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minimalist sets → the twelve olympians

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The Will-o'-the-Wisp: 

This apparition is known by many names: Jack o' Lantern, Hinkypunk,or simply, orb.

Said to appear in bogs and swamps, these mischievous beings lure unwary travelers of their path, becoming faint whenever the victim draws close, causing them to be swallowed in quicksand and bog pits.

Their origin could be many things: the spirits of unbaptized babies, vengeful fairies, or even the HELLFIRE LANTERN CARRIED BY STINGY JACK FOR ETERNITY (read more on him HERE)

Picture credit: Oxeren

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Ryujin by Kaitlin Reid

Ryūjin or Ryōjin (龍神, “dragon god”?), also known as Ōwatatsumi, was the tutelary deity of the sea in Japanese mythology. This Japanese dragon symbolized the power of the ocean, had a large mouth, and was able to transform into a human shape. Ryūjin lived in Ryūgū-jō, his palace under the sea built out of red and white coral, from where he controlled the tides with magical tide jewels. Sea turtles, fish and jellyfish are often depicted as Ryūjin’s servants. Ryūjin was the father of the beautiful goddess Otohime who married the hunter prince Hoori. The first Emperor of Japan, Emperor Jimmu, is said to have been a grandson of Otohime and Hoori’s. Thus, Ryūjin is one of the ancestors of the Japanese imperial dynasty.

(A World of Fantasy)

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The dread Basilisk. Said to be born when a cockerel (rooster) hatches the egg from a serpent or toad, this monster is known far and wide as the king of beasts. It's characteristic stare can cause instant death in a glance, and its breath causes disease and death. If you happen to meet on the path at midnight, and you don't happen to die on the spot, they fear the scent of the weasel, just as the cobra fears the mongoose! Good luck finding a weasel though...

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The Orochi is a monster of Japanese legend. Endowed with 8 heads and tails, this beast terrorized a family on the Hi river. Each year, the Orochi would devour one of the daughters of the earth deities at the head of the river. On the eighth year, Susanoo descended from heaven and came to this river. Seeing the deities' plight, he transformed the daughter into a comb to hide her, set out strong liquor, which the Orochi drank. While the monster was intoxicated, Susanoo hacked it into pieces, turning the river red with blood. When cutting the middle tail, Susanoo's sword broke. Upon further investigation, he found a great sword hidden within the Orochi's tail.

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Ladon

If there are two things the Greeks love in their mythology, they are (1) multiple heads, and (2) dragons guarding important things. Ladon has the best of both worlds: He guards the Golden Apples of the Hesperides with 100 heads! 

He is said to be either the offspring of Phorcys and Ceto, the great ocean deities, or of Echidna and Typhon, making him the sibling of the Nemean Lion. 

When Heracles was charged with retrieving one of the Golden Apples, accounts differ. Most say that Heracles convinced Atlas to retrieve them, while others say that Heracles killed Ladon and took the Apples himself.

He's also the basis of the constellation Draco

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Succubus

Beautiful and desirable women that sometimes appear with bat-like wings, horns, hooves, and fangs.

Appeared to men in the night and seduced them into sexual encounters. (Celibate monks were especially prone to such attacks and often blamed Succubi for their lustful thoughts and actions.)

Succubi would suck the life force out of men - leaving them exhausted - or more often, killing them.

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Echidna

A monstrous she-dragon with the head and breast of a woman. She presided over the corruptions of the earth : rot, slime, fetid waters, illness and disease.

She was often equated with Python, a dragon born of the fetid slime left behind by the great Deluge.

Others call her the Tartarean lamprey, and assigned her to the dark, swampy pit of Tartaros beneath the earth.

Hesiod, makes her a daughter of monstrous sea-gods, and presumably associates her with rotting sea-scum and fetid salt-marshes.  In all cases, she was described as the consort of Typhoeus, a monstrous storm-daemon who challenged Zeus in heaven. Together they spawned a host of terrible monsters to plague the earth.

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Golem-

A golem is a being created from inanimate matter, typically out of rock, mud, or clay. Featured in Jewish texts, golems are said to be the result of human attempts to create life, in the same manner as homunculi or the Frankenstein monster. Golems can never speak, and will obey the command of their masters as literally as possible.

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The Lernean Hydra

Nine-headed serpent that terrorized the swamps near Lerna. One of its heads was immortal and the other eight would regenerate by two each time it was cut off. 

Killed by Heracles with the assistance of his nephew, Iolaus

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Sekhmet

Egyptian Warrior goddess and goddess of healing. She was thought to preside of the protection of pharoahs and led them into battle. 

Sometimes referred to as the daughter of Ra. 

Depicted with the head of a lioness. 

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Thoth

The Egyptian 'Creator' god or god of knowledge and wisdom. Also known as Tehuty, Djehuty, Tahuti, Tehuti, Zehuti, Techu, or Tetu. 

One myth claims that Thoth, in the form of an Ibis, laid and egg which Ra hatched from. 

Another states that Thoth created himself through the power of language.

He was worshiped most fervently in Khnum.

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Anubis

Egyptian god of mummification. His job includes : supervision of the embalming process, receiving the body into the tomb and performing the 'Opening of the Mouth' ceremony, and finally, conducting the body to the 'Field of Celestial Offerings'.

Before Osiris came about, Anubis was the official 'God of the Dead'. 

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The Four Symbols

These are four mythological creatures represented in Chinese Astrology as directions and seasons:

Black Tortoise of the North- Represents Winter and is associated with Water

Azure Dragon of the East- Represents Spring and is associated with Wood

White Tiger of the West- Represents Autumn and is associated with Metal

Vermillion Bird of the South- Represents Summer and is associated with Fire

Editor's Note: These guys were kind of in Digimon, which is why I know about them. Maybe KeepitMello was the only one who watched that show, but enjoy! ^_^

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The Beast of Gévaudan

In the former province of Gévaudan, France, a creature claimed the lives of over a hundred victims, and attacked a hundred more. This creature was described as a giant canine with reddish fur, massive tails, and colossal teeth. The effort to stop the attacks included the French military and royal huntsman, as the king himself took an interest in the attacks. The attacks ceased after Jean Chastel, a local huntsman, shot it with a silver bullet.

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Kamaitachi (Sickle-Weasel)

A Japanese Yokai, the Kamaitachi is an apparition in the form of three weasels riding the wind, attacking people caught in the gust. According to the lore, The first weasel knocks the victim down, the second slashes their legs, and the third applies medication to stop the bleeding, so the victim is left with only painful, clean wounds.

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Baku

A spirit in Japanese Folklore, the Baku devours dreams, and more specifically, nightmares. It is traditionally a benevolent spirit which prevents humans from having bad dreams.

The word Baku in Japanese refers to both this creature and the tapir of the physical world. As such, the appearance of the Baku has transitioned from and Elephant-rhino-tiger Chimera thing, into a ethereal Tapir.