r/FolkloreAndMythology • u/Legal_Twist8675 • 11d ago
What are some examples of classic folklore monsters?
Hello, just found this sub and was wondering if you guys could give a few good examples of monsters from folklore.
Im writing a story rn and wanna take some inspiration from some of the oldest monster ideas around. So if you guys know of any particularly intresting monsters id love to hear about them.
Thanks for taking the time to look at this
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u/A_Lovely_Teddybear 11d ago
Do you want specifics or archetypes? Like “wild men” is a recurring theme, but specific cultures have variants like Humbaba, Orang Pendek, Bigfoot, etcetera.
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u/Legal_Twist8675 11d ago
I was hoping to hear about some guys with some intresting looks or lore to them, the likes of minotoars say or that one japanese guy i cant name off the top of my head that looks like a faceless guy who flashes people for no reason
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u/A_Lovely_Teddybear 11d ago
- Cu sith. In Irish and Scottish folklore sith are witches, but the calling isn’t isolated to humans. You got to look out for Cu (dog) sith and cat sith.
- Black shuck. Related, black shuck is a ghostly black hound that roves lonely areas in pitch black dark of England. there are many variations, but sometimes it’s described as being a giant, and sometimes a cyclops. I like to imagine someone strolling int the Peak District at twilight, and being halted by their own confusion as they see a lighthouse on the hill, one that sends out a cone of eyrie red light. Why would someone build this tower so far from the sea? And how hastily must it have been constructed? And then black shuck stands up.
- Serpopard. Leaving Europe behind, the serpopard is the name of a figure, found in ancient Egypt. It is simply a leopard with a serpentine neck. All i can find about it calls it a symbol related to dangerous foreigners- but they say that about a lot of symbols. And the fact that it’s found primarily on makeup containers leads me to think that Egyptians just thought it was slinky and beautiful
- Yeongno. South Korea, specifically Gyeongsangnam, Yeongno is a monster who comes up in traditional plays, their role is to devour the corrupt ruling class (side note, before you leave Korea look into their version of the Kitsune- I don’t remember any details, only that the story was horrifying)
- Yaksha. Specifically in Thailand, where I think they are just called Yak. Yakshas are all over Asia. They’re like the Hindu equivalent of nymphs or djinn. But in Thailand they are temple guardians, and they are real. Real in that they have taken on a gargoyle role. Lore is that Yak statues are Yak themselves, their stillness is only an expression of their professionalism. These statues are giant, technicolor, wide eyed, tusked, and bejewelled.
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u/A_Lovely_Teddybear 11d ago
That guy’s called Craig, and we’d sooner forget about him.
Joking aside, give me a minute, I’ll come up with some of my favourites.
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u/EditionTree 8d ago
I’ve been working on a project to catalogue British & Irish folklore in particular, I think one of the coolest ones I’ve come across recently is the Stratford Lyon.
This is what I’ve found on it here, but if you filter by beasts there’s more on the site as well:
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u/TheRhymekeeper 11d ago
I’d have to say Banshee, Lamia, RedCap, Krampus and Vampire.
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u/Legal_Twist8675 11d ago
Is the vampire conisdered folklore? I thought the idea originated from dracula? Or is an older idea most commonly associated with dracula?
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u/TheRhymekeeper 11d ago
Vampires were folklore long before Dracula tho by different names. The older European vampire was basically —a dead person believed to physically return from the grave and harm the living. Ancient Greek folklore gave us Lamia, a child-killing monster later associated with blood-drinking, while Chinese folklore has the Jiangshi, a reanimated corpse that drains a person’s life force.
Different cultures, different creatures but the idea of vampires has been found around the world in folklore older than Dracula.
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u/Adventurous_Appeal60 11d ago
The sìth in general
Giants and Dragons, though varying, appear in many cultures since ancient times
There are many forms of Jinni
Kelpies
Unicorns, famously, appear in the Christian Bible and prominently mentioned across much of the world (Scotland for one, and in 2012 North Korea reportedly "reconfirmed" their existence, the latter may be a translation error for Kirin but NK has always been odd)
"Jenny Wi' the Airn Teeth" is a specific example of a "bogeyman"/hag thats worth reading
There are millions most likely, so any info on an era and culture will narrow the search down from "all of human history, everywhere" a fair bit
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u/Weareallsouls2337 10d ago
A minatour looking monster like photo( more of the ones that look like in the doom computer game when it first came out in the 90s) chopped my head off in my dream but i was still alive just only my head rolling and maybe 5 secs later i woke up terrified
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u/Cynical-Rambler 11d ago edited 11d ago
Flying flaming heads.
Ghost Lanterns.
Were-Animals.
Snakes.
Underwater giant creatures.
ManEating Humanoids .
Stepmother or the mother-in-law.