#1 I’m Really Glad To Find That Dijiang Is Getting More Popular! Identified With Hundun By Some, It Has No Face But Has Six Legs And Four Wings (Like An Insect?) And Resembles A Sac Of Cinnabar. And It Lives In A Perpetual State Of Confusion, But Can Sing! And Dance! A Real Triple Threat! And It’s Cute Too!
Emile, the creator of A Book Of Creatures and the artist who draws these monsters, told us that he has always been creating imaginary creatures.
“At least as far as 1st grade I used to fill up copybooks with such terrifying beings as crab dragons and snakehead striders. Eventually, I grew fascinated with the creatures our imagination has dreamed up, whether they were misinterpreted real animals or explanations for natural causes or simply flights of fancy,” the artist recounted.
#2 Usilosimapundu Is A Colossal Creature From Zulu Folklore. He Literally Carries Ecosystems On His Back, And His Head Is An Enormous Boulder. A Swallowing Monster, He Is A Personification Of Landslides
#3 The Nurikabe Is A Japanese Yokai That Is Little More Than A Living Wall. It Loves Nothing More Than Obstructing People’s Paths By Night And Being A General Nuisance
But what really made Emile make A Book Of Creatures was discovering the Caspilly–“a unicorn fish that stabs whales to death–in an old book about the sea, and I went ‘hey, I didn't know about that! Everyone should know about it!’"
That was the origin of the project. “I collected a bunch of creatures over time, and eventually progressed to serious in-depth research to describe and illustrate them.”
#4 The Brethmechin Is A Sea Creature That Looks Like A Cross Between A Fish And A Panther, And Is Red With Blue Markings. One Was Found Washed Up On Java On April 14, 1551
#5 The Araǵanaqlta’a Is The Father Of Snakes In Argentinian Toba Folklore. It Is A Shapeshifter That Normally Appears As A Rainbow Colored Snake With A Mark On Its Head And A Sawlike Structure On Its Sides That Helps It To Move. It Punishes Those Who Harm Nature And Snakes, And Rewards Those Who Treat It With Respect
Emile believes that there is no end to what our imagination can come up with. “That said, I also want to convey how trends in creatures exist - Europe has so many dangerous water horses, Africa has swallowing monsters... By putting them together I want to make it easier to compare them,” he said.
#6 The Yamabiko Lives In The High Mountains Of Japan. When People Call Out, It Responds With A Mocking Echo
#7 The Wolpertinger Is A Taxidermist’s Chimera From Bavaria, Germany. Stick Wings And Antlers And Fangs On A Hare, And Done! It Has A Bunch Of Relatives Throughout Germany Too, And All Of Them Are Much Like The American Jackalope
Moreover, the artist explained that his other mission is to make it clear how important research and going back to original sources is. “There's a lot of poor, surface-level scholarship that's been done on mythical creatures, and I want to help untangle that by citing primary references. That, I think, is the most important thing to me, making sure references are available.”
#8 The Tabib Al-Bahr Or Doctor Of The Sea Is A Gentle Marine Creature From Middle Eastern Alchemical Texts. It Can Shapeshift Into A Giant Sea Monster, But Its Good Nature Leads It To Healing Others With The Magical Gemstone On Its Forehead
#9 The Yedua Or Adne Hasadeh (Lord Of The Field) Is A Plant-Animal Hybrid From Jewish Folklore. It Is Connected To The Ground By A Stem Attached To Its Navel. It Is Very Fierce, But It Dies If Its Umbilical Stem Is Cut. Its Bones Are Useful For Divination
#10 The Saratan (Also Incorrectly Known As Zaratan), Literally “Crab”, Is A Gigantic Sea-Going Crustacean Described By Al-Damiri. It Pretends To Be An Island, And When Sailors Land On It, It Sinks And Drowns Them
When Emile started ABC, there was relatively little well-researched and illustrated resources on "real" mythical creatures ("’real’ as in they're actually from folklore and myth, as opposed to created for a literary or fantasy project,” he explained).
But this has been changing. “I would say that followers would be interested in myths, legends, folklore, fantasy - looking for the origins of a creature mentioned in a book, perhaps? But also an interest in science and the natural world is present, after all, a lot of creatures are misidentified animals that would be familiar to us today,” Emile said.
Readers frequently write to him, informing him of creatures he hadn't even heard of. “A huge shout-out to them! I wouldn't be where I am today without my readers, who I greatly appreciate.”
#11 The Kamaitachi Is The Yokai Of Unexplained Cuts. Found Primarily In Chilly Honshu, It Is A Weasel With Sickle-Like Claws That Travels In Whirlwinds And Inflicts Cuts On People
#12 The Sannaja Is An Enormous And Ridiculous Basilisk-Like Creature From Middle Eastern Folklore. It Is Said To Live In The Himalayas. If You See It, You Die… But If It Sees You, It Dies. Therefore Coming Up To It With Your Eyes Closed Will Kill It Easily
#13 The Eintykára Are Stingless Bees From The Folklore Of The Chamacoco Of Paraguay. Not Only Do They Produce Delicious Honey And Build Suggestive Hives, But A Swarm Of The Bees Can Shapeshift Into A Beautiful Man Who Will Provide Honey And Beeswax For The Tribe
When asked what is his favorite creature, Emile said that it’s a tough question since there's so many of them. “I already mentioned the Caspilly, the idea of a unicorn fish that stabs whales to death is hilarious to me. There's the Boongurunguru, a Solomon Islands wild boar with ferns growing on its head and a hornets' nest under its chin. It hates being called a pig, so if someone mentions that a pig must be around, snakes appear everywhere.”
#14 The Jaculus Is A Snake That Flings Itself From Trees Like A Dart Or Javelin, Puncturing Clothing And Flesh Alike. It Comes From Superstitions Around Vipers, Believed To “Jump” At Victims
#15 Tiddalik Was An Australian Frog Who Once Swallowed Up All The World’s Water, Swelling Up To An Enormous Size In The Process. He Only Released The Water After Laughing At An Eel’s Goofy Gyrations. He’s Had A Chip On His Shoulder Ever Since
#16 The Colôrobètch Is A Bogey That Personifies The Bise Or Icy Wind. Known From Namur, Belgium, It Nips Unprotected Children With Its Red Beak Until Their Skin Becomes Red, Cracked, And Bleeding
Moreover, “just about all the Icelandic illhveli ('evil whales') are great, with a shout-out to the raudkembingur which will die of sheer rage and frustration if a boat escapes it. The Swiss Butatsch Cun Ilgs is a giant cow's stomach covered with eyes that spit fire. The Swan Valley Monster of Idaho is just ridiculously outlandish and goofy and I love it,” Emile said.
“And did I mention the Owner of Storms, Qasoǵonaǵa, from Argentinian Toba folklore? It's a rainbow-colored anteater that falls from the sky and needs help getting back up! I could go on like this forever.”
#17 Mourioche Is A Shapeshifting Waterhorse From Brittany, France. He Disguises Himself As All Sorts Of Livestock, Often With An Extra Pair Of Muscular Arms, And Plays Cruel Tricks On People He Encounters
#18 The Shadawar, Shad-Hawar, Shadhahvar (Or Any Of A Number Of Spellings) Is An Antelope With A Single, Hollow, Branching Horn. When Wind Goes Through That Horn, It Produces Beautiful Music. It May Be Found Around Greece And Byzantium. It Is (Unjustly) Accused Of Eating People
#19 The Bo Is A Sawtoothed Carnivorous Unicorn With Tiger’s Feet. It Lives In China And, Being Of A Noble And Just Nature, Feeds On Other Carnivorous Animals
#20 The Khodumodumo Is A Huge Swallowing Monster From South Africa And Lesotho. Its Name Means “Great Noise”. It Is A Vast, Bloated Creature With Multiple Sharp Tongues. It Once Swallowed Up Everyone Around - Whole Towns And Villages - But Was Slain By A Hero, Who Released Its Victims Unharmed
