The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures: The Ultimate A–Z of Fantastic Beings from Myth and Magic. John Matthews
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was the symbol of swiftness because it was the force of lightning itself and hit the Earth in a single place with the ferocity of its kick.
AKER
The god of the Earth in Egyptian mythology. Aker is represented as a narrow strip of land with a human or lion’s head at either end, or sometimes as two lions back to back and joined in the centre. One lion faces the west where the sun rises, the other faces east where the sun sets. The two lions or lion-headed beings are almost certainly the same as those who guard the entrance and exit to the underworld in this tradition.
AKHEKHU
A strange beast described by medieval travellers to the Middle East, the Akhekhu resembled a serpent, but had four powerful legs and clawed feet. It almost certainly derives from the folklore of Egypt. It is similar to the Griffin.
AKHLUT
A gigantic killer whale mentioned in the folklore of the Inuit, especially those who live along the Bering Sea coastline of Alaska. While its home is the sea, it takes on the form of a giant white wolf in order to prey on humans. Inuit who see large wolf tracks ending suddenly at the edge of an ice floe refer to these as the ‘tracks of the Akhlut’.
AKUPARA
In Hindu mythology, this is the name of a giant cosmic tortoise that supports the entire Earth on its back.
AL
Al is a terrible fire-eyed demon from Armenian mythology. Originally a demon which carried diseases, the Al is now associated with ill-luck in childbirth. It is said to blind unborn children in the womb and cause miscarriages. It also steals seven-month-old children. As well as its fiery eyes, it has snake-like hair, fingernails of brass, iron teeth and it carries a pair of iron scissors with which it cuts the umbilical cord of its chosen victim, inflicting poison on both mother and child. To shield themselves from its evil influence, pregnant women surround themselves with iron weapons that keep it at bay. The Al have a king who is chained in a hidden abyss, from which he can be heard shrieking constantly. In Afghanistan, the creature is represented as a young woman with long teeth and nails. Her feet are reversed.
ALAN
A species of bird-like humanoids with wings, long teeth and hands and feet facing backwards. In the folklore of the Tinguian people of the Philippine Islands, they inhabit the jungles. At night they nest in trees, hanging upside down from the topmost branches like bats. There are also said to have homes beneath the ground that are lined with gold. They are most often represented as helping spirits who give aid to the heroes of the islands; however, at times they can be both mischievous and malicious.
ALBASTOR
A gigantic creature from the folklore of the Cheremis people of eastern Russia. On the ground, it can take the shape of any animal, but it is most often described as a giant, white-skinned man with long flowing hair. It can also fly through the air, at which time it takes on the appearance of a shooting star with a comet-tail of light behind it. Its origin is said to be the souls of baptized and illegitimate children. It punishes people who overindulge in sexual intercourse by providing them with such voracious sexual appetites that they eventually die of exhaustion. It often mates with humans and signs of this may be betrayed by the presence of a sore on the victim’s lips. The human lover of a woman who has lain with an Albastor will also become ill. It can be defeated in two ways: first by breaking the little finger of its left hand; secondly by placing crosses at doors and windows to prevent it entering the house.
ALBERICH
The king of the dwarves in Teutonic and Scandinavian mythology, Alberich lives in a magnificent underground palace, the walls and ceiling of which are covered with gemstones. He guards a great amount of treasure, including a magic ring, the mighty sword Balmung, a belt which confers strength upon its wearer, and a cloak of invisibility. In common with most dwarves in this tradition, he is a famous smith and artificer, responsible for many of the great objects of power possessed by the gods – among them Freya’s necklace. He is an essential character of the ‘Volsunga Saga’ and ‘Nibelungenlied’, which describe the theft of this great treasure and the retribution that followed. Alberich is a major figure in Richard Wagner’s operatic ‘Ring Cycle’, which retells the Teutonic myths with psychological overtones.
ALECTO
One of the Furies from Greek and Roman mythology, this hideous creature is shaped like a human with bat wings and the head of a dog. Like her sisters, she was born from drops of blood that fell on the earth when the great Titan Uranus was castrated by his son, Zeus. Her name means ‘the Unceasing’ and she is said to be responsible for war, pestilence and revenge.
ALFA
In Scandinavian and Teutonic mythology, the Alfa, or elves, are divided into two tribes: the Svartalfar (dark elves) and the Liosalfar (light elves). The Liosalfar are bringers of light and are extremely beautiful, being tall, with skins whiter than the sun. They live in a realm between the Earth and Heavens known as Alfhime. The Svartalfar, on the other hand, live beneath the earth and their skins are blacker than a night without stars. They are famous smiths and responsible for many fabulous weapons and magical armour. Despite their evil reputation, they are associated with fertility and had a strong following among the Norse peoples. Both races are said to have originated from the maggots that ate the flesh of the cosmic giant Ymir. J.R.R. Tolkien drew heavily on their history in the creation of the elvish races which play such an important part in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
ALICANTO
This creature from the folklore of Chile emerges at night, shedding a golden or silvery light from its great wings. The Alicanto is a strange bird-like monster which likes to eat gold and silver, and if it discovers a rich vein of ore, will continue to eat until it is too heavy to fly. Gold prospectors in the Chilean foothills are always on the lookout for the Alicanto in the hope that it will lead them to golden riches. The wily bird, however, leads them only to their deaths, flashing its wings enticingly until they fall into a bottomless ravine.
ALICORN
An alternative name for the European Unicorn.
ALKLHA/ALICHA
A great cosmic dragon from the mythology of the Buryat people of ancient Siberia. Its wings were black and so large that when spread they covered the entire sky – overcast days were said to indicate that the Alklha had opened its wings. The creature appears to have lived in a region high above the Earth, because from here it made periodic attacks on the sun and moon. To this day, the marks on the surface of the moon are said to be the claw or teeth marks of the Alklha. Anyone among the Buryat people, seeing a section of the sun or moon obscured – such as might happen during an eclipse – believed that the Alklha was active and would throw stones into the sky to discourage it. The gods finally found a solution to this troublesome creature by cutting it in half. One half remained in the heavens, the other on the Earth; that way, whenever the Alklha attempted to consume either sun or the moon, the heavenly sphere would fall straight through the monster and resume its place in the sky.
ALKONOST
A Russian version of the Siren, this being is half woman and half bird. She lives in the land of the dead with her counterpart the Sirin. Her role is to torment the souls of the