Abath. An Abath is a mythical creature resembling a unicorn, first appearing in records in the 16th century. Accounts of the Abath were brought back by 16th-century European travellers to the Malay Peninsula. Described as female, with a single horn growing from its forehead, it is speculated that these were probably the result of a half-glimpsed Javan or Sumatran rhinoceros. Like the unicorn, a powder made from this horn supposedly served both as an aphrodisiac and as an antidote to poison. However, since the unicorn was invariably represented as male, and since there was only ever one in existence at any time, the Abath seems to have developed independently from the European myths of the one-horned creature.[1] See also[edit] Qilin References[edit]
Baku (spirit) Baku (獏 or 貘?) Are Japanese supernatural beings that devour dreams and nightmares. They have a long history in Japanese folklore and art, and more recently have appeared in Japanese anime and manga (see examples cited below). The Japanese term baku has two current meanings, referring to both the traditional dream-devouring creature and to the zoological tapir (e.g., the Malayan Tapir).[1] In recent years, there have been changes in how the baku is depicted. The traditional Japanese nightmare-devouring baku originates in Chinese folklore and was familiar in Japan as early as the Muromachi period (14th-15th century).[2] Hori Tadao has described the dream-eating abilities attributed to the traditional baku and relates them to other preventatives against nightmare such as amulets. Kaii-Yōkai Denshō Database, citing a 1957 paper, and Mizuki also describe the dream-devouring capacities of the traditional baku.[3] Dream-eating, tapir-shaped baku have also entered non-Japanese popular culture:
Behemoth. Behemoth (/bɨˈhiːməθ/ or /ˈbiː.əməθ/, also /ˈbeɪ.əmɔːθ/; Hebrew: בהמות, behemoth (modern: behemot)) is a beast mentioned in Job 40:15–24. Suggested identities range from a mythological creature to an elephant, hippopotamus, rhinoceros or crocodile. Some creationists believe it to be a description of a sauropod.[1] Metaphorically, the name has come to be used for any extremely large or powerful entity. Plural as singular[edit] Job 40 is an example of the use of a plural noun suffix to mean "great", rather than plural.
Description[edit] Leviathan is identified figuratively with both the primeval sea (Job 3:8, Psalms 74:13) and in apocalyptic literature – describing the end-time – as that adversary, the Devil, from before creation who will finally be defeated. Later Jewish writings[edit] Identity[edit] Since the 17th century CE there have been many attempts to identify Behemoth. Literary references[edit] See also[edit] Notes[edit] References[edit] Metzeger, Bruce M. External links[edit] Grootslang. The Grootslang or Grote Slang (Afrikaans and Dutch for "big snake") is a legendary cryptid that is reputed to dwell in a deep cave in the Richtersveld, South Africa. Legend[edit] According to legend, the Grootslang is a primordial creature as old as the world itself. Tales state that gods, new to the crafting of things, made a terrible mistake in the Grootslang's creation, and gave it tremendous strength, cunning, and intellect.
Realizing their mistake, the gods split the Grootslang into separate creatures and thus created the first elephants and the first snakes. Popular culture[edit] A Grootslang was featured in The Secret Saturdays episode "Something in the Water". References[edit] Rose, Carol (2001). Sæhrímnir. In Norse mythology, Sæhrímnir is the creature killed and eaten every night by the Æsir and einherjar. The cook of the gods, Andhrímnir, is responsible for the slaughter of Sæhrímnir and its preparation in the cauldron Eldhrímnir.
After Sæhrímnir is eaten, the beast is brought back to life again to provide sustenance for the following day. Sæhrímnir is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional material, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. The enthroned figure of High quotes this stanza in the Prose Edda book Gylfaginning and specifically states that Sæhrímnir is a boar. However, some scholars have translated the Poetic Edda attestation, which the Prose Edda attestation quotes, as not referring to the creature as any specific type. Etymology[edit] Attestations[edit] Sæhrímnir is mentioned once in the Poetic Edda and twice in the Prose Edda. Theories[edit] Notes[edit] References[edit]
Taweret. In Egyptian mythology, Taweret (also spelled Taurt, Tuat, Taouris, Tuart, Ta-weret, Tawaret, Twert, and Taueret, and in Greek, Θουέρις "Thouéris" and Toeris) is the protective ancient Egyptian goddess of childbirth and fertility. The name "Taweret" (Tȝ-wrt) means, "she who is great" or simply, "great one," a common pacificatory address to dangerous deities.[1] The deity is typically depicted as a bipedal female hippopotamus with feline attributes, pendulous female human breasts, and the back of a Nile crocodile.
She commonly bears the epithets "Lady of Heaven," "Mistress of the Horizon," "She Who Removes Water," "Mistress of Pure Water," and "Lady of the Birth House. "[2] History and development[edit] From her ideological conception, Taweret was closely grouped with (and is often indistinguishable from) several other protective hippopotamus goddesses: Ipet, Reret, and Hedjet. Outside of Egypt[edit] Taweret developed a significant cult outside of Egypt as well. Ancient Crete[edit]