The word " bestiary " comes from the Latin bestia, which means " beast. " Initially, bestiaries were articles of a zoological nature, which described various animals, as well as illustrations. Today, a bestiary is an encyclopedia of the creatures of a particular universe: literary, fiction or cinematic. Almost every self-respecting author who creates in the style of fantasy has his own bestiary. Lovecraft, Tolkien, J. have it . Rowling , Sapkowski and other popular writers. Consider the most interesting bestiaries of our time.
Bestiary of mythical creatures Howard Lovecraft
Howard Lovecraft is an American writer, the founder of the horror genre, and the creator of one of the most complex mythologies in modern literature, which is known as the bestiary of creatures " Myths of Cthulhu. " The writer and his followers invented dozens of mysterious creatures, gods and other monsters that live in the endless worlds of their books. Consider the most famous and unusual creatures from the bestiary of Lovecraft.
Dagon
Dagon is one of the minor gods in the myths of Cthulhu. Together with his wife, Hydra, he patronizes the deep-sea race, who proudly call them father and mother. Like the deep-sea ones themselves, Dagon looks like a humanoid with the features of a fish and amphibian, but differs in gigantic dimensions.
Tyndall Hounds
These creatures were created by the ancient god Tyndall, but after the death of the latter, at the hands of Dagon, the dogs were adopted by Shubnigur . She taught her wards all the skills necessary for survival, and became for them a real mother. But after many millennia, the dogs took Cthulhu and transferred them to Erlaykh . Since then, these creatures have become his faithful companions. They say that if the dogs sensed their prey, they will pursue it indefinitely, until they reach their goal.
Elders
Elders are a rational alien race that arrived on Earth long before humans appeared on it. Their home planet suffered from a man-made crisis, so the aliens created favorable conditions on Earth. Elders breed by spores, but only if they populate new territories. Initially, they could travel in space with the help of wings, but over time they atrophied, and the elders were forced to stay on Earth.
Shoggoty
These are unique monsters in Lovecraft's bestiary. These creatures are made up of protoplasm and look like shapeless eels. They can grow for a while the organs necessary for the implementation of certain actions. Shoggoths are artificial creations of elders who were bred for hard physical labor. Initially without consciousness, they acted, listening to the suggestion of the elders, but in the process of evolution they learned to think and manage their own form. As a result of several wars, the Shoggots defeated the elders and became free.
Gatanoa
These ancient creatures appeared on our planet long before the human race . They are immortal and live underground in the New Zealand region. According to legend, one look at this creature promises madness and death, so ancient people performed sacrifices every year to avoid the wrath of gatanoa .
Cattogua and Azathoth
Little is known about cattogua : it looks like a black toad and lives with its retinue in a dark cave. The mythical Hyperborea and Atlantis worshiped this deity as one of the supreme.
Azathoth is the most important god of the pantheon of myths Cthulhu. According to legend, he lives in the very heart of the universe, and the younger gods dance around him. Azatote is the most monstrous entity in the entire universe. Without leaving the throne, he comes in a dream or terrible visions. From the mere sound of his name, ordinary people shudder with horror.
Yog-Sotot and Cthulhu
These creatures are among the strongest, according to the bestiary of Lovecraft. Yog-Sotot sits on the gods, being the keeper of the portals between the worlds, he reflects the universe itself. This creature is located outside our universe and is able to incarnate in all times and in all space at the same time. According to legend, Yog-Sothot is able to command the time.
Cthulhu is the most famous character from the bestiary of the mythical creatures of Lovecraft. He sleeps at the bottom of the ocean, but even in this state, he can affect the human mind. Cthulhu embodies the features of an octopus, a man, and a dragon: a head with tentacles , a humanoid body, and a pair of rudimentary wings . He sleeps on top of the underwater city of Rleich in the Pacific. If the stars are located favorably, Rleich rises above the water, and Cthulhu becomes free.
Bestiary of Sapkowski Andrzej
The series of works “The Witcher ” by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski gained extraordinary popularity after the release of the legendary game “The Witcher: Wild Hunt ” . There are so many different monsters in the Witcher’s universe that the author dedicated a book to the bestiary, and quite weighty. The game really turned out to be entertaining: a huge open world, many options for the development of the plot, great graphics and, of course, a huge number of monsters that the main character Geralt will face. If you want to be well versed in the Witcher universe, a bestiary compiled by the author will come in handy. As an example, we describe some of the most common creatures.
Ghoul
The ghoul is a demon that resembles a cemetery ghoul. Ghouls usually live in old cemeteries and in places where black magic was performed. Such evil spells defile the earth, and it becomes cursed. Ghouls like to come to such land , or they rise from the graves, if it is a cemetery. How exactly , no one knows, and this is not surprising ... As the Witcher’s bestiary says, even if someone knew the truth, he would not be alive. According to a legend, ghouls were once people who ate corpses , and as a result turned into terrible creatures. Eternally hungry, they eat only human meat, therefore they kill people and leave their leftovers in their crypts.
Foulbrood
These are creatures that only remotely resemble humans: decaying skin, in some places completely absent, swollen head ... An unpleasant sight. These corpse-like creatures devour dead flesh, the remains, but do not disdain fresh meat. They can often be found on the battlefield after the battle, as well as near settlements affected by epidemics. As a rule, corpse-eaters walk in a crowd, appear suddenly, and when threatened, they also suddenly disappear, which makes them extremely difficult to exterminate.
It is interesting that the monsters of the bestiary Sapkovsky are very similar to the characters of Slavic mythology, which we will consider a little later.
Board game "Sigillum Bestiary"
This game is a gloomy mystical world , invented by a simple enthusiast from Novosibirsk. Made in the style of dark fantasy , the game looks like a real grimoire with leather binding and the image of a mysterious sigil in the middle. At the beginning of the game, the player selects 3 creature cards to be controlled. In this case, knowledge of the bestiary is almost a guarantee of victory, so it is worth considering more closely.
So, the game features 9 creatures, conditionally divided into 3 classes: tanks, damage and support. All of them have their strengths and weaknesses, as well as an approximate combat focus. Each character has an attack and 2 support skills.
- Manus (mechanical hand). This is a robot covered with metal plates with spikes, a class tank. In addition to attack skills, the manus can hide allies behind a smoke screen, reducing the enemy's visibility.
- Cerberus (otherworldly guard). This is a three-headed dog with huge paws and sharp long claws. It has excellent attack skills and belongs to the class of damageers .
- Illesebra (temptress). A very similar character to a succubus. This is a woman in a rather defiant outfit, possessing the skill of hypnosis and the ability to control the mind of the enemy. A temptress can lure an enemy into her nets, as well as strengthen her ally's defense. Belongs to the class of assistants.
- Saxum (monolith). This is a stone golem that can explode, hitting enemies with stone fragments. May enhance protection while in mountainous terrain.
- Terrarius (warrior of the underworld). Powerful character class tank. He heats the space around him, burning enemies, and also destroys the enemy with a red-hot hammer.
- Reaper. Strong only in tandem with the allies. It weakens the enemy’s defense while in the forest, and is able to force the enemy to flee the battlefield.
In general , Bestiary is a rather complicated desktop strategy, where the effect of randomness is completely absent. Players calculate their actions several moves ahead , and victory depends on their logic and ingenuity.
Slavic bestiary
In Slavic mythology, there are dozens of creatures invented by ancient people in order to explain the phenomena of nature incomprehensible to them and the unknown world. Slavic bestiary is a collection of ancient beliefs and legends, known to us since childhood. Recall some mythical creatures.
- Pharaohs are water spirits of both sexes, a type of mermaids, half-humans are half-fish . These supernatural beings were during their lifetime the Egyptians who pursued Moses and the Jews. There are legends that pharaohs become attached to a passing ship and ask frightened sailors when the Day of Judgment is. If they do not answer, the pharaohs will not leave behind. Hearing that the end of the world is coming soon, the pharaohs rejoice. If you answer that soon, they can sink the ship out of resentment, so the sailors preferred to deceive them .The interest of the pharaohs to the end of the world is connected with the legend that they are doomed to remain in this guise until the Day of Judgment.
- The Nightingale the Robber is a character in East Slavic mythology who is ambushed on a high road and kills everyone who passes through it with a wild whistle. He was depicted either as a man or a mysterious huge creature with bird wings, under which the tree bends. The epics say that the Nightingale the Robber has his own house, courtyard and a tower where his relatives live. Folklore researchers believe that this character embodied the collective image of the enemy of Russia of a certain period of history. According to legend, Nightingale won Ilya Muromets.
- Wolverine is a spirit in the guise of a female beast, living in a rye or hemp field. In Belarusian and North Russian beliefs, she is described as a demonic creature, a naked girl with long hair, which she combes with a pike comb, and next to her is a crying child. Seeing people, the wolverine immediately hides, but at night she goes hunting. If the creature meets several people, it attacks the youngest, but does not touch the old. Wolverine strangles its victim, gnaws a skull and sucks the brain.
- Zmey-Gorynych is a fairy - tale image of Russian epics in the form of a fire-breathing dragon with several heads, usually from 3 to 12. The creature lives in the mountains, next to the fiery river Smorodina, and guards the bridge over which the dead enter the other world. In epics it is also said that Gorynych preys on beautiful girls to feast on them and keep people in fear. According to legend, the snake Dobrynya Nikitich wins.
- Kikimora is a mythical female creature. Lives in people's homes and brings minor troubles to the household and people. According to legend, kikimora settles in houses where someone hanged himself, the child died or the dead man was not buried. It is also known that according to which children who were kidnapped or exchanged by evil spirits turned into kikimore. They like to joke with people, for example, appear under the guise of a child left on the road, and after they are picked up, they run away with a laugh .Kikimors live in attics, under the floor or in a closet, do not let their owners sleep, interfering with weeping or rustling, they can beat dishes and even strangle sleeping people.
- Frost or Studenets , Morozko, Zyuza - a character of Slavic fairy-tale folklore of calendar rites, personification of the natural element. This is an old man with a long white beard, who comes from the North and brings with him a winter cold. During Christmas time and Easter gloriously performed the ritual of inviting Frost to the holiday table so that he would not freeze the future harvest. Over time, the image of the evil Student transformed into the good Santa Claus.
- Volkolak is a werewolf that can take on the guise of a wolf. It is also found in the bestiary of Sapkowski. In popular beliefs, there are 2 types of wolkolaks : evil sorcerers who turn into wolves and attack people, as well as enchanted people who take the image of a beast at night. They suffer from their appearance and enchantments sent to them, but usually they do not bring harm to others . Sorcerers and witches, wanting to turn someone into a wolf, throw a wolf skin on him and whisper a spell.
- The basilisk has a cockerel head, dragon wings and a snake tail, sometimes frog legs or tiger claws. On the head is his red crest, similar to a crown, and his body is covered with scales. A basilisk may also look like a huge poisonous lizard that can kill with the help of eyes or breathing. The creature is mentioned more than once in ancient biblical stories, it can often be found on the arms of cities , for example, on the coat of arms of Moscow, where St. George pierces with a spear a snake very similar to a basilisk.