Team Factend
For centuries, storytellers have thrilled audiences with tales of dragons soaring through the sky, sea monsters dragging ships to the depths, and giant apes lurking in forgotten forests. We’ve dismissed them as pure fantasy–products of overactive imaginations or ancient attempts to explain the unknown. Yet astonishingly, many of these legendary beings have turned out to have very real counterparts hiding in plain sight in nature.
From deep-sea horrors that inspired kraken legends to elusive primates that match Bigfoot descriptions almost perfectly, science keeps proving that truth can be stranger (and often more terrifying) than fiction. In this article, we’re counting down 10 mythical creatures that are real, revealing the fascinating animals behind some of humanity’s oldest and most enduring legends. Prepare to have your view of “myth” and “reality” permanently blurred.
10 Mythical Creatures That Are Real
1. Mermaids
Mermaids, often depicted as half-human, half-fish beings, have appeared in folklore across cultures. These mythical creatures are known for their long, flowing hair, scaly tails, and enchanting voices that lure sailors into the depths of the sea. However, what people historically considered mermaids were likely manatees or dugongs.
These marine animals are also known as “sea cows” and have many characteristics that could explain mermaid sightings. Manatees can grow up to six feet long and have flippers with bones that resemble human fingers, creating an illusion of human-like features.
In shallow water, manatees can stand upright, further solidifying their resemblance to the mermaids of lore. Their rear flippers, sticking out of the water, could easily be mistaken for a tail. Although manatees may not be as glamorous as mythical mermaids, they may indeed be the basis of these timeless tales.
2. Kraken
The Kraken, an enormous octopus-like creature, is infamous in Scandinavian folklore. This sea monster was said to drag entire ships and their crews into the depths of the ocean, sparking fear in sailors for centuries.
In reality, what these mariners likely encountered were giant squids, creatures that can grow up to nearly 60 feet in length. Giant squids have multiple strong arms covered in suction cups, which could easily create the impression of a creature large and powerful enough to take down a ship.
Giant squids are rarely seen, as they live deep underwater, but when they do surface, they make a dramatic appearance. Their colossal size and elusive nature likely fed into the legends of the Kraken. Although giant squids aren’t actively aggressive toward ships, their appearance in the open ocean would certainly make a lasting impression on anyone who encountered them.
3. Dragons
Dragons, perhaps one of the most universally recognized mythical creatures, appear in the folklore of many cultures around the world. They are often described as massive reptilian creatures with bat-like wings, sharp claws, and, in some legends, the ability to breathe fire. While no fire-breathing dragons have been discovered, many historians believe that dragon legends were inspired by the discovery of dinosaur fossils.
In ancient China, for example, dragon myths are incredibly common, and some researchers argue that these tales were inspired by dinosaur bones unearthed by early civilizations. Fossilized remains of large reptiles would have appeared dragon-like to ancient peoples, leading them to create stories around these mythical beasts. Though dinosaurs and dragons are not identical, it’s easy to see how dinosaur fossils could fuel the imagination of storytellers.
4. Pouakai
In Maori mythology, the Pouakai was a giant bird that preyed on humans, capable of swooping down and carrying people away. The actual creature behind this terrifying legend was the Haast’s Eagle, the largest eagle to ever live. Native to New Zealand, the Haast’s Eagle had a wingspan of up to 10 feet and primarily hunted the now-extinct Moa bird, a giant, flightless bird that lived in the same region.
The Haast’s Eagle was capable of taking down large prey and could certainly appear intimidating to any humans who witnessed it in action. While Haast’s Eagles did not actually hunt humans, their massive size and predatory abilities likely gave rise to the terrifying legend of the Pouakai. Sadly, the Haast’s Eagle is now extinct, making its legend one of both fear and fascination.
5. Roc
Ancient sailors told stories of a massive bird called the Roc, said to be capable of lifting elephants into the sky and carrying them away. The Roc, originating from Middle Eastern and South Asian mythology, was believed to reside off the coast of Africa or the Arabian Peninsula.
The real creature behind the Roc myth is thought to be the Aepyornis, also known as the elephant bird. This bird, now extinct, was native to Madagascar and could weigh over 1,000 pounds, making it one of the heaviest birds ever.
Although the Aepyornis was flightless and nowhere near capable of lifting elephants, its enormous size would have been impressive enough to inspire tales of a giant bird. The idea of a bird so large it could carry off large animals was a testament to the bird’s physical magnitude, and it has left a lasting impression in mythology.
6. Unicorns
The unicorn is a mystical creature that resembles a horse with a single horn protruding from its forehead. Unicorns are often portrayed as gentle and elusive animals, and their horn is believed to have healing properties.
Interestingly, there was a creature that could have inspired the legend of the unicorn: the Siberian unicorn, a species of rhinoceros that lived in Eurasia and went extinct around 39,000 years ago.
Unlike the graceful horse-like creature in myths, the Siberian unicorn was a bulky, shaggy animal with a single large horn on its head. This horn, along with the creature’s appearance, could have been misinterpreted by early humans as that of a magical unicorn. Although less glamorous than the mythological unicorn, the Siberian unicorn remains a fascinating part of our history.
7. Griffins
The Griffin, a mythical hybrid with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. This creature has appeared in art and literature since ancient times. Griffins were believed to guard treasures and were symbols of strength and protection. Some researchers believe the Griffin myth was inspired by fossils of the Protoceratops, a dinosaur that had a bird-like beak and lived in Central Asia.
The Protoceratops had long, wing-like shoulder blades that could be mistaken for wings by those who discovered its fossils. In an age where fossils were a mystery, it would be easy for ancient people to interpret these remains as evidence of a Griffin-like creature. The blend of features from different animals in the Protoceratops may have spurred tales of this majestic and mythical creature.
8. Sea Serpent
Legends of sea serpents, massive snake-like creatures that terrorized sailors, can be found worldwide. These mythical creatures were said to lurk in deep waters, occasionally surfacing to attack ships. The real creature that likely inspired these stories is the oarfish, a massive fish with a long, snake-like body that can grow up to 56 feet long.
The oarfish is the longest bony fish in existence, and it rarely comes to the ocean’s surface. However, when it does, its unusual appearance can be startling, especially for sailors who may have only seen fish that were much smaller. The oarfish’s serpent-like body and shiny, metallic scales match many descriptions of sea serpents, making it a natural candidate for this mythological creature.
9. Yeti
The Yeti, also known as the Abominable Snowman, is said to be an ape-like creature inhabiting the snowy mountains of the Himalayas. Descriptions of the Yeti closely resemble North America’s Bigfoot, though the two are considered separate creatures in folklore. Most Yeti sightings and evidence, however, can be attributed to the Himalayan black and brown bears.
DNA testing has confirmed that most samples attributed to the Yeti actually come from these bear species. The combination of the bears’ upright walking ability and their fur color might explain why they are mistaken for a snow-bound creature like the Yeti. While bears are not the elusive Yeti of legend, they certainly fit some of the descriptions attributed to this mysterious creature.
10. Gorillai
In the 5th century BCE, a Carthaginian explorer named Hanno the Navigator encountered a tribe of “hairy, rude people” along the coast of West Africa, whom he referred to as “Gorillai”. Initially, Hanno’s discovery led people to believe he had encountered a type of primitive human.
Later, the term “gorilla” was adopted for the ape species, but scientists are unsure if Hanno actually saw gorillas or another species of large ape.
Gorillas were unknown to Western science until the 19th century, so the mysterious “Gorillai” Hanno described may well have been these great apes. His encounter marks one of the first documented sightings of gorillas in the Western world, adding to the mystique of these impressive animals.
Conclusion
The line between myth and reality is often blurred, especially when it comes to ancient tales of strange mythical creatures. These ten examples show that many mythical creatures that are real have origins in sightings or fossils of actual animals, leading to the fantastical legends we know today.
The facts about Doppelgänger sightings, mermaids, dragons, and others remind us of the human tendency to explain the unknown through storytelling. Each of these mythical creatures serves as a reminder of our ever-evolving understanding of the natural world, showing us that myths often hold grains of truth that connect us to both our past and the mysteries that lie ahead.
