Sableye

Sableye

Region of origin: Granite Cave, Dewford Town, Hoenn

A small subterranean creature with gemstone-like growths on its body, Sableye burrow through the caverns in which they live in looking for minerals to consume. They are largely solitary and will avoid contact with humans, but their menacing, impish appearance, erratic movements and tendency to attempt to scare people away from their territory has given rise to a folk belief that the Sableye is an evil spirit and when their gem-like eyes flash in the dark it is attempting to steal a person’s soul. Sableye contains elements of various boggarts and dwarves, but it is primarily stylized after the Hopkinsville Goblins in appearance as well as their chittering and convulsive movement (not to mention that they’re pretty chill but humans are kind of jerks to them).

Originally posted on Tumblr on November 16, 2016

Whimsicott

Whimsicott

Region of origin: Pinwheel forest, Unova

Resembling a mature boll of cotton, Whimsicott is a well-meaning but mischievous fae-like creature. It’s quick, quiet and its body is surprisingly malleable allowing it to squeeze through cracks or holes that should otherwise be far too small for it, leaving only telltale puffs of cotton behind to show it’s been around pulling one of its classic pranks. They are light enough that they can travel on winds, their appearance often precipitated by a whirlwind. Whimsicott is largely based on the Borometz, or Vegetable Lamb of Tartary, and also features elements of fair folk, the mandrake root and the ashi-magari. Also, due to its ram-like appearance, Whimsicott functions as the equivalent to Aries in the Unovan zodiac.

Originally posted on Tumblr on November 15, 2016

Weavile

Weavile

Region of origin: Lake Acuity, Sinnoh

An evolved form of Sneasel that thrives in frigid climates, Weavile are vicious pack hunters, with an alpha member coordinating groups of four or five to take down larger prey, slicing at them with their razor-like claws. The pack is thought to communicate with each other by way of a written code of slash marks carved into the stone and ice around their territory. Domesticated Weavile are often utilized for their speed and surgical precision; this and its generally devious nature has led it to be a popular pet or partner among thieves. Weavile, as a razor-fisted ice weasel, is heavily inspired by the kamaitachi.

Originally posted on Tumblr on November 14, 2016

Likho

Likho

Region of origin: Ukraine

Literally “bad luck,” the likho is physical manifestation of misfortune, appearing as a cycloptic goblin- or hag-like creature who lived in the dark forests of moralistic fairy tales and fables. The likho would wrap its arms around the story’s protagonist’s neck and cling to their back, weighing them down. In different stories, the likho could be attempted to be removed through tricking or cheating the creature itself, tricking another person into accepting it as part of a gift and passing it on or attempting to drown it by jumping in a river, which usually resulted in the hero drowning themselves and the likho emerging from the river, no worse for wear and ready to find its next victim.

Originally posted on Tumblr on November 11, 2016

Abaia

Abaia

Region of origin: Melanesia

While the exact location varies within different stories and tribes, there is said to be a lake within the Melanesian region abundant with aquatic life and at the bottom of that lake lives Abaia, a giant eel who functions as the sea creatures’ guardian. Anyone who fishes from that lake or otherwise harms the animals in it will be met with Abaia’s wrath, as she thrashes about causing great waves to overwhelm and drown the person. In some versions, Abaia has some magical control over the weather itself. When a man discovers the bountiful lake and brings the people of his village to help catch as many fish as possible, Abaia summons a massive rainstorm that floods the village and drowns all the villagers who had taken a fish from the lake.

Originally posted on Tumblr on November 10, 2016

Dobhar-chú

Dobhar-chú

Region of origin: Ireland

Literally “water-hound” or “deep-hound” and also known as the “master otter,” the dobhar-chú is a vicious amphibious predator that will hunt in pairs and attack humans that venture too close to the water’s edge. They can move as swiftly on land as in the water and will continue to pursue any victim who attempts to retreat from the shore. Descriptions vary from a creature that is half-canine and either half-fish or half-reptile, to a massive 7-foot-long otter-like creature. Recorded sightings have persisted since the 17th century until as recently as 2003. It is said if you can kill a dobhar-chú and take its pelt, it will function as a protective charm for the home or boat in which its kept, but anyone who kills one will next have to contend with its now-enraged and determined mate.

Originally posted on Tumblr on November 8, 2016

Radande

Radande

Region of origin: Sweden

A fae tree spirit, a radande will attach itself to a young sapling and aid in its growth, the tree growing faster and more healthy than any other around it, occasionally leaving a fairy-ring around its trunk. The radande’s lifeforce becomes tied to its tree; its appearance will begin resembling the bark and leaves, and will only be able to move as far away from the tree as the shadow it casts. If the tree is cut down, the radande may die with it, or its spirit may remain and grow vengeful, haunting the forest or those who felled the tree.

Originally posted on Tumblr on November 7, 2016

Strzyga

Strzyga

Region of origin: Poland

Female vampiric spirits that can assume the form of an owl and hunt people who dared wander into their forests at night. It was thought strzyga were the result of a person born with two souls, with only one soul able to move on to the afterlife after their passing the other soul becoming stuck in the dead body, returning from the grave as the ghoulish creature. It was thought the second soul manifested as the person having multiple body parts, such as two hearts or a second set of teeth, and anyone thought to possess these qualities may be buried with the corpse’s head removed to prevent the strzyga from rising.

Originally posted on Tumblr on November 4, 2016

Cactus Cat

Cactus Cat

Region of origin: Southwestern United States

A nocturnal creature occupying the plains and brushlands of Nevada and Arizona down into northern Mexico, the cactus cat has a thick, thorny pelt and branching tail, but primarily earns its name from its diet, the sap of the cholla cactus. The cactus cat will wander in search of cholla, and then slice open its trunk using bony protrusions over its forepaws. The cats will make a circuit of their territory, marking the cholla this way until they comes back to the starting point, where the sap will have fermented into a mezcal. The cats will then consume this, becoming very inebriated and may be seen yowling and scrapping with one another in the desert night.

Originally posted on Tumblr on November 3, 2016

The Millennium Humanoid

The Millennium Humanoid

Region of origin: Chile

Hitting their peak in late 1999 through 2000, there were numerous sightings throughout Chile, concentrated the highest around Calama and the northern regions, of a grey ape-like hominid creature, often described possessing large yellow eyes and two leathery wings. Many of the sightings involved the creature attacking or fighting with stray dogs, killing them and possibly drinking their blood before flying or bounding away from witnesses into the night. Reports of the creature and its behavior and physiology were often compared or conflated with the chupacabra and Mothman, and also were possibly believed to coincide with similarly-timed UFO sightings in the area.

Originally posted on Tumblr on November 2, 2016