Fenrir (Fenris)

Fenrir is also known as Fenris or Fenrisulfr. He is a giant wolf of Norse (Viking) mythology, and one of the children of the god Loki and the giantess Angrboda. He is much larger than a normal wolf, some tales claim he is even twice as large. As a result of his size he has been described as a monster. His father, Loki, is the god of mischief and trickery. As a result, his children have all been troublesome.
The gods heard of a great prophecy that involved Fenrir. The prophecy was that Fenrir would destroy the world with the help of his family. He would devour all in his path, and his two children would eat the sun and the moon. As Fenrir grew much faster than a normal wolf, the gods became very worried, and attempted to lock him in a cage when he was just a cub. Only the god of war, Tyr, dared to approach him and feed him.
When Fenrir was no longer a cub they had no choice but to free him. Yet, they were still worried about the prophecy about Ragnarok (the end of the world), as it involved Fenrir. They decided to chain him up in an attempt to prevent the prophecy from coming to pass. They realised it would be impossible to force him to submit, as he was too strong. Instead, they challenged Fenrir to break through a metal chain in order to prove his strength. Fenrir accepted the challenge, eager to show off and boast about his superiority. He easily broke free and laughed.
This left the gods in despair, but they did not give up. Instead, they went to the dwarves for help. They asked them to create a chain that could not be broken, and the dwarves came up with a giant ribbon. The ribbon was made from the footstep of a cat; the roots of a mountain; a woman's beard; the breath of fishes; the sinews of a bear; and a bird's spittle. They challenged Fenrir again, but he was reluctant, suspecting trickery from the gods. Eventually he agreed, but only because he feared the gods would think he was weak. He could not break free, and has remained there ever since.
At Ragnarok Fenrir will finally break free, and help destroy the world. He will swallow Odin, the king of the gods, before being killed by Odin's son.
For more information visit:

• http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Fenris+Wolf 
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenrir 
• http://www.pantheon.org/articles/f/fenrir.html 
• http://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/giants/fenrir/ 
• http://mythology.wikia.com/wiki/Fenrir 

Valkyries

The Valkyries are supernatural beings found in Norse (or Viking) mythology. The Vikings were northern Germanic peoples, who lived in modern Scandinavia. Their main homelands were Norway and Denmark, but there were also many settlements in today's Sweden and even Finland. They were an expansionist people, and founded settlements in Russia, Iceland, England and Scotland, Ireland, Greenland, and even North America. This resulted in their mythology spreading over a large area, and resulted in certain differences in some creatures and tales. The Valkyrie does have different attributes in different places, but the underlying features remain the same.
Valkyries are female warriors, and are servants of the god Odin. They are usually depicted with flaming red hair, although some artwork shows them with the more common fair hair of the north. They are almost always shown dressed in battle armour, often made of bronze or a similarly-coloured metal. This helps protect them from evil, and the likes of other enemies. Some are also shown with white or golden wings, as they must travel between this world and that of the gods, Valhalla. Other tales claim they ride horses with wings, sometimes identified as creatures in likeness to Pegasus.
The Valkyries have a crucial duty; one that is supposedly of the utmost importance. According to Viking legends, evil and good are locked in a never-ending war. In the final days, there will be a great battle to decide the fate of the heavens and the Earth. The world will crumble, and this time is called "Ragnarok". From these ashes a new world will rise from the oceans, and will be filled with light.
It is the job of the Valkyries to train and prepare warriors for this final battle. To do this, they visit battlefields on Earth, where many soldiers are dying. From these they pick a select few to take back to Valhalla. Some tales describe how the Valkyries may even join in the battles, to ensure they choose only the best warriors. To prepare these warriors for the final battle, the Valkyries force the fallen soldiers to fight in Valhalla. These fights may be against other fallen warriors, the Valkyries themselves, or even some lesser gods. The Valkyries show these warriors to Odin and Freya, in the hope they are suitable. Half of the warriors are actually chosen by Freya herself, as she has been known to visit the battlefields of Earth.
For more information visit:

• http://www.mythicalcreatureslist.com/mythical-creature/Valkyrie
• http://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/valkyries/
• http://www.mythicalrealm.com/legends/valkyries.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valkyrie
• http://www.mythical-creatures-and-beasts.com/valkyrie.html

And for information on Ragnarok: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/r/ragnarok.html

Philippine Dragon (Bakunawa)

The Philippine Dragon is known as the Bakunawa. It is found all over the Philippines, but surprisingly, not many Filipinos have heard of it today. This is due to westernization, and the more popular European and Oriental dragons took over. Indeed, if you were to ask a Filipino what they thought of when you said "dragon", they would usually say the European or Chinese dragon. There is no known origin for the Bakunawa, as it bears no resemblance to any Oriental dragons.
The Bakunawa is essentially a sea-serpent. It resides in the oceans surrounding the Philippines, and also some other islands in the region. Legends say that it tries to eat the moon regularly, which is why we have eclipses. One version says that there were seven moons, but the Bakunawa was stunned by their luminescence, and tried to swallow them. To scare off the Bakunawa, locals crash pans and pots, as well as singing. This version also claims that the Bakunawa ate men, on certain occasions.
A second legend claims that the Bakunawa had a sister; the sea turtle. The turtle would lay eggs on an island and then swim back to sea. However, each time she came to shore the sea followed her, and the island got smaller and smaller. The locals killed the turtle, and the Bakunawa was furious. It tried to eat the moon, but the locals crashed pots and pans to scare it off. the moon was regurgitated, and the Bakunawa fled.
The third version is that the Bakunawa fell in love with a mortal girl. The tribe chieftain was furious about their affair, and destroyed their house. When the Bakunawa found out it tried to eat all twelve moons, but before it could eat the last one the god Bathala banished it to the sea. An eclipse occurs when the Bakunawa tries to return home.
The Bakunawa supposedly has a mouth the size of a lake. It also has a giant red tongue, whiskers, gills, wires at the side, two sets of wings. One pair is grey in colour, and very large, whilst the other pair is small and found at the lower end of its body.
For more information visit:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Dragon
• http://aldsh.deviantart.com/art/Bakunawa-Moon-Eater-316511386
• http://jrldorado.deviantart.com/art/Bakunawa-The-Filipino-Dragon-298473522

Golems

The golem is found in Jewish mythology, and has now spread all over the world. Today, the golem is a very popular figure in the Czech Republic, particularly the capital, Prague. Many restaurants and hotels have been named after this creature, as the people are fascinated with the golem. This may be due to large Jewish population that resided in the area, mainly before World War 2. This allowed their tales to spread, and legends of creatures such as the golem were incorporated into local traditions and beliefs. Today many know of the golem, and Terry Pratchett evens talks about them in his Discworld Novels, in particular, the book; "Feet of Clay".
A golem is a man-like creature that is made from a dead material. Usually this is earth or rock, although it could be wood. Unlike a troll, which some believe is also made of rock, it can not feel, unless given life. It is essentially a robot, willingly doing what it is told. These 'slaves' however sometimes became too strong, and many were destroyed. Some Rabbis created them to gain power, but it usually went wrong. In size they are around the same size of a human, usually larger. The average height is 2 metres, but as it must be created, it is assumed they can be any size.
To create a golem you must carve out a hominid shape out of some material. You must then burn it in a special furnace; to harden it, and give it great strength. After this, the word "emet" must be written on its forehead, or alternatively, you could carve the word onto a stone tablet and place it in the golem's mouth. This would bring it to life. Emet means truth, and thus to deactivate it you must take out the letter "aleph" from the word. This changes the meaning to death. However, you may also remove the stone tablet to deactivate the golem.
Golem's are unable to speak, despite numerous attempts to change this. The first golem was Adam, as God created him from the earth. However, after placing a soul into Adam, he became a man. Other tales claim that God tried twelve times to create the perfect man, and one of these attempts resulted in the first golem. Unfortunately, as the golem never stopped growing, many were deactivated and destroyed. This was intended as a warning to men, so that they may be wary of creating such a creature.
For more information visit:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem
• http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/Golem.html
• http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/golem.html
• http://www.mythical-creatures-and-beasts.com/golems.html
• http://www.mythicalcreatureslist.com/mythical-creature/Golem