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
110 creatures at 3 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.
Use the location filter or the list below to browse associated places.
Browse associated places without the map
Browse the dictionary
110 matching entries
| Creature | Tradition | Description | Map locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| GegeneesGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Six-armed giant | 3 |
| GeryonGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Three-headed six-armed giant with three torsos and (in some sources) six legs | 3 |
| GigantesGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Race of giants that fought the Olympian gods, sometimes depicted with snake-legs | 3 |
| GorgonGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Fanged, snake-haired humanoids that turn anyone who sees them into stone | 3 |
| HadesDivine and sacred beings (suggested) | Greek | Ruler of the Underworld | 3 |
| HamadryadSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | oak tree nymph | 3 |
| HarpySpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested)Giants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | birdlike human-headed death spirit | 3 |
| HecatonchiresGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | primordial giants with 100 hands and fifty heads | 3 |
| HeleadSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | fen nymph | 3 |
| HeraclesDivine and sacred beings (suggested) | Greek | gatekeeper of Olympus | 3 |
| HesperidesDivine and sacred beings (suggested)Spirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | nymph daughters of Atlas | 3 |
| HippalectryonGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | a horse-rooster hybrid | 3 |
| HippocampGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Etruscan, Greek and Phoenician | horse-fish hybrid | 3 |
| HydraGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | multi-headed water serpent/dragon | 3 |
| IchthyocentaurGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Human-fish-horse hybrid | 3 |
| IpotaneGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Two-legged horse-human hybrid, (as opposed to the four-legged centaur) | 3 |
| KallikantzaroiSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | Grotesque, malevolent spirit | 3 |
| KarkinosGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Giant crab | 3 |
| KerSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | Female death spirit | 3 |
| KhalkotauroiGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested)Personified nature and animated objects (suggested) | Greek | Bronze-hoofed bulls | 3 |
| KobalosSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | Goblin like thieves and tricksters | 3 |
| LadonGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Dragon guarding the golden apples of the Hesperides | 3 |
| LaelapsAnimals (suggested) | Greek | Enchanted dog that always caught his prey | 3 |
| LaestrygoniansGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Anthropophagic giants | 3 |
| LamiaGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Child-devouring monster with the upper body of a woman and the tail of a snake | 3 |
| LampadesSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | Underworld nymph | 3 |
| LeimoniadsSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | Meadow nymph | 3 |
| LeuceSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | White poplar tree nymph | 3 |
| LimnadesSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | Lake nymph | 3 |
| MaenadHumans (suggested) | Greek | Female followers of Dionysus | 3 |
| Mares of DiomedesAnimals (suggested) | Greek | Man-eating horses | 3 |
| MedusaGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Female human-serpent hybrid (Gorgon) with numerous snake heads | 3 |
| MeliaeSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | Ash tree nymph | 3 |
| MinotaurGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Human-bull hybrid | 3 |
| MoiraiDivine and sacred beings (suggested) | Greek | Three fates | 3 |
| MormolykeiaSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | Underworld spirit | 3 |
| MuseDivine and sacred beings (suggested) | Greek | Spirits that inspire artists | 3 |
| NaiadSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | Freshwater nymph | 3 |
| NapaeaeSpirits and otherworld peoples (suggested) | Greek | Grotto nymph | 3 |
| Nemean LionGiants, monsters and fabulous creatures (suggested) | Greek | Lion with impenetrable skin | 3 |
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 1.261029.1 (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.
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.