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El Cadejo

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Tradition / Region: Costa Rica Mythology, Nicaragua Mythology
Alternate Names: Cadejo Blanco, Cadejo Negro
Category: Dog

The Myth

El Cadejo is a mysterious night-walking creature known across many lands of Central America. It is said that there are two of them — one dark and one pale — and their nature depends on which one walks beside you.

The Cadejo appears as a large dog-like beast, sometimes as big as a cow. Though shaped like a dog, it is not entirely one. Its eyes glow red in the darkness, its body gives off a strong goat-like smell, and some say its feet resemble hooves rather than paws. When it moves, the sound of dragging chains can often be heard.

One of the Cadejos is feared, while the other is said to protect. In some places the white one is the dangerous spirit that tries to trick travelers, while the black one guards the lonely and the drunk as they wander home at night. In other regions, the roles are reversed, and the dark Cadejo becomes the threatening one while the pale one is the protector.

The evil Cadejo is known to follow people silently through the night. Those who encounter it are warned never to speak to it, for doing so can drive a person mad. Turning one’s back on it is also said to bring misfortune or madness.

The other Cadejo, however, may walk beside a traveler and guide them safely home, keeping away its darker counterpart and any dangers that lurk in the night. Many believed that those who staggered through the streets alone after drinking were often unknowingly escorted by this protective spirit.

Thus El Cadejo was remembered as a double-natured hound of the night — a creature that might bring ruin or protection, depending on which form chose to follow you along the road.

Gallery

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Cadejo. In Wikipedia, from https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadejo

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Kuon Khryseos

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Tradition / Region: Greek Mythology
Alternate Names: Golden Dog
Category: Dog

The Myth

The Kuon Khryseos, the Golden Dog, was a sacred animal set to guard the infant Zeus.

When the god was hidden in a cave on the island of Crete to protect him from his father Kronos, he was nursed by the divine goat Amaltheia. Rhea, wishing to keep both child and nurse safe, appointed a golden dog to stand watch over them. The creature guarded the cave and the sacred place where Zeus was raised.

After Zeus grew to adulthood and overthrew the Titans, he honored those who had protected him. Amaltheia was placed among the stars, and the Golden Dog was also set in the heavens, remembered as a constellation so that its watch would never end.

In another tale, the dog was later stolen. A man named Pandareos took the sacred animal and carried it away, eventually giving it to Tantalos to hide. When the dog was demanded back, Tantalos denied ever having received it. Zeus, angered by the theft and the false oath, punished both men — Pandareos was transformed into stone, and Tantalos was struck down for his lie.

Because of these stories, the Golden Dog was remembered as a divine guardian, tied to the infancy of Zeus, to sacred oaths, and to the stars themselves. In some traditions it was even linked with the magical hound Lailaps, another swift and wondrous dog connected to the heroes of Crete.

Thus the Kuon Khryseos lived on in myth as the shining hound of Zeus — protector of the god in childhood and a watcher placed forever in the heavens.

Gallery

Sources

Theoi Project. (n.d.). Kuon Khryseos. From https://www.theoi.com/Ther/KuonKhryseos.html

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Black Dog of Newgate

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Tradition / Region: English Mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Dog, Black hound, Vengeful ghost

The Myth

At the old Newgate Prison in London, there was once said to haunt a terrible creature known as the Black Dog of Newgate.

The story tells that during a time of famine, when hunger and misery gripped the land, a scholar was imprisoned there. He had a reputation as a sorcerer, a man said to have practiced dark arts. The prison conditions were so dreadful that the inmates, driven mad with starvation, killed and ate him.

Not long after this deed, something began to move through the prison in the night.

Prisoners reported seeing a monstrous black dog pacing the corridors and the cells. It appeared suddenly and vanished just as quickly, but its presence filled the place with dread. Those who had taken part in the killing believed the creature was the spirit of the murdered man, returned in a new form to avenge himself.

One by one, the prisoners who had been involved were said to die horribly, as though hunted down by the spectral beast. Fear spread through the prison until the survivors, half-mad with terror, broke out and fled.

But the story says the black dog did not stop there. It followed the escapees wherever they tried to hide, pursuing them until each had paid for the crime.

The tale was later told as a warning about cruelty, sin, and the brutal life within the prison walls. Some even doubted whether the beast was real at all, claiming the only “black dog” in the prison was a dark stone in the dungeon where condemned prisoners sometimes dashed out their brains in despair.

Yet the legend endured, and the image remained of a great black hound stalking the halls of Newgate — a spirit born from murder, hunger, and guilt, returning to claim the lives of those who had done wrong.

Gallery

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). The Black Dog of Newgate. In Wikipedia, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Dog_of_Newgate

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Rukh

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Tradition / Region: Arabian mythology, Madagascar Mythology
Alternate Names: Roc
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Rukh is a colossal bird of prey said to live in distant lands, often associated with Madagascar or remote mountains. Its exact appearance is not fixed, but it is always described as enormous, sometimes so large that its wings stretch for vast distances. It preys on the largest animals, including serpents, elephants, and rhinoceroses, and is strong enough to carry them through the air. It is also said to use stones to kill prey.

The sailor Sindbad encountered the Rukh during his travels. On one voyage, he found himself stranded on an island and discovered a great white dome, which proved to be the egg of the bird. When the Rukh returned and settled upon it, Sindbad tied himself to its leg so that it might carry him away. The bird later flew off and landed elsewhere, where it seized a giant serpent before departing again, allowing Sindbad to escape.

On another journey, Sindbad’s companions landed on an island and found a similar egg. Ignoring his warning, they broke it open and killed the chick. Soon the two parent birds appeared and pursued the fleeing ship. Each carried a massive stone in its talons. One missed, but the other struck the vessel directly, destroying it and killing all aboard except Sindbad.

In another tale, a magician urged Aladdin to obtain a Rukh egg to hang in his palace. This request angered the genie, who declared it an insult and revealed that the suggestion came from an enemy.

Travellers also spoke of encounters with the bird. One man obtained a feather quill from a chick cut from an enormous egg; the parent bird attacked their ship with a falling stone, though they escaped. It was said that those who ate the chick’s flesh never grew old. Another traveller saw a distant Rukh in the sky over the seas, so vast it resembled a moving mountain. Others described the bird as able to seize elephants, lift them into the air, and drop them to the ground before feeding on them.

Gallery

Sources

A Book of Creatures. (2015, October 23). Rukh. From https://abookofcreatures.com/2015/10/23/rukh/

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Tokantongotra

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Tradition / Region: Madagascar
Alternate Names: –
Category: Forest dweller

The Myth

The Tokantongotra is described as a large white animal found in Madagascar. Despite its name meaning “single-foot” or “single-step,” it is not said to have only one leg in front and one behind, as some outsiders believed. It is known instead for its speed, being so fast that nothing can outrun it. It is said to hunt people and to wander at night.

Some claim to have seen it, though such reports are fewer than those concerning the Songomby.

Gallery

Sources

Sibree, J. (1896). Madagascar before the conquest: The island, the country, and the people, with chapters on travel and topography, folk-lore, strange customs and superstitions, the animal life of the island, and mission work and progress among the inhabitants. New York: Macmillan; London: T. F. Unwin.

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Tretretretre

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Tradition / Region: Madagascar Mythology
Alternate Names: Tratratratra
Category: Forest dweller, Monkey

The Myth

Tretretretre is a shaggy forest creature from Madagascar said to be about the size of a calf. It has monkey-like forelimbs and hind limbs, a short tail, curly hair, and a round, human-like head and face.

It was described as living in forested regions and being agile, able to climb trees easily. Local people were said to fear it, though it was also said to fear humans in return.

Some accounts suggest that stories of Tretretretre may be linked to large extinct lemurs that once inhabited Madagascar. These included massive, slow-moving tree-dwelling animals that lived until several centuries ago. Their extinction has been attributed to environmental change and human activity.

Gallery

Sources

Bestiary. (n.d.). Tretretretre. From https://www.bestiary.us/tretretretre

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Lintao Giant

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Tradition / Region: Chinese mythology
Alternate Names: —
Category: Giant

The Myth

The Lintao Giant is a giant recorded in Chinese legend. It is said that in the twenty-sixth year of Qin Shi Huang’s reign, giants appeared at Lintao. They were extremely tall, about 8 meters in height, with feet about 1.4 meters long, and wore foreign clothing. Some accounts say there were twelve of them.

It is said that after these giants appeared, twelve bronze statues were made to resemble them.

Gallery

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 临沮巨人. In Wikipedia, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%B4%E6%B4%AE%E5%B7%A8%E4%BA%BA

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Bingfeng

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Tradition / Region: Chinese mythology
Alternate Names: Ping Feng, Ping Peng
Category: Pig

The Myth

Bingfeng is a strange creature in Chinese legend that lives to the east of the Wuxian Kingdom. It is shaped like a pig but has a head at both the front and the back, and its body is black. It is described as having a demonic aura. Those who touch it may be injured. It cannot move forward normally and instead moves in a tilted manner.

It is recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, including the Overseas Western Classic, and is also referred to in the Great Wilderness West Classic, where it is called Ping Feng or Ping Peng and regarded as the same being. Notes connected to these texts describe it as a beast form and compare it with other creatures having two heads, such as snakes or birds, saying they share the same type of form. Another note describes it as resembling a totem-like dried body of two pigs.

A two-headed pig resembling this creature was also depicted in later printed illustrations.

Gallery

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 并封. In Wikipedia, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B9%B6%E5%B0%81

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Zobutsu Daijoou

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Tradition / Region: Japanese religious folklore
Alternate Names: Kuriekisu, Great Queen of Creation
Category: Demon

The Myth

Zobutsu Daijoou is the highest-ranking of the twelve great demon kings described in a religious account of the demon realm. She is said to possess power one hundred times greater than that of an average god and is considered so terrifying that even powerful spiritual masters warned against approaching her. She has a white face, thin black eyebrows, yellow lips, and stands about three feet tall. Her hair rises two feet upward, bends backward, and divides into three sections that fall to her waist. She was said to have come into being when the accumulated shadows at the creation of the world condensed into evil energy.

Among the hundreds of demon leaders said to inhabit the demon realm, twelve hold the highest rank, and Zobutsu Daijoou stands above them all. Each of these demon kings rules a separate domain with their own followers and may bring disaster upon the human world. Alongside her in special distinction is the Queen of the Bottomless Sea, and together they are set apart from the rest.

On the night of July 19, 1880, a procession of these demon kings was said to pass across the sky. Their names were identified as they appeared, with Zobutsu Daijoou recognized as the foremost among them.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ Yokai Blog. (2018). 祖仏大王 (Zobutsu Daijōō). From https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1034642738.html

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Inugami Myojin

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Inugami, Inuzuka, Loyal Dog
Category: Dog

The Myth

Inugami Myojin refers to dogs worshipped after sacrificing themselves to save their masters from giant snakes. Stories of such loyal dogs exist throughout Japan, and shrines or mounds are often built to honor them.

Long ago, a hunter lived by the Shirajiya River in Goshu and kept a prized dog named Koshiromaru. One day, while hunting deep in the mountains, he took shelter under a rotten tree for the night. Late at night, Koshiromaru began barking repeatedly at him and would not stop. Enraged, the hunter drew his sword and cut off the dog’s head. The severed head leaped onto the rotten tree and bit into the throat of a giant snake that had been hiding there, ready to swallow the hunter. The dog’s head bit the snake to death and saved his master. Realizing the dog’s intention, the hunter mourned and built a shrine on the spot, worshipping the dog as a god. This shrine became known as Inugami no Myojin, and the area’s name was said to come from this event.

Another story tells of a hunter in Mutsu who kept many hunting dogs and spent a night in the mountains inside a hollow tree. Late at night, one dog suddenly woke and barked furiously, leaping toward him. Believing the dog meant to harm him, the man tried to kill it, but when he moved away from the hollow tree, the dog jumped inside and bit a giant snake hiding there. The man then killed the snake with his sword and returned home with the dog, realizing it had saved his life.

Stories of loyal dogs saving their masters from snakes are found in many places, and the dogs are worshipped under names such as Inugami or Inugami Myojin.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ Yokai Blog. (2018). 犬神明神 (Inugami Myōjin). From https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1069534939.html

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