10 Terrifying Mythical Creatures That Will Give You Nightmares

[Miranda_]

Be warned... don't read this with the lights turned off.

10. Kelpie.
The kelpie is a supernatural water horse from Celtic folklore, that is believed to haunt the rivers and lochs of Scotland and Ireland. The horse’s appearance is strong, powerful and breathtaking. Its hide was supposed to be black (though in some stories it was white), and it will appear to be a lost pony, but can be identified by its constantly dripping mane. Its skin is like that of a seal, smooth, but is as cold as death when touched. Water horses are known to transform into beautiful women to lure men into their traps. The water horse is a common form of the kelpie, said to lure humans, especially children, into the water to drown and eat them. It performs this act by encouraging children to ride on its back. Once its victims fall into its trap, the kelpie’s skin becomes adhesive and it bears them into the river, dragging them to the bottom of the water and devouring them—except the heart or liver.

9. Hidebehind.
A hidebehind is a nocturnal fearsome critter from American folklore that preys upon humans that wander the woods, and was credited for the disappearances of early colonial loggers when they failed to return to camp. As its name suggests, the hidebehind is noted for its ability to conceal itself. When an observer attempts to look directly at it, the creature hides again behind an object or the observer, and therefore can’t be directly seen; a feat it accomplishes by sucking in its stomach to a point where it is so slender that it can easily cover itself behind the trunk of any tree. The hidebehind uses this ability to stalk human prey without being observed, and to attack without warning. Their victims, including lumberjacks who frequent the forests, are dragged back to the creature’s lair to be devoured. The creature subsists chiefly upon the intestines of its victim.

8. Bakeneko.
A bakeneko (“monster-cat”) is, in Japanese folklore, a cat with supernatural abilities akin to those of the fox or raccoon dog. A cat may become a bakeneko in a number of ways: it may reach a certain age, be kept for a certain number of years, grow to a certain size, or be allowed to keep a long tail. A bakeneko is a cat that gains paranormal powers after certain circumstances. They also have the ability to eat (bigger or smaller) anything in its way, no matter what it is. Poison is its main food. A bakeneko will haunt any household it is kept in, creating ghostly fireballs, menacing sleepers, walking on its hind legs, changing its shape into that of a human, and even devouring its own mistress in order to shapeshift and take her place. When it is finally killed, its body may be as much as five feet in length. It also poses a danger if allowed into a room with a fresh corpse; a cat is believed to be capable of reanimating a body by jumping over it.

8. Gwrach-y-Rhibyn.
The Gwrach-y-Rhibyn, or Hag Of The Dribble, is a hideous Welsh banshee that stalks those about to die. She is a hideous sight to behold, with her crooked back, hooked nose, long filthy hair and manic eyes. She is pinched and scrawny, yet her superficial mass likely betrays her true strength and vigour. The most frightfully inhuman of all her features, however, are her long thin arms, for not only do they end in dreadful talon-like hands, but black scaly wings also hang from these extremities. These bat-like appendages are thought capable of flight. Her negligible clothing is black and ragged. She will haunt her victims by shrieking loudly, flapping her wings and tapping on windows with her claws. Tho the Hag will mostly only haunt old and powerful families, she can appear to anyone with pure Welsh blood.

7. Black Shuck.
Local legend tells of a huge hound, the size of a small calf with blazing eyes, who regularly prowls the coastal path between Sheringham and Overstrand. Unsuspecting night walkers will first become aware of the pad pad sound of the hounds heavy paws. Out of the corner of their eye they may see a gathering darkness, which slowly forms into the outline of a huge hound. Lurking in the night shadows the beast is said to track the steps of its victim, drawing ever closer. Anyone unfortunate enough to turn around and meet its fiery gaze is said to die within a twelve month period. Black Shuck sometimes appears with a single eye in the middle of his forehead, and sometimes, with no head at all.

[Miranda_]

6. Wendigo.
A legendary mythical creature that is believed in by the Algonquian people. Different cultures offer different descriptions of the Wendigo but generally they are said to be large alien-like canine beasts associated with the winter and the cold. Humans can become Wendigo’s themselves if they carry out an act of cannibalism. The demonic spirit of the beast will then take over the human’s body and turn them into a violent, human flesh craving beast. Most Wendigos are thought to dwell in mountainous areas or highly forested regions. At the same time, Wendigos were embodiments of gluttony, greed, and excess: never satisfied after killing and consuming one person, they were constantly searching for new victims. Whenever a Wendigo ate another person, it would grow in proportion to the meal it had just eaten, so that it could never be full. Wendigos were therefore simultaneously constantly gorging themselves and emaciated from starvation.

5. Tikbalang.
This monster is a creature of Philippine folklore said to lurk in the mountains and forests of the Philippines. It is generally described as a tall, bony humanoid creature with disproportionately long limbs, to the point that its knees reach above its head when it squats down. It has the head and feet of a horse. Tikbalangs are said to scare travelers and lead them astray. Tikbalangs play tricks on travelers such that they keep on returning to an arbitrary path no matter how far he goes or where he turns. Supposedly this is counteracted by wearing one's shirt inside out. Another countermeasure is to ask permission out loud to pass by or, not to produce too much noise while in the woods in order not to offend or disturb the tikbalang. Tikbalangs will also play pranks on unwary travellers, usually cumilating in them jumping out and slapping the traveller.

4. Manananggal.
A manananggal is described as being a hideous, scary vampire-like creature capable of severing its upper torso in order to fly into the night with huge bat-like wings to prey on unsuspecting, pregnant women in their homes; using an elongated proboscis-like tongue, it sucks the hearts of fetuses or the blood of an unsuspecting, sleeping victim. The severed lower torso is left standing, and it is said to be the more vulnerable of the two halves. Sprinkling salt or smearing crushed garlic or ash on top of the standing torso is fatal to the creature. The upper torso then would not be able to rejoin and will die at daybreak. The name of the creature originates from sinalalala used for a severed torso: manananggal comes from the Tagalog tanggal (cognate of Malay tanggal), which means "to remove" or "to separate". Manananggal then means "the one who separates itself" (in this case, separates itself from its lower body). It is a saying that a manananggal's attack can be avoided by death. The most prominent characteristic of a manananggal is its ability to dispatch its torso from its legs.

3. Loup Garou.
The Loup Garou is a French legend of a human who changes into a wolf at his/her own will. The word 'loup' means wolf and 'garou' means man who turns into animal. The legend says that when a person comes into contact with a loup garou and sheds the blood of the beast, the Loup Garou will then changed back to it's human form and reveal their secret. The victim becomes a Loup Garou for one hundred and one days. If the victim speaks of the encounter, they become a loup garou themselves, but if they remain quiet, they return to their human form and continue on with their lives. In the legends, the loup garou is said to be someone the victim knows, such as a jealous former lover. The legend was often used to scare children into behaving. What makes these creatures so dangerous is the fact that while in their wolf form, they are completely aware and as intelligent as they are in their human form. With their enhanced abilities and senses, it make them difficult to destroy. Along with these abilities, they differ from the werewolf because it isn't just the moon that can change them. These creatures can change at their own will, as well as by the command of a full moon.

2. Penanggalan.
This creature is a humanoid monster resembling an older, yet beautiful woman. However, at night she detaches her head from her torso, and levitates the head while trailing her spine and internal organs from her neck. She can manipulate each of these organs like an octopus's tentacles to help her remove obstacles in her path, and often grows out her hair to assist her as well. In this detached state, she preys on the townspeople while they sleep. With a mouthful of fangs, the Penanggalan will devour newborn infants, although she also may choose to simply drink the blood of either newborns or women who have recently given birth. When she detaches her head, her body begins to decompose very quickly, so she stores it in a container filled with vinegar to keep it fresh. If one applies ash or a crushed garlic paste to this empty body, the Penanggalan will die at once.

1. Rat King.
A rat king is a rare phenomenon arising in rats. A number of rats become intertwined at the tails, and are joined with blood, dirt, and excrement. Consequently, the animals grow together, joined at the tails, which are often broken. The phenomenon is particularly associated with Germany, where the majority of instances have been located. Rat kings have always been a subject of fear and superstition, and killed upon discovery. Nevertheless, there were occasional findings of dead and subsequently mummified rat kings. Historically, rat kings were seen as an extremely bad omen, particularly associated with plagues. Such events also occurred, since rat kings arise only if too many rats exist and are according to little place for new buildings. With an increase in the size of the rat population comes an increase of the chance of outbreak of disease, for example the Black Death, which is spread by rat fleas.

[belladoggy]

That part about Wendigos....that's how pinkie got her cutie mark! (in all seriousness...sort of...weren't those the spirits referred to in the FiM holiday special?Spoooky. They war some cool animation, though.

And SMeyer's "werewolves" are totally Loup Garous by the description you gave. Sheesh, she can't even get her own mythical creatures right. And don't get me started on sparklepires.


Gah, just the description of Rat Kings made me cringe. Ew, ew, ew, ew, EEEEEEWWWWWW!

Is it me, to does the Black Shuck description sound suspiciously like that of the Grimm and Sirius Black from Harry Potter? You know, the story Prof. Trelawney believes is true?

I've read somewhere about kelpies. Frightening stories.

[FlowersFall]

Oh I remember the 'Wendigo' being on the tv show "Supernatural" It was around the first season and I remember being so scared when I saw the episode.
This is the part that scared me...still kinda does. >.<
SuperNatural - wendigo - YouTube

and the 'Penanggalan' sounds absolutely terrifying O.o I dont like the sound of that at all! Gave me the chills...

[Miranda_]

The spirits in the MLP episode were Windigos, and they were obviously based on the Wendigo legend, cept these feed on hatred. Obviously, they couldn't have cannibal horses on a kid's show. XD

An interesting fact about werebeasts is that in England, where there are no wolves, the stories are about werehares and werecats instead, which were meant to be witches. If you cut the leg off a werecat, then look out for the old woman who suddenly takes to her bed.

The whole "rat kings are a bad omen" thing made me laugh. XD It's hardly difficult to predict that bad things are going to happen when a ball of poop covered rats is rolling towards your face... O_o