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Zwergenkuh

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative Names: Dwarf Cow
Category: Cow

The Myth

About half an hour from the village of Goldbeck, in the direction of Rinteln, there are caves in a mountain where dwarfs were once said to have lived. Near these caves stood a farmer’s farm, and his herd usually grazed in the area around them. The shepherd noticed that every morning a strange cow would join his animals. She was so smooth and beautiful that she seemed to glitter and shine like gold. Yet every evening, when the shepherd drove the herd home, the mysterious cow would suddenly disappear near the caves.

One evening, the shepherd told his master about the strange animal. The farmer replied, “For that they could surely give you a tip, since you drive their cow out to pasture with yours every day.” The dwarfs, who liked to remain invisibly in the farmer’s house, overheard what he had said.

The following morning, when the shepherd once again drove his herd past the dwarfs’ caves, he found a penny lying in front of one of them. From then on, a penny appeared there every day.

When the farmer heard about this, he said to the shepherd, “If they can do that, surely they can give you breakfast as well.” The next morning, when the shepherd passed the cave again, he found a pancake lying beside the penny. From that day onward, he found a pancake there as well.

Sources

Zaunert, Paul. “Die Zwergenkuh.” In Westfälische Sagen. 1927. Reproduced by SAGEN.at. (sagen.at)
https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/deutschland/nordrhein_westfalen/diezwergenkuh.html

Turosik

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Tradition: Polish Mythology
Alternative Names: –
Category: Cow

The Myth

Turosik is an ancient forest demon born from the primeval wilderness. It takes the form of a colossal aurochs and is regarded as the king of the woods, ruling over the deepest parts of the forest where there are no paths and where fear itself becomes a weapon.

Turosik appears as an enormous, powerful wild bull resembling an aurochs. Its immense size and thunderous movements make it a terrifying presence within the forest.

When travelers stray into Turosik’s territory, the demon suddenly charges from between the trees. The sound and force of its approach sends them fleeing in blind panic, causing them to run deeper into the forest rather than back toward safety. Those who flee from it rarely manage to find the road again.

Hunters encounter a more deceptive form of the demon. Turosik appears to them as a grievously wounded animal, staggering through the forest and apparently too weak to escape. The hunters believe they have been presented with an easy and glorious kill and pursue the wounded beast farther and farther into the wilderness.

The deception is driven by their pride and greed. Once Turosik has lured the hunters beyond any possibility of finding their way home, it abandons its appearance of weakness and leaves them lost in the forest.

None of those deceived by Turosik ever find their way back. Long afterward, their bones are discovered scattered among the undergrowth, stripped clean by ants, serving as silent evidence of the demon’s dominion over the forest.

Sources

Zych, P., & Vargas, W. (2021). Bestiariusz słowiański: Rzecz o biziach, kadukach i samojadkach, p. 392.

Onna-oni

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Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: The Woman Demon
Category: Demon

The Myth

Onna-oni is the name given to a woman said to have transformed into an oni. In the surviving account, however, the creature is primarily known through a widespread rumor in medieval Kyoto rather than through an actual encounter or description of its appearance.

Around the Ōchō era (1311–1312), a rumor spread that a woman from Ise Province had become an oni and had been brought to Kyoto.

About twenty days later, people in the Shirakawa district of Kyoto began wandering through the streets saying that they were going to see the oni. Rumors constantly changed its supposed location: some claimed that it had been seen at Saionji, others that it was heading toward the retired emperor’s residence, while others insisted that it was currently somewhere else.

Despite all the excitement, nobody could actually claim to have seen the oni. At the same time, nobody could confidently declare that the story was false. People of every social rank continued talking about the supposed demon.

One day, the writer of Tsurezuregusa traveled from Higashiyama toward the area near Angoin. He encountered residents from the area north of Shijō Street running northward in excitement, shouting that an oni was at Ichijō Muromachi.

From around Imadegawa, he could see an enormous crowd gathered around the imperial viewing stands for the Kamo Festival. The area was packed with people and filled with commotion. Although the writer wondered whether the rumors might have some truth to them, people were sent to investigate, yet none returned claiming to have actually encountered the oni.

The disturbance continued until sunset and eventually even resulted in fights among the crowd.

At the same time, a sickness was spreading throughout the area that caused people to suffer for two or three days. Some people therefore claimed that the false story about the woman who had become an oni had been a portent of the disease.

The account connects the rumor with the widespread Three-Day Disease and the feverish excitement surrounding public entertainment and religious festivities in Kyoto.

Sources

Takahashi, Toshihiro. “女の鬼 [おんな‐おに] (Onna-oni).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). July 20, 2020. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1077741577.html

Muhkalb

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Tradition: German Mythology
Alternative names: Moo Calf
Category: Cow

The Myth

The Muhkalb is a legendary creature found in folklore from Rheinhessen, the Rheingau, and other parts of southwestern Germany. It is usually described as an enormous calf with the head of a fully grown cow and glowing eyes. In some traditions, it appears as a hybrid of a bull and a maiden.

The Muhkalb appears only at night and terrifies people with its terrible bellowing. It is said to leap onto the backs of its victims and, in some accounts, trample them to death.

The legends surrounding the creature vary considerably between different locations. In Jugenheim, the Muhkalb was said to be the transformed spirit of an unfaithful nun who had drowned herself and her child in a well. As punishment, she was condemned to wander as a cow-calf, warning lovers against committing similar acts.

In Lorch, the Muhkalb was said to inhabit the dark gateway of the Hilchenhaus. It particularly tormented adulterers, usurious wine merchants, and brawlers. According to one local legend, around 1550 it even saved the town from bankruptcy by driving away officials of the Elector of Mainz who had come to collect war debts.

In Heilbronn, a butcher during the Thirty Years’ War was accused of selling dog meat as veal. He denied the accusation and swore that, if it were true, he would be reborn as a calf. He soon died of the plague, and thereafter was said to haunt the city at night in the form of the Muhkalb.

In Saarbrücken, the creature was described as a calf that appeared in the streets during the evening and grew to an unnatural size before shrinking again. It could also change its appearance, taking the forms of a dog, cow, donkey, or horse. Some accounts described it simply as a headless calf.

Sources

“Muhkalb.” Wikipedia: Die freie Enzyklopädie (German Wikipedia). Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed August 29, 2026. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhkalb

Momerota

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Tradition: Catalan Mythology, Spanish Mythology
Alternative names: Momeroteta (her daughter)
Category: Cow

The Myth

The Momerota is a female beast from the Catalan popular bestiary of Mataró. She has the head of an ox or bull and the body of a mule.

During festive celebrations in Mataró, the Momerota may chase people through the town. She can also be slain, at which point blood appears to drip from her body, although this “blood” is actually wine.

The Momerota is particularly associated with fire and spectacle. She launches sparks of “fire” from her horns, using pyrotechnic devices, often directing them toward the authorities watching the festivities from a balcony.

The Momerota may sometimes be accompanied by her young daughter, Momeroteta. The daughter is smaller than her mother and is distinguished by her protruding tongue. Like the Momerota, she can also launch sparks from her horns during the celebrations.

Sources

“Momerota.” Creatures of Myth Wiki. Fandom. Accessed August 29, 2026. https://creatures-of-myth.fandom.com/wiki/Momerota

Linghu

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Tradition: Chinese mythology
Alternative names: Humped-Neck, Linghu (陵胡)
Category: Cow

The Myth

Three hundred li east of the previous region stands Bright Mountain, a place rich in jade, metal, and copper.

There lives a strange beast called the Linghu. Its body resembles an ox, but it has a red tail and a remarkable hump rising from its neck, shaped like an overturned dipper. Its cry sounds like its own name.

The Linghu possesses an unusual medicinal property: eating its flesh is said to cure insanity.

The text also compares it with the Bo-Ox, another ox-like creature recorded in an ancient glossary, which was reputed to be capable of traveling three hundred li in a single day.

Sources

Strassberg, Richard E., ed. and trans. A Chinese Bestiary: Strange Creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002.

Brommende Katten

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Tradition / Region: Dutch Mythology
Alternative names: Demonic Cats, Witch Cats
Category: Cat

The Myth

The Brommende Katten appear as two unusually large and aggressive cats that block lonely roads after dark. They refuse to move aside, attack anyone who challenges them, and possess supernatural strength far beyond that of ordinary cats. Like many spectral animals in Dutch folklore, they can only be driven away by silver.

According to the legend, a farmhand was returning home late one evening to his farm near Hoeksmeer when he found two large cats sitting in the middle of the road. The animals growled continuously and refused to let him pass, as though the road belonged entirely to them.

Growing impatient, the farmhand picked up a stone to drive them away, but it had no effect. Instead, one cat leapt directly at his chest while the other clung to his trousers. He drew his iron knife to defend himself, but the weapon proved completely useless against the creatures. The cats were so fierce that he feared they would tear him apart.

In desperation, he searched his pockets and found nothing except a single silver quarter coin. The moment he grasped the coin, the situation changed. The cats suddenly lost their courage and fled as quickly as they had appeared.

The farmhand later learned that ordinary iron could not harm such supernatural cats, but silver possessed the power to overcome them. Had he carried a silver knife instead of an iron one, it would have served just as well. Thanks only to the silver coin in his pocket, he escaped the attack of the demonic cats unharmed.

Sources

Ter Laan, K. Groninger volksleven. I. Verhalende folklore. Groningen: J.B. Wolters, 1959. 1st ed.

Lampkekat

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Tradition / Region: Dutch Mythology
Alternative names: Lampjeskat
Category: Cat

The Myth

The Lampkekatten (“Lamp Cat”) is a ghostly cat said to haunt the Bosplaat on the Dutch island of Ameland.

According to local tradition, whenever a ring appears around the moon, no islander dares venture onto the Bosplaat, for it is believed the Lampkekatten are roaming there. These spectral gray cats can grow as large as calves and possess enormous glowing eyes, as big as saucers.

Rather than attacking directly, the ghost cats chase travelers across the salt marshes and drive them toward the rising tide. Many, it is said, have fled in terror only to run into the sea and drown. The Lampkekatten are therefore regarded as deadly omens that lure the unwary to their deaths under the light of the moon.

Sources

Van der Veen, Abe J. “Van aardmannetje tot zwarte juffer: Een lijst van Nederlandse en Vlaamse elfen en geesten.” Abe de Verteller. Accessed July 28, 2026. https://abedeverteller.nl/van-aardmannetje-tot-zwarte-juffer-een-lijst-van-nederlandse-en-vlaamse-elfen-en-geesten/

Oozlum Bird

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Tradition / Region: Australian Mythology, English Mythology
Alternative names: Ouzelum Bird
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Oozlum Bird is a legendary bird celebrated for its absurd and impossible behavior. It is often said to fly backwards, either so it can admire its magnificent tail feathers or because it prefers to see where it has been rather than where it is going.

Its most famous trait appears when it is startled. The bird takes flight in ever-tightening circles, each loop smaller than the last, until it finally flies up its own backside and disappears completely. This bizarre fate is said to explain why the Oozlum Bird is so rarely, if ever, seen.

Some tales claim the bird is large enough to carry a person through the air. Others say it can remain motionless in the sky while allowing the Earth to turn beneath it, making it appear to travel without flapping its wings.

Because of its ridiculous habits and impossible nature, the Oozlum Bird has become a humorous symbol of circular reasoning, self-reference, and endless loops, remaining one of the most whimsical creatures of Australian and British folklore.

Sources

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

Immora

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: —
Category: Bird

The Myth

The Immora is a large bird-like yōkai that appears to priests who neglect their religious duties.

According to the legend, a temple in Ushū finally received a new head priest after many years without one. Unknown to the villagers, the monk was extremely lazy. He performed his daily prayers carelessly, rushed through funeral rites, and spent his time drinking sake instead of fulfilling his responsibilities.

One night, after returning from a funeral and falling asleep drunk, he was awakened by the loud flapping of enormous wings around the temple. A great bird circled the building throughout the night, making a deafening noise.

This creature was known as Immora, a supernatural being said to appear only to monks who fail in their sacred duties. Rather than attacking its victims, it torments them with its relentless presence and thunderous wingbeats.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). 共命鳥 (Immora). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1072742086.html