2 in the afternoon and 3 in the evening? The answer is a human in relation to the stages of life.
The second, and possibly ...
- 6,685
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Any detailed information about the Carbuncle?
I've been searching information about the mythical creature the Carbuncle from the South American folklore, but it seems that there isn't much about it. I'm interested on faithful sources which ...
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What is a reptile with many heads meant to symbolize?
I'm from Romania, a country where you fill like you are in a trash can in urban zones, but feels like a fairy tale in rural zones. In school we learn about fairy tales (which is a species of very ...
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Myths about creatures/items/beings that talked with people or took away their problems?
Are there any myths about beings/items/creatures that talked with people in a friendly way? Almost as if the being was a therapist to the human or something? I can think of the caladrius that ...
