Favorite Paranormal Creature

[AgentRedgrave]

I think there may have already been a thread about this.
But, eh, what the heck?

So simple, just what's your favorite paranormal creature. Preferably keep to to things that are supernatural in nature (I.E. Magic) no mutations or something similar, and give a little rundown describing the creature, examples are optional, as is, why is it your favorite? Hybrids are allowed, but if they don't originate from lore, please explain where they're from (Example, Vampire/Werewolf mix, nothing about it in lore, but a few movies and shows have done it. Unlike half demons, vampires, or even gods, that have proper terms, and myths and legends about them)

I'll start (Duh) my favorite supernatural creature is a Dhampir.
Simply put, a dhampir is the offspring of a human and a vampire (Usually it's a human mother and a vampire father, but the reverse is sometimes true). As a result of being born with vampire blood, dhampirs possesses supernatural powers, it tends to vary. But the general consensus is that dhampirs have vampire powers, but not their weakness (But there have been variations. Watered down versions of strengths and weaknesses. Some powers and only a couple of the vulnerabilities. Or mortal, with enhanced strength, speeds, and senses. Whether they are immortal, mortal, or age slowly is where it varies the most)

While the dhampir originates from folklore, I admit, I do not know of any specific characters.

Modern pop culture on the other hand.....

My personal favorite underrated Marvel comics character, the vampire hunter Blade. Blade's got vampire powers, but the only specific weakness being the need for blood. Blade varies slightly, rather then being born between the union of a vampire and a human, Blade's mother was bitten late into her pregnancy, which caused her to go into labor as she turned

Other examples include Alucard from the classic Castlevania series, Rayne from the Bloodrayne video game series, D from the Vampire Hunter D manga and animated movies, and, arguably, Connor from the Buffy spin-off series Angel (Varies because both of his parents are vampires. But Connor himself simply possesses superhuman strength, speed, and senses, and quick healing. It is unknown if he is mortal or not, and he lacks a 'vamp face' or the thirst for blood).

Reasons I like dhampirs, I like the dark hero archetype, and being born part blood sucking demon certainly qualifies. I also like the duality, of being half human and half something else. Plus I think dhampirs, since MOST have the thirst for blood, there just seems to be more of a struggle with their nature

 

[DragonMaster2010]

I like those Japanese folklore creatures.. My most favorite being the one with the giant skeletons who turned invisible.

EDIT: Thanks AgentRedgrave

I really like the Gashadokuro for both their representation of the bones of starvation, but just how terrifying they really are. Like how would you feel walking alone at midnight, and suddenly you hear a ringing in your ear from behind you, and suddenly, you're whole body is clutched and the last sight of your life is the sight of a giant decomposing skull staring at you before seeing the inside of its gaping mouth?
That's a very grusome way to go.

Second favorite creatures are the Wendigo

These creatures can possess traits of humans physically or trick people into hearing the calls of a human being. They are associated with cannibalism and target those who partake in it. There have been many retelling of these creatures about them possessing the humans who partake in cannibalism or, with the recent release of the game Until Dawn, they possess those who are close to starvation and crave food while lost in the winter mountains.

Next for me is the Kuchisake-Onna

This legend has had many re-imaginings, but for the most part, the Kuchisake-onna (or slit-mouth woman) is an urban legend of a woman who was mutilated by her husband and returns as a malicious spirit of revenge. She's usually dressed in a long coat with raven long hair and a surgical mask over her face.
She appears in alleyways or dark places at night when you're alone. She appears behind you (or around you) and ask shyly "Do you think I'm pretty?" If you say no, she kills you with scissors immediately. If you say yes, she rips off her mask to reveal her mouth slit ear-to-ear like the black dahlia and ask "How about now?" If you say no, she cuts you in half, but if you say yes again, she slits your mouth to look like hers.
Sometimes she's depicted to just be a ghost who haunts and kills women.
I mostly knew about this creature before hand, but I remembered it thanks to an episode of Constantine who had the creature.


Another Japanese urban legend is Hanako-san

Hanako-san is basically the spirit of a young WWII era young girl who haunts school bathrooms. The legend is that if you go into the third stall of a girl's bathroom on the third floor of a school and knock three times before asking "Are you there, Hanako-san" you hear a small girl's voice answer "I'm here." If you choose to enter, you see a small girl in a red skirt.
Different prefectures of Japan depict her very differently.

• In Yamagata, after she answers and you enter the stall, you're eaten by a three headed lizard mimicking a girl's voice.
• In Iwate, after you call her name, a large white hand comes out of the door.
• In Kanagawa, After calling her, a blood stained hand appears.

Now for an England legend; Spring-Heeled Jack.

Now I know what you're thinking; Batman, right? Well, there's the possibility that Batman was based off of him.
So anyway, Spring-Heeled Jack is an urban legend about an entity who leaps from roof to roof who has a "devil-like" appearance. Some say he's depicted as a well-dressed tall man, i.e. "Slender man." I don't really know much on him at the moment, but he's definitely a theatrical kind of creature, and was what inspired Batman himself.

And finally, there's the legendary killer of London himself; Jack The Ripper

While not an urban legend nor a paranormal entity, there's something enthralling about this person. A mysterious drifter who goes out in the dead of foggy nights who kills women for apparently no reason. Some have theorized it to be out of personal history or a great sadistic desire to see dead women. Who knows. All I know is that, he, to me, counts as a supernatural-like entity who kills.

 

[AgentRedgrave]

I like those Japanese folklore creatures.. My most favorite being the one with the giant skeletons who turned invisible.

I searched it up, it's called "Gashadokuro" or "Odokuro"
Apparently they're said to be 15 times bigger then an average person, said to be formed from a mass of bones from people who died of starvation, and are indestructible and can turn invisible.

 

[Chancey289]

This thing. I call him Mr. Browneye because I forget what he's actually called. (get it haha I'm so clever). It's a creature from Japanese folklore too. Look it up.

 

[AgentRedgrave]

This thing. I call him Mr. Browneye because I forget what he's actually called. (get it haha I'm so clever). It's a creature from Japanese folklore too. Look it up.

Fitting, it's called a "Shirime" meaning "Buttocks Eye"

 

[Dante's Stalker]

One of my favourites is the Banshee.

Banshee in Irish means "woman of the fairies".
The story goes that the banshee is only visible to the person who will die soon, and often appears as a thin woman, old or young, and most frequently she'll be on the bank of a river washing the blood and gore from some clothing. If anyone was insane enough to ask her whose clothes she's washing, the answer would always be 'yours'. Cue your imminent death in the next 24hours - 14 days. (Me? I'd run like hell)
They're also known for their howling/wailing that signals death will be soon for someone. Most people can hear this wail, but again only the target will see the actual banshee.

Another favourite of mine is the Japanese ghost, (or Yurei I think?)

They're more often than not female (because apparently the female race have more feels than males), they're angry, and their hair is in disarray (not like the Grudge, that I think was still a bit too groomed and was a nonsensical story) because their only focus is revenge. That's their passion, their reason for hanging around. It's basically a woman on PMS who happens to be a ghost. And yes, they can kill (via insanity and/or suicide). Check out the movie Shutter (although it's a Thai film, the concept is pretty accurate in portraying this folk lore).

The Naga is another favourite of mine, just because of the potential it has for my fictional characters, and the matter that they live underground.

People really believe they exist. It's insane. And I really hate snakes, but you know, they're pretty cool from a fictional perspective.

AND, last but definitely not least, my all-time-favourite, hands-down:

Djinn. Made from smokeless fire, able to shapeshift, most often found in forests and deserts or oceans, also known as genies. Often associated with the colour blue, for some strange reason.

(RIP Robin Williams)

-edit-
Forgot, the reason why djinn are one of my favourites is because of this guy:

First and only character in horror that I've read that wasn't a vampire or a witch or a werewolf or a reincarnation or a fairy. I mean how many books are out there featuring a genie as the antagonist?
Or I guess I should say, how many books out there have you ROOTING FOR THE BAD GUY?

 

[Rebel Dynasty]

@Dante's Stalker Is that an artistic rendition of Julian? =D (As I recall, he likened himself to being djinn as well...or maybe Jenny made the connection, I don't remember). Definitely an antagonist I rooted for all the way through. ^^

As to the thread--I'm sure many people know (and are sick of) mine by now:




Phoenix

A bird that has made its way around various mythologies and under different names, the two cultures it is most closely linked with are Greek and Egyptian.

By definition, it is a long-lived bird that is "cyclically regenerated or reborn". Having strong ties with the sun, a phoenix is reborn from its own ashes, or in some beliefs, from the ashes of its predecessor. According to some texts, the phoenix could live over 1,400 years before the rebirthing cycle would start over again. In certain folklore, the phoenix would build its own funeral pyre of cinnamon twigs that it would then ignite with its own flames.

The phoenix's appearance varies from one culture to the next; some resembling peacocks, while others (like the Egyptian Bennu) resembled Herons, and still others bearing similarities to eagles and other birds of prey.

Honestly, I could go on and on about how much I love this particular mythological beastie, but that would be redundant. ^^; Suffice it to say that between its beauty, its power, and its metaphorical connotations, nothing else quite comes close to topping it in my list of favourites.

 

[Foxtrot94]

The Werewolf.

A cursed soul condemned to turn into a human/wolf hybrid every full moon.

Obviously there are tons and tons of variations and versions of the creature, from the classic to the "turn at will" one, from the quadruped to the biped one.
Me, I'm a fan of the biped one cause it conveys the concept of half man half wolf better.

I like the concept of the man who has to deal with the curse, and can end up eternally fighting it, or abandoning himself to it, even enjoying it.

The powers of a Werewolf change depending on which version you consider. It can be just a larger wolf or it can have inhuman strength, speed, reflexes and endurance. The latter ones are often found in the biped version, and it's the one I prefer.

I also like the Werewolf vs Vampire thing that's been around for quite a while.

I dig the conflict between the wild nature of the Werewolf and the more... "civilized" nature of the Vampire.

Overall, the figure of the Werewolf has always fascinated me ever since I was a kid. Still have to hunt one though. Not very easy to find.

 

[LordOfDarkness]

@Foxtrot94: My favourite creature happens to be Vampire.

So, it seems we are at odds, brother.

 

[absolitude]

i'll go with

barong

and rangda

they are supposedly of hinduism, but oddly enough can only be found in bali, so maybe they're more of a folklore..

really not interested in them before, but after reading about them in SMT games, their myth is interesting..

so they are like unseparable, they represent good (barong) and evil (rangda) and the never ending clash between them.. it was said that only they could end eachother, and that even if one dies, they'll resurrect again and start battling, and so the cycle never ends..

this is like ****ed up, so ****ed up that i'm putting this two into my DmC sequel fanfic, lol..

 

[AgentRedgrave]

@Foxtrot94: My favourite creature happens to be Vampire.

So, it seems we are at odds, brother.

I'm afraid we're at odds too man, since most dhampirs despise their vampire blood, and dedicate their lives as vampire hunters

The Werewolf.

A cursed soul condemned to turn into a human/wolf hybrid every full moon.

Obviously there are tons and tons of variations and versions of the creature, from the classic to the "turn at will" one, from the quadruped to the biped one.
Me, I'm a fan of the biped one cause it conveys the concept of half man half wolf better.

I like the concept of the man who has to deal with the curse, and can end up eternally fighting it, or abandoning himself to it, even enjoying it.

The powers of a Werewolf change depending on which version you consider. It can be just a larger wolf or it can have inhuman strength, speed, reflexes and endurance. The latter ones are often found in the biped version, and it's the one I prefer.

I also like the Werewolf vs Vampire thing that's been around for quite a while.

I dig the conflict between the wild nature of the Werewolf and the more... "civilized" nature of the Vampire.

Overall, the figure of the Werewolf has always fascinated me ever since I was a kid. Still have to hunt one though. Not very easy to find.

Werewolf's my number 2

 

[Foxtrot94]

I'm afraid we're at odds too man, since most dhampirs despise their vampire blood, and dedicate their lives as vampire hunters

So... the enemy of my enemy is my friend?

Werewolf's my number 2

Ha! Can't blame you. How badass is it, a Werewolf howling at the moon after having just gutted its prey.

 

[AgentRedgrave]

So... the enemy of my enemy is my friend?



Ha! Can't blame you. How badass is it, a Werewolf howling at the moon after having just gutted its prey.

Sure, and on a scale from 1 to 10? Hmmm probably a 15 lol