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Muladona

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Tradition / Region: Catalan Mythology, Spanish Mythology
Alternative names: Donamula
Category: Horse

The Myth

The Muladona is a monstrous creature from Catalan folklore with the body of a female mule and the head of a human woman. According to legend, it was once a young woman who was cursed by her community for being irreverent and irreligious, transforming her into this unnatural form.

After her transformation, the Muladona wandered through the mountains, especially at night, where she joined trains of mules. Her presence terrified the animals, causing them to panic, stampede into ravines, and perish.

The creature has the body of a mule, but its mane resembles a woman’s hair and its face is unmistakably human despite retaining some animal features. It is always depicted with the four legs of a mule, although some traditions show its front legs connected to a human-like torso where a mule’s neck would normally be. It is also consistently portrayed with breasts, emphasizing its female nature.

To protect their animals, muleteers fed their mules small pieces of bread shaped like the Muladona, believing this charm would prevent them from being frightened. They also carefully counted the mules in their caravans, fearing that the Muladona might secretly mingle among them and bring disaster if it went unnoticed.

Sources

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

Miramas

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Tradition / Region: Persian Mythology, Iranian Mythology
Alternative names: Mir Amas
Category: Horse

The Myth

Miramas is a legendary half-man, half-horse creature described in classical Persian texts. It is said to dwell in the far west, beyond the inhabited world, where Persian sources identify its homeland with the western sea.

From the head to the waist, Miramas resembles a human, while its lower body is that of a horse.

Miramas is renowned for its beautiful singing. Its melodies are so enchanting that every living creature nearby loses consciousness upon hearing them. If no living being is present, Miramas itself is overcome by its own song and falls unconscious.

The creature is mentioned in the Book of Wonders (Aja’ib-nameh), particularly in the section Al-Bahria, attributed to Fazuni Astarabadi. Beyond this account, little is recorded about Miramas, and no further traditions concerning its origin or role in Persian mythology are known from the surviving sources.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Miramas. In New Bestiary: Encyclopedia of Imaginary Beings. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/miramas/en

Mezu

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Mezuki, Horse Head Demon
Category: Horse, Demon

The Myth

Mezu is one of the demon generals who guard the gates of hell in Japanese Buddhism. He appears as a powerful oni with the head of a horse and serves Great King Enma, the ruler of the underworld.

Together with his counterpart Gozu, who has the head of an ox, Mezu is among the first beings encountered by souls entering Jigoku. The two demons are immensely strong, possessing the power to move mountains, and rank among Enma’s chief servants. They oversee the punishment and torture of the wicked within hell.

If a soul attempts to escape from the underworld, Mezu and Gozu are dispatched to pursue and capture the fugitive, returning it to its rightful punishment.

Although Mezu and Gozu are the best-known of Enma’s servants, they are not the only animal-headed demons in hell. Other guardians with the heads of deer, tigers, lions, and boars also serve among the higher ranks, operating the torture chambers of Jigoku and supervising the torment of countless souls.

According to Buddhist tradition, Mezu and the other animal-headed demons ultimately trace their origins to Indian mythology, from which they spread to Japan through China along with Buddhism.

Sources

Foster, M. D. (n.d.). Mezu. In Yokai.com: The Illustrated Database of Japanese Folklore. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://yokai.com/mezu/

Ma Bong

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Tradition / Region: Thai Mythology
Alternative names: Phi Ma Bong, Phi Ma
Category: Horse

The Myth

Ma Bong is a supernatural spirit of the Lanna people of northern Thailand. Its appearance varies between traditions, although it is always closely associated with horses.

One tradition describes Ma Bong as having the lower body of a horse and the upper body of a human man. It is said to be the spirit of men who died without ever having a sexual partner. Another tradition identifies it as the spirit of a dead horse that feeds on dried buffalo heads. A third version portrays it as a creature with the lower body of a horse and the upper body of a beautiful woman who lures young men into intimate encounters before killing them.

Its presence is commonly announced by the sounds of neighing and galloping. When it disappears, only horse tracks remain.

The best-known Lanna tale tells of two close friends who regularly went out at night to court young women. One of them repeatedly left the path and disappeared into a nearby thicket, causing the other to become suspicious. After secretly following him, he discovered his friend ravenously licking the dried head of a buffalo.

Seeking help, he consulted a Buddhist monk, who advised him to smear chili peppers onto the buffalo head. When the hungry man returned and licked it, the burning chili caused him to flee in pain. By then he had become a Ma Bong, with the upper body of a man and the lower body of a horse. His eyes glowed red as he pursued his former friend.

Following the monk’s instructions, the fleeing man scattered raw eggs behind him. The starving spirit repeatedly stopped to eat them, allowing the man to reach home. He then turned his staircase upside down, confusing the Ma Bong. Unable to climb it, the spirit wandered around the house throughout the night, repeatedly muttering that the stairs were wrong and that it was not his house.

Different versions conclude the story in different ways. In one, the Ma Bong dies at dawn while still in its horse-like form. In another, it writhes in agony, foams at the mouth, transforms completely back into a human, and then dies.

Another tradition from Phrae Province describes Ma Bong as a white horse ridden by an ancient warrior carrying weapons and a shield. The apparition is said to gallop from the mountains through the village before vanishing after crossing the Yom River. Village elders claimed to have witnessed the ghostly rider, although later generations searched for it without success.

Sources

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

Lǘ Yāo

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Tradition / Region: Chinese mythology
Alternative names: Donkey Monster, Donkey Demon, Donkey Ghost
Category: Horse

The Myth

Lǘ Yāo is a monstrous donkey spirit that appears in several collections of Chinese supernatural tales. Although its appearance varies between stories, it is consistently portrayed as a dangerous and uncanny creature capable of frightening or harming humans.

In the Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang, a ghost resembling a blue donkey is briefly mentioned.

In the Xuanshi Zhi, Wang Xun and his companions were holding a banquet when a giant black, hairy arm suddenly reached into the room, demanding food. After repeatedly taking the offered meat, the arm was severed with a sword. Rather than a human limb, it proved to be the leg of a donkey. The following day, Wang Xun learned that a nearby man’s donkey had mysteriously lost one of its legs.

The Record of Examining the Gods, preserved in the Taiping Guangji, describes a donkey demon with human-like hands and feet but covered in long black hair. It wandered into towns at night searching for food, and wherever it appeared an unbearable stench filled the streets.

In the Qing dynasty tale The Revenge of the Donkey, a man named Huang Mingwu rode a black donkey that suddenly began to speak. The animal claimed to be the reincarnation of a man named Yuan San and declared that it had returned to take revenge on Huang Mingwu.

Another Qing dynasty account, Notes from the Right Terrace Immortal Pavilion, tells of a donkey demon haunting the Feng family. Their youngest son repeatedly fell ill and later described a long-eared, hairy figure that appeared beside his bed and forced mud into his mouth. The family concluded that a donkey demon was responsible. Although the Feng family was later destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion, the creature’s lair was said to remain, and it continued to appear from time to time.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 驴妖. In 维基百科，自由的百科全书. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%A9%B4%E5%A6%96

Luferlang

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Tradition / Region: American Mythology
Alternative names: –
Category: Horse, Spider

The Myth

The Luferlang is a fearsome creature of American lumberjack folklore. It is considered highly dangerous and is said to attack without any provocation.

Although it bites only once each year, its bite is believed to be invariably fatal. The biting season is said to occur on July 12.

The Luferlang is easily recognized by several unusual features. It has a dark blue stripe running down its back, a bushy tail attached to the middle of its back with a swivel joint, and four triple-jointed legs. These extraordinary limbs allow it to run with equal speed in any direction.

According to tradition, the best defense against a charging Luferlang is to suddenly hold a large mirror beside oneself. The sight of its own doubled reflection supposedly confuses the beast so completely that it flees in disgust.

Another traditional safeguard is to display an orange-colored handkerchief during the biting season. Green clothing, however, should be avoided at that time, as it is believed to provoke the creature even further.

Sources

Cox, W. T. (1910). Fearsome creatures of the lumberwoods: With a few desert and mountain beasts. Press of the Pioneer Company.

Lu Shu

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Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology
Alternative names: Lushu
Category: Horse

The Myth

Lu Shu is a mythical beast described in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It dwells on Mount Niuyang and resembles a horse, but has a white head, tiger-like stripes across its body, and a red tail. Its cry is said to sound like a song or ballad.

The creature is also described in the Taiping Yulan, which states that it travels in groups, raising its head and calling loudly as it leaps across the land.

According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, wearing the hide of a Lu Shu brings good fortune to one’s descendants. The Taiping Yulan similarly states that wearing its fur ensures that one’s offspring will become as numerous as clouds.

Later tradition records that during the Chongzhen reign of the Ming dynasty, people in the Minnan region claimed to have seen the Lu Shu.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 鹿蜀. In 维基百科，自由的百科全书. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%B9%BF%E8%9C%80

Lou Drapé

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Tradition / Region: French Mythology
Alternative names: Lo Drapet, Lou Drapé, Lo Drapé
Category: Horse

The Myth

Lou Drapé is a legendary horse from the town of Aigues-Mortes in the Gard region of southern France. It is said to wander the streets and the city walls at night, searching for children who have strayed from home.

The supernatural horse gathers lost children onto its back one after another. As more children climb aboard, its rump magically lengthens until it can carry dozens at once. Once they are all mounted, Lou Drapé carries them away, and they never return. Later traditions claim that it leads them into the marshes surrounding Aigues-Mortes, where they perish, while others say it takes them to a mysterious distant kingdom.

According to one local legend, the final child ever taken by Lou Drapé escaped by crying out, “Jesus, Mary, great Saint Joseph!” before jumping from the horse’s back. At that moment, Lou Drapé vanished, freeing all the children it had carried away.

Lou Drapé was traditionally used to frighten children into staying close to their parents, much like the bogeyman. It is often regarded as a local form of the drac, a dangerous water spirit of Occitan folklore that can assume the shape of a horse. Like many supernatural horses in French tradition, Lou Drapé is closely associated with marshes, water, and death.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Drapé (legend). In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drap%C3%A9_(legend)

Kubiki-uma

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Headless Horse, Head-cutting Horse
Category: Horse

The Myth

Kubiki-uma is a yōkai that appears as a horse without a head. It is known throughout various parts of Japan, although the traditions of Shikoku, particularly Tokushima Prefecture, are the most famous.

While the details differ from region to region, the stories generally agree that the headless horse appears at a specific place and time, wandering silently through the night. Sometimes it appears alone, while in other tales it carries a deity, a headless person, or a yōkai known as Yakō-san.

Encountering a Kubiki-uma is generally regarded as a sign of misfortune. However, in some areas, such as Tamagawa Town in Ehime Prefecture, seeing the headless horse is considered a good omen instead.

Various legends explain the origin of the Kubiki-uma. Some say it is the spirit of a horse that was loved by a princess but was killed out of jealousy. Other traditions claim it is the ghost of a horse slain together with the monk riding it, or of a horse killed by thieves after they broke into a temple.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). クビキ馬 (Kubiki-uma). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655026.html

Kunne Klaas

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Tradition / Region: Dutch Mythology
Alternative names: Grijze Veulen, Steggeveulen
Category: Horse

The Myth

Kunne Klaas is a ghostly horse from the folklore of Twente in the Dutch province of Overijssel.

The phantom horse is said to come charging toward unsuspecting travelers before suddenly vanishing without a trace. In some traditions, it emerges from the water, while in others it flies out of the trees before rushing at its victims.

Sources

Abe van der Veen. (2014, July 8). Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten. Abe de Verteller. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/.