Aralez
Region of origin: Armenia
Resurrection spirits believed to live on Mount Ararat that took the form of winged dogs, the aralez would come down from the sky and revive fallen soldiers and heroes by licking them.
Originally posted on Tumblr on March 19, 2016
Bhuta Vahana Yanta
Region of origin: Magadha, India
“Spirit movement machines,” the bhuta vahana yanta were mechanical guards based on designs stolen from ancient Roman engineers (by way of a reincarnation-based heist) and used by the king Ajatashatru to protect the vaults where he stored the relics of the Buddha. The Lokapannatti tells of the hero and emperor Ashoka, with the help of the engineer who built them, facing down and disarming the machines to retrieve the relics.
Originally posted on Tumblr on March 18, 2016
Hábrók
Region of origin: Scandinavia
A hawk owned by the legendary Danish king Hrólfr Kraki, as mentioned in Beowulf and other epic poems. Renowned for aspects such as his speed and ferocity, he is namechecked in the Gylfaginning of the Prose Edda as part of a list of the best things in the world. His name translates as “High Pants.” He is High Pants the Best Hawk.
Originally posted on Tumblr on March 17, 2016
Pyrausta
Region of origin: Cyprus
A small, insect-like dragon. It lived its life inside fires and could not survive outside of them.
Originally posted on Tumblr on March 16, 2016
Kuchisake-Onna
Region of origin: Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
“The slit-mouthed woman” was an urban legend that began spreading around Japan in the Seventies and have persisted until today and even spread to other countries. As with most urban legends details and origins varied but universally stories said she was a woman wearing a surgical mask who would approach people asking if they thought she was pretty. If the person responded yes, she would remove the mask and reveal a mutilated face featuring slits cut from ears to mouth, asking the question again. If the person still responded “yes” at this point, she would cut their mouth to match hers; if they answered “no” at any point, she would stab them to death with the shears she carried. Some of the stories said answering ambiguously or confusing the woman would allow you time to escape, other tellings give the woman more spectral attributes and she would continue pursue the victim until finished.
Originally posted on Tumblr on March 15, 2016
Wa-won-dee-a-megw
Region of origin: Abenaki tribes, northeast North America
A horned snail spirit who can shapeshift, either changing its own size or transforming into various reptilian creatures including snakes, alligators and a lizard-like humanoid figure. The horns can be ground into a powder with magical or curative properties.
Originally posted on Tumblr on March 14, 2016
The Musconetcong River Mantis Man
Region of origin: Hackettstown, New Jersey, United States
A fairly recent cryptid, several seemingly-independent sightings of a tall, thin creature with long arms and a small, mantis-like head along the banks of the Musconetcong river in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania have cropped up in the last five years or so. Aside from the physical appearance and geographic locations, the stories have also shared the element of the creature disappearing into thin air not long after realizing it’s been sighted. This has led to suspicion the creature is extraterrestrial or extra-dimensional, possessing capabilities or technologies to help avoid detection.
Originally posted on Tumblr on March 13, 2016
Psoglav
Region of origin: Serbia
A demonic being who lived in caves, mines and other subterranean locations. They fed on humans, but largely subsisted on the already-dead, digging up interred corpses for their meals.
Originally posted on Tumblr on March 12, 2016
Alux
Region of origin: Mesoamerica
A tiny gnome- or goblin-like people in Mayan folklore, described as child-like but with an elderly face and wearing traditional clothing. The Aluxo’ob will live in forests or caves but are also known to “move in” to the area around farms or homes and act as protectors to the land and the families that live there, living in tiny houses or shrines the residents construct for them. An alux can be kind or beneficial but if treated poorly or a person rebukes a request from them, they can turn mischievous or even violent. They are considered analogous to the duende and chaneque from neighboring cultures.
Originally posted on Tumblr on March 11, 2016
Ekek
Region of origin: The Philippines
Vampiric creatures who can take on bird- or bat-like forms in the night. They drain blood from sleeping victims, their preferred prey is pregnant women, or more specifically their unborn child, which they drink from through a proboscis. Its name comes from the “ek-ek” sound it makes while feeding.
Originally posted on Tumblr on March 10, 2016
The Compendium of Arcane Beasts and Critters 