A List of Rare Mythological Creatures

So, I don’t know about you, but it seems to me that dragons are getting a little overused.  You know?  Every fantasy book has to have a dragon.  When did that become a thing?  Just because The Hobbit has the best dragon ever doesn’t mean everyone else has to copy…  

I’m guilty too.  Dragons are just plain cool.  But, there are other cool creatures out there too.  So, a small list of lesser appreciated creatures.

Thunderbirds: Legendary Native American creatures that signify power and strength.  It creates thunder with its wings, and may wield lightning too.

Griffons:  They’re cool.  Lion/eagle hybrids.  Imagine riding one of those into battle.  

Basilisk:  They’re like dragons, but sometimes they have the head of a rooster.  Or, they might look like a fat lizard.  They look crazy, but no one is really sure what they look like because apparently they can kill you with a single glance.  Hence, no picture.

Kelpie:  No, not the adorable dog.  This horse looks beautiful, but lures people to their death.  Not in just one way either.  They’re Scottish, and also shapeshifters.  They can also summon floods.  Scary stuff.  They live underwater.  

Airavata:  Winged elephants.  Yes, you read that right.  Winged elephants.  Evil?  Who knows?  Maybe you have someone who secretly can ride them, and no one else can.  (Indian in origin.)

Hippocampus:  Yes, you might have seen these in Percy Jackson.  And I’d like to see more of the half horse-half fish sea dwelling creatures.  

Selkies:  Irish/Scottish folklore creatures.  They’re half seal, half human.  In the water they want to become human, and while human they want to return to the see.  The can shed their seal skin when they want to become human, and put it back on when they desire to become seal again.  They can also sing well in the water.

Pics from Pinterest.

Any other weird, fascinating, under-appreciated creatures out there?  I’d love to hear what you like to write about?