FANTASTIC BESTIARY

"Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself. After several stories such as this, people end up having a kind of affection for the monsters. They end up caring about them."

— Ishir⁠ō Honda

Minotaur

Half Man, Half Bull, acrylic on canvas, 2021

The word minotaur derives from the Ancient Greek Minotauros, a compound of the name Minos and the noun tauros "bull", translated as "(the) Bull of Minos". This monster had the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "part man and part bull". He dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze-like construction designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus, on the command of King Minos of Crete. The Minotaur was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.

Kraken

Tentacled Terror, acrylic on canvas, 2021

The name kraken is taken from the modern Scandinavian languages, originating from the Old Norse word kraki. A legendary sea monster of gigantic size and cephalopod-like appearance in Scandinavian folklore, the kraken dwells off the coasts of Norway and Greenland and terrorizes nearby sailors. The kraken is also depicted to have spikes on its suckers. In the earliest descriptions, however, the creatures were more crab-like than octopus-like, and generally possessed traits that are associated with large whales rather than with giant squid.

Griffin

Majestic Griffin, acrylic on canvas, 2021

The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and sometimes an eagle's talons as its front feet. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts, and the eagle the king of the birds, by the Middle Ages, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. Most statuary representations of griffins depict them with bird-like talons, although in some older illustrations griffins have a lion's forelimbs; they generally have a lion's hindquarters. Its eagle's head is conventionally given prominent ears; these are sometimes described as the lion's ears, but are often elongated (more like a horse's), and are sometimes feathered. In medieval legend, griffins not only mated for life, but if either partner died, then the other would continue the rest of its life alone, never to search for a new mate.

Yeti

The Abominable Snowman, acrylic on canvas, 2021

The Yeti is often described as being a large, bipedal ape-like creature that is covered with brown, gray, or white hair, and it is sometimes depicted as having large, sharp teeth. Commonly referred to as the Abominable Snowman, this monster purported to inhabit the Himalayan mountain range in Asia. The misidentification of Himalayan wildlife has been proposed as an explanation for some Yeti sightings, including the Tibetan blue bear and the Himalayan brown bear. The Himalayan nation Nepal selected the Yeti as the mascot for the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign.

Wyvern

Green Wyvern, acrylic on canvas, 2021

Wyverns are common in medieval heraldry. They are a bipedal subspecies of winged dragon usually depicted with a tail ending in a diamond-or arrow-shaped tip. The wyvern in heraldry and folklore is rarely fire-breathing, unlike four-legged dragons. The wyvern frequently features in modern fantasy fiction (where they are frequently misidentified as regular dragons), though its first literary appearances may have been in medieval bestiaries.

Werewolf

Wolf Man, acrylic on canvas, 2021

In folklore, a werewolf is a human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf, either purposely or after being placed under a curse or affliction (often a bite or scratch from another werewolf) with the transformations occurring on the night of a full moon. Belief in werewolves developed in parallel to the belief in witches, in the course of the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period. The word werewolf comes from the Anglo-Saxon word werwulf, a compound of wer "man" and wulf "wolf". Werewolves are often depicted as immune to damage caused by ordinary weapons, being vulnerable only to silver objects, such as a silver-tipped cane, bullet or blade; this attribute was first adopted cinematically in The Wolf Man (1941).

Chimaera

Flying Chimaera, acrylic on canvas, 2021

The Chimaera, according to Greek mythology, was a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature, composed of different animal parts. It is usually depicted as a lion, with the head of a goat protruding from its back, and a tail that might end with a snake's head. It was an offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of such monsters as Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra. The dragon parts are adapted from its appearance in the Forgotten Realms series. It shares its name with a type of cartilaginous fish that is related to sharks. 

Hydra

Heads of Hydra, acrylic on canvas, 2021

The Hydra is a serpentine water monster in Greek and Roman mythology. It had poisonous breath and blood so virulent that even its scent was deadly. The Hydra possessed many heads, the exact number of which varies according to the source. Later versions of the Hydra story add a regeneration feature to the monster: for every head chopped off, the Hydra would regrow multiple heads. It was eventually slain by the ancient Greek demigod hero, Hercules. The largest constellation in the night sky is named after it.

Cerberus

Watchdog of Hades, acrylic on canvas, 2021

In Greek mythology, Cerberus, often referred to as the hound of Hades, is a multi-headed dog that guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving. Cerberus is primarily known for his capture by Hercules in the last of his twelve labours. Like Hydra, it lent its name to a moon of the dwarf planet Pluto.