Rare Monsters

  The Delamere forest in Cheshire, England is known for a wide variety of strange phenomenons, from ghostly haunting, to time slips to various cryptid sightings. The one that interests me the most is a dragon that has supposedly survived into modern times. Back in Roman times a road was built through the Delamere forest, to bring salt from the deposits at Northwich to the city and fort at Chester. This was the first substantial intrusion into the forest. Previous to this the Celts had built a hill fort on the edge of the forest, but avoided going deep inside. During the construction there were reports of the labour crew being harassed and attacked by a large reptile. It started with animal carcasses being found in the forest that has been torn apart by a large predator, although this wasn’t that out of place as bears and wolves still existed in England at the time. This was followed by the sounds of roaring from deep in the forest, described like the roar of a lion. Then worke...

  The coulobre of Fontaine de Vaucluse was a hideous salamander like dragon who lived in the town she was named after. She made her home in a mountain spring just outside of town, which formed a large pool by a cliff side and fed the Sorgue River. The coulobre was so horrible looking that her dragon mates would immediately leaver her. All of her children became small black salamanders rather than dragons. The coulobre was a menace to the land and people around her, devouring humans and live stock alike. Saint Véran took up the calling to kill the dragon. He watched the coulobre for many days to learn her behaviours. Then when she emerged from the pool one night he ambushed the coulobre and made the sign of the cross, injuring and subduing the beast. She few away into the Alps in fear of the saint. The coulobre then died high in the mountains. A village named Saint Véran was built on the location where the coulobre died. For several centuries people thought the coulobre was...

  Graoully is a dragon from Metz, France. It is most often depicted as a rather standard wyvern, although in the castle Haut-Koenigsbourg there’s a Graoully statue with four legs. I’ve based my art on the effigy that hangs over Taison Street. The name Graoully comes from the old Germanic word graulich, which means horrible or monstrous, and is the origins of the English word gruesome. Legend has it that back in the 3 rd century Saint Cl é ment was travelling around Gaul Christianizing the population. When he came to Metz he found everyone hiding in their homes, afraid to come out. One of the locals told Saint Cl é ment that a dragon named Graoully lived in the local Roman amphitheatre, along side a horde of serpents, and would routinely come out to terrorize the townsfolk. The townsfolk warned Saint Cl é ment that the serpents in the amphitheatre were so venomous they made the air toxic so nothing could survive near them, but Saint Cl é ment was not deterred. He went to the...

  The Bete Ro was a dragon from La Rochelle in France. It was said to live specifically at Pointe de Raux, hillside jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by cliffs. The actual appearance of the dragon is left vague. It’s said to have wings, and a long reptilian tail, and live in the water, occasionally venturing onto land to attack the nearby settlements. An old worn down image of a beast carved into Church Sainte-Radegonde of Talmont was pointed to as the beast of Ro, however this is actually the lion of Ezekiel. It was said that the bete Ro would attack ships and villages up and down the coast. It was as smart as a humans and possessing a cruel cunning that allowed it to set ambushes for ships and shepherds alike. Eventually seven heroes travelled from across the sea to slay the dragon. They shot the bete Ro with seven arrows, two in its ears, two in its eyes, two in its nostrils and one in its throat. Once the beast was cut off from all its senses the seven heroes...

   The Ziz is a giant bird from Jewish mythology. It also appeared in earlier versions of the bible, but has since been edited out. The Ziz was one of the archetypal animals, like the Leviathan and Behemoth. As Leviathan was the king of the sea creatures and Behemoth the king of the beasts, Ziz was king of the birds. The Ziz was said to look like a gryphon. Its exact appearance beyond that is left vague, other than its great size, which is discussed in two stories. One story said there were some sailors who saw a giant bird standing in the water when they were out at sea. The water was only ankle deep on the bird, and it was so massive its head towered into the heavens. The sailors assumed the water must be shallow there where the bird stood, so they planned on bringing their ship ashore and swim in the water. God called out to the sailors and told them, “Do not stop there. That bird is the mighty Ziz, who towers above all beings. The water there is so deep once a carp...

  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...

   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...

  The Aksar is an apocalyptic beast from Arabian mythology, where it’s also known as Dabbat al-Ard, or Beast of the Earth. The Aksar was a chimeric beast with parts from many animals. It had the head of a bull, eyes of a pig, ears of an elephant, antlers of a stag, neck of an ostrich, shoulders of a lion, hips of a leopard, tail of a ram and legs of a camel. Most scholars think this assemblage of animals is meant to just be freaky for the sake of freaky, to get across the idea of ‘monstrousness’, although I think it’s the result of someone explaining a giraffe to another person who’s never seen one before, and many more additions made in repetition. The aksar is said to be a stunning 30 meters tall too. The Aksar would take part in the destruction of the world at the end of time. It would wield Moses’s staff and Solomon’s ring, using them to separate believers from non-believers. Before this, while Moses was on Mount Sinai God brought the Aksar out from its sanctuary to ...

  The beithir is a Scottish dragon. It inhabits mountainous regions, near water. Hiding out in caves and steep mountain valleys. Unlike other European dragons the beithir lacks wings or fire breath. Instead it’s highly venomous and has a poisoned sting. It’s also associated with ice and lightning. The beithir was considered the largest and most deadly of serpents. In addition to its other abilities the Beithir was cunning and had the ability to shape shift. The beithir would lurk in high mountain valleys near water and wait for passing victims. When an unlucky person would enter the territory of the beithir the dragon would sting their victim. The stung person then had to run to the nearest water and wash off the sting. If they made it to the water before the beithir then they were saved. If the beithir reached the water first then the victim would be devoured. It was believed that if a snake was killed then its head and body had to be separated from each other by quite a distance,...

  While most people know panthers as a jungle cat today in medieval bestiaries it was a very strange beast indeed. Just like other ‘mythical’ creatures like the calopus and the crocatta, the panther in medieval bestiaries is an example of a real animal from far off lands gaining a mythical status, to the point where it barely resembled it’s real life counterpart. The panther was first known to the ancient Greeks. To them it was still very cat like, being almost identical to a normal leopard, but with a multicolored coat. It was considered the mount of Dionysus. The panther was handed down from Greek records to medieval bestiaries, but by this time Europe was cut off from areas of the world where leopards actually lived, and the details of panther’s nature was largely forgotten. Instead the panther was made into an allegory about Christ gathering the people of the world. The panther would feast and then sleep for three days in a cave. On the third day the panther emerges and emits a...

  The Wawel dragon, also known as Smok Wawelski and the dragon of Krak ó w. It's legend is tied with the founding of Krak ó w and the life of its earliest ruler, King Krakus. The earliest account of the dragon comes from the 13 th century. No description of the dragon's appearance is given in the legend. However there's a statue of the dragon at the foot of Wawel hill in Krak ó w, near the entrance of a cave known as the dragon's den. This statue depicts a strange and spiky looking dragon with eight legs and fin like wings. The legend goes that in the time of King Krakus, the legendary founder of Krak ó w, a dragon lived in a cave under Wawel Castle. The dragon would ravage the countryside, devouring people and livestock. To avoid the dragon's wrath people would satiate it's hunger with three cows and three rams a day, a hefty toll in livestock. Many knights tried to slay the dragon but none succeeded. Then a cobbler named Scuba came up with a plan. He fille...

  In the medieval era and earlier, so little was know about whales that they were regarded in the same manner as dragons and sea serpents. Today physeter, meaning blower or whirlpool, is the genus name of sperm whales. And while the name always referred this species of whale, what was believed about their appearance and behavior was worthy of being called a mythical beast. The earliest surviving accounts of physeter was from Pliny the Elder. He states that it was the largest beast in the Sea of Gaul, today known as the North Atlantic. According to Pliny the physeter would rise itself up in a column above the masts of ships and spray out water from its head in a fountain like torrent. The physeter was often found in medieval bestiaries, where it was described as a giant fish with a horse like head and neck. It's head had two spouts from which it could spray out water. A horse like mane ran down the back of its neck. Often the depiction would end here, with the body hidden beneat...

  The knucker dragon was a water dragon who lived in a pond in Sussex England during the medieval and renaissance periods. It was a water dragon, but didn't have many water like features to its appearance. It looked like a stretched out western dragon with a long serpent like body. It is consistently depicted as red in color. The dragon was also considered unusually clever and conniving, and was capable of talking, which usually wasn't something dragons were capable of doing until modern fantasy. The name knucker is derived from words like nix or nacken, showing a connection back to malicious water fae. The pond the dragon inhabited is known as the knucker hole, and still exists on the Somptings Estate. Legend goes that the knucker dragon was quite a threat to the surrounding communities, coming out of its pond at night and eating livestock and people. The people begged an authority figure, in some version the local mayor of Lyminster, in other version they went all the way t...

  Falak is a gigantic snake from Arabian legend. It's larger than the whole world combined. Falak resides in the abyss, the seventh and final level of hell. The other levels of hell are held in its mouth. In Arabian mythology the world is carried on the back of an angel, who stands on the celestial bull Kuyuta, who in turn stands on the whale (not dragon) Bahamut. Bahamut in turn swims in the celestial ocean, which are the surface waters leading to the abyss. Falak desperately wants to reach up out of the abyss and devour all these other beings and the whole world. It's only the fear of God's punishment that stops Falak from doing so. God also gave Falak the other six levels of hell to hold to keep it busy and not focused on destroying the world.  

  The cath palug was a monsterous cat from Arthurian legend. Like the rest of Arthurian legend, the cath palug started out in Wales, but was transposed and eventually became more popular in France. The appearance of the cat is rarely described, yet it is said to be an aquatic creature, being part cat and part fish, yet still fully capable of moving on land. The only consistency about the cath palug's appearance is that it's black in color, reminiscent of the many phantom cats seen around the UK. The cath palug was original born from the monstrous pig Henwen, who threw the kitten into the sea. Cath palug survived this ordeal and swam to the isle of Anglesey, where it was found and raised by the brothers Palug. Although eventually they too abandoned the cat as it grew in size and violence until they couldn't care for the creature anymore. In adulthood the cath palug tormented the isle of Anglesey, attacking livestock and people. Nine scores, or 180, heroes faced the cat and ...

  Azi Dahaka, also known as Zahak, was a dragon in early Persian mythology. He first appears in the Avesta and the later Denkard texts of the Zoroastrian religion. The legend of Azi Dahaka continued in folklore after the Muslim conquest of Persia, where he appeared in the epic poem Shahnama. Azi Dahaka was described as a three headed dragon, unlike other person dragons, which are usually single headed and long bodied, like an evil version of far eastern dragons. In the Avesta Azi Dahaka was the son of Ahriman. Even though he was a dragon he had the intellect and cunning of a human, and could take human form. With his human cunning Azi Dahaka was so evil he committed every form of sin. Later in the Shahnama, Azi Dahaka, then named Zahak, was said to be a human 'blessed' with evil magic and foresight by Ahriman, but Ahriman's touch leaves two snakes which grow from Zahak's shoulders which must be fed with human flesh. In the Avesta Azi Dahaka lived in Babylon and worshipp...

  The Filey Brigg is a low, rocky peninsula off the coast of North Yorkshire, right outside the village of Filey. There are many myth of supernatural things happening at Filey Brigg and it's the location of legends and monsters. One such legend is of a fierce dragon living in the waters around the peninsula. The exact time frame of this legend varies, some put it in the medieval era, while others say it only happened a few centuries ago. There was a massive dragon living in the waters off the shores of Filey. It was said said to be a wide range of sizes, up to a mile long in some cases. The dragon was a menace to the area, sinking ships and sweeping people out to sea. No one could approach the shore without risking their lives. The dragon had one weakness however, a love of the local sticky cakes known as parkins. The locals tried to appease the dragon with its favourite sticky cakes, but its apatite could never be satiated. There are multiple different stories about how the drag...

  Many real creatures were turned into mythical beasts in the Medieval era. The hyena inspired the crocotta, the wildebeest the bonnacon and the ibex the yale. Yet few beasts have strayed so far from their real life inspiration as the antelope and the calopus. The antelope was first known in Europe by the ancient Greeks, who called it antelopos. The records of Alexander the Great called them aeternae and the Romans called them calopus, which means pretty foot. The name calopus continued through the Medieval period as a mostly separate creature from antelopes. Medieval bestiaries varied on whether they had entries on the calopus, antelope or both. Eventually the calopus became a symbolic beast in heraldry, where it gained its most unfamiliar form yet. The antelope known to the ancient Greeks was considered a fearsome beast, yet it still had the overall form of a goat or a roe deer. The calopus had dangerous serrated horns which it used to shred tree branches. It would hesitate to ...

  Peluda, known as La Velue in French, is a dragon from the River Huisne in France. It was known by many names in the Medieval era, including the Shaggy Beast in English, yet today it's best known by it's Spanish name Peluda. Peluda was most well known and feared in the High Middle Ages period and early Renaissance. Peluda had a snake's head and tail, an egg-shaped body that was covered in thick fur. From between the fur was porcupine or hedgehog like quills that were tipped in poison. It stood on four sturdy tortoise like feet. It was the size of a large ox. Peluda was green all over, even it's fur. According to legend Peluda existed from the early days of creation, on the day when God created all the things that swam in the sea and crawled on the Earth. During the flood, Peluda tried to climb on the ark with the other animals being loaded on. Noah and his family fought Peluda off and refused to let it on board, knowing it would devour all the other animals. Yet Peluda...