From creatures of various mythologies, to modern day legends that continue to intrigue!
Join me as I reveal to you 10 histories of legendary and mythical creatures!
10.
Minotaur Despite it being a mythical creature that
is technically lesser than many others, the idea of the Minotaur has continued on far
beyond the story that the Greek Mythology that it was born from.
The Minotaur itself is described as half-man, half-bull.
Specifically, it has the body of a man, but the head and tail of a bull.
Truly a unique combination.
Which is an appropriate phrase since the "birth" of this creature was honestly really unnatural.
I won't go into details, but let's just say that the sea god Poseidon didn't like what
a certain king did (and didn't do), and his wife paid a price so to speak...that resulted
in the creation of the Minotaur.
Yeah, it's weird.
Unfortunately for said king, the Minotaur went rabid as it grew up, and started to kill
his people in order to get nourishment.
To combat it, the king ordered a man named Daedalus to make a place to hold the Minotaur.
Thus was born the labyrinth.
And the Minotaur stayed there until the legendary hero Theseus killed him.
Despite those being the only stories mentioning him, modern mythology and tales have continued
to use the idea of the Minotaur, including appearing in legendary series like The Chronicles
of Narnia and more.
9.
Leprechauns Despite a certain horror movie franchise depicting
them as monsters, when it comes to Leprechauns, most of them think of them as the "wee folk"
from Ireland.
And that's not meant as an insult, they're often depicted as small bearded men that take
care of shoes, cause mischief every now and again, and yes, have a pot of gold at the
end of the rainbow.
Though it should be noted that trying to find "the end" of one is impossible.
But that's another list.
And it's the dream of everyone to find one of these pots of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Which is why the beloved cereal Lucky Charms is so popular, and represented by a Leprechaun.
Anyway, believe it or not, Leprechauns are actually a type of fairy, and as the folklore
goes, if you catch a Leprechaun, you'll get free wishes in exchange for its freedom.
Though obviously this legend has been molded and warped over the years, specifically to
saying that if you were to catch a Leprechaun it would give you its pot of gold.
Still, it's a popular legend, and St. Patrick's Day is one of the holidays were the idea of
Leprechauns is most lauded and praised.
8.
Hydra According to Greek Mythology, the Hydra was
one of the deadliest creatures on the face of the Earth.
It was said to be the son of Typhon and Echidna (two monstrous snake-like creatures in their
own right), and dwelled in lake of Lerna in the Argolid, which is one of the "regional
units" of Greece.
The creature was so powerful, that its very smell could kill people, and it had venomous
breath.
Not exactly a creature you want wandering around the world if you ask me.
But one of the details that has persisted throughout history is that the Hydra was a
multi-headed beast.
However, how many heads it actually had was never truly agreed upon, and this actually
led to an extension of the legend, as the Hydra was soon able to grow two heads for
every single one that a person would cut off.
Which is something I'll come back to a little later.
Another Greek Legend notes that the mighty hero Heracles (known in the west as Hercules)
was charged by his father Zeus to kill the Hydra as one of his "Twelve Labors".
But even to Heracles, the monster was incredibly tough.
He had to get help from his cousin Lolaus in order to not only beat the creature, but
to burn its neck so no more heads could be grown.
Ironically, that is a medical procedure that would actually work.
In the Disney interpretation of the story of Hercules, the battle with the Hydra is
one of the climatic moments of the film.
Including a shot of the Hydra essentially having hundreds of heads, thus showing how
truly monstrous the creature was.
7.
Phoenix There are many avenues to find out what a
phoenix is, and the concept of this mythical bird is one that is all over media, and it
usually sticks to the same concepts.
Mainly, it's one born of fire and ash, and is said to be immortal in its own way.
Mainly, it "dies" every 500 or thousand years or so, and then it'll be reborn form its own
ashes.
Phoenix's are one of many mythical creatures that can be found in all sorts of ancient
folklore, as well as the mythologies of many cultures.
The Greeks, Egyptians, and more had stories about phoenixes.
The idea of a Phoenix being "everlasting" has spawned many myths, as well as inspired
many modern day stories.
Including being used in comic books, animes (like Pokemon, Monster Rancher, Digimon and
more) and even video games.
And as Harry Potter has shown, they can be very good companions, especially since they
wouldn't die easily, and if they did, they'll just be reborn.
So in conclusion...Phoenixs rule.
I'm just saying.
6.
Mermaids Depending on what TV shows or movies you watch,
you like think that Mermaids are the coolest creatures "under the seas" or something that
you NEED to stay away from if you want to live on the oceans.
But which is the true state of Mermaids?
Like many legends...it's hard to say.
The first accounts of Mermaids come from the Assyria culture.
Where one of their goddesses took the form of a Mermaid in order to punish herself for
accidentally killing her lover.
Yet in many other cultures, mermaids are basically evil.
They'll lure lonely sailors to the water...drown them...and then eat them.
And yet, there are also tales of Mermaids being loving creatures that have fallen in
love with (and saved) humans in the past.
I'm sure a certain Disney movie comes to mind when I say that.
The irony of course is that there are many who believe that Mermaids actually exist.
With sightings going back as far as Christopher Columbus, and being so recent as the last
ten years.
5.
Griffin There are a few mythical creatures that have
many parts of many basic creatures.
One of the most used in coats of arms in medieval history (and partially to this day) is that
of the Griffin.
Which was a beast said to have the head and wings of an eagle, and the body, tail, and
hind legs of a lion.
An interesting mix, but one that has leant itself to many great stories over time.
The pairing of these creatures to form the Griffin was meant to convey power.
As the eagle is the "King of the Skies" while the Lion is "King of the Beasts".
Thus this fusion was no doubt meant to show off how dominant of a creature it was.
For this reason, the Griffin has had many different purposes in mythology.
For example, in Persian mythology, the Griffin was seen as a protector from evil, as well
as witchcraft and slander.
They're also seen as noble, which is why it's often portrayed as good.
This is also another creature that had been transferred from one culture to the next.
The Chinese, Persians, Egyptians, Greeks, and more all had their own tales of the Griffin
(even their own names) and what they were meant for.
4.
Pegasus Another fusion creature, the Pegasus is one
that is featured in many grand stories in Greek Mythology and beyond.
The classic stories are that of him being birthed by Poseidon (don't ask) and being
raised by Medusa (don't ask me why).
Eventually though, when the hero Perseus killed Medusa, he took the Pegasus as his steed for
some time.
He was later caught by another Greek hero in order to fight and kill the Chimera.
After the death of the creature, Zeus honored him by making him a constellation in the stars
above.
It's also depicted that the Pegasus went to heaven (with Poseidon and the other gods)
upon its passing.
In the classic Disney movie Hercules, the Pegasus was actually a creation of Zeus as
a present to Hercules upon his birth.
The Pegasus was a friend and loyal steed during the fight against Hades and the Titans.
Despite these limited stories, the Pegasus appears in a lot of Greek art, and has been
used in various places over the years.
3.
Leviathan There have been many terrifying sea creatures
depicted in history and mythology.
And one of the most terrifying to be conceived was that of the Leviathan.
In stories within the Christian and Jewish Bibles, numerous mentions were made of the
creature, and it was stated that it had been powerful enough to challenge God himself.
Which given that God made the universe...that's a lot of power.
But here's the rub that a lot of people have noted over time.
The Bible doesn't talk about mythical creatures.
They only talk about the ones God made.
It even notes the dinosaurs that existed in the world at one time via the book of Job.
Yet the Leviathan is in the Bible, and was a creature that was said to be an enormous
sea serpent.
Another interpretation was a creature that was "twisted in folds".
This size and strength was the reason God had to strike it down:
Isaiah 27:1: "In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish
the leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the
dragon that is in the sea."
Since then, the Leviathan has been used as a reference for a creature of great size,
and has been the name of several real-life creatures over the course of history.
Including an ancient whale that was a predator in prehistoric times.
There have also been many uses and interpretations of the Leviathan in modern day movies and
TV shows.
2.
Dragons When it comes to some of the most popular
mythical creatures in history and lore, few are more popular than the dragons.
Mainly because culture has adapted them to be some of the coolest, most powerful, and
most terrifying beasts ever created.
But that in turn begs an important question, where did the idea of dragons come from?
Well...that's a bit tricky.
Because like other creatures on this list, many cultures have had their own kinds of
"dragons" over the years, and it's clear that these cultures didn't mingle before making
them.
For example, the earliest signs of dragons come from Mesopotamian art.
But in these pieces, the dragons are no more than snake-like creatures.
Granted, they were massive and had to be struck down by gods, but still.
As times evolved, the eastern cultures showed dragons being more like lizards, but ones
that were again massive, and were much smarter than any other lizard species.
Then, in the Middle Ages, the "classic" versions of dragons were born and "spread" to the West.
These are the dragons that are four-legged (usually) lizards with wings and breathe fire.
And it's this version that is most used in pop culture.
Lord of the Rings, How to Train Your Dragon, Game of Thrones, Pokemon, Digimon, and more
have their take on dragons based on these original designs.
It's honestly quite astounding how we use them yet we still don't know why the people
who drew these original drawings made them.
Given how much they're shown you'd figure they were real at one time, but the history
and science we know states that it's not.
Then again...the world still has many mysteries...perhaps the true "origin" of the dragon is one of
them.
1.
Loch Ness Monster If you were to go to the Scottish Highlands,
you would eventually find a body of water called Loch Ness.
Within those waters is said to be a sea creature not subtly called the "Loch Ness Monster".
This creature has become such a legend and mythical creature in the modern age that people
continue to 'see' the creature even though many people have "proven" it doesn't exist.
So how did this all start, and why is it still being claimed as "alive"?
The first sightings of "Nessy" as she is called was actually not even in Loch Ness, but in
the nearby River Ness.
It was here that a man was almost eaten by the creature.
Since that point, more and more sightings have been declared about the monster in the
Loch.
In 1933, the truly worldwide "Debut" of Nessy began, and following that, even more sightings
of a "Loch Ness Monster" came.
The frenzy for this creature and proof of its existence grew so great that eventually,
many acclaimed scientists, biologists, researchers, and more went to Loch Ness.
All of them equipped to try and find proof one way or the other of its existence, or
lack thereof.
I'm talking they had radars, sensors that could scan the bottom of the loch, detect
movements from the smallest thing, and more.
Nothing definitive has ever been found.
Even with the ENTIRE LOCH being searched multiple times.
Still, even with all that proof, people keep "recording" sightings of Nessy, and it's getting
to the point where people honestly don't know what to believe because it would be near impossible
to believe that so many people are making up these stories to have "ten seconds of fame".
But regardless of what's truth and what's recall, there are some "truths" to the story,
mainly in that whether they're faking or not, they got their description of the story straight.
They claim that Nessy is a "sea serpent" of sorts with a long neck and body.
Which makes many wonder if some kind of ancient creature is living in the Loch.
What is the truth?
It's hard to say, and so you might do well to find your own conclusion to this.
Because regardless of what you think, the "true believers" will keep saying Nessy is
out there.
Thanks for watching everyone!
Which of these history lessons did you enjoy the most?
Did you learn some cool stuff about these myths and legends?
Let me know in the comments below, be sure to subscribe, and I'll see you next time on
the channel!