Legendary creature
For creatures that are fictional creations, see :Category:Fictional species. For creatures whose existence is claimed by Cryptozoologists, see :Category:Cryptids.A
legendary creature is a
mythical or
fantastic creature (often known as "fabulous creatures" in historical literature). Some — such as the
dragon or the
griffin — have their origin in traditional myths and have at one time been believed to be real creatures. Others were based on real creatures, originating in garbled accounts of travellers' tales; such as the
Vegetable Lamb of Tartary, which supposedly grew tethered to the earth (and was actually a type of
fern). The traditional
unicorn may have come from garbled stories about the
rhinoceros or
narwhal. Examples of the legendary creatures can be found in
medieval bestiaries.
Conversely, some creatures once believed in have been found in recent times, such as the
giant squid.
Often, legendary creatures are
chimeras, a combination of two or more animals. For example, a
pegasus is a combination of a horse and bird, a
centaur of a man and horse, a
minotaur of a man and bull. It should be noted that these were not always intended to be understood as literal juxtapositions of parts from disparate species. Lacking a common
morphological vocabulary, classical and medieval scholars and travellers would attempt to describe unusual animals by comparing them point-for-point with familiar: the
giraffe, for example, was called
camelopard, and thought of as a creature half-
camel, and half-
leopard.
Many legendary creatures appear prominently in
fantasy fiction. These creatures are often claimed to have supernatural powers or knowledge or to guard some object of great value, which becomes critical to the plot of the story in which it is found.
Many legendary creatures have been incorporated into
heraldry and
architectural decoration. Legendary creatures have also been accepted into many facets of
popular culture, most notably in
video games and
Hollywood movies.
*
Cryptozoology*
Monster*
List of fictional species*
List of legendary creatures*
Legendary creatures of the Argentine Northwest region*
An instinct for dragons, a hypothesis on the origin of several legendary creatures
*
Book of Imaginary Beings*
Encyclopedia Mythica's Bestiary
