Bauk

 

A Bauk is the name of a dangerous nocturnal creature from Serbian legend. It's a man-eater and tends to hide among bushes and gives people surprise attacks. Described as large with black fur, often bipedal and with very sharp teeth. It's got a very clumsy gait while walking on hind legs.

Many claim the Bauk is probably just a regular bear. While that might be the case, the Bauk has a number of differences from bears. It makes eerie noises that doesn't sound at all like a bear. Another strange feature is its tendency to scrape its claws along wood. It also behaves like a vampire. The Bauk hates any form of light, while sunlight would destroy the creature. 

The Bauk hides specifically in shadows and darkness, as it prefers woods, graves and even ruined buildings. It waits for people and then makes a sudden grab for them but if they shone a light at it, they could make their escape. Whatever this thing is, whether a night dwelling monster or a bear, it's certainly scary and would put anyone off travelling through the country after dark. 

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Ahuitzotl

There is a creature named Ahuitzotl ("water dog") of Aztec and Mayan myths. A similar creature is also mentioned in stories among the Hopi and Shasta tribes of North America. It might even be the same entity.

Described as aquatic, looking like a dog with marbled fur, small ears and with a hand on the end of its tail. It appears in shallow waters and gives the impression of being like a child at first when it appears. Then it makes a noise that sounds like a woman screaming or a child yelling. This would make people go looking for it without knowing they were being tricked. The gruesome Ahuitzotl liked to strangle its victims then eat them. Despite the dangerous nature of the Ahuitzotl, it was always considered guardian of lakes and friend of the rain gods.  

This suggests that the creature is possibly a cryptid and not just a mythical creature of legends. A conquistador named Hernán Cortés informed the king of Castile that a soldier was killed by the Ahuitzotl creature. It's believed that only priests should touch victims of a Ahuitzotl and bury them near water. If anyone else were to touch the dead, they would either become the next victim of the Ahuitzotl or end up being inflicted with gout. The spirits of those killed by Ahuitzotl would go to the afterlife realms of the rain god Tlaloc and goddess Chalchiuhtlicue.

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Melusine

Of European folklore, the Melusine is a legendary creature that looks like a woman with the lower body of a serpent or fish. She's also considered a type of mermaid with double tails. Some regard her as a form of water dragon. She's often associated with death and omens, and many noble houses such as Anjou, Lusignan and even the Plantagenet believe that when a Melusine figure appears, its an omen of death. The Melusine is also considered a water fairy, and has links with the fairy tale characters in stories "The Little Mermaid" and "The Swan Maiden". 

It's early origin appears in a 14th century fantasy story "Roman de Melusine" by Jean d'Arras (1393). It concerns a girl named Melusine with a human father and a fairy mother. She was cursed by her mother Prisine into turning into half a reptile on every Saturday. Her only way to break this curse was for a man to love her and accept who she was during Saturdays. Count Raymondin fell in love with her but she couldn't reveal her secret to him. They both got married and had children. The problem is that Raymondin was becoming more suspicious of his wife because he never knew what she did on Saturdays. He spied on her and saw that her lower body was reptile, and he couldn't love her anymore. The bitter husband went further and became malicious to humilate his wife in public by calling her a monster. Now because of this, Melusine was doomed to become a whole reptile for the rest of her life. She became a dragon. 

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Picture of the month

 

It's a very hot day and this wolf has decided to go for a swim in the cool water. Looking right at the camera as it walks over the rocks underwater, not quite pretending to be a champ in doggy paddle. Or maybe there's more going on. Perhaps the wolf is just stalking the camera! It seems that way.

"You think you can get away from me?" Wolf says. "Nothing to be afraid of so get right here now!"

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Harikikigaki

 The "Harikikigaki" (the Book of Needles) is a strange medical book from 16th century Japan. The author is unknown, and it lists a variety of conditions and diseases, as well as a number of tiny spirits! It was believed that each of these entities were like parasites that needed treating. In other words, the small beings were actual germs called belly bugs or hara no mushi. Some of the best ways to treat the "belly bugs" was by giving someone herbal medicines and acupuncture. The book is complete with illustrations and it was quite popular in its day, considered a good source of information but now it's considered a piece of history and is homed in Kyushu's museum.  

The disease critters are now a part of myths and legend. Some of the most weirdest of them includes the Akachu that resembles a tiny lobster, Chisaku looks like a fish, the Heimushi looks like a butterfly, Amabie looks like a tiny bird with long hair, Kakuran no Mushi looks like a mini serpent with a penguin like face, Kanmushi looks like a microscopic white ghost, Kanshaku looks like a beetle, Kagemushi looks like a small snake, Umakan looks like a dragon, Haishaku looks like a cloud with a face, Koseu resembles a wormlike mushroom, Kameshaku looks like a turtle, Koshi no Moshi is like a dragonfly, Kiukan is like a tiny goat, Kishaku is like a dog with a squid's face, Jinshaku looks like a polar bear, Hishaku looks like a cloud with a dog's face and Hinosha is like a smiling flower. 

Read about this on Uncanny Japan here.

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