Saturday, February 20, 2016

Top 3 Mythical Creatures (Erin)

Happy Saturday! Since this is a fantasy blog, it's high time we take a look at our favorite mythical creatures. These creatures have lived in the collective imaginations of storytellers and authors for centuries, and these days, are often brought to life by filmmakers. What is it about these creatures that intrigues us and compels us to find out more? I hope, after you've read my post, you'll have time to tell us whether you agree with me, or whether there are other creatures that would make your Top 3 list.

3. Elves: Graceful, lithe, and lightning fast, these gentle warriors always inspire me to appreciate trees, green forests and wildlife. How can you read Tolkein and not want to learn Elvish and visit Rivendell?







2. Centaurs: I first fell in love with centaurs in Robert Siegel's now out-of-print book, Alpha Centauri. The heroic Cavallos rescues Becky, and her horse Rebecca, and keeps them safe.His chivalry and sacrificial love made him one of my heroes in elementary school. Then there was Chiron, in Percy Jackson (played by Pierce Brosnan in the first movie--ask your parents, if you don't know who Pierce Brosnan).  Skilled at archery, centaurs make fierce foes, but are also wise astronomers and capable of great joy.




1. The Phoenix, or Firebird: Known as the Phoenix in Greek myth and the Firebird in Russian folklore, this has to be my favorite mythical creature. The Phoenix burns completely in the fire, but rises triumphant, more beautiful than before, from the most bitter ashes. The embodiment of hope, the Phoenix, more than any other mythical creature, reminds us of the hope we have in Christ--that we will rise, no matter how desperate our circumstances seem.
 
This image is of an ornament I have hanging on my wall, of Prince Ivan and the Firebird. You can actually order one at the website listed!


Attributions:
3. https://pixabay.com/en/photos/elves/
2. https://pixabay.com/en/photos/?image_type=&cat=&min_width=&min_height=&q=centaur&order=popular
1. https://www.replacements.com/webquote/CO_PLKXMSORUT.htm

21 comments:

  1. I love your post! I love mythical creatures, so, so, so, much. I love mostly all mythical creatures, besides a few exceptions. :) I really love firebirds, but my all time favorite is dragons. I have an entire book of different types of dragon art. Here are some of my favorite dragon pictures:

    http://orig14.deviantart.net/c656/f/2013/221/4/0/40a14aae4c3854d05889d1477db87624-d6hg3ml.jpg

    http://s1.bwallpapers.com/wallpapers/2014/03/03/sea-monster-desktop-wallpapers_015502932.jpg

    Also, you can just google search "dragons" and find even more amazing pictures (however, some of them are creepy or disturbing. Sorry!)

    Almost all other mythical creatures are tied for third place. :)

    Thanks for posting such a great post!

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    1. I enjoy dragon art too! I love that top one you linked.

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    2. Wow! These are stunning dragon pictures. I especially like the way you can see the lower half of the sea dragon under the water. And the forest dragon blends into the scenery so well. . . thanks for finding these for us, and thanks for reading!

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    3. These images are amazing! Dragons would've definitely made my top three list, I think they're fascinating and I like that they can be either good or bad, it makes them more versatile. I think Smaug in The Hobbit is a fun bad dragon, and I love the good dragons in Jessica Day George's Dragon Slippers series.

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    4. I also think The Hobbit and Smaug is great!

      I read the first in the Dragon Slippers series, and had in mind to read the rest someday, but I never got around to it. I'll have to revisit them!

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  2. This is such a cool "top 3" idea!

    In no particular order, my top three are probably mermaids, dragons, and griffins.

    ~Brenna

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    1. Great list, Brenna, thanks! What do you like most about mermaids? Do you like good dragons, or evil dragons? Griffons are neat, too. . .thanks!

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    2. They're mysterious, they live in the sea, and there are cool legends about them. I like all dragons, but good dragons are, well, more approachable, if you take my meaning. Pheonixes are awesome too.

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    3. Oops- should be "phoenixes."

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    4. : ) We're not worried about spelling! We just like comments! : ) Thanks!

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    5. Normally I am a grammar and spelling Nazi, so it's embarrassing when I goof. :)

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    6. : ) Don't be embarrassed! It is a weird word. . .and hopefully you'll overlook our mistakes, too! Thanks for commenting!

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  3. Love this! But it's also a difficult question for me to personally answer, since I like so many different mythical creatures. Elves and the Phoenix would probably both be on my list of favorite "good" mythical creatures. Griffons might also make that list. They're so majestic and fierce.

    There are a number of evil mythical creatures I "like" as well:
    - The Nazgul (ringwraiths from LOTR) are probably my favorite. They're powerful, have a great look, and also have a rich backstory.
    - The dementors from Harry Potter. In some ways, such as their appearance, they're a bit similar to the Nazgul. But they have enough differences to set them apart, most notably the way they attack (or "feed" as it's described).
    - Dragons. They're not always evil, but they most often are. I especially like dragons in art and video games.

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    1. Thanks, Melinda! I still remember seeing the LOTR movie in the theater! Every time the Nazgul screeched, my son, who wasn't quite born, would jump in my belly! I guess the screeching was high-pitched enough even he noticed! The dementors are such a unique idea, aren't they? Griffons are amazing, as well.. . Thanks for your comment!

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    2. The dementors are so creepy, but I agree they're very memorable! They remind me of the Spectres in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, which also really creeped me out. Erin, I love your story about your son jumping when the Nazgul screeched - talk about impressive sound effects :)

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    3. : ) Now that he is old enough to have seen the movies, it is a funny story! He doesn't jump anymore! : )

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  4. First are dragons, because they breath fire and fly
    Next are Ents from LOTR, though they are slow
    Lastly is the chimera, with the head of a goat, lion and dragon
    ~Carl

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    1. Ents are awesome! I forgot about those, but good call :) Sorry the comments with the images didn't work, I could see them on my e-mail notification but unfortunately they didn't show up right when it posted on the blog. Thanks for visiting!

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  5. Great list! : ) Dragons are great! What do you like about the Ents? I like them, too, but I'm curious. . . I forgot about the chimera! Thanks!

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  6. Great choices, Erin! I love mythical creatures. I would never have thought to include centaurs, though. Thanks for posting!

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  7. I personally love elves and phoenixes :) Great choices!

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