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16th-century European travellers to the Malay Peninsula. Described as female, with a single horn growing from its forehead, these were probably the result of a half-glimpsed Javan or Sumatran rhinoceros. Like the Unicorn, a powder made from the horn served both as an aphrodisiac and as an antidote to poison. However, since the Unicorn was invariably represented as male, and since there was only ever one in existence at any time, the Abath seems to have developed independently from the European myths of the one-horned creature. (See also Alicorn, Chio-Tuan, Ki-Lin.)

      ABATWA

      A race of tiny fairies who share the dwelling of the ants in parts of South Africa. They only occasionally reveal themselves – usually to children, wizards or pregnant women. To see one in the seventh month of pregnancy ensures the mother will give birth to a boy.

      ABGAL

      A kind of early form of the merman, the Abgal is mentioned in Sumerian mythology. It is one of a number of spirits, originally servants of Ea, the god of wisdom. Like the centaurs of Greek mythology who helped civilize humanity, the task of these beings was to teach the arts and sciences to humanity. They did this during the day while fasting, only stopping to eat at night. Early carved reliefs show them men above the waist, fish below.

      ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN

      The Abominable Snowman is a name given to the Yeti which lives in the Himalayas.

      ACALICA

      These weather-fairies from Bolivia have special influence over rain, hail and frost. They live underground in caves and are rarely seen. When they do appear they usually take the form of small, wizened men.

      ACAMAS

      One of the names of the Cyclops in Greek Mythology.

      ACEPHALI

      In Greek mythology, the Acephali were human beings whose features were situated in their chests. They had no heads at all. According to the accounts of Herodotus and Josephus, the Acephali lived in Libya. They are similar to the Blemyahs.

      ACHELOUS

      In Greek mythology, Achelous was a river god who took three different shapes when he chose. He could take the form of a bull, a speckled serpent or a bull-headed man, like the Minotaur. He wrestled with Hercules for the hand of Dejanira and, while in the latter form, lost a horn. The blood that fell to the ground from the horn became the Sirens, while the horn itself was discovered by Naiads who took and filled it with flowers and fruit. Classical myth tells us that Achelous’ horn was then presented to Plenty (Amalthea) who made it her cornucopia (the ‘horn of plenty’).

      ACHIYALABOPA

      Among the Pueblo peoples of North America, stories are told of this fabulous animal – a bird with rainbow-coloured wings and feathers like knives. It is a celestial creature and may at one time have been considered responsible for the whole of creation.

      ACHLIS

      The Achlis is one of a number of strange European beasts listed by the Roman writer Pliny the Elder (1st century BC). He described it as looking something like an elk, but it had a number of curious features. Its upper lip was so large that it had to graze backwards to avoid the lip falling forward and covering its mouth. A further problem was caused by the fact that its back legs had no joints – it was thus forced to sleep standing up, leaning against a tree. This enabled wily hunters to catch it by partially cutting through the tree to which the Achlis came at night. When it leaned against the tree both fell to the ground, and the Achlis could not regain its feet quickly enough to prevent itself being caught by the hunters.

      ACIPENSER

      In the 16th and 17th century, explorers sailing the northern seas gave this name to a giant fish whose scales were on backwards, opening towards the front instead of the rear. This caused it to swim much more slowly than other fish; yet it was so vast that no one seems to have attempted to capture one. Stories of this kind almost always seem to arise from sightings of whales or, in this case, possibly giant sturgeon, the fish from which caviar is extracted.

      ACTAEON

      In Greek myth, Actaeon is one of the eight horses of the sun. Actaeon is described as pure white in colour, with flaring nostrils from which issue flame and smoke. The name Actaeon means ‘effulgence’, clearly referring to the powerful heat and light of the sun. At night, the horses browsed on magical herbs on the Islands of the Blessed; by day, the nymphs of time, the Horae, harnessed them to the chariot of the sun, which was driven by the god Helios. (See also Horse, Acthon.)

      ACTHON

      One of the four winged horses of the sun in Roman myth. The poet Ovid (43 BC–AD 17) lists Acthon together with Eous, Phlegon and Pyrios. These four were harnessed daily to the chariot of the sun and driven across the heavens by the charioteer Phaethon. (See also Horse.)

      ADAR LLWCH GWIN

      According to Celtic tradition, the Adar Llwch Gwin were giant birds, similar in kind to the Griffin, which were given to a warrior named Drudwas ap Tryffin by his fairy wife. The name derives from the Welsh words llwch (‘dust’) and gwin (‘wine’). The birds were said to understand human speech and to obey whatever command was given to them by their master. However, on one occasion, when Drudwas was about to do battle with the hero Arthur, he commanded them to kill the first man to enter the battle. Arthur himself was delayed and the birds immediately turned on Drudwas and tore him to pieces. Later, in medieval Welsh Poetry, the phrase ‘Adar Llwch Gwin’ came to describe hawks, falcons or brave men.

      ADARO

      This strange being appears in the myths of the Solomon Islands in the western Pacific Ocean. He is clearly related to the merman, but unlike these familiar sea creatures, the Adaro has legs, attached to which are fins; a larger fin, similar to that of a shark, sprouts from his head. He also has fish gills and a sharp horn where his nose ought to be. The Adaro commands a huge army of flying fish, which savagely rend into pieces anyone foolish enough to invade his waters. The Solomon Islanders describe him as flying through the air, carried by his fish army or riding on the back of a rainbow during storms at sea. (See also Triton.)

      ADITI

      In Hindu tradition, Aditi is the primordial entity from which all things come. She is shown in the form of a cow who nourishes every living thing. She gives her milk freely to all on the condition that humans behave to her as if they are her calves, like children to their mother. The injunction ‘Do not injure Aditi the Cow,’ is a warning to protect the whole of nature and the Earth itself.

      ADLET

      These monstrous creatures feature in the mythology of the Inuit people of Labrador and the Hudson Bay area. They are part of a curious creation myth, according to which a human woman cohabited with a red dog. Five of the children resulting from this union were dogs themselves, and these were sent across the sea to Europe where they founded the European races. Five other children were even more monstrous and turned upon the Inuit themselves, drinking their blood and rending them

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