List of legendary creatures by type

This list of legendary creatures from mythology, folklore and fairy tales is sorted by their classification or affiliation. Creatures from modern fantasy fiction and role-playing games are not included.

Animals, creatures associated with

Arthropods

Karkinos – Crab who attacked Heracles and was killed, becoming the constellation of Cancer.
Nerites – Minor sea deity turned into a shellfish by jealous gods.
Ōmukade – Giant man-eating centipede, but weak to human saliva.
Zaratan – Giant crab mistaken for an island.

Birds

Owls

Chickcharney – Magical owl with powers over fate, sometimes encountered by travellers in pine forests.
Nyctimene – Princess transformed into an owl by Minerva.
Owlman – Owl-like humanoid compared to America's Mothman.
Sirin – Birds with women's heads who lured men to their deaths.
Strix – Owl that ate human flesh.

Mammals

Bats

Balayang – Bat-god and brother to Bunjil.
Camazotz – Bat spirit and servant of the lords of the underworld.
Leutogi – Samoan princess rescued by bats.
Minyades – Three sisters who refused to take part in the worship of Dionysus, and turned into bats by Hermes.
Tjinimin – Ancestor of the Australian people.
Vetala – Vampiric entity that takes over cadavers.

Carnivorans

Bears

Bjarndyrakongur – King of bears. Stems from Polar Bear sightings in Iceland being extremely rare, but not unheard of. Has a shining horn on its head topped with a ball and red patches on cheeks.
Bugbear – Child-eating hobgoblin.
Callisto – A nymph who was turned into a bear by Hera.
Stiff-Legged Bear – Gigantic, hairless bear monster in tribal folklore, predominantly Iroquoians and Algonquians, possibly inspired by mammoths.
Canines

Foxes

Felines

Lions

Hyenas

Werehyena
Musteloids and non-hyena herpestoids

Procyonids

Azeban – trickster raccoon spirit in Abenaki mythology

Marsupials

Rodents

Afanc
Lavellan – Water shrew or water vole with poisonous abilities, said to be able to injure cattle over a hundred feet away.
Ratatoskr
Rat king; phenomenon in which a number of rats become intertwined at their tails.
Wolpertinger

Ungulates

Antelopes and deer

Bovines

Camelids

Allocamelus – A donkey-headed camel.
Heavenly Llama
Caprids

Equines

Pachyderms

Abath
Baku
Behemoth
Quugaarpak - Explanation for Mammoths & other Ice Age remains washing out of riversides. Underworld monsters who dig their way up to the human world, but die upon breathing our air.
Taweret
Pigs and boars
Calydonian Boar
Erymanthian Boar
Zhu Bajie

Xenarthrans

Mapinguari

Molluscs

Akkorokamui – octopus monster
Amikuk - Shapeshifting four armed 'octopus' that can swim through land as easily as water.
Carbuncle – one of its many descriptions is a luminescent bivalve
Lou Carcolh – A giant, man-eating snail with fur and tentacles
Kraken – squid monster
Shen – A clam-dragon that creates mirages and fata morgana at sea

Artificial creatures

This listing includes creatures that are man-made, mechanical or of alchemical origins.

Body parts, creatures associated with

Bone

Face

Hair

Mouth

Skin

Tail

Neck

Torso

Abdomen

Pixiu

Concepts, creatures associated with

Birth and Rebirth

Light

Sound

Speech

Time and Technology

Wisdom

Demons

See list of theological demons

Elements, creatures associated with

Air and wind

Habitats, creatures associated with

Temperate grassland and garden

Savanna

Ennedi tiger
Werehyena

Volcano and lava

Astronomical objects, creatures associated with

Sun

Chalkydri beings from the Second Book of Enoch
Kua Fu a giant in China
Three-legged bird in China, Korea, and Japan
Phoenix in Greek Mythology

Moon

World