Mythical Creatures
Stories about mythical creatures are found all over the world. You might be asking how people created these animals. Most mythical creatures are actually combinations of various animals. Native Americans say that these creatures were defeated by great heroes at the beginning of time, which is why they are not here today.
Dragons
Dragons are one of the most commonly known mythical creatures. But just like dogs and cats, dragons come in many species. A few are listed in the following: Dragon of Air (wind, storm & weather), Dragon of Fire (fire & volcanoes), Dragon of Water (seas, lakes, & ponds), and lastly, Dragon of Earth (forest, mountain, & desert). Many dragons are also viewed as Guardians of sacred places or objects. But wait, do dragons even exist? Have they ever? The answer to this is no. Dragons are fictional animals that are used in ancient legends.
The most commonly known dragon is the fire-breathing dragon. It is featured in many European myths. This creature in known to have thorny hooks sprouting from its scaly skin and spiky claws coming out of its bat-like wings. Also as you may have guessed, this dragon can breathe from its mouth. Many of these stories tell of dragon-slaying heroes who rescue maidens to win themselves a marriage. An example was a hero named Tristan who killed a dragon to win the hand of Isolde.
Dragon
Interesting Fact: Did you ever think of yourself as a dragon? Well according to the Chinese Zodiac, if you were born in the years 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, or 2000 you were born in the year of the dragon! People born in these years are known to be passionate, healthy, energetic, softhearted, but somewhat stubborn.
Unicorns
Unicorns are beautiful, white, horse-like creatures, with a spiral horn growing from its head. They are one of the most magical creatures. It is said that if a unicorn dipped its horn in water, the water would become pure. The horn of a unicorn is actually so prized that one was said to be worth a city! Pegasus was a unicorn. He was born from Medusa's blood. Pegasus was ridden by a Greek hero named Bellerophon. When his enemies told him to kill Chimera, (a monster) they hoped he would die on the attempt. Instead, however, riding Pegasus made Bellerophon confident and strong, which allowed him to shoot arrows into Chimera.
Unicorn
Other Mythical Beasts
Wild horses- Wild Horses were half man, half horse. One wild horse named Chiron died after being accidentally wounded by Heracles with poisonous arrows.
Sea Serpents- In the past, sailors have returned with strange beasts that they claimed to have caught. Some of these creatures were created by joining the bodies of different animals together. For example: A monkey's body was grafted onto the tail of a fish to create a merman.
Medusa- Medusa had hair made of writhing snakes. Anyone who looked at her would turn to stone. Medusa then died because Perseus killed Medusa by looking at her reflection in a bronze shield as he cut off her head.
Medusa
Chimera- Chimera was a fire-breathing monster made up of the body parts of various animals. Its two front paws were in the form of a lion and the tail was in the form of a serpent. In the middle of the body, was a goat head. Pretty cool! Well, Chimera was soon slain by the Greek hero Bellerophon, and was never seen again.