Monster Folklore

We have always created and destroyed monsters. They give form to what we don't wish to know or understand; to our anxieties and irrational terrors. They have helped us manage the extraordinary complexity of our minds and deal with the challenges of being human. In Enchanted Creatures, Natalie Lawrence delves into the dark histories of creatures we have imagined over 15,000 years of history: from strange beasts carved in Palaeolithic caves and hybrid snake women, to deep-sea leviathans and apocalyptic dino-monsters.

Since the dawn of communication, humankind has looked around itself and used myths and legends to make sense of the world. Gods, Heroes and Monsters invites you to take your place at the campfire that’s been glowing since the first tale was told. Discover the fascinating variety—and several surprising similarities—of the stories that have been shared for millennia, from one person to another, one lesson at a time. Ancient stories are retold under themes such as the beginning (and end) of the world, death, love, and monsters and spirits.

Als Hexe hat Kosara viel Übung im Kampf gegen die gefährlichen Fabelwesen, die regelmäßig über ihre Heimatstadt Chernograd herfallen. Es gibt nur ein Monster, das Kosara nicht besiegen kann: den Zmey, bekannt als Zar der Monster. Als Einzige ist sie ihm je entkommen und nun beginnt er seine Jagd auf sie erneut. Um ihm ein weiteres Mal zu entfliehen, sieht Kosara sich gezwungen, ihren Hexenschatten, die Quelle ihrer Kräfte, einzutauschen, und zwar gegen eine illegale Passage über die Mauer zur Nachbarstadt Belograd – ein sicherer Ort, frei von Monstern.

In the summer of 1983, a young teen named Danny Brent and his two best friends share good times and special moments while enjoying that unique magic of childhood, an all too brief time when anything seemed possible. They also share a chilling adventure that bonds them together well into adulthood. Now, for the first time in almost thirty years, Danny is sharing his secret about what really happened, the story about his brief encounter with the Goatman - a legendary creature that exists on the outskirts of town in a haunted area called Goatman's, how he saved his life, and what happens ...

Cannibalistic snakes exceeding 100 feet in length that cause the Earth to tremble. Large cats with 12-inch fangs thought to be extinct. Sauropod dinosaurs that flip canoes. A half-octopus, half-shark creature that pulls boats into the abyss. Plesiosaurs swimming in glacial lakes. These are but a few of the monsters lurking in the waters of South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Everyone talks to animals. Some do it every day. But very few stop to listen for a reply. Lizbet Wood does. And this is just one of the things that set her apart. But she really doesn’t understand how different she is until violence shatters her solitary existence. While Lizbet seeks to understand why mother sought refuge on a deserted island in the Pacific Northwest, she comes face to face with the dangers her mother tried, but failed to escape. When her mother is gravely injured, Lizbet is forced from the island and thrust into a world even more complex and threatening than she could ...