Mythical creatures: Vampires, Werewolves, Unicorns, etc.

[bac]

This is a place to discuss mythical creatures of all sorts...from books, movies, etc.

[DudeRocksTheTwilight]

Yay, unicorns! Haha, I guarentee Viola requested this

I like the mythical creatures from Harry Potter.

[roo-roo91]

i do too.
^.^
but i also like to pick up those mythical creature books to see how many people have made up.
when i see narwhal in one i face palm.

[dandyvampgirl_13]

*GLOMPS*
Why yes, yes I did. I wasn't really expecting them to make the thread, but oh well.
YAY UNICORNS!
And hey, narwhals are real mythical creatures! The unicorns of the sea!

My favorite non-mythical creature is the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, which needs to be put on the Endangered Species list because it keeps on getting eaten by stupid Bigfeet! RAWR. Save the Tree Octopi! (I bet the Cullens like eating them too, they live in the same area...)

[roo-roo91]

have any pics of them?
i think i have heard of them

[dandyvampgirl_13]

The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus

Other Tree Octopus Species:
Pitch-Chewing Tree Octopuses Of British Columbia — Octopuses in BC have long been reported chewing the pitch of Sitka spruce like gum, and will even go into the trees to forage for it.
Olive Loving Tree Octopuses Of Antiquity — Octopuses in Greece were known since ancient times to climb olive trees to feast on the tasty fruit.
More On Old World Tree Octopuses — Ancient writers, such as Aristotle and Pliny the Elder, tell of octopuses that venture onto land, including one that used a tree to commit burglary.
The Ara-Eaters: Tree Octopuses Of Polynesia — Reports from the 1800s tell of island octopuses that are attracted to the fragrant flowers of the pandanus tree.

[roo-roo91]

hmmm.
interesting.
what other non fictional animals do you like?

[willowtree]

I love the animals from Greek mythology. and Greek mythology.

~h. f. e. l.

[alphanubilus]

On Werewolves...
A few months back I was reading a review of Universal's remake of the "Wolfman" and I came across a supposed Twi-Hard letter to the famed studio. The contents of the letter were quite absurd, as she claimed that Unversal Studios stole the concept of werewolves from Stephenie Meyer and they could never hope to create a werewolf that will compare to the sexiness of Jacob Black. My first initial impression was that the letter had to be a hoax as there can't be anyone of the face of the planet that blank, however after reading the following rebuttals, while most admitted the original writer had issues, many still claimed that the large studio did partly rip off SM. It was amusing to say the least...

While SM didn't create the concept of werewolves, the one thing she DID do was create a werewolf that was closer to the beasts of actual lore and legends. In the old lore, a man or woman who turned into a werewolf typically changed into a relatively large wolf. In fact, you'll be hard pressed to find a werewolf story where the supposed victim became anything more than just a really large wolf. It wasn't until the advent of film, namely, "Werewolf of London" that a human/wolf hybrid was used. The 1920's silent movie, "The Werwolf" used a wolf/dog hybrid as the beast. The bite transmission was later added in the 1941 classic, "The Wolf Man". Screenwriter Curt Siodmak added a few other flurishes as well, including a star (representing the Star David, of which Nazis used as a mark of death in Germany) that marked the werewolf's next victim. Curt had several anti-Nazi clues in the script. (Monster by Moonlight, of which can be seen on the Wolf Man: Classic Collection)

Werewolf lore predates vampire lore by several thousand years. Some of the first stories passed down had to deal with shapeshifting. In fact, vampire lore grew out of later werewolf legends. In Romania for instance, a vampire is created if a werewolf dies and is not properly disposed of. Later Romanian legends would alter things a bit though and make werewolves the servants of the Spartoi...the moroi...

Wolves and werewolves have crossed the sides of good and evil several times. During some centuries werewolves were divine protectors, who guarded the day world against the forces of evil. They faught demons and such... In other cases they were creations of the devil. The really funny things, the early Roman Catholic Church, didn't know how to deal with the prevalent werewolf stories. Finally a cleric sited that if a person truly has the power to become a wolf, they have to be of God, as only God has the power to transform them. If a person states that they have the power to transform into a wolf, and it is not of God, then that person is of the Devil, and no actual transformation has been established. It is only an illusion. Later, Maleus Malificarum would make it illegal to NOT believe in witches and werewolves... to say they didn't exist, would be heresy. Of course all of this took place during a terrible time in history where being at the wrong place and the right time, would guarantee you a very quick sentencing and a very brutal death. Of course not all werewolf stories are of evil nightmare creatures murdering children and woman... There are in fact some exceptions...

During the 12th century, much like today, there was an explosion in interest in werewolves, specifically the noble werewolf. Marie de France, the auther of "Bisclavret" tells of a noble knight who must turn into a wolf several times a week. His method of restoration is directly linked to his clothing. Without his clothes he would remain a wolf for all eternity. Bad things happen... clothes get stolen, and even though he is stuck as a wolf, it is his noble courtly nature that eventually reveals his true identity and thusly his eventually restoration. Other stories that were propogated in this time period were, Melion and King Aurther and Gorlagon.

My fav of the century though is Guillaume de Pelerne. It is a fantastic adventure romance, about a young prince who gets turned into a great wolf by his evil stepmother (they're always evil for some reason). As a wolf he saves the life of another prince and then through out the other prince's life, he continues to arise, when needed and protect him and eventaully his love, from mortal dangers.

Another fav tale of mine is the story of the Ossary werewolf and his dying mate. The Ossary wolves were once human, but due to a terrible curse they were forced to live as wolves every seven years. On this occasion, a he-wolf risks life and limb, for the love of his life, of whom is dying. Unable to bear the thought of her dying like some old animal in the woods, the he-wolf tracks down a priest and begs the priest to come with him and give his mate her last rights, so she could die with dignity. The priest reluctantly aggrees and does as the wolf wishes.

Of course, thanks to SM, we've learned a tad bit of Native American werewolf lore, although the Quiluete aren't the only Natives who have sacred beliefs in regards to the wolf. The Cherokee, for example, have the Ani-wa-yah, the Wolf Clan, of whom were the warriors/protectors. Their clan consisted mostly of war chiefs, and they were also the most numerous. In Native American lore you'll see the wolf referred to as the Hunter, Teacher, Brother, and even the Barer of Souls... Pretty impressive really...

[blasphemous_contessa]

I have always loved vampires. This one guy was trying to tear into me over being "one of those giggling, screaming, brainwashed masses who can't tell the difference between a fairy and a vampire"... I then explained how Dracula completely ruined vampires and that in the original stories (the Lilim or the Hungarian stories whichever you prefer) vampires didn't have any reaction to sunlight, they were basically reanimated corpses who had to gorge themselves on the blood of innocents (i.e. children) and of course it has to be a sentient creature otherwise the blood sacrifice is meaningless (how can a creature that doesn't recognize it's own mortality feed the blood magic and death magic that keep a vampire alive?) and that by the 15th century the stories of werewolves, vampires, and zombies (which are remarkably similar) separated and vampires became more civilized with all of their less genteel traits being passed on the the zombies and werewolves. (except for in Romania where werewolves are still revered as the bringers of culture and stability).

But no, because I like Twilight I must not know anything about mythology.