+ Mythological Encyclopaedia Discover Europe through the world of mythology.
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Mythological Encyclopaedia
Discover Europe through the world of mythology
A B C ED
H I J
K
F G
P
ONL M
VU
Q R S T
ZYXW
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Mythological Encyclopaedia
Discover Europe through
the world of
mythology
LLP COMENIUS 2013 - 2015
TRITONE
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
With s scales and algae, his body was half fish and half
man, sometimes with horse paws.
Thanks to a magic horn he can cause sea storm or calm waves down,
according to the produced sounds.
He cuts through the sea helping
Neptune in realizing his will,
favouring or preventing the
sailors way.
He lives in the sea deep and rides waves thanks to his body shape.
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THE HAG (LAUMĖ)
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
They are weird long-haired
young women usually depicted as being naked. In very ancient
times it was believed that there existed
hags-cannibals with a very awful
appearance.
Hags can not only reward and be good
but also they can make harm and
bring death. While not having their own children, they gnaw bad mothers’ babies
or steal and exchange them.
They can tire out the men to death. Very often hags cut the
sheep, milk the cows to harm the family. With their spells hags can
cause rain, hail or storms.
Hags are very justice and they are keepers of moral. They
reward good and hard-working
people, but they punish those
who are bad or lazy.
Hags live in the forests, near the creeks, rivers or lakes, also near
swamps or stones. They
gather together, while being the
full moon at night, in wet
meadows and have fun dancing in circles. Every
Thursday evening they do the
laundry. They visit family’s bathhouse. BACK
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THE DEVIL (VELNIAS)
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
Usually devils are depicted as a young man or a short man with
the green hat, sometimes they may appear as a bird or an animal
(cat, horse, etc.).
While imitating the God, devil
pretends creating the world – God created the
lowlands and devil spitted on
it and threw stones and hills.
He has the power of turning
to anyone he wants and he is
very strong.
The main duty of the devil is to take care of Earth’s treasures, protect the poor and punish dishonest, greedy people, offenders, and drinkers. Devils tire out or deceive the way of people travelling at night.
Devils live in forests, swamps,
caves, under stones or under the ground. The
devil is careful as he always hides from his biggest
enemy the Thunder not to hit
him. Devils especially like
music that’s why they take
musicians to their feasts, weddings. While musicians play devils have
fun while dancing. BACK TO ALPHBET
THE KITE (AITVARAS)
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
It is conceived as a golden dragon with
huge wings or firing snake. At homes it can change the shape and
become a bird.
The Kite is immortal. While killing it, the Kite becomes a spark
and always causes the fire.
Most usually the man doesn’t even
guess that he has a Kite in his house as
he always has wealth and
richness that the Kite brings them secretly from a man. The Kite
usually protects good, not greedy people, those who are treated badly and brings them
riches: corns, flax, money that it
usually takes away from the rich
greedy people.
They live in homesteads or
barns of farmers who they choose.
The kite isn’t either good or
bad. If the farmer loves respects
and feeds it well, the Kite becomes his best friend and
brings lots of wealth. But for
those who behave bad to it the Kite revenges. It flies
above the trees in summer or
autumn evenings. Usually the Kite is
hatched from cock’s egg also it can be bought or domesticated.
The barn is the main dwelling of Kites
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ERLİK HAN
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
Erlik Han is a frightful man. His eyes and eyebrows are
black as coal, his beard is up to his knees,his
moustache is on his ears like wild boars molars, his
jaw is like a mallet ,and his horns are like tree roots. His
hair is dark black and curly..
He flies over the endless water
with the costume of the
geese and swan. He is the God of
underground world and makes
evil to the people.
Erlik Han has done evil against Tengri during the creation of the
world. Tengri has made him lord of the underground
world as a penalty.
Erlik Han has an underground
palace which its roof is made of
iron and its furnace is made of clay. He has a silver throne in
front of the palace.his sword is made of green
iron and the shield is made of flat iron.he has nine bulls, he has five sons
and two daughters.
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TULPAR
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
The horse is usually
described as white or black.
Tulpar opens his wings only in the dark and while
exceeding great obstacles and
distances
Tupar has white wings and created by
Kuday (God) to help the brave.
It is believed that If Tulpar’s wings are seen
by someone Tulpar would disappear.
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AKANA
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
It has a body of light, (non-corporeal).
It has elegant horns
symbolizing the begining of
power which is smiliar to the
crown.It has avery long light bluish tail like a mermaid.
It is believed that it started
the life cycle by giving spirit to
all which is about the
begining of life.
Yet nothing has been created
and there is only when a vast water. Akana
inspired by the endless waters
immersed in creating to
Ülgenhan and come back
waters again.
It lives in the endless waters
and starfish circulates around it.
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ÜLGENHAN
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
While describing these adjectives are used ; white,
bright, loud, burning, lightning.
In his hand he has a large shield and a bow which sends lightning.
Thunderbolts and lightning are his
weapons.The places become
holy which he hits with lightning. Manages air events and
unknown kinds of shapes in the
space.
Ulgenhan came to the land with two pieces of stones which, one is white
other is black and taught
people to make fire.
Ulgenhan lived in a gold palace which has a gold
door in “Gold Mountain” on
the 16th floor of the sky. It sits on a golden throne. Likes to do good.
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HIISI (GOBLIN)
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
Usually, they are black or grey and small in
size, on some occasions gigantic.
They cause diseases and all kind of troubles.
Travels in a noisy
procession, and attacks people
who did not give way to it. If
someone left the door open from
their house, Hiisi could come
inside and steal something.
They live in forests or in the
water.
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TUONEN TYTTI (DAUGHTER OF DEATH, DEATH’S MAID)
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
Long black hair and ragged
dress.
She decides who can enter the Underworld.
Lets dead people pass to Tuonela.
She lets only those to pass to
Tuonela (The Underworld),
who she believes are
dead. She is like a ferryman (similar to Charon)
between Tuonela and the earth.
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IELELE
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
They are beautiful women, usually
virgins, dressed in white from head to toe, with flowers in their long hair and
bells on their ankles. Ielele appear
sometimes with bodies or only as immaterial spirits.
They are young and beautiful, voluptuous
immortals, their frenzy causing
delirium in onlookers, and with
bad tempers, but not being necessarily
evil.
Ielele can fly without wings, traveling with
incredible speed. Anyone who refuse their invitation to
dance, or dares to mimic their
movements will be subject to
terrible punishment – paralyzed or
crippled.
These spirits like to remain in the forests and
mountains, enjoying the freedom to fly through the sky .
When they want to punish a man, Ielele used to charm him by their songs, to make him sleep in
sweet dreams, then they would dance around him and start cursing. In
order to keep this type of fairies away, people used to put
a horse skull in their fence.
They are spirits who grow up in groups of three
or seven of other iele and said to live in forests,
caves, skies and isolated cliffs or marshes. They appear at night as dancing hora (a type of circle
dance originating in the
Balkans) and enjoy
eating flowers.BACK TO ALPHBET
NÄKKI (NECK)
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
A shapeshifting water spirit who usually appears in human form. Näkki is very beautiful from the front, his
backside is hairy and extremely
ugly.
He could change himself into a
beautiful woman who attemptes to get children to the water.
Näkki tries to temptate the
young children into the depths.
Näkki resides in murky pools,
wells, piers and under bridges
that cross rivers.
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BALAUR
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
A Balaur is, in Romanian
mythology, a fantastic animal of huge size that often takes the
form of a serpent with
wings, legs and heads of a snake (three, seven, or
even twelve), representing an embodiment of evil and present
in most Romanian fairy
tales.
Some legends accredit them
with the common dragon
ability of fire-breathing, they can influence weather and
cause thunder and lightning.
Almost universally, the
Balaur represented evil,
being strong, wicked and cruel
.
Most of Romanian tales
deal with the conflict between the balaur and
their enemy, Fàt Frumos, the Romanian
equivalent of Prince
Charming–a heroic,
handsome figure of good.
The Balaur was considered as a creature of epic proportions, one that planted its footsteps on the mountain and touched the
violet skies with its lofty crest.
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MUMA PĂDURII
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
Muma Pădurii (lit. mother of
the woods) appears as a crone, with
wrinkled skin that is peculiarly similar to tree bark. In other
areas, her natural
appearance is that of a very
beautiful woman.
However, she is a shape shifter in both cases, assuming any
form she desires.
She steals human children, replacing them with her own.
She takes care of trees, as a mother takes care of her
children. She governs their
destinies, she is the one who
decides which tree will live and which will be cut
down.
She lives in the darkest depths
of forests, making tree hollows her
home.
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SPIRIDUȘ
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
A spiriduş in Moldavian and
Romanian mythology
represent a little creature that can be either
good or evil and is very similar to the leprechauns
It has to work and help his
owner to obtain money or other goods. A sum of money or a gift
handed by Spiriduş to
another person will always
return to the owner in a
magical way.
According Moldavian
territory legends Spiriduş,
although is a servant of his
owner and does good things for his master, is sent by the
Devil, and after the owner’s
death , his soul will belong to
the devil.
It is usually kept in a bottle.
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ILEANA COSÂNZEANA
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
She is represented as a beautiful good-natured princess.
Ileana is the original concept of feminine
beauty, the most beautiful amongst
the fairies: her eyes look like the sun,
her body is like the sea and her
garments are made of flowers. Pearls
and gold flow out of her mouth when
she sings.
She is said to use her power of white magic to heal or revive.
Ileana Cosânzeana succeeds in
defeating the evil forces only because she is
very brave, smart, modest.
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MEDUSA
APPEARENCE
In greek mythology, Medusa is a very ugly
creature and has snakes instead of hair. Her
eyes are terrifying. Her sisters, the Gorgons, are
also very ugly.In the Archaic period
Medusa and the Gorgons are often depicted with
wings. Their face usually has big eyes and a sticking
out tongue.
ORIGIN
Medusa is the only mortal out of the three Gorgons. She is not only hideous (=ugly), but also very
dangerous. Medusa lives away from other people, hiding herself. But she is
desperate and furious because of her looks. If
someone looks at her eyes, he will turn immediately
into a stone statue.
CHARACTERISTICS and POWERS
Medusa is the daughter of Phorkys and Keto, the
children of Gaea (Earth) and Oceanus (Ocean). She is
one of the three sisters known as the Gorgons. The
other two sisters were Sthenno and Euryale.
LOCATION The Gorgons are living either in a place called the Night (Nyx) beyond the Ocean (Oceanus), either somewhere in
Libya.
MYTH
In the beginning, Medusa is a pretty young lady but a jealous goddess (Athena) transforms her into a monster.
Perseus, the founder of Mycenae, is sent to kill the monster Medusa and bring back her head.
The goddess Athena helps Perseus; she gives him a sword and a shield and advices him not to look at
Medusa because her ugliness will turn him to stone. Instead he must use the shield as a mirror and look
in that to cut off Medusa's head. After cutting off the head of Medusa, Perseus gives
it to Athena to place it on her shield
SYMBOL and LEGACY The Gorgoneion showing Medusa’s head is a symbol since the Ancient times. It was used for
protection against evil. For artists Medusa’s head continue to be a powerful source of inspiration. We can see it today in works of
art, logos, fashion, tattoos, comics and design.
MEDUSA
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The SIRENS
APPEARENCECHARACTERISTICS and
POWERS
MYTH
In greek mythology,
Sirens are sea nymphs half
human, half bird. They have the head, arms and
the bust of a young woman; they also have the wings, and
lower part of the body of a bird.
LOCATION
Sirens probably lived on the flowery island
of Anthemoessa, placed in the
Tyrrhenian Sea or in the gulf of Naples, in
Italy.
Charming and malicious, they are attracting with their
beautiful music and their sweet voices the sailors and lead
them to death. Their voices are calling the sailors to join them with promises of pleasure and happiness. Once sailors hear the Sirens song, they can’t resist jumping into the sea
where the Sirens let them die. The Sirens are cannibals; they are eating their victims after they die.
In Homers Odyssey, Circe warns Odysseus about the dangerous Sirens but he wants to hear their song.
When his ship is approaching the Sirens coast, he puts wax in the ears of his companions and let them tie him to
the mast of the ship. When he hears the Sirens' song, Odysseus looses his mind
and wants to jump into the sea. Hopefully he can’t because he is tied. But the Sirens feel so desperate that
they kill themselves.
A siren falling from the rock.
SIRENS
SYMBOL
Sirens symbolize beautiful, seductive but dangerous
women. The siren song (or siren call) is
used as a metaphor for temptations.
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APPEARENCE
CHARACTERISTICS and POWERS
MYTH
In Greek mythology,
the Minotaur is a monstrous creature with the head of
a bull and the body of a man.
LOCATION
King Minos imprisons the Minotaur in a
labyrinth constructed by the architect
Daedalus in Knossos palace, in the island of
Crete (South of Greece). The labyrinth
is an enormous and complex construction
from which nobody can find his way out.
Poseidon sent a beautiful bull to King Minos of
Crete but Pasiphae, the
king’s wife, fell in love with the bull and gave birth to
the Minotaur.
Athens, after a long war with king Minos of Crete, is forced to make a treaty: the city has to send every 9 years, 7 young girls
and 7 young men, to be given as a sacrifice to the Minotaur. Years later, Theseus of Athens decides to take the place of
one young man in order to kill the Minotaur and deliver Athens.
In Crete, Theseus meets Ariadne who falls in love with him. Ariadne who is the daughter of king Minos and Pasiphae helps Theseus to kill the Minotaur: she gives him a ball of string and
a sword. Theseus ties the string at the entrance of the labyrinth. Then he goes in and kills the Minotaur with the
sword. After that he finds easily his way out and leaves Crete with Ariadne.
BIRTH
When the Minotaur grew up, he became ferocious.
He was eating human flesh, preferably ...
Athenians.
In reality Knossos palace was a complex construction, like a labyrinth.
Young Athenians waiting for their sacrifice in the Labyrinth.
MINOTAUR
Knossos coin
Sacred Minotaur horns are the symbol of Knossos palace.
SYMBOL
The Minotaur in art represents man's bestiality. The creature continue to inspire artists.
The MINOTAUR
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The Lernaean HYDRA
APPEARENCE
CHARACTERISTICS and POWERS
MYTHIn greek mythology, the Lernaean Hydra is a terrifying snake-like monster with numerous heads.
LOCATION The Hydra is living in the swamps (lake) near to the ancient city of Lerna in Argolis (Peloponnese, Greece)
The Hydra is invincible. If any of its heads is cut, another one - or even two - will grow in its place. The venom (=poison) of the monster is enough to kill a man or an animal. When it comes out from the swamp (=lake), it attacks the animals and local people, devouring them with its numerous heads.
Hercules decides to kill the beast that is terrorizing the area around the lake. He goes to the hiding place of the monster and draw it out of his hole with flaming arrows. When he attacks the beast with his sword, he realizes that, for each head he’s cutting, two more grow up in its place. So Hercules asks help from his companion Iolaos, who uses firebrands to cauterise (= to burn) each part cut by Hercules until the monster dies. As the monster’s blood is poisonous, Hercules keeps some to tip his arrows.
ORIGIN
The Hydra is the daughter of Echidna and Typhon and the half-sister of the Nemean Lion.
LEGACY
The name Hydra was given to:
• a constellation of stars, because it has the shape of a snake.
• a natural satellite of Pluto discovered in 2005
• a very small fresh water animal considered to be biological immortal because it reproduces its
cells.
2 pounds coin of Gibraltar
The Lernaean HYDRA
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SCILLA
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT SHE DOES
Scilla is a greedy woman, she
stole Gerion’ s beef and for this
reason was transformed by
Zeus in a woman with five legs
ending with dogs heads.
Through her five mouths she
eats at the same time the soilors
up.She is well
known to have eating six of
Ulisses’ fellows.
She checksThe entrance of the strait eating
up sailors.
She lives on a promontory by the sea, on the Calabria side of
the Messina straits.
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CARIDDI
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT SHE DOES
She was a beautiful woman loved by Glauco and turned into a monster by
Circe’s jealousy.Sometimes she is represented embedded in a rock from which only her head
comes out.
She swallows and vomit the sea waters,
making terrible vortex in which
ships are attracted and
sunken.
She checks together with
Scilla Messina’s entrance. She
decides the fate of who crosses
it.
She lives on a promontory on the Sicilian side of the Messina
Channel.
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+HAG HIISI HYDRA
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+
TULPAR TUONEN TYTTI
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TRITONE
THE TREASURER
+IELELE ILEANA COSÂNZEANA
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+
MEDUSAMINOTAUR MUMA PĂDURII
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+
SIRENS SPIRIDUȘ SCILLA
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BASILISK BORUTA
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BALAUR
BASILISK
POWERSAPPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
Its appearance was frightening.
The creature was similar to a crocodile, but instead of the mouth it had a
cock head.Its eyes
resembled the frog’s eyes. To defend itself Basilisk used
sharp fangs and toxic breath.
Whoever looks at its eyes - is
just turned into stone.
It stayed in the old house in
Warsaw, scaring the inhabitants
of the city.
Basilisk was born from an
egg which was laid by a seven - year - old cock. He could live a
number of centuries.
Its place of living are ruins of a old
house in Warsaw.
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Place of living
BORUTA
POWERS
APPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT HE DOES
He is usually depicted as a well dressed noble, in 17th century Polish
clothes, with big black
moustache. He had a tail and horns that were hidden under his
clothes.
Boruta is a devil. He can
transform himself into
animals, a bird with huge wings,
appearing in meadows and
swamps, a huge fish with horns,
appearing inBzura river,
a very fast black horse, running
around the Łęczyca castle,
an owl, appearing in the castle as well, people, fire. He was extremely strong, smart and clever.
He used to annoy people,
especially nobles. He
played tricks on them using his special powers,
outsmarting them with his
enormous wisdom,
strength and cleverness.At the same
time, according to many
legends, he helped the poor giving them flour
for bread.
Boruta devil is the hero of
numerous Polish legends. He lives
in a castle in Łęczyca (a city
in Poland) The devil is a
nobleman.
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DROWNERS
POWERS
APPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT THEY DO
Drowners were very thin and high people.
They had green slimy skin. Their heads were big
and covered with long hair.
When the full moon was
coming they liked playing riddles with
people. They could transform themselves into
young handsome men or young pretty women. Then they attracted people to play with them. The
person who tried to cheat was immediately
drowned.
They were cruel and vicious creatures.
They drowned people who went swimming and animals which were crossing
rivers. They were also responsible of
flooding.
They lived in every reservoir of water even in wells and street
ditches.
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+DEVIL DROWNERS
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LICZYRZEPA
POWERS
APPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT IT DOES
First he was shown as a
powerful, scary demon with
wings and horns.But most often
he was depicted as a man
advanced in years, medium-
height and stoop-
shouldered. His hair and his
beard were grey. Because of his age, he had to use a stick. He wore very dirty
clothes..
He could turn objects into
other objects or people by magic. He
created some people out of
turnips. Also, he created some parts of the Karkonosze mountains.
He was a mountain spirit.
With good people he was friendly, taught medicine and
gave presents. But if someone laughed at him, he took revenge.
.
Liczyrzepa was a character from
the Polish mountains - Karkonosze.
He didn’t have permanent place
of living, because he was
a vagrant, he went from one
place to another.
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THE MOUNTAIN SPIRIT
THE TREASURER
POWERS
APPARENCE WAY OF LIFE WHAT HE DOES
The Treasurer was most often presented as an old, bearded man, smoking a pipe, with a small pickaxe and a candle in his hand. However, he had a power to turn into different forms, for example, the mouse.
He knew in advance about
possible dangers in coal mines.
Then he appeared, out of nowhere, giving
help.He was able to transform into
other animals or creatures. For
example, in case of a rubble – he
became a mouse, which
wass necessary to quickly get
through narrow holes.
He was a friendly spirit,
who warned and helped miners in dangers. Miners
really appreciated his
help because he gave a hand
when someone got lost in an old mine, tunnels or was buried by
rubble..
The Treasurer could be found in all the mines
of Silesia.
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Mythological Encyclopaedia
Discover Europe through
the world of
mythology
LLP COMENIUS 2013 - 2015
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