Monsters and Mythical Creatures from around the World

by Heather Frigiola

Mythical creatures are cultural artifacts--creations of the human imagination from all around the world. From terrifying monsters to sacred mystical beasts, weird-looking humanoids, magical birds, and many other fantastic beings, the mythological creatures in this book are sure to enchant and amaze! Discover myths and legends spanning from ancient times to modern day from every corner of the globe. Learn the cultural origins of 240 different mythical creatures, captured in ten chapters and 100 colorful illustrations. You will find terrifying bogey monsters as well as benevolent guardians. Meet creatures that symbolize obstacles to overcome, ones that explain the occurrence of disease, some that ward away evil, and others that were created simply for amusement. Explore mythology from the Middle East, Africa, India, Japan, Mexico, Europe, Polynesia, and beyond. This guide is a ticket to travel the world and discover its strangest magical beasts from the safety of your own home

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, Dragons, Religion, History, Animals

224 pages, Hardcover

First published November 28, 2019

Reviews

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

If I had to sum up this book I'd say it's very interesting and informative. You get a ton of information but not to the point where it's overwhelming. Also the illustrations help a lot with imagining those creatures. Since they are myths there can be more than one description of how the creature looked like, so I was sometimes surprised by the authors picks. Also, while reading this book I found myself fascinated by the differences between the creatures appearances in this book and how they are shown in the movies. Especially the Harry Potter movies. Now some creatures I wouldn't mind meeting in the dark but most of them I'd rather not, since what they have in common is death and pain for anyone that they encounter. I was most curious about the European myths since I am from Europe and I'm therefore more familiar with them. But at the same time I liked to learn about the myths from the rest of the world. All in all you could say that I really enjoyed reading this book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that likes to learn more about the myths of this world.

[Meg Tome Infinity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Schiffer Publishing Ltd. for allowing me to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Monsters and Mythical Creatures from around the World By Heather Frigiola with Illustrations by Sky Cyble

What I like about this was how quick and fun it was to read. I feel like it is perfect for younger readers to learn about all the different creatures and myths around the world. I love that it was separated by location and talked about all the different cultures that reference similar monsters! It definitely has a younger target audience and I think that is really smart.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to see any of the illustrations within this ARC so I can not give you an idea of the art style. If it is like the cover I think they would be fairly simplistic but also very cute and not overly scary for younger kids.

My only negative is that I wish it felt a little bit more like a story for each monster / creature and not so much like a textbook because it may lose the attention of readers. I feel like you could have gotten the same information in a bit more of a fun way to have a little different of a reading experience.

3 Stars!!

[Siavahda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a huge fan of mythical/magical creatures for as long as I can remember - probably not unrelated to being half-Welsh, a country that proudly flies a red dragon on its flag, and half-Irish, where even those who proclaim their disbelief in all things fae won't touch trees or hills that belong to the Good Folk.

I've read a lot of bestiaries of mythical creatures, is what I'm saying here. I'm pretty qualified to judge this one.

With that in mind, I sat up and paid attention the moment I opened this book, because the table of contents alone promised that this wasn't going to be another tired, ineptly-illustrated rehash of the same old beasties done the same old way. Because, as Frigiola mentions in the introduction, most modern bestiaries categorise creatures by general appearance or theme - equines in one section, dragons and reptiles in another, for example. Or sometimes it's done by element or environment - creatures that live in the water in one chapter, another chapter for creatures that fly. 'Good' monsters, 'bad' monsters. Etc.

Frigiola has divided this bestiary by *culture*. And I honestly can't recall ever seeing anyone do that before. As someone who was desperately disappointed, when applying for university, that I couldn't find a degree in mythological anthropology - something I'm still not sure is an actual field, although it should be! - that immediately grabbed my attention and raised my expectations much higher than they were when I hit the 'request' button on Netgalley.

Reading through the introduction only made me more excited; in an ideal world, it wouldn't be noteworthy to see the author of a collection like this talking about Eurocentrism and cultural appropriation, but if I'm not sure I've ever seen a bestiary divided up by culture before, I *know* I've never seen a bestiary discussing cultural appropriation. My expectations were cranked up even higher by the time I reached the first section, North America.

And I wasn't disappointed. Although the illustrations are not quite to my taste, and I would have preferred there be more of them, they're clear and colourful, and not in that overly baroque, quasi-Medieval-illumination style some compendiums of mythical creatures use. Even better: as Frigiola promised in the introduction, saying there would be new discoveries here even for those well-versed in mythology - there were! I was ridiculously delighted to find so many entries on creatures I'd never heard of before, and even the pieces about creatures I knew contained information I didn't know (although I would have liked longer entries, there was no way to fit more into this book without turning it into a full-on encyclopedia). That exceeded my highest hopes for this book and immediately earned it a spot on my favourites shelf. (That said, I was a little disappointed that Frigiola included Wendigos, given that First Nations people have repeatedly said that the wendigo myth is deeply private and not something the rest of us should be poking around in).

The rest of the sections followed the same format, and were just as diverse. I absolutely adored this one and am so glad I got the chance to read it! I'll definitely be buying a hardcover copy for my bookcase!

[Niki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this! This book was exactly what I expected, a (mostly) illustrated guide to monsters from all over the world (literally just paraphrased the title, how lazy can someone be?), about the history and characteristics of said monsters. I absolutely loved it!

The only reason it's missing a star is because it lost me at some points, felt too much like a clinical, impersonal textbook. That problem is easily solved by just putting the book down and reading it in chunks instead of binging it, though.

**I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.**

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really about a 4.5. It's a dictionary of supernatural creatures from all over the world, grouped geographically and culturally. I love that some creatures have their recent origins noted (Jackalope, motorman) while there's a brief survey on others as to if/how descriptions have changed after contact with other cultures. Greek and Roman creatures have a chapter to themselves. More illustrations would have been super, but as the text notes, ofttimes physical descriptions vary widely. This is a terrific little book.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hundreds of Creatures from around the world, sorted by place of origin and explained carefully.

The cover and synopsis led me to believe this book was aimed at children. Not so. This is aimed at anyone at all; the language isn't complicated, but I do feel like it's aimed at adults. It's clearly exhaustively researched, and while I can't comment on how accurate it is, it certainly seems good.

The version I received didn't have illustrations, although there are spaces where perhaps they're planned to go. I hope so; it would be the crowning piece of a book that's already very good. As I was reading, I kept thinking what a great read this would be for writers looking for a more unusual creature for a novel. It gave me a few ideas!

A great, well put together read.

[Queen Cronut · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is basically Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them 2.0. As the title suggests, Monsters and Mythical Creatures from Around the World features mythical beasts and their origins from numerous cultures and folktales. I really liked that this book included tonnes of mythical creatures I'd never heard of and it was interesting to read about the lore and origins behind each one. However, this book read more like a textbook than an anthology of fantastical beasts that it got a bit tricky to remember each beast and a bit dull at times. Informative and fascinating yet lacking an attention-grabbing story-like narrative... a solid 3 stars.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Schiffer Publishing LTD for providing a free ARC

[Al Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's my review (at last). Onefor casual mythology fans. -https://www.alwroteabook.com/2019/12/...

[Michaela (Journey into Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

This book documents a variety of different mythological creatures from around the world. I found this to be an interesting read and I enjoyed learning about so many mythical creatures that I had never heard of. I will say this is written very like a textbook. I wasn’t able to see the majority of the illustrations within this so I can’t comment on them.

Overall, I did enjoy this book but it did feel a bit too much like a was reading a textbook. I gave this 3 out of 5 stars.

[Chloë · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an informative summary of creatures from many different countries and ethnic groups! This book consists of 240 monsters and mythical creatures from ten regions from all around the world.

This bestiary focuses on cultural origin and context. I highly respect the fact that Sky Cybele asks the reader to take notice of cultural appropriation and the interpretation of myths through a Eurocentric lens. They also talk about cryptozoology and why it isn't always as innocent as it seems.

I only knew a few of these creatures. It was still fun to learn about so many others and to discover more about the ones I was already familiar with. The cultural origin and physical description of each creature were discussed. The author also compares similar tales from different places that may share roots, as well as the differences of the same creature in neighbouring societies.

The text is enjoyable, although I do not recommend binging this. Because of its informative nature, I would recommend reading a few pages at a time. My personal favourites were the East Asian creatures. I also found a lot of pleasure in reading about the Simurgh, Nyaminyami, the nagas, Amikiri, Baku and many more. The illustrations were a nice addition. They helped me visualise the often unlikely descriptions.

[Em (Diversify Your Shelf) · Rating 5 out of 5]

* I received this book on Net Galley*

Purchase the book at; https://www.schifferbooks.com/monster...

I chose to request this book because my knowledge of monsters and creatures is very limited to those that are either common tropes (such as the Loch Ness Monster) or things that are studied in the average Classics course. I am trying to be more aware of different cultures as part of my own academic research and I thought this would be a fun supplement.

There are few books that within a few pages I know that it is unlikely that my rating will change. This is one of those books. On page six under the heading "A Message for Myth Seekers," it reads: Think about the new myths being created and what parts of the old myths are left behind. Did the creature come from Western civilization originally, or Eastern civilization, or an Indigenous society? Is there cultural appropriation involved? How much do you think the media creator understood about the original myth and the culture that imagined it?

Immediate five stars.

Words cannot describe how brilliant I think this book is (but I will try my best!). "Monsters and Mythical Creatures from around the World" is divided into geographic areas and then within each area 24 creatures are discussed. While the description of each character is less than a page, it does a marvelous job of explaining all possible origins of each creature and how they have been discussed since then. It is both shameful and enlightening to see how many of the creatures in North America come from Indigenous societies I have not heard of-- and I think this is one of the things the book does well. It gives you just enough information to feel like you get the idea of what is happening but not so much that you feel you know everything-- there are many groups and monsters I now fully intend to research now that I see how fully my knowledge is lacking.

One of the notable moments for me was reading about the Side-Hill Gouger. I knew the name sounded familiar and then I remembered it was a character in the "McBroom" books by Sid Fleischman! I (and my mother when I asked her) assumed that this was just something that Fleishman had made up. This really emphasised the idea that when we read books and there are different sorts of creatures we tend to assume that the author made them up and not think any more on it-- which is rather problematic.

Heather Frigiola is a cultural anthropologist and it is really obvious in the best way. Each description is thorough and brilliantly written and Sky Cybele's illustrations enhance the reading experience. This book is a bit dense so it may not be the best for a young reader unless they are really into reading/monsters. However, as someone in her mid-twenties I am absolutely enthralled and will definitely need this in hardcover.

I truly look forward to Heather Frigiola's future endeavours.

[Munch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent a arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
There are so many interesting monsters/creatures in this book that I haven't heard of! I loved how the author chose to separate them into sections by culture/part of the world they originate from and at the beginning of each section they put a few paragraphs telling you what countries and cultures that they include and a bit of their history as well. The entries on each monster/creature isn't just describing their appearance and habits but their origins as well. Even though each entry is only a couple of pages they manage to get so much information across, including the myths the monster/creature was part of. As usual though I found myself more interested/drawn to the more dangerous/malevolent ones and got a bit bored with the guardian/benevolent ones and sometimes it got a bit repetitive. I just love to read about things that go bump in the night and want to eat you and I'm not ashamed of that. My favourites include:
The Pihuichen from Chile and Argentina, who doesn't like a flying snake that can kill you by just you looking at it?
The Vucub Caquix from Maya mythology, is it me or is the creepiest thing about this bird those humanlike teeth?
The German Wolpertinger, it's Q-Chan from Petshop of Horrors!
The Drekavac from Serbia and Bosnia, the fact that it's name means "the screamer" should tell you why I like this one.
The Shurale from Tatar and Bashkir folklore, the tickle monster!
The Nunda from Tanzania, a giant cat blamed for unsettling deaths in 1920s and 30s.
The Popobawa from Zanzibar, there is no creature scarier to me than one that can get into your home as mist or smoke to do horrible things to you.
There were also some of my old favourites like kelpies, aswangs, kappa, nine tailed foxes and the bunyip (though I found the entry for this disappointing), they even mentioned red caps!
It was different to hear more mythology and creatures from places like native American, Africa and the Pacific since most books like this focus more on the more well known ones from Greek and European origins. I had never really thought about the affect of other cultures and colonisation had on the local folklore and myth other than the usual Christian demonising everything that doesn't fit with their faith. Though this is obvious when you stop to think about it. Also the fact that cryptozoologists can in their quest to discover previously unknown animals downplay the myths of indigenous societies and not see them as imaginative as more well known western mythology. The book makes a look of interesting and unique points. This is a must for anyone with a interest in mythology of other cultures. I wish that I had been able to see the pictures in this review copy but it'll be something to look forward to on publication.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friends of fantasy, myth and folklore will love diving into this book and find all sorts of creatures they probably have never even heard about before.

Every culture around the globe has a wealth on amazing monsters and creatures in their traditions and folklore. Divided into geographical areas, this book introduces a vast number of monsters and other mythical creatures found in tales, writings and beliefs. Each section is alphabetically organized, and there is a glossary at the end. The monsters/creatures are described along with the more curious aspects surrounding them. Many are accompanied by illustrations to help the imagination take flight.

These pages held all I had hoped for and more. Broken down by mostly continent (but not only), it's fun to flip through the various creatures found in the different myths around the world. Not only well-known creatures are presented, but also lesser familiar ones and some I'd never heard of. Each description is concise, mentions the basic and main aspects of the creature, and gives a quick example of where the creature is found in mythology. The writing is interesting and easy to understand. Many of the creatures are accompanied by a colorful illustration. Of course, I would have enjoyed having every single one depicted, but the amount of creatures presented makes this impossible.

The bounty of monsters is amazing and a real treat to flip through. The myths themselves aren't given, only in short details as needed, but it's exactly what this book is about. Anyone who has a love for myths, folklore and tales is going to thoroughly enjoy this book. It's wonderful not only as a quick guide to already known creatures, but surprises on the amount of lesser known ones. While not necessarily intended for the younger audiences, it's also suitable for younger readers (ages ten and up).

I'm adding this one to my shelves and will definitely have it in hand repeatedly for many years.
I received a complimentary copy and am so glad I did because it met my expectations and than some. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is filled with 240 Monsters and Mythical Creatures from Around the World. From recent creatures like Chupacabras, Jackalopes, and the Australian Drop Bear to ancient foes like the multicultural dragon and the horse-lion Durong Kraison of Thailand, the full range of time is explored here. Creatures are ordered by region, which is why the dragon is described in three separate entries. Many of the monsters will be familiar but many will be new to most people. About every third creature is illustrated using bright colors.

Monsters and Mythical Creatures from Around the World is an excellent tool for horror writers to use for new ideas of horrifying creatures to include in their fiction. The pictures and text are created in a non-dramatic way, which makes this a perfect gift for older children who like monsters. The explanation of the possible cultural reasons for the monsters’ creation was fascinating. For example, the hairless deformed Huallepen is found in Chile and Argentina. When it mates with local sheep and cattle, it causes offspring that look like it—explaining common local birth defects. There is another story explaining how the jackalope was created by taxidermists and later used as tourist bait in a small Wyoming town. Overall, the book is an interesting read for anyone interested in mythology or monsters from around the world. 4 stars!

Thanks to Red Feather, Schiffer Publishing Ltd. and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mythical creatures are cultural artifacts—creations of the human imagination from all around the world. From terrifying monsters to sacred mystical beasts, weird-looking humanoids, magical birds, and many other fantastic beings, the mythological creatures in this book are sure to capture your imagination as you trek round the world in a very human collection of fantastic beasts.

This literary menagerie never stops being interesting. A great collection of different cryptids and mythological creatures that we have heard of and have escaped into popular culture are given short histories of them. Creatures such as the Sasquatch in particular are very good and entries for Jackalopes, Thunderbirds, and more known creatures such as Basilisks.

Accompanying these creatures are some very good illustrations, perfect for the age range of this book. The basilisk illustration is one of my favourites, but other highlights of book include the Double Headed Eagle, Firebird and Leshii - however there are many awesome creatures in this book and the pictures work so well together with each entry.

This book really does go through some incredible creatures from all over the world, accompanied by some very good illustrations in a catalogue of beasts that represents every part of the planet. It’s a perfect gift for a curious child.

[George1st · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing that is universal throughout the world and indeed throughout the ages is mans belief, acceptance and creation of mythical creatures. Here in one collection we learn the story of 240 of such creatures in ten chapters consisting of a 100 vivid and colourful illustrations. From around the world we learn of their cultural origins whether from folktales, ancient mythology or in some cases actual sightings ( cryptids believed to actually exist by followers of cryptozoology).

Some of the creatures particularly those associated with ancient Greek and Roman mythology I knew but many were new to me. Mythology and creatures associated with it would appear to be an integral part of cultures and indeed religions around the world and have been passed down through the ages by storytelling, paintings, artifacts as well as the written word. This is a book that is probably best read a chapter at a time as to read this cover to cover can be a bit overwhelming. Overall this is a fascinating read and may lead some to further reading on some of the creatures featured here.

[Athena Freya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The publisher, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., kindly offered me an advanced reader copy (ARC) of Monsters and Mythical Creatures from around the World by Heather Frigiola Illustrations by Sky Cybele via NetGalley. Yet, this is an honest review of the book expressing my humble opinion.

A delightful, informative, and well-written non-fiction book that shows and describes creatures of all mythologies and cultures. I found it incredibly valuable, and I can warmly recommend this one for all inquisitive minds. I'd also like to applaud the author and their team for their poise and attitude toward cultural appropriation as their words indicate that we considered all aspects carefully and with respect. The illustrations were wonderful, and I really liked them, too!

5 stars – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Heather Frigiola Illustrations by Sky Cybele
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing Ltd.

[D L · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those interested in myths and monsters this is definitely one to have on your bookshelf. The detailed description from Heather Frigiola and wonderful illustrations from Sky Cybele make this book a pleasure to read, appealing to both adults and children.

Each chapter of 'Monsters and Mythical Creatures from around the World' provides description of creatures within a geographical area of the earth, with some known and a lot more unknown. Not only is it a joy to read but also quite educational for all.

Even though it was provided as a pdf from Netgalley for an honest review the presentation of this book enhances the reading experiences and is one I will probably buy for myself and one for a present.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love everything mythology, so I had to jump on the chance to read a new collection of world mythology. Since this only includes creatures and cryptids, many of the anthropomorphic characters commonly seen in most myths, like Thor and Apollo, are not included in their respective regions. I also quickly noticed how family friendly many of the entries are when it came to their descriptions, especially in the entry for the satyrs.

Overall, this is a short and sweet collection of bite-size descriptions about the different creatures prominent in various cultures from around the world.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The format of this book provides a great way to tour the world's major regions and dive into their local lore and myths. Although it leans more into the cryptid side of things, there are certainly plenty of creatures from traditional myth to be found here.

As with any globe-spanning collection of myths, I'm always left wishing for more focus on certain regions of the world (Africa and Central America), but that's not a shortcoming of this book in particular. In fact, this book covers those regions successfully. I'm just being greedy because the more of those regions' myths I hear, the more I want to discover.

So in that sense, this book does a good job of giving you a taste of various regions' myths and folk tales. Where you go from here is the question. The included bibliography is a great next step if you want to dive deeper into a particular subject or area.

[Ron Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth reading for two reasons.

1. Her background in cultural anthropology. She takes great care to respect every culture and put everything in context. Here's what folks originally believed...and here's what changed after Christian colonizers arrived.

2. Her focus on Non-Western cultures. A standard chapter is devoted to Ancient Greece but otherwise she manages to take deep dives into the various regions around the world.

My only disappointment is that it wasn't bigger. A lot had to be cut and truncated.

[Kae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in return for a honest review.

The copy I received was without photos, making this review only about the information.
I am by no means am expert on Mythological Beasts but I've fallen down my fair share of research rabbit holes on the subject. The entries were interesting, written in encyclopedia formatting and the information was accurate. That is as accurate as the myths I previously knew.

Not having the photos to compare the information too was difficult but I would be interested in seeing a final product.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I made a mistake downloading this in the kindle version. The illustrations do not show in this, and that seems to be half the allure of the book. While I enjoyed Frigiola's care in documenting the creatures, and her emphasis on preserving the cultural context of the myths without repeating the colonialism that tends to happen in other catalogues of this kind, I found the kindle version too full of formatting weirdness to properly enjoy.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating book is a virtual encyclopedia of the origin of Monsters and Mythical Creatures from around the World. The book's chapters each represent a different part of the world with all the creatures of myth and legend from that geographical area as well as a brief cultural origin and description. The illustrations are unique and very well done. I really enjoyed going through this book, recognizing creatures I'd heard about, and many that I have never heard of before.

[Luke Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of creatures from various parts of the world. I appreciate that this bestiary surveyed more than typical Greco-Roman or Western European but attempts to survey all continents. As a result, there is an impressive variety of creatures represented from a diverse set of cultures. Some favorites were the monstrous sons of Tau from Guaraní folklore, the Ponaturi from Māori tradition, and the Nue and Baku from Japanese stories.

[April Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and informative book about monsters and mythical creatures from different cultures and regions of the world. The book covers 240 different creatures, divided into chapters by region. I enjoyed learning about all the creatures, but I do wish there were more illustrations.

#MonstersAndMythicalCreaturesFromAroundTheWorld #NetGalley

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book with great illustrations I love mythological creatures so this was pure heaven for me, it kept me entertained for ages. Educational and entertaining, great history entwined in the myth. A great read for anyone who loves mythology

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well illustrated book, fascinating and interesting. I loved to discover about monster in the different cultures and I highly recommend this book.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

While entries are brief, it's a great resource to discover non-greco-roman monsters and creatures. I was interested to discover that Madeline L'engle's source for the planet name Camazotz was a gigantic bat monster from Maya mythology.
She also provided a select bibliography to learn more.

[Mikel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good solid summary of creatures from each major region of the world. Some interesting nuggets of information but overall just a general summary. I personally need something more indepth and more regionally specific.