| Swandog (aka Xenia Eliassen) ( @ 2005-08-10 10:04:00 |
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Updated list of claimed Beasts so far...
Please use the following template when staking your claim (preferred name - LJ name - name/pic of Beast = desc of Beast):
1. Swandog -
swandog - Enfield = Has the head and ears of a fox, body of a lion, chest of a grayhound, legs and tail of a wolf and the talons and shanks of an eagle; often pictured on the Kelly family crest.
2. Mearú -
mearu - Dobhar-Chú: Known to locals as the Irish crocodile, the Dobhar-Chú's name, when roughly translated from Gaelic, literally means "water hound." Known for its voracious appetite--with a particular taste for human flesh--the creature is said to be able to travel at incredible speeds, in or out of the water. Described as being "half-wolfdog and half-fish" (perhaps the origin of the heraldric Sea-Wolf?), reports of the Dobhar-Chú (also referred to as Dhuragoo, Dorraghowor or Dobarcu) date back to at least 1684. While numerous eyewitness accounts concur with Miss. Walkington's description of a fish-like canine, other observers claim that the creature is more otter-like in appearance, complete with a short coat of albino, white hair, which makes a striking contrast against its black ear-tips and the dark swathe across its back. (More info here.)
3. The Wormwood -
the_wormwood - Peryton = A ferocious winged deer, having the head, neck, forelegs and antlers of a stag, combined with the plumage, wings and hindquarters of a large bird of prey. It was said to have the shadow of a man, being the embodiment of a sailor who perished at sea.
4. Nevar -
chlorophyta - Yale = An antelope-like beast about the size of a horse with tusks, long horns, and the tail of a lion or goat. The horns were able to swivel independently and are virtually always shown parted rather than parallel.
5. Katarina -
katarina42 - Chatloup (aka Calopus) = Has a wolf's body, cat's head and a goat's horns.
6. Tigers Kitten -
tiger_melanie - Catoblepas = A four-legged, bull-like creature with a head that is large for its body and blood-shot eyes that always look down. (Catoblepas is Greek for "that which looks downward".) It has thick eyelids, a long hanging mane, eats poisonous plants, and if frightened, it will open its mouth and emit breath that poisons the air around it.
7. Erin "Naryu" Prince -
narumi - ShiShi (aka Fuu Dog) = The Japanese Lion-Dog: a creature with magical properties and the power to repel evil spirits.
8. Blackmane -
dustwing - Heraldic Tyger (aka Egrentyne) = Has a body like a wolf, feet having splayed claws, a tufted tail like a lion, a long downcurving tusk/beak on the end of its nose, and a crest of tufts down the back of its neck.
9. Mel Smith -
melskunk - Musimon (aka Tityrus) = Has the body and horns of a goat and the head and (extra) horns of a ram.
10. Gaelif -
okojosan - Alphyn = Much like the Tyger but being thicker and stockier of body with tufts of hair all over it's body, a thicker mane, long pointed ears, a long thin tongue, and a knotted tail.
11. Laura Whent -
loregryph - Keythong - A male gryphon which has no wings, but rays or spikes of gold proceeding from several parts of his body, and sometimes with two long straight horns.
12. Tyreenya -
tyreenya - Theow (aka Thea/Thos): A wolf with the legs and cloven hooves of a deer, a cow-like tail and a rainbow mane. It was said to be extremely fast and to have a gentle nature.
13. Kahvie -
kavsie - Cerberus = In Greek mythology, the three-headed, serpent-tailed (often with a serpent's head attached) watchdog who guards the entrance to the lower world, Hades. Cerberus permitted new spirits to enter the realm of dead, but allowed none of them to leave.
14. Amoux -
wolphyn - Opinicus = A small creature, having a gryphon's head, neck and wings (lacking ears), a lion's or lynx's body and a bear's, camel's or lynx's tail.
15. Macawi -
tinyblueoctopus - Heraldic Panther = A leopard-like beast with four horns, the ears of a cow, forelimbs of an eagle, and a long red tongue or else flames spouting from it's mouth and ears.
16. Nyokirrr Sacrawez -
nyokirrr04 - Salamander = Small lizard, with stars or spots on it, sometimes described as being in the shape of a man. They are cold, and impervious to fire; if placed in a fire, a Salamander will put it out. Very poisonous; if it wraps itself around a tree, all of the fruit will become poisoned. Asbestos was at first believed to be Salamander wool.
17. Obsidian -
obsidian_wolf - Shadhahvar = In Persia, a single horn was the symbol for the highest cruelty and danger and therefore the Shadhahvar was regarded as a dangerous beast. It looked somewhat like an antelope yet with a single horn on its forehead which had hollow ends that created the most beautiful and tempting melodies when the wind was blowing through them. Other animals who heard these melodies were lured out of hiding by the sound and were killed and devoured by the Shadhahvar when they attempted to approach it.
18. SnowCat -
charreed - Calygreyhound = Has the head of a wildcat with bulbous horns, tufted body and tail and claws on it's forefeet.
19. Pshaw -
pshaw_raven - Amphisbæna = A two-headed serpent or dragon with bird wings. It can live in cold weather and, according to a few sources, eats ants. It has either two or four scaled legs, and sometimes is shown as having equal-sized horned heads on each end, so you can't tell which is the front or back.
20. Terzy -
terzy - Questing Beast = From Arthurian legend: King Pellinore's elusive prey, the Questing beast has a serpentine head, a leopard's body, the hind legs of a lion and the forelegs of a deer.
21. DimeSpin -
dimespin - Sea Stag = A beast with the top half of stag and bottom half of a fish.
22. Casidhe -
_casidhe_ - Sleipnir = Odin's horse (often black), having eight legs, who can gallop as fast as the wind.
23. Soryane -
soryane - Lamia (art by Rebecca Kemp) = Greek demons that have the upper torso of a beautiful woman with long black hair, the lower front half of a lion and the back lower half of a black goat. They are also often depicted as a woman with the lower body of a snake like a naga.
24. Caitlyn "Chaser" Lillo -
lupusetgruis - Senmurv (aka Simurgh) = A giant Persian bird-mammal, with the head and forefeet of a dog, and the wings and back-end similar to that of a peacock or Phoenix.
25. Rebecca "NaniOokami" Cherish -
tempestfang - Leucrota = A swift beast that lives in India: the result of a mating between a hyena and a lioness, the same size as an ass, but with a horse's head, chest and legs like a lion, hind quarters like a stag, and cloven hoofs. It has an extremely wide mouth, that stretches from one ear to the other. It does not have individual teeth, but only a single bone where teeth should be. Like the hyena, the Leucrota can make sounds that resemble human speech.
26. Ultraviolet -
ultraviolet - Jaculus (aka Amphiptere) = A flying serpent with feathered wings. It hides in a tree until an animal passes underneath, and then it throws itself down on the animal and kills it.
27. Orion Sandstorrm -
waywind - Campchurch (aka Camphur or Camphruch) = An amphibious unicorn with a gray collar-like mane, forelegs with the cloven hooves of a stag, webbed hind feet of a goose, and usually depicted with a short deer-like tail. This differs from the heraldric Sea Unicorn, which has a fish tail.
28. Rose Quoll -
rosequoll - Bunyip = From Austrailian Aboriginal stories and art, as well as in modern reports. Described as having tusks, flippers, and a tail like a horse. It lived in or near water such as creeks and pools from dried up river beds (billabongs.) Supposedly emerged at night to prey on animals, and women and children. It gives a loud bellowing cry if approached. When the Aborigines hear the cry, they stay away from the water. More recent accounts vary widely in their descriptions, ranging from hairy, scaled, feathered, fur, long tail, long neck, horse head, bird head, etc.
29. Chibi -
chibithejournal - Nekomata = A magical cat with two tails that can control the dead.
30. Selunca -
theredwolf - Manticore (aka Mantygre) = Has the body and four legs of a lion (with or without dragon wings), the head of a man (with a lion's mane), having triple rows of teeth, and the poisonous, spiked tail of a scorpion or dragon.
31. Synnabar -
synnabar - Chimæra = Monster from Greek mythology that has a lion's body and three heads (goat, lion and dragon) with a serpent for a tail. Supposedly breathed fire.
32. Moony -
moonykins - Dragonné: Has the upper body and forelegs of a lion with the wings, hindlegs and tail of a dragon.
33. Magnoona -
magnoona - Karkadann = As large as a rhinoceros, it had a tail like a lion, cloven hooves, a single black, spiraled horn, a voice so loud and bellowing that all the birds and animals fled from it, and when it ran, the earth shook. Few animals were willing to stand up to such a creature, and normally even elephants would flee at the sight of a Karkadann. Although it was very dangerous to approach it, sometimes cooing like a ring dove might temporarily tame it.
34. Hoofire Ada'lante Solarflare -
meri_sielu - Cernunnos = A man with long hair, beard and the antlers or head (and sometimes the hind legs) of a stag. He wears and often carries torcs in his hands or hanging from his antlers, as well as a purse filled with coins. He is usually portrayed seated and cross-legged, in a position which some have interpreted as meditative or shamanic, although it may only reflect the fact that the Celts squatted on the floor when hunting. Cernunnos is nearly always portrayed with animals, and is frequently associated with a unique beast that seems to belong primarily to him: a serpent with the horns of a ram, which may have been a deity in its own right. Less often he is associated with other beasts, including bulls, dogs and rats. Because of his frequent association with beasts scholars often describe Cernunnos as the "Lord of the Animals" or the "Lord of Wild Things".
35. Blue -
labluething - Cetus (aka Ketos) = In Greek mythology, the sea-monster Cetus was created by the gods. In the myths, Cassiopea thought that she and her daughter Andromdea were more beautiful than the gods. In revenge, Poseidon demanded that Andromeda was to be chained to a rock where Cetus, a creature with the body of a dolphin, a forked tail and the head of a greyhound was to eat her. However, Perseus saw the girl, immediately fell in love with her and defended her from the monster, eventually killing it and turing it to stone with the gorgon Medusa's head.
36. Blackunigryphon -
blackunigryphon - Capricorn = The 10th sign of the zodiac, represented by a goat with crooked horns and the hind parts of a fish or dolphin. The goat symbolizes Pan, the lusty and licentious god normally portrayed as a bearded, curly-haired human with the legs, tail and horns of a goat. On plunging into the Nile to escape from the mighty Typhon, the father of dangerous winds, Pan's upper part became wholly goat but the submerged parts changed into those of a fish.
37. GrayWolf -
_graywolf_ - Gulon = As big as a dog, a face like a cat, very sharp nails, long brown hair, and a tail like a fox. This animal overeats, and then has to squeeze himself between two trees to push the food through his system, then it returns to eat again. Based off of a wolverine, the Gulon is considered to be a symbol of gluttony.
38. Tiger Yan -
terminal_frost - Bagwyn = Similar to the Heraldic Antelope, but having the bushy tail of a horse, cloven hooves, long horns curving over the ears, fringes of fur on the legs, and long, swept-back attires.
39. Keaalu -
keaalu - Ammut (aka Ammit, Ahemait, Amemit, Ammemet) = An Egyptian demoness having the head of a crocodile, the fore-quarters of a lioness and the hind-quarters of a hippopotamus. She was known as the "Eater of Hearts" and "The Devourer" because she was a demoness of punishment. She was a netherworld dweller who waited by the scales of judgement to consume the heads or hearts of those who did evil during their lives. She was not worshipped, and was never regarded as a goddess. Instead she embodied man-eating creatures that the Egyptians feared, threatening to eat them if they did not follow the principals of Ma'at.
40. Lizbeast -
lizbeast - Garuda: An eagle-bodied Hindu diety and appointed carrier of Vishnu that has a human's face (with a hooked beak), a human's upper torso, arms and hands, and is said to hatch fully grown, flying fearlessly forward and never looking back. Garuda is the king of the birds, and mocks the wind with the speed of his flight. When he emerged from the egg his vast form filled the skies, the hurricane from his beating wings shook the earth, and the unbearable luminosity emanating from his golden body caused even the gods to mistake him for Agni, the god of fire. (More info here.)
41. Frida -
gnistra - Mara = Women once tried to use magic to get a painless childbirth, but they didn't get away with it. If the child was a boy he was doomed to be a Werewolf; if it was a girl she became a Mara. The Mara is connected with nightmares...during the night she "rides" people; she sits on them and torments them. She is said to look like a mix between rabbit and cat.
42. WhiteDeath
turbulentfizz - Nuckelavee's (aka Nuchlavis') Horse = One of the most fearsome and gruesomely-described supernatural creatures, the Nuckelavee inhabited parts of Northern Scotland. The creature's home was in the sea but it often ventured on land to feast upon humans. The Nuckelavee rode a "horse" on land, and its horse was often indistinguishable from and actually intermeshed with its own body. The horse is described as having one red eye, a mouth the size of a whale's and flippers like fins around its forelegs. The Nuckelavee's head was ten times larger than that of a man's, and its mouth thrust out like a pig's with a wide gaping maw. The creature (as well as its horse) had no skin, and its yellow veins, muscle structure and sinews, could clearly be seen covered in a red slimy film. The creature was armed with venomous breath and great strength. It did, however, have one weakness: an aversion to fresh water. In one tale, a man called Tammy escapes the beast by jumping over running water, leaving his bonnet in the monster's clutches. This theme of a narrow escape often crops up in Scottish folklore. It is also noted that many supernatural creatures cannot cross fresh running water. (More info here.)
43. Sl'askia -
slaskia - Intulo = An evil, lizard-like primate of African (Zulu) folklore. Tales of the Intulo hail from the South African province of KwaZulu Natal. Chronicled simultaneously in both Zulu and Xosa legends, these creatures have been sparsely described as "lizard-like creatures with human characteristics".
44. Karja -
ginkaruja - Su = A wild beast from Patagonia that has a broad tail and carries its young on its back. It was described in legend as a "cruell, untameable, impatient, violent, ravening, and bloody beast." When it saw hunters coming after it, "she roareth, cryeth, howleth, brayeth, and uttereth such a fearefull, noysome, and terrible clamor that the men which watch to kill her are not thereby a little amazed." The natives captured this beast by digging pits, which they covered up. When the beast fell in, it would kill its own young so that they would not be captured. Because it can get cold in Patagonia, the natives prized the skin of the Su for clothing. (The Su was most likely based on sightings by the natives of the Giant Ground Sloth/Megatherium.)
45. Tiina Purin -
dragoncreator - Melusine = A two-tailed mermaid/naga from a French Medieval tale...Melusine married Raymond of Poitou, although she forbid him to see her in the bath one day out of the week. They had children, and some of them had strange features like big teeth. One day he spied on her in the bath, and saw that she was part serpent or fish. At this she fled, never to be seen again, but whenever a member of Melusine's family dies, a dragon is said to fly overhead, weeping. There are different versions of this story. (More info here.)
46. Tallulah -
darklingmare - Barnacle Goose = A type of goose that grows on trees, and then drops into the water. Some people thought that these geese hatched from barnacles, and were thus able to eat them on Friday, since they were considered to be fish, not meat.
47. Melo -
sekhmet - Sea-Lion (aka Morse, Lion Poisson) = Has the upper body of a lion, webbed forefeet, and the tail of a fish.
48. Syris -
shadowfaux - Cú Sith = A huge fairy hound from Scotland with shaggy green fur and a long braided tail. It was roughly the size of large calf and was considered dangerous to meet. The creature was capable of hunting in silence, and would let out three barks, which could be heard from miles around. Supernatural dogs are usually completely black or white with red ears, this is the only example of a green dog although green is the color of the fairies.
49. Tarkheki -
gishkishenh - Wasco = A giant Sea Monster from Haida mythology that is part wolf and part orca whale (usually depicted is a wolf with 2-3 dorsal fins of an orca on its back and with flukes coming out of its legs). It had the ability to move on both land and in the sea, and would hunt and eat orcas (killer whales). In past times, the Wasco was known to terrorize Haida villages along the coast of Haida Gwaii. (More info here.)
50. Iatro -
iatro - Sirrush (aka Sta, Mushussu) = This creature is serpent-like, with the scaly head and skin of a snake, the forefeet and tail of a lion, and an eagle's talons for hind feet. (More info here.)
51. Hockeyraven -
hockeyraven - Piasa = A bird-like monster that was as large as a calf with horns like a deer, red eyes, a beard like a tiger's, a face like a man, the body covered with green, red and black scales and a tail so long it passed around the body, over the head and between the legs. The creature was given its name by the Illinois Indians, and it translates to: "a bird that devours men". (More info here and here.)
52. Mare -
equine_nike - Bukephalos (aka Bucephalus) = The famous steed of Alexander the Great, described as a huge horse with the ivory horn of a unicorn and the tail of a peacock. The name Bukephalos means "ox-head", and he was named so because his head was big and broad, like that of an ox. He was a gift from the Egyptian queen on Alexander's birthday, and Alexander was the only one who was able to ride the huge horse. When Bukephalos died, it's said that Alexander built a whole city to the honour of his loyal steed.
53. Sefeiren -
sefeiren - Quetzalcoatl (aka Amphitere) = The quetzal-feathered and winged serpent deity of ancient Mesoamerica, one of the main gods of many Mexican and northern Central American civilizations. (More info here and here.)
54. Jessica "Rangler" Di Trani -
rangler - Asp = A dragon with decorative, feathered wings and having only two hind legs like a wyvern and large, pointed ears. It avoids the enchantment of music by pressing one ear against the ground and plugging the other ear with the end of its tail. In some versions the Asp guards a tree that drips balm; to get the balm, men must first put the Asp to sleep by playing or singing to it. Another version holds that the Asp has a precious stone called a carbuncle embedded in its forehead, and the enchanter must say certain words to the Asp to obtain the stone. (More info here and here.)
55. Hannah "VioletWolf" Matthews -
violetwolf - Kludde = In Belgian folklore, a goblin water spirit which roams the Flemish country side that attacks travelers. Seen as either a huge, winged black dog, walking on his hind legs and slithering between the treeslike a great snake. Also depicted as an enormous furry cat or a hideous bird. Warned travelers listen for the only sound which betrays that Kludde is in the vicinity: the rattling of the chains with which the spirit is covered.
56. Keealu -
keealu - Ammut (aka Amemit) = "The Devourer", Eater of Hearts of the Unworthy, the crocodile-headed lion/hippo monster that sat beside the scales in the Ancient Egyptian judgement, and consumed the hearts of those Egyptians that had not lived according to Ma'at.
If I've missed anyone, or you want your info changed, please let me know--thanks! :D And BTW, when choosing a Beast, please try to challenge yourself and help make the folio more interesting by choosing the most unusual hybrid you can find that catches your fancy. :)
~SD