Hybrid beasts in folklore
Hybrid beasts are creatures composed of parts from different animals, including humans, appearing in the folklore of a variety of cultures as legendary creatures.
Assyrian shedu from the entrance to the throne room of the palace of Sargon II at Dur-Sharrukin (late 8th century BC), excavated by Paul-Émile Botta, 1843–1844, now at the Department of Oriental antiquities, Richelieu wing of the Louvre.
The falcon-headed Horus and crane-headed Seth.
Zeus darting his lightning at Typhon, shown as a hybrid with a human torso, bird's wings and a reptilian lower body (Chalcidian black-figured hydria, c. c. 550 BC, Staatliche Antikensammlungen Inv. 596).
Street festivities in Hyderabad, India, during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi.
A legendary creature is a type of fantasy entity, typically a hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore, but may be featured in historical accounts before modernity.
Several mythical creatures from Bilderbuch für Kinder (lit. 'picture book for children') between 1790 and 1822, by Friedrich Justin Bertuch
In classical mythology, the Minotaur was defeated by the hero Theseus.
Medieval bestiaries included mythical animals like the monoceros (above) alongside real animals like the bear.
Symbolic power: a dragon in the Imperial City, Huế, Vietnam
