Rare Monsters

  The orabou was a creature reported by André Thevet during his journeys, sometime in the 1600 th century. The creature was seen in the waters near Mount Marzouan. No mountain is named Mount Marzouan today, so it’s unknown which mountain this was supposed to be, but it was believed to be near the Red Sea. The orabou was a fish cat hybrid with an unusually humped back. The creature was covered in armour like scales that Thevet compared to brigantine armour. The orabou was nine to ten feet long. It made sounds similar to a cat. According to Thevet, the locals would occasionally fish and eat the orabou, even though the meat was said to cause kidney stones. The locals would treat the kidney stones with a folk remedies made from herbs and the orabou’s own fat. Thevet tried some of the orabou’s meat while he was there. He said it was foul tasting and compared it to preserved camel meat. The orabou was said to be extremely ferocious towards other sea life. Much thought has ...

  The marool is a sea monster from the Shetland Islands in Scotland. It’s a mythological interpretation of a monk fish. In addition to the monk fish’s already strange appearance, the marool has a multitude of eyes on its head and a fiery crest in place of a back fin. The marool is about the size of a dolphin, which is larger than a real monk fish, but still not that big for a sea monster. The marool takes great pleasure in watching ships sink and sailors drown. It stirs up the sea and causes a glowing sea foam known as mareel. The marool also sings during storms and sea swells. It’s voice in haunting and causes fear. Sources https://britishfantasysociety.org/10-fearsome-foes-from-scottish-folklore/ https://abookofcreatures.com/2016/03/04/marool/

  The Telchines were primordial daemons from Greek mythology. They were associated with the sea, smithing and the Island of Rhodes. They created Cronos’s scythe and Poseidon’s trident. They also raised the infant Poseidon. However, even though they initially aided the Olympian gods, the Telchinese eventually turned to evil and defiled the soils of Rhodes, causing Zeus to punish them. Every detail in the Telchine’s story beyond these broad strokes is variable, making them hard to pin down.  Telchines have multiple origins that contradict each other. They were either the children of Pontus and Gaia, or Tartaros and Nemesis, or of the goddess Thalassa alone. Sometimes they’re said to be created from the blood that was spilled when Uranus was castrated, however this contradicts the Telchines creating Cronos’s scythe, which he used to perform this act. Regardless of their origins the Telchinese are always regarded as primordial beings, created by the primal forces of the universe T...

  This is an odd one, not only because the creature is so bizarre, but because the place it was alleged to take place doesn’t exist either. It supposedly takes place on Henderson Island in the Puget Sound. But there’s no Henderson Island there. It’s possible the men relating this story meant Anderson Island, which does exist. Regardless, the location has led to one of the creature’s names, the Henderson Island Monster. It’s alternatively known as the Tacoma Electric Serpent, not to be confused with the Tacoma Sea Serpent, that’s a different monster.  This story first appeared on July 3rd, 1893, in the Tacoma Daily Ledger, with the events happening only days earlier. Seven men were on a fishing trip to the so-called Henderson Island. Two of them remained unnamed, while the other five men were William Fitzhenry, H. L. Beal, W. L. McDonald, J. K. Bell and Henry Blackwood.  The first day of their fishing trip went without incident.That night they camped near the shore. The me...

  The Cape Sable serpent is a sea monster spotted in Cape Sable, off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1976. It was described as an ugly creature, covered in lumps and barnacles. It's head is like that of a wart hog, with bumps protruding off it's cheeks, and prominent tusks in its mouth. The creature's eyes are bloodshot and set on top of stalks, like a snail. It has a long serpentine body, 10 to 15 feet long and two feet thick. There's a back fin running down the length of its body and a fish like tail at the end. Its color is greyish brown in color. It moves through the water by undulating its body up and down, creating rows of humps that protrude out of the water. A swimming method seen in many sea serpents reports. The first sighting was on July 5, 1976. Eisner Penny was fishing off the coast of Cape Sable Island when he saw the sea serpent rising out of the water. He first thought the monster was a whale, but has he approached he realized it was unlike any a...

  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 mann...

  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. ...

  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...

  To end off the one year anniversary month I'm featuring one of the strangest beast I've ever found in mythology, the khara. Also known as the three legged ass, it's a unicorn found in Zoroastrian mythology, which is like no other. Khara means donkey in Sanskrit, it's name in Persian is xar-i-se-pay. It's one of the oldest written accounts of a unicorn like creature and likely influenced every other unicorn from Europe and western Asia. The idea of unicorns purifying water with their horn certainly originated with the khara. The overall appearance is like a donkey, and the khara was said to be a divine donkey. It was as tall as a mountain. It had three legs that were like tree trunks. The khara had six eyes, two in the normal location, two on top the head, and two on the shoulders. With this arrangement of eyes the khara could see in all directions at once and no threat could sneak up on it. The strangest aspect of the khara is that it is covered in extra mouths...

  Nuckelavee is a prominent figure in the folklore of the Orkney Islse, Scotland. He is the most evil and malevolent of all the unseelie fae folk, more comparable to a demon than anything else. Nuckelavee would spend most of his time resting in the sea, only occasionally venturing onto land to torment people. Nuckelavee had the appearance of a horse with a human torso emerging out of its back, like a mutated rider who had merge with their horse. The whole monster was skinless, every muscle and sinew showing. Nuckelavee's body was covered in yellow pulsing veins which carried black blood. The human torso was quite misshapen too. The head was massive, too big for the neck and would roll side to side as Nuckelavee walked. Nuckelavee's arms were so long that even positioned on horse back would reach all the way to the ground. The most terrifying detail was that Nuckelavee had one singular eye that would glow like a lantern through even the thickest night and fog. Although it's ...