Manatee/Mermaid
It’s fairly well-known that many, if not most, creatures of mythology are born from a real animal or event. For example, the concept of mermaids could have come from sailors seeing manatees or sealions. Supposedly, Christopher Columbus saw ‘mermaids’ and said they weren’t as attractive as they were painted. He was looking at manatees, but we know how he was with understanding what he was seeing. So, what are some other possible explanations for myths?
Dragons
Let’s start with a big one. Dragons have appeared in cultures across the globe and have done so fairly independently of one another. So, saying the stemmed from crocodiles wouldn’t work when they weren’t found the areas. What could ancient people have seen that would make them think giant creatures were around? Two likely suspects are DINOSAUR BONES and WHALE BONES. Without seeing these within the context of their living forms, a person could imagine that they stemmed from a monster. If you haven’t seen such a big creature, you may think it has wings to stay in the air and hide among the clouds.
Bigfoot, Yeti, Etc.
Large ape-like creatures may have come from the same source. The bones of Gigantopithecus, largest ape ever, would make a person think that there is a large, humanoid creature around. Another likely suspect could be someone seeing a bear standing, but not get a clear look at them. Fog and snow always seem to play a role here.
The Kraken and Sea Monsters
Well, the Kraken is obviously based on the giant squid. I mean, it’s typically depicted with tentacles, beak, and simply being a humongous squid. Sea monsters with the long, scaly bodies are different. Many believe these were caused by encounters with a very rare creature called the giant oarfish. They can reach 36 feet long and typically stay in the depths, but will rarely come near the surface.
Griffin
I’m a little disappointed in this one. Coming from another fossil, it’s a possibility that the lion with the head an eagle was a dinosaur. This would be the protoceratops, which had a bird-like beak. Griffins aren’t always depicted with wings, but they always have the head of an eagle.
Cyclops
Another downer, which is harder to believe. The Mediterranean Sea region was once home to the dwarf elephant. You might wonder why anyone would think the skeleton of this extinct animal would lead to a giant with one eye. Well, the skull has a large hole in the middle because of where the trunk came out. It could easily look like a single, giant eye-socket.
Unicorn
This one is a tough challenge. Some believe that the rare okapi is the origin since males have small horns. From the side, it could look like they only have one, but they aren’t that long. The oryx is another contender and we can’t forget rhinos. A fourth possibility is that people found narwhal tusks washed ashore and came up with the unicorn.
Nessie
That’s a plesiosaur. Nobody really can deny this one.
Phoenix
Found a few possibilities for this one too. The one I think has the most merit are flamingos. They have the fiery colors, but it’s more than that. Africa had areas of volcanic lakes where you had a lot of steam and mist. People would briefly see a bird with bright red feathers come out of the area, but then disappear. Not knowing what it was, they came up with the phoenix legend.
Legends of Windemere 
I’ve heard some of these. Never heard the origin of the phoenix legend! Wow!
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That one surprised me too.
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I like all these explanations. They do explain a lot.
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It was fun to research.
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Sounded like it.
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On a radio programme they were talking about travel and myths and how no one believed the chap who had travelled east. He wrote about huge animals bigger than houses that could push down trees, who let people ride on their backs and brightly coloured birds that could talk… elephants and parrots.
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The parrot one is odd. Always thought them talking required people training them specifically. Did he mean pet parrots or wild ones?
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I’m sure he meant pet parrots because he referred to people talking to birds and the birds talking back.
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Makes sense. That reminds me of a story about a bird, but I forget the type. Think it memorized a musicians time long ago. Not sure if it was a pet. When the person died, it went back into the wild and would always sing the song. Pieces of the tune are still in that bird population’s vocabulary.
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It’s always fun to try and figure out the connections.
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True. Sometimes the real world inspirations are surprisingly obvious.
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Interesting. The phoenix legend is a great one. I can understand the others.
Nessie isn’t the only ‘monster in lakes. There are at least 2 more in Scotland: Garry, in Loch Garry, and Morag in Loch Morar. There are, I believe, one in Canada, too.
I read a book about them many decades ago. These ‘monsters’ seem to be found in very deep lakes in similar latitudes.
Real or not? Or are they simply floating logs?
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We have some in America too. Lake monsters are fairly common. From what I’ve read, Nessie gets more attention due to having more ‘evidence’ than her peers.
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I like this as a study. In fantasy, we can have them be whatever we need or makeup our own.
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True. Though I’ve learned restraint helps. Took years to figure it out, but I got there by the end of college.
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I loved this, Charles!
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Thanks.
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You’re welcome.
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