Mythological animals

• Which are the mythological animals?       

     The mythological animals are those imaginary, fabulous and mysterious creatures  present in the mythology of different civilizations or in traditional legends. They are usually of supernatural character and many people in ancient times believed that they existed.  

•  Some mythological animals:

1. Unicorn: is a mythological creature usually represented as a white horse with antílope legs and horn in the forehead. The unicorn is a fabulous animal protagonist of numerous stories and legends. In the Middle Ages it was considered a fabulous animal capable of defeating physically stronger animals, even elephants.
   

   
   

   
2. Phoenix: it is a mythological bird. It was a fabulous bird that was consumed by fire every 500 years, and then resurfaced from its ashes. According to some myths, he lived in a region that included the Middle East and India. Had gifts as the virtue that his tears were healing, a supernatural force, control over fire and great physical endurance.

         

      3.Griffin: it's a mix because in the upper part is a giant eagle, with golden feathers, sharp beak  and powerful claws. The lower part is that of a lion, with yellow fur, muscular legs and a long tail. One hypothesis states that the real origin of the griffin as a mythological creature is found in the numerous fossil remains of dinosaurs belonging to the family Ceratopsidae.

   

 

         4.Lycanthrope:it is a creature present in many cultures around the world. It is a person who into a wolf, either intentionally or involuntarily, because of a curse or other external agent. Werewolves transform when there is a full moon. A recent theory explains the origin in a fungus that poisoned people and caused hallucinations, paranoia and sometimes death.

           5.Kelpie: is a water spirit in the shape of a horse, but is able to adopt a human figure. The origin of the belief in waterhorses that preyed and devoured humans could be a reflection of the human sacrifices ever made to calm the gods of water. The association with horses may have its roots in equine sacrifices made in ancient Scandinavia.

            6.Kraken: it is a sea creature, commonly described as a type of octopus or giant squid that emerging from the depths, attacking ships and devouring sailors. The legend may actually have originated from sightings of giant royal squids that would be estimated to be 13 to 15 meters long.

              7.DRAGON:animal in the form of serpent, lion's claws, and eagle's wings, that throws fire by the mouth. The dragon represents struggle, strength, and is seen as a guardian that helps maintain order. People in the past believed that dragons existed since they had found fossils of dinosaurs, believing that dragons lived in remote places.

                8.Hippocampus: it is a sea horse with the lower part of the body from the chest in the shape of a fish. The hippocampus appears in many legends as a symbol of poseidon whose chariot crossed the sea thrown by fast hippocampus.

              9.Gargoyles: it is an imaginary being, usually represented in stone, which has often grotesque characteristics. The origin of the gargoyles dates back to the Middle Ages and is related with hell.

                 10.Pegasus: in Greek mythology the pegasus was a winged horse. Pegasus was the horse of Zeus, god of Heaven and Earth. Pegasus was born from the blood shed by Medusa when Perseus cut off his head. One characteristic of your flight is that when you do it, move your legs as if you were actually running through the air.

                11.Cyclops: in Greek mythology the Cyclopes were members of a race of giants with only one eye in the middle of their foreheads. In the Theogony of Hesiod, Zeus releases three Cyclops from the dark well of Tartarus. These provide the thunderbolt of Zeus, the helmet of invisibility of Hades and the trident of Poseidon, and the gods use these weapons to defeat the Titans.

                 12. Hidra de Lerna: in Greek mythology, the Hydra of Lerma was an ancient and ruthless chthonic aquatic monster in the shape  of a shape of a polyphile and venomous breath. The Hydra possessed the virtue of regenerating two heads for each one that lost or was amputated, and its lair was the lake of Lerna in the Gulf of Argolid.

 

                 13.Mermaid: the mermaids are mythological marine creatures belonging to legends and folklore. Originally, in classical antiquity, they are represented as hybrid beings with a face ot torso of a woman and body of a bird who lived on a rocky island; from the Middle Ages they acquired a fish-like apparence: beautiful women with fish tails instead of legs that dwelt in the depths. In both cases they were atributtesd an irresistible melodious voice with wich they fatally attracted the sailors.