Top 10 Most Popular Mythical Creatures Known To Mankind

Today these creatures seem to be an impractical imagination of a particular civilization or person, but at one time some of them were believed to be real. However, there is no evidence to prove their existence which is why they are now considered mythical. In this list we are considering the most famous mythical creatures originating from different cultures and societies, whether they are known for their beauty, ferocity or magical powers. Some of the creatures from different cultures have similar traits but their names are different so, we decided to combine them to diversify the list. Here are 10 most popular mythical creatures:

10. Kraken/Leviathan

Kraken is a giant squid octopus like creature with unstoppable aggression, while Leviathan is Ridgeling seven headed monster famed for his spectacular size. But seas are unsafe with either of these monsters around. Nobody knows whether they are real or fictional but they are some of the angriest monsters that roam the oceans, at least according to the stories about them.



9. Composite Species

Human body on horse legs, a bull’s head on human body and lion’s body with human face there are countless composite species from different cultures around the globe. Even Chimera which combines lion, dragon and goat can be classified in this category. Some species have more positive reputation than others like horseman and Pegasus while some represent evilness like Chimera. Under composite species there are a number of popular mythical creatures.



8. Phoenix

Originating from Greek mythology this colorful bird was adopted as the symbol of early Christianity. A Phoenix lives a long life and dies in the show of flame and combustion only to reborn from the ashes of its predecessor and start a new eternal life. Some text show that Phoenix could live up to 1400 years before rebirth. It is one of the most popular creature that can be found in many literature texts including in the J. R. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels.



7. Unicorn

The beast that resemble the horse but with a pointed horn projecting from its forehead, this legendary animal is among the most popular mythical creatures. They represent purity and gracefulness and they can only be captured by a virgin. Some believe that unicorn may have existed but were driven to extinction perhaps because their horns were set to have medicinal properties. But there’s not a solid evidence for this theory.



6. Mermaids/Sirens

One thing is common in these creatures that they are the seducers of the legend. These aquatic creatures having upper body of female human and lower body of fish along with their distant relative Sirens in Greek mythology are the sailor’s nightmare. They make any sailor fall in love with them by using their beauty and melodious singing. Mermaids are the most popular subject in various arts, literature and films.

Despite having the numerous historic accounts on their existence even those by Christopher Columbus during exploration of Caribbean, there is no evidence that mermaids exist anywhere outside folklore.



5. Werewolf

They are the folkloric humans with the ability to shape shift into a wolf or wolf-like figure. If you are bitten or even scratched by them you’ll be painfully transformed into one of these shapes shifting wolfman. In a popular English version of this tale said that wolf-man only transform on the full moon and they are immune to any kind of weapon except for those made by silver. Werewolf ranked third in our list of popular mythical creatures.



4. Bigfoot/Yeti

Bigfoots are basically giant humans covered in hairs. They’re said to inhibit in forests mainly in Pacific northeast. Despite having photographic evidence scientists discount the existence of these monsters. They consider it to be a combination of folklore, mis-identification and hoax rather than a living animal, reason is the lack of physical evidence.



3. Vampires/ El Chupacabra

Vampires are some of the rare creatures that can be found in multiple cultures, though with different names. They are the undead popular mythical creatures that roam the country-sides and looking for a person to bite and suck all of the blood from their body. They are expert seducers and also have the ability to shape shift.


2. Dragons

These legendary creatures with reptilian traits can be found in countless cultures around the globe but Asian and European versions are most popular. Asian dragons are usually shown with the body of huge lizard or snake with two pairs of lizard legs and are able to breathe fire from their mouth, while European dragons have an extra set of wings. In Asia they represent bravery and wisdom while European dragons are just the beasts to be slaved.



1. Loch Ness Monster


At number one in our list of popular mythical creatures is the Loch Ness Monster. She is not world’s only lake monster, she is also the most famous creature that inhibit in the Loch Ness, a lake in Scottish highlands. There are limitless reports of sightings of Nessie since 6th century including the one in 1930s that sparked the craze among the explorers. But scientists constantly decline the existence of these creatures calling it a modern day myth and explain sightings as misidentified object, hoaxes and wishful thinking.

Comments

Popular Posts