More Legendary creatures.

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The Enfield Beast

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The Enfield is a fictitious creature sometimes used in heraldry, having the head of a fox, the chest of a greyhound, the body of a lion, the hindquarters and tail of a wolf, and forelegs like an eagle's talons.

It is used as an emblem by some organisations in Enfield, London (for example, on the arms of the London Borough of Enfield and on the badges of Chace Community School and of the football clubs Enfield (1893) F.C. and Enfield Town F.C.), but it is not sure whether it has any historic connection with the town. Its roots may be Irish.

The beast was on the coat of arms of the Municipal Borough of Enfield, which was amalgamated with the Municipal Borough of Edmonton and the Municipal Borough of Southgate to form the London Borough of Enfield.

The Enfield is a rare heraldic mythical beast confined in its earliest apparitions in heraldic symbolism as the crest of the armorial bearing of the O'Ceallaigh (O'Kelly) Septs of Ireland. Shown is the Sept of the O'Ceallaighs of U

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AWESOME :D the other one kinda died down a bit...

That thing appeared very freaky lookin' when i pictured it XD

The head of a fox, the chest of an elephant, the mane of a horse, the forelegs of an eagle , the body and hind legs of a hound , and the tail of a lion makes it look a wee bit freakish, lol

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Posted

Ooo, I loved this thread! Keep up the good work!

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I'd love to see a griffin post, I love griffins.

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The Griffin

Gryphon.gif

An unusually naturalistic depiction of a griffin by Sir John Tenniel for Lewis Carroll

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GRIFFONS ARE ALMOST AS COOL AS DRAGONS!!!!

AWESOME!!! :joy:

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Dragon

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The dragon (from Ancient Greek δράκων - drakōn, "a serpent of huge size, a python, a dragon") is a mythical creature typically depicted as a gigantic and powerful serpent or other reptile with magical or spiritual qualities.

Where most dragons were thought to be large however, the Chinese combat dragon was considered to be the size of a thimble. Like most mythological creatures, dragons are perceived in different ways by different cultures. Dragons are sometimes said to breathe and spit fire, poison, even acid or ice (depending on the type). They are commonly portrayed as serpentine or reptilian, hatching from eggs and possessing typically feathered or scaly bodies. They are sometimes portrayed as having large yellow or red eyes, a feature that is the origin for the word for dragon in many cultures. They are sometimes portrayed with a row of dorsal spines, keeled scales, or leathery bat-like wings. Winged dragons are usually portrayed only in European dragons while Asian versions of the dragon, sometimes called the Long (Chinese pinyin) resemble large snakes. Dragons can have a variable number of legs: none, two, four, or more when it comes to early European literature. Modern depictions of dragons tend to be larger than their original representations, which were often smaller than humans.

Although dragons occur in many legends around the world, different cultures have varying stories about monsters that have been grouped together under the dragon label. Chinese dragons (simplified Chinese: 龙; traditional Chinese: 龍; pinyin: l

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Posted

Ogre

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Hop o' My Thumb, illustrated by Gustave Dor

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Wyvern

Wyvern_400.jpg

A wyvern is a legendary winged reptilian creature often found in medieval heraldry. Its usual blazon is statant (standing). Its origin is in Europe.

The name "wyvern" derived from the Saxon word Wivere, which means "serpent". The French wyvern is known as the Vouivre. Both words are etymologically related to viper.

The wyvern is regarded as a type of dragon. Depictions often include two legs and two wings. Sometimes there are eagle's claws on the wingtips. The rest of its appearance can vary, such as appearing with a tail spade or with a serpent-like tail.

Variants of the wyvern include the sea-wyvern, which has a fish-like tail. The wyvern has a similar appearance to another mythical creature, the roosteratrice.

Wyverns can symbolise envy, war, pestilence, and viciousness.

However, they are common in heraldry. The wyverns' symbolism is nobler in this aspect. Wyverns have been depicted in heraldry on shields and banners for hundreds of years. They are a sign of strength to those who bear the symbol. They also symbolise power and endurance.

Stephen Friar speculates that the wyvern entered British heraldry as the standard of the Roman cohort and later appeared as the "burning dragon" of Cadwallader (the origin of the red dragon of Wales).

The wyvern was the emblem of the rulers of Wessex and The word "Wyvern" is associated with the many areas of Wessex, reflected in many county and town heraldries of the South West and west of England. It also has been used farther afield in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, as the rivers Wye and Severn run through Hereford and Worcester respectively. Therefore, the wyvern is often used as a mascot in the west and south west. For example, one of the local radio stations is called Wyvern FM, and its first logo, in 1982, featured a wyvern dragon.

Other British

A golden wyvern was featured on the flag of King Harold (Goodwinson/ Godewineson) of Wessex and is depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.

The 43 (Wessex) Division in WW1 and WW2 and latterly the 43 (Wessex) Brigade of the British Army have a golden wyvern as their symbol, worn on the left shoulder of the uniform.

Vauxhall had a model in its range in the 1950s called the Wyvern.

Commonwealth

A wyvern appears on the crest of Queen's College (University of Melbourne).

The Wyvern sits upon the crest of King's College, University of Queensland. The all male college embraces it and each student is taught to embody the spirit of the Wyvern. This is often exampled with a cry of "All Hail the Great Wyvern". The word "Wyvern" is also used as a euphemism in many social situations.

The Wyvern also sits upon the crest of Wesley College Dublin, Ireland, and also on the shield of Wesley College, Perth (upper right-hand quarter).

The Wyvern is part of the crest of Newington College, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. One of the preparatory schools is named Wyvern House.

United States of America

A red wyvern rampant is the school mascot of Saint Francis High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Distinctive Unit Insignia and arms of the U.S. 37th Armor Regiment are charged with a legless wyvern.

The Wyvern is the mascot for Kingswood-Oxford School.

The Wyvern Club was a club founded by several New Orleans men, which met at Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans.

Cryptozoology

Some cryptozoologists have theorized that wyverns are evidence of surviving pterosaurs, a large flying reptile thought to have gone extinct around 65 million years ago. There are alleged sightings of pterosaurs in remote areas such as the Kongamato in Africa. There is no evidence to prove these hypotheses or sightings. More probable is that the discovery of fossilized skeletons of long extinct species led people to reconstruct those creatures' appearances, and prehistoric and ancient peoples would not have had any reason to believe the creatures represented by the fossils were all dead.

A Wyvern type enemy appears in Zelda: Twilight Princess called the Aeralfos.

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Bugbear

Bugbear_400.jpg

A Bugbear is a legendary creature comparable to the bogeyman, bogey, bugaboo, hobgoblin and other creatures of folklore, all of which were historically used in some cultures to frighten disobedient children. In medieval England, for instance, the Bugbear was a creepy and gigantic bear that lurked in the woods; children were warned not to stray too far from home or misbehave, for "the Bugbear will get you".

In a modern context, the term bugbear serves as a metaphor for something which is annoying or irritating. According to Webster's Dictionary, a bugbear is "an imaginary goblin or spectre used to excite fear", "an object or source of dread", or "a continuing source of irritation".

Variations (Other Uses)

Bugbear is also another term for scarecrow.

In the pencil and paper role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, bugbears are the largest of the various goblinoid races (the others being goblins, hobgoblins, and other, more obscure ones such as forest-kith goblins and varags). They are vaguely bearish in appearance, being hairy and strong, but primarily just larger versions of the smaller, moderately more civilized compatriots.

In the role-playing game Kingdom of Loathing, bugbears are bipedal creatures that resemble small bears with a "w" for a mouth. Confusingly, actual bears are known as 'bars' (mimicking the speech of some American Midwestern and Southern dialects).

Bugbear is also the name of a monster in the Nintendo DS game Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. In the game it is portrayed as a levitating eyeball with a long tail and a pair of spikes coming out of either end of the eyeball. The spikes and the tail both generate electricity. In actuality, the creature's name was mistransliterated from backbeard, a different entity which it much more closely resembles. It is a pallete swap of the Peeping Eye.

In the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI, bugbears are a creation of the goblins through eugenics. Significantly larger and stronger than goblins, they also have enhanced senses that includes multiple eyes. They are implied to be second-class citizens that are relegated the jobs that require brute strength.

In the Super Famicon game and PlayStation remake of Tales of Phantasia, bugbears are a staple of enemies, resembling hairy bearish goblins with clubs.

In the Harry Potter world, bugbears are blood-sucking bears.

In the online game DragonFable, bugbears are large greenish bears with 4 spines in their backs. They are guards in Cysero's tower.

The Bugbear computer worm (also known as Tanatos.A) caused widespread infections on the Internet during the first half of 2002.

A Bugbear is a minor boss in The Bard's Tale.

and a bonus entry

Wirry-cow

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Wirey-cow, Wirry-carl, ect ,was in Scotland, a bugbear, goblin, ghost, ghoul or other frightful object. Sometimes it was used for the Devil, or a scarecrow.

"Draggled sae 'mang muck and stanes,

They looked like wirry-cows" (Allan Ramsay)

The word was used by Scott in Guy Mannering. The word is derived by John Jamieson from "worry" ("wirry", in its old sense of harassment in both English and Lowland Scots and "to cow/cowe" (i.e. "to frighten") , but as the second element sometimes appeared as "carl", Charles MacKay thought more likely that the second word was a corruption of "carl" (a man or fellow). The first word is possibly akin to "Urisk" (

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Bunyip

Bunyip_(1935).jpg

Bunyip (1935) Artist Unknown, from the

National Library of Australia digital collections

The bunyip (usually translated as "devil" or "spirit") is a mythical creature from Australian folklore. Various accounts and explanations of bunyips have been given across Australia since the early days of the colonies. It has also been identified as an animal recorded in Aboriginal mythology, similarly to known extinct animals.

Descriptions of bunyips vary wildly. It is usually given as a sort of lake monster. Common features in Aboriginal drawings include a horse-like tail, flippers, and walrus-like tusks or horns. According to legend they are said to lurk in swamps, billabongs, creeks, riverbeds and waterholes. At night their blood-curdling cries can be heard as they devour any animal that ventures near their abodes.

During the early settlement of Australia by Europeans, the notion that the bunyip was an actual unknown animal that awaited discovery became common. Early European settlers, unfamiliar with the sights and sounds of the island continent's peculiar fauna, regarded the bunyip as one more strange Australian animal and sometimes attributed unfamiliar animal calls or cries to it. At one point, the discovery of a strange skull in an isolated area associated with these 'bunyip calls' seemed to provide physical evidence of the bunyip's existence.

In 1846 a peculiar skull was taken from the banks of Murrumbidgee River in New South Wales. In the first flush of excitement, several experts concluded that it was the skull of something unknown to science. In 1847 the so-called bunyip skull was put on exhibition in the Australian Museum (Sydney) for two days. Visitors flocked to see it and the Sydney Morning Herald said that it prompted many people to speak out about their 'bunyip sightings' "Almost everyone became immediately aware that he had heard 'strange sounds' from the lagoons at night, or had seen 'something black' in the water." It was eventually concluded that it was a 'freak of nature' and not a new species. The 'bunyip skull' disappeared from the museum soon afterwards, and its present location is unknown.

As European exploration of Australia proceeded, the bunyip increasingly began to be regarded as nonexistent. The mysterious skull was later identified as that of a disfigured horse or calf. The idiom 'why search for the bunyip?' emerged from repeated attempts by Australian adventurers to capture or sight the bunyip, the phrase indicating that a proposed course of action is fruitless or impossible.

The Greta Bunyip was a bunyip which was believed to have lived in the swamps of the Greta area, in Victoria, Australia. Locals often heard a loud booming sound which emitted mysteriously from the swamps, yet none of the frequent search parties were able to locate the source of the sound. Once the swamps were drained, the sound subsided. Some Greta locals believed that the bunyip moved on to another area, whilst others believed it had died once its habitat was gone.

Although no documented physical evidence of bunyips has been found, it has been suggested by cryptozoologists that tales of bunyips could be Aboriginal memories of the Diprotodon, or other extinct Australian megafauna which became extinct some 50,000 years ago.

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The cries of the possum or koala could likely be mistaken for the bunyip, as most people are surprised to find koalas or possums are capable of such loud roars. The Barking Owl, a nocturnal bird that lives around swamps and billabongs in the Bush is sometimes credited for making the sounds of the bunyip. The bird is known to make a call that can easily be mistaken for the cries of a woman or child. Other species of birds, such as bitterns and bush-stone curlews emit blood curdling sounds that were sometimes attributed to bunyips. However, this is unlikely as the aborigines, having lived in Australia for such a vast amount of time would know these sounds.

The most likely explanation for the existence of bunyips relates to their locations on the Murray-Darling river system. Australian Fur Seals are known to swim up the river system during times of flood, subsequently becoming trapped within the river system once the flooding subsides. There have been dozens of Fur Seals killed or captured as far north as Canberra, incidentally, in close proximity to areas where a Bunyip has been heard or sighted.

The coincidence of the features and sounds made of both animals, would necessarily lead to an inland dwelling Aborigine or European to come to the conclusion that the creature was in fact a new species. Meanwhile, those having travelled more widely, would immediately recognise the same creature as a fur seal. It must be remembered, however, that the bunyip myth is apparently of very ancient origin (tens of thousands of years). Thus, modern bunyip tales may be folk memory that was originally based on large diprotodonts, but had changed into the malevolent mythical beast after these animals had become extinct, and eventually adopted physical elements from fur seals which matched the supposed ecological characteristics of the bunyip better than other living animals.

Also worth noting, the Procoptodon, a pre-historic Kangaroo-like animal, had a rounded face and could lift its arms above head height. Such an animal

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roosteratrice

DragonTransom.jpg

A roosteratrice overdoor at Belvedere Castle (1869) in New York's Central Park

A roosteratrice is a legendary creature, resembling a large rooster with a lizard-like tail, "an ornament in the drama and poetry of the Elizabethans" Laurence Breiner described it; "the roosteratrice, which no one ever saw, was born by accident at the end of the twelfth century and died in the middle of the seventeenth, a victim of the new science". when the roosteratrice was first described in the late twelfth century based on a hint in Pliny's Natural History, as a duplicate of the basilisk or regulus, though, unlike the basilisk, the roosteratrice has wings. The roosteratrice is very similar (if not identical) to another legendary creature, the basilisk; the Jewish Encyclopedia (1906) considers them identical.

According to Alexander Neckam's De naturis rerum (ca 1180), it was supposed to be born from an egg laid by a **** and incubated by a toad; a snake might be substituted in re-tellings. The translation from basiliscus to roosteratrice was effected when the basiliscus in Bartholomeus Anglicus' De proprietatibus rerum (ca 1260) was translated by John Trevisa as roosteratrice (1397). Attempts to identify it with any particular biological species have proved generally futile.

Its reputed magical abilities include turning people to stone or killing them by either looking at them

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Tinglossus :tingle:

A horrible and rabid beast. If you don't give him rupees or fairies, he will get very mad. As you can see, Link has made him angry. Tinglossus also holds the Pyramid of Gods.

Tingle_Fanart_by_torokun.jpg

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Posted

makes me want to ask zuzu about bunyips... :unsure:

that silly hunk of an australian keyboardist

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:huh::huh: wait...what did you call him? :huh::huh:

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