We got many creatures living in our mountains. but Satan himself loiters around there quite a lot causing some mischief…
A lot to choose from: Nisse, Hulder, Nøkk, Troll, Tusse. Out of these my favourite has to be Nøkken, a water creature that lures people into the water of a lake or stream where they then drown.
Perchtenlauf. Pagan, vaguely christianized and there unfortunately male-y-fied harbingers of spring of the goddess Perchta. Traditional festivals done all over the Alpine-ish south of Germany, Austria, South Tyrol and Switzerland.
The dahu, some kind of ibex but it has two shorter legs on the right or left side.
So he’s only able to walk on a moutain in only one direction. If he tries to turns around and walk the other way, he falls of the mountain
Me and my friends used to be terrified of the Banshee when we were kids, we used to be mad for exploring so-called scary places at night like graveyards and run down buildings, I remember on more than one occasion we’d hear this hawking crackling screaming! It was fucking terrifying, we’d just leg it and never look back.
Of course you grow up then and come to realize it was just foxes ffs
The Santa Compaña/Compaña/Rolda/Roldiña/Güestia, literally the “Holy Company”, is a procession of lost souls that wander through the woods after midnight. Leading the way is a local villager carrying a cross. By morning, he doesn’t remember what he did the night before, and slowly begin to wither away until he eventually joins the procession completely. The villager can be saved by passing the cross to a night traveller. If you run into the procession at night, you need to draw a circle on the ground (if you can) and make a cross with your arms. If you’re asked to carry the cross, you must say, “Cruz xa teño” which means “I already have my cross” (in Galician, “cross” also means pain).
The leader of the Compaña is the Estadea, a very tall presence that can appear in your room announcing your death.
Wraiths
Omnipresent in fantasy. Was surprised to learn they originated from Scotland
A diminutive humanoid who would cause mischief in Cornish mines, but also knock on the walls further down the shaft to alert miners of rich veins or of impending collapse.
I hope a compatriot with good knowledge of Irish mythology can add more to this though.
We have ancient roman mythology which is more cool but also less cool
The Banshee, Bhean Sidhe, literal translation = Fairy Woman.
Said to appear and keep / mourn the death in forewarning of a family member of those of the old Gaelic families of Ireland, but only if their line remains true to “Milesian”(native Irish) stock and doesn’t diverge to include Saxon, Norman etc.
Germans on Sunday.
On a serious note: “Witte Wieven”. Female ghosts that are fuck ass mad about their brutal murder. Will spawn as mist and make you lose your way in swamps near the castles they haunt. I also like kabouters but they’re more mischievous than murder-hobo.
The legend of the Carniceira Light (Luz da Carniceira):
In the southern region of Portugal there’s this legend that some kind of light wanders through forests and plains, usually pursuing travellers or wanderers. Still today, there’s several people from different towns that swear they have seen this at some point in their lives. It’s usually associated with death, either of the person who saw it or of someone close to them.
I used ChatGPT to create the image I’ve always had in my mind of what it should look like.
No Portuguese comments. We fear nothing. But our most mythical being is a cheap house to buy or rent in Lisbon… They say it exists but nobody has seen it.
It comes out of the sewers at night and hops on to the back of drunken people going home. You are unable to shake it off, but it gets off your back on its own once you reach your home. If you pray, it gets heavier, if you curse, it gets lighter, because it is a creature of the devil
In a different version of the tale, it also steals the drunken people’s money, or causes a headache by hitting them on the head.
A water cobold that repairs your ship without you knowing it. But if you see him, something bad is about to happen to your vessel.
The British isles have no shortage of mythical figures, some of which being famous, or infamous well beyond their boundaries. Nessie anyone?
But one of the most eerie ones, at least IMO, is spreading fear in the area I live in. It’s the Grindylow, sometimes also called Grundylow.
They are said to be water sprits that live in bogs, meres and lakes, look like diminutive humanoids with scaly skin, a greenish complexion, sharp claws and teeth, and long, wiry arms with lengthy fingers at the end. They are waiting for unsuspecting children, which they grab with their shockingly strong grip, and then drag them under the surface of the waters.
Cavalum. A bat-winged flying dark horse that excels fire from his nostrils. He said to live on Madeira island and you can hear his screams during periods of thunderstorms
The cuélebre is a giant winged serpent-dragon of the Asturian and Cantabrian mythology, that lives in a cave, guards treasures and keeps anjanas (also known as xanas) as prisoners. Although they are immortal, the cuélebre age, and their scales become thick and impenetrable, and bat wings grow in their bodies. They must eventually flee Asturias and fly to the Mar Cuajada, a paradise located beyond the sea. They do not usually move, but when they do it, it is in order to eat cattle and people. One could kill the cuélebre by giving them a red-hot stone or a bread full of pins to consume.
He was said to be a gigantic man of insane strength and resilience, destroying all ships that came by him.
During the “descobrimentos” era (era of findings), Portugal wanted to travel to India through sea to establish a commerce route. However, the southern part of Africa, then known happily as “cabo das tormentas” or “torment cape”, proved to be too dangerous, and it claimed many of the earlier voyages to determine if such a route was indeed possible (the rest turned around). It was in fact due to insane weather, which through the ships against the rocky shore or just straight up broke them, but still, sailors that survived these trips recalled seeing Adamastor, and thus the myth was born.
It was only after some major changes to the portuguese fleet construction that we managed to finally surpass this hurdle, and renamed the cape to “cabo da boa esperança”, or “good hope cape”.
We could also talk about the myth of D.Sebastiao, but i ain’t gonna do that, someone else take the wheel.
49 comments
A silent and modest Dutch tourist.
Belgians.
Even if i know they’re not real, they still give me the creep.
Otherwise it would be the tarasque
https://preview.redd.it/68zmct6ewyrd1.jpeg?width=2272&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=648b40715c70c3aa5c9ba62396f8329e4fee0800
The big titty water women or the big titty tree women or the hot hairy chested half horse dudes. 🤤
The Balrog from LOTR. Although I take the piss out of the Irish a lot in here I have to recognise the Banshee is cool af.
https://preview.redd.it/nofezyk4yyrd1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dccb5134e0012d32b7925d5eed6fb7de3c446a09
Ronnie Pickering
A middle class man who can support his family and own a house.
https://preview.redd.it/f0pr7l65zyrd1.jpeg?width=2341&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4efa782e066f2eca2b1b134c2c595126799ec7d
Robin Hood, heartwarming tale of class warfare against the degenerate upper class
https://preview.redd.it/qbgelktazyrd1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b6d6b8fb56f4a72583ae5e9b4eda0b17bc5c2b0
De Vliegende Hollander. Not necessarily Dutch folklore, but who cares.
https://preview.redd.it/2bd7waod0zrd1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=ee460218dd484d4c4c3977a06c4827028c5ac4e6
Probably Louhi/Loviatar. The Iku-Turso is also cool.
https://preview.redd.it/fy4sl37y0zrd1.png?width=1000&format=png&auto=webp&s=23287831a3e17ab951df16e8fb9d09117495dbf6
We got many creatures living in our mountains. but Satan himself loiters around there quite a lot causing some mischief…
A lot to choose from: Nisse, Hulder, Nøkk, Troll, Tusse. Out of these my favourite has to be Nøkken, a water creature that lures people into the water of a lake or stream where they then drown.
https://preview.redd.it/en6ik4su0zrd1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a4cb60c8a1d09b1a35bb26716c457cca1b5db6b7
Beowulf
https://preview.redd.it/kvcdbnyf1zrd1.jpeg?width=234&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3c0bf537f1013a4a0ea04a88e13d0e022e0d65e6
https://preview.redd.it/tkrysgwi1zrd1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c653743283106af25cb20b91ce80cdf9dd8c9da
Perchtenlauf. Pagan, vaguely christianized and there unfortunately male-y-fied harbingers of spring of the goddess Perchta. Traditional festivals done all over the Alpine-ish south of Germany, Austria, South Tyrol and Switzerland.
DJ Ötzi
https://preview.redd.it/lba080w93zrd1.jpeg?width=440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0056a1179225130fa4e11b9880b8921e0b445fcd
The dahu, some kind of ibex but it has two shorter legs on the right or left side.
So he’s only able to walk on a moutain in only one direction. If he tries to turns around and walk the other way, he falls of the mountain
Me and my friends used to be terrified of the Banshee when we were kids, we used to be mad for exploring so-called scary places at night like graveyards and run down buildings, I remember on more than one occasion we’d hear this hawking crackling screaming! It was fucking terrifying, we’d just leg it and never look back.
Of course you grow up then and come to realize it was just foxes ffs
https://preview.redd.it/sqdtqxxe3zrd1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f99335f4b9e0c0e0d828e712438dd8324ed7b1f
The Santa Compaña/Compaña/Rolda/Roldiña/Güestia, literally the “Holy Company”, is a procession of lost souls that wander through the woods after midnight. Leading the way is a local villager carrying a cross. By morning, he doesn’t remember what he did the night before, and slowly begin to wither away until he eventually joins the procession completely. The villager can be saved by passing the cross to a night traveller. If you run into the procession at night, you need to draw a circle on the ground (if you can) and make a cross with your arms. If you’re asked to carry the cross, you must say, “Cruz xa teño” which means “I already have my cross” (in Galician, “cross” also means pain).
The leader of the Compaña is the Estadea, a very tall presence that can appear in your room announcing your death.
Wraiths
Omnipresent in fantasy. Was surprised to learn they originated from Scotland
https://preview.redd.it/5i783kkh3zrd1.jpeg?width=487&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=866663fefd2bad1c0cb1c78f1b8319eefb3c3602
https://preview.redd.it/2y2e62084zrd1.jpeg?width=731&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c57071b642a8c091add6af25832c43df620fdc6c
Kelpies are pretty cool
Lindnerwurm.
Similar to dragons, this creature hates humans and loves wealth. He is also a member of the liberal political party FDP.
https://preview.redd.it/acicioug4zrd1.png?width=138&format=png&auto=webp&s=40f6263760e2d12d8a8fb4afc19c3407336f8eac
Not the kind saint ..
The [knocker.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knocker_(folklore)).
A diminutive humanoid who would cause mischief in Cornish mines, but also knock on the walls further down the shaft to alert miners of rich veins or of impending collapse.
Irish mythology is wicked but my knowledge of it is shite. That being said, Fionn Mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool). He had two Irish [wolfhounds](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=1a409566b8ffc869&sca_upv=1&rlz=1CDGOYI_enCA872CA872&hl=en-US&sxsrf=ADLYWIJ7svx2w-MYQ_dR6lq5sd9t9sTqgg:1727713859085&q=finn+mccool+dogs&udm=2&fbs=AEQNm0Aa4sjWe7Rqy32pFwRj0UkWd8nbOJfsBGGB5IQQO6L3JyJJclJuzBPl12qJyPx7ESJehObpS5jg6J88CCM-RK725uTmAZpGaaQNHAssOKTZzFjn10Mfp3DUitepLZwW0LcEJkOVwkwDc0hJTFjCVD2thBkNE04LhhTgskDWaKph3tH_NNUfoB8eBIUdP-_43g5N4Rh-tVKKbxJUHkB72x_jmLDt8Q&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj7nuDWi-uIAxVaT0EAHfyxB2UQtKgLegQIFRAB&biw=414&bih=720&dpr=2#vhid=1qbL7Xbo4MeKZM&vssid=mosaic) as his sidekicks. He also made the [Giants Causeway](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=1a409566b8ffc869&sca_upv=1&rlz=1CDGOYI_enCA872CA872&hl=en-US&sxsrf=ADLYWIIwnG82OPC2e3As2QxM0x43OIrOmQ:1727714013246&q=giants+causeway+finn+mccool&udm=2&fbs=AEQNm0Aa4sjWe7Rqy32pFwRj0UkWd8nbOJfsBGGB5IQQO6L3JyJJclJuzBPl12qJyPx7ESLhUrJjUTNoEvHUqShJdFAlqooJojKgm6NRY4ED8Uk1twPDAnETmUNjm4zkBHR6FKMKvsNxU7OApcJsTdVA44q2NZJzz6MQfLRb58D8v2sO97kYNs7SD8o0AvDmjUkeM5RXL5EJo4IhDr5vagNlzi5fJ7i5Ew&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj4waGgjOuIAxVAWkEAHRsBECMQtKgLegQIEhAB&biw=414&bih=720&dpr=2#vhid=bxEpoWRLraCOWM&vssid=mosaic)!
I hope a compatriot with good knowledge of Irish mythology can add more to this though.
We have ancient roman mythology which is more cool but also less cool
The Banshee, Bhean Sidhe, literal translation = Fairy Woman.
Said to appear and keep / mourn the death in forewarning of a family member of those of the old Gaelic families of Ireland, but only if their line remains true to “Milesian”(native Irish) stock and doesn’t diverge to include Saxon, Norman etc.
Germans on Sunday.
On a serious note: “Witte Wieven”. Female ghosts that are fuck ass mad about their brutal murder. Will spawn as mist and make you lose your way in swamps near the castles they haunt. I also like kabouters but they’re more mischievous than murder-hobo.
https://preview.redd.it/fs7hguh38zrd1.jpeg?width=450&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b92b9be2e73701a581563019fa7599ef5333cd4a
Vättar!
They can be both kind and mischievous depending on whether you offer them food or not.
https://preview.redd.it/pexqq69i9zrd1.jpeg?width=1614&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=71e09afbbe9517e74e602033d1fb6f9eb2c1a93d
The taxpayer
The Gatipedro 😎
https://preview.redd.it/73d29m0dazrd1.jpeg?width=919&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3909efd3fde93b431ebc85c7191665ab1146c955
https://preview.redd.it/okdmhe5mazrd1.jpeg?width=258&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=358fbbc6d28697e4f4ebad7007a0ce63915888f2
Bjärven
ii munacielli :p
basically the Italian version of faries that make stuff disappear from your houses
I’ve heard they have a special name in Eastern Europe, starts with G, but it escapes my tongue for now…
https://preview.redd.it/yi9nydnodzrd1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7abf432b19bb69a376efb35a63b394268eb44e90
The haggis
The Bi-Ba-Butzemann. Breaks into your home and starts dancing apparantly.
[Dips](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dip_(Catalan_myth))
Infernal vampire dogs that suck blood of cattle and of drunk people that walk on the streets at night.
It’s a big black dog, with red eyes and lame in one leg.
They will love Benidorm.
https://preview.redd.it/ol2gcywlezrd1.jpeg?width=638&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=304b3eee0415866e9ed75947ab8b0f29317a497c
The legend of the Carniceira Light (Luz da Carniceira):
In the southern region of Portugal there’s this legend that some kind of light wanders through forests and plains, usually pursuing travellers or wanderers. Still today, there’s several people from different towns that swear they have seen this at some point in their lives. It’s usually associated with death, either of the person who saw it or of someone close to them.
I used ChatGPT to create the image I’ve always had in my mind of what it should look like.
https://preview.redd.it/23dhxpb7gzrd1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cdacbeff32099699068e220a1108db13e8c60be0
No Portuguese comments. We fear nothing.
But our most mythical being is a cheap house to buy or rent in Lisbon… They say it exists but nobody has seen it.
Eheh .. of course is a padeira de Aljubarrota
https://preview.redd.it/ccpei3x3kzrd1.png?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d8b429bd4149a628253192be2693a417c2308001
For me, it’s the Bahkauv.
It comes out of the sewers at night and hops on to the back of drunken people going home. You are unable to shake it off, but it gets off your back on its own once you reach your home. If you pray, it gets heavier, if you curse, it gets lighter, because it is a creature of the devil
In a different version of the tale, it also steals the drunken people’s money, or causes a headache by hitting them on the head.
Edit: [for anyone interested](https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bahkauv)
https://preview.redd.it/dx3d9vc7ozrd1.jpeg?width=540&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1e91a0b95bcd1f3afd2a1e11c9052c6938a29e2
Gambozino
Klabautermann
https://preview.redd.it/njmro5pcrzrd1.jpeg?width=192&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8d06405ba81cc626f2992d7808dd3e81a43189f2
A water cobold that repairs your ship without you knowing it. But if you see him, something bad is about to happen to your vessel.
The British isles have no shortage of mythical figures, some of which being famous, or infamous well beyond their boundaries. Nessie anyone?
But one of the most eerie ones, at least IMO, is spreading fear in the area I live in. It’s the Grindylow, sometimes also called Grundylow.
They are said to be water sprits that live in bogs, meres and lakes, look like diminutive humanoids with scaly skin, a greenish complexion, sharp claws and teeth, and long, wiry arms with lengthy fingers at the end. They are waiting for unsuspecting children, which they grab with their shockingly strong grip, and then drag them under the surface of the waters.
https://preview.redd.it/02ao8jj9szrd1.png?width=512&format=png&auto=webp&s=32060783f52da19cab84d0eefaa7b636b4d68054
https://preview.redd.it/bive46ehtzrd1.png?width=578&format=png&auto=webp&s=0820e22a9fcc3e46590d816c9cc7754c519ed89d
Cavalum. A bat-winged flying dark horse that excels fire from his nostrils. He said to live on Madeira island and you can hear his screams during periods of thunderstorms
https://preview.redd.it/67c6snyeuzrd1.jpeg?width=414&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=98ed219c1676e70cb5402ce70097b1c6557e4a0c
The cuélebre is a giant winged serpent-dragon of the Asturian and Cantabrian mythology, that lives in a cave, guards treasures and keeps anjanas (also known as xanas) as prisoners. Although they are immortal, the cuélebre age, and their scales become thick and impenetrable, and bat wings grow in their bodies. They must eventually flee Asturias and fly to the Mar Cuajada, a paradise located beyond the sea. They do not usually move, but when they do it, it is in order to eat cattle and people. One could kill the cuélebre by giving them a red-hot stone or a bread full of pins to consume.
They also guard treasures for the [mouros](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouros) (basically iberian dwarfs that live in the mountains and hoard gold)
https://preview.redd.it/xm4ficplzzrd1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=66ccc626d4110f8e0ef2d40705c89a1bdc65335f
This monstrosity
As a Portuguese it’s kinda insane this isn’t here yet.
https://preview.redd.it/76kybe2p20sd1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd98f2004afc604748a706afbef50656fd1899e1
This was the myth of Adamastor.
He was said to be a gigantic man of insane strength and resilience, destroying all ships that came by him.
During the “descobrimentos” era (era of findings), Portugal wanted to travel to India through sea to establish a commerce route. However, the southern part of Africa, then known happily as “cabo das tormentas” or “torment cape”, proved to be too dangerous, and it claimed many of the earlier voyages to determine if such a route was indeed possible (the rest turned around). It was in fact due to insane weather, which through the ships against the rocky shore or just straight up broke them, but still, sailors that survived these trips recalled seeing Adamastor, and thus the myth was born.
It was only after some major changes to the portuguese fleet construction that we managed to finally surpass this hurdle, and renamed the cape to “cabo da boa esperança”, or “good hope cape”.
We could also talk about the myth of D.Sebastiao, but i ain’t gonna do that, someone else take the wheel.
https://preview.redd.it/ywt6qmhv20sd1.jpeg?width=404&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7bfd88383ec823c0bd466ca1bab1201793be8b14
Adlet, from the Inuit legend. Humans shouldn’t breed with dogs
Margaret Thatcher, creeping out of the tories secret lair to steal milk from unsuspecting children.