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Humanities > Literature > Folklore > Legendary Creatures
... > Behavioral Disciplines and Activities > Behavioral Sciences > Social Sciences > Sociology > Sociological Factors > Culture > Folklore > Legendary Creatures
... > Behavioral Disciplines and Activities > Behavioral Sciences > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Anthropology, Cultural > Culture > Folklore > Legendary Creatures

Preferred term

Legendary Creatures  

Type

  • mesh:Descriptor

Definition

  • An unverified animal or humanoid, sometimes supernatural, often believed to be real and described in MYTHOLOGY, FOLKLORE, or legends. Some legendary creatures, such as the unicorn, were documented in scholarly antiquarian accounts of natural history. Mythical humans believed to have the ability to shape-shift into a wolf or wolf-like creature during a full moon. This condition, also known as lycanthropy, may be historically based on persons suffering from HYPERTRICHOSIS. Clinical lycanthropy refers to the psychiatric syndrome where individuals are under the delusion that they can transform, or have transformed into an animal. Mythical creatures commonly described as horses with a long single horn on their foreheads that symbolized purity. It was believed that their horns could be used for medicinal purposes and dust or liquid from the horns could protect a human from diseases and poisons. A tall, ape-like creature that is suggested to be descended from humans and that lives in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Mythical blood-sucking humans who rise from the grave at night to prey on the living. Historically, vampire legend dates from ancient times and may be based on persons suffering from RABIES; PELLAGRA; or especially PORPHYRIAS, who exhibit sensitivity to sunlight, abnormal, reddish-brown discoloration of the TEETH, and madness or melancholy disposition. Clinical vampirism includes persons who drink the blood of others or themselves. Half-human sea creatures with the head and torso of a woman and the tail of a fish. Commonly believed in FOLKLORE, these creatures have relevance to the disorder known as SIRENOMELIA in which the legs or other bones and limbs are fused together.

Broader concept

Entry terms

  • Mythical Animals
  • Mythical Creatures

Allowable Qualifier(s)

In other languages

URI

http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/JVR-RMJ1MW23-L

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RDF/XML TURTLE JSON-LD Created 7/1/15, last modified 7/5/19