Creatures of the Fantasy World

There are books about witches, wizards, vampires and even about humans that might have some sort of super power. Although these supernaturals are interesting, a book is never complete without any fantastical creatures. Some creatures are used for good and protection, while others are used to harm. Some are even kept as pets! In this week’s blog, I’ve picked a few creatures from different books to talk about.

Dragons

White Dragon

Dragons are fascinating! They may look mean and vicious, but I think differently. I look at them like the protector and not the villain. Just as we would picture the dragons, they have wings and breathe fire. They also have scales and claws. Some have horns and some are known to be venomous. There are dragons that have more than one head, more than one tail, and more than two or four legs. They are carnivorous, so they eat rats, birds, snakes, or even humans¹.  They live in remote areas where it’s dark, damp and secluded, such as caves¹. They can be used as a method of transportation or to protect treasure. Dragons are seen in Harry Potter, Eragon, and a few different books.

Werewolves

Wolfman

From the books I’ve read, (other than Twilight) werewolves seem uncontrollable and mean. When they transform from human to wolf, it’s like their minds turned off all emotion. They attack whatever is nearby, whether it’s a friend or an enemy.

There are three types of werewolves:

1. The Shape shifter wolf: This type of werewolf is seen in Twilight. Like Jacob Black, the shape shifter wolf has the ability to change forms at any time. Sometimes, aggressive energy or anger may cause and unintentional transformation.  The only way to become a shape shifting werewolf is if you were born one².

2. The Wolfman: It is described as a combination of a man and a wolf. It has a human body, it stands on two legs, it is covered in wolf hair, and it has fangs and claws. Some believe that the wolfman is human and when the full moon rises, it becomes a wolfman. Over time it increases to every night, and eventually the body settles into a pure wolfman².

3. True Werewolf: It’s a human being that uncontrollably transforms into a wolf during a full moon. The werewolf when in wolf form has uncontrollable rage and hunger. They are driven to kill everyone and everything they encounter. They lose control of their minds, and when they wake up in human form, they don’t remember anything. To become a werewolf and assuming you survive, a werewolf must bite you².

Mermaids

Mermaids

I think mermaids are amazing! I would love to be able to swim underwater for a while to explore the sea. The legend of the mermaids came from Syria around 1000 B.C. where a Syrian goddess Atargatis dove into a lake to take form of a fish. The powers there wouldn’t allow her to give up her beauty, so only her bottom half became a fish and her top half stayed human. In some myths, mermaids would sing to men that were on ships or shores nearby. Their singing and beauty would hypnotize the men and lure them to sea. Once at sea, they would either drown or be eaten. Some say that the mermaids forgot or didn’t understand that humans couldn’t breathe underwater³.

In modern legends, mermaids are known as innocent and sweet and somewhat helpful to humans. We see these mermaids in a well known Disney movie “The Little Mermaid”.

Trolls

 

Troll

Trolls are monsters that came from Nordic fantasy. They aren’t very intelligent, they have rock like skin and they are tough ugly creatures. Even if trolls are hacked apart, they are known to have the power to regenerate (restore damaged tissue). The only way to stop them is by burning them. Trolls contain a powerful digestive acid in their stomach, so if a troll were to vomit on their victim, it would be an extremely painful attack. Some trolls are known to use clubs or large stones as weapons⁴.

Thestrals

Thestral

This creature is my favourite one of all! It’s why I saved the best for last! Thestrals are seen in the Harry Potter movies. They are a breed of winged horses with a skeletal body, a face with reptilian features, and wide, leathery wings that resemble a bat’s. They are known as omens of misfortune and aggression because they are only visible to those who have witnessed death or due to their grim, gaunt and ghostly appearance⁵.

Thestrals can be domesticated and mounted as a method of transportation. Once they’re trained, they are very diligent and will quickly carry their owners wherever they wish to go⁵.  

Although their appearance, Thestrals are very loyal if well treated.

So, these were a few creatures that I’ve found pretty interesting. There are many more creatures, some bigger, some smaller, and some scarier! You should always be careful when approaching a creature (not that they exist) because they may seem small and cute, but don’t let them fool you! They could be very dangerous.

If you’d like to find out which fantasy creature you are, click here to take a quiz!

1- http://www.draconika.com/what.php

2- http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/werewolves.html

3- http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/mermaid-mythology.html

4- http://www.mythcreatures.co.uk/beasts/troll.asp

5- http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Thestral