Monster Mash
Discover the origins of these mythical beasts.
Look at a 500-year-old map, and you might spot sea serpents and mermaids drawn onto the page. People from the past often thought these mythical beings were real, but it’s not because folks weren’t smart.
“They observed the world very closely,” historian Adrienne Mayor says. “And they created explanations based on the evidence they had available to them.”
In other words, some of these creatures were possibly inspired by real animals that people couldn’t yet explain or understand. Discover how five mythical monsters might’ve been created.
MERMAIDS
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People have been telling stories about half-fish, half-human creatures for at least 3,000 years. In fact, Christopher Columbus claimed to spot three “mermaids” in 1493 while sailing in the Caribbean Sea. But the explorer wasn’t too impressed, writing that the mermaids weren’t as pretty as he’d heard.
ANIMAL INSPIRATION
No one is sure how this myth got started, but some experts think that Columbus actually mistook a slow-moving manatee for a fish-woman. How? These mammals often swim near the surface to breathe, revealing smooth, human-like backs and flat, sort of fishy tails. “Our worldview shapes what we see,” folklorist Natalie Underberg-Goode says. “It’s likely Columbus had never heard of a manatee, but he expected to see mermaids.
ANIMAL INSPIRATION
No one is sure how this myth got started, but some experts think that Columbus actually mistook a slow-moving manatee for a fish-woman. How? These mammals often swim near the surface to breathe, revealing smooth, human-like backs and flat, sort of fishy tails. “Our worldview shapes what we see,” folklorist Natalie Underberg-Goode says. “It’s likely Columbus had never heard of a manatee, but he expected to see mermaids.
PHOENIXES
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You might know about the phoenix from the Harry Potter series, but this myth goes back to the ancient Egyptians, who worshipped a heron-like bird. Later, an ancient Greek historian wrote that these Egyptians believed in an eagle-size, red-and-gold bird called a phoenix that visited the land once every 500 years. Other sources added that the bird dies in a nest of flames before a new phoenix emerges from the ashes.
ANIMAL INSPIRATION
Some experts think flamingos might’ve added to this mixed-up myth. These birds live and build their nests on salt flats and lake beds that are too hot for humans. When heat rises, it can create an optical illusion that might look like fire. Plus, the bacteria that turn flamingo feathers pink can sometimes give lakes a blood-red hue. Similar to the phoenix myth, flamingos typically lay just one egg—but in a nest of mud, not ashes.
ANIMAL INSPIRATION
Some experts think flamingos might’ve added to this mixed-up myth. These birds live and build their nests on salt flats and lake beds that are too hot for humans. When heat rises, it can create an optical illusion that might look like fire. Plus, the bacteria that turn flamingo feathers pink can sometimes give lakes a blood-red hue. Similar to the phoenix myth, flamingos typically lay just one egg—but in a nest of mud, not ashes.
KRAKENS
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The first description of the power of the kraken—an enormous squidlike creature with arms as long as a ship’s mast—appeared in a Norwegian book about 800 years ago. Fishermen from this region said the monster would sink ships in a scary style. “Myths say the kraken created a whirlpool and then dragged the ships to the bottom of the sea,” Underberg-Goode says.
ANIMAL INSPIRATION
The waters off Norway are home to some of the world’s most dangerous whirlpools, which back then had not been scientifically explained. So the fishermen might’ve tried to blame the natural occurrence on a mysterious but real animal: a giant squid. Most of what we know about these 40-foot-long deep-sea animals has been learned after they occasionally wash up on shore—a live one wasn’t captured on camera in the wild until just 17 years ago.
ANIMAL INSPIRATION
The waters off Norway are home to some of the world’s most dangerous whirlpools, which back then had not been scientifically explained. So the fishermen might’ve tried to blame the natural occurrence on a mysterious but real animal: a giant squid. Most of what we know about these 40-foot-long deep-sea animals has been learned after they occasionally wash up on shore—a live one wasn’t captured on camera in the wild until just 17 years ago.
UNICORNS
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Over 2,000 years ago, Greek and Roman historians wrote separately about strange stories they heard from travelers returning from what’s now India. One writer described a wild, one-horned donkey with a white body, a purple head, and dark blue eyes. Later, the other named the creature a unicorn, describing it with a deer’s head, an elephant’s feet, a boar’s tail, and a horse’s body.
ANIMAL INSPIRATION
Historians think the travelers were trying to describe the Indian rhinoceros, but the details got mixed up—sort of like a giant game of telephone. “Writers would describe new animals based on animals that readers were more familiar with,” monster historian Joseph Nigg says. So since no one had heard of a rhino, the historians described it as a combination of parts from more familiar animals—and gave it a name.
ANIMAL INSPIRATION
Historians think the travelers were trying to describe the Indian rhinoceros, but the details got mixed up—sort of like a giant game of telephone. “Writers would describe new animals based on animals that readers were more familiar with,” monster historian Joseph Nigg says. So since no one had heard of a rhino, the historians described it as a combination of parts from more familiar animals—and gave it a name.
DRAGONS
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Tales about dragons exist all over the world—from China to Europe to North America and Australia. In some myths, the dragon has wings, breathes fire, and lives in caves; in other stories, dragons bring rain and good luck. Why did so many cultures invent tales about this scaly monster?
ANIMAL INSPIRATION
Dragons aren’t real, but other animals did leave behind humongous bones—dinosaurs and other long-extinct beasts. Since ancient people didn’t know about dinosaurs or extinction, they figured the massive fossils were dragons: In ancient China, large fossils were called dragon bones, and in Europe, enormous fossils in caves led to tales of dragons. (And some prehistoric reptiles really did fly, like the pterodactyl, a winged dino cousin.)
ANIMAL INSPIRATION
Dragons aren’t real, but other animals did leave behind humongous bones—dinosaurs and other long-extinct beasts. Since ancient people didn’t know about dinosaurs or extinction, they figured the massive fossils were dragons: In ancient China, large fossils were called dragon bones, and in Europe, enormous fossils in caves led to tales of dragons. (And some prehistoric reptiles really did fly, like the pterodactyl, a winged dino cousin.)