P is for… Peteliae

Aelian describes the Peteliae as tiny, pale crabs that form in mud. They have small wings that are incapable of flight, instead generating only enough lift to speed them up a bit. Eating them is good for sciatica.

O is for… Opimachus

The chargol insect of Leviticus begat the ophiomachus (“snake fighter”) of the Septuagint, by way of Aristotle’s account of snake-eating locusts. This in turn begat the opimachus of the Ortus Sanitatis, which merges it with the snake-fighting secretary bird. Did it beget the word “opinicus” as well?

N is for… Nhang

“Nhang” is a Persian word for crocodile. In Armenian it refers to the Biblical crocodile and hippopotamus and a monstrous aquatic spirit that lives in the Euphrates. It can appear as a woman or a seal. It seizes people and drowns them, then drains them of their blood.

M is for… Markupo

The Markupo is a Philippine serpent with a red crest, a thorny tongue, a forked tail, and a pleasant singing voice. It exhales a poison of extraordinary deadliness – if the poison is sprinkled on a plant, the plant will wither and its very shadow will kill anyone it touches.

L is for… Lomie

Found in the forests of Bohemia, the ill-defined Lomie has a bladder full of boiling hot water under its neck. It blasts and scalds assailants before making its escape.

K is for… Karnabo

The bastard offspring of a sorcerer and a ghoul, the Karnabo lives in Regniowez in the Ardennes. It has an elephant’s trunk (capable of a chilling whistle) and lethal basilisk eyes. Its misdeeds are many, but it does cure paronychia on Good Fridays.

J is for… Jarjacha

The Jarjacha is a long-necked, four-legged nocturnal animal with glowing eyes. It only eats incestuous people. Its mocking call – jar-jar-jar-jar-jar – echoing in the mountains of Peru is a sign that someone in the village has been Up To No Good, and the guilty parties are duly sought out and punished.

I is for… Ieltxu

Ieltxu is a Basque spirit that appears as a human, a pig, or a bird shooting flames from its mouth. It is mischievous rather than evil, but that distinction is moot after you’ve spent a miserable night following its flame in the wilderness.

H is for… Haüt

The Haüt is a grotesque South American monster described by Thevet. It is the size of a large African monkey, with a childlike face. Its paws have long claws shaped like fishbones and its fur never looks wet. Despite its ugliness it is harmless and frequently emits deep sighs like a man in pain. As it refuses all food given to it in captivity, it is believed that the haüt, like the bird of paradise, lives on nothing but air.

G is for… Guirivilu

The Guirivilu hails from Mapuche folklore of Chile and Argentina. An aquatic vulpine creature, it has a long prehensile tail tipped with a vicious hook. It is – of course – a threat to anything in the water, but cutting off its tail makes it harmless.