Monster Encyclopedia - H

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hag

There are different forms of hags. The hag from European folklore is supernaturally ugly, associated with the devil and depicted sometimes as a witch. Hags are known to use a human as a mount and will "ride" them in their sleep, hence the term 'hag-ridden'. During sleep, a hag will climb onto a man's stomach or chest and will "ride" him. This will cause the man great discomfort and nightmares, and even, if the hag continues to ride the man, death.

In Celtic mythology a hag is an ancient spirit, usually seen carrying rocks in her apron which, when dropped, can cause mountains to form. it is said that if two hags are heard arguing, you should retreat indoors, for it may begin to rain boulders and trees.

There is also and Irish hag that helps out in the household with the spinning.

hameh

The Hameh is a bird that springs forth from the blood of a murdered victim in Arabic mythology. It has a monotonous call that means give me drink. The Hameh will not rest untill it has drunk its fill of the murderer's blood. It then flies off to the land of dead spirits where it announces that the original death has been avenged.

harpy

Originally wind spirits, the Harpies' inital role is to carry to Hades the souls of the dead. The harpies are born from Typhon and Echinda. There are four Harpies: Aello (meaning rain-squall), Celaeno (storm-dark), Okypete (swift-flying), and Podarge (swift-foot). In later myths the Harpies are featured as winged monsters with pale female human faces with long hair and claws made of brass. Although invulnerable, they always look hungry and withered. Everything that they touch immediately becomes contaminated with an awful stench. They were afraid of only one thing: the sound of a brass instrument.

hippocampus

The Hippocampus is a beast that is half-fish and half-horse. It may or may not have forelegs with webbed paws, but does have the tail of a horse or serpent. It may have a fin on its back. It is said to be the mount of Neptune. It appears in medieval heraldry.

hippocerf

The hippocerf is a creature that is half horse and half deer. It is said to represent indecision because of its opposing nature.

hippogryph

The hippogryph, living far beyond the seas in the Rhiphaean Mountains, is the result of the rare breeding of a male gryphon and a filly. It has the head, wings and front legs of a gryphon, and the back and hind legs of a horse. It is a large powerful creature that can move through the air more swiftly than ligthning. It figured in several of the legends of Charlemagne as a mount for some of the knights.

hobgoblin

The term hobgoblin is used to classify friendly spirits such as brownies and bogles. They are among the solitary færies that have a connection with a human family. Hobgoblins are generally good and friendly, but do have the potential for mischief. William Shakespeare popularized hobgoblins as the character Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream is an example of such a creature.

ho-oo

The Ho-Oo is the Japanese phoenix, the Ho being the male bird and the Oo being the female. It comes to earth to do good deeds for people, and this appearance symbolizes the beginning of a new era. The bird then ascends back to heaven to await a new era. It is much like the Chinese Phoenix the Feng-Huang. The Ho-Oo has been adopted as a symbol of the royal family, particularily the empress. It is supposed to represent the sun, justice, fidelity and obedience.

hsigo

The hsigo is much like the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz. They are monkeys with human faces. Their wings give these Chinese creatures the ability of flight.

humbata

The Sumerian epic concerning Gilgamesh describes a creature called Humbata. The humbata is described as having the horns of a bull, the paws of a lion and the talons of a vulture.

hydra

The hydra of Greek mythology is a fierce creature born from Echinda and Typhon. This water serpent was known as having multiple heads, usually numbered at nine. It was the second of Heracles' twelve labours to kill the hydra. During the fight, everytime Heracles chopped off one of the hydra's nine heads, two more grew in its place. So Heracles asked for the help of his nephew Iolaus, who would cauterize each stump when Heracles chopped off a head, preventing the regrowth of two heads. Because the last of the heads was immortal, Heracles was forced to bury it under a large boulder. After killing the Hydra, Heracles dipped his arrows in the blood of the beast. These arrows were used to killGeryon. However, this labour was not counted as Heracles was aided by Iolaus. It is sometimes said that the hydra had the body of a dog. It is said that the breath of the hydra is so poisonous that it could kill a man just by inhalation.

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