It is our common observation that most of the stories about mythical creatures are unique and strange. We learn about these creatures from the stories or tales of our ancestors and parents. These creatures keep us intrigued due to their unique characteristics and appearances, which look like mere fantasy. Although, many of us believe that they don’t exist in the real world and are just alive in our perception. But, what’s interesting to know is that some of these creatures have existed in the real world. It can be the reason why the authors and novel writers have put into the literature to make the audiences more interested and engaged with the content.
In many religions, there is great emphasis on these mythical creatures and their curation in the Roman and Greek mythology has kept everyone intrigued if they exist in real life.
We’ll delve into such ten fascinating creatures that we always thought of as a myth or fantasy but they exist or have existed in the real world:
10) Mermaids:
Mermaids have always been a part of the fantasy world. Many people are moved by its beauty and astounding creation. The mermaids have the upper part of the body of a human and the lower part of the body of a fish. This ability helps them to exist in aquatic and marine environments. It is obvious how such a kind of creature does not exist, but according to some sources they have existed in real life!
Christopher Columbus on his voyage to America, claimed to have spotted a total of three mermaids. According to him, the mermaids he came across had masculine traits. It’s very oblivious to think of a mermaid with masculine features. In literature and fictional stories, mermaids have always been assumed or depicted with feminine characteristics. Christopher mistook the “sea cows” for mermaids. They had similar characteristics to that of a human from growth characteristics to its standing positions.
9) Kraken:
Krakens is portrayed in the literature and stories as a legendary sea monster or creature. This creature resembles an octopus and is said to be so huge that it can sink the ship and eat its crew members. It’s obvious to think of it as a mythical creature but there are instances that it exists in real life. It is a giant squid that lives in deep oceans and has huge horrifying eyes. It doesn’t feed on humans or sink ships, the description can vary. But, it is a fascinating creature.
8) Dragons:
Dragons are depicted in history as one of the strongest and bravest creatures. They have existed in real life. They have a key resemblance with reptiles and fishes. These features have been studied from the fossils and remains of these ancient creatures. They belong to the same species as dinosaurs. However, they don’t have exactly the same features as mentioned in fantasies i-e fire fire-breathing dragons.
The dragons are also part of the culture of China. They are symbols of goodwill and luck for the people of China.
7) Pouakai:
Source: Wikipedia
Pouakai is a giant bird which has been famous in Maori mythology. According to their beliefs, this bird used to grab people from its sharp claws and eat them. This terrifying creature existed in the real world! According to sources, this bird was a king of an eagle that usually ate a large bird called the Moa which weighed more than 200 kg. This fact highlights that since it was easy for an eagle to feed on the giant moa bird, it would be easier to feed on humans.
6) Roc:
Source: Wikipedia
The Roc was another kind of giant bird that existed as a powerful and terrifying creature. According to mythology, the Roc could lift a heavy weight like an elephant off the ground. In history, birds consisting of the same features existed in Madagascar. It is called the Aepyornis. It weighed almost half a ton and was more than 10 feet tall. Due to its heavy weight, it was a flightless beast. It went extinct in the 16th century.
5) Unicorns:
The Unicorns are the favorite mythical creatures of the kids of all ages. Its majestic horse-like appearance stunning horn on the forehead and magical powers have given many people fantasies about the utopia. Unicorns are mythical creatures but one of a kind, The Siberian Unicorn was an enormous creature that weighed almost four tons and had a horn on its forehead. It was one of the species of Rhinoceros that was a herbivore and fed on the shrubs and plants.
Albeit, it is completely different from the unicorn that we have fantasised about yet it is similar in its one horn on the forehead.
4) Griffins:
Griffins are another interesting mythical creature that had the face, wings and claws of an eagle but the rear part of a lion. These unique and strange features make humans question if they have ever existed in real life.
Yes! A kind of griffin inspired by the dinosaur. It is now extinct but the fossils are studied which give evidence of such a creature. Although, it didn’t have wings and was a flightless animal.
3) Sea Serpent:
From the name, it is evident that this creature is like a giant and terrifying beast resembling a fish and snake. One of its kind, OarFish exists in real life as it is long and slender like a snake but unlike, Sea serpents it isn’t very terrifying in appearance.
It is known to be the longest fish in the world and feeds on small fishes unlike feeding on large fishes.
2) Yeti:
In 1921, the explorers on their way to the Himalayas found the huge footprints of a creature. This curiosity made them search for the evidence and came to know it was the Yeti. It is a big and hairy creature that lives in the snow. So they belong to the family of bears, instead of humans. Their natural habitat is, they belong to the snowy mountains and cold climate.
1) Gorilla:
Gorillas were first discovered by a man named Hano about 2500 years ago. As he was sailing towards West Africa, he came across a strange hairy creature that he called “rude people”. Hano’s team tried to come across these creatures but unfortunately, they ran away.
Since then Hano didn’t see them again and then after several years and centuries, another man found these creatures again. He discovered they were apes and not humans. He named them Gorillas that still exist today! The species might have varied from time to time but all of them resemble the Gorillas.
Conclusion
It is a fact to be noted that only a few features of these mythical creatures actually resemble the real creatures. Most of them might not have powers or ability to fire breath like a dragon, as these belong only to fictional stories. Albeit, it is the testament to the observers of the ancient times. Their thirst for knowledge, exploration and curiosity made it possible to shape our fantasies today. These unique features make us explore more and more about these creatures and learn about their lineage with the mythical creatures.
