Top 5 Fantasy Creatures

*Note* Top 5 Wednesdayis a Goodreads group where blogger/vloggers post about a bookish topic every Wednesday. You can check it out right here. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday

     Although this week’s topic is monsters, I decided not to feature spooky or scary creatures. Why? Because I am a skittish young woman who still can’t even read the synopsis of a horror novel without getting nightmares. However, that isn’t to say I don’t like any fictional creatures at all, just the ones that keep me up at night. As a self-proclaimed folklore expert* I enjoy looking into fantasy creatures and the culture that imagined them.

 Centaurs

  I find the concept of a centaur as something so ridiculous I have to like it. It’s a man with horse legs! Also, centaurs have two ribcages. Which would mean centaurs have two hearts. Therefore, centaurs are time lords. 

Wild Haggis

     A creature living in the highlands of Scotland. Satirically it is referred as the source of haggis a traditional dish in Scotland that I have no intention of trying any time soon. However, the wild haggis is just too cute for me not to love. They either have a longer set of right legs or a longer set of left legs so that they can walk perfectly balanced on the uneven hills in which they live.   

Mermaids 

     What I love about mermaids is that they appear in the folklore of almost every continent. Mermaids are also associated with peril at seas, flood, and pretty much every other disaster that resulted in water going out of control. Other traditions present mermaids as the bringers of good fortune.

 Unicorns 

     In medieval-European folklore, a unicorn wasn’t strictly a horse with a horn. According to tradition, a unicorn was a wild, often white, four-legged creature that looked kind of like a cross between a goat and a horse. Describing unicorns like that make them sound goofy, but unicorns were symbols of grace and purity. Their horns were said to be capable of healing sickness and removing impurities from water! 

                                                                                           Phoenix 

     Not the X-man or the capital of Arizona. A phoenix is a bird that dies in a burst of roaring fire and returns from the ashes. If that isn’t hardcore then I don’t know what is. In traditional art, the Phoenix is often depicted with a halo as the bird is associated with the sun. However, there is no consensus on what color a phoenix should be, but many speculations say the phoenix’s coloring makes it stand out from other birds. Given its ability to regenerate, the phoenix is a symbol of renewal, resurrection, and even Christ. 

*Note* I do not have a bachelor’s degree nor have I ever taken a class on folklore. All my knowledge of oral traditions is based on my own imperfect research.