Mythological creatures have fascinated mankind since time immemorial: from fearsome giants, mysterious mermaids and cunning trolls to furious dragons, magical elves and forest nymphs. The legends and stories about these beings they have been transmitted from generation to generation, thus feeding the mythological imaginary of the cultures of all the countries of the world.
The cryptozoology (from the Greek κρυπτος cryptos 'hidden', ζωος zoos 'animal' and λογος logos 'study') is the study of hidden or unknown animals whose existence has not been proven as extinct, mythological or folkloric animals. Beings of cryptozoological interest are called cryptids and the blog SavingSpot has picked them up in a series of fascinating illustrated maps by Laimute Varkalaite.
Thus, we can discover the most famous legendary creature of each country in the world. And he remembers Just because their existence hasn't been scientifically proven doesn't mean they can't be out there...
Sasquatch or Bigfoot.
North and Central America
America's most famous mythical creature is the Sasquatch (also known as Bigfoot or Bigfoot) , a hairy humanoid who lives in the forest.
Sasquatch (from the Salish word se’sxac, meaning "wild men") have been eluding capture for more than two centuries, aided by the occasional hoax to keep cryptozoologists and the FBI itself away.
On the other hand, Canada's most famous cryptid is called Windigo, a mythological creature that appears in the legends of the Algonquian peoples of the East Coast and the Canadian Great Lakes region.
America's most famous mythological creatures.
The Windigo ("man-eating monster" or "cannibal") roams the forests in search of humans to devour. Many describe it as a half-maple, half-wolf creature that calls its victims by name and they can't help but come.
In Central America some of the most famous cryptids are Picudo (Honduras), Camazotz (Guatemala), Cadejo (Costa Rica and Panama) and Cuyancúa (El Salvador).
In Nicaragua we find the Carretanagua (literally, death on wheels) , a cart driven by a skeleton and pulled by ghostly steers.
Windigo.
Europe
The dragon is the most sought after cryptid in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Italy. In fact, the Welsh dragon even appears on the flag. The Welsh Dragon is said to have been discovered in an underground lake below Dinas Emrys Hill in the 5th century. In 1945, a lake and a fortress dating back to the 5th century were found during excavation work on the hill.
In Spain and Portugal, the cryptid most feared by children (and not so children) is the Coco, a fictional creature of Iberian origin, whose presence threatens little ones who do not want to sleep. There is even a work by Goya entitled Que Coco Comes.
Coco is coming!
The Tur is a well-known giant bull in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who lives underground on the head of a giant fish that swims in an endless sea. The bull only needs to move his ear to cause an earthquake on the surface. Fortunately, there is a fly that buzzes around Tur's head, scaring him into staying still.
The Baba Yaga is the most famous cryptid in Belarus, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine. This being is very recurrent in the Slavic tradition and has the appearance of an old and terrifying woman. She lives in a shack on chicken feet.
The vampire he is the mythological being par excellence in Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Lithuania; while the gnome is the most popular in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
Other equally curious beings are the elves (Sweden), the troll (Norway), the leprechaun (Ireland), the gargoyle (France), the golem (Czech Republic), the griffin (Greece), the centaur (Cyprus) and the giant (Estonia).
The most famous mythological creatures in Europe.
South America
One of the most famous mythological creatures in all of South America is the Tunda, well known in Colombia. She is about a witch with the power to transform into the object of your desire (before she sucks your blood). Her victims are unfaithful men and mischievous children, whom the Tunda attracts by changing her form to resemble her lover or mother. The only way to detect her is to check her legs: the missing one has been replaced by a wooden grinder or spoon.
The most famous cryptids of South America.
In Paraguay, the cryptid par excellence is the Teju Jagua, a cursed descendant of an evil spirit and a mortal woman. But fear not, part of his curse is being mostly harmless (although his eyes can shoot fire) and she will not eat you, because she feeds on fruits and honey.
More creatures that hide in the corners of Latin America and frighten its inhabitants? Muki in Peru, the Chilote basilisk in Chile, Nahuelito in Argentina, Curupira in Brazil or Luison in Uruguay.
Teju Jaguar.
Middle East and Central Asia
In the Middle East and Central Asia, the Jinn, better known as geniuses, are very popular. These beings occupy inanimate objects and take human or animal form to create magic and mischief.
As we all know from the iconic movie Aladdin, genies grant wishes and if you want to find a Jinn, you are more likely to find it in countries like Iran, Jordan or Iraq.
"Your wishes are orders", will you find any geniuses in the Far East?
Another very popular mythological creature in this region that bears certain similarities to genies is Bu Darya, very famous in Bahrain. This "lord of the sea" (also known as the "sea devil") is a giant newt that sneaks onto ships at night to kidnap sailors and eat them. Bu Darya is also known to mimic the cries of distressed sailors or women to lure prey from him.
On the other hand, the dragon it is the most popular cryptid in Turkey; Tulpar in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan; To the in Afghanistan and Tajikistan; so much in Kuwait and Leviathan In Israel.
The most famous cryptids of the Middle East and Central Asia.
Rest of Asia and Oceania
The island nations of Oceania are beset by aquatic cryptids such as mermaids, shark gods and snakes. The Adaro are newts that inhabit the waters around the Solomon Islands and they have a swordfish-style spear growing from their head. Nevertheless, It attacks by throwing poisonous flying fish at the victims' necks. Ah, the Adaro travels towards the sun and back along the rainbows.
Diving through the immense ocean we will also find Dakuwaqa in Fiji (a shark-shaped god), Abaia in Vanuatu (a huge magical eel), Taniwha in New Zealand, and Aitu in Samoa.
Dakuwaqa.
But if there is a mythological being that captures all eyes and legends in the rest of Asia, that is the dragon (the most famous cryptid in China, Vietnam, North and South Korea), followed by the Orang Pendek (Indonesia), a cunning ape-like creature.
Georgia's most wanted is the Devi, a hairy ogre with horns and multiple heads. The more heads a devi has, the stronger it is. Also, her heads will grow back if you cut them off, so you should defend against her cunningly rather than violently.
Other cryptids scattered around that area of the planet are: Areop-Enap (in Palau and Nauru), Aswang (Philippines), Shesha (India), Phaya Naga (Thailand and Laos), Abath (Malaysia) and Bunyip (Australia).
The most famous cryptids of the Middle East and Central Asia.
Africa
The most famous and feared cryptid on the African continent is the Namibian flying snake. It is 7.5 meters long and has a wingspan of 9 meters, a bioluminescent crest, horns, an inflatable neck, a ferocious roar and smells of tar. The creature has been seen several times since the 1940s in the Karas region, where it feeds on cattle and scares farmers.
We also find terrifying snakes like Nyanyabulembu in Swaziland, Nyuvwira in Malawi, and Nyaminyami in Zimbabwe.
The flying snake of Namibia.
Also, even though they say there are no bears in Africa, In Kenya and Rwanda there is a legend that ensures that the Nandi bear hides in the jungle, a nocturnal beast with thick red fur that scalps those who frighten it.
More African cryptids to fear? The crocodile Gustave (Burundi), Anansi (Gabon, Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea), Kikiyaon (Senegal and Gambia) Adze (Gana and Togo), Auli (Chad) and the occasional elusive genius in Morocco, Mauritania, Tunisia and Libya.
The most famous mythological creatures of Africa.
Methodology
For each country, SavingSpot compiled a long list of famous mythological creatures using sources like the book Monsters and Mythical Creatures from around the World by Heather Frigiola as well as other independent websites.
To determine which cryptids from the long list were the most popular, the research team ranked them based on total Google search results, using the search terms "Country + Mythical Creature."
The results showed that numerous countries share the same mythological creature. In these cases, SavingSpot added additional details that could help distinguish them. For example, both England and China have the dragon as the most popular creature, but An English dragon is winged and more lizard-like in appearance, while a Chinese dragon is wingless and more snake-like in appearance.
Chinese dragon.
They are all strange creatures whose existence has been widely asserted throughout history, although no one has presented proof of this. That turns them into cryptids and sends them into the realm of pseudoscience, though that doesn't mean they're not real.
The cryptid lives in the minds of those who believe in it and those who deny it. Every culture is plagued with unconscious fears: when a sequence of strange phenomena occurs, It's not long before someone conjures up a scapegoat whose bizarre characteristics fit the crime. If the scapegoat catches the imagination of the locals, the legend grows and mutates over months, years and even centuries.
Watch out for the gnome!
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