My drawings of mythological creatures

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After having created a topic about my drawings of favorite actors, I thought I could open another ones about my depictions of mythological creatures around the world. I am starting with two of them.

The first one is an Eloko (in plural, we call them Biloko). Biloko are one-meter tall humanoids who are from the folklore of Congo, Africa. They have extra large snouts with a stretchable mouth that can swallow a person. Grass grows on their head (and body) as hair and their nails are sharp claws. They always carry a little bell attached to one of their wrists. Biloko are malevolant beings. They are meat eaters and they particularily love human flesh. They have a voice like a crying child, which is a dangerous trap, because when we hear them, we can swear a child is in danger and that is when it is dangerous to let enter an Eloko into our home.

The second one is a Xuangui. The Xuangui is chinese. It is a turtle that lives in the Strange river, in the mountains. It has a very long body and, curiously, have a flexible shell that allows the animal's body to twist, so it is a lot swifter than any other chelonian. It is not malevolant, but it rather fears humans. Xuangui turtles are magical beings. Wearing a piece of the creature on a belt heals earing problems and calluses.

Oh I just love mythological creatures It's so interesting to hear about them from all around the world. These are wonderful drawings, well done! That Eloko looks a bit scary, but don't worry, you've drawn it great! I'm looking forward to see more of your mythological creature drawings

I so totally agree with Julie ! Very interesting, and marvellous drawings

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Thank you for your compliments! Here are two more.

The first one is Dip. Dip is from Catalan mythology. He is a Black Dog who is an emissary of the Devil. Dip sucks people's blood. Like other spirits who are associated with demons, Dip is lame on one leg.

The second one is a Whiwin. Whiwins are from the folklore of the Mosquitos, a tribe who lives in Central America. Whiwins are carnivorous horses from the water, with long canines. They mostly live in the sea, but they become dangerous when they come out of the water. On land, they hunt for people to feed on them. When a whiwin captures a person, it goes back to the water to drown its prey before eating it.

Valérie, this is not only representations of your great artistic performance but also very interesting of reading, that first creature from the African folklore is quite interesting to me and sometimes it is funny to try to find the reason why these creatures are part of the immagination of that people. Interesting also the dog creature, something close from Portugal but I confess it is unknown for me.

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Thank you all for your compliments! To answer your question about the Eloko, Roger, I don't know what to tell you. We could answewr it with another qestion: why do werewolves are part of occidental people's imagination?

But let me introduce you to two more mythological creatures.

The first one is an Ugjuknarpak. It is from the folklore of the Inuit. Ugjuknarpaks are giant carnivorous rodents with a thick skin and a prehensile tail. Usually living in the sea (while, being rodents, I presume they can come on land; this is why I Drew my own on land), they throw kayaks in the air to drown their human prey afterwards, holding it with their tail, before eating it. They can therefore use their tail to simply strangle the prey like a snake.

The second one is a Quinotaur. Quinotaurs are occidental, as the animal is mentioned in the 7th Century "Frankish Chronicle Of Fredegar". Quinotaurs are half bull, half fish, with five horns. It is said that the five horns of the Quinotaur actually symbolizes the tips of Neptune's trident, as well as the two horns of the white bull that was supposed to be sacrificed to the ocean god.

That's a good question Valerie! I am sure that there is always something behind these creatures, not only official narratives but mostly popular beliefes. I am sure someone already studied them but it is always interesting to know. Again your works are impressive and I am always learning with you, I had no idea that Aquatic rodents with constritor tails existed in this fantastic world.

I am really loving this topic! Great drawings and information!
Moorreeeee

Your drawings are very cool ! :) I love the Ugjuknarpak

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Thank you for your interest! Here are two more.

The first one is an Ovinnik. Ovinniks are from Slavik folklore. They are malevolent spirits of threshing houses, as they can cause trouble by setting fire to the grain. When we suspect an Ovinnik is haunting the threshing house, it is useful to placate him by offering him bliny (a kind of thin russian pancake). On New Year's Eve, the touch of an Ovinnik determines the fortune of a household. A warm touch from the Ovinnik means good luck, while a cold touch means unhappiness.

The second one is a Rompo. Rompos are found in the mythologies of India and Africa. Those animals have the head of a hare with human ears, the front arms of a badger and the back legs of a bear. They are quite dangerous as they feed on human corpses. They can be recognized by their habit of crooning softly as they eat.

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And here are two more.

The first one is a K'nei. The K'nei, which is also called "Kui", is from the chinese and japan mythology. This animal has the apparence of a sheep, but it stands on only one foot, with which it moves by hopping. The K'nei is of bad omen. Its appearance announces violent storms with huge winds and lightnings.

The second one is a Jerff. "Jerff" actually is a synonym of the Gulon. Gulons originate from scandinavian mythology. Those large and shaggy animals have a similar head to the cat's, with bear paws and a fox tail. The Jerff, or Gulon, is well known for its appetite. It eats so musch, it has the habit of pressing its stomach between two trees after each meal to help its own digestion. When its intestine has emptied, it goes for another glutonous meal and starts all over again.

Very interesting again, the 2nd is clearly a wolverine based creature. Gulo gulo is the scientific name of the wolverine and that creature is a Gulon. Also the mix between a bear, a cat and a fox in Scandinavia region only can be a wolverine.
In my country there is a funny legendary animal that people call gambozino, nobody knows the origin of that word neither how it looks. The sentence he is hunting gambozinos, means that a person is apparently searching something but in fact that person is not doing anything,, just lost without knowing what to do. Hard to explain in a foreign language.

Roger wrote:

Very interesting again, the 2nd is clearly a wolverine based creature. Gulo gulo is the scientific name of the wolverine and that creature is a Gulon. Also the mix between a bear, a cat and a fox in Scandinavia region only can be a wolverine.
In my country there is a funny legendary animal that people call gambozino, nobody knows the origin of that word neither how it looks. The sentence he is hunting gambozinos, means that a person is apparently searching something but in fact that person is not doing anything,, just lost without knowing what to do. Hard to explain in a foreign language.

Many mythological creatures actually originates from real things; the link between the Gulon and the Wolverine is obvious as well as predictable. Chinese dragons actually take their origin in Mamenchisaurus fossils and griffins are déformations of Protoceratops fossils. But others take their origins in psychology.

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But let's talk about two other mythical beings.

The first one is a Jokao. Jokaos are part of the Iroquois amerindian tribe. Jokaos were humans once. However, critical situations brought them to eat human flesh. As a result, they lost their humanity and became monsters: their skin covered itself with stone scails, their teeth became pointy and they lost 99% of their memories, now trapped in their constant urge of searching human preys to eat. There is only one thing we can do to make a Jokao become human again: it is to trick them with the meat of any animal but human. But it is extremely dangerous, as you can become the prey of the Jokao.

The second one is a Qalupalik. Qalupaliks are from Inuit mythology. They are humanoid fishes with a green scaly skin and long black hair. In the day, they live in the water, but they come out in the evening, carrying a bag on their back, searching for human children preys to capture and bring into their underwater homes to eat. This is why it is so dangerous for an Inook kid to stay outside at night; Qalupaliks are on the search for fresh human meat all night...

No more comments?

Maybe you're scaring everyone with these creatures!
I won't surely want that fish with black hair as a fiance. Whatever is the thing you show, we can often see "your" stars and moons, there's an artistic language transversal to all your works. About the creatures featured, I tend to be more interested in less antropomorphic ones, though, I love to read about them. Also, I am sure other members are reading and enjoying your posts.

This is an interesting topic !!! Most of them I never heard of !!!

I don't know how I missed the last ones, but I surely enjoy them now

You drawings are fantastic !!! You have a wonderful gift for drawing ( and the fantasy that makes the drawings extra extraordinary

Funny about the "Jerff".
The name of a wolverine is "Jærv" in Danish "Järv" in Sweedish, "Jerv" in Norwegian , in German Vielfraß, in French Glouton, so this creature is clearly a superstition about the wolverine

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OK, here are two more. Hope they capture your interest.
The first one isw a Jaculus. The Jaculus is part of the European Medieval Bestiary. It is actually a small dragon. It looks like a little snake, but it has bat wings and bird talons. It lives in trees and springs out on its victims. The Jaculus doesn't have venom, but the speed of its attacks is so extreme it causes serious wounds.

The second one is a Zuzi. The Zuzi is from Antique Chinese Bestiary. Zuzis live in the mountain "where the vines are matted". Zuzis take their name from their call: they cry out their own name. A Zuzi walks on hooves, has the face of a rabbit with small ears, and a horse's mane, the body of a monkey and the tail of an ox.

Quite unexpectable the Chinese beast, that's surely not the most scary creature. I like the European, I've never heard that name before, I have to check if it has another name in my language. Again your works are beautiful and very interesting.

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I will continue then.

Here, the first one is a Puckwudgie. Puckwudgies are troll-like beings from the folklore of the Wampanoag Amerindian tribe. Puckwudgies are small and they have purkupine darts on their head and back. They have a grey skin, a big nose, big ears, big fingers and big feet. They use poisoned arrows and are able to use magic. They used to be friendly to humans, but since they have been betrayed by people, they tend to be mischievous to us.

The second one is a Kelpie. Kelpies are malevolent horses from Scottish and Irish mythology. White or grey in coat color, kelpies wait for tired travellers on road sides to come by. When a traveller finds a kelpie, he/she may think the horse being helpful. But once on its back, the traveller remains suck on it, while the Kelpie runs towards the nearest swamp, where its human prey is drowned and eaten by the demonic horse. After each meal of this sort, the Kelpie returns to the road side... to wait for its next victim.

Well, I wished you had more comments in your dedicated and very artistic thread. Your works are fabulous but Internet is full of kelpies and sometimes people get lost somewhere. That horse beast is something truly fabulous. You may feel that you're writting and posting exclusively for me what I surely don't deserve but, I believe that there are some silent observers enjoying your work.

Roger wrote:

Well, I wished you had more comments in your dedicated and very artistic thread. Your works are fabulous but Internet is full of kelpies and sometimes people get lost somewhere. That horse beast is something truly fabulous. You may feel that you're writting and posting exclusively for me what I surely don't deserve but, I believe that there are some silent observers enjoying your work.

What do you mean by that? What do you exactly think I should do?

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Anyway, here are two more.
The first one is a Nimerigar. Nimerigars are from the legends of the Shoshone, a Amerindian tribe living in the Rocky Mountains. Nimerigars are little humanoids that are the size of little children. They are rather aggressive to people and use poisoned arrows.

The second one is an Ershu. Ershus are from the Ancient Chinese Bestiary, just like the Zuzi. And like the Zuzi, it lives in mountains. Ershus have the head of a rabbitt with small roundish ears, a spotted furred body and a long rat's tail. The tail of the Ershu is so swift, it allows the animal to practically fly.

I mean that you are a super talented person and intellectually interesting. These works you're showing are an obvious proof of that. I wished you could receive a feedback that could give justice to the beautiful thread you opened.
What you do is your personal choice. If you enjoy posting your mythological creatures, much better, I'll surely enjoy it. If you think it doesn't worth the effort, I surely understand. Do what gives you joy.

Roger wrote:

I mean that you are a super talented person and intellectually interesting. These works you're showing are an obvious proof of that. I wished you could receive a feedback that could give justice to the beautiful thread you opened.
What you do is your personal choice. If you enjoy posting your mythological creatures, much better, I'll surely enjoy it. If you think it doesn't worth the effort, I surely understand. Do what gives you joy.

The fact that I do not receive much feedback for my work is something I suffer a lot from.  Not just here, I mean, but in all my overall life.

For instance, I wrote and drew a humoristic series of about twenty stories called "Tiny Tannik and Friends" ("Petite Annik et ses Amis", in french), where the English ocean liners of 1910's are personnified (Titanic, Lusitania and company with eyes and self-consciousness). My ships are all gentle, but they meet issues because of their lack of maturity. Jo Lympik (Jeu Olympik, in french), for instance, is the most playful and fun-loving liner of the group, but she is so dumb her crew lives in fear for her next catastrophic "brilliant idea". Tiny Tannik is the leader of the group since her accident with the iceberg, because she now uses her huge size and her experience to protect the others; this doesn't keep her from getting carried away, unfortunately.
Unfortunately, publishers are not interested here because all they say "it is not representative of the culture of Québec". In other words, all they want to publish are stories about our pioneer ancestors (I know what I'm talking about).  It is very frustrating.
I also wrote a whole book (not published, obviously) where I talk in favor of astrology. You see, when I was a teenager (and after), all my crushes curiously turned towards natives of the sign of Scorpio. Look at my drawings of my favorite actors and musicians: Burt Lancaster, Jack Elam, Robert Ryan, Charles Bronson, Rock Hudson, Matthias Jabs, Alec John Such... Scorpios all the way. And it's been like that since 1988. So, I wrote a document about it where not only I tell my personal experience, but also explore the subject in many aspects: astrologies of cultures worldwide (which all turn to be the same, not so surprisingly), traditional arguments against astrology (which finally are relatively easy to contradict, by the way), even how to make the difference between a good astrologer and a phony one (yes, because bad astrologers give the discipline a bad name). The book has a little more than 300 pages. But once again, no readers...

All of it to tell you that yes, I have the feeling of being a dodo among rock doves...

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Anyway, I will continue with my depictions of mythological creatures here.

The first one is a Tikbalang. Tikbalangs are from the folklore of the Philippines. They look like anthropomorphic horses. It is told that they are the souls of aborted babies. They roam in forests, looking for revenge for having been abandonned. They lure travellers, making them walk in circles in the wilderness.

The second one is a Vis. Vis's are from the folklore of the Lakalai people, in Melanesia.  Vis's are a sort of vampires. They are humanoid, but they fly with large wings and have talons on their feet. Their body glows like a star. They fly at night, looking for human preys. When a Vis finds one, it plunges on it, it blinds him/her with its talons. Being blinded and crazy with pain, the prey is now easy to kill and eat. Then, the Vis goes home... to look for another prey the next night.