Medusa
In Greek mythology Medusa ("guardian, protectress")[1] was a monster, a Gorgon, generally described as having the face of a hideous human female with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone. Most sources describe her as the daughter of Phorcys and Ceto,[2] though the author Hyginus (Fabulae, 151) interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents.[3] Medusa was beheaded by the hero Perseus, who thereafter used her head as a weapon[4] until he gave it to the goddess Athena to place on her shield. In classical antiquity the image of the head of Medusa appeared in the evil-averting device known as the Gorgoneion. Medusa in classical mythology[edit] The three Gorgon sisters—Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale—were all children of the ancient marine deities Phorcys (or "Phorkys") and his sister Ceto (or "Keto"), chthonic monsters from an archaic world. Modern interpretations[edit] A Roman cameo of the 2nd or 3rd century
Nandi (bull)
2nd Century A.D sculpture of Nandi bull. Nandi (Sanskrit: नन्दी, Tamil: நந்தி, Telugu: న౦ది) is the name for the bull which serves as the mount (Sanskrit: Vahana) of the god Shiva and as the gatekeeper of Shiva and Parvati. In Hindu Religion, he is the chief guru of eighteen masters (18 siddhas) including Patanjali and Thirumular.[1] Temples venerating Shiva display stone images of a seated Nandi, generally facing the main shrine. The application of the name Nandi to the bull (Sanskrit: vṛṣabha) is in fact a development of recent centuries, as Gouriswar Bhattacharya has documented in an illustrated article entitled "Nandin and Vṛṣabha".[2] The name Nandi was earlier widely used instead for an anthropomorphic deity who was one of Shiva’s two door-keepers, the other being Mahākāla. There was a Sage named Shilada who underwent severe penance to have a boon - A child with immortality. Bull seal from Indus Valley Civilization. Shiva and his spouse seated upon Nandi. Largest Nandis in India:
Griffin
Medieval tapestry, Basel c. 1450 The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Greek: γρύφων, grýphōn, or γρύπων, grýpōn, early form γρύψ, grýps; Latin: gryphus) is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons as its front feet. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle the king of birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. The griffin was also thought of as king of all creatures. Form While griffins are most common in the art and lore of Ancient Greece, there is evidence of representations of griffins in Ancient Persian and Ancient Egyptian art as far back as 3,300 BC.[5][6] Most statues have bird-like talons, although in some older illustrations griffins have a lion's forelimbs; they generally have a lion's hindquarters. Infrequently, a griffin is portrayed without wings, or a wingless eagle-headed lion is identified as a griffin. Modern uses
Bicorn (monster)
Bicorn is a mythological creature. It is a two-horned creature (often described as a part-panther part-cow creature with a human-like face[1]) that has the reputation of devouring kind-hearted and devoted husbands, and is thus plump and well fed. Its counterpart is the Chichevache, which devours only obedient wives and is therefore thin and starving. A Bicorn is mentioned in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Siren
Siren or sirens may refer to: Most common uses[edit] Animals[edit] Places[edit] Music[edit] Performers[edit] Albums[edit] Siren Sirens Songs[edit] Other[edit] Film and television[edit] Other media and arts[edit] People[edit] In the military[edit] HMS Siren, eight Royal Navy shipsUSS Siren, several US Navy shipsSS-N-9 Siren, NATO reporting name for the P-120 Malakhit, a Russian anti-ship missile In sports[edit] Sirens F.C., a football club in Malta Sirens Stadium, the club's home groundSacramento Sirens, a woman's football teamSaskatoon Sirens, an expansion team in the Lingerie Football League Other uses[edit] See also[edit]
Ushi-oni
The Ushi-Oni (牛鬼?, Ox Oni (demon)), or gyūki, is a creature which appears in the folklore of Japan. There are various kinds of ushi-oni, all of them some sort of monster with a horned, bovine head. Mythology[edit] Perhaps the most famous ushi-oni appears as a protective symbol in the Uwajima Ushi-oni Festival, which is held in late July in Uwajima of Ehime Prefecture. Something like the dragon dancers at a Chinese New Year celebration, this ushi-oni is represented with a huge, multiple-person costume with a cloth body and a carved, painted head held upon a pole. Another well-known ushi-oni is a massive, brutal sea-monster which lives off the coast of Shimane Prefecture and other places in Western Japan and attacks fishermen. Yet another ushi-oni is depicted as a statue on the grounds of the Negoroji temple in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture. Ushi-oni are also mentioned in Sei Shōnagon's tenth-century diary The Pillow Book, and in the Taiheiki of the fourteenth century. Popular culture[edit]
Auðumbla
Auðumbla (also spelled Auðumla, Auðhumbla or Auðhumla) is the primeval cow of Norse mythology. She is attested in Gylfaginning, a part of Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda, in association with Ginnungagap and Ymir. Auðumbla is not mentioned again in the Prose Edda and, apart from one mention in Nafnaþulur, her name does not occur in any other ancient source. Nevertheless she is generally accepted by scholars as a genuine part of the Norse mythos and not dismissed as an invention of Snorri Sturluson. Etymology[edit] Auðumbla's name appears in different variations in the manuscripts of the Prose Edda. While Ymir suckles at the udder of Auðumbla, Búri is licked out of the ice in this 18th-century painting by Nicolai Abildgaard (1790) The name can be represented or Anglicized as Audumbla, Audumla, Audhumbla, Audhumla, Authumbla, Authumla, Authhumbla, Authhumla, Audhhumbla or Audhhumla. Theories[edit] See also[edit] References[edit]
