Today movie screens are filled with zombies, ghouls, vampires and other monsters. But in reality, terrible creatures are not always a product of the imagination of modern scriptwriters and director. In ancient myths and in folklore, there are also more terrible entities, however, many of them are not as publicized as those that hit the screens.
1. Blemmia
Blemmias have no head.
Blemmias are fairly ancient creatures. They were first mentioned by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Physically, they are very similar to ordinary people with one significant difference - the blemmias do not have a head. Their mouths, eyes and noses are on their chest. According to ancient sources (for example, Pliny wrote about blemmia), these creatures were quite widespread throughout North Africa and the Middle East. In later literature, Blemmia were also described as cannibals.
2. Sphena
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Gorgon Sfena.
Sfena is a monster from Greek mythology. Many more people know her sister Medusa. The famous gorgon was the youngest of the family, she had 2 older sisters - Euriala and Sfena.
Like her sisters, Sfena had long, sharp fangs and red snakes for hair. Stories tell that Sfena was the most ferocious and bloodthirsty of the family, she killed more men than both of her sisters put together.
3. Hitotsume-kozo
Looks like a small bald child.
In Japanese myths, many supernatural monsters are described, usually called youkai. One of the Yokai varieties is the hitotsume-kozo, which is something like a Cyclops: it has only one giant eye in the middle of its face. However, the hitotsume kozo is even creepier than the cyclops as it looks like a small bald child.
4. Mananangal
An ugly woman without a lower body, but with giant wings.
This disgusting creature comes from the Philippines. It shares some similarities with the vampire, although Mananangal is more repulsive in both appearance and behavior. Mananangal is usually depicted as a very ugly woman who is capable of ripping off her lower body, growing giant wings, and flying at night. Mananangals have a long proboscis at the site of their tongue, which they use to suck blood from sleeping people. Most of all, they love pregnant women, and more specifically, they suck the heart of their fetus.
Those who encounter a mananangal should avoid the flying torso and try sprinkling garlic and salt on the separated lower body of this creature - this will kill it.
5. Kelpie
Lake monster.
One of the most famous monsters in Celtic mythology, the Kelpie is a horse-like creature found in the lakes of Scotland. Kelpies love to lure people, drown them in lakes, drag them into their den and eat them.
One of the hallmarks of kelpies is their ability to transform from horse to human. Most often, they take the form of an attractive man who lures victims into his den. Much less often, the kelpie appears as a beautiful woman. According to legend, one way to identify kelpies in human form is through their hair, which is constantly damp and full of algae. Some stories also say that kelpies retain their hooves even in human form.
6. Strigoi
Monster of Dacian mythology.
Strigoi, which are similar to the more famous poltergeists, are some of the oldest creatures on this list. They belong to Dacian mythology and were later adopted by the Romanian culture. These are evil spirits who have risen from the dead and are trying to resume the normal life that they once led. But with this existence, the Strigoi drink the very essence of life from their relatives. They are somewhat similar in their actions to vampires.
There is no doubt that people throughout Eastern Europe were mortally afraid of the Strigoi. Remarkably, this belief has survived to this day, especially in rural areas of Romania. Just 10 years ago, relatives of the recently deceased dug his corpse and burned his heart, because they believed that the deceased had turned into a Strigoi.
7. Yogorumo
Giant man-eating spider.
Surely no one would have refused if he was seduced by the most beautiful woman in the world, and then took him to her home. At first such a man would feel like the happiest person, but this opinion would surely change soon when this beautiful woman would show her true nature - a giant man-eating spider. Another Japanese monster from the Youkai clan is Yogorumo. It is a giant spider that can transform into a beautiful woman to lure prey. After the yogorumo takes possession of a person, he wraps him in a silk web, injects poison, and then devours the prey.
8. Black Annis
A witch from English folklore.
Also known as Black Agnes, this witch is a traditional character in English folklore. Some believe that its roots can be traced much further - to Celtic or Germanic mythology. Black Annis has a hideous blue face and iron claws, and she also loves to feed on people, especially small children. Her favorite pastime is roaming the ravines at night in search of unsuspecting children, kidnap them, drag them into her cave, and then cook the children for dinner. After she eats the children, Annis makes clothes out of their skin.
9. Goblin
The spirit of the forest among the Slavs.
Leshy is the spirit of forests and parks in many Slavic cultures. In fact, he is the protector of the forest. Goblin is friends with animals, which he can call for help and dislikes people, although, in some cases, farmers manage to make friends with gobies. In this case, they protect the crops of people and can even teach them magic.
Physically, goblin are described as tall people with hair and beards made of vines and grass. However, they are also werewolves, capable of varying in size from the tallest tree in the forest to the smallest blade of grass. They can even turn into ordinary people. In this case, goblin can give out glowing eyes and shoes, dressed back to front.
Leshy are not evil creatures at all, rather they are deceivers and love mischief. For example, they like to entangle people in the forest, and sometimes lure people into their caves, imitating the voices of their loved ones (after that, the lost can tickle to death).
10. Brownie
Keeper of the house among the Slavs.
In Slavic mythology, it is believed that every house has its own brownie. He is usually described as a small bearded man covered with hair. He considers himself the guardian of the house and not necessarily evil. His actions are completely dependent on the behavior of the inhabitants. The brownie is angry with people who neglect their home and who swear. And for those who behave well and take care of the house, the brownie quietly helps with household chores. He also likes to watch sleeping people.
Do not anger the brownie, because he begins to take revenge on people. At first, otherworldly groans will begin to be heard in the house, plates beat and things disappear. And if the brownie is finally brought, then he can kill people in their own bed.