Kraken

The Kraken is an ancient beast that has been incorporated into modern popular culture. The Scandinavian, Icelandic, and Greenlandic peoples told stories of a great beast that lived in the icy waters. It seems that they only lived around Norway and Greenland, as the other regions seem to have been clear of the Kraken. According to myth there was only one or two Kraken alive at one point in time. One theory was that when the only Kraken died an egg would be laid. The effort of producing the egg would kill the old Kraken. The other theory is that there are only two Kraken and that they are unable to reproduce. They are supposedly immortal, or live to be many thousands of years old.
The Kraken is usually depicted as squid or octopus-like, but much bigger. It is said to grow to a phenomenal size. The tentacles may reach 900 feet, or 374 metres, and their body length remains a mystery. They can be as wide as 500 feet, 152 metres. They have often been mistaken for islands when they are at the surface and unwitting sailors have landed, hoping to find food or water. Unfortunately for them the Kraken prefers to reside in the deep depths of the ocean, and moist sailors are killed. The Kraken rarely surfaces, and even then it is only for around an hour.
The Kraken usually eats large squid and whales, however if hungry it has been known to kill humans. It hunts by wrapping its giant tentacles around the victim and either crushing it or holding it so it can begin the process of eating it alive. In its mouth there are hundreds of thousands of teeth, all of them very sharp and deadly tools for ripping apart flesh. When a Kraken becomes so hungry it feeds on humans it does it in a simple way. It swims below the ship, and then rises. It uses its tentacles to grab the ship and crush it. It will then feed on the drowning humans, although the majority meet a watery death without the Kraken ever touching it. It is also said that the foul breath of a Kraken can be smelled several miles away, but the water prevents the scent from reaching the ship, allowing the Kraken to creep up on them.
Now it is assumed that legends of the Kraken originated from the Giant Squid, which preferred to stay in the deep, but was sometimes sited near the surface. Whatever the truth, beware of the Kraken!
For more information visit:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraken
• http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Kraken
• http://mythology.wikia.com/wiki/Kraken

Merfolk (Mermaids and Mermen)

Legends of the Merfolk have surrounded us all our lives. Everywhere there are stories of half human, half fish, creatures of the sea. All around the world tales of these creatures have been heard. Some depict them as beings of the light, others see them as malicious and evil. The Merfolk are both male and female, although the latter is more common. Often, when a ship is lost at sea, they become delusional, and spin tales of legendary beasts. Many consider the Merfolk to be one such creature. But the fact that they have been found in all corners of the Earth, that is enough to convince many they were, or are, real.
The Merfolk are human in appearance from the waist up, but from their hips and below they have the tail of a fish. The scales on this tail can vary in colour, from green to red and blue. Some are even multicoloured. The most common seem to be a sea-green. The torso of the creature is hominid in appearance, however, on their back is a dorsal fin, the colour being the same as their tail. Not all Merfolk have a dorsal fin however, it appears that only the elders do. The hair of the beast may vary in colour, from brown to green. The hair is usually long, and the females, the Mermaids, spend much time looking after it.
The Mermaids are said to have beautiful voices, which have often lured people to their deaths. They lay on rocks and sing, to entice passing ships. No sane man can resist the sound and they often steer the vessel toward the sound, where they are crushed upon the rocks. It is also said that if one of the Merfolk were to wash onto land and could not get back to water, they would take a temporary human form, to allow them to find water. Another legend holds that the kiss of a Mermaid will prevent a man from drowning, and many have attempted to capture one for this. It would mean that they could dive for lost treasures and never drown.
Modern opinion suggests that the Merfolk were invented by sailors lost at sea. One popular modern belief says that Sea Cows or Manatees were mistaken for Mermaids and Mermen. Another says that when men were lost at sea they became disillusioned and began seeing beautiful creatures in the distance. Merfolk were also used to explain shipwrecks in otherwise safe areas. But that does not explain how Merfolk reside in all corners of the world. Make up your own mind.
For more information visit:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid
• http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Mermaid
• http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/mermaid-mythology.html

African Dragon

The African Dragon is not very well known. Few Westerners have heard of the lost beasts of the Great Continent, the Oriental and European species are much more popular. They have been mentioned in the far south to Ethiopia and Egypt in the north. Many central tribes decorated their masks and costumes with features of these dragons. However, these tribes are vanishing, as foreign influences become ever stronger.
The African Dragon differentiates from its European and Eastern counterparts in many aspects. The size is the first thing. They are 10.7 metres (35 feet) in length. The majority were serpentine, like the American Dragons, but they all had legs. There was a variety in the number of legs, but mainly two and four. It was said that only those with four legs could fly, whereas the two-legged varieties were floor-bound. The colour of African Dragons varied from green to gold, and some even had scales of all shades between.
Another difference was their diet. They usually ate only African Elephants, preferring nothing else. In Ethiopia elephants were rare, so two dragons entwined themselves and formed a raft to Arabia. When an elephant approached they pounced. African Dragons did sometimes eat other meat, but only if they were very hungry. If they felt threatened they would also kill, and rather than waste food, they would eat the carcass. They rarely attacked humans, unless in self-defence. Otherwise, humans and dragons lived peacefully alongside each other.
African Dragons did not hoard treasures or precious metals such as gold. Instead, they had a special stone in their brains, called the Dracontias. The Dracontias gave the dragon the ability to fly and also gave them magical powers. The stone had healing properties, and if a human village was struck by plague, the village elders would often approach the local dragon for help. They usually gave the dragon gifts such as the village's best elephant.
If the dragon died the stone became useless, losing all of its properties. The only way to obtain the stone would be to drug the dragon and cut its skull, gently removing the stone. This is only possible as the stone is not necessary for the survival of the dragon. However, many times the removal process went wrong and the dragon died, rendering the Dracontias useless.
For more information visit:

• http://www.mythicalcreatureslist.com/mythical-creature/Dragon+-+African
• http://dragons.wikia.com/wiki/African_Dragon
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dragon_breeds_%28Temeraire%29#African_dragons

Minotaur

The Minotaur is one of the most famous mythical creatures of all time. There is only one, and lived in Mycenaean Crete. Crete is an island part of and south of Greece. It is the largest island in the Aegean Sea. The Mycenaean Age was long before the Romans, and around the same time as Troy. Crete was the most advanced civilization of the time and gathered tributes from various Greek City-States. Athens was one of these. They had to send seven young men and seven young women to be sent to the Minotaur.
The Minotaur was born of a union between the wife of King Minos, Pasiphae, and a bull. Minos was supposed to sacrifice his prize bull to Poseidon, but decided not to. Poseidon was furious, and caused Pasiphae to become infatuated with the bull. One night she slept with the bull, and nine months later gave birth to a monster. The monster was the Minotaur. It had the body of a large man that was much hairier than a normal man. It had the head of a bull, with huge curved horns, and the legs and feet of a bull. It was very strong, and uncontrollable, killing many. It often wielded a large axe, and went naked apart from a loincloth.
Minos built a large labyrinth under the capital Knossos to house the Minotaur. The men and women from Athens were forced to enter the Labyrinth and face the beast with no weapons or armour. No-one survived. One year, Theseus, Prince of Athens, offered to slay the Minotaur by disguising himself as one of the victims. The tribute arrived in Knossos and were shown to their rooms; they were to enter the Labyrinth the next morning. The daughter of Minos, Ariadne, however fell in love with Theseus. She gave him a sword to slay the Minotaur and a ball of string so he would not get lost in the Labyrinth, on the promise that he would take her with him when he fled Crete. Theseus accepted.
When Theseus entered the Labyrinth he succeeded in finding the Minotaur and slaying it. After finding his way out of the Labyrinth he expected to have to flee, however, Minos was so grateful for Theseus slaying the Minotaur that he let Theseus go, and ended the tribute agreement. He also allowed Theseus to take Ariadne to Athens to wed her. On the way home, however, Ariadne mysteriously disappeared.
The Minotaur was gone forever, but the legends lived on. One theory is that the Minotaur lives on, only concussed when fighting Theseus. He has vowed for revenge, and if you visit the ruins of Knossos, you can hear his roar of anger. Beware.
For more information visit:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur
• http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Minotauros.html
• http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Minotaur
• http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/minotaur-greek-mythology.html

Zombies

The zombie came from West African local beliefs. These are collectively called voodoo, and have now spread all over the world, particularly the Caribbean. Haiti in the Caribbean has the largest number of Voodoo practitioners apart from Western Africa. The zombie is an undead creature. This means they are neither dead nor alive. Zombies are created when a sorcerer gives a man a potion made from the poison of a puffer fish, one of the most deadly poisons known to man. This causes them to go to the brink of death, without actually dying. They are often severely damaged and under the sorcerer's command. They are no more than slaves, and are usually created to serve.
To get rid of a zombie you must feed it salt. They will "awaken", and realise what is happening. They will than return to their grave and die. However, if the zombie is not given salt, it will not last forever. Beliefs indicate that is a temporary being, and God will take its soul. The zombie will suddenly die.
In modern society the zombie is depicted as a brain-eating monster; uncontrollable and evil. This differentiates greatly from the original beliefs, and is therefore inaccurate. Modern society also has the belief that another way to kill it is to  destroy its brain in any means possible. They have become popular in films, TV shows, and books; particularly comics.
There have been several claims that zombies are very real. There have been numerous cases where the body tissue has been inexplicably damaged, and the person should be long dead. The victims have also shown signs of unnatural clumsiness and "stupidity". However, scientists have dismissed this as hoaxes and lies. They refuse to do further research into the matter, adamant that there will be no truth or sufficient evidence to prove the theory.
Whatever the truth, it is unlikely anyone will ever know. Make up your own mind... Are they real? Or is it just a myth?
For more information visit:

• http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Zombie
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie
• http://www.mythicalcreatureslist.com/mythical-creature/Zombies

Apologies

My apologies for not posting in a while. I have been preoccupied with other things and have not got around to updating the blog. Expect regular updates from now. Many thanks for your patience.