Stuff Nightmares Are Made Of

I do believe that there are some amazing creatures in this world that do not seem to really be real. Many times stories are told about make-believe creatures and soon people are believing they just might be out there. One such creature is known as Bunyips and this legendary creature supposedly could be found in Australia.

The legend of Bunyips comes from the Aborigines. It appears this creature lives in the swamps and gave out blood-curdling screams at night. It would not be wise to encounter the creature because it is not friendly and was known to eat both humans and animals if they happened to be in their territory. Bunyips favorite treat is women so they particularly have to beware.

The creature might resemble a gorilla or even Bigfoot and others say it looks half-human and half-animal. Bunyips can come in all shapes, sizes and colors and I guess whatever the imagination of the storyteller decides. So if you go walking about Australia and suddenly hear horrible screams get your legs working fast and run in the opposite direction and if you're a woman you might even want to hide.

The Dragon Devil

Anything named the Dragon Devil makes me think I don't want anything to do with it. This creature is also known as Ninki Nanka which translates to DragonDevil in the Gambia and other parts of West Africa. Here it resides in swampy areas and as such this beast is over 150 feet long with the face of a horse. Personally, I was expecting a dragon face but let's go with the horse. On its head is a crest of skin and mirror-like scales. What particularly frightens people when they hear about the Dragon Devil is that if they see it they'll die in a few weeks. Parents love to keep their children well-behaved by telling them if they are naughty they'll be sent to the Ninki Nanka who will drag them into the swamp and that will be the end.

Mester Stoor Worm

This story comes from northern Europe from the Orkney Island of Scotland. There was once a dragon known as the Mester Stoor Worm which is a sea dragon. Its story is that it woke up at sunrise every Saturday morning and then opening its big mouth would yawn nine times. For breakfast, he was hoping to find and eat seven virgins. As in a lot of fantasy tales in steps an old wizard who says that the land can be saved from this creature's big and unusual appetite by letting him have the king's daughter for breakfast. Of course, when a princess is in danger along comes a knight in shining armor and so it goes in this story as well. The hero slew the dragon, saved the princess, and as a result, all of the dragon's teeth fell out and they formed the Orkney, Shetland, and the Faroe Islands and the body of the dragon became Iceland.

Strange Tale of the Minokawa

The Minokawa is a bird dragon that comes from Filipino mythology. The creature is as big as an island has feathers that are as sharp as a sword and instead of eyes, it has mirrors. This creature calls the sky near the eastern horizon its home and legend has it that at one time it swallowed the moon creating protest from people on Earth.

The Minokawa heard the anger of the people and it became curious and opened its mouth in great surprise. As soon as the creature opened its mouth out jumped the moon and got away from it. After this, the moon was afraid of the Minokawa and hid from it in holes that were on the horizon. The creature was then blamed for eclipses and people needed to make a big clamor to get it to drop the moon once more.

Red-Eyed Mothman

This creature reminds me of Batman because of its name which is Mothman, It all started in the 1960s when people began seeing a creature that had wings and red eyes. I do not believe they were all drunk and so the stories started circulating and people were scared of the Mothman. The reported sightings went on for some months and people reported the creature to be about seven feet tall with a more than a ten -foot wingspan. It had gray skin and was scaly. Its large red eyes glowed hypnotically.

Things went from bad to worse when it became known that the Mothman could simply take off and shoot up into the sky without flapping its wings taking on speeds of up to 100 MPH. What else did the Mothman do that was frightening? It ate and mutilated large dogs, squealed like a giant rodent and could sound like an electric motor. The only thing likeable about the Mothman was that it liked and protected small children. It was mostly seen in the US state of Vermont and in Point Pleasant. West Virginia where there stands a statue of the Mothman.

The Snallygaster in the Blue Ridge Mountains

Living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Maryland one must beware of the snallygaster. Its name is a derivation of the German words schnelle gessschter meaning "quick sprit." The German immigrants brought the myths that surrounded this creature when they settled in the area in the 1700s.

So what is a snallygaster? This creature is supposedly half-bird and half-reptile. It has a metal beak. When the snallygster comes out of the sky it carries off its victims and sucks out their blood. Supposedly this creature has an enemy that resembles a werewolf and is called Dwayyo. When these two meet up they battle with each other. So beware when walking in the Blue Ridge Mountains you just might meet up with one or the other.