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Gurt Worm

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  I would just like to acknowledge the Benchends Blog https://benchends.wordpress.com/ They did all the research into the origin of the Gurt worm, without them I would have stopped at the legend as written and never realized something was off. This time we look into a mystery, exactly what is the Gurt Worm, and why does its legend not line up with how the beast is depicted in art? Specifically the Gurt worm is a rather odd wyvern, depicted with a second face in its chest, yet no such thing appears in the written accounts of its story. In the town of Crowcomb, Somerset there is a legend about a dragon who used to terrorize the near by Shervage Woods. It would eat livestock and attack anyone who entered the forest. Unfortunately for the people of Crowcombe, the Shervage Woods were the source of much needed firewood, as well as bilberries, the town’s claim to fame. The bilberries were so important that every year they would hold a festival when the berries ripen, and bake ...
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Gu Diao

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   The gudiao is a monster from China, featured in The Classic Of Mountains And Seas . It resembles a giant eagle or maybe a more gryphon like beast, as it’s sometimes described as having panther qualities too. One thing that is consistent is that the gudiao always has a single horn on its head. Often, its depicted with a bright green head as well. The gudiao was said to live on Mount Luwu, where there is very little plant life, but bountiful amounts of mineral resources, like gold and precious stones. The gudiao would prowl this mountain looking for prey. It would eat almost any animal, but it especially favoured human flesh. It’s call sounds like a baby crying, which it would use to lure people within range. Sources https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Gudiao https://chinese-mythology.com/en/wiki/gu-diao/ https://mythus.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:RUBENHC/Creatures_and_Beings_of_China_Folklore_and_Lower_Mythology#List_of_creatures
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Kallikantzaros

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   The kallikantzaros are small demons or goblins from modern Greek folklore. They’re associated with the Christmas season, which is when they appear and cause mischief in people’s lives. The kallikantzaros look like small, hairy, demons. They have small horns, fur covering their bodies, split hooves, and donkey like ears and tails. Their size varies from child sized to insect sized, but they’re always smaller than an adult human. In Greek Orthodox Christianity the twelve days of Christmas come after Christmas Day, and represent the time between Jesus’s birth and his baptism. During this time spirits and malevolent forces are able to run amok on Earth. While this is happening people must be especially religiously observant or they will fall prey to the various evil forces. It’s during this time the kallikantzaros come to Earth. For most of the year the kallikantzaros spend their time in Hell. They busy themselves trying to saw through the world tree that holds Earth ...
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Yale

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  The yale was a goat or antelope from medieval bestiaries and heraldry. Its name might comes from the Hebrew word yael, meaning ibex, or the Greek word eilo, meaning to roll or swing. It’s also known as the eale and the centicore The Yale’s most notable feature is its large horns, which it can swing around to point forward or back at will. It was believed the forward pointing horns were used as an offensive attack, while the horns pointing backwards were better for defence. Being able to switch between the two made the yale unparalleled in combat. In addition to this the yale also had boar like tusks. It was also huge, being comparable in size to a hippopotamus. The yale first appeared in the writings of Pliny the Elder. Here, and in medieval bestiaries the yale is described as a stocky bull like animals with black fur. It was likely based on misinterpretations of a cape buffalo. Over time the yale morphed into a more goat or antelope like animal. It also gained a yell...
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Ponik

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  Ponik is an aquatic reptile that allegedly lives in Lake Pohenagamook, in eastern Quebec, near the border with Maine. It’s a very active Active cryptid with over 1000 sightings since the 1800’s. Although its activity comes in waves, with some decades having many more sightings than others. The 50s where the peak of Ponik sightings. The monster’s appearance varies quite a bit from different reports. The most consistent thing is that it has two or three humps on its back and a saw tooth ridge down its back. It’s said to be anywhere from 35 to 60 feet long. Some people have reported that Ponik is a giant fish, the saw tooth ridge on its back being the diamond shaped scales of a sturgeon. However sturgeons don’t live in Lake Pohenagamook, and even if they did this would be a record breaking size for a sturgeon. Other people report a serpentine shaped monster, while others still a more reptilian body with either four legs or four flippers. Those who’ve seen its head d...
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Bo, Boma and Huanshu

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  Here are three unicorns from China that feel oddly western. They lack the scales and other traits that make the qilin seam more exotic. The bo is a hybrid creature and the least unicorn like of the three. The bo looks like a unicorn with the paws and fangs of a tiger. It has a white body and black tail. The bo is entirely carnivorous, and hunts leopards and tigers. It primarily lives on Mount Winding Centre where jade and metals are plentiful, according to The Classic Of Mountains and Seas. It was also said to live on the steppes of Mongolia and some isolated islands in the North Sea. It was said the bo could be tamed with some difficulty and doing so would protect you against harm during times of war. The bo was said to be a just and honourable animal. It’s call is the sound of rolling drums. Out of the three the boma has the least information available. Like the bo, it also comes from The Classic Of Mountains And Seas . The boma has a white coat, and ox’s tail and a si...
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Questing Beast

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   The questing beast is a hybrid monster from Arthurian Legend. It’s also known as the Beast Glatisant, which is related to the french word glapissant, which means yelping or barking. In the Vulgate and earlier cycles describe a creature with the head of a lamb which is white, the legs of a dog which are black and the body of a fox which is red. In the post-Vulgate cycles the questing beast takes on a more familiar form of having the head of a snake, the front body of a leopard, the back half of its body of a lion, and the feet of a deer. The sound of barking dogs constantly issues from the questing beast’s belly, causing it to constantly flee from hunting dogs it can never escape, hence both its names. Even within this later description there’s a large amount of variation. In the Vulgate Estoire Del Saint Graal , the questing beast appears briefly at the beginning of the story, guiding a narrating character to the book containing the story of Arthur, making this ve...
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