Never knew world building dragons could be so much fun. Stuck in your fantasy story? Try doing some image searches. I want dragons in my latest WIP Devortus Reigns. Never used them before. The creatures need to be different…somehow. On to Pinterest and Google Images. I already have a Fantasy/Mystical Creatures board. Follow Auden’s board…
I decided to pick a dragon this time. I tend to stay away from them because they’re fantasy staples, like elves. But, there are different types of dragons and I don’t know a thing about any of them. I picked Ryujin because it sounds badass. Sounds like something from an anime. Image Source: Wikia Ryujin…
Here’s a bloody ceremony and a vengeful beasty. I was surprised the Dog-Demon has such a dark story. They’re the main characters in one of my favorite animes. Sesshomaru is still my favorite character even though the anime has been over for years. The Inugami (dog god) can be conjured through a cruel ceremony. A…
Other cultures have different types of shapeshifting animals while we seem to focus on wolves. I’m real tired of werewolves. Unless it’s Underworld, then I love lycans. Raccoon-dog or tanuki is another popular creature in anime. In most shows, it’s there to be adorable. It is so useless. The tanuki is a reminder that not…
Here’s another creature I come across often in anime and manga. I didn’t know werecats were a thing- you know, an actual folklore. I just though it was something people made up. If you’ve ever watched anime, you’d know they love putting cat ears on characters, especially females. In folklore and fantasy fiction, werecats are…
When I see a mystical being in one of my favorite shows, I have to look it up. While doing this research, I realized Yuki Onna appears often in anime. This was fun! It’s fascinating linking a character from a show to actual mythology. “The Yuki Onna is one of Japan’s most well-known and yet…
Image Credit: Cara Jane Mitten You always hear about werewolves. I didn’t know werehyenas existed. They sound far more interesting than the shapeshifters we often read about. Common in legends from Morocco to Angola, werehyenas are the North African equivalent of the werewolf. In Ethiopia, it’s traditionally believed that every blacksmith, whose trade is hereditary, is…
It’s always fun learning about creatures I’ve seen in anime. Here’s a fun mythical creature for you. A Nue is a legendary yokai or mononoke found in Japanese folklore. Sometimes called the Japanese Chimera, it is described as having the head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog (tanuki), the legs of a tiger, and…
Here’s a badass for your world building inspiration. Imagine this little charmer tearing through your fantasy world. Also known as Abaaht, Abaasy, Abasy, the Abaasy originates in Russian mythology, legend and folklore. They’re demons in the mythology of the Sakha (also known as the Yakuts). The Yakut live in the Lena River valley and other areas of the…
Thanks to Diane Carlisle’s suggestion on my last mythical creature post, here’s another awesome character to inspire your world-building efforts. Stories of her are popular in Russia, Poland, Czec Republic and Slovakia. “The name of Baba Yaga is composed of two elements. Baba means “grandmother” or “old woman” in most Slavic languages… Yaga is probably a…
