The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A–Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic. John Matthews
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is about 30-ft long with humps along its back, and some have reported a horse-like head. For the local communities around the lake, Champ is regarded as the Loch Ness Monster of their lake, drawing a vast tourist industry. Scientists have explored the possibilities of Champ, suggesting that he might be a plesiosaur, zeuglodon or basilosaurus – a prehistoric snake-like whale, remains of which have been unearthed near Charlotte, Vermont, only a stone’s throw from the lake itself. There is a good deal of cryptozoological interest in Champ’s movements, which are as closely monitored and reported as those of Nessie.
CHAMROSH
In Mesopotamian myth, the Chamrosh is a creature with a dog’s body and the wings of a bird. It lives beneath the soma tree where the Senmurv roosted. Whenever the Senmurv flew off, the soma tree let fall its ripe seeds, which were gathered by the Chamrosh to be distributed around the Earth.
CHAN
In Chinese legend, the Chan was a sea monster in the shape of a huge clam. The out-breathings of the Chan were said to make coral reefs in the shape of wondrous palaces.
CH’ANG O
In Chinese mythology, Ch’ang O was the king of the snakes. He had the ability to change in size from tiny to enormous in order to match his enemies. He was finally defeated at the celestial battle of Mu which was fought between the gods and immortals.
CHANG LUNG
In Chinese folklore, Chang Lung was originally a magistrate during the reign of Chung Tsung in the 7th century. Through his practice of pious meditation in the local temple, he began to metamorphose into a dragon protector. His son became anxious about his father’s long absences and finally discovered what was happening. Chang Lung confessed to his son that he was being challenged by another dragon and required the help of all his sons to overcome him. His sons made Chang Lung wear a red ribbon about his arm so that they might tell which dragon was which. The rival dragon was finally shot and killed by the arrows of Chang Lung’s sons. From that time onwards, Chang Lung remained in dragon form as a protector of the temple and his community.
CHAPALU
In medieval French legend, Chapalu was the name of an enormous and insatiable cat which preyed upon the unwary. In French Arthurian legend, Chapalu was overcome by Sir Kay. The supernatural cat is associated with the Savoie region of France where it is supposed to live on Mont de Chat. (See Cath Palug.)
CHARADRIUS
The Charadrius is a bird, a kind of white, unspotted plover. According to the Physiologus, it symbolizes the sinless incarnation of Christ. If one were brought to the bed of an invalid, it was able to predict life or death. It had the ability to look into the face of the sick and draw out illness by flying up to the sun with the residue of the disease so that it might be melted by the solar flames. In the late Middle Ages, it was associated with jaundice, which was considered to be a royal or courtly disease caused by too much rich living. In missals and Psalters, the Charadrius was often depicted as the bird that cures spiritual blindness or indifference, such as in the case of Saul, who was smitten with temporary physical blindness and spiritual illumination on the Damascus road, after which he changed his name to Paul, later becoming St Paul.
CHARUN
In Etruscan myth, Charun was an animal-headed god with tusks and flaming eyes who presided over death and torment. He took particular delight in the writhings of those in pain or in the grip of their death-agony. Later Roman belief took his name for the ferryman over the river to Hades, calling him Charon, but they did not retain the character of the early god.
CHARYBDIS
In Greek mythology, Charybdis was the daughter of the Earth goddess Gaia and the sea god Poseidon. She stole the cattle of Hercules, offending Zeus who punished her by sending a thunderbolt. She became turned into a monstrous, formless sea entity like a whirlpool who three times a day sucked the sea into herself and three times spat it out again. She was never seen, but remained in the deep sea. In the Odyssey, Odysseus had to pass between the twin terrors of Charybdis and Scylla.
CHATURDANTA
In Indian tradition, Chaturdanta is the name of the elephant who led his herd to the only source of water in the middle of drought. As the elephants came to the lake, they trampled many animals including the hares. Silimukha, the king of the hares, sent his eloquent hare messenger, Vijaya, to persuade the elephants to seek some other place. Vijaya climbed up onto a rock and spoke to Chaturdanta saying, ‘I am the ambassador of Silimukha, the moon, who says to you that you have defiled the cool waters of my lake and killed my people. If you do this again, you shall receive my punishment.’ ’ Chaturdanta swore never to do this again, so Vijaya took him to visit Silimukha but instead led the great elephant to the still lake. Looking into the waters, Chaturdanta bowed low, swearing to keep his oath.
CHEEROONEAR
Among the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, Cheeroonear is a dog-faced man with arms so long that his hands trail upon the ground. From chin to belly he has a drooping dewlap of many folds. He is accompanied by a pack of dogs.
A legend from the Nullabor Plain tells how Cheeroonear turned up at a waterhole in the middle of a severe drought. He drained the very last drops of the billabong, drinking so heavily that his stomach ballooned out and he began to vomit out human bones and remains. The people gathered at the billabong were horrified to recognize the remains as those of their relatives. Cheeroonear told them that they would not live long enough to report this to others. That night the people consulted their medicine men, the Winjarning brothers. They directed them to make two lines of brushwood leading to and converging on the billabong. At dawn, Cheeroonear’s hounds approached the waterhole, they followed the line of the brushwood road, but as each leant forward to drink, one of the Winjarning brothers’ boomerangs severed its head. Finally, Cheeroonear himself came to see what was happening. As he followed the brushwood road, he too was clubbed upon the head by the waiting warriors. When he did not come home, his wife came to the billabong. Before she was chopped to pieces by the waiting warriors, her unborn child leapt from her body and slithered off into the undergrowth in the shape of a snake so that the line of Cheeroonear might continue.
CHEIRON
Also known as Chiron, he was the gentle centaur who acted as mentor to many heroes. Cheiron was the offspring of Cronos who visited the Oceanid nymph Philyra in the form of a stallion. Cheiron lived in a cave on the slopes of Mount Pelion. He is frequently shown draped with a robe of stars, with an uprooted tree over his shoulder on which are the spoils of the hunt, and a dog by his side. He was looked to as the arbiter and bringer of education, law, medicine and prophecy, so that many of the Greek heroes were sent to be trained by him, including Aesculapius, Jason, Peleus and Theseus.
The gods did not disdain to consult Cheiron also. When Apollo was out hunting, he saw the virgin Kyrene guarding her father’s beasts and how she wrestled with a lion to protect them. Apollo asked Cheiron what he should do and the centaur counselled him to take her as his wife. On a swan-chariot, he bore her to Libya. Cheiron prophesied that her son would be divine. He would be raised by Hermes, the Horae and the goddess Gaia and become an immortal and perfect child who would love men. This child was the immortal Apollo made new, Apollo Aristaios or ‘the best Apollo’. His father took his namesake to Cheiron to be raised by wise centaurs. From them he learned how to keep bees,