Ancient legends about wild tribes living in the inaccessible wilds of forests and high in the mountains - is it just the fruit of the rich imagination of ancient storytellers? … But no. It turns out that eminent scientists and travelers who lived in those distant times contributed to their creation. Researchers talked about the existence of outlandish people without heads, with one leg or one eye in the forehead.
Blemmia
According to the records of the great Greek Herodotus, 2,500 years ago, a tribe of giants with a powerful torso, which had no heads at all, lived in the Libyan desert. And after another four centuries this was confirmed by the Roman Pliny the Elder.
Only he settled the headless tribe closer to the equator - in Ethiopia. It was there that they roamed, terrifying people. Later, in the XIII-XIV centuries, European historians spoke about unusual people. The last such story is dated to the 17th century.
All evidence is united by a similar description of the headless: tall - about 3.5 m, eyes and mouth are located on the chest, wild and aggressive disposition.
Promotional video:
Fusan
The territory east of modern China fifteen centuries ago was a conservation area. Nobody knew what was there, and what tribes lived there. Finally, a missionary named Hui Shan equipped a naval expedition and, upon his return, told the Chinese emperor something amazing. It turns out that he managed to get to the distant country of Fusan.
Only women lived in it, and there were no men at all. Women did not even need them for conception. In order to become pregnant, the beauties had to go into the river and wait until a new life was born inside. Pregnancy lasted four months, and the mother's newborn baby was fed with ears, from which the children sucked juice. You will say complete nonsense, but they believed the traveler! The famous astrologer Varahamihiri also claimed to have seen them.
Panotii
Pliny the Elder described in his work yet another race of humanoid beings. They allegedly inhabited Scythia - the territory where Russia, Ukraine and the Caucasian states are now located.
Panotias had a distinctive feature - giant ears, drooping, like elephant ears, in which people could wrap themselves, keeping warm from the cold, and use them as clothing. Pliny was also supported by the geographer Pomponius, who also lived in Rome. He only corrected the historian: the Panotians lived to the north - on the territory of modern Scotland.
In the same places lived another tribe - the hippopods
They have hooves instead of feet. Both scholars have described members of the Panotii tribe as dangerous, incredibly powerful cannibals that are best kept away from.
Calistria
The Greek Ctesias, who lived 2500 years ago, having returned from a long journey to distant India, amazed his compatriots with the story of a dog-headed tribe inhabiting the mountainous regions of the country. These half-humans, half-dogs, it turns out, exist next to ordinary people, and can even communicate with them.
Only here Calistrians do not speak, but bark, or use sign language. Ctesias even managed to get data on the number of dogheads - more than one hundred thousand. It is surprising that the Chinese who lived in the Tian era (VII-X centuries) and the Italian Marco Polo in the XIII century also reported strange intelligent creatures living in different regions of India.
Arimaspi
From one Scythian, Herodotus allegedly heard a story about a tribe of one-eyed people who settled in the north of Scythia, where the Ural Mountains rise, which were then called Riphean.
Their only eye was located in the middle of their forehead. They were so fearless that they dared to settle next to griffins - greedy birds of prey guarding untold treasures. The Arimasps made their way into the griffin's den, stole gold and transported it to Scythia. The state grew rich and became more and more powerful.
Sciopods
After the journey of Ctesias, people learned about the one-legged people who also allegedly inhabited India. According to the traveler's story, the single foot of the sciopod was incredibly huge, and allowed giant leaps.
A one-legged one could easily take a height of a man's height from a place. Ctesias was believed by many - for example, Sciopods were depicted on maps of India, and Isidore of Seville immortalized them in the famous Bestiary.
Astomoi
It seems that India, according to the ideas of the ancient Greeks, was completely inhabited by strange tribes. In the 7th century, the traveler Megasthenes told about people who did not have a mouth at all.
They ate the scent of plants, smelling their flowers and roots. The Astomoi had a hairy body and, according to later testimony, was tiny in stature. They made hissing sounds from a hole in the center of their faces.
Abarimons
The Himalayan mountains were inhabited by people who had their feet turned back, but they could run very quickly. They also had eight toes.
For the first time, the scout of Alexander the Great met with the Abarimons, and then his story was confirmed by the ubiquitous Megasthenes, who said that he also met them during his wanderings.
Libyan satyrs
It turns out that the myth of the half-humans, half-goats also has a foundation. They were confidently described by Pliny, Herodotus, and Plutarch.
Allegedly, several such creatures were seen in Ethiopia and in southern Europe by Roman soldiers, it even turned out to catch one of them. According to historians, the skin of a satyr killed in Africa was even put on public display in one of the Greek cities.