List of Mythic creatures

OK, I've had some great feedback from the other thread and I've been able to make up a list of D&D creatures that have counterparts in real world mythology. Creatures marked with * are ones I'm fairly certain are where they're supposed to be. Those without * are just guesses and have yet to be confirmed by more then one source, or any source at all. Although this list is for an ancient campaign I'm not limiting the list to any one time period. I would still like to keep more modern creatures to a minimum though, unless they're needed to make a decent list for a particular culture (like the Celts). This list includes creatures from the following books: Monster Manual (MM), Monster Manual 2 (MM2), Monsters of Faerun (MF), Fiend Folio (FF, both D20 and original), Epic Level Handbook (ELH), OGL Ancients, Ravenloft Denizens of Dread (RDD), Deities and Demigods (DD), Tomb of Horror (TH), and Book of Exalted Deeds (BED). The only reason I haven't included creatures form other books (if there are any creatures from other books that have real world mythological counterparts) is because I don't own, or have access to, them.

Greek:
*Centaur
*Chimera
*Cockatrice/Basalisk (use Cockatrice stats)
*Crab, Giant (homamade creature)
*Cyclops (from DD)
*Diomedes Horse (use stats for Heavy Warhorse, but they are carnivorous)
*Dire Boar
*Dire Bull (are there stats for this?)
*Dire Lion
*Dryad
Eagle, Giant (an entire species related to the one that eats the liver of Prometheus) (or Giant Vulture with the same stats as a Giant Eagle)
*Erinyes (generic Furies. The named ones can be NPCs)
*Faun (from DD)
*Giant, Hill
Gnomes (PC race) (I know they aren't greek, but I'm using the D&D gnomes who are scientists and inventors)
*Gorgon (a species of Gorgon using the Medusa stats from the MM. The named Gorgons can be NPCs)
*Griffon
*Harpy
*Hecatoncheires (from ELH)
*Hippocampus (I think there were stats for this thing at one time. I'll have to try to find it again)
*Hound of Hecate (from OGL Ancients)
*Hydra
Ketos (from OGL Ancients)
*Lamia (Lamia Noble from the original FF. I'll make them into an entire race)
Linnorm (land dragons)
*Lycanthrope, Werewolf (from OGL Ancients)
*Minotaur
*Nymph (from OGL Ancients)
*Pegasus
*Satyr
Sea Drake (aquatic dragons. Maybe I should just have Ketos be aquatic dragons)
*Siren (from OGL Ancients)
*Sphinx, Gynosphinx
*Stymphalian Birds (homemade creature)
*Titan
*Triton (from OGL Ancients)
*Turtle, Giant (home made, basically a Dragon Turtle without the breath weapon)

Egyptian:
*Ammit (homemade creature)
*Beetle, Scarab (from RDD. Has stats for flesh burrowing scarabs and giant scarabs)
*Dire Hyena (use stats for Dire Wolf)
Dragonne
Giant Praying Mantis
Golem, Stone
*Griffon (Assyrian)
*Lammasu (Assyrian)
Lich
*Lycanthrope, Werejackal (from RDD)
*Lycanthrope, Werewolf (from OGL Ancients. These are actually good creatures, not evil)
Monstrous Scorpion
*Mummy (from either RDD or OGL Ancients)
Scorpion Man (Babylonian?) (Stingers from MF)
*Sedja (homemade creature. Includes Serpopard variant)
*Shedu (from FF) (seems to be Assyrian, not Arabian/Persian)
Skeleton
*Sphinx, Androsphinx
*Sphinx, Criosphinx
*Swarm, Scarab (from FF)
*Swarm, Viper (from FF)
Yuan-ti
Zombie, Desert (from RDD)

Norse:
*Asperii (from FF?)
Dire Wolf
Dragon (White and Red? Definately one Red for Fafnir)
*Dwarf (PC race)
*Dwarf, Duergar
*Elf (PC Race)
*Elf, Dark Elf
*Giant, Fire
*Giant, Frost
*Gnome, Svirfneblin
*Kraken
Linnorm (from MM2)
Lycanthrope, Werebear
Sprite, Nixie (often chaotic)
Troll (use Ogre stats. Turns to stone if exposed to sunlight)
Winter Wolf
Worg
Zombie

Celtic (including Irish, Scottish, and British):
*Banshee (from MM2) (good aligned. They warn of death, not cause it. For a mythic game they can keep their more popular evil alignment)
*Bodak (Bodach)
*Brownie (from TH?)
*Changlings (from TH?)
*Dragon (all Chromatic)
*Elf (PC race)
*Fomorian
*Goblins
*Hag (all types)
*Kelpie (from MM2 or FF)
*Leprechaun (from TH?)
*Selkie (from MM2 or FF)
*Seelie and Sidhe = Sprite, Sylph (from MM2), etc.
*Spriggans (from FF)
Troll/Trow (aquatic Ogres? Scrags I think they're called)

Arabian:
*Amphiptere (flying snake. I think there are stats for this somewhere)
*Genie
*Ghast
*Ghoul
*Phoenix (from MM2) (remove spell-like abilities and reduce CR by 2-3?) (can be found in Egypt when it is dying and being reborn)
*Roc

Persian:
Griffon (I think)
*Senmurv (from FF)

Hindu:
*Apsaras (Nymph) (from OGL Ancients)
*Ashuras (from BED)
*Gandharvas (Avoral)
*Garuda (a Tauric Giant Eagle of 9 HD/Aasimar. Advancement is 10-12 HD (huge), 13-15 (gargantuan). Has a number of Favoured Enemies based on HD (1 to start with, 2 at 10 HD, and 3 at 15 HD) chosen from: Naga, Dragons, Yuan-Ti)
*Hollyphants (from BED)
*Inevitable, Marut (non-mechanical)
*Juggernaught (from MM2) (some have a Stone Golem or stone Animated Object built onto their backs?)
*Kinnaras (Lillend)
*Rakshasa
*Xill

Misc. creatures
Catoblepas (African) (Use the stats for the Gorgon from MM but add a death gaze special attack)
Peryton (Roman? If not then where?)
Ogre Mages (Japanese)
Dragon Turtles (Chinese)
Clay Golem (Jewish)
Manticore (south-east Asia)

Creatures I know go somewhere but can't place:
Hybsil (from MM2)
Lamia (the MM ones, not The Lamia from Greek mythology)
Leucrocuta (from MF) (Greek?)
Wyvern

I would really appreciate it if I could get some feedback on this list. What creatures are in the wrong place, which creatures should be removed all together, which creatures should be added, etc.

Updated: includes suggestions made up to June 14th

I'll try and help with celtic...


Banshee (MM2)
Hag (all types)
Bodak (Bodach)
Brownie
Dragon (all Chromatic)
Elf
Firbolg Giants
Kelpie (MM2 or FF)
Leprechaun
Selkie (MM2 or FF)
Seelie and Sidhe = Various Fairys
Spriggans (FF)
Troll/Trow
Goblins
Changlings
Ogres

There might be more (lots of animals), but its a starting point.

UPDATE: A few more

Arabian/Persian: Shedu

I concur with the Dire Wolf for Norse.

Now you forgot some cool mythologies, like Hindu.

Rakshasa
Xill
Biggest Eagle you can Find(garuda)

but I'll help fill in what I can from your list.

Greek:
Medusa

Norse:
Asperii(for Valkyries)
Elementals

Need something for grendel

I don't know if it fits for your purposes, but the GURPS Fantasy Besiary is compiled of monsters gleaned from legends and folklore, which are outlined in the monster entries.

Most of them, anyway. I don't think zombie gerbils were ever in legend.

But I could be wrong.

Leucrocutas/Leucrottas are Classical/Medieval European - I believe Pliny started the legend but it was considerably elaborated in Medieval times. Basically, it's a mythical lion-hyena hybrid (leo-crocuta) but its properties are a garbled account of various hyena characteristics.

pigi314159 said:

Need something for grendel

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Grey Render?

@Remathilis

Remathilis said:

I'll try and help with celtic...

Elf

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Is this the D&D Elf, or is it more of the fairy-like elf?

Brownie
Leprechaun
Changlings

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Where are the D20 stats for these creatures, are there any?

Troll/Trow
Ogres

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Aren't these Norse, or are there Celtic equivelants?

There might be more (lots of animals), but its a starting point.

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This list is just for mythic creatures. Real animals are a whole other kettel of fish.

@pigi314159

pigi314159 said:

Greek:
Medusa

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Medusa was just the name given to one of the Greek Gorgons. Gorgon is the name of the species.

Norse:
Elementals

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I thought elementals were norse as well, but I was told on the other thread that they were Greek, not Norse. If they are Norse then I'll put them back on the list.

@tarchon

tarchon said:

Leucrocutas/Leucrottas are Classical/Medieval European - I believe Pliny started the legend but it was considerably elaborated in Medieval times. Basically, it's a mythical lion-hyena hybrid (leo-crocuta) but its properties are a garbled account of various hyena characteristics.

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Where about in Europe? Are they Celtic, Norse, or something else?

Shadowdragon said:

I thought elementals were norse as well, but I was told on the other thread that they were Greek, not Norse. If they are Norse then I'll put them back on the list.

Where about in Europe? Are they Celtic, Norse, or something else?

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Well, this kind of gets into the whole issue of what constitutes a culture and what's in a name. I really don't like to use that blanket term "Celtic" in this context since we really only know bits and scraps about the non-material culture in the period in which you can plausibly use the term "Celtic" to describe a more or less consistent culture. "Norse" is a whole different thing, since we have a substantial literature from them. When I say Classical/Medieval European, I mean it belongs to the general stock of knowledge of the Classical and Post-Classical culture in Europe, which originally would only include the area of the Roman Empire and the Hellenistic world, but after Christianization would ultimately (say by about 1000 AD) come to include almost all of what we now call Europe. In other words, the leucrotta belongs to the category of obsolete knowledge from our culture, like the unicorn.

Elementals are definitely not Norse though. The D&D conception of elementals is wholly modern AFAIK, but the concept of elemental spirits is Medieval European, tied up with alchemical theories. Like I don't think Paracelsus conceived of salamanders (fire elementals) as being big heaps of living flame or anything like that.

The peryton ... you're close. There's an account (sorry, cant' find the ref right now) of them attacking the city of Rome in at some point in the Empire period, I believe. I was amazed when I ran into that ... until then, I thought Gary and his buddies made that one up. 'Cause, you know, it was so dumb looking.

Thotas said:

The peryton ... you're close. There's an account (sorry, cant' find the ref right now) of them attacking the city of Rome in at some point in the Empire period, I believe. I was amazed when I ran into that ... until then, I thought Gary and his buddies made that one up. 'Cause, you know, it was so dumb looking.

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Peryton were not only blamed for the fall of the Roman Empire, but they were also supposed to have attacked Greek ships on a regular basis. I don't know if that makes them Roman, Greek, or both.