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Cuca

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Tradition / Region: Brazilian Mythology
Alternative names: Coca, Coco, Cucuy, Cuco, Cucu, Cucuí, El Cucuí
Category: Crocodile

The Myth

The Cuca is the Brazilian form of the Iberian bogeyman known as the Coco or Coca. In Brazil, she is traditionally portrayed as a female humanoid alligator who comes during the night to seize disobedient children. Parents invoke her in lullabies and nursery rhymes, warning that children who refuse to sleep or misbehave will be carried away by the Cuca.

Unlike many other versions of the Coco, which have no fixed appearance, the Brazilian Cuca is depicted with the face and body of an alligator, dressed like a woman. This reptilian form became firmly established through adaptations of Monteiro Lobato’s children’s stories, although in the original novel O Saci (1921), she is only described as having an alligator’s face and clawed fingers.

As a bogeyman, the Cuca serves as a supernatural warning against disobedience. Rather than acting as a guardian or trickster, she is a child-stealing monster who watches from rooftops or lurks in the darkness, waiting for children who ignore their parents. In Brazilian lullabies, she is said to come while parents are away, carrying off children who refuse to sleep.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Coco (folklore). In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_(folklore)

Dungavenhooter

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Tradition / Region: American Mythology
Alternative names: –
Category: Crocodile

The Myth

The Dungavenhooter is a legendary fearsome critter of American folklore. It is described as a large crocodilian creature with no mouth and an enormous pair of nostrils through which it feeds.

According to lumberjack tales, the Dungavenhooter lurks in marshes and waits in ambush behind dense brush. It strikes unsuspecting travelers, particularly loggers, with its powerful tail. Rather than biting its victims, it pounds them into a vaporous state before inhaling them through its abnormally large nostrils.

The creature is said to have once inhabited marshlands stretching from Maine to Michigan, though later stories claim it survived only in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where it became increasingly rare.

The Dungavenhooter is considered one of the classic fearsome critters of North American lumberjack folklore. It is regarded as a tall-tale creature and is closely associated with stories of the Dungarvon Whooper, although it is portrayed as a monstrous crocodilian rather than a ghost.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Dungavenhooter. In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungavenhooter

Nanabolele

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Tradition / Region: Lesotho Mythology, South African Mythology
Alternative names: Dinanabolele, Linanabolele (plural)
Category: Crocodile

The Myth

The Nanabolele are fearsome reptilian creatures of Basotho folklore that dwell beneath rivers and underground. Their bodies shine in the darkness like the moon and stars, making them as beautiful as they are terrifying. They are powerful predators that devour both people and animals.

The creatures appear in the legend of Thakáne and her brothers. After her brothers completed their initiation rites, they refused to leave the mophato until they received shields, clothing, shoes, hats, and spear bindings made from Nanabolele skin. Determined to fulfill their impossible request, Thakáne journeyed in search of the monsters, guided from river to river by frogs.

At the deepest river, an old woman led Thakáne into a hidden settlement beneath the water. There she learned that the Nanabolele had devoured all the inhabitants, sparing only the old woman to serve them. When the glowing reptiles returned, Thakáne and her companions hid until the creatures fell asleep, then silently killed the largest Nanabolele and removed its hide.

The old woman gave Thakáne a magical pebble before she departed, warning that the surviving Nanabolele would pursue her. Each time the creatures caught up, the pebble transformed into a towering mountain that exhausted the reptiles as they struggled to climb it. Once they were worn out, the mountain shrank back into a pebble, allowing Thakáne to continue her journey.

When Thakáne finally reached home, she called upon the village dogs to drive the Nanabolele away. The reptiles fled back to their underwater home, and the luminous hide of the slain creature was fashioned into the clothing and equipment her brothers had demanded. In recognition of her courage and perseverance, her brothers rewarded Thakáne with one hundred head of cattle.

Sources

A Book of Creatures. (2021, April 16). Nanabolele. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://abookofcreatures.com/2021/04/16/nanabolele/

Cocollona

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Tradition / Region: Catalan Mythology, Spanish Mythology
Alternative names: –
Category: Crocodile

The Myth

The Cocollona is a legendary creature from the city of Girona. According to tradition, it was once a novice nun who sincerely embraced the religious life while the other nuns in her convent neglected their vows and lived carelessly.

The novice repeatedly reproached the other nuns for their behavior. In response, they imprisoned her in a dark, damp cell beneath the convent, where she remained for many years. The constant darkness and humidity gradually transformed her body, causing scales to grow until she became like a crocodile.

Because of her purity and holiness, however, she also developed beautiful butterfly wings upon her back. In this way, she became the Cocollona, a creature that was half crocodile and half butterfly.

After her death, the Cocollona returned as a ghost. It is said to swim through the waters of the Onyar River near the place where she had been imprisoned. According to the legend, only on nights of the full moon, just before dawn, can those with sensitive souls glimpse the ghostly Cocollona gliding silently along the river before disappearing with the first light of day.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Cocollona. In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocollona

Hoaya

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Boaya
Category: Crocodile

The Myth

Hoaya is a fearsome river monster described in the Edo-period works Nankai Kibun and Hyōryū Tenjiku Monogatari, which recount the travels of the sailor Sontaro after he drifted to foreign lands. The creature was said to inhabit the rivers of Banjarmasin in southern Borneo, where the local people greatly feared it and believed that killing one would inevitably bring misfortune.

The monster was described as resembling a hornless dragon, with a stern face, long manes and ears, four arms, four legs ending in four claws each, and a body measuring between six and thirteen fathoms in length. It often clung to passing boats, frightening those aboard. In another account, its body is said to have been pale black with a yellow belly and lips, extremely hard scales, and a pointed tail ending in three ridges.

According to local belief, Hoaya climbed into the mountains each spring to lay thirty-six eggs, each about the size of a temari ball. After the young hatched and entered the rivers, the parent relentlessly pursued and devoured them until only one remained. That final offspring was then raised by the parent. Boats avoided Hoaya with their young, as they were believed to become especially aggressive.

One night, a Hoaya broke through the decaying fence surrounding a riverside bathing area and attacked a night watchman, biting off one of his legs. The creature became trapped inside the enclosure, where dozens of people eventually killed it after gunfire failed to penetrate its thick scales. The wounded watchman died the following day. Although the Hoaya’s body was thrown back into the river, no further misfortunes followed, despite the widespread belief that killing one of the creatures would bring disaster.

In Nankai Kibun, the creature is identified as Boaya, which is explained to be a crocodile, although its appearance and behavior are described in a far more legendary manner. The account also suggests that the hornless river dragons described in stories from Siam may have been the same creature.

Sources

Landtman, G. (1970). The Kiwai Papuans of British New Guinea; a nature-born instance of Rousseau’s ideal community. New York: Johnson Reprint Corp., p. 302.

Biasd Na Srogaig

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Tradition / Region: Scottish Mythology
Alternative names: Biasd Na Sgrogag, Béist Na Sgrogaig, The Beast of the Lowering Horn
Category: Horse

The Myth

The Biasd Na Srogaig, or “Beast of the Lowering Horn,” is a legendary creature said to inhabit the lochs of the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

Although sometimes described as a unicorn, it bears little resemblance to the graceful unicorn of later tradition. The creature is portrayed as tall and ungainly, with long, gangly legs, an awkward gait, and a single large horn projecting from its forehead.

The Biasd Na Srogaig is believed to have originated as a nursery bogey used to frighten children. Over time, however, the creature became an established figure of local folklore as stories about it continued to be told into adulthood.

Its name is derived from the Gaelic sgrogag, meaning “crumpled horn.” In later usage, the name Béist Na Sgrogaig was also applied to the heraldic unicorn.

Sources

Campbell, J. G. (1900). Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland: Collected entirely from oral sources. James MacLehose and Sons. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61728.

Spookhoeve van Exaarde

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Tradition / Region: Belgian Mythology
Alternative names: –
Category: Horse

The Myth

A farmhouse in the village of Exaarde was long believed to be haunted. One night, when a cow was about to calve, the household went to the stable and found a monstrous horse lying in front of the door. As they approached, the creature quietly moved aside to let them pass. After they had finished their work in the stable, the horse calmly returned to its original place.

In the nights that followed, the hauntings changed. Around midnight, the farmer often looked from his window and saw a fiery carriage drawn by two horses racing around the farmyard. The blazing apparition illuminated the entire courtyard as it thundered past.

The frightened family sought the advice of local priests. They instructed the farmer to search the farm carefully for any unusual sign. One morning he discovered the imprint of a horse’s hoof in the middle of the path. After hearing this, the priests nailed a horseshoe to the inside of the farm gate facing the road.

From that day onward, the haunting ceased. Years later, when the old gate was replaced, the family neglected to transfer the horseshoe to the new gate. The ghostly manifestations soon returned and continued until the horseshoe was once again fastened to the entrance, after which the haunting disappeared.

Sources

de Cock, A. (1921). De Nachtkoets (p. 114). In Vlaamsche sagen uit den volksmond. Maatschappij voor Goede en Goedkoope Lectuur. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/cock001vlaa01_01/

Raul’s Phantom Horse

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourgish Mythology
Alternative names: The Black Phantom Horse
Category: Horse

The Myth

According to a Luxembourgish legend, the robber knight Raul lived with his brothers in the castle of Gräfingen, where they enriched themselves through theft and plunder. Raul possessed an extraordinary coal-black horse that surpassed all others in speed and intelligence. It could sense enemies and danger, safely carry its master across the most treacherous paths, and leap over ditches and rivers with ease.

At last, the robber knights were defeated. Raul’s brothers were captured by armed peasants, tied to the tails of their own horses, and dragged to death before being brought back to the castle. As the attackers stormed the fortress and set it ablaze, they drove the horses carrying the corpses through the gates.

Rather than surrender, Raul mounted his faithful horse and rode along the top of the castle walls while the flames consumed the fortress. Startled by the fire, the horse leapt from the high wall into the burning courtyard. Raul’s clothes caught fire, but the horse escaped unharmed and burst through the castle gate.

Witnesses saw Raul riding like a blazing meteor through the astonished crowd. Horse and rider raced across the plain before plunging down the steep hillside into the River Eisch, where the flames were extinguished and both vanished beneath the water.

From that day onward, Raul’s horse has wandered the quiet banks of the Eisch searching for its lost master. It appears as a coal-black stallion with a mane so long it reaches its hooves, though when it runs the mane rises into the air with a whistling sound. Its golden bridle and saddle shine in the darkness.

Anyone who is frightened by the phantom horse becomes so confused that they inevitably fall into the river. Those who remain fearless cause the black horse to flee and disappear beneath the water. Legend also says that whoever dares to mount the ghostly steed will be carried to the hidden underground vault where Raul and his brothers concealed their immense treasure.

Sources

de la Fontaine, E. (1882). Nr. 134. Die Schätze der Raubritter. (pp. 66–68). In Luxemburger Sagen und Legenden. Jos. Beffort.

Hellish Stallion

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Tradition / Region: Czech Mythology
Alternative names: –
Category: Horse

The Myth

A farmer from the parish of Stritschitz once bought a stallion from a traveling horse dealer. Soon afterward, he noticed that the horse shied away from every roadside shrine and every crossroads.

When the farmer finally harnessed the animal to work in a field, the stallion suddenly went wild. It smashed the wagon’s drawbar, tore apart the harness, and attacked its master, mauling him so severely that he was left lying in a pool of blood.

The wounded farmer was carried home, but his injuries were so severe that he knew he was dying. Gathering his last strength, he dragged himself into the stable, thrust a slaughter knife into the stallion’s belly, and cried, “You shall not kill me alone, Satan!”

The stallion collapsed dead at once. Immediately afterward, a terrible roaring arose, as though thunder were rumbling beneath the earth. The farmer himself died in the same hour.

Sources

Watzlik, H. (1921). Hellish tool. In Bohemian Forest Legends (Bohemian Forest Village Books, 5th issue). Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/hoellischeswerkzeug.html

Three-Legged Horse

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Tradition / Region: Austrian Mythology
Alternative names: –
Category: Horse

The Myth

A legend from the Rohrwald Forest in Lower Austria tells of the origin of a mysterious three-legged horse ridden by the devil.

Two farmers became lost while gathering firewood in the Kaltenberg section of the forest. After wandering for a long time, they encountered a man dressed in a black cloak and round black hat. When he lifted his hat, they saw that he had two horns and realized he was the devil.

The stranger offered to guide them back to the proper road if they would lend him one of their horses. While the farmers unharnessed a black horse, the devil offered them a bottle of wine, which they eagerly drank. He then mounted the horse and led them through the forest until they reached the correct path.

When the devil turned to ride away with the borrowed horse, the farmers chased after him with their hoes. One of them swung his hoe at the devil but missed, striking the horse’s left hind leg instead. The leg immediately turned to stone and fell to the ground, where it remained as a stone shaped like a horse’s hoof.

From that night onward, the devil’s horse was said to have only three legs whenever it was seen riding through the forest after dark.

The two farmers returned home and told their families what had happened. Both died that same night, and it was said that by drinking the devil’s wine they had unknowingly sold their souls to him.

Sources

Vernaleken, T. (1859). Das dreibeinige Pferd (Nr. 13). In Mythen und Bräuche des Volkes in Österreich: Als Beitrag zur deutschen Mythologie, Volksdichtung und Sittenkunde. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/oesterreich/allgemein/vernaleken/wuotan_13.html.