Fantastic Fearsome Beasts E-Book

Paula Hammond

• Herausgeber: Amber Books Ltd
• Kategorie: Für Kinder und Jugendliche
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 111

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

African ogres with eyes in their feet, one-eyed giant dogs, a man trapped in the body of a werewolf, human monsters made out of scorching magma – the world’s mythologies and folklores have created the most wonderfully ghoulish beasts to give us a thrill and a chill.
Fantastic Fearsome Beasts collects 44 beasts from mythology and folklore drawn from cultures all around the world, from biblical monsters that were mistaken for islands to dogs that are the portent of death, from giant bulls to evil dwarves to spirits, serpents and dog-faced men.
Including a wide-ranging selection of monsters from European, North American, South American, Hindu, Mesopotamian, ancient Greek, Norse, African, Chinese and many other mythologies, the book features vampires, sea-monsters and lizard- monsters, giants, giant walruses and half-dragons. Together these characters and their stories offer an insight into how different cultures represent their fears.
Fantastic Fearsome Beasts is illustrated throughout with outstanding new full-colour annotated artworks for each character. Alongside easy-to-follow accounts of each character’s story, there are factfile boxes, locator maps and size comparison guides.

Leseprobe

www.amberbooks.co.uk

PAULA HAMMOND

This digital edition first published in 2015

Published by Amber Books Ltd 74–77 White Lion Street London N1 9PF United Kingdom

Website: www.amberbooks.co.uk Appstore: itunes.com/apps/amberbooksltd Facebook: www.facebook.com/amberbooks Twitter: @amberbooks

Copyright © 2015 Amber Books Ltd

ISBN: 978-1-78274-286-9

All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purpose of review no part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher. The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the author or publisher, who also disclaim any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details.

Picture Credits: All illustrations by Barry Croucher, Jean-Michel Girard and Terry Pastor / The Art Agency © Amber Books Ltd.

Contents

Introduction 6

Ahuizotl 8

Aigamuchab 10

Aspidochelone 12

Aunyaina 14

Az-I-Wu-Gum-Ki-Mukh-Ti 16

Behemoth 18

Bhainsasura 20

Bisclavret 22

Black Shuck 24

Bruxsa 26

Campe 28

Cetus 30

Cheeroonear 32

Cherufe 34

Draugr 36

Each Tened 38

Eloko 40

Ethiopian Bull 42

Fjalar & Galar 44

Gudanna 46

Gulon 48

Hedammu 50

Herensuge 52

Huli-jing 54

Hundun 56

Hydrus 58

Ilomba 60

Jorõgumo 62

Kee-Wakw 64

Koschei the Deathless 66

Krasue 68

Lampalugua 70

Nian 72

Peuchen 74

Pukwudgie 76

Qiongqi 78

Red Ettin 80

Sandwalker 82

Sasabonsam 84

Talos 86

Tarbh Uisge 88

Tecumbalam 90

Tugarin Zmeyevich 92

Tupilaq 94

Index 96

6

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

W

ho doesn’t love a spooky story? People have been telling tales guaranteed to give their listeners goosebumps since cave dwellers first lit fires to scare away the shadows. So draw the curtains, dim the lights, and get cozy as

we take you on a tour of beastly goings-on from Africa to America, from Greece to Greenland and beyond.

Every culture has its own phantoms, freaks, and fiends. In this book, you’ll find forty-                   four of the most deadly, dire, and downright strange. We have creatures like                               the undead, flesh-eating Draugr, which was creepy enough to give the                                          Vikings nightmares. Then there is terrifying Tupilaq—said to be                                               made by black magic and fueled by dark desires. We tell the                                                    storyof the half-dragon, half-woman, Campe, who was                                                        so monstrous that the Greek god Cronus used her as                                                           his jailer, and of the demonic dog Black Shuck, who                                                            appeared as an omen of death and disaster.

Each entry comes fully illustrated and annotated. Additional fact boxes, maps, size guides, and need- to-know information provide you with everything

INTRODUCTION

7

you will need to become an instant expert on some of folklore’s most fantastic and fearsome beasts.

But beware before you start reading! The blood suckers, shape shifters, ghosts, ghouls, zombies, and demons in these pages arenothing like the teenage vampires and trendy werewolves that you see in movies. They are dark, dangerous, and deadly.

Of course, we all know that such beasts are the stuff of myths and legends. They come from an age when people believed in magic. They come from a time when the night—without the comfort ofelectric light—was cold, dark, and full of unexplained sounds and shapes. They come from tales made up by ancient people to explain away events that seemed strange or fearful. Some of them wereprobably just told to stop naughty children from straying too far from their beds at night!

We hope that you’ll enjoy these stories and not get too scared. Just don’t worry about that odd shape at the bottom of the bed. It’s just an old coat after all, right…?

8

FANTASTIC FEARSOME BEASTS

Ahuizotl

(Ah-wee-zot-el)

TAIL

The Ahuizotl’s long tail has a human-looking hand at its end. It uses this to drag its victims to their doom.

HANDS

With five hands, Ahuizotl has no problems grasping and holding its struggling prey in the water.

BODY

The beast’s black, slick body is covered in waterproof fur. When wet, the fur clumps together to create spikes.

TEETH

The Ahuizotl drowns its victims and then uses its sharp fangs to pull out their eyes, teeth, and nails.

AHUIZOTL

9

N

ight falls, and as people draw closer to their fires to keep out the gathering gloom, a mournful cry breaks the eerie silence. Somewhere close by it sounds as if a lost child is weeping.

However, in this Aztec city, people know better than to go out looking for the source of such sounds. Ahuizotl is a legendary beast who likes to

drag villagers into the river and drown them. It is said that when he is especially hungry, he cries like a child in the hope that some unsuspecting adult will come looking for the lost baby and end up on his menu!

ACTUAL SIZE

       IT HAS BEEN A HOT MORNING AND NAHUI HAS WORKED UP A THIRST. Heading toward        the river for a drink, he hears a strange rustling and catches a glimpse of something black and shiny. Before he can find out what it is, a doglike figure darts out of the undergrowth. The beast’s tail lashes toward him and a cold, wet hand grabs his wrist and pulls him off his feet. Horrified, Nahui struggles frantically against Ahuizotl’s strong grip as the fiend drags him toward the edge of the water.

Where in the world?

Ahuizotl comes from Aztec mythology. The Aztecs lived in central Mexico, although the word “Aztec” can be used to describe the inhabitants of Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City).

MEXICO

Did you know?

• Ahuizotl is described in Book XI of The Florentine Codex. This was an amazing document written by a friar called Bernardino de Sahagun between 1545 and 1590. Friar Bernardino’s Codex is one of the most important books about this time.

• Some scientists think that Ahuizotl is based on the real-life giant otter. These animals are very clever hunters who will sometimes feed on the flesh of corpses. They are said to especially like the soft fingertips, lips, and eyes!

• According to Aztec beliefs, anyone who is killed by Ahuizotl, or who dies violently in water, spends their afterlife in the realm of Tlaloc. Tlaloc was the god of rain and water and his home, called Tlalocan, was described as being a paradise of eternal springtime.

• The name Ahuizotl comes from atl, meaning “water,” huiz, meaning “thorn” (for its wet, spiky fur) and otl, meaning “like.”

10

FANTASTIC FEARSOME BEASTS

Aigamuchab

(Eye-ga-much-ab)

HANDS

With a pair of strong hands, this beast can catch and hold its victims while his teeth do their grisly work.

MOUTH

The beastly Aigamuchab is a man-eater with powerful teeth and jaws that allow him to tear through human flesh!

BODY

Aigamuchab may look like a man but he is a monster. He has a tough, stocky body, designed for the hunt!

FEET

These creepy creatures have one fatal flaw: Their eyes are on the soles of their feet. That means they can’t see where they’re running.

AIGAMUCHAB

11

L

              ying in wait beneath the baking sand dunes of the Kalahari Desert               is one of Africa’s most feared creatures. The Aigamuchab may look               like a man, but he is as powerful as an ogre—and he has a taste for eating human flesh! This weird beast comes from the legends of the San people, whose stories date back for thousands of years. In fact, the San are

one of humankind’s oldest ancestors. All modern humans originally came from hunter- gatherer tribes just like the San people. So, who knows, the Aigamuchab may well be one of our oldest nightmares!

ACTUAL SIZE

       IKXARU DIDN’T LIKE WALKING ACROSS THE SAND DUNES TO THE WATERING HOLE. It was        there that the fearsome Aigamuchab made his home, and he was always hungry! Luckily, Kxaru’s grandmother had told her all about the creature. She knew that there was one easy way to escape from his vicious claws and sharp teeth—run! With eyes on the soles of his feet, he was running blind, so as long as she was speedy and silent she had a good chance of not becoming his next meal.

Did you know?

• The San people are nomads (wandering people) who make their homes in the Kalahari Desert. Life in the Kalahari can be very tough. In fact, “Kalahari” means “great thirst”!

• Many of the San’s myths and legends are recorded in cave paintings, and these can be found throughout southern Africa. Some of these are 3,000 years old.

• On his own, this beast is called Aigamuchab. However, when these creatures hunt in a pack, they are known as Aigamuxa.

• Aigamuchab is just one of many creatures that appear in San legends. They also tell tales about a beast called the Bi-Bloux, which is a man-eating monster with one leg and one arm, who must move around by hopping. Ga-Gorib is another beast, said to live in a deep hole, who fools people into coming too close to the pit’s edge.

Where in the world?

Myths about Aigamuchab were born in the area of the Kalahari Desert. This is a massive desert area that stretches out across Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

KALAHARI DESERT

12

FANTASTIC FEARSOME BEASTS

Aspidochelone

(As-pi-do-ke-lo-nee)

SPIKES

Large spikes cover the turtle’s giant carapace (shell). These are usually hidden by the vegetation that grows on top.

MOUTH

This turtle is the size of a whale, with a massive mouth and crushing jaws.

BODY

Aspidochelone is described as looking like a whale, a giant spiny fish, or a gigantic turtle. Whatever shape it takes, though, it is huge!

ARMS

These claws are impressive, but Aspidochelone is unlikely to use them to catch prey. His key weapons are cunning and surprise.

ASPIDOCHELONE

13

T

                his vast creature is so massive that trees have taken root on its                 back, and birds have made their homes in their branches. This                 makes it all the easier for Aspidochelone to lure unsuspectingsailors to their doom! All this great mythical monster has to do is lieperfectly still and wait for a ship to pass by looking for a place to weigh

anchor. Then, once it is certain that its prey has taken the bait, it sinks back beneath the waves,dragging the ship and its hapless crew down into the depths where it can devour their lifeless bodies.

ACTUAL SIZE

       DEUCALION LOOKED CAUTIOUSLY AROUND THE ISLAND. His captain had ordered him        to go on shore to see what food was to be found and—after weeks at sea—he had been eager to feel solid ground under his feet. However, now that he was ashore he couldn’t help feeling uneasy. It was almost as though he was being watched. And just what had caused that sudden quake, which had shaken the small island so much that he had almost fallen over? He felt certain that something wasn’t right…

Where in the world?

Aspidochelone is a myth from Ancient Greece. The beast was said to haunt the waters of the Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean seas, surrounding the Greek mainland and islands.

GREECE

Did you know?

• Aspidochelone was mentioned in an Ancient Greek bestiary called The Physiologus, which was written around the 2nd century AD. A bestiary was a “book of beasts,” which was a bit like a modern-day encyclopedia, only it contained both real and legendary animals.

•TheLord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien told a story about a giant Aspidochelone in The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. He called his beast Fastitocalon and made up this verse to tell its tale: “Look, there is Fastitocalon! An island good to land upon, Although ’tis rather bare … See seagulls sitting there! Beware!”

• In the World of Warcraft online role playing game, the Wandering Isle was a giant turtle named Shen-zin Su.

• In Tales of the Thousand and One Nights, Sinbad the Sailor meets an Arabian version of Aspidochelone, which is called a Zaratan.

14

FANTASTIC FEARSOME BEASTS

Aunyaina

(Un-yen-a)

TUSKS

Boarlike tusks are used to tear his victims into chunks. Powerful jaws allow him to eat both flesh and bones.

BODY

Aunyaina is large and beastlike—much more like an ogre than a man.

MOUTH

Can there be anything more terrifying than staring into the mouth of a monster whose favorite snacks are children?

ARMS AND LEGS

This is a beast built for strength and speed. He has large, muscular arms, and powerful legs.

AUNYAINA

15

T

               he Tupari people of Brazil have their own version of the tale of                “Jack and the Beanstalk,” only their giant is much less friendly!                Aunyaina is an enormous beast, with tusks like a boar. He feeds on anyone unlucky enough to cross his path. He is especially fond of children, whom he tears apart with his tusks and eats, bones and all! In one version

of the story, some children climb a tree to escape from him. Aunyainais too big to climb up after them through the flimsy branches, so he climbs up a vine instead. A friendly parrot chews through the vine, and the beast crashes to the ground and