Rare Monsters

  The ushi oni is a monstrous yokai found in western Japan, usually along the coast or near rivers and waterfalls. The name mean ox demon. The most common depiction of the ushi oni is one with a bull's head and a spider's body. Although the spider part is just supposed to represent 'a form of demonic evil' and isn't inherently connected to spiders. However the name ushi oni refers to many local monsters with varying appearances. Ushi onis are cruel and violent monsters. They almost exclusively eat people. Occasionally they are said to attack live stock, but this is usually to lure people out. Ushi onis also breath out toxic gas and spread a variety of diseases. Ushi onis have a variety of behaviors and ways of hunting people. Some lay in wait in their layers and pounce upon unaware victims. These layers are usually along the coast in sea caves, in inland in dangerous river features such as whirlpools and waterfalls. Some rare ushi oni live far inland, up in t

  Tompondrano means lord of the water in Malagasy. The name is used for both ordinary water snakes and a mythical giant water snake. The tompondrano is believed by multiple different cultures in Madagascar, who each have slightly different interpretations. While the creature is usually thought of as a giant snake, various groups in Madagascar also see it as other creatures, such as whales, sharks, crocodiles and even pilot fish. Most legends about the tompondrano are of a fresh water creature, but some groups see it as a sea creature, or able to move between both kinds of water. The tompondrano is believed to be a regular water snake that was blessed by the Vazimba, a mythical race of fae like people who live in the center of Madagascar. This made the tompondrano sacred and granted it magical powers over water. Such sacred associations were extended to all water snakes, which people were forbidden from harming. And if one was found dead it would be wrapped in silk in the same manner a

  Skeljaskrimsli is a monster or cryptid that was reportedly seen on Icelandic beaches from between the 1780's to the 1910's. Its name means shell monster. Alternately known as fjorulalli (beach walker) or Saeulfur (sea wolf). The skeljaskrimsli is a large bear shaped creature. Individuals vary in size from wolf sized to horse sized. The creature has long fangs or tusks, long claws, an arched back and long tail that ends in a club. It's most notable feature is its coat of shells or pangolin like scales completely covering its body except the belly and lower limbs. These shells would rub together and create a lot of noise, warning of its presence. The creature was dark in color, like mussel shells, with red eyes and sometimes a bioluminescent mouth. People could hear the skeljaskrimsli approaching long before it was seen. As it came closer it also gave off a powerful stench. It's fortunate that this creature gave such warnings of its approach, as it was quite violent.

  The raiju was a yokai from Japanese mythology that represented lightning strikes. It was once one of the most well known and feared yokais. Today it's lost much of its hold over the minds of people and is now confined to fantasy. Raijus were rarely seen and their appearance was highly variable from region to region. They could be any sort of predatory animal that occurred in Japan, such as wolves, weasels, cats, tanukies, and some animals which were not native, such as large jungle cats. The most common form Raijus took was that of a badger or civet. Some variations of the raiju were more fanciful, such as being a chimera of different animals, or having multiple limbs, such as having two tails or two sets of back legs. Regardless of appearance, raijus were always wrapped in lightning as they travelled to Earth. They had strong claws that could rip apart trees and tear holes in buildings. They could also set fire to anything they touched. Raijus were the pets of the storm god R

  The quidnunce is one of the fearsome critter of American folklore. It's a small mammal that lives underground. It has the head of a tapir, the arms of a burrowing tortoise, the hind legs of a kangaroo and a bushy tail. Its strangest feature is a unicorn horn growing out of its back. This horn causes the quidnunce to be trapped in place within its underground burrow. It can be trapped for years at a time, being freed only by luck. It's unknown how the quidnunce survives in these conditions, but it does. The quidnunce is found in the midwest of America.  The quidnunce can easily be freed by a human digging it out. However the quidnunce will not be grateful for this act. Instead it will attack it's freer with it's claws and back horn. While the quidnunce is small it's mighty enough to kill a man. So it's advised if you ever find a quidnunce to leave it in place. The quidnunce is truly a miserable creature.