One thing I have always wondered about is mythological beasts. Could they have actually existed? Dinosaurs certainly did and they seem almost even more absurd that some of the creature’s mankind has come to fear, hunt or admire. Or are they simply something mankind has made up? To prove theories of gods, perhaps? To glorify one mans travels? There are many possibilities to where mythological beasts came from. Here, I hope to explain a few.
Unicorns Not many people today believe in this majestic creature. However, there is a possibly root the legend. There are animals all over the world who have a boney protrusion that may be mistaken as a horn. Animals like the rhinoceros have such protrusions but look very little like a unicorn.
There is rumor to believe that the unicorn’s existence is due to exaggerations of travelers tales about animals like narwhales
The Oryx, a desert antelope, is also a potential root to this fabled creature.
No matter the origin, this creature was one pictured of beauty. It may have even just been a story for the world to revive hope for something beautiful to come out of war, death and the misery that human life often is.
(for more info: http://monsters.monstrous.com/unicorns.htm)
Dragons
A product of the human imagination? An answer formed to explain a fear of the unknown? Were they the dinosaurs? If they were, how did people from as late as the 1600s find out about the creatures buried far in the depths of the earth?(For more info: http://www.allaboutcreation.org/dragon-history-4.htm)
A dragon is a serpents or reptile like creature that possessed magical or spiritual qualities. Some people are lead to believe that in Eastern Mythology, the physical appearance of the dragon was born spontaneously based loosely on the appearance of serpents. (For more info : http://pictures.linkmesh.com/dragons/dragon_history.php)
Perhaps humans created these monsters to protect land claims or hidden spaces filled with the “dragon’s” (or rather the persons) treasure. Certainly “ohh there’s a rabid opossum up there, I wouldn’t go there if I were you” wouldn’t be enough. Many people are nervous around, if not scared of snakes (an evil creature in most eyes), but a giant, flying, fire-breathing, mouth full of tons of sharp teeth? No thanks, I think I’ll go in the other direction.
Cyclops A giant with one eye, bad teeth and a hunger for human flesh. These creatures were ones out of nightmares. But how could someone come up with something like this?
Mayhap they just imagined their big, burly friend “One-Eye Bob” as a giant and threated people who made fun of them that he’d sick his friend on them?
Or, as recent scholars have stated that it could have been derived form the smiths who had possibly worn eye patches to protect their eyes from sparks. This is a strong possibility since all Cyclops from Greek mythology are associated with the smith trade.
(For more info: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/cyclopes.html)
This is my friend, Bob. Dobn't make me make him eat you...
But there may yet be another point. If you take a look at the skull of an elephant:
What would stop travellers from assuming a giant man with one eye? Especially if they hadn’t seen or gotten close enough a live elephant to compare the skull to. This has always been in the back of my mind since when I first read/heard this theory.
So there you have it. The possible origins of some of the most fabled monsters known to man. Perhaps next week I may break out just all mythological creatures that are associated with horses? Or some who appear to be human but are truly not? Or maybe, I will just create a mythical creature’s blog? Comment below for the option you want
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