✍ Level up your fantasy writing and worldbuilding skills for free! Join hundreds of writers getting weekly tips, tricks, and inspiration delivered straight to their inbox every Friday. Claim your spot in our growing fantasy community: thetaletinkerer.com/newsletter
My favorite is the werewolf, it's usually an unwanted curse and it prompts you to write interesting stories from the get-go. Will the heroes kill the beast knowing that the person behind the beast likely doesn't know what's happening to them or do and hate it
I honestly love your content as a DM and worldbuilder. It's high quality, you jump right into it, and the accompanying visuals boost what you're saying. Keep up the great work!
It should be noted, that different nations have different lists of essential creatures. British writers should know about fairy, elfs and barghests as well as czech writer should know about waterman, chort, golem or wyvern with seven heads.
Yes, there are of course cultural differences and also way more creatures to list. I myself had lots of them still to consider and can certainly imagine a 2.0 version of the video eventually being done 🙂
In Persian mythology, Simorgh and Phoenix are not the same. In Persian mythology, there are two definitions of Simorgh: 1. An ancient creature that sits on the highest mountain in the world and observes the entire universe. 2. A being that is formed from thirty different birds and is the king of birds. Phoenix: A mythical bird with numerous holes in its beak that produces strange songs. It lives for a thousand years, and when death approaches, it gathers lots of firewood, sits on top of it, and flaps its wings until the wood catches fire and burns. From its ashes, a new Phoenix is born.
13:37 "The Kraken works best when you don't show it completely" The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, made that problem lol. Tentalus when from being a scary sea monster into a goofy Monster's Inc. creature.
I've watched many of your videos and this is one of my favorites. Your merging of historical mythology, subsequent literary applications, and your own insights is excellent! Thank you.
I'm glad to hear you liked this one in particular - thank you for the taking the time to leave that feedback. I usually like creating these types of videos quite a lot myself 🙂
The soviet band ARIA has a song "боля и разум" (will and reason). The song is technically about a dragon, but in reality, it is about a nuclear war. Only we together with will and reason can stop the destruction of the dragon.
"I probably upset a few people by saying that I think of folklore in the same way that a carpenter thinks about trees." Terry Pratchett speaking about his visit to the British Folklore Society.
What about the life cycle of the Phoenix being hijacked by the malevolent? Before the bird can rise from its ashes, those ashes are divided and mixed with the ashes of other things, and what rises up is some abominable new chimera.
I've used quite a few of these in stories... I intend to use lamashtu-like vampires in the story I'm working on now. In an older comic, which was a comedic sci-fi, I had a unicorn. As the most physically powerful character, he became a security officer on a spaceship. And since purity is so integral to unicorns, I gave him the incredibly awkward ability to sense whether or not someone was a virgin. Whenever he was around a virgin woman, sparkles and rose petals would appear in the air around him. Unfortunately for him, virginity and purity are NOT the same thing. One of these "pure maidens" ended up murdering him to feed a monster!
Thanks for the word: lycanthropy 😊 ive now also found avianthropy... great terms for shapeshifter fiction!!!! Many thanks for these insights.. maybe the next phase of these physical transormations might be metempsychosis... a great word i found one night while exploring definitions for warp as a weaving term... ❤ many wishes of light transormation to all creators
I like to read about monsters from all mythologies, and I can say that no creature is scarier (at least to me) than the Mares of Diomedes. A bunch of equines eating meat sound so unnerving that any other creature appears “normal” in comparison. I can imagine that a dragon, a giant, a manticore or any other beast eating human flesh, but animals there were supposed to be herbivores?! That’s an impressive stretch!
I always forget that the Kraken also gets ascribed to island turtles sometimes. As implied I normally associate those islands that turn out to be massive sea creatures with gigantic turtles. But the term Aspidochelone doesn’t come up very often so people just assume this is the Kraken as well. Slightly Surprised by the lack of merfolk on this list. Honestly the sphinx is the odd one out to me, of all the creatures on this list that is the one I think about the least, and honestly cannot think of any mainstream uses.
I actually had to look a bit more into "Aspidochelone" myself. Seems that it can stand for both a giant whale or a turtle. Interesting one, will definitely look into it more 🙂 Merfolk were on the extended list but didn't make the final cut. Maybe there is a 2.0 video at some point 😀
A little bit of both: for example, the first phoenix (there is more than one phoenix in my setting) was born from a romantic dalliance between the sun goddess and the reaper goddess of death (who is actually very nice and beautiful if extremely skinny) with the sun goddess giving birth to the first phoenix, and the phoenix being seen as a divine creature with the sun goddess’s priestesses tending and caring for the phoenixes and using the phoenix feathers as writing quills, spell components, or fashion accessories. They will also assist alchemists in making potions. Phoenixes have qualities similar to what you see in various fantasy stories but in my setting phoenixes despise certain undead or demonic creatures and the slightest touch from a phoenix will set the fiend on fire and kill them permanently. Unicorns are Fae creatures and you don’t have to be a virgin maiden to ride one (it helps but it’s not required). You just have to be very chivalrous and righteous to ride one. Unicorns also defend human orphaned children with great ferocity and will reunite lost children with their families. Also the most powerful unicorn is the male black unicorn with a horn of blood red crystal (still debating if the unicorn horns should be made of crystal since unicorns shed parts of their horn so the horn will grow stronger; I’m open to ideas actually). Unicorns are sometimes ridden into battle wearing armor by chivalrous knights. Both phoenixes and unicorns can enchant magical items, giving them special qualities and abilities.
Werewolves can also be a metaphor for the animal side of our nature, and thus they can be good or bad depending on how you view that side. In old days, wolves were dangerous predators that fed on livstock and at least were accused of attacking humans. Today wolves are a protected species seen in a much more positive light, loyal to their pack. Lots of modern werewolves aren't cursed monsters, but can shift when they want, remaining in control. Their fear is being discovered and being hunted to extinction just like we are wiping out much of nature. So yes, monsters adapt.
Have to question your section about "dragons represent corruption and decay, rather than divine power" especially because you previously mentioned Chinese dragons which represent good luck, prosperity, harmony, and are in fact rain deities. Dragon is a term which covers a wide variety of beings, so you might want to specify which type of dragon you are talking about there. Otherwise, great video.
@@TheTaleTinkerer I wonder if there are more interesting archetypal fantasy/mythological creatures ike these. I would love to learn more if you have any resources you could share or maybe cover some more in a future video. Thank you again for what you do.
@@TheTaleTinkerer Yes - I loved what you covered so far and I'd be interested in learning about the symbolic significance of even more mythical creatures: giants(orges cyclops etc), merpeople, or fae-folk (goblins, fairies, gnomes). What do they represent in our psyche when we see them in storytelling?
How fitting. I'm currently working on my debut novel and the protagonist is a were-being. She always has to weigh up the extent to which she engages with the beast and utilises its strengths, because then she runs the risk of falling for it and losing her humanity.
Thank you! No, she was born with it. Her mother was a were-owl and she inherited "the gift" from her. However, she lost her parents in an attack by werewolves before the owl awoke in her and before her mother could introduce her to the family secret. She then grows up with beast hunters, becomes a hunter herself and has to discover the beast within her on her own and learn to control it. This has a lot of potential for conflict.
Just in case you are thinking Baldur's Gate 3 here as well - there is a little difference in the spelling since it is Asterion (Greek myth) and Astarion (BG3) 🙂
@@TheTaleTinkerercool! Ich komme ursprünglich aus der Nähe von Hannover, bin also mit "Schulhochdeutsch" aufgewachsen, aber ein bisschen Platt kann ich auch 😅
15:12 seriously? Humans are not that stupid. I hate this kind of thing. Neolithic people weren't stupid and neither were Greeks. A man on an unfamiliar beast isn't mistaken for a centaur. Too much anthropology on my part perhaps, but please. This is just too much.
✍ Level up your fantasy writing and worldbuilding skills for free! Join hundreds of writers getting weekly tips, tricks, and inspiration delivered straight to their inbox every Friday. Claim your spot in our growing fantasy community: thetaletinkerer.com/newsletter
Relevant and Supportive Comment to feed the Algorangim
My 10 favorite monsters:
1-M’Boitatá (Fire Serpent).
2-Golem.
3-Kobold (the original, without reptilian of canine appearances).
4-Roc Bird.
5-Quetzalcoatl.
6-Simurgh.
7-Wendigo.
8-Lich.
9-Tartary Sheep.
10-Jotun.
We here at Brazil just call it Boitatá nowadays … You wrote it in the original language
so the goblin like kobold
My favorite is the werewolf, it's usually an unwanted curse and it prompts you to write interesting stories from the get-go. Will the heroes kill the beast knowing that the person behind the beast likely doesn't know what's happening to them or do and hate it
Yes, there are unique opportunities here with werewolves. I do see Jekyll and Hyde in many instances to be a sort of spin on the werewolf.
I honestly love your content as a DM and worldbuilder. It's high quality, you jump right into it, and the accompanying visuals boost what you're saying. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for taking the time to leave that feedback - it is always encouraging to hear when my content actually helps someone 🙂
Interesting observation about the depth of the sphynx's riddle.
It should be noted, that different nations have different lists of essential creatures. British writers should know about fairy, elfs and barghests as well as czech writer should know about waterman, chort, golem or wyvern with seven heads.
Yes, there are of course cultural differences and also way more creatures to list. I myself had lots of them still to consider and can certainly imagine a 2.0 version of the video eventually being done 🙂
What do you mean should? Implying we must be experts in these specific folklores because we happen to live there. It doesn’t work like that.
In Persian mythology, Simorgh and Phoenix are not the same.
In Persian mythology, there are two definitions of Simorgh:
1. An ancient creature that sits on the highest mountain in the world and observes the entire universe.
2. A being that is formed from thirty different birds and is the king of birds.
Phoenix: A mythical bird with numerous holes in its beak that produces strange songs. It lives for a thousand years, and when death approaches, it gathers lots of firewood, sits on top of it, and flaps its wings until the wood catches fire and burns. From its ashes, a new Phoenix is born.
I am starting a Manga with a friend of mine, and i feel like this channel really helps me to gain inspiration. Thanks a lot for your videos :)
Happy to hear that, thank you. Always really encouraging if someone mentions they get something useful out of my content 🙂
13:37 "The Kraken works best when you don't show it completely"
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, made that problem lol. Tentalus when from being a scary sea monster into a goofy Monster's Inc. creature.
Awesome as always thanks you've been really helpful love your content!❤
Thank you for the kind words - as always. Glad to have you as part of our community 🙂
I've watched many of your videos and this is one of my favorites. Your merging of historical mythology, subsequent literary applications, and your own insights is excellent! Thank you.
I'm glad to hear you liked this one in particular - thank you for the taking the time to leave that feedback. I usually like creating these types of videos quite a lot myself 🙂
Greetings from Paraguay 🇵🇾
The soviet band ARIA has a song "боля и разум" (will and reason). The song is technically about a dragon, but in reality, it is about a nuclear war. Only we together with will and reason can stop the destruction of the dragon.
"I probably upset a few people by saying that I think of folklore in the same way that a carpenter thinks about trees."
Terry Pratchett speaking about his visit to the British Folklore Society.
What about the life cycle of the Phoenix being hijacked by the malevolent? Before the bird can rise from its ashes, those ashes are divided and mixed with the ashes of other things, and what rises up is some abominable new chimera.
That is actually a quite unique twist that I haven't heard before. This can certainly make for an interesting spin on the Phoenix 🙂
I got a lot of inspiration from your video, thank you!!
I'm glad that I could be of service - have fun with your writing 🙂
I've used quite a few of these in stories... I intend to use lamashtu-like vampires in the story I'm working on now. In an older comic, which was a comedic sci-fi, I had a unicorn. As the most physically powerful character, he became a security officer on a spaceship. And since purity is so integral to unicorns, I gave him the incredibly awkward ability to sense whether or not someone was a virgin. Whenever he was around a virgin woman, sparkles and rose petals would appear in the air around him. Unfortunately for him, virginity and purity are NOT the same thing. One of these "pure maidens" ended up murdering him to feed a monster!
That is quite a dark twist at the end but one I haven't heard in that way before, so to me it would have been something unique for sure 🙂
Keep up the great content!
Thank you, really appreciate the positive feedback 🙂
Thanks for the word: lycanthropy 😊 ive now also found avianthropy... great terms for shapeshifter fiction!!!! Many thanks for these insights.. maybe the next phase of these physical transormations might be metempsychosis... a great word i found one night while exploring definitions for warp as a weaving term... ❤ many wishes of light transormation to all creators
I'm always glad to hear when I could be of service - have fun with your writing 🙂
I believe Therianthropy is a catch all term to describe all forms of shape shifting into animals.
I like to read about monsters from all mythologies, and I can say that no creature is scarier (at least to me) than the Mares of Diomedes.
A bunch of equines eating meat sound so unnerving that any other creature appears “normal” in comparison. I can imagine that a dragon, a giant, a manticore or any other beast eating human flesh, but animals there were supposed to be herbivores?! That’s an impressive stretch!
If you do a bit of research you will learn that that almost all herbivores eat meat on occasion.
I always forget that the Kraken also gets ascribed to island turtles sometimes. As implied I normally associate those islands that turn out to be massive sea creatures with gigantic turtles. But the term Aspidochelone doesn’t come up very often so people just assume this is the Kraken as well.
Slightly Surprised by the lack of merfolk on this list. Honestly the sphinx is the odd one out to me, of all the creatures on this list that is the one I think about the least, and honestly cannot think of any mainstream uses.
I actually had to look a bit more into "Aspidochelone" myself. Seems that it can stand for both a giant whale or a turtle. Interesting one, will definitely look into it more 🙂
Merfolk were on the extended list but didn't make the final cut. Maybe there is a 2.0 video at some point 😀
Awesome dude!!!!
Glad you liked it 🙂
I like how the parts about the unicorns and phoenixes as both of them appear in my setting.
Any unique spins you put on them or are you sticking to what's generally known about them? 🙂
A little bit of both: for example, the first phoenix (there is more than one phoenix in my setting) was born from a romantic dalliance between the sun goddess and the reaper goddess of death (who is actually very nice and beautiful if extremely skinny) with the sun goddess giving birth to the first phoenix, and the phoenix being seen as a divine creature with the sun goddess’s priestesses tending and caring for the phoenixes and using the phoenix feathers as writing quills, spell components, or fashion accessories. They will also assist alchemists in making potions. Phoenixes have qualities similar to what you see in various fantasy stories but in my setting phoenixes despise certain undead or demonic creatures and the slightest touch from a phoenix will set the fiend on fire and kill them permanently. Unicorns are Fae creatures and you don’t have to be a virgin maiden to ride one (it helps but it’s not required). You just have to be very chivalrous and righteous to ride one. Unicorns also defend human orphaned children with great ferocity and will reunite lost children with their families. Also the most powerful unicorn is the male black unicorn with a horn of blood red crystal (still debating if the unicorn horns should be made of crystal since unicorns shed parts of their horn so the horn will grow stronger; I’m open to ideas actually). Unicorns are sometimes ridden into battle wearing armor by chivalrous knights. Both phoenixes and unicorns can enchant magical items, giving them special qualities and abilities.
@@SCPilot There certainly are some unique aspects, yeah. I like the "black unicorn" twist, not something I can remember that I've seen before 🙂
Werewolves can also be a metaphor for the animal side of our nature, and thus they can be good or bad depending on how you view that side. In old days, wolves were dangerous predators that fed on livstock and at least were accused of attacking humans. Today wolves are a protected species seen in a much more positive light, loyal to their pack. Lots of modern werewolves aren't cursed monsters, but can shift when they want, remaining in control. Their fear is being discovered and being hunted to extinction just like we are wiping out much of nature. So yes, monsters adapt.
That's an interesting / useful addition, yes - thanks for that 🙂
Have to question your section about "dragons represent corruption and decay, rather than divine power" especially because you previously mentioned Chinese dragons which represent good luck, prosperity, harmony, and are in fact rain deities. Dragon is a term which covers a wide variety of beings, so you might want to specify which type of dragon you are talking about there. Otherwise, great video.
First day watcher, watch your weapon of legends video too, you earn a sub! Great content!!❤❤
Thank you for the kind words - it's always incredible encouraging to hear from viewers that the content is helpful in some ways :-)
Would you read interesting cultivation novel?
This was really helpful!
Thank you for leaving that feedback, it is always great to hear what is useful to people 🙂
@@TheTaleTinkerer I wonder if there are more interesting archetypal fantasy/mythological creatures ike these. I would love to learn more if you have any resources you could share or maybe cover some more in a future video. Thank you again for what you do.
@@gajanannataraj7481 You mean lesser known creatures considering many of these are usually known to a lot of people already? 🙂
@@TheTaleTinkerer Yes - I loved what you covered so far and I'd be interested in learning about the symbolic significance of even more mythical creatures: giants(orges cyclops etc), merpeople, or fae-folk (goblins, fairies, gnomes). What do they represent in our psyche when we see them in storytelling?
Commenting for the algorithm ❤
Good stuff
Glad to hear you liked it, appreciate the feedback 🙂
I really like your content.
Thank you for leaving that positive feedback - I'm glad to hear my content is to your liking 🙂
How fitting. I'm currently working on my debut novel and the protagonist is a were-being. She always has to weigh up the extent to which she engages with the beast and utilises its strengths, because then she runs the risk of falling for it and losing her humanity.
Best of luck with your novel 🙂Is the origin of her were-being a curse?
Thank you!
No, she was born with it. Her mother was a were-owl and she inherited "the gift" from her. However, she lost her parents in an attack by werewolves before the owl awoke in her and before her mother could introduce her to the family secret. She then grows up with beast hunters, becomes a hunter herself and has to discover the beast within her on her own and learn to control it. This has a lot of potential for conflict.
@@carolinlinden7795 Sounds like a lot of intrinsic conflict potential, yes. I like it 🙂
@@TheTaleTinkerer Thank you 😊 Maybe you can read it sometime...if I can convince a publisher. 🙈
Good stuff. Your only mistake is assuming such creatures were purely fictional.
Which creatures here would you say existed as is in reality? Or did I misunderstand the comment? 🙂
I like the vampire / demon in that novel
No lust,no love and no rich is just a horrorfull monster
Sometimes you don't need depth in your bad guys, you just need them to be evil - yeah 🙂
Or Dragons as Guardians for Unicorns🤔
What about fairy
They unfortunately didn't make the cut for this one. Surely they will be there if I ever get to making a 2.0 version 🙂
7:00 witch trials and medieval europe dont belong in the same sentence
Up ❤️🇧🇷❤️
woah, Astarion. Greeks. Cool, huh
Just in case you are thinking Baldur's Gate 3 here as well - there is a little difference in the spelling since it is Asterion (Greek myth) and Astarion (BG3) 🙂
@@TheTaleTinkerer yeah yeah yeah. I thought the bg3 character’s name is a reference to the Minotaur
@@PartiallyCubed It still might, but I'm not sure about that 🙂
Man, your german accent so thick it almost sound chinese
I don't think it is a German accent. Think it is a bit to the North.
@@MissMoontreehe is from Northern Germany
@@carolinlinden7795 I grew up at the border (so influenced by both German and Danish, which I speak both fluently) 🙂
@@TheTaleTinkerercool! Ich komme ursprünglich aus der Nähe von Hannover, bin also mit "Schulhochdeutsch" aufgewachsen, aber ein bisschen Platt kann ich auch 😅
@@carolinlinden7795 Hehe, Hannover ist ja schon fast "Süden" für mich 😀
15:12 seriously? Humans are not that stupid. I hate this kind of thing. Neolithic people weren't stupid and neither were Greeks. A man on an unfamiliar beast isn't mistaken for a centaur. Too much anthropology on my part perhaps, but please. This is just too much.