History Main / CallAPegasusAHippogriff

* [[KrakenandLeviathan The Leviathan]] from ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' is actually still referred to in-film as "a mythical sea serpent", but it is actually a giant mechanical lobster; it does not look remotely serpent-like.
* Creeper from ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'' is universally reckoned to be some sort of goblin or imp (small, misshapen, pointy ears, green skin). However, [[http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/File:The_Horned_King%27s_Dwarf.jpg production material identifies him as a "dwarf".]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'', the Dazzlings' original Equestrian forms resemble hippocampi, but are called "[[EnthrallingSiren sirens]]" due to their MindControlMusic powers similar to sirens of Greek mythology. Seeing as ponies are the dominant life form of Equestria, this could also be considered a take on SirensAreMermaids.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}},'' Tamatoa is a giant crab, while in actual Polynesian legend he's a headless warrior. (It's also a fairly common name, though, so maybe we can imagine that the other Tamatoa is around somewhere.)

* In the first three ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' games, Wyverns have a serpentine body, a vulture's head, and feathered wings, while in the fourth game they look like [[DinosaursAreDragons a cross between a T-Rex and a pterosaur]]. To twist the knife further, in ''DQ V'', ''VIII'', and ''IX'', the original Wyvern design was renamed the Chimaera.

* The tabletop version of ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'' bafflingly depicts ThePhoenix as a fire-breathing legless dragon-like creature with membraneous wings, scaly skin and no discernable avian features aside from it's beak. This is an especially odd case, considering the original video game had a much more traditional (albeit somewhat [[PteroSoarer Pterosaur-like]]) phoenix.
* At least one article in ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' magazine has suggested that game masters use this trope in-game to screw with their players' expectations, perhaps justifying it as disinformation spread by smart monsters.

** The French edition of the game has something of an ambiguous example born of a translation mixup: the Wurm creature type, which encompasses enormous serpentine or wormlike monsters, is called "guivre" in the French translation. The ambiguity comes from the fact that “guivre” can refer to two things in French: on the one hand, it can refer to the original interpretation in Western tradition of dragons as limbless, serpentine monsters not far off from the game’s version (this was the type found in Greco-Roman myth, and also what the English term “wyrm” -- pronounced “worm” -- originally referred to). On the other hand, it can also mean wyvern -- that is, a birdlike, bipedal bat-winged dragon more like ''[=M:tG=]'''s drake creature type than anything else.

* ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' features a species of demon called [[https://charmed.fandom.com/wiki/Manticore Manticores]]. They're more like orcs than anything, while mythical manticores are scorpion-tailed lions with human heads.

* Creator/JRRTolkien was fond of using "worm", the Middle and Modern English cognate of Old English "wyrm", to mean "dragon" or "serpent". "Worm" in the sense of "dragon" is attested as late as the mid-19th century in Northern English, as in the ballads of Literature/TheLambtonWorm and the Laidly Worm, so the Good Professor wasn't just making it up as he went along. It is even older -- in the old North Germanic languages, "orm" could mean a snake, a worm or a dragon by modern English terms.

* One of the songs from Rimsky-Korsakov's opera ''Theatre/Sadko'' had a visitor from India describe the wonders of his land, including ThePhoenix. Except the description he gives is that of a creature named Sirin; that is, the EnthrallingSiren.

* {{Downplayed}} in ''Literature/MagnusChaseAndTheGodsOfAsgard,'' where a "svartalf" is the [[NonHumanHumanoidHybrid offspring of a dwarf and a god]], which makes them look relatively more human than a normal dwarf. "Svartalf" translates as "dark elf," but scholars are eternally confused whether Norse mythology considered this a separate race of another term of dwarves; either way, there's no indication that they would be the children of gods.

** Raizo the [[MixAndMatchCritters Nue]] is called a "humanoid beast," and the only clue to his actual Youkai type is his description ("A hybrid of a monkey, tiger and snake"--i.e. a Nue).

* [[KrakenandLeviathan The Leviathan]] from ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' is actually still referred to in-film as "a mythical sea serpent", but it is actually a giant mechanical lobster.

* InUniverse in ''Film/TheGiver,'' which is set in a time when most animals are extinct or [[LegendFadesToMyth considered mythical]]. When presenting a "comfort object" (stuffed animal) to baby Gabe, Jonas' father calls it a "hippo," even though it's clearly an elephant. Later Jonas, having [[TransferableMemory gained memories]] of the past, calls it by its proper name.

** Rowling tends to do this a lot. Her "[[SelkiesAndWereseals selkies]]", for example, are apparently just the Scottish subspecies of merfolk, with no connection to seals.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'':

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen}},'' the Scandinavian-inspired magical kingdom has trolls who are depicted as tiny magical creatures that aid human beings. In actual Scandinavian folklore, trolls are an AlwaysChaoticEvil race that mostly lure away children and wanderers to eat them. The creatures in the film would fit better as dwarves/dark elves in Myth/NorseMythology. They were, however, accurate in portraying trolls as magic users. Sweden still uses the word "troll" as a prefix to mean magic; for instance, a wizard or a stage magician is a Troll-Man (trollkarl) and the act of using magic is Troll-Art (Trollkonst).

** Large predatory cats with bat wings and scorpion stingers. They are called manti... no, they are called ''wyverns''. Whether this is a mistake or an attempt to establish a distinct bestiary is unknown; however, these days "wyverns" are now almost exclusively referred to in the game as simply "wind riders".

* ''Manga/NaruTaru'' has this on multiple levels. All of the monsters in the story are collectively referred to as "dragons", even though most of them are closer to {{Eldritch Abomination}}s than anything else. There's only one that ''does'' look like a dragon, at least in the sense of being a giant reptilian creature with wings. . . but it's called "Tarasque", after a monster from French folklore that it looks nothing like.

** While we're at it, the trolls are are a race of [[CuteMonsterGirl Cute Monster People]] whose infant forms are reminiscent of [[BizarreAlienBiology insects]] and whose life cycle and physiology is just a tad [[ArtMajorBiology strange]]. While not a full example -- [[AllTrollsAreDifferent myths about trolls rarely agree on anything]] -- the ''Homestuck'' depiction was intended to be rooted more in the idea of [[{{Troll}} internet trolls]] (that's all the characters were before Creator/AndrewHussie decided to make them relevant to the plot), and as such are certainly divorced from the traditional brutish, man-eating monsters that live under bridges.

** Amusingly, the hippogriffs that ''do'' appear are actually hippogriffs - that is, half eagle, half horse. However, they are not Ludovico Ariosto's griffin/horse hybrids but rather their own species.

** Amusingly, the hippogriffs that ''do'' appear are actually hippogriffs - that is, half eagle, half horse. However, they are not griffin/horse hybrids but rather their own species.

* In ''Literature/TheCarpetPeople'', there's an enigmatic, prescient race which most people would call "[[OurElvesAreBetter elves]]" based on the description. Instead they're "[[OurWightsAreDifferent wights]]", which more commonly refers to minions of TheUndead.

* There's a magical spirit in Ibero-American folklore know as Duende, a rather mischievous small creature know for being short, ugly and a trickster. For centuries, in Spanish speaking countries there wasn't a translation for words like [[OurGoblinsAreDifferent Goblin]], [[OurTrollsAreDifferent Troll]], [[OurElvesAreBetter Elf]], or {{Leprechaun}} so they were all translated as Duendes even when in some cases the comparison is rather clashing. It's falling out of use since those words are now incorporated into Spanish vocabulary, "Elves" are now translated as Elfos -Probably due the success of HighFantasy literature towards the middle of the 20th century- but SantaClaus's helpers are still known as Duendes due to the GrandfatherClause. One of the reasons while the word Elfo was created is because of [[OurElvesAreBetter the different types of elves that exist]]. When they are portrayed as small creatures -- specially if they're ugly -- that translation works, but the tall, beautiful noble Elves of books like ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' look like the polar opposite of Iberian Duendes.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen}},'' the Scandinavian inspired magical kingdom have trolls who are depicted as tiny magical creatures that aid human beings. In actual Scandinavian Folk-Lore Trolls are an AlwaysChaoticEvil race that mostly lure away children and wanderers and eat them. The creatures in the film would fit better as Dwarves/Dark Elves in Myth/NorseMythology. \\
They were however 100% right In their portraits of Trolls as magic users, to the point that Sweden still use the word troll as a prefix to mean magic. A Wizard or a stage magician is a Troll-Man (trollkarl), The Act of using Magic is Troll-Art (Trollkonst), The character Castaspella from WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower is named Trolla etcetera.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen}},'' the Scandinavian inspired magical kingdom have trolls who are depicted as tiny magical creatures that aid human beings. In actual Scandinavian Folk-Lore Trolls are an AlwaysChaoticEvil race that mostly lure away children and wanderers and eat them. The creatures in the film would fit better as Dwarves/Dark Elves in Myth/NorseMythology. They were however right In their portraits of Trolls as magic using being, to the point that swedes still utses the Word troll as a prefix to mean magic. A Wizard or a stage magician is a Troll-Man, Magic is Troll-Art, The character Castaspella from WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower is named Trolla etc.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen}},'' the Scandinavian inspired magical kingdom have trolls who are depicted as tiny magical creatures that aid human beings. In actual Scandinavian Folk-Lore Trolls are an AlwaysChaoticEvil race that mostly lure away children and wanderers and eat them. The creatures in the film would fit better as Dwarves/Dark Elves in Myth/NorseMythology.

* Brooke from ''Webcomic/EerieCuties'' and her people are called "melusines," even though traditionally, "Melusine" was a specific individual - what she was was a "nixie." It would be like calling gorgons "medusas." OhWait, [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons that totally happens]].

** And then there's the Magic original "Phelddagrif" (an anagram of "Garfield, Ph.D." in honor of the game's creator), which is a green-winged purple hippopotamus!

* ''Film/TheGiver,'' set in a time when most animals are extinct or [[LegendFadesToMyth considered mythical]], does this with real animals: when presenting a "comfort object" (stuffed animal) to baby Gabe, Jonas' father calls it a "hippo," even though it's clearly an elephant. Later Jonas, having [[TransferableMemory gained memories]] of the past, calls it by its proper name.

* In Creator/ENesbit's ''The Book of Beasts'', the hero must summon a creature identified as a hippogriff to save his city from a dragon. The creature that appears is what most people would identify as a pegasus, a winged horse. To be fair, you can't say that a hippogriff ''isn't'' a winged horse (or that a pegasus isn't technically [[MixAndMatchCritters part horse, part bird]] for that matter). It's also possible that Nesbit figured that the word pegasus must only refer to ''[[AKindOfOne the]]'' Pegasus. Although Pliny the Elder mentioned Pegasi living in Aegypt. So the idea of numbers of Winged Horses existing is OlderThanPrint.