Scientific Name: Panolia eldii
Status: Endangered, Poached for hides and antlers, limited protection for their habitat
The qilin is a creature from chinese mythology that has the body and antlers of deer, the scales and whiskers of carp, the tail of ox, and the head of dragon. Though awe-inspiring to behold in their fierce beauty, they are gentle creatures. They are often depicted walking upon clouds or across the surface of water because they are so sensitive to all living things that they cannot bear to harm even the grass, or the insects burrowed in the earth. They are embodiments of luck and prosperity, and when they were sighted in the reign of an emperor, it was a sign that he was a virtuous ruler, and good fortune would fall upon the land..
Though descriptions of these chimerical beasts were woven from the traits of creatures in the Asian landscape for thousands of years, it was not until the 15th century in the Ming Dynasty when merchants presented giraffes from modern-day Somalia to the Emperor, that the modern imagination began to see giraffes as the physical embodiment of the mythic creature.
References:
Jar with Mythical Qilin. (mid-17th century). [Porcelain painted with colored enamels over transparent glaze (Jingdezhen ware)]. In Jar with Mythical Qilin [19.28.2a, b]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://jstor.org/stable/community.18313379
WATT, J. c. Y. (2008). The Giraffe as the Mythical Qilin in chinese Art: A Painting and a Rank Badge in the Metropolitan Museum. Metropolitan Museum Journal, 43, 111-115. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25699088
Yoshida, M. (2014). Trade Stories: chinese Export Embroideries in the Metropolitan Museum. Metropolitan Museum Journal, 49(1), 165-185. https://doi.org/10.1086/680031
Scientific Name: Felis silvestris silvestris
Status: critically Endangered in UK because of hybridization with household domestic cats.
Ancient celtic mythology:
Stalking through the thistles and heather of the Scottish Highlands, a lone traveler might glimpse a dark silhouette with a blaze of white fur upon the chest lurking at the edges of firelight. A sinuous tail weaving in the shadows would announce the presence of cait Sidhe, a fairy feline.
cait Sidhe is thought to be inspired by sightings of hybrid descendants of Scottish Wildcats. It was believed that if a body was left unattended during a wake, cait Sidhe might steal the soul of the deceased. To prevent this from occurring, those at the wake would offer entertainment to distract the playful feline, play music for it to dance, and pose riddles (because no fairy can resist such games).
References:
Matthews, John; caitlín Matthews (2005). The Element Encyclopedia of Magical creatures. HarperElement.
Grimassi, Raven (2000). Encyclopedia of Wicca and Witchcraft. St. Paul: Llewellyn.
Bruford, A. (1966). Gaelic Folk-Tales and Mediæval Romances: A Study of the Early Modern Irish "Romantic Tales" and Their Oral Derivatives. Béaloideas, 34, i-285. https://doi.org/10.2307/20521320
Scientific Name: Mecistops cataphractus
Status: critically endangered - 1000-20000 population - hunted for bushmeat and for skin
A Namibian folktale:
crocodile was once a beautiful creature. He had a glorious golden and smooth skin, and it was kept in this lovely state by his habit of diving into the muddy waters in the daytime where he was protected from the harsh sunlight. He only came out of the water at night when the mild moonlight shone upon the world.
The other animals heard of crocodile's lovely skin, for he was not shy. He wished to show off, and so he began to emerge from his murky haunts in the daytime to bask in the envious gaze of the other creatures. As their admiration grew, so too did his vanity. He wanted them to look upon him more and more, and so he came up from the murky waters more often in the daytime. He spent longer periods of time under the burning sunlight. His attitude became unpleasant as knowledge of his beauty went to his head, and the other animals grew tired of being bossed around and eventually abandoned him.
But by now, crocodile's skin had been exposed to the brutal sunlight for quite some time as he continued to seek admiring eyes. Each day that he did so made his skin uglier, coarser, bumpier, and darker, until he became as you see him today, armored in thick scales, and humiliated that no one wishes to look upon him any longer.
References:
Namibian Oral Tradition Project, "Secret of the crocodile and Other Animal Stories from Namibia", New Namibia Books, 1987.
Scientific Name: Raorchestes chalazodes
Status: critically endangered due to habitat being severely fragmented.
Why frogs have croaking voices:
Agni is the Vedic fire god of Hinduism, and he is also a messenger. As such, when Shiva (one of the Hindu Trinity, creator, destroyer, and preserver) and his wife Uma's relations threatened to destroy the world, the other gods begged Agni to intervene. He did not wish to do so, and shirked his duty by fleeing into the water.
Agni's fiery heat set the waters churning and steaming, boiling in his wake so that the creatures who dwelt in the normally cool and dark depths began to swarm away in fear.
The frogs swam to the surface and told the other gods where Agni was hiding. Angered at that betrayal, he cursed the frogs to croaking voices in retribution for their wagging tongues, so that henceforth, no one would be able to understand them.
References:
chaudhuri, Zinnia Ray. "Frogs have an abiding presence in Indian art and mythology. Then why don't we try to conserve them?" Scroll In, Wildlife conservation. Feb 3 2018 https://scroll.in/magazine/865512/frogs-have-an-abiding-presence-in-indian-art-and-mythology-then-why-dont-we-try-to-conserve-them
cartwrite, Mark. "Agni", World History Encyclopedia, 2015. https://www.worldhistory.org/Agni/
Scientific Name: Ficus virens
Status: Not endangered in themselves, however many native/old/iconic baletes are declared as heritage trees, and ficus trees in general are an exceptional resource for wildlife, including many endangered and threatened species in tropical forests.
In their natural habitat in the Philippines, ficus trees grow by sending out long hanging aerial roots. When the roots touch the ground, they grow into new trunks, resulting over time in a tangled webwork of cascading roots and trunks. As the tree grows older and these grow thicker, a Balete tree gains a mysterious character, riddled with secret inner chambers where supernatural forest beings dwell. When an individual is first called to shamanism, they are often found sitting beneath a Balete, in this gateway place of the physical and spiritual world.
Engkanto are spirits of the unknown world. The term came from Spanish, "Encanto", who when they first came to the Philippines, were overwhelmed by inhabitants of Tagbanua cosmology: the dieties, diwata (nature), anito (ancestral), sirens, and monsters.
In the animistic culture of the Philippines, engkanto are frequently associated with ancient Baletes. Extremely old Balete trees, hundreds of years old, or even over a thousand years old, are known to be favored hosts, as well as providing shelter and food for birds, animals and insects. They are treated with respect for the richness they provide, and cared for as being integral to the ancient framework of the land. Sacrifices are sometimes left for the inhabitants (both the earthly and the supernatural). These great trees are accorded an amount of deferential fear as well, for some of the spirits they house are dreadful and terrible, and it is best to tread lightly so as to not to draw their baleful attention.
References:
De Guzman, Daniel. "Down the Roots of Mystical and Sacred Trees in Philippine Lore". The Aswang Project, Feb 2017. https://www.aswangproject.com/mystical-sacred-trees-philippines/
clark, Jordan. "Tagbanua (Tagbanuwa) cosmology: Multi-Layered Universe, Deities, Diwatas and creation Myths", Aswang Project, Jan 2020. https://www.aswangproject.com/tagbanua-cosmology/
Demetrio, F. (1969). The Engkanto Belief: An Essay in Interpretation. Asian Folklore Studies, 28(1), 77-90. https://doi.org/10.2307/1177781
Seki, K. (2001). Rethinking Maria cacao: Legend-making in the Visayan context. Philippine Studies, 49(4), 560-583. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42633499
Scientific Name: Crossoptilon mantchuricum
Status: Vulnerable due to isolated populations, deforestation, and poaching
chinese mythology:
The Fenghuang bird is often called a phoenix, but it is a very different creature from the Ancient Greek mythological concept of a "phoenix" (a singular creature that dies in flame and is reborn). It was called the king of birds. In the Tang dynasty (618-906), a common decorative motif was of a Fenghuang circling peonies. The delicate feathered tail weaves playfully among the blooms. It was a symbol of harmony and prosperity, often used as the insignia of princesses.
The Fenghuang is a beautiful and immortal being that has a pheasant's head and body, peacock's tail, crane's legs, and swallow's wings. Sightings of it were seen as an omen of political harmony and world peace upon an Emperor's ascension. The Fenghuang encapsulates both female and male energies within itself, thus being a physical embodiment of tranquility, harmony, and of yin and yang in balance.
References:
Strassberg, Richard. A chinese Bestiary: Strange creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas. University of california Press, 2002, plate LVII.
Statuette of Phoenix (Fenghuang). (n.d.). [Wrought iron]. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://jstor.org/stable/community.34718614
Yoshida, M. (2014). Trade Stories: chinese Export Embroideries in the Metropolitan Museum. Metropolitan Museum Journal, 49(1), 165-185. https://doi.org/10.1086/680031
Scientific Name: Bombus subterraneus
Status: Globally, bee populations have been suffering due to climate change and pesticides and destruction of native habitat and flora. People often hear of the plight of honeybees, but those are not endangered. The native wild populations of bees are the ones that are at risk. These wild native bees are vital to our agriculture as crop pollinators, which is supplemented but not replaced by cultivated honeybees.
Bees are mentioned in the oldest records. In 3500 B.c., Upper and Lower Egypt were ruled by kings whose respective hieroglyphics were of a reed, and a bee, and Egypt was described in the Bible as a land "flowing with milk and honey".
The name "Melissa" has its origins in ancient Greece, where the priestesses of Demeter, Artemis, and Persephone were called Melissae, meaning bees, and some of them were gifted with the art of foretelling. The art of beekeeping was venerated and throughout the Middle Ages. Bees were associated with the gods, magic, prophecy, and fairies.
The 16th century Italian Poet Ludovico Ariosto wrote an epic poem Orlando Furioso ("The Madness of Orlando"), a tale inhabited by fantastic creatures, monsters, and sorcerers against a backdrop of war and chivalric romance. In the poem is a good sorceress named Melissa, who is an acolyte of Merlin.
References:
Ludovico Ariosto, "Orlando Furioso" 1516.
Ott, J., & Wasson, R. G. (1983). cARVED "DISEMBODIED EYES" OF TEOTIHUAcAN. Botanical Museum Leaflets, Harvard University, 29(4), 387-400. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41762856
Ransome, H.M. "The Sacred Bee". Houghton Mifflin, Boston and New York, 1937. https://books.google.com/books?id=S_rSHkGVDOkc&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Scientific Name: Pantholops hodgsonii
Status: In 1980s they were endangered, but due to protective laws against poaching, they have recovered in the past decades. Even so they are still poached to make scarves from soft warm underfur. 3-5 of them must be killed to make one scarf.
Ancient Greek mythology:
Theophane was a beauty, a nymph, and grand-daughter of Helios, the sun god. Upon seeing her, Poseidon, god of the sea, was struck by her loveliness. He desired to have her for himself, and so he spirited her away to an island surrounded and protected by the cerulean swells of the ocean. Even there, her legendary beauty tempted suitors to come and seek her out. To keep the men at bay, Poseidon transformed Theophane into a sheep, hiding her among his flocks, and took on the form of a ram for himself.
The offspring of Poseidon and Theophane in these forms was a winged ram with fleece of gold. The golden ram was later sacrificed to Poseidon, and its Golden Fleece became an icon of power and kingship.
The ancient Greeks spun this tale around a creature of divine and distant origins. Possible inspirations for the winged and golden ram could have been the takin or Tibetan antelopes, who are even to this day sought out by poachers and killed for the golden fibers and woven into luxury shawls.
References:
Gupta, Saloni. (2018). Tibetan Antelope and Shahtoosh Shawl: A Brief History. 10.1007/978-3-319-72257-3_3.
Bacon, Janet Ruth (1925). The Voyage of the Argonauts. London: Methuen.
Scientific Name: Trioceros quadricornis
Status: Vulnerable. At least 35% of the world's chameleons are endangered. Most chameleons are range-restricted, endemic to very small and specific regions, and so when those areas experience habitat loss, it has a devastating effect on these reptile populations.
The Bantu people in sub-Saharan Africa have a story about the origin of death. Many variations of this tale exist with differing details of the message and what causes the delay, but the result is that the word of death is brought to humans.
Before death for humans existed, the creator gave instructions and messages separately to both a chameleon and a lizard. He told the chameleon that he was to be a messenger to tell mankind that they would never die. Unbeknown to both reptiles, he gave the opposite instructions to the lizard, who was to tell mankind that they would die.
The two creatures set off on their paths, but the chameleon was easily distracted by fruit. Not realizing that the destiny of mankind rested upon the outcome of this game, he ambled along at a leisurely pace. He stopped to eat, and he walked slowly to enjoy his journey. The lizard, on the other hand, sped along quickly and soon arrived to deliver his message first. As a result, man was determined to be mortal and have a finite span of life.
References:
Werner, Alice. "Myths and Legends of the Bantu", Frank cass & co. Ltd, London, 1968.
Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics: confirmation-Drama. (1914). United Kingdom: T. & T. clark. 412.
Scientific Name: Rhinopithecus roxellana
Status: Endangered due to deforestation. However, they share a habitat with Giant Pandas, and so it is possible they will benefit from much of the conservation efforts that are put forth for pandas.
The travels and adventures of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, are best known from the 16th century book, Journey to the West.
Sun Wukong is a trickster god. He was born whole, springing from a rock. At first he went to live among the monkeys of the forest, and quickly attained status as their king when he proved his bravery by jumping from the great height of a waterfall. With the monkeys rallying behind him, he led them in exploits and mischief. In his adventures, he acquired through cleverness chain mail armor, cloud-walking boots, and a magical 8-ton staff.
His pranks and stubbornness escalated with his fame. Eventually he decided to challenge the Jade Emperor. This infuriated the Jade Emperor, and Sun Wukong was imprisoned under a mountain to reflect upon his misdeeds.
After 500 years, he was finally freed by a Buddhist monk, and he became the monk's bodyguard. Over the course of their westward journey, he underwent a spiritual transformation from an empty and ignorant monkey to an enlightened king.
References:
Werner, E.T.c. "Myths and Legends of china". Dover, Reprint Edition 1994.
Sun Wukong san da Baigujing. https://jstor.org/stable/community.14287661
Scientific Name: Ceiba pentandra
Status: Not endangered itself, but ceiba pentandra is important in the Amazon jungle ecosystems, supporting many different kinds of wildlife. Due to deforestation, they along with other flora are being cut at an alarming rate.
Towering above other trees in the Amazon jungle, the kapok tree is a giant guardian. It stretches pale green-striped branches to the sky. Its canopy spreads wide, providing shelter for many creatures, embracing the land with its arching shade. The limbs are studded with white petals of night-blooming flowers which attract bats as pollinators.
The ancient Maya held the kapok tree as sacred. It was called Yaxche, tree of life. Yaxche stands at the center of the earth as a conduit between the spirit and physical worlds. Its long vines are the channels by which the realms are interconnected.
Tucked among its roots are bats, who are representative of the underworld. The trunk is host to birds, insects, and animals, and provides them shelter and nourishment for life and growth. Perched at the crown, which points north, south, east, and west, is an eagle who represents the celestial.
Yaxche is the home for the Gods, as well as supernatural creatures, and kapok trees are revered for medicinal qualities, and the practical uses of the silk-like fibers from the seedpods.
References:
Mark, Joshua J. "The Mayan Pantheon: The Many Gods of the Maya", World History Encyclopedia, July 2012. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/415/the-mayan-pantheon-the-many-gods-of-the-maya/
Boskovic, A. (1989). The Meaning of Maya Myths. Anthropos, 84(1/3), 203-212. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40461682
Scientific Name: Bubo scandiacus
Status: Vulnerable. Though it is hard to pinpoint the worldwide population, it is declining. Primary cause is climate change, leading to habitat loss and decreased prey availability.
A Menominee story, Origin of Night and Day:
Rabbit was walking along a path and came upon Owl, perched high up in a tree. Rabbit asked Owl, "Why do you like it dark? I don't like the dark because I can't see. If I had my way, I would make it light all the time."
Owl told him, "Well, if you are strong enough to make that happen, I would like to see you try!" With that challenge, the two decided to instead have a competition to see who was the stronger. In front of a gathered audience of all the other animals, some of whom rooted for Rabbit but were skeptical about desiring eternal light, and some of whom rooted for Owl, they each set about bidding the sky to do their will. Rabbit chanted "Light!" while Owl chanted "Night!" The game was lost if one of them lost concentration and said the wrong word.
Owl was the one to slip up first, and as he uttered, "Light!" Rabbit was declared the winner. However, seeing that the other animals didn't want it to be light all the time, he conceded and they decided to let time be split into cycles of day and night.
References:
"The Origin of Night and Day", Menominee Oral Tradition, Milwaukee Public Museum. (Adapted from "Some Menominee Indian Folk Tales," 1974, Manitowoc county Historical Society Monograph 23: 6-8.) https://www.mpm.edu/content/wirp/IcW-138
B. Soni, Ph.D., H. (n.d.). Owl 'The Mysterious Bird'. India: Pencil.
Scientific Name: Panthera uncia
Status: Vulnerable. Damage to the high elevation habitat has put Panthera uncia at risk, along with diminishing populations of their prey species (goats and sheep). They are also poached for their fur and for traditional medicine.
The mountains of Pakistan are some of the tallest peaks in the world. Here, where the mountain ranges scrape the skies, the Wakhi people know of a spiritual high realm. This beautiful alpine zone, where the air is thin and clear, and the pastures of blue sheep are nestled like gems tucked among the spines of the ranges, is called mergich. The spirits of the mountains live in this parallel realm. Humans can only dare to set foot at those elevations in the summer, after asking the resident spirits for permission. Because snow leopards are only found in those mergich realms, the beautiful and elusive creatures are known to be vessels and incarnations for the mergichan, the spirit denizens.
References:
Snow Leopards: Biodiversity of the World: conservation from Genes to Landscapes. (2016). Netherlands: Elsevier Science.
Hussain, S. (2015). Remoteness and Modernity: Transformation and continuity in Northern Pakistan. United Kingdom: Yale University Press.
Scientific Name: Lyciasalamandra luschani
Status: Vulnerable due to habitat loss and overenthusiastic collectors
The vision of the ferocious and deadly scaled, winged, and fire-breathing dragon came about in the Middle Ages. Dragons were mentioned in ancient Greek mythology, and their relatives are serpentine mythical creatures from Asia, but during the dark ages when there was little literacy, and stories were only passed by word of mouth, the tales became woven together into chimerical beings. There is a bit of the salamander threaded into the dragon mythology as well, for salamanders were long associated with fire. Ancient Greek philosophers Aristotle and Pliny claimed that salamanders had the ability to resist and even completely extinguish fire, engaging with flames as a warrior to an enemy.
Perhaps because of their habit of choosing dry wood to nest in, when logs were placed in the hearth and set ablaze, the salamanders would scurry forth. The cause and reaction were conflated, leading to a belief that salamanders were the cause of the fire, or spirits of ember and flame.
References:
Book XX: Humorous Writings, The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, edited by Jean Paul Richter, 1880.
Florence Mcculloch, Medieval Latin and French Bestiaries chapel Hill: University of North carolina Press, 1962.
Thomas Bulfinch (1918). Age of Fable. "The Sal-a-man-der", The Saalfield Publishing company, chicago, Akron OH, NY, pp 97-98. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Age_of_Fable/KiPEPTk3m6sc
Scientific Name: Chloropus sandvicensis
Status: Endangered. Dependant on wetlands, they have suffered from loss of habitat, hunting, and predation from non-native species introduced to the islands, including cats.
The 'Alae 'ula bird is elusive, shy and quick to seek shelter when it senses the presence of another creature. It delves among the reeds and dense vegetation of marshes and wetlands. A moorhen's feathers are ebony black, and its beak has a distinctive bright red frontal shield, tipped with a golden point. This distinct coloration makes it the subject of a Hawaiian legend that tells of how this unassuming waterbird brought the gift of fire to the people.
It is said that at one time, the 'Alae 'ula once had pristine white plumage. He braved the scorching heat and smoke and the heart of the volcano where the gods reside, and brought back fire for humans. The fiery journey scorched his feathers soot-black, and left his beak blazing red and gold-tipped like the volcano's flames, and thus today he wears these colors as a banner of that selfless and perilous flight.
References:
Fischer, Elena. "Species Spotlight: Hawaiian Moorhen ('Alae 'Ula)". US Fish & Wildlife Service. https://www.fws.gov/story/species-spotlight-hawaiian-moorhen-alae-ula
Hawaiian Almanac and Annual for .... (1901). United States: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Publications Division. 115.
Scientific Name: Lemur catta
Status: Endangered due to habitat destruction and pet trade.
A Mahafaly story:
A man captured a tortoise one day and brought it home to his two wives. As the first wife was preparing the tortoise for dinner, the second wife spied her. Jealousy flared in the second wife for her husband had not given the tortoise to her! She took a wooden spoon and began to beat the first wife. Under the beating, the first wife was transformed into a ring-tailed lemur. Angry at her aggressor, she snatched the spoon from the second wife and beat her back, and the second wife was transformed into a sifaka.
This story explains how these two primates were once humans and hence related to mankind. The very human-like qualities of lemurs with their long fingers and expressive faces is thought to be the reason why killing them is taboo and may bring bad luck to those who commit the crime.
References:
Loudon, James & Sauther, Michelle & Fish, Krista & Hunter-Ishikawa, Mandala & Ibrahim, Youssouf. (2006). One reserve, three primates: Applying a holistic approach to understand the interconnections among ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi), and humans (Homo sapiens) at Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar. Ecol Environ Anthropol. 2. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=icwdmeea
Scientific Name: Hippocampus guttulatus
Status: not enough data, but all seahorses due to warming oceans and pollution, as well as trade for aquarium and chinese medicine.
From the ancient Phoenician city-state of Tyre, one of the earliest depictions of a hippocampus can be found showing the god Melqart riding upon a creature that has the head of a horse, tail of a dolphin, and wings.
The name that we know this beast by, the hippocampus, comes from later Greek mythology. Poseidon, god of the sea, rode in a chariot drawn by these mythic creatures who had serpentine coils, fish-fin manes, and a horse's head. They cut through the waves of the sea with the swiftness of equine mounts upon land and with the fierce wildness of the tumbling ocean waves. When fishermen caught seahorses in their nets, they were said to be the offspring of Poseidon's hippocampi.
References:
Israel Antiquities Authority, Yizre'el Valley silver hoard http://www.antiquities.org.il/hoards_eng.asp
"Poseidon - Greek Mythology", Encyclopedia Britannica, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Poseidon
Scientific Name: Scopus umbretta
Status: Not endangered, but an example of a creature that is safe due to the protection offered by superstition and legend.
Hamerkops reside in wetlands and near rivers, by lakes and mangroves and paddy fields. Their shadows are notably seen skimming waters surface or wading at dusk, when the sun's disk is low in the sky and the air stills as day and night meld in an otherworldly boundary. Their cry is an eerie ululation. It sends shivers down the spines of those who hear it, and visions of death in the winged dance they perform as they feed at a pool.
Hamerkops are respected and feared in equal measure, for they are omens of death. The Hottentots believe that hamerkops can see the future reflected in a pool of water for a death to come, or see death in a falling star over a persons house. When they see such, they fly to the dwelling place of the person and cry out with their strange song: a tangle of mourning, warning, and inescapable fate.
Superstitions of ill-fate befalling those who harm the nest of a hamerkop, as well as their often revered status as otherworldly creatures, have protected them from incursions of man, though they often live in close proximity to humans.
Scientific Name: Manta birostris
Status: Vulnerable Many rays are vulnerable or endangered because they have relatively long lives with few offspring and cannot recover easily when populations are impacted. They are under pressure from commercial and recreational fishing, pollution, and habitat alteration.
Maori lore:
The Maori god who holds sovereignty over the Sea and all that dwell within the cerulean depths is Tangaroa, and he has a son named Punga. Punga is the god of ugliness and of the ugly creatures of the world. All of the scaled, creeping, crawling, deformed, and slimy creatures of nature are his descendants: the scaled lizards, the deep sea fish, and invertebrates, the strange and the inscrutable.
Punga had two sons. T?-te-wehiwehi made his home on the land and under the arching boughs of the trees to become ancestor of many terrestrial reptiles and insects. His brother, Ikatere, went to the ocean to become ancestor for sharks, rays, and the aquatic beasts.
References:
Best, Eldson. (1899). "Notes on Maori Mythology." Journal of the Polynesian Society 8.
Shortland, Edward. (1882). Maori Religion and Mythology. London: Longmans Green.
Tregear, Edward. (1891). Maori-Polynesian comparative Dictionary. Wellington: Government Printer.
Scientific Name: Ducula mindorensis
Status: Endangered. Many species of Ducula are endangered because of habitat loss and predation, and they are among the most threatened of avian species.
In the chinese Guideways Through Mountains & Seas, one of the many creatures described in the bestiary is the Jingwei bird, who lives upon Departing-Doves mountain.
Once there was a young girl named Nuwa. She was swimming in the waters around her home, when the Ocean suddenly rose up against her and tore her away from the shore. She struggled, but alas she drowned. Her spirit was transformed into a bird, who from that day on, was compelled to fly back and forth from the mountains. Each time she cycled, she carried twigs and stones which she dropped into the frothing waves. "To revenge my death, I will fill you up!" she told the Ocean.
Nuwa is tireless in her daunting task. To this day, it is said that when one has unbelievable endurance and perseverance, they are like the jingwei bird with her indomitable will and resolute heart.
References:
Strassberg, Richard. A chinese Bestiary: Strange creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas. University of california Press, 2002, plate XXV.
Yang, Lihui; An, Deming (2005). Handbook of chinese mythology. Santa Barbara: ABc-clio.
Scientific Name: Aipysurus apraefrontalis
Status: Critically Endangered. Aipysurus apraefrontalis lives off the reefs of Western Australia. Degradation of reef habitat, because of coral bleaching has reduced the available habitat.
The Noongar people of Western Australia tell of the Dreaming, and of Wagyl, the Dreamtime Spirit. The Dreaming is called "Nyitting", and refers to when the lands were new and inhabited by ancestral figures and creatures. By knowing and passing down this lore, the Elders maintain and uphold the ancient customs and the traditions that make them stewards of the land.
Wagyl is a huge snakelike being, charged with the creation and protection of waterways and wildlife. Wagyl's serpentine body, sliding across the land, carved out the passages for rivers.
As he slithered along, he pushed aside the mud and rock to make way for the life-giving waters to spring forth and flow in his wake. Moisture sprang from the ground and gushed to fill the crevices with clear streams and green things grew around those margins. When Wagyl grew weary and coiled to rest, the indentation of his body left room for lakes and bays, and the water pooled and gleamed and mirrored the sun. As his scales scraped against the rock and fell loose upon the land, they seeded and grew into woodlands, cascading into the valleys that his tail swiped from the earth.
References:
Winmar, Ralph. "Nyitting - Dreaming". Noongarculture.org.au, Noongar Elder. https://www.noongarculture.org.au/spirituality/
Benenell, Tom. "The Waugal Or Great Serpent-Like Dreamtime Spirit". Noongarculture.org.au, Noongar Elder. https://www.noongarculture.org.au/spirituality/
Scientific Name: Vanda sanderiana
Status: Endangered and very rare in its native habitat, because of over-collection, and destruction of native habitat..
Endemic to the tropical forests Mindanao in the Philippines, this exquisite flower dazzles all who behold her. A fan of leaves cascades from where it anchors at the tops of trees, topped by magnificent clusters of blooms of purple, vermilion, and blushing pink. A German taxonomist named Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach discovered it for the Western world in 1882, and from that first foreign revelation, the Waling-waling orchid became in danger of extinction. Desire to possess its beauty seized hold of western collectors in an overwhelming frenzy that threatened to strip the native forests of its prize beauty.
It is no wonder that within her native environs, tucked into the tree trunks on the lower slopes of Mount Apo and blooming in delicate profusion, the flower is known as the "Queen of orchids" or "beautiful goddess" or "beautiful lady from heaven". The Bagobos of the Philippines have an animistic worldview. Diwata are spirits of nature. They incarnate the essences of plants, animals, and places, and the Waling-waling is revered as a beautiful diwata.
References:
Tacio, Henrylito D. "Waling-waling: Queen of Philippine flowers". Philippine Morning Post, October 2021. https://philippinemorningpost.com/waling-waling-queen-of-philippine-flowers/#:~:text=%E2%80%9cThe%20waling%2Dwaling%20can%20best,the%20country%2c%E2%80%9D%20Paje%20explained.
clark, Jordan. "ENGKANTO & ANITOS: could Science Be close To Proving They're Real?". The Aswang Project, Jan 2016. https://www.aswangproject.com/engkanto-anitos-science/ Benedict, L. W. (1913). Bagobo Myths. The Journal of American Folklore, 26(99), 13-63. https://doi.org/10.2307/534786
Scientific Name: Myotis alcathoe
Status: Not enough information, but considered threatened because of rarity and habitat loss. Bats are suffering for many of the reasons other pollinators do, and 26% of bat species are threatened with extinction in Europe.
Irish folklore:
There is a mischievous, shape-changing sprite called the Puca. This fairy creature can be very capricious in its dealings with humans, sometimes being benevolent and helpful, and other times maliciously pranking. In particular, they like to wait along roadsides to find unsuspecting humans to play with. If one comes across a Puca, be sure to treat it with respect else earn its ire!
Puca can takes on the shape of various creatures, and even sometimes human form (though you can spot it by some animal attribute that might linger, like long furred ears, or a tail slipping under the clothing). One of the shapes it is said to take on is that of a bat, to flit through the night on silent leathery wings and slip through the tangled branches of forests.
It has been speculated that the character of Puck, Robin Goodfellow, in Shakespear's "Midsummer's Night Dream" was inspired by this creature of folklore. "Lord, what fools these mortals be!" is one of the mischievous sprite's most famous lines from the play.
References:
campbell, J. (1913). The Puca. Poetry, 3(2), 50-51. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20569922
Knightley, Thomas. "The Fairy Mythology", George Bell & Sons, London, 1892. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41006/41006-h/41006-h.htm
Wilde, Jane Francesca Elgee (Lady) (1887), Ancient legends, mystic charms, and superstitions of Ireland, creatspace, Sc, USA.
Scientific Name: Monodon monoceros
Status: Near Threatened. climate change, fishing industry, and pollution are putting the future of Narwhals at risk.
How the Narwhal got its tusk:
An Inuit mother had two children, a daughter, and a blind step-son. One day, the son went hunting with a bow and arrow. He shot and killed a bear, but the mother lied to him and told him his arrow had not flown true. She fed him scraps, while secretly the mother and his sister filled their bellies with the meat from the bear.
His sister had a kind heart however, and so sometimes when their mother was not present, she slipped him bits of the rich and delicious bear meat. One day, a pod of white whales swam by and the son realized how cruel his mother was. He lashed her to the passing whales, and as she was pulled away and drowned, her plaited hair twisted in the waters and formed the tusk of a narwhal.
References:
Deutsch, James. "How the Narwhal Got its Tusk". curator, Folklore, Smithsonian center for Folklife and cultural Heritage, The Smithsonian, August 2017. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-narwhal-got-its-tusk-180964331/
Scientific Name: Buceros rhinoceros
Status: Vulnerable. Hornbills are hunted for pets, and for their feathers, and endangered by deforestation.
Hornbills can be found soaring through the treetops. Because they are large creatures, a pack of ten of them can be enough to blot out the sun, a majestic and chilling sight.
Their dark and graceful wings make a sweeping sound as they glide, accompanied by their loud barking calls that sometimes sound like laughter or anger ringing through the jungles. Their faces also have a human-like quality about them, with long and expressive eyelashes. These traits make it easy to anthropomorphize them, and thus many indigenous groups in Asia and Africa view them as sacred creatures.
The Dayak people of Borneo have a tradition of carving lavish Rhinoceros Hornbills, which are central to the sacred rite of Gawai Kenyalang. In the earlier times of Sarawak's history, Gawai Kenyalang would immediately precede headhunting raids, and hornbills were associated with war and the human world. Nowadays, Gawai Kenyalang is a festival in which ancestors are honored guests of the celebration, who help to maintain luck, prosperity, and health for the community. During the ceremony, a hornbill effigy would be raised atop a pole to preside over the rites.
References:
Davenport, W. H. (2000). Hornbill carvings of the Iban of Sarawak, Malaysia. RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics, 37, 127-146. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20167497
"Hornbill Figure", Iban People, Late 19th-early 20th century. The Met, The Michael c. Rockefeller Wing. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/319968
Scientific Name: Panthera pardus orientalis
Status: Endangered
Xiwangmu, Queen Mother of the West, is a powerful chinese goddess with dominion over fertility, health, creation, and destruction. She is the wife of the Jade Emperor, and the guardian of the Peaches of Immortality. In the earliest mentions of her, she has a wild and ferocious nature and is depicted as a feral being. In the chinese bestiary Shan Hai Jing, she is described as having a leopard's tail and tiger's teeth and "administers calamities from heaven as well as five punishments." She wears a jade hairpiece, but her hair is untidy, and three birds bring food to her.
In later artwork and tales, she much changed from this early version. She is frequently accompanied by a toad, a hare, and a nine-tailed-fox. She is shown as a more refined and cultivated vision, a beautiful divine being, elegantly coifed, robed in silk and adorned with jewels. But the power that lies beneath the cultured visage is still that of the primal leopard-tailed matriarch.
References:
Strassberg, Richard. A chinese Bestiary: Strange creatures from the Guideways Through Mountains and Seas. University of california Press, 2002, plate XIV.
James, J. M. (1995). An Iconographic Study of Xiwangmu during the Han Dynasty. Artibus Asiae, 55(1/2), 17-41. https://doi.org/10.2307/3249761
Scientific Name: Salvelinus leucomaenis japonicus
Status: Endangered. Human disturbances in their habitat have threatened these fish, as well as degradation of habitat and overharvesting. Additionally they have lost genetic diversity from hybridization.
There are many ghosts, restless dead, in Japanese folklore. One type are the funay?rei "boat spirits". These are the ghosts of those who perished upon the waves, in shipwrecks or near water. They have attributes of sea, and appear as humanoids with fishlike scales, and they seek to drown more humans by filling boats and making them sink.
In legends, sometimes the ghosts appear floating over the water's surface, or there are entire ghosts ships manned by funay?rei, or they are simply eerie ghostlights. A shimmer and flash of sunlight glints from the spotted scales of a fish, or is it a hungry funay?rei lurking under the dark surface of the water?
References:
Davisson, Zack (2014). Y?rei The Japanese Ghost. chin Music Press.
Yoda, Hiroko; Alt, Matt (2016). Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien. Dover Publications. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SekienFunayurei.jpg
Murakami, Kenji, ed. (2000). Y?kai Jiten. Mainichi Shimbunsha.
Scientific Name: Nymphaea caerulea
Status: Endangered. While they have been propagated around the world, their native origins are in the Nile delta. But as the river is greatly polluted now, the flowers are rarely found there, and this is a reflection of the state of the entire wetlands ecosystem in the region.
The sacred blue lily of the Nile's silken petals form a cup of cerulean blue. It is a vibrant color that nature rarely offers up in plants, and thus makes the flower all the more striking. It grows up through murky waters to sit pristine on delicate stalks above the water's surface.
Originally native to the delta of the Nile, they were abundantly depicted in ancient Egyptian carvings and paintings, and the hallucinogenic and narcotic properties were utilized in rituals. Blooming for three days, opening and closing with the rising and setting of the sun, it became a plant that was tied with cycles of death and resurrection, and often used in funerary iconography to adorn jars and offerings.
Nefertum was a beautiful and youthful deity. His dominion was over beauty, fragrance, and cosmetics. He was born from a blue lily bud at the beginning of time. Because he was alone at the world's dawn, he cried, and his tears fell to the earth and became the first humans. Each morning, he was reborn at sunrise, and each sunset he died as the sun traversed into the underworld.
References:
Emboden, W. A. (1978). The Sacred Narcotic Lily of the Nile: Nymphaea caerulea. Economic Botany, 32(4), 395-407. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4253981
Encyclopedia Brittanica. "Nefertem", 2023. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nefertem
Scientific Name: Otis tarda
Status: Vulnerable. Inhabiting the steppes of Turkey, the remaining population of individuals is small and declining.
The Simurgh is found in Persian tales, and is a great avian creature as large as thirty birds, and bears as many colors in its plumage. It lives in Gaokerena, the Tree of Life. Descriptions of the Simurgh vary. Sometimes it is said to have the form of a raptor, and at other times the claws of a lion, head of a dog, and feathers of a peacock. Some tales tell of the Simurgh having a human female face.
The Simurgh is ancient and embodies purity and healing. When it takes off from Gaokerena, the leaves and seeds are shaken loose, dispersed by his great wingbeats to drift across the world and take root in a wild diversity of healing herbs and plants.
In the Shahnameh, a Persian epic poem written by Ferdowsi in the 9th century, a feather from Simurgh is rubbed on a deathly wound suffered by the hero Rustam, and he is healed by its power.
References:
carnoy, Albert J. "Iranian Mythology", Marshall Jones company, Boston, 1917. https://archive.org/details/IranianMythology/page/n9/mode/2up
Harper, P. O. (1961). The Senmurv. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, 20(3), 95-101. https://doi.org/10.2307/3257932
Scientific Name: Ursus americanus kermodei
Status: Not listed as endangered, however there had been a conservation push to save the canadian rainforest habitat for the rare bear because of its cultural significance. climate change is affecting the streams where salmon spawn (primary food for Kermode bears), as well as overfishing.
Along the fjords and islands of coastal British columbia, the rainforests of the region are home to the Kermode bear. Primarily brown in coloration, a white variation is scattered in the population. They are not albino, but their white pelts are the result of a rare recessive gene.
The Kitasoo people call the white Kermode bear, Moksgm'ol, "ghost bear" or "spirit bear". The Moksgm'ol are revered and sacred, and they are a crucial part of the ecosystem of the rainforests. Their primary food source is from salmon that spawn in the rivers of the territory. They take the salmon carcasses that they eat into the surrounding woods, and thereby bring rich fertilizer to the forests and contribute to the growth and health of the whole system. They are seen as bringers of good fortune, and to lay eyes upon the Moksgm'ol is an omen of luck and power.
References:
Shoumatoff, Alex. "This Rare, White Bear May Be the Key to Saving a canadian Rainforest". The Smithsonian Magazine, September 2015. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/rare-white-bear-key-saving-canadian-rainforest-180956330/
Hedrick, P. W., & Ritland, K. (2012). POPULATION GENETIcS OF THE WHITE-PHASED "SPIRIT" BLAcK BEAR OF BRITISH cOLUMBIA. Evolution, 66(2), 305-313. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41460068
Scientific Name: Pycnopodia helianthoides
Status: critically Endangered. Starfish species are abundant in the seas, however rising ocean temperatures are decimating the populations of starfish particularly in the US Pacific coastal regions. The starfish are just one link in a food chain, from being critical predators in kelp forests, to being food for marine mammals.
Though the ancient title is thought to have originated from translation errors by scribes who were transcribing scrolls, "Star of the Sea" gained widespread usage in medieval times in reference to the Virgin Mary.
From Hail, Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star, a Marian hymn, written by Father John Lingard (1771-1851):
Hail, Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star, Guide of the wanderer here below, Thrown on life's surge, we claim thy care, Save us from peril and from woe. Mother of christ, Star of the sea Pray for the wanderer, pray for me.
References:
From Hail, Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star, a Marian hymn, written by Father John Lingard (1771-1851)
Scientific Name: Stipiturus malachurus
Status: critically Endangered. Stipiturus malachurus requires either swamp or dry-heath, and unfortunately most of the swamp habitat in its range is on private property. This results in significant fragmentation and an inability of conservation efforts to regulate.
The oozlum bird is a creature of Australian and British folktales. It is a quirky being, large enough for a man to ride upon, and it is incredibly vain. Instead of normal flight, it flies backwards in order to admire its own beautiful tail feathers. A side benefit of flying backwards is that it can see where it has been with much more clarity, though it doesn't know where it is going. If startled, it takes off, spiraling in circles, until disappearing completely.
Reference to the oozlum bird is sometimes meant as mocking criticism of self-referential arguments that amount to just a lot of nonsense.
References:
Goodge, W. T., 1862-1909. (1899). Hits! Skits! And Jingles! [Documents]. https://jstor.org/stable/community.34595239
"oozlum bird". Oxford English Dictionary, 1858. https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=oozlum+bird https://www.oed.com/search/advanced/Quotations?textTermText0=oozlum+bird&textTermOpt0=QuotText
Scientific Name: Aipysurus foliosquama
Status: critically Endangered
Rainbow Serpent was the name given in 1926 by an anthropologist Professor Alfred Radcliffe-Brown, to a common myth and ancient motif that is shared by many Aboriginal Australian sub-cultures.
It is an enormous snake who lives within the deepest waterholes of Australia's waterways, and descended from a greater being who resides in the Milky Way and marked by a dark streak among the stars. A rainbow arcing across the sky is the Rainbow Serpent moving from one waterhole to the next.
The Rainbow Serpent is a creator and life-bringer, because of the association of water, essence of life, but also can be destruction when angered, and is responsible for both regenerative rains, as well as storms and floods. Before the time of creation, the Rainbow Serpent slumbered in the earth, and upon awakening pushed to the surface, creating mountains and valleys.
References:
Blust, R. (2000). The Origin of Dragons. Anthropos, 95(2), 519-536. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40465957
Radcliffe-Brown, A. E. "The Rainbow-Serpent Myth of Australia". Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland 56.
