Quote from: Jaeger on February 01, 2024, 03:34:36 PM
I've always found the depictions of Kobolds as wrinkly cannibal gnomes to be far more evocative and sinister in appearance than when they are depicted in a more animal like anthropomorphic fashion...

Kobolds and a troll circa 1555.

The Sirens of mythology show up quite often in Medieval bestiaries and encyclopedias often showing up in art along with onocentaurs (but not in this post) representing lust or vanity. I was surprised to find that their kind apparently has its own males. While they almost always take the forms of humans from the waist up, they vary below the waist even within the same illustrations. Sometimes they have an appearance like a mermaid, yet other times they have a bird body with the human torso beginning around the neck. However, I'd say my preferred version is like the last image, where the sirenes have what seems to be the winged body of a web-footed bird below the waist but terminating in a fish tail.

"And they appear with their young, which they carry in their arms, for the mothers suckle the young, which they have at their breasts. And the sailors, when they see the sirens, are very much afraid, and then they throw an empty bottle to her, so that while she plays with the bottle, the ship escapes. This was testified by those who professed to have seen them. As for the rest, as Andelmus writes, they have a part of their body like that of the eagle, and claws on their feet capable of sculling; but at the end of their body they have the scaly tails of fishes, with which they swim like rowers in sea. They have a certain musical and sweet melody in their voice, with which the sailors, delighted and attracted, are sent into sleep, and the sleepers are torn apart by the claws of the sirens. These beasts are said to dwell on islands and sometimes in the waves. But some of the sailors, using a wise plan, block their ears strongly and thus pass unscathed, otherwise they would be disturbed by the deadly song of the sirens." - Thomas of Cantimpre in the Liber de Natura Rerum, 13th Century AD

Judging by the art, sirens may also play instruments and beat you to death with simple weaponry if the charm/sleep fails.

Thomas also relates knowledge of a subspecies of Siren from this same Andelmus:
"Scilla is a sea monster like the siren. Andelmus the philosopher truly says that this monster dwells in that sea which is between Italy and Sicily. Indeed, she is an enemy to the sailor and to all men, and delights in their blood and flesh. Her head and breast are, of course, shaped like a maiden, like sirens; and she has a grin and gaping mouth and horrible teeth and a belly like a beast and a tail like a dolphin. They are of wonderful strength and are not easily conquered in the water; but on earth they are less strong, and almost peaceful. They also have somewhat musical voices, and they are also wonderfully pleased with music."

It seems Scylla also became an entire race of sea monster. It was not uncommon for mythical creatures once described as one-of-a-kind to become a species in later writings; in fact, I'm surprised it took all the way until the modern period for this to occur with the Minotaur. Regardless, Andelmus also implies that scyllae live among dog-fish (whether these are sharks or literal mer-hounds or both would be up to interpretation) and relates them to the mythical Scylla's multiple dog heads.

Also, if anyone knows of this Andelmus fellow's identity, let me know as I have no idea.

Edit: The text from "Andelmus the Philosopher" seems to be related to that of the Liber Monstrorum linked to one Aldhelm of Malmesbury.

"Zyphius, as the great Basilius says in the book Exameron, is very formidable. It is a beast of the sea, exceeding the estimation of men, so that the providential nature of things may be believed to have played in this monster. For it is not likened to the shape of other fishes, nor to the monsters of the sea, nor to the beasts of the earth, nor to the birds of the sky, but has an ideal form, in which only beasts can be glorified, so as to render a worthy spectacle to those who see it, and from this praise by those who see it, to the Creator of all things. Its head is absolutely monstrous; the abyss of its mouth you will flee like the abyss of death; of the eyes you will be horrified; if you see its body, you will admit that you have seen nothing like it anywhere."

I particularly like the depiction with the maw filled with circular rows upon rows of teeth. It's almost Lovecraftian in that it is treated as indescribable. The Zyphius became an owl-faced whale monster of the northern seas in later Renaissance texts.


The sea dragon is a dragon of the sea and is very much like a dragon of the land with its size, gaping maw and hard scales, but has great fins in place of wings. Isidore gives the beast two stinger-arms near to its tail which are deadly poisonous. Thomas of Cantimpre makes the bite that which is venomous, but perhaps it has both. He also notes that sea-dragons can move quite quickly across large distances underwater on account of their great strength. According to Pliny, the sea dragon can dig through sand with great speed and often uses this ability to escape attackers if it is pulled onto land. It is likely the sea-dragon lairs in underwater caves it has so dug. Notably, its bones can be burned into an ash which makes for a most wonderous tooth powder which heals toothaches and strengthens the gums. I have read that its own dead flesh sliced and placed over the wound as a poultice is effective aid against the venom. A less commonly attested remedy would be a potion made from the sea-dragon's brain.


The cacus of the medieval bestiary is a corruption of the Cacus who fought Heracles in Greco-Roman myth. It is a fierce, bristly-furred mammalian beast said to inhabit Arcadia in Greece and also the regions of Italy near to the Tiber River. It is said to be able to breathe fire against its foes. The cacus is not burned by its own flames; perhaps it is burned by no natural flame. It is predatory and often hunts cattle, dragging them by the tails back to the caves where it lairs.

For some stuff relevant to a Middle Eastern or Sword & Caravan game:

It is said that in the East in a land along the Red Sea there are red hens which when touched by a man magically cause him to suddenly combust and die (this is slightly similar to the 1e AD&D MM2's Pyrolisk).



In this same region are strange beasts with two heads and eight legs and eyes like gorgons. In other manuscripts, these are little beasts with one head, two horns, eight eyes and eight legs. Either way, they are said to swiftly flee from the sound of humans but fight viciously if cornered. Be well armed if you intend to hunt them.


In the Assyrian deserts there are Corsias or Cerastes. These are venomous ram-horned serpents which guard pepper plants and allegedly contribute to the desert's infertility. Perhaps this is due to their venomous nature? There are also wild asses of large size with horns like those of oxen.

In Africa and Arabia, of course, there are mythical subtypes of human: Cynocephali, various types of giants, fish-eating pygmies, blemmeyes, but also a fair-skinned female race which ranges from 7' to 14' in height with long hair, cow tails, tusk resembling boars', and camel feet.


One thing I feel was an oversight of Sword & Caravan in light of the early medieval text Wonders of the East is that the giant ants should have had a small % chance to be hoarding gold they've dug up in their lairs. It would have given PC's an additional reason to hunt for them.

Have you heard about Yokai.com yet?

I have! I use it semi-frequently.