Mythical Creatures: Legendary Bestiary

Explanation: The Sphinx posed the famous riddle: "What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon, three in the evening?" Oedipus answered "man" and the Sphinx threw itself into the void.

Explanation: Cerberus, son of Typhon and Echidna, guards the entrance to the Greek Underworld with its three heads. Only Heracles, Orpheus, and Aeneas managed to get past it.

Explanation: Perseus beheaded Medusa using his shield as a mirror to avoid her gaze. From Medusa's blood was born Pegasus, the winged horse.

Explanation: The Phoenix is reborn from its ashes after being consumed by fire. A symbol of immortality and resurrection, it appears in many mythologies (Greek, Egyptian, Chinese).

Explanation: The Minotaur, half-man half-bull, was imprisoned in the Labyrinth built by Daedalus in Crete. Theseus killed it with the help of Ariadne's thread.

Explanation: The Chinese imperial dragon has five claws, a privilege reserved for the emperor. Nobles used four-clawed dragons, commoners three-clawed ones.

Explanation: The Kraken is a creature from Scandinavian mythology, described as a giant squid or octopus capable of capsizing ships. It terrorized Norwegian sailors.

Explanation: The Hydra of Lerna had nine heads, one of which was immortal. When one head was cut off, two more would grow back. Heracles had to cauterize the stumps to defeat it.

Explanation: Pegasus sprang from Medusa's blood when Perseus beheaded her. He was later ridden by Bellerophon to fight the Chimera.

Explanation: The Basilisk, king of serpents, kills with its mere gaze. In medieval legends, only a rooster's crow or its own reflection in a mirror could destroy it.

Explanation: The Chimera breathed fire and ravaged Lycia. It was killed by Bellerophon riding Pegasus, who thrust a lead-tipped lance into its mouth.

Explanation: Odysseus had himself tied to the mast of his ship while his sailors had their ears blocked with wax. Thus he could hear the deadly song without succumbing.

Explanation: Centaurs had a human torso on a horse's body. The most famous, Chiron, was wise and scholarly, tutor to Achilles and Asclepius.

Explanation: The Kitsune gains a tail every 100 years until it has nine. At that point, it becomes a divine being of golden or white color, endowed with immense powers.

Explanation: Fenrir, son of Loki, was chained by the gods with a magical chain. He will break free during Ragnarök to devour Odin before being killed by Vidar.

Explanation: The Griffin combines the strength of the lion (king of land animals) and the eagle (king of birds). It guarded treasures and was a symbol of divine power.

Explanation: The Banshee (bean sídhe, "woman of the hills") wails to announce an imminent death in certain Irish families. Her chilling cry foretells doom.

Explanation: The Loch Ness Monster ("Nessie") has supposedly been sighted since the 6th century. The most famous photo (1934) turned out to be a hoax, but the myth endures.

Explanation: The Yeti is said to be a giant ape-like creature living in the Himalayas. Despite many expeditions, no proof of its existence has been found.

Explanation: The Golem comes from Jewish tradition. The most famous is the Golem of Prague, created by Rabbi Loew in the 16th century to protect the Jewish community.