 |
|
 |
|||
Monster Encyclopedia - B
ba In ancient Egyptian belief at death a person was divided into two parts: the ka and the ba. The ka (meaning double) reflects the perishable human body. The ba, on the other hand, is a bird with a human head and represents the imperishable soul. Egyptians practiced mummification because of the belief that after 3000 years, the separate parts would be recombined leading to rebirth. baginis Baginis are Australian and are half animal and half human. They are always female. Despite considerable beauty, they have claw-like fingers and toes. The baginis are known to capture men, but seldom kill them, usually letting them go after they rape them. bahamut This monstrous fish comes from Moslem traditions. The legend goes that it floats in a vast sea. A giant bull rides on its back and on the bull is a ruby mountain. There is an angel on the mountain over which are six hells, then the Earth, and then seven heavens. The bahamut is so huge and dazzling that human beings cannot look upon it. Its name may have lead to the behemoth. bakru Bakru are a South American race of people, approximately half the size of human child, but with oversized heads. They are half flesh and half wood. They are always seen in pairs, and are considered evil creations of magicians. Although they may bring wealth to a human owner, the gods punish anyone who tries to make use of them. baku Baku come form Japanese legends. it has the face of a lion, the body of a horse, the feet of a tiger, and the tail of a cow. It is called the 'eater of dreams', as it will devour a person's evil dreams either making them harmless or changing them into good luck. banshee The banshee in Irish Gælic, is called 'bean sidhe', which means 'supernatural woman'. She is envisioned with a sunken nose, scraggy hair and huge hollow eye sockets. Her eyes are fiery red from continuous weeping. She wears a tattered white sheet flapping around her. She wails outside the door of someone who is about to die, but only for old families. All the best clans have their own private banshee. They are very closely related to the bean-nighe and cointeach. barbary lamb The barbary lamb, or barmotez, is sometimes known as the vegetable lamb or tartary. According to Hebrew legend, the barbary lamb is a lamb like creature that is half vegetable. It is attached to trees by a very short stem, half hidden within the foliage. One they have eaten all the vegetation within their reach, they die of starvation. Barbary lamb is considered a delicacy as its meat tastes like fish, and its blood like honey. Its bones can be used in rituals to give human beings the power of prophecy. barbegazi These are shy gnomes who live in the mountains of France and Switzerland. They live in caverns and tunnels that they have excavated near the tops of mountains. The French words 'barbe glacée', which means 'frozen beard' gives them their name. They hibernate all summer and emerge only when the temperature is below zero. They have very large feet which they use as a combination of ski and snowshoe. They enjoy riding avalanches. They can also use their feet as shovels to tunnel into snow drifts. They are generally benevolent to humans, warning of avalanches and digging people out after avalanches. bar juchne In Hebrew the bar juchne is a bird of enormous size whose wingspan can eclipse the sun. The Talmud mentions an event when an egg fell from a bar juchne nest, shattering 300 trees and flooding 600 villages. This bird, primarily because of its size, has been compared to the roc. basilisk bayard Bayard is the name of a horse found in the legends of Charlemagne. This talking horse was given to the four sons of Aymon by Charlemagne. Although looking like a normal horse, Bayard had the ability to stretch its back to accommodate all four of the sons of Aymon. Bayard was also known for possessing great speed. To win the horse, it was necessary to conquer him by force or skill, this rendering him tame and docile. bean-nighe This variation on the Banshee could be found in the legends of Ireland, Scotland and Brittany. The name 'Bean-Nighe' means washer woman. She was called this as she was usually seen washing bloody garments at the water's edge. her feet were webbed like those of a duck or goose. If a traveler saw her before she spied him, he would survive, however, if she spied him first, he would die. In the Scottish Highlands, it was thought that only those about to die could see her. behemoth
These biblical verses (Job 40 v. 15-18) are the main account for the behemoth. From these verses, and the verses following (19-24) most scholars believe that the creature being described is a hippopotamus. Verse 23, saying, "Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not; he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth." has been attributed to the large mouth of the hippopotamus opening while the beast is in the water, almost giving the illusion of the beast drinking the water. Others though, have claimed that the beast is not a hippopotamus, but rather, an elephant. In apocryphal literature and Jewish legend, the behemoth is a monster of formidable strength. Traditionally, the word behemoth can be given to any large, heavy, and otherwise unknown animal. The word behemoth comes from the plural of the Hebrew b'hemah, meaning 'beast'. The behemoth was often linked with another beast described in the very next chapter of Job: the Leviathan. In the apocryphal book of Enoch the two creatures are described as follows:
In other legends, the two are supposed to be deadly enemies who battle at the beginning of time, and must be destroyed by the Lord before they destroy his creation. In other stories these two battled on the Day of Judgment. In Jewish legend, the behemoth was supposedly created out of clay on the sixth day of creation. This differs from the accounts in the bible that suggest that the behemoth was the first of God's works. Only one was created, so it could not multiply. The behemoth is said to be one of the delicacies served at the messianic banquet at the end of days. The other delicacies are the ziz, and the leviathan, again reinforcing the link between the two creatures. In the Middle Ages, the name behemoth was given to a dæmon. bendith Bendith and Mamau are a clan of Welsh Færies. These ugly creatures (which could be the result of interbreeding between Færies and goblins) are known to kidnap children. In doing this, they replace the kidnapped child with one of their own, called a crimbil. If a child is recovered from the Bendith Y Mamau, they do not remember anything, except notions of sweet music. benu The Benu bird is another bird that can be linked to the phoenix. This Egyptian sun bird is identified with Ra the sun god. The word Benu in Egyptian means both purple heron and palm tree. Just like the phoenix, this bird was identified with the temple to the sun gods at Heliopolis. Many think that the myths surrounding the phoenix were a misunderstanding of the Egyptian myths of the Benu. This bird was also known to be a symbol of Osiris incarnate, renewing itself. The similarities with the phoenix are numerous. bicorne This creature, which is sometimes depicted as a both panther-like and cow-like, but in both cases is shown as being fat from overeating. The bicorne eats carefully selected virtuous husbands. The bicorne's counter part is the chichevache. bishop fish In many ways, bishop fish are like mermaids. These creatures have the shaven head of a Catholic monk and the body of a fish. In some particular detail, they have been described as having a mitered head, a scaly body with two claw-like fins instead of arms, and a fin-like cloak. black annis Black Annis dwells in the moors and hillsides of the Scottish Highlands. She is witch-like in appearance with blue skin and a single piercing eye, often described as a hideous old hag. If she captures human beings, she eats them, and she is usually reported as sitting on a pile of bones outside a cave. If human beings aren't available, she will eat sheep or deer. black dogs In Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hounds of the Baskervilles, he describes a black dog, just like the ones that appear in British legends. "...there stood a foul thing, a great black beast, shaped like a hound, yet larger than any hound that ever mortal eye has rested upon." It is said, in legend, that if one spied, or spoke to one of these large dogs (the size of a calf or larger) he was bound to die. They are also known to have eyes that shine in the dark. In Scotland, tales of the cu sith, or færie hound was also known to foretell death or illness. blunderbore Blunderbore is the legendary giant from the tale of Jack the giant killer. bodach In Scottish Gælic bodach means 'old man'. This was a spirit or bogie that would come down the chimney of a house and either steal children or terrorize them, poking and pulling at the child, thus inducing nightmares. It was said that the bodach would only bother naughty children, and in defense a child could put salt in the hearth, as the bodach would not cross salt. boggart Boggarts, in their tattered and dusty clothing, are dark and hairy household spirits. They are more bothersome than bogies. They are usually recognized due to the unusual number of mishaps that occur while a boggart is in the house. No way is known in regards to the elimination of the boggart, except leaving the house, although sometimes this doesn't even work, as boggarts are sometimes transported with household items. bogie Bogies are small creatures, sometimes spirits, that love the darkness. Often hiding in cupboards and closets, bogies are known to be mischievous and wicked. Sometimes they are known to be shape-shifters; they are depicted as large clouds of dust or dirt. Coming from English legend these underground creatures are known to be harmful in the daylight. bogle The bogle, which is closely related to the puck and the boggart. It is a Scottish hobgoblin that sometimes causes mischief to those who have committed petty crimes, on behalf of the victims. bottle imp The most well-known bottle imp, is the one found in the tales of Aladdin. The bottle imp is a spirit that is contained within a lamp. Some are genies rather than spirits, but all have the ability to grant the wishes of the owner of the lamp, using magical powers when the imp has been temporarily released. If the owner purposefully attempts to lose the lamp (as it has sometimes been said that the owner of a bottle imp could be condemned to hell) the lamp will return itself. The only way to get rid of the lamp is to sell it for less than than the owner paid for it. brag A brag is a goblin from England. It is a shape-shifter, but usually takes on the appearance of a horse. It then lures men to mount it. Once mounted, the brag will take the rider for a terrible ride, finally leaving him in a pond. brownie The name brownie comes from the tell-tale brown, ragged clothes that these small hobgoblin-like creatures wear. Brownies have small, flat faces with pinhole nostrils and are known to be quite hairy. Although they are normally solitary creatures, brownies are sometimes seen in groups. Unlike many hobgolblins, brownies are generally devoid of mischief and enjoy living in harmony with humans. If a brownie is treated well, often, they will perform many tasks and chores. For these chores, a brownie is never to be repaid directly. If a brownie is given a reward, they will vanish forever. However, by leaving something like a small treat for a brownie (their favourite treat being a bowl of milk), which they could happen upon, a brownie will be most grateful. If a brownie is offended (and they are easily offended), they will leave and take with them the good luck that surrounds brownies. Sometimes, if they are greatly offended, they can become a boggart, plaguing the house for ages. Some people think that brownies and færies are from a vanishing race of neolithic people that were driven underground by armed invaders. Others think that brownies are descendants of Lar, a deity who protected hearth and household. bucca The bucca is a hobgoblin from the legends of Cornwall. They are commonly thought to live in tin mines, and in this way are very similar to the kobold of German tales. The bucca are often associated with sailors and stories say they travel on sea breezes. They are considered useful to sailors as they are known for their ability to foretell shipwrecks, but they need to be "paid" with offerings of part of the fisherman's catch or a few bread crumbs. bugbear The bugbear is one of the English hobgoblins. Having the appearance of a bear (hence its name), it was considered quite fierce and it was common to use the fear of it to coerce children into good behaviour. buggane The buggane is a goblin from the Isle of Man. A shape-shifter, it is often seen in the form of a horse or a calf, although sometimes it appears semi-human, with long hair, teeth and nails. It is a water-spirit and almost always lives near a waterfall. bunyip This is a fierce creature from Australia. Amphibious by nature, it has the appearance of a giant seal or even a hippopotamus, It is greatly feared, for it enjoys the taste of human flesh, particularly the more tender flesh of women and children. burak This steed which was given to Mohammed, was a compound creature. Having the face and voice of a man, the ears of an ass, the body of a horse and the wings and tail of a peacock. Its eyes are as blue as sapphires and are as bright as the stars. In size it is larger than an ass, but smaller than a mule. It is one of few animals to be admitted into paradise, as it carried Mohammed to visit the heavens each night. bwbachod The Bwbachod, Bwca, or Bwbach is a Welsh household spirit. In many ways, it is like a brownie, performing tasks when appreciated, but becoming mischievous and destructive when offended (and are easily offended). Bwbachods detest non-drinkers and ministers of the church.
| |||||
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
Home
| Site
Menu |
Grooming | Eyes
& Ears | Whelping
Chart | Vaccinations |
|||||
|
|
|||||
 |
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
