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
Explore by place
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
37 creatures at 63 tradition locations · 29 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
- Albania (2)
- Albanians, Balkarians (2)
- Ancient Greece (8)
- Basques (1)
- Bosnia Muslims (4)
- Bosnians (4)
- Bretagne (1)
- Bulgarians, Balkarians (4)
- Byelarusians, Belarusians (4)
- Central Tibetans (Yu Tsang, incl. Sikkim Tibetans, Tichurong of NW Nepal) (1)
- China (2)
- Colombia (2)
- Croatians, Croats; Italians of Dalmatia (if the motif is absent among other Italians) (4)
- Czech, Czechs (4)
- Danes, Danish (1)
- Dutch, Flemish (1)
- Early Russian written sources (4)
- Eastern Ukrainians (4)
- England (2)
- England, British, Bretons (3)
- Faroe Islands (1)
- France (3)
- France (3)
- Frisians (1)
- Germans: North (Low- and Central German dialects): Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, Pommern, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony, incl East Frisia and Oldenburg), Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Thüringen, Saxony-Anhalt, Sachsen, Brandenburg, Rügen (1)
- Germans: Northeast (Brandenburg, Meklenburg, Rügen, Pommern, Silesia, Posen) (1)
- Germans: South (Upper German dialects): Alsace (Elsass), Baden-Württemberg, Bawaria, Swabia, Switzerland, Bohemia, Sudeten, Austria (1)
- Germans – Southwest: Alsace (Elsass), Baden-Württemberg, Swabia, Switzerland (1)
- Greece (8)
- Greeks (modern), Balkarians (8)
- Greeks of Cyprus (8)
- Hittite, Hurrit (1)
- Hungary (1)
- Icelanders (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Ireland (1)
- Kashubians (4)
- Latvia (1)
- Latvia (1)
- Latvians (1)
- Lithuania (1)
- Lithuanians (2)
- Macedonians, Balkarians (4)
- Nepal (1)
- Nepali; Tharu (1)
- Northern Ukrainians (4)
- Norwegians (1)
- People's Republic of China (2)
- Poles (4)
- Prussians (1)
- Russian Pomors ("seasiders"): Lower Pechora (4)
- Russian Pomors ('seasiders'): Terski Coast (Murmansk province) (4)
- Russian Pomors (“seasiders): Arkhangelsk province without its southern part (Shengur district and Konosha dstrict), Karelia White Sea coast (4)
- Russians: Central part of ethnic territory as in A.D. 1500 (Tver, Yaroslavl, Moscow, Kostroma, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, Tula, Kaluga, Smolensk provinces; in case of absence in other areas also Russians in Vyatka, Perm, Kazan provinces) (4)
- Russians: Novgorod and Pskov provinces (4)
- Russians: Olonets province/SE Karelia, Shengur district of Arkhangelsk province (4)
- Russians: Southern part of ethnic territory as in A.D. 1500 (Belgorod, Voronezh, Tambov, Penza, Lipetsk, Orel, Kursk, Bryansk provinces; in case of absence in other areas also Russians in Samara, Simbirsk and Saratov provinces) (4)
- Russians: Vologda province (incl. Belozersk, Kirillov and Cherepovets districts of form. Novgorod Province) (4)
- Rusyns, Hutsuls (4)
- Scandinavians: early written sources ("Edda"; Saxo Grammaticus etc.); Gothland picture stones; Ancient Germans (Late Bronze Age in Scandinavia) (1)
- Scotland, Scots, Picts, Scotti, Scottish (3)
- Serbs, Monte Negro, Balkarians (4)
- Slovakians, Slovaks (4)
- Slovenians, Slovenes (4)
- Sorbians (Luzhitsa Serbs) (4)
- Southern Taiwan: Rukai, Paiwan, Puyuma, Saaroa, Ketangalan (1)
- Swedes (1)
- Taiwan (1)
- Terek Cossacks (4)
- Transylvanian Saksons (1)
- Venezuela (1)
- Venezuela (1)
- Wales (2)
- Wawenock, Abenaki, Penobscot (1)
- Western Ukrainians (4)
Browse the dictionary
66 matching entries
| Creature | Tradition | Description | Map locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| La-bar-tuSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Assyrian | Disease demon | — |
| LabbuAnimals (suggested) | Akkadian | Sea snake | — |
| LadonGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Dragon guarding the golden apples of the Hesperides | 3 |
| Lady middaySpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Slavic | Sunstroke spirit | 27 |
| LaelapsAnimals (suggested) | Greek | Enchanted dog that always caught his prey | 3 |
| LaestrygoniansGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Anthropophagic giants | 3 |
| LakanicaSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Slavic | Field spirit | 27 |
| Lake monsterGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Worldwide | Gigantic animals reported to inhabit various lakes around the world | — |
| LakheySpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Nepalese | Demon with fangs | 1 |
| La LloronaSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Latin America | Death spirit associated with drowning | — |
| LamassuSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Akkadian and Sumerian | Protective spirit with the form of a winged bull or human-headed lion | 1 |
| Lambton WormGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | English | Giant worm | 2 |
| LamiaGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Child-devouring monster with the upper body of a woman and the tail of a snake | 3 |
| LamiakSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Basque | Water spirit with duck-like feet | 1 |
| La MojanaSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Colombian | Shapeshifting, female water spirit | — |
| LampadesSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | Underworld nymph | 3 |
| LandvættirSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Norse | Nature spirits | — |
| LangmeidongGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Meitei | Half-human, half-hornbill creature | 1 |
| LaresSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Roman | House spirit | — |
| La SayonaThe dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | Venezuela | Female ghost that punishes unfaithful husbands | 1 |
| La TundaSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Colombian | Nature spirit that seduces and kills men | — |
| Laukų dvasiosSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Lithuanian | Field spirit | 1 |
| LaumaSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Baltic | Sky spirit | 3 |
| Lava bearAnimals (suggested) | Not specified | Miniature bear thought to inhabit the lava beds of south-central Oregon | — |
| LavellanAnimals (suggested) | Scottish | Gigantic water rat | 1 |
| Leanan sidheSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Celtic | Vampiric fairy lover | 3 |
| LeimoniadsSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | Meadow nymph | 3 |
| LeokampoiGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Etruscan | Fish-tailed lion | — |
| LeontophoneAnimals (suggested) | Medieval Bestiary | Tiny animal poisonous to lions | — |
| LeprechaunSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Irish | Cobbler spirit | 1 |
| LesziSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Slavic | Tree spirit | 27 |
| LeuceSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | White poplar tree nymph | 3 |
| LeucrotaGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Medieval Bestiary | Crocotta-lion hybrid | — |
| LeviathanGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Jewish | Sea monster seen in Job 41 | — |
| Leyak | Balinese | Anthropophagous flying head with entrails | — |
| Libyan AegipanesGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Medieval Bestiaries | Human-horse hybrid | — |
| Libyan SatyrGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Medieval Bestiaries | Human-goat hybrid | — |
| LidércAnimals (suggested) | Hungary | Magical chicken that transforms into a humanoid | — |
| Lietuvēns | Latvia | Soul of a murdered person | 1 |
| Lightning BirdAnimals (suggested) | Southern Africa | Magical bird found at sites of lightning strikes | — |
If you wish to get access to data for projects and research, then please contact us, we do our best to help
How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. Citation version 1.261028.1 (28 October 2026). https://folkloredatabase.com.
0009-0006-1672-4451
The citation version records the access date and does not identify an archived database snapshot.
Please cite the relevant sources, catalogues, and classification systems, including the Folklore Database, Berezkin-Duvakin Catalogue, ATU, Thompson, alongside the page accessed and the last time accessed. Please respect copyright and licences.
Editorial annotations and database enhancements © Jonathan Fielder-White licensed under CC BY 4.0. Berezkin-Duvakin derived narrative and metadata licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Full rights information can be found here.
Rights in original software, interface design and other protected material not expressly licensed for reuse are reserved to their respective rights holders.
Text and data mining: For protected material not offered under a Creative Commons or other reuse licence, the Folklore Database reserves the rights it holds in automated extraction, dataset creation and AI training, to the extent permitted by law. This reservation does not restrict uses permitted by the applicable Creative Commons or other licence, public-domain status, or statutory exceptions and limitations. Third-party material retains its own terms. Please contact us for help identifying the applicable sources, licences and attribution for bulk research access.
Designed and Developed by Jonathan Fielder-White.
© 2024–2026 Crecganford / Jonathan Fielder-White. Rights reserved except where licensed or otherwise stated.