#Humanoid creatures

[bestiarium]

Am Fear Liath Mór, or the Big Grey Man of Ben MacDhui [Scottish cryptid]

The high passes of Ben MacDhui – the second largest mountain in Scotland – are haunted by tales of a mysterious creature that supposedly stalks hikers. Usually it is described as an impossibly tall, grey spectre, thereby earning it the name ‘Am Fear Liath Mór’, meaning ‘the big grey man’.

The story starts in 1891 with professor Norman Collie of the Royal Geographic Society, who happened to be a passionate hiker as well. The professor had just climbed the cairn on the summit of Ben MacDhui when he heard something that vaguely sounded like footsteps. I should mention that this area is notoriously misty, so you can imagine how easy it is for a lone hiker to get anxious when hearing strange noises.

The footsteps continued, but they were oddly spaced: for every ‘step’ the professor heard, he himself took three or four. It was as if this mysterious spectre was taking giant leaps or had huge legs. Eventually the professor was overtaken by panic and fled. Much later, in 1925, he recounted his tale and shared it with the newspapers, who were eager to publish and often exaggerate the story of a supposed monster or cryptid living in the Scottish mountains. At the time, the mystery creature was dubbed ‘the Ben MacDhui Ghost’ in the media.

Afterwards, multiple people came forward with claims about the mountain ghost, some of which were believable (hearing unidentified sounds) and some were more fantastic (Richard Frere and Peter Densham claimed to have had a conversation with an invisible, psychic creature).

Richard Frere would later claim that while he was hiking on the top of the Ben MacDhui, he had an unshakeable feeling that someone else was there with him, and he would hear a strange high-pitched noise that seemed to come from the soil beneath his feet.

Frere also gave a physical description of a creature he claimed to have seen (but it is difficult to verify whether this is the oldest actual ‘sighting’ of the supposed ghost): a large, brown creature was seen swaggering down the mountainside. It stood about 20 feet (6m) tall, was covered with short brown fur and had a disproportionally large head supported by a thick, muscular neck. It had broad shoulders but walked upright and did not resemble an ape.

Interestingly, only a single sighting happened on a nearby mountain, rather than on the Ben MacDhui itself: in the 1920’s, Tom Crowley, the president of the local Moray Mountaineering Club, claimed to have seen an apparition while descending from Braeriach to the Glen Eanaich. It was a very tall, misty grey figure with a humanoid shape, albeit with long legs that ended in strange talons (described as resembling fingers more than toes) and a head with pointy ears.

Dr. A. M. Kellas, himself a famed mountaineer, also claimed that a giant grey humanoid creature haunted the mountain. Among the many supposed sightings, I am uncertain which one is actually the oldest description of the ‘Grey Man’ as a tall, grey spectre, but it is certainly the most popular one. The grey apparition had cemented itself as a local cryptid and urban legend and many more supposed sightings followed.

Though it is often claimed that the creature is connected to ancient Scottish or Celtic mythology, this is most likely false. Gray Affleck, the author of ‘The Big Grey Man of Ben MacDhui’, attempted to research this link but could not find a single connection with actual Highland mythology.

In 1958, the June edition of ‘Scots Magazine’ told the story of Alexander Tewnion’s 1943 expedition to the mountain. While he was descending the mountain, a giant grey shape suddenly loomed over him. Having none of this bullshit, Mr. Tewnion immediately pulled out his revolver and fired three bullets at the thing. The mysterious apparition seemed not to notice, however, and kept walking towards him, upon which Tewnion fled.

Sources: Barrie, A., 2005, Sutton Companion to the Folklore, Myths and Customs of Britain, The History Press, 480 pp. Gray, A., 2013, The Big Grey Man of Ben MacDhui, Birlinn, 183 pp. (reviewed edition, first edition published in 1970) (image source 1 : Attila Nagy on Artstation) (image source 2: ManthosLappas on Deviantart, ©Fear Liath)

[internationalemeteorologie]

Izumi Kati

[christialoban2000blog]

[slushy-sash]

we are so back capitano fans

[shpepyao]

I was not at home for past 10 days and couldn't draw much at the place where I've been At least I've finished this thing :D An, embodiment of void, and Na, embodiment of blinding light, both deadly near mortals and they're kinda dating :]

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How I feel right now

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Posting OCs I Forgot to Share Before!

Sylpharan, he is an ancient forest spirit of change. Once revered as an autumn god by old human clans, now he is only remembered in old folk tales.

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The Ferryman's Scorpion

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My entry for @catmask 's and @frogcroaks ' contest, Monster Mayhem!

I chose the theme Wisteria Will-O-Wisp for flower symbolism and will-o'-the-wisp folklore. Also because of the color purple ← My favourite color 💜

Thank you for hosting this contest where I can try out monster designing and good luck to the other participants. Peace and love on planet Earth!

[3ic95id864pg]

Vash Angel Au [Twitter:@gem1ny]

[puppetmaster13u]

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Originally did this art for one of @radiance1 prompts/story ideas, which also gives an idea of colors so.

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[bestiarium]

The Hizri [Albanian mythology]!

In the Mat region of Albania, there are tales of a mysterious being called the Hizri. While his origins and nature are unclear, it is known that the Hizri is a benevolent creature. This enigmatic entity travels between villages and knocks on doors to beg. When someone opens, he will appear to have been sent by God as a test of good will and generosity.

If, however, someone refuses to give him shelter, money or food, the Hizri can become angry. When this happens, he can cast a malevolent spell on the household, as a punishment for their greed.

There is a direct link to the Christian God in the story, but I am uncertain whether this is a ‘true’ Christian story or an older folktale that got rewritten to fit the Christian religion. It is also unclear to me whether the Hizri is genuinely sent by God, or merely claims to be, as my source is a bit ambiguously worded.

Source: Elsie, R., 2001, A Dictionary of Albanian Religion, Mythology and Folk Culture, C. Hurst and Co. Publishers, 357 pp., p. 114. (image source: ArtaTheArtist)

[ohbandera]

Wyvern adoptable! $250 flat sale. Contact me in dm's to claim either on tumblr or on discord at Ohbandera

[dreameroftheblue]

And guilty I may be But don't give up on me In the wake of the Odyssey We will still be thick as thieves You and me, still thick as thieves

[greebgrub]

the creature vash au that has been stirring about in my loins for one trillion years

[shpepyao]

I've watched a video about Project Sundial and human desire to obliterate each other gave me an idea for this thingy In my world, Nordenor, there are beings, sentinels, who overseer sectors of the universe and keep unfathomable dangers at bay But sometimes they can become unfathomable danger themselves The only way to destroy such thing is to overload it's core, but sentinels are built to last