Under-used supernatural creatures

Speaking of cryptids and dinosaurs, you know what should be in more fantasy stories? Megafauna. I'm talking saber-tooths, mammoths, glyptodonts, megatheriums, and a personal favorite of mine, terror birds. A lot of these things were weirder than some of the monsters the Greeks came up with.

And teratorns. Don't forget teratorns.

Sabertooth tigers and wooly mammoth are Stock Dinosaurs (for a given definition of dinosaur). Hardly under-used.

edited 27th Sep '14 10:17:10 PM by Eagal

Stock in science fiction, not in fantasy. The only fantasy I can think of with mammoths is Skyrim.

A Song Of Ice And Fire?

And The Lord of the Rings.

I'm pretty sure that most D&D editions have rules for them, too.

Technically I think Mumakil were just big elephants. Unless there's another LOTR mammoth I don't know of.

What is a mammoth if not a giant woolly elephant?

Also, Toriko has the Regal Mammoth.

@maxwellelvis: I've been thinking of doing that in my stories. I imagined human and grey alien scientists putting their knowledge together to resurrect extinct animals - that is, the ones that went extinct in humanity's lifetime, so as to correct the mistakes of the past.

Not technically supernatural or even a creature, but I just learned of the existence of Jenny Hanivers and I'm disappointed in all of media that they aren't more commonly used as inspiration for monsters. I mean, these things are rife with potential for a Pokémon.

In the Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce, Daine brings some woolly mammoths back to life and uses them to destroy a palace, along with reanimated dinosaur skeletons. It was the single most baddass scene in my childhood.

I've wanted to use a version of Fauns that are part sheep instead of part goat and have some kind of herd/familial telepathy for a while.

also: shoulder dragons.

edited 2nd Oct '14 12:03:33 PM by Ellowen

My favorite obscure monsters are from mythology.

I hate D&D (most of their creations are just cheap reskins of myth monsters, even the likes of beholder (Isitoq), Aboleth (Amhuluk) and Behir (Beithir)...

People that think they know obscure mythology monsters and come up with names like Kitsune, Gargoyle, Wendigo, Baku, Djinn and Banshee, know nothing. YOU KNOW NOTHING JOHN SNOW!

Here are my personal favorite mythology/cryptids monsters that deserve some more love. (Search their names on google, its worth the time) Most of these creatures use bizarre animals (Such as the Capelobo), have bizarre and awesome powers over nature (like the Ahkiyyini) or have bizarre forms (Nuckelavee) or cool background stories. (Amhuluk)

- A Bao A Qu (Malay)

- Aatxe (Basque)

- Abaia (Melanesian)

- Acheri (Native American)

- Adaro (Solomon)

- Adze (African)

- Afanc (Welch)

- Ahkiyyini (Inuit)

- Ahuizotl (Aztec)

- Aitvaras (Russian)

- Ajatar (Finnish)

- Akaname (Japanese)

- Akhlut (Inuit)

- Alicanto (Chilean)

- Almiraj (Arabian)

- Alp-Luachra (Irish)

- Amhuluk (Native American)

- Aniwye (Native American)

- Ankou (Celtic)

- Argopelter (Fearsome Critter)

- Asag (Sumerian)

- Asdeev (Persian)

- AWD Goggie (English)

- Bagiennik (Slavic)

- Bakekujira (Japanese)

- Bakunawa (Philippino)

- Baldanders (Germanic)

- Barbegazi (Swiss)

- Batibat (Philippino)

- Baykok (Native American)

- Berberoka (Philippino)

- Bergkonge (Norwegian)

- Binaye-Ahani (Native American)

- Bloody Bones (English)

- Bocanach (Scottish)

- Brobinyak (English)

- Brollachan (Scottish)

- Brucha (English)

- Buggane (Manx)

- Bukavac (Slavic)

- Bushyasta (Persian)

- Cactus Cat (Fearsome Critter)

- Camulatz (Mayan)

- Capelobo (Brazillian)

- Cerastes (Medieval Bestiary)

- Cherufe (Mapuche)

- Chon Chon (Mapuche)

- Con Rit (Vietnamese)

- Crocotta (Medieval Bestiary)

- Cuca (Brazillian)

- Cu Sith (Scottish)

- Cwn Annwn (Welch)

- Delgeth (Native American)

- Devalpa (Arabian)

- Dingonek (African)

- Djieien (Native American)

- Drac (French)

- Draugr (Norse)

- Dullahan (Irish)

- Echeneis (Medieval Bestiary)

- El Cuero (Chilean)

- Empusa (Greek)

- Enenra (Japanese)

- Erchitu (Spanish)

- Erlking (Germanic)

- Fear Gorta (Irish)

- Fear Liath (Scottish)

- Fiura (Brazillian)

- Flagae (European)

- Gaasyendietha (Native American)

- Ga-Gorib (African)

- Gaki (Japanese)

- Gancanagh (Irish)

- Gashadokuro (Japanese)

- Gaueko (Basque)

- Girtablilu (Babylonian)

- Grindylow (English)

- Gwyllion (Welch)

- Haakapainizi (Native American)

- Haeitlik (Native American)

- Harionago (Japanese)

- Hidebehind (Fearsome Critter)

- Hinqumemen (Native American)

- Horerczy (Germanic)

- Hyakume (Japanese)

- Hypnalis (Egyptian)

- Ichneumon (Egyptian)

- Ijiraq (Inuit)

- Iku-Turso (Finnish)

- Ill Belliegha (Maltese)

- Impundulu (African)

- Jack-in-Irons (English)

- Jidra (Arabian)

- Jinmenju (Japanese)

- Jorogumo (Japanese)

- Jubokko (Japanese)

- Kamaitachi (Japanese)

- Kampe (Greek)

- Kapre (Philippino)

- Karkadann (Persian)

- Katsura-Otoko (Japanese)

- Kaw Kaw (Maltese)

- Kelpie (Scottish)

- Keukegen (Japanese)

- Kikimora (Slavic)

- Knucker (English)

- Kongamato (African)

- Kumiho (Korean)

- Kurage-No-Hinotama (Japanese)

- Lady Midday (Slavic)

- Lavellan (Scottish)

- Lechuza (Mexican)

- Leshy (Slavic)

- Lou Carcolh (French)

- Ly Erg (Irish)

- Mahaha (Inuit)

- Makhai (Greek)

- Migas (African)

- Mishibiszhiw (Native American)

- Mngwa (African)

- Nagual (Aztec)

- Nalusa Falaya (Native American)

- Namazu (Japanese)

- Nargun (Australian)

- Nekomata (Japanese)

- Nguruvilu (Mapuche)

- Nuburu (Spanish)

- Nuckelavee (Scottish)

- Nue (Japanese)

- Odontotyrannos (Greek)

- Omukade (Japanese)

- Osschaart (Dutch)

- Peluda (French)

- Peryton (Medieval Bestiary)

- Piasa (Native American)

- Planetnik (Slavic)

- Popobawa (African)

- Pukwudgie (Native American)

- Pyrausta (Greek)

- Qalupalik (Inuit)

- Qiong Qi (Chinese)

- Raiju (Japanese)

- Ratavija (Hindu)

- Rarog (Slavic)

- Raven Mocker (Native American)

- Redcap (English)

- Sarangay (Philippino)

- Sarkany (Hungarian)

- Sarmaree (Burmese)

- Satori (Japanese)

- Sazae-Oni (Japanese)

- Seitaad (Native American)

- Sepid (Persian)

- Shadhavar (Persian)

- Shellycoat (Scottish)

- Sianach (Scottish)

- Sigbin (Philippino)

- Siyokoy (Philippino)

- Splinter Cat (Fearsome Critter)

- Sruvara (Iranian)

- Suiko (Japanese)

- Tera-Tsutsuki (Japanese)

- Tesso (Japanese)

- Thriae (Greek)

- Tiddalik (Australian)

- Tikbalang (Philippino)

- Tiyanak (Philippino)

- Tsemaus (Native American)

- Tsuchigumo (Japanese)

- Ugjuknarpak (Inuit)

- Uktena (Native American)

- Valravn (Danish)

- Vish Kanya (Hindu)

- Vodyanoi (Slavic)

- Vouivre (French)

- Wanyudo (Japanese)

- Wizard's Shackle (Irish)

- Wulgaru (Australian)

- Xing Tian (Chinese)

- Yale (European)

- Yara-ma-Yha-Who (Australian)

- Ya-Te-Veo (African)

- Yehwe Zogbanu (African)

- Yeitso (Native American)

- Yuki-Onna (Japanese)

- Zhenniao (Chinese)

- Zmey (Slavic)

- Zorigami (Japanese)

edited 8th Dec '14 5:09:00 AM by sincubus

Has anyone mentioned The Jersey Devil?

That's not really underused, is it?

It's not star status like its cousins Bigfoot and Nessie, but it's one of the more commonly-used cryptids in fiction. It's about on-par with or even more well-known than the Chupacabra, I think.

Hmm. Just about everything I can think of has already been covered. First new thing that comes to mind is leucrottas; hooved, donkey-sized hyenas with plates of bone instead of teeth and the ability to mimic human voices. Probably developed out of African myths of hyenas.
Also love nuckelavees, if only for being just so bizarre. It's a giant, skinless horse, with a (similarly skinless) rider fused with its back. The human rider's head is so huge it can't be held up, and had arms long enough to drag along the ground. One or both heads (most commonly the horse) were cycloptic.

edited 21st Jan '15 11:31:46 AM by RiverWhiteWolf

Leucrottas did appear in one of the Percy Jackson side-books in a short story.

What the heck is Amhuluk and Beithir? Google comes up with final fantasy/dark siders xP

Okay, I did googling with culture added in and... Okay, how the heck Aboleth = Amhuluk? Latter is some kind of scary watern serpent and not ancient lovecraftian fish people .-.

edited 22nd Jan '15 12:31:01 AM by SpookyMask

Both creatures like to drown people as their main hobby. That's about it. Aboleths are sneaky and prefer to use psychic abilities to dominate victims, while the Amhuluk impales them on it's horns and uses the corpses of its victims as puppets at the top of the water.

Aboleth victims live on as a mucous covered zombie, and in enough time, a writhing pile of guts and mucous, while victims of the Amhuluk are drowned/impaled, then used as bait to lure people towards the water, or as gruesome trophies to taunt those still on land.

Percy Jackson has a ridiculous (read: awesome) amount of research behind it, apparently. I haven't read any of the series, but I keep coming across wiki articles on creatures I've never heard of before with an "In Popular Culture" section just for Percy Jackson.

Example that comes to mind - the Ophiotaur, a serpent-headed bull born directly from the primordial chaos (and therefore a contemporary of Gaea herself, older than the entire Greek pantheon). Of course it has a cameo in Percy Jackson.

On another note, the Korean version of the dragon includes the imugi, which is similar but curiously distinct from the Japanese legend about carp. Imugi are protodragons, sometimes described as cursed, which resemble giant hornless pythons and inhabit lakes and caves - they have the potential to metamorphose into true dragons if they can obtain a philosopher's stone, but most of them will go their entire lives without encountering one - in other words, they're basically neotenous amphibians. :D

Oh yeah, Percy Jackson's great. It's written by a guy who used to teach classes on mythology, so he knows his stuff. Basically, if there's a Greek myth, it's showed up in the series at some point; there's a ton of books, so there's a lot of space for different monsters and gods to show up.

Also the story and characters are fantastic. I highly recommend the series, it's one of my all-time favorites.

Amhuluk = A native american lake monster which corrupts the lake it lives in, everything that falls into the lake of Amhuluk will be transformed into another creature, a mutant of it's former self.

A bear felt in the lake and turned into an Atunkai, a otter-like monster.

Amhuluk is very like Aboleth because it mutates other creatures, also Aboleths use slime to transform the creatures into a new form (Skums) and the Amhuluk transforms the entire lake into a slime-like magical water that transforms the victims that fall into the lake.

Amhuluk is the most interesting monster out there from mythology, stupid people however can't think futher than Unicorns, Minotaurs and Dragons, so the awesome creatures get looked passed.

Another cool thing about the Amhuluk is that it always evolves/mutates into new forms and becomes more powerful, many cool things can be done with that in RPG's and movies.

That Nuckelavee, Nue, Acheri and Djieien aren't in more games is a riddle to me, those are such awesome monsters with such special powers...

Despite my fascination with mythical creatures I haven't heard of Amhuluk ever until I actively looked for it (since this thread was the first time I've heard of it.) And even the story you told me I couldn't find. Link plz? :3

edited 27th Jan '15 6:56:25 PM by Aespai

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, googling doens't bring up your version of Amhuluk, you sure you haven't just seen someone's personal version of it and confused it for general one?

And even then, thats barely an aboleth, aboleth are a civilization <_<

And isn't Nue rather common JRPG enemy?

edited 29th Jan '15 1:12:00 AM by SpookyMask

I am looking for some good aztec creatures, can anyone lend a brother a hand? Preferably giant ones, but can be of any type.

edited 29th Jan '15 10:09:16 PM by Gaon