For creatures that are wholly fictional creations, see Category:Fictional species. For creatures whose existence is claimed by Cryptozoology, 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, the griffin or the unicorn — 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). Even the traditional unicorn may have come from garbled stories about the rhinoceros or narwhal. Examples of the semi-mythical creatures can be found in medieval bestiaries. Cryptozoology is the study of animals that are presumed (at least by the researcher) to exist, but for which conclusive proof is missing; the term also includes the study of animals generally considered extinct, but which are still occasionally reported. ... The word mythology (Greek: μυθολογία, from μυθος mythos, a story or legend, and λογος logos, an account or speech) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use supernatural events or characters to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. ... For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation) Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. ... Chinese dragon, colour engraving on wood, Chinese school, 19th Century A dragon is a legendary creature, typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile, with magical or spiritual qualities. ... The Griffin in (Persian شیردال‌ shir-dal meaning lion eagle) (also spelled gryphon and, less commonly, gryphen, griffon, griffen, or gryphin) is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. ... The gentle and pensive virgin has the power to tame the unicorn, in this fresco in Palazzo Farnese, Rome, probably by Domenichino, ca 1602 The unicorn is a legendary creature embodied like a horse, but slender and with a single — usually spiral — horn growing out of its forehead (whence its... The Vegetable Lamb in a 17th century illustration The Vegetable Lamb of Tartary is a legendary plant used by medieval thinkers to explain the existence of an imported fabric: cotton. ... Classes Marattiopsida Osmundopsida Gleicheniopsida Pteridopsida A fern, or pteridophyte, is any one of a group of about 20,000 species of plants classified in the Division Pteridophyta, formerly known as Filicophyta. ... The gentle and pensive virgin has the power to tame the unicorn, in this fresco in Palazzo Farnese, Rome, probably by Domenichino, ca 1602 The unicorn is a legendary creature embodied like a horse, but slender and with a single — usually spiral — horn growing out of its forehead (whence its... Genera Ceratotherium Dicerorhinus Diceros Rhinoceros Coelodonta (extinct)Elasmotherium (extinct) A rhinoceros (commonly called a rhino for short) is any of five surviving species of odd-toed ungulate in the family Rhinocerotidae. ... Binomial name Monodon monoceros Linnaeus, 1758 Narwhal range The narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is an Arctic species of cetacean with a body similar to that of a beluga whale and Irrawaddy Dolphin. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... A bestiary is a medieval book that has short descriptions of various real or imaginary animals, birds and even rocks. ...

Conversely, some creatures once believed to be mythological have been found in recent times, such as the giant squid. Species Architeuthis dux Architeuthis hartingii? Architeuthis japonica? Architeuthis kirkii? Architeuthis martensi Architeuthis physeteris? Architeuthis sanctipauli Architeuthis stockii? Giant squid, once believed to be mythical creatures, are squid of the Architeuthidae family, represented by as many as eight species of the genus Architeuthis. ...

Often, legendary creatures are chimeras, a combination of two or more real 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. Chimera from Arezzo. ... Pegasus on roof of Poznań Opera House In Greek mythology, Pegasus (Pegasos) was a winged horse that was the foal of Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and the Gorgon Medusa. ... Guido Reni, Abduction of Deianira, 1620-21 In Greek mythology, the centaurs (Greek: Κένταυροι) are a race part human and part horse, with a horses body, including all four legs, and a human head and torso with arms. ... In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a creature that was part man and part bull. ...

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. (See list of species in fantasy fiction for a list of these as well as newer creations.) For other definitions of fantasy see fantasy (psychology). ... Fantasy fiction tends to draw upon a common set of creatures that are easily recognizable to fans of the fantastic genre and have some pre-determined traits. ...

Many legendary creatures have been incorporated into heraldry and architectural decoration. Heraldry is the art and science of designing, displaying, describing and recording coats-of-arms (also referred to as armorial bearings or simply as arms). Its origins lie in the need to distinguish participants in battles or jousts, whose faces were hidden by steel helmets. ... The Parthenon on top of the Acropolis, Athens, Greece Architecture (from Latin, architectura and ultimately from Greek, αρχιτεκτων, a master builder, from αρχι- chief, leader and τεκτων, builder, carpenter) is the art and science of designing buildings and structures. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

In recent times legendary creatures have been largely accepted into facets of popular culture, including video games and Hollywood movies. Popular culture, or pop culture, is the vernacular (peoples) culture that prevails in any given society. ... Computer and video games A screenshot of Tetris for the Nintendo Game Boy A console game (better known as a video game) is a form of interactive multimedia used for entertainment, which consists of a moveable image displayed on a screen that is usually controlled and manipulated using a handheld... ...

See also

• Cryptozoology
• Monster
• Nikhil
• 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

Cryptozoology is the study of animals that are presumed (at least by the researcher) to exist, but for which conclusive proof is missing; the term also includes the study of animals generally considered extinct, but which are still occasionally reported. ... Monster is a term for any number of legendary creatures that frequently appear in mythology, legend, and horror fiction. ... Nikhil is a word in Hindi and Sanskrit that means All, Entire, Complete, or Whole as in the Universe. ... // Alien Species (science fiction) List of aliens in fiction List of fictional robots Fantasy Species (fantasy fiction) List of species in fantasy fiction List of dragons in literature Legendary and Mythical Species (folklore/mythology) List of species in folklore and mythology List of species in folklore and mythology by type... The following is a list of legendary creatures that humans have at some point believed to be real. ... The Argentine Northwest region (NOA) is composed of the territory of the Argentinian provinces of Tucumán, Salta, and Catamarca. ... An Instinct for Dragons is a book by University of Central Florida anthropologist David E. Jones, which seeks to explain the apparent universality of dragon images in the folklore of human societies. ... Jorge Luis Borges wrote and edited the Book of Imaginary Beings in 1969, expanding his original 1957 Spanish edition El Libro de los Seres Imaginarios. ...

External link

• Encyclopedia Mythica's Bestiary