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
16 creatures at 2 tradition locations · 0 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.
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16 matching entries
| Creature | Tradition | Description | Map locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlpSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | German | Male night-demon. | 1 |
| Doppelgänger | German | Ghostly double | 1 |
| DrudeSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | German | Possessing demon | 1 |
| Elwetritsch | German | Birdlike forest creature of the Palatinate and Pennsylvania Dutch country | 1 |
| ErlkingSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | German | Death spirit | 1 |
| HeinzelmännchenSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | German | household spirit | 1 |
| KlabautermannSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | German | Ship spirit | 1 |
| KoboldSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | German | Little people and mine or house spirits | 1 |
| KrampusSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Germany | Christmas Devil who punishes badly-behaved children | 1 |
| MephistophelesSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | German | Demon or devil | 1 |
| NachzehrerThe dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | German | Anthropophagous undead | 1 |
| PoltergeistThe dead and disembodied souls (suggested) | German | Ghost that moves objects | 1 |
| PutzSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | German | House spirit | 1 |
| VielfrasGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | German | Gluttonous dog-cat-fox hybrid | 1 |
| Weiße FrauenSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | German | Female spirit | 1 |
| Wolpertinger | German | Forest animal comprised from various animal parts (similar to a Chimera) | 1 |
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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.
0009-0006-1672-4451
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