mythical beasts

The Manticore was a mythical being with the head of a man and the body of a lion. Its name comes from an ancient Persian word for “man-eater”, as the Manticore was believed to eat people. It was said to be blood red in colour. It had three fearsome rows of teeth, and a long tail with spines. It was said to wear a hat called a “Phrygian Cap.” The Manticore was very powerful, and could leap over any obstacle. It had a voice like a trumpet. Right up until the 17^th century people believed the Manticore was a real creature.

Mermaids or Sirens were seen as medieval emblems of vanity, and to represent everything that was bad about females. In Greek and Roman myths they were described as looking like women above the waist, and like birds below, with bird’s feet and talons. The 12^th century writer Philip de Thaun, mentioned fish’s tails, and later, writers added two tails. The bird wings were also later changed to fins.
Mermaids were often pictured holding a fish, a mirror, a comb, and a harp. The Mermaid was said to sing such a sweet song that it lulled sailors to sleep, causing their ships to crash onto the rocks. This was meant to explain why so many ships were lost on the open sea.

Find out more about mermaids here.