Papinijuwari

Papinijuwari

Region of origin: Northern Australia

In Tiwi folklore, the Papinijuwari were a race of cycloptic giants who lived in a hut at the end of the sky. They carried clubs and torches, and it was believed shooting stars were actually the giants on the move through the sky. Looked down up even by other giants and malevolent creatures, the Papinijuwari were ghoulish creatures who fed on the flesh of the dead and drank the blood of the sick, attracted to victims by the smell of the disease. They were capable of rendering themselves invisible and also changing size, able to shrink down and drink the blood from the inside.

[Sources referenced: X ]

Massacooramaan

Massacooramaan

Region of origin: Guyana

One of a class of malevolent spirits in Caribbean folklore known as jumbees, the massacooramaan is an ape-like boogeyman figure who attacks from rivers and other Guyanese bodies of water, upturning small boats and dragging people under the water to drown them before consuming them. It is believed the origins of the story may lie in escaped slaves who fled into the jungles and swamps of Guyana and were faced with surviving the rough waters of rivers they then had to cross.

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Goodra

Goodra

Region of origin: Laverre Nature Trail, Route 14, Kalos

A gastropod-like dragon, Goodra and its related species live in swamps and other damp environments to help keep their slime-covered skin from drying out. The slime it excretes can be used for assisting in locomotion of its bulky body, as well as functioning as a natural defense both by being corrosive and helping prevent potential predators from getting a hold upon it. It has underdeveloped visual organs running down the lateral sides of its body, with the four horn-like antennae doing most of the sensory heavy lifting. A gentle giant, domesticated Goodra are loyal to their trainers and will often attempt to hug them, unaware of the danger their mass and slime may pose. As a mollusk-like dragon, there are several analogues in world mythology, including the Shussebora, the Chinese Shen and France’s Lou Carcolh.

Originally posted on Tumblr on November 17, 2016

Pishacha

Pishacha

Region of origin: India

Ghoulish creatures that manifest after an evil or sinful human has passed on but their spirit lingers on earth, often residing near cremation grounds. They come out at night and can possess humans they encounter, feeding off their life energy and driving them to madness or compelling them to commit violent, wrathful acts.

Originally posted on Tumblr on September 21, 2016

Ishigaq

Ishigaq

Region of origin: Arctic North America and Greenland

Standing about a foot tall, the Ishigaq were the little people of the Arctic regions in Inuit tribes’ folklore. Like fairies and huldufólk of other cultures, they had their own society comparable to humans but remained hidden away, only sometimes venturing out and encountering people but seemingly warm and welcoming when they did, provided the humans didn’t make light of their size. They were said to leave no tracks, either by way of floating above the ground or simply being too small to leave any impact.

Originally posted on Tumblr on June 9, 2016

Minka Bird

Minka Bird

Region of origin: Australia

A creature from the Australian Aboriginal dreamtime, encountering a minka bird is said to be a portent of imminent and certain death.

Originally posted on Tumblr on February 12, 2016

Lunar Rabbits

The Lunar Rabbit

Region of origin: China and Mesoamerica

Worldwide, there are numerous similar tales of a rabbit whose likeness is imprinted on the moon. Details vary between cultures, but most versions involve a figure, often a god in the form of a man, in need of food and the rabbit who, unable to gather any food, offers its own body. The god, moved by the rabbit’s sacrifice, immortalizes the form of the rabbit onto the full moon.

Originally posted on Tumblr on January 18, 2016

The Badalisc

The Badalisc

Region of origin: Val Camonica, Italy

As part of local Epiphany celebrations, communities in the Val Camonica region of Italy will capture the beastly Badalisc (represented by a man in costume) and parade it through town. In the town square, he, or often a proxy, will deliver a speech or poem about bad deeds committed by the people of the town (as a way of encouraging better behavior through the year, lest the Badalisc shames you in his proclamation) followed by a party where the creature is a guest of honor, before he is released back into the wild the next day.

Originally posted on Tumblr on December 15, 2015

The Pope Lick Monster

The Pope Lick Monster

Region of origin: Lousiville, Kentucky, United States

In a twisted perversion of the Billy Goats Gruff, the goat-man of Pope Lick Creek lives under a train trestle and uses mimicry, hypnotism or other goat-y wiles to lure victims onto the tracks into the path of oncoming trains. Alternatively he might just have an axe? Potential origins for the man-beast range from an escaped carnival freak to a farmer who made a pact with Satan.

Originally posted on Tumblr on October 26, 2015

Jimmy Squarefoot

Jimmy Squarefoot

Region of origin: The Isle of Man

A wandering man with a boar’s head which you think would be the more defining characteristic but no let’s name him after his bandaged feet which are vaguely square-shaped at best, that’s what we’ll do

Originally posted on Tumblr on September 6, 2015