A is for Amphisbaena The two headed fierce snake of mythology. Some said its gaze killed, just like a basilisk, and others said it could fly! |
B is for Basilisk By rights this image really should be called a cockatrice, the earlier version of the basilisk is the snake form with the crested head. But through the ages, the two have come to be interchangeable. |
C is for Chimera It is a very cuddly looking chimera! While drawing it, I just had to decide whether I wanted the three headed sort or the lion head, goat body, serpent tail sort. 3 heads are more fun! |
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D is for Dragon Four legs, two wings, emerald green. It's a dragon alright, and he looks vaguely European. |
E is for Enfield This is a pretty rare heraldic beast, it is pretty well described though, head of a fox, talons of an eagle, legs and tail of a wolf. |
F is for Fenmine Fenmines are cool, they're a bit like an amphisbaena, but they're winged and it might be that their gaze can kill. |
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G is for Gryphon Gryphons, griffins, griffons, griffens, however you like to spell them are guardian beasts, a composite monster of lion and eagle, and this one takes his work seriously. |
H is for Hippocampus The Hippocampus, merhorse or Sea Horse is very happy in all sorts of seas, storms hold no fears for her! |
I is for Ichneumon Pliny's mongoose description was garbled into tales of a pointed reptile that slayed dragons - from the inside! |
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J is for Jaculus Javelin Snake, or Jaculus, was a mythical snake with a spearlike tail, that flung itself down from a tree onto unwary travellers, skewering them! Amazing anyone went outdoors, with all these monsters |
K is for Keythong The Keythong is a wingless gryphon, griffin, griffen with golden spikes in heraldry, fierce and protective! Sometimes they're called male gryphons. |
L is for Lympago This happy little chap, half lion and half man, is a heraldic relative of the manticore - the lympago. He could have been half tiger too according to some descriptions. |
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M is for Manticore This manticore, huge, fierce and red, has a spiked ball of shootable darts at the end of his tail. With blue eyes he glares around, looking for someone to eat! |
N is for Nependis A rare heraldic charge, at least I haven't been able to find out much about it, the nependis was a composite monster, half ape, and half pig. |
O is for Onocentaur This patient and gentle onocentaur has the legs and body of an onanger, ass or donkey instead of a horse. A true centaur would have a horse's body. |
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P is for Pegasus This free flying Pegasus, the winged stallion of the heavens zooms above a green field, the battle with the Chimera far from his mind. |
Q is for Questing Beast The Questing Beast, Beast Glatisant, female monster. A monster of many parts, lion, leopard, serpent etc, it was King Pellinor's fated quarry, and Sir Palomedes was said by some to hunt her. |
R is for Roc During my research I found out that some people reckon Rocs have horns! How cool is that?! Rocs, um, rock! While Rocs are described as being white, I tinted this one with some gold feathers. |
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S is for Salamander The salamander of myth strove for the hottest part of the fire, absorbing the heat to live! Some descriptions had the beast emitting flame itself! This bright salamander is hot stuff and knows it! |
T is for Theow. This heraldic monster, a theow, thea, thos or thoye is like a wolf, but has hooves, and a brightly coloured mane. I think it's wonderful! This one is playfully running across a blue field. |
U is for Unicorn Probably should have given this pretty unicorn a red head, and a white, black and red horn, but the artwork would've suffered. Sorry to the purists. She's a feisty one though, won't take any nonsense. |
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V is for Vasa Mortis Vasa Mortis or "Vessel of Death", a bird from Anglo Saxon legend which was really not good news to be around. With it's four heads and its griffin claws, and its huge whale body, it was no pushover! |
W is for Wyvern This bright red wyvern on a field of green struts magnificently, guarding the W which he represents. |
X is for Xanthos Xanthos, or Xanthus, brother to Balios. This horse helped pull Achilles chariot, and was given the gift of speech by the gods. Golden in colour, bears striking resemblance to Mr Ed. Coincidence? :-) |
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Y is for Ypotryll This boar headed hoofed and humped heraldic monster was probably based on garbled accounts of camels. Sometimes spelled Ypodryll. It was fun to draw, anyway! |
Z is for Zaratan A golden eyed zaratan, islandfish, devil whale, or island turtle swims through an azure ocean. Quite happy to let people land on its back, if they light a fire, down it dives, quite understandably! |
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Winged Lion and Unicorn This winged lion, possibly an opinicus, and unicorn seem at peace with one another in the forest. |
The Dragon of Firedrake Mountain The villagers living at the foot of Firedrake Mountain were not exactly comforted to find that the glow at the peak was a dragon, not a volcano as they originally thought! |
Unicorn and Green Sea The roiling green sea holds no fear for this beautiful sea unicorn! Her floating blue mane is like the memory of a dream in the green waves. |
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Polar Sea Serpent With the increased melt of the southern icecap, the ice serpents swam Northward into the Southern Ocean, seeking prey! |
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