9 Half Human Half Animal Mythical Creatures

Buraq or Al-Buraq is a steed in Islamic mythology which is a creature from heaven that transported the prophets. Buraq was the legendary beast with eagle wings, the face of a woman, and the tail of a peacock. The body of these mythical creatures is favorable for carrying a passenger, prophet Muhammad to be exact. Buraq was the magical beast that took the prophet Muhammad to various heavens to meet earlier prophets and God according to Quran.

According to the beliefs, Cecaelia is a creature with the lower part of an octopus and the upper body of a human. The creatures had their origin in Asian and Native American mythology, legend, and folklore. Native Americans especially the Raven People seem to attribute a certain connection between Cecaelia. Cecaelia is also known as the sea witch since they can control the winds and weather.

Such mythical creatures are not really well-known widely, but sailors know so well to never offend one. People believed that if sailors refuse to pay for her service, insult her look, or refuse to acknowledge her powers, there will be a disaster. Each Cecaelia has different powers such as influencing the catches of fishermen or controlling the sea, the tides, and the moon, and more.

A centaur is a mythical creature with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. Centaur is stuck between two worlds: that of the wild beast and that of the civilized human being. Centaurs are rowdy warriors that are prone to heavy drinking and other primal excesses. That often brought them into conflict with humans all the time.
One of the best-known centaurs is Chiron who was a wise centaur. Despite the fact that most centaurs were lustful and wild, Chiron was a notable exception, modest, and civilized. He had great medicinal skills as well as teaching abilities which means he was one of the best mythical creatures in Greek mythology.

Resembles the look of Medusa at some points, Echidna was a monster with half woman half snake body who lived alone in a cave. She was also the mother of many famous monsters in Greek mythology. Echidna was immortal and ageless, meaning she does not get older at all. This monster preyed on the unfortunate passerby for years until she was killed in her sleep by Argus Panoptes who was the hundred-eyed giant.

Faun, is the creature with the head and torso of a man but the legs and tail of a goat. Faun is often confused with Satyr due to their similar appearance. It is the half human half goat mythical creature in Roman while Satyr is the same character yet in Greek. Another way to differentiate them is that satyrs are more like horses while fauns are more like goats, but they both have two legs.

Roman believed that Fauns are the creatures that inspired fear in men traveling in lonely, remote, or wild places. While other times, faun often guides a traveler on his way due to their good sense of direction, if they like the traveler. At the end of the day, fauns are characters of neither good nor bad. Sometimes they are attractive and gentle while the other times they instill fear in wandering men. The only true love the fauns have toward is nature including forest and music.

Harpy is known in both Greek and Roman mythology, and it was a half human half bird creature. Harpies were generally depicted as birds with the heads of maidens with pale faces due to hunger. In Greek myth, Harpies mean snatchers, and they were the female monsters who caused mischief, tormented wrongdoers, and carried souls to the underworld. In general, harpies were foul creatures that stole things and caused chaos in the human world.

Mermaids and Mermen were the mythical creatures with human forms from the waist up and with fish-like forms from the waist down. In folklore, mermaids were often associated with misfortune and death; usually by luring errant sailors off course or onto rocky shoals. Another belief is that the mermaids and mermen had the ability to summon storms to sink ships and drown sailors. These aquatic creatures of the myth exist in many cultures in different parts of the world, mostly from sailors’ tales. Until today, we never know if these half human half fish mythical creatures are really out there or just the imagination of people.

Minotaur was described in Greek mythology as a mythical creature with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man. Minotaur possessed an uncertain amount of superhuman strength with hard and sharp horns on its head. This monstrous creature had a ravenous appetite for human flesh, and people were sacrificed as his food every day. Also, there would be seven Athenian youths and seven maidens sent to the labyrinth as the feast for the Minotaur every 7th or 9th of the year. By the third sacrifice, Theseus volunteers to kill the monster which he successfully did.

Described as beautiful yet dangerous creatures, Sirens were the large cause of sailors’ deaths. Sirens were the dangerous mythical creatures who lured sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices. Many people thought that Sirens were the more beautiful version of mermaids, and that was actually wrong. Instead of having fish tails, Sirens had bird features of feathered wings, clawed feet, and sometimes sparrow tails.

No beauty was a part to wreck the ships, it was the bewitching songs from Sirens that provoked those deaths. Later, Sirens were sometimes depicted as beautiful women with seductive bodies and voices. Sirens were the symbol of dangerous temptation throughout the art of the medieval era. Then, William Shakespeare began to merge Sirens with mermaids by combining the sweet and dreamy voice with the beautiful appearance of fish maidens. And that is how we view Sirens nowadays.

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