Book Review #33 Mythical Creatures and Magical Beasts

Mythical Creatures and Magical Beasts

Author name - Zayden Stone

Language - English

Pages - 202

Genre - Mythology and culture

About the book

What made Athena furious with a local weaver that she transformed her into Greek mythology’s first spider woman, Arachne?

What is the tall tale behind Filipino folklore’s sea serpent Bakunawa, who flies through the night skies devouring moons?

What is the symbolism behind French folktale’s infamous night rider, Cheval Mallet?

We have all been exposed to a mythological beast in one form or another. Whether it is the three headed guard dog Fluffy in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, or even the story of Smaug in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth in The Hobbit; all these pop culture mythical creatures have a deep connection to the mythologies and folktales of ancient cultures.

Where did they come from? What relevance do they serve in mythology? Why are some so obscure, while others become pop-culture enigmas? Get the answer to these questions, and learn about beasts from different world cultures.

Folklorist Zayden Stone dives deep into the stories of these magical beasts and provides

• a fictional anecdote,

• a retelling of the original myths,

• an analysis of the symbolism and relevance of the creatures,

• and then pairs it with some beautiful black and white illustrations reimagined by artist Herdhian.

In the Mythical Creatures and Mythological Beasts book, the illustrated guide takes you through six themes that have been specifically chosen since they are consistent across cultures. The categories include:

• arthropods for insects, crustaceans, and arachnids;
• avian for birds;
• canines for wolves and dogs;
• serpents for snakes and dragons;
• ungulates for hooved animals like horses and cows; and
• aquatic for water dwelling beasts.

Presenting the creatures in categories makes it easier to see what the beasts have in common. You will find some overlapping themes across ancient cultures that point to universal ideas in how humans perceive the world.

If you wonder where your favorite creature is, you will probably find them within these pages, even if they do not have their own chapter. For example, the ever-popular Pegasus can be found in the tale of the Gorgon sisters. He also had a half-brother, Arion, who features in the ungulates section. There is also a brilliant white-winged horse from Islamic tradition which may sound very familiar to Pegasus as well.

If you have a love for the myths and want to learn about the unique beasts that dwell within them, this book is a great way to do it. Not only will you learn about ones you may have never heard of, but you will also be able to draw parallels between cultures and see how they interpreted their surroundings through stories of mythical creatures and magical beasts.

My take

In the introduction, the author states - at the heart of every myth, folktale or legend is excellent story telling. This is something that I completely agree with. The reason a reader is fascinated with mythology is not just about the characters or their supernatural elements, but the way they are all moulded into an interesting story.

The author further elaborates the basic difference between Myths, legends and folklore, with appropriate examples.

In the book, the author has compiled the stories of all myths, legends and folklore from all cultures and traditions across the globe. He has described the stories as told by the common folk tales and also the different versions of the same story. He has tried the describe the essence of the stories with an explanation as to why that particular story has been told or what moral it gives. The book is very well researched, and gives an in depth analysis of different forms of these mythological creatures, their divine or humane connections and the supernatural powers they supposedly possess. The author has also pointed out some overlap in the creatures across different cultures or origins.

The book is divided into six broad sections - Arthropoda, Ancient Aviary, cryptic canines, the eternal hiss, the unusual ungulates and aquatic beast - each depicting a separate category of animals and creatures and the stories relating to those. The stories cover everything, all the interesting tales from Greek mythology, Hindu mythology, Islamic culture, Inuit mythology, Japanese legends and so on and so forth.

My favourite was the story of Arachne and Athena, and how, to teach Arachne a lesson in modesty and humility, Athena challenges her to an all encompassing weaving competition. 

The language is nice and simple. The book is captivating and leaves the reader fascinated as well as satiated.

The illustrations are well thought of and beautifully created. The cover page is attractive.

I rate it 5 stars