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
30 creatures at 44 tradition locations · 13 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
- Anatolia Turks (1)
- Astrakhan Tatars, Karagash Nogai (1)
- Azeris (Azerbaijanis) (1)
- Bashkirs (1)
- Central Yakuts (Sakha) (1)
- China (4)
- Chulym Turks (1)
- Chuvash (1)
- Crimean Tatars, Karaims (1)
- Dolgans (1)
- England (2)
- England, British, Bretons (2)
- Gagauz (1)
- Indian literary tradition (Vedic, Brahman, Purana, Indian Buddhism, Hinduism, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Panchtantra, Jatakas); iconography of Hindu temples (1)
- Japan (22)
- Japan (23)
- Japan AD 700-1700 (22)
- Japanese folklore outside of Ryukyu (22)
- Karachays, Balkar (1)
- Kara Kalpak (1)
- Kazakh (1)
- Kazan (Middle Volga) Tatars (1)
- Khakas (1)
- Khwarezm Uzbek; Turkic written tradition from Kök Orda (1)
- Kirghiz (1)
- Kumyk, Terekemen (1)
- Nogai (1)
- Northeastern Yakuts (Sakha): Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma Basins (1)
- Northern Altai: Chelkan, Kumanda, Tubalar, Altaians (1)
- Northern Ryukyu Islands (with southern Kyusyu in case of absence across the rest of Japan (22)
- Northwestern Yakuts (Sakha): Yessey, Anabar, Olenyok and Lower Lena Basins (1)
- People's Republic of China (3)
- Salars (1)
- Shor (1)
- Siberian Tatars (1)
- South America (1)
- Southern Altai: Altai proper (Altai-Kiji), Telengit, Altaians (1)
- Southern and Central; Ryukyu Islands: Yaeyama, Miyako, Okinawa (22)
- Stavropol Turkmen (recent migrants from Mangyshlak Peninsular) (1)
- Tofa (Karagas) (1)
- Turkmen (1)
- Tuvinians of Monglian Altai (1)
- Tuvinians of Tuva, Tuvans (1)
- Uyghur (1)
- Uzbek (1)
- Western Yakuts (Sakha): Olekma and Vilyuy Basins (1)
- Yugur (Sarïg Yogïr, Yellow Uyghur) (1)
Browse the dictionary
43 matching entries
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How to cite: Fielder-White, Jonathan (2026). The Folklore Database. Citation version 1.261029.1 (29 October 2026). https://folkloredatabase.com.
0009-0006-1672-4451
The citation version records the access date and does not identify an archived database snapshot.
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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.
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