Joshua Dowidat

Mythical Creatures: Stymphalian Birds

Hello Everyone,

As we think of birds we usually of soft colorful, sometimes noisy, little birds that charm the morning sunrise and evening sunsets. However, stories and movies have managed to bring a darker side out of birds and it is not always in awe and wonder that the stories portray them. The Stymphalian Birds are one example of that. Probably best compared to stories of Hercules and darker played down versions like Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds movie that made audiences think twice about their little chirping friend.

The Stymphalian Birds:

Since they are most known as the huge swarm of birds that they are we will look at them this way throughout the post. This is how they get their greatest powers anyways, in numbers. The Stymphalian Birds are a large swarm of birds that plagued the ancient lands of myth. They were supposedly set to one location and Continue reading →

Mythical Creatures: Basilisk & Cockatrice

Hello Everyone,

This week’s blog is a little different as we discuss the Basilisk & Cockatrice. Although the Basilisk is bound to slither on the Earth’s surface the Cockatrice, however, has the ability to fly.

Basilisk:

Many of us are familiar with the Basilisk from the Harry Potter series but that particular Basilisk was much different than the more historical myth of the Basilisk. To start that one was huge. Slithered through large caverns like a serpent-like dragon. The mythical creature itself, according to Pliny the Elder, was merely a foot long.

It was, of course, a small slithering, and reptilian creature. Very much resembling a snake with a white spot on its head. But it didn’t need to strike to inflict damage. Looking at the Basilisk alone was immediate death. It could burn through grass while it slithered around. It could smash rocks apart just by being in their Continue reading →

Mythical Creatures: Mandrake

Hello Everyone,

Well many of us have seen some form of the Mandrake in movies or heard of them in tales. Unfortunately we have just experienced them as another part of a tale or as a character that has little explanation.

The Mandrake:

Any of you who have a little knowledge of the Mandrake know that it is a plant. More specifically a type of vegetable. And even more specifically an evil and conniving vegetable that is most often noted as a species of Mandragora. In America it is sometimes associated with the Mayapple.

The plant itself is poisonous to some extent. Used for concoctions to induce sleep or as an anesthetic. Tales are told of how an army abandoned their town to the invaders and left wine that contained some extract of mandrake. When the seizing army found it and celebrated their victory the town’s army returned and slaughtered Continue reading →