20 Mythical Creatures that Actually Existed

Ever since man came to earth, accounts of mythical creatures have fascinated and terrified humans with their supernatural physiology and disparaging power. These legends date back thousands of centuries. If you say you don't believe in them, I dare you to watch this video and sleep it off calmly. Here is the list of top 20 mythical creatures that actually existed. The Jersey This horny devil haunts New Jersey's Pine Barrens and has reportedly been around since 1735. The creature is grotesque in appearance, with a horse-like head and some kind of horned protrusions. It walks on its two hind legs, which end in cloven hooves. Some versions of the Jersey Devil myth state that the creature was born to one of Daniel Leeds' wives, who was a witch. Shortly after the beast was born, it sprouted wings, let out a yowled, screeching yell, and flew off into the night. Sirens Sirens are another mythological species that has found a home in modern times. There are movies and TV shows about these seductresses, with beautiful and enchanting singing voices who draw sailors to their deaths. Sirens are also mentioned in Homer's Odyssey, where Odysseus famously had his crew tie him to the mast of the ship because he wanted to hear the sirens sing. Odysseus was cautious and had his crew fill their ears with wax so they would not be affected by the sound. It worked. Don't be amazed to see sirens in a Reddit movie, because such would be a really scary musical. Hit the big thumbs up down below for these blockbuster killers. Blemey Sailors brought back tales of so-called wild men of Asia and Africa, which gave rise to the tale of the Blemey. These people were known as headless men in the book The Histories of Herodotus. They were said to be covered in hair and lacking heads, which left their facial features plastered on their chests. Europeans were fascinated with what they heard, and the legend grew for centuries. Pliny the Elder and Sir Walter Raleigh first wrote of these headless men. Later, there was a mention of them in Shakespeare's Othello. The Basilisk According to folklore, the basilisk had the power to slay people with a single glance. This was similar to Medusa, although the two never met. If looks could kill, the two would host an interesting wrestling match, probably without an audience. Tales of the Basilisk has been around for a long time, with the earliest written record being a mention in Pliny the Elder's natural history in 79 AD. He was often referred to as the King of Serpents and has been described in varying detail as being a mix of snake and rooster. The Minotaur Minotaur, whose birth name was Asterion, is another fabled creature from Greek mythology. The Minotaur was part man, part bull, the product of an affair between Queen Pasiphae and a bull, hence the Minotaur's weird anatomy. In order to keep the Minotaur and his ravenous hunger for humans locked away, Daedalus and his son Icarus, you know, the one who flew too close to the sun, built a maze to contain it at the behest of King Minos, Pasiphae's husband. The Bunny Yip This is a little like Australia's Loch Ness Monster, that it lives in the water and has never been photographed, despite the fact that hundreds of people claim to have seen it. The legend might have actually had rational origins. In 1839, the remains of an animal, called a Diprotodon, was discovered in Australia, which proved that a huge, rhino-sized marsupial, similar in appearance to a wombat, once roamed the outback. Guess who topped the list? It's the neighbors. The Kraken This scary mythical creature is one of the creepiest monsters ever imagined. One of the earliest mentions of the gigantic cephalopod came from King Sverre of Norway in 1180. It was said that the creature was so massive that it could swallow a whole maritime crew at once and sink the ship in an instant. Although the descriptions of the beast and folklore vary to some degree, the general consensus is that the Kraken was likely an arcathedius dew, more commonly known as the giant squid. Griffins The griffin is a mythological beast, which has a body, tail, and hind legs of a lion, while the wings, forelegs, and head are that of an eagle. As the myth developed through the medieval period, it evolved into a Christian symbol of divine power, and was used as a guardian of the heavenly. Symbols of griffins can be found throughout Europe, North Africa, and Asia, with the earliest examples emerging from the Egyptian city Iconopolis. The account dates back to between 3300 and 3100 BCE. Unicorns Unicorns were white horses with a large twisted horn sticking out from their foreheads. They are often associated with magic and have been described for most of history throughout a number of cultures. Unicorns are described by ancient Greece by Pliny the Younger and others. The reem, as it is described in the Hebrew Bible, resembles the unicorn. Over time, this description morphed through tall tales into the unicorn. Another source in Europe also helped push the belief in the majestic beast. Hobbit Everyone knows this real creature saved middle earth from a small piece of jewelry, at least in the movie. What's less known is the fact that a small-statured race of proto-humans really did share the earth with larger human species between 190,000 and 50,000 years ago. Live Science says in 2003, archaeologists found the remains of a 3-foot-tall adult female in a cave on an Indonesian island. Since that time, scientists have found more evidence of hobbits, known by the rather less endearing scientific name Homo florescenus. Dire Wolves Dire wolves lived during the Pleistocene between 250,000 and 10,000 years ago. Contrary to popular belief, real dire wolves were not really the size of ponies, although no one denies the potential awesomeness of pony-sized wolves. They were larger than modern wolves, though, and could weigh as much as 200 pounds, almost twice what the largest modern wolf weighs. More than 200,000 dire wolf specimens have been uncovered at La Brea, Los Angeles, representing more than 4,000 individuals. Rocks The rock is an enormous bird of prey, according to mythology from the Middle East. The giant bird was popularized in various fairy tales and folklore from the region. For example, One Thousand and One Nights. There are analogues and fossil records which could easily have been given birth to the myth. One such creature was the elephant bird of Madagascar. The myth, though, could have possibly been born by sailors as a count of large eagles capable of carrying off newborn lamb. Dragons Dragons are badass. They can breathe fire, fly, and are kind of indestructible. These legendary creatures have also survived through the centuries. They became especially popular in the last couple of years thanks to the book series turned smash TV hit show Game of Thrones. Live Science reports that huge flying serpents were described at least as early as the age of the ancient Greeks and Sumerians. The website also notes that dragon interpretations are varied across early day cultures. Are you getting the creeps so far? Tell us in the comment section. Werewolf A werewolf myth is so prevalent across multiple cultures that it's hard to pinpoint exactly where it originated. Werewolf stories have been told millions of times over, with each version giving the mysterious creatures a different power, a different reason to shift from human to beast, and humans inventing different methods of killing them. Greek mythology introduced us to werewolves with the tale of Lakoan, the king of Arcadia, who tried to serve a sacrificed child for Zeus to eat. Bigfoot This big boy is thought to be the missing link between humans and apes. We will know for sure when we find one. The legend of Bigfoot comes from a couple of places, including Native American mythology and folklore surrounding the European wild man stories. In fact, Bigfoot has his very own official FBI file. But so far, despite myriad claims from several sources across the U.S., no one has managed to definitively prove that the Sasquatch exists. Vampires We couldn't have a list of mythical creatures without including vampires. The world's most famous vampire is undoubtedly Bram Stroker's Dracula. Stroker reportedly modeled Count Dracula after Romanian prince Vlad Tepes, more popularly known as Vlad the Impaler. The amazing fact is, while most people can name a few vampirish characteristics, there are actually no set parameters for what a vampire can and cannot do. That's because there are no firmly established characteristics. Zombies These mythical creatures are terrifying, especially with the facelift they've received in recent years, thanks to advancements in technology. Zombies, as seen in movies, are fast and lethal. They're absolutely ravenous for human flesh, and nothing can stop them since they're already, well, dead. This, coupled with the interesting fact that zombies have the ability to turn hordes of people into monsters, earns them a spot on the list of top mythical creatures. Though there is no strong evidence, some people believe zombies live among us. So look out! Lamia Lamia in Greek mythology was a child-eating monster. In later folklore, she was regarded as a night-haunting spirit. In the earliest stories, Lamia was a beautiful queen of Libya who had an affair with Zeus. Upon learning this, Zeus' wife Hera forced Lamia to eat her own children, the offspring of her affair with Zeus, and afflicted her with permanent insomnia. Zeus, taking pity on her, endowed Lamia with the gift of prophecy and the ability to temporarily remove her eyes to relieve her sleeplessness. How about a pill, Miss Lamia? Chimera The mythological Chimera is a terrifying creature that features a fire-breathing lion's head attached to a goat's body ending in a serpent's tail. There are varying versions of what a Chimera actually looks like, with some iterations giving the creature the head of a lion, a goat, and a dragon. According to Greek mythology, the Chimera is the offspring of the monster Typhosius and his partner Echinacea, who was half-woman, half-snake. It's scary enough to imagine how he was born. True creepster story. Aliens Some stories of alien visitation on Earth can be confirmed or ruled out by military testing, weather balloons, people who are eager to write best-selling memoirs, and, of course, Fox Mulder. There's no doubt that humans are obsessed with the idea of life on other planets, and with good reason. There is certainly real life in other worlds, it's just not likely to have ever made it as far as Earth. According to Space.com, NASA scientists are certain we will eventually find life on other spheres. Some scientists believe it will happen in the next two or three decades. Which one terrified you the most? What would happen if you find them on your walkway? Share your thoughts in the comment section. Like always, if you enjoyed it, be sure to give us a big thumbs up and leave us some comments below. To keep up to date with all of our awesome videos, be sure to hit subscribe and turn your notifications on to never miss a thing. Until next time, do take care of yourself.