Grootslang

The Grootslang, also known as the Grote Slang (which means “big snake” in Afrikaans and Dutch language) is a legendary cryptid that supposedly lives in a deep cave in Richtersveld, South Africa. According to legend it is as old as the world itself. Centuries ago, the gods made a terrible mistake when they created Grootslang. They gave it incredible strength, made it cunning, and made it intelligent. After they realized their mistakes, they turned the Grootslang into several animals, resulting in the first snakes and elephants. However, one escaped and that is where the other Grootslang were born from it. It supposedly devours elephants that it lures into it’s cave. The cave is known as “Wonder Hole” or “Bottomless Pit” and it’s supposedly filled with diamonds. The Grootslang is said to be able to live in warm rivers as well as lakes. In Benin, it is supposedly a large elephant-like creature with a serpent’s tail.

Kekkai/Sankai

Sankai (meaning “birth monster”) is known as kekkai in Saitoma Prefecture and Kanagawa Prefecture and kekke in Nagano Prefecture. The legends regarding its out appearance are sparse, but it is said to look like a cattle and is hairy. After birth it’s said to bury under the house to kill its mother. In Urawa, a practice existed of surrounding the bottom of a house with byōbu during childbirth to prevent this from happening. If the kekkai successfully escapes, the mother will die. In order to prevent this someone would have to guard the hearth usually with a shamoji.

Brosno Dragon

The Brosno Dragon, or Brosnya, is a lake monster which is said to inhabit Lake Brosno near Andreapol in West Russia. It has been described as to resemble a dragon or a dinosaur. It is the subject of a number of regional legends, some that have been said to date back to the 13th century. Many people treat its existence skeptically and still claim it is not a dragon but a mutant beaver or a giant pike that is 100 to 150 years old. Others say that it is a group of wild boars and elk that cross the lake once in a while.

There are some scientific hypotheses about the dragon. Some think that the dragon is merely hydrogen sulfide gases going up from the bottom of the lake and making the water boil which in turn creates a dragon head, but the amount of hydrogen sulfide to make this would have to be enormous. There is also speculation that there is a volcano under Lake Brosno that is causing disturbances on the surface that are seen as something like a dragon. Fishermen say that the underwater world of the lake has several levels and that at times there are burbots and yellow perch that are in the lake. No one is entirely sure what is in Lake Brosno, but there are many possibilities as to what it is.

Giant Squid

The giant squid, or genus Architeuthis, is a deep-sea dwelling squid. It can grow to tremendous sizes, and in recent estimates put the maximum size at 13 meters (43 feet) for females and 10 meters (33 feet) for males from the posterior fins to the tip of the two long tentacles. The mantle is about 2 meters (6.6 feet) and the length of the squid excluding the tentacles rarely exceeds 5 meters (16 feet) but bigger sizes have yet to be documented. The number of different species of giant squid have been debated but recent genetic research suggests that so far only one species exists.

In 2004, Japanese researchers took the first images of a live giant squid in its natural habitat, and in 2012 a live adult was filmed in its natural habitat of Chichi-jima.

Giglioli’s Whale

Giglioli’s Whale is a supposed species of whale that was observed by Enrico Hillyer Giglioli. It’s known for having two dorsal fins as opposed to one or even none. The species, however, is not really recognized by the scientific community.

On the 4th of September, 1867 on a ship called the Magenta, Giglioli spotted whales that he could not identify. He observed for a quarter of an hour and wrote down very detailed observations. The whale looked similar to a rorqual whale, was 60 feet long with an elongated body, but the most notable feature was the two dorsal fins. No known whale has two dorsal fins as most have just one or even none. The next year there was another sighting of this kind of strange whale off the coast of Aberdeenshire in Scotland by Jacques Mairgret.

A possible explanation of this whale may be a genetic mutation. It is most likely just a species of rorqual that somehow ended up deformed or mutated by some means.

Hellhounds

Hellhounds are know all around the world. They are supernatural dogs based in folklore and mythology. The features that are usually attributed to hellhounds are black mangled fur, glowing red eyes, super strength or super speed, phantom or ghostly characteristics, and a foul smell. Some European legends say that if you stare into the eyes of a hellhound three or more times you will die (I’ve heard if you look once into their eyes you’ll die or a loved one will die as well). Also in those legends, if you see or hear one howling it may mean death as well. In some cultures that associate hell or the afterlife with fire, hellhounds will have fire-based abilities and appearance. They often are said to have the duty of guarding the entrances to the world of the dead, such as graveyards and burial grounds, or take on other duties related to the afterlife and the supernatural, such as hunting lost souls or guarding ghostly treasures. Some of these supernatural dogs, such as the Welsh Cwn Annwn, are regarded as benign, but still encountering them was a sign of imminent death. The most famous hellhound would have to be Cerberus from Greek mythology.

Chupacabra

The Chupacabra is a legendary creature and possible cryptid that has been spoken about for many years in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the Americas. Its name is translated literally into “goat-sucker” because of how it kills and drains the blood from animals. There are various descriptions of the Chupacabra, some say it’s heavy and the size of a small bear. Others have said that it is a reptile-like creature with leathery or scaly greenish-gray skin and sharp spines or quills running down its back and is about three to four feet tall. Also that it can hop like a kangaroo. Another description is that it is a strange hairless breed of dog with a pronounced spinal ridge, pronounced eye sockets, fangs, and claws. There have been sightings since 1995 in Puerto Rico and are still being spotted today. Many biologists and wildlife management officials believe the Chupacabra is merely an urban legend.

Kelpie

You may have heard of the Kelpie, a shape-shifting water horse that lives in Scotland that usually inhabits the lochs and pools in the country. It is usually described as appearing as a beautiful black horse, but can also look like a human. There are some accounts that they still keep their hooves (which have been mentioned that they are reversed compared to regular horses) which leads them to be associated with the Devil. Almost every body of water in Scotland has a Kelpie story. The origin in the belief of these malevolent water horses has been thought to have started in human sacrifices once made to appease water gods. However, narratives about the Kelpie also served as a practical use in keeping children away from dangerous waters and warning young women to stay away from handsome strangers. Douglas Harper, a historian and founder of the Online Etymology Dictionary, defines Kelpie as “the Lowland name of a demon in the shape of a horse”.

It is considered one of the most common water spirits in Scottish folklore, but the name is attributed to a few different forms in narratives recorded throughout the country. In the late 19th century there was an onset of interest in transcribing folklore, but the records are inconsistent in spelling and frequently anglicized words which could result in differing names for the same spirit.

People have been rumored to capture kelpies using a halter stamped with a cross and harnessing its incredible strength to pull and transport heavy mill stones. It can also be killed with a silver bullet like a werewolf.

Now a new part that I will be adding to my posts will be my own opinion of the topic at hand. I believe that kelpies are a beautiful part of Scottish history. I do believe in many things and am always optimistic to possible beings that are living among us and the kelpie is such an interesting creature that I’d love to see it be real. I believe strongly that anything is really possible, and a kelpie just might be possible.

Zaratan

The Zaratan is a giant sea turtle (sometimes an octopus or a whale) that is described in folklore and literature that has a large shell that resembles a sloped rocky mound that is supposedly several hundred feet in diameter. Sailors who came across it always mistook it for a small island and they would anchor on it for the night, but as nighttime approached the turtle would swim down into the water which unfortunately drowned the sailors. The Zaratan has also been described as being a giant fish that tries to bring its tail to its mouth but can’t due to its massive size. When a Zaratan gets hungry it is said to open its mouth extremely wide and release a sweet smell and when the fish come near it snaps its jaws shut in a similar fashion to an alligator snapping turtle. The Zaratan has been depicted as a whale in “Sinbad the Sailor” and is also believed to be the same as the Aspidochelone or the Kraken. It’s also believed that the original city of Atlantis was on top of the turtle and that when the turtle dove it destroyed the city and that’s what happened to it. The most similar type of folklore creature would be the turtle that holds the world on its back from many origins of the world stories.

Amaterasu

Amaterasu (also known by Amaterasu-omikami, Ohirume-no-muchi-no-kami) is part of Japanese mythology and is also a major deity of the Shinto religion. She is known as the goddess of the sun, but also of the universe. Her name is means “shining in heaven” and her whole name means “the great august kami who shines in heaven”. The meaning of her name is understandable since she is the goddess of the sun and the universe. According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in Japanese mythology the Emperors of Japan are considered to be the direct descendants of Amaterasu. It also appears to be a Japanese expression of a historical pan-Asiatic solar goddess. There are some similarities between Amaterasu and the Korean solar goddess Hue-nim, particularly in regards to shamanistic worship that utilizing the same symbols and practices. Although it seems Amaterasu is highly worshiped in Japan, she is still worshiped as a central figure for other places.

The oldest story of Amaterasu comes from about ca. 712 CE Kojiki and ca. 720 CE Nihon Shoki which are the oldest records of Japanese history. Amaterasu is the sister of Susanoo, who is the god of storms and the sea, and of Tsukuyomi, who is the god of the moon. It was written that Amaterasu had painted the landscape with her siblings to create ancient Japan. All three of them were born from Izangi when he was purifying himself after entering Yomi, the underworld, after failing to save Izuanami. Amaterasu was born when Izanagi washed his left eye, Tsukuyomi from his right eye, and Susanoo from washing his nose. Amaterasu then became the ruler of the sun and heavens along with her brother the god of the moon and ruler of the night. At first Amaterasu shared the skies with her brother and husband Tsukuyomi until out of absolute disgust he killed the goddess of food, Uke Mochi, when she supposedly pulled food from her rectum, nose, and mouth. This killing upset Amaterasu and cased her to label Tsukuyomi as an evil god and spirit and split away from him, which caused the separation of night and day.

The texts also state that Amaterasu and her brother Susanoo had a long standing rivalry. At some point Izanagi ordered him to leave Heaven and so he approached his sister to say goodbye. She was suspicious of Susanoo, but he proposed a challenge to prove his sincerity and she accepted the challenge. They both took an object from each other and birthed gods and goddesses. Amaterasu birthed three women from Susanoo’s sword and he birthed five men from Amaterasu’s necklace. After this she claimed that the gods were her’s since they were birthed from her necklace and that the goddess were Susanoo’s since they were born from his sword. Through this kind of logic, she claimed she won the challenge, and they both accepted it and were content for a while. After a while, however, Susanoo became restless and angry that he went on a rampage and destroyed Amaterasu’s rice fields, hurled a flayed pony at her loom, and even killed one of her attendants. Amaterasu was in grief and was angry over this rampage and hid away in the Ama-no-Iwato, or heavenly rock cave, and so the sun was gone for a very long time.

She was finally persuaded to leave the cave, and Susanoo was punished and banished from Heaven. Later Amaterasu and Susanoo amended their conflict when Susanoo got her the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi sword as a reconciliation gift. When they both reconciled the moon became visible again. According to the legend she bequeathed to her descendants Ninigi the mirror, Yata no Kagami the jewel, and Yasakani no Magatama the sword. This sacred mirror, jewel, and sword became the three Imperial Regalia of Japan.

The Ise Shrine located in Ise, Honshu, Japan houses the inner shrine Naiku which is dedicated to Amaterasu. The sacred mirror Yato no Kagami is said to be kept at this shrine as one of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. At this shrine is a ceremony known as Shikinen which is held every twenty years to honor Amaterasu. Each time the ceremony is held the main shrine buildings are destroyed and rebuilt at a location adjacent to the previous site. After this, new clothes and food are offered to Amaterasu. This practice is part of the Shinto faith and has been around since about the year 690.

Akkorokamui

The Akkorokamui (or also known as the Ashketanne Mat which means “Long-fingered Woman) is a half-human half-octopus monster from the Ainu and Shinto folklore in Japan. It supposedly lurks in the Funka Bay in Hokkaido. It’s also been sighted in several other locations such as Taiwan and Korea for centuries.

According to the Shinto mythology, the creature is human-like and has a bright red color. John Batchelor wrote in his book “The Ainu and Their Folklore” he states that the creature is 120 meters (about 394 feet) in length and its color was “liken to the color of the reflection of the setting sun upon water”. It also has the ability to self-amputate like an octopus and regenerate limbs like one as well. This characteristic manifested itself in the belief in Shinto that Akkorokamui has healing powers. As a result of that belief among followers believe that giving offerings to Akkorokamui will heal ailments of the body, mainly those that are disfigured or have broken limbs.

The legend of how this creature became starts a long time ago in that spirits cursed a person named Rebunge who was a villager of Abuta Toyoura to see the destruction of his own village. They sent a half-spider half-human monster called Yaoshikepu to fulfill this curse. Yaoshikepu set out to destroy the village and slaughtered so many people that the streets were filled with blood. After hearing the townsfolk trembling and screaming with fear the sea kami (“kami” means divine beast in the Shinto religion) Repunkamui transformed Yaoshikepu into an octopus and sent her into the sea. After she was sent into the sea she began to grow and was consuming larger prey such as whales and attacking ships. One day Akkorokamui ate a boat full of fishermen and once in her stomach, the fishermen called out for help. After hearing these cries, Repunkamui poised Akkorokamui and caused her great pain. As she yelled in pain the fishermen managed to escaped. Akkorokamui learned how to harness the poison, however, and used it to attack her prey, including more ships with fishermen in them.

The Ainu reverence of Akkorokamui has become a permanent part of Shintoism which incorporated it as a minor kami. The self purification practices for this kami are strictly followed. One’s hands must be cleaned with water, with the exception that one’s feet must also be cleaned. While it is often presented as a benevolent kami with powers to heal and bestow knowledge it is also capable of doing harm. Also because of the nature of it being part octopus it means that it is persistent and it’s nearly impossible to escape its grasp without permission. Akkorokamui enjoys the sea and so the offerings that are the best would be fish, crab and mollusks. There are shrines dedicated with Akkorokamui and associated octopus deity which can be found throughout Japan. The most well known shrines are found in Kyoto and the island of Hokkaido.

This beautiful yet dangerous mythological creature is somewhat a cryptid in its sightings. Many would argue it is just visions of those who strongly believe in a higher power and that it is not a cryptid at all. I like to believe that there is always some truth in these types of stories. Who are we to say it isn’t so?