Resources · Creatures, spirits & other beings
Folklore Dictionary
Meet the beings of folklore: explore their names, descriptions and associated traditions, from familiar creatures to less familiar inhabitants of the otherworld.
1,598 reference entries · Browse A–Z or explore by place
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Creature coverage
Zoom or move the map, then choose “Filter to this area” to list creatures with a tradition location in that view. You can combine this with a character family or a search term.
Creatures associated with a tradition
18 creatures at 15 tradition locations · 17 without tradition coordinates
Markers use tradition coordinates linked through source names, recorded aliases, language groups or reviewed associations. Language-group links show cultural context, rather than verified creature occurrences in every tradition. Creatures sharing a location are grouped; select a marker to see their names. Counts cover all matching entries across every results page.
Use the location filter or the list below to browse associated places.
Browse associated places without the map
- Ancient Greece (2)
- Basques (1)
- Brazil (1)
- Finland (1)
- Finns (1)
- Greece (2)
- Greeks (modern), Balkarians (2)
- Greeks of Cyprus (2)
- Japan (9)
- Japan (9)
- Japan AD 700-1700 (9)
- Japanese folklore outside of Ryukyu (9)
- Korea (1)
- Koreans (1)
- Maltese (1)
- Northern Ryukyu Islands (with southern Kyusyu in case of absence across the rest of Japan (9)
- Philippines (1)
- Philippines (1)
- Romania (2)
- Russia (1)
- Russian Federation (1)
- Southern and Central; Ryukyu Islands: Yaeyama, Miyako, Okinawa (9)
- Zulu, Swazi (1)
Browse the dictionary
35 matching entries
| Creature | Tradition | Description | Map locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iannic-ann-ôdThe dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | Breton | Ghost of a drowned person | — |
| IaraSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Brazilian | Female water spirit | — |
| Ibong AdarnaAnimals (suggested) | Philippine | Bird that changes color when it finishes a song | 1 |
| Ichchhadhari NagAnimals (suggested) | Hindu | Shapeshifting venomous snakes | — |
| Ichimoku-nyūdō | Japanese | One-eyed kappa from Sado Island | 5 |
| Ichiren-Bozu | Japanese | Animated prayer beads | 5 |
| IchneumonGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Medieval Bestiaries | Dragon-killing animal | — |
| IchthyocentaurGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Human-fish-horse hybrid | 3 |
| IeleSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Romanian | Female nature spirits | — |
| IfritSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Arabian | Fire genie | — |
| IjiraqSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Inuit | Spirit that kidnaps children | — |
| IkiryōSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested)The dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | Japanese | Can be considered a 'living ghost', as it is a person's spirit outside their body | 5 |
| Iku-TursoGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Finnish | Sea monster | 1 |
| IkuchiAnimals (suggested) | Japanese | Sea serpent that travels over boats in an arc while dripping oil | 5 |
| Il-BelliegħaSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Maltese | Malevolent well spirit | 1 |
| Imp | Medieval | Small demonic servant | — |
| ImpunduluSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Southern Africa | Avian, vampiric lightning spirit | — |
| ImugiGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Korean | Flightless, dragon-like creatures (sometimes thought of as proto-dragons) | 1 |
| Inapertwa | Aboriginal | Simple organisms, used by creator-gods to make everything else | — |
| IncubusSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Judeo-Christian | Male night-demon and seducer | — |
| IndrikGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Russian | One-horned horse-bull hybrid | 1 |
| Indus WormGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Medieval Bestiaries | Giant, white, carnivorous worm | — |
| InkanyambaAnimals (suggested) | Zulu | Horse-headed serpent | 1 |
| InugamiAnimals (suggested)Spirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Japanese | Dog spirit | 5 |
| IorGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Romanian | Giant creature, with good spirit | — |
| IpotaneGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Two-legged horse-human hybrid, (as opposed to the four-legged centaur) | 3 |
| Ippon-dataraSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Japanese | One-legged mountain spirit | 5 |
| Iratxoak | Basque | Small demonic servants | 1 |
| IrinDivine and sacred beings (suggested) | Jewish | Fallen angels | — |
| IshigaqSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Inuit | Little people | — |
| Island SatyrGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Medieval Bestiaries | Savage human-goat hybrid from a remote island chain | — |
| IsonadeAnimals (suggested)Giants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Japanese | Shark-like sea monster | 5 |
| Ittan-momen | Japanese | Ghostly aerial phenomenon that attacks people | 5 |
| Iwana-bōzu | Japanese | Char which appeared as a Buddhist monk | 5 |
| İyeSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Not specified | Spirit in Turkic mythology | — |
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How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. Citation version 1.261028.1 (28 October 2026). https://folkloredatabase.com.
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