We have explored the oceans, we have explored
space, we have explored demons lurking in
the depths of the underworld.
However, today, let’s turn our attention
towards the skies.
As innocuous as it may be, according to folklore,
there are mythical monsters lurking above,
waiting patiently to feast on our souls.
So today on Top 5 Scary Videos, I’m going
to be counting down our list of the Top 5
Scariest Mythological Monsters That Rule The
Skies.
Before we begin though, be sure to stick around
until the end of the video where I’ll be
responding to some of your comments.
And with that, let’s jump in.
5 Harpy
Hailing from Greek mythology and Roman mythology,
a Harpy is a half-human and half-bird personification
of storm winds.
They have generally been depicted as birds
with the heads of maidens, faces pale with
hunger and long claws on their hands.
They have however been depicted in various
forms by various writers.
To Hesiod, they were imagined as fair-locked
and winged maidens, who surpassed winds and
birds in the rapidity of their flight.
The Harpies seemed originally to have been
wind spirits.
Their names meaning “Snatchers” or “swift
robbers” and they steal food from their
victims while they are eating and carry evildoers
to the Erinyes.
If a person were to suddenly disappear from
Earth, it was said that he had been carried
off by the Harpies.
In this form they were agents of punishment
who abducted people and tortured them on their
way to Tartarus.
They were depicted as being vicious, cruel
and violent.
They were sometimes even referred to as “the
hounds of mighty Zeus”.
In later text, writers listed the Harpies
among the guardians of the underworld, among
other monstrosities such as Centaurs, Scylla,
Briareus, Lernaean Hydra, Chimera, Gorgons,
and Geryon.
4 Hippogriff
The Hippogriff is a legendary creature which
has the front half of an eagle and the hind
half of a horse.
The second mention of the Hippogriff in history
was made by the Latin poet Jamie Unni.
Though sometimes depicted during the Classical
Era and during the rule of the Merovingians,
it was used by Ludovico Ariosto in his Orlando
Furioso, at the beginning of the 16th century.
In the poem, the hippogriff is a steed born
of a mare and a griffin -- it is extremely
fast and is presented as being able to fly
around the world and to the Moon.
It is often ridden by magicians and the wandering
knight Ruggiero, and from the creature’s
back frees the beautiful Angelica.
The Hippogriff is a symbol of the Greek god
Apollo, either through his connection to the
Muses or as God of the Sun.
In the aforementioned poem by Arisoto, the
Hippogriff is described as, I quote: “no
fiction wrought magic lore, But natural was
the steed the wizard pressed; For him a filly
to griffin bore; Hight hippogryph.
In wings and beak and crest, Form like his
sire, as in the feet before; But like the
mare, his dam, in all the rest.
Such on Riphaean hills, though rarely found,
Are bred, beyond the frozen ocean’s bound.
Drawn by enchantment from his distant lair,
The wizard thought but how to tame the foal;
And, in a month, instructed him to bear Saddle
and bit, and gallop to the goal; And execute
on Earth or in mid air, All shifts of manege,
course and caracole; He with such labour wrought.
This only real, Where all the rest was hollow
and ideal.”
However, Thomas Bulfinch’s Legend of Charlemagne
continues the description by stating, I quote:
“Like a griffin, it has the head of an eagle,
claws armed with talons, and wings covered
with feathers, the rest of its body being
that of a horse.
This strange animal is called a Hippogriff.
The Hippogriff is said to be an evil spirit
resting and possessing its soul in that of
a horse and griffon.”
3 Sylph
Sylph is a mythological air spirit, with the
term originating in the 16th century works
of Paracelsus, who described Sylphs as invisible
beings of the air, his elementals of air.
In the Liber de Nymphis of the Philosophia
Magna, Paracelsus discusses the characteristics
of the elementals at length.
Sylphs are rougher, coarser, taller and stronger
than humans.
Sylphs are said to be closest to humans in
conception because they move through the air
like we do, while in fire they burn, in water
they drown, and in earth, they get stuck.
In 1765, the French author Jean-Francois Marmontel
had found the Sylph legend to be notable enough
to be included among his Moral Tales, the
story of “the Sylph-Husband”, in which
a young woman obsessed with the idea of marrying
a Sylph is deluded into falling in love with
her arranged-husband after he impersonates
one.
Savage.
As you would expect, Sylphs have often been
compared to Fairies, due to their association
with the ballet La Sylphide, where Sylphs
are identified with fairies and the medieval
legends of fairlands, as well as the confusion
with other “airy spirits”, a slender woman
may be referred to as a Sylph.
2 Wyvern
A Wyvern is a legendary bipedal dragon with
a tail often ending in a diamond or arrow
shaped tip.
The Wyvern is a popular creature in European
and British literature, video games, and modern
fantasy.
In heraldry and folklore, the Wyvern is a
fire-breathing two-legged dragon, sometimes
portrayed in fantasy books as frost-breathing
or poison-breathing.
Since the sixteenth century, in English, Scottish,
and Irish heraldry, the key difference between
the Wyvern and Dragon is that a wyvern has
two legs, whereas a dragon has four.
In modern fiction is where this beast shines
though, Wyverns, when present as creatures
tend to appear as less magical and more as
dangerous beasts: smaller, weaker, and less
intelligent than dragons.
Also unlike Dragons, who are more feared for
their ferocity and sharp teeth, Wyverns are
often associated with poison, either in the
form of venomous fangs or poisonous breath,
but this trait is not universally represented.
Outside of fiction, the Wyvern is a fairly
popular commercial logo or mascot, especially
in Wales and Worcestershire.
As well as is a frequent mascot of athletic
teams, colleges, and universities.
In English heraldry and vexillology, the Wyvern
often appears, typically depicted resting
upon its legs and tail, but may also be depicted
with its claws in the air and only supported
by its tail.
1 Griffin
The Griffin, also known as Griffon or Gryphon,
is a legendary creature with the body, tail,
and back legs of a lion; the head and wings
of an eagle; and sometimes an eagle’s talons
as its front feet.
Now, because the lion was considered the King
of the beasts, and the eagle king of the birds,
by the Middle Ages the griffin was thought
to be an especially powerful and majestic
creature.
Since classical antiquity, griffins were known
for guarding treasures and priceless possessions.
Most statuary representations of Griffins
depict them with bird-like talons, and are
oftentimes feathered, and when depicted on
coats of arms, the griffin is called the Opinicus,
referring to the serpent astronomical constellation.
Now, representations of griffin-like hybrids
with four legs and beaked head appeared in
Ancient Iranian and Ancient Egyptain art dating
back to before 3000 BC.
Now, in Medieval Lore, griffins not only mated
for life, but if either partner died, then
the other would continue the rest of its life
alone, never to search for a new mate.
The griffin was in turn made an emblem of
the Church’s opposition to remarriage.
Being an aerial bird and a terrestrial beast,
it was seen in Christendom to be a symbol
of Jesus, who was both human and divine.
John Milton in Paradise Lost II, refers to
the legend of the griffin in describing Satan:
“As when a Gryfon through the Wilderness,
with winged course ore Hill or moarie Dale,
Pursues the ARIMASPIAN, who by stealth, Had
from his wakeful custody purloined, The guarded
Gold.”
Younger viewers may also be familiar with
the Griffon from the Harry Potter series.
Well, there we have it!
Do you guys agree with our list?
Were there any mythological monsters that
we missed?
Leave us all your thoughts and feelings in
the comments down below and perhaps we can
do a part 2.
Before I go though, I just want to respond
to a few comments from one of our last videos,
Top 5 Scariest Aquatic Monsters You Need To
Read About.
Inger Rogers said: I love Lucy!
You’ve won me over.
It’s a pleasure to listen to you tell a
story.
Happy Holidays and a safe New Year to you
and yours.”
-----
Christopher England said: “Loving the monsters
of the deep.”
----
Preforit said: “Thanks, Lucy, I cancelled
my scuba trip because of a previous don’t
go in the water video.
But now I have to invent a transporter to
really avoid the Oceans.”
-----
Allen Linley said: “Lucy to you and the
staff of Top 5 and to all the viewers, I wish
you a Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays and
a very Happy New Year.”
----
And on that note, if you haven’t already,
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And until next time, see ya later.
