Almost everyone is fascinated by mythical beasts whether they are real or not, everyone wants to know about them. So let me take you on this journey!
Everyone must have heard about at least one mythical animal from a story or their elders. According to folklore, these animals existed many thousands of years ago. According to some people, they still exist, it is not known whether they exist or not, but films and dramas based on existing stories around them definitely seem interesting. The real existence of these animals may or may not be true. Nevertheless, there is evidence of the existence of similar animals and their descendants. Now, it’s time to meet the mythical beasts that exist in real life.
Dire wolf
If you’ve ever watched Game of Thrones, you’ve probably heard of the dire wolf, the sigil of the House of Stark who represented the strength, loyalty, and indomitable nature of the North.
- There is also evidence of the existence of this mythical beast in Norse mythology whose name is Fenrir, the son of Loki. In this mythology, it is the demon-like wolf that represents evil and chaos.
- Direwolves roamed North America about 13,000 years ago and the first dire wolf fossil was found in 1854.
- This animal is a carnivore with a large skull that can reach up to 12 inches.
- If we compare the direwolf to the present-day gray wolf, the direwolf was larger, heavier, muscular, and had larger and stronger teeth.
- Although dire wolves are now extinct, these mythical creatures were very real.
Griffin
If you’ve seen Harry Potter you’re probably familiar with the griffin with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. This mythological creature has been mentioned in various mythological stories.
- Griffin is mentioned in ancient Egyptian mythology, associated with the sun god Horus, and is also mentioned in Greek mythology as the guardian of treasure.
- This mythical beast is also mentioned in Persian religion and European and Finnish folklore.
- In various mythological cultures, griffins are mostly represented as guardians, power, strength, and nobility.
- The griffin is a mythological creature that is not real but some researchers believe it may have originated from the Protoceratops dinosaur whose fossils were discovered in the late 1920s.
Kraken
The existence of the Kraken can be found in Scandinavian folklore where it is depicted as a mythical giant sea monster that terrorizes sailors and tries to ruin sailor’s ships.
- In folklore, this mythical beast is often referred to as a giant octopus or squid with many tentacles, which it uses to sink ships.
- Fun fact, the Kraken is also featured in Pirates of the Caribbean as a large and deadly sea monster.
- The Kraken is a mythical creature and not real but it is closely related to the giant squid mostly found in the Atlantic Ocean.
- The giant squid can grow up to 40 feet and has two eyes, two feeding tentacles, eight arms, and a funnel.
- The giant squid is the largest invertebrate on Earth with three hearts and the largest eyes in the entire animal kingdom.
Moby Dick
Moby Dick is a fictional whale character in Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick. The character was originally inspired by the article, “Mocha Dick: Or the White Whale of the Pacific”, written by journalist J.N. Reylonds in 1839.
- In his article, J.N. Reymonds described the Mocha Dick as a huge and notorious white sperm whale commonly seen near Mocha Island on the coast of Chile that is known to make violent attacks on ships.
- This article inspired various folklore during that time and inspired novelist Herman Melville to create Moby Dick, so this mythical creature is somewhat similar to a white sperm whale.
- The sighting of the white sperm whale is quite rare and is found in the deep sea from the Equator to the Antarctica and Arctic.
- White sperms whale has lengths of up to 60 feet and weighs up to 55 tonnes.
Unicorn
The unicorn is that mythical creature that everyone knows about. You may have seen its depiction in various fantasy movies and dramas, a white beautiful horse with a horn on its head who is always a protector.
- The presence of Unicorns can be seen in various folklore like European folklore, South Asia, and Indus Valley Civilization, but it may have a different name in every mythology.
- In Latin, unicorn means ‘one horn’ means a creature having one horn. But this mythical creature is not real. Although some believe that unicorn is closely related to Elasmotherium, a rhino.
- Elasmotherium is a one-horned Siberian rhynchoceros that was also known as the Siberian unicorn. Although this species is now extinct, they were quite real, and once roamed the lands of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and East Asia.
- The fossil of this animal, Elasmotherium, was found in the early 1800s, the study of which has helped to describe its characteristics.
Gorilla
Gorillas are real-life mythical beasts that are depicted as symbols of strength, courage, and protection. This animal is native to Central Africa and was first scientifically discovered in 1847 by Thomas S. Savage.
- Although gorillas are real-life animals they were once considered mythical creatures, this may be due to lack of research and unavailability of knowledge.
- For the above reason, this animal is mentioned in many folklore such as Honduran folklore, and in Cameroon culture, it is portrayed as a god, a supreme creator.
- Gorillas are truly a beast as they can weigh up to 450 pounds, have a maximum height of up to 5.5 feet, and also have strong bite force. That is why they are considered one of the largest living primates on Earth.
Camelopard
The term cameleopard was used to describe a mythical beast that resembled a combination of a leopard and a camel. But this was actually a misconception because the word cameleopard was used to refer to giraffes. Therefore, the giraffe is a camelopard and the term camelopard is still in use.
- The word camelopard was used in ancient Greek to refer to giraffe and the creature is native to the continent of Africa and is the tallest land animal on Earth.
- The giraffe has also been referred to as a mythological animal in medieval European folklore.
- Giraffes are social animals that have large appetites and can even sleep while standing.