Magical Creatures

Fantasy creatures create the best fairy tales of all time. From "The Hobbit" to "Beowulf", great stories of fantastic realms have always included wonderful mythical creatures. We know Pegasus from the remake of the Greek legend of Hercules even though he was historically the pet of Bellerophon. We know elves as the helpers of Santa Claus, as well as from the forests of Middle Earth.

There are so many great magical creatures that it is sometimes hard to tell which is a dwarf or a gnome, and what is the difference between a goblin and golem. For a simple guide to the realm of fantastic creatures, we have outlined where you may find a few of these beings, and which of them may grant your wish!

Dragons

Stories with Dragons:
"The Hobbit"
"Beowulf"
Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey

Unicorns

The unicorn is possibly the most beautiful of all mythical creatures. Famed to be lost in a thick forest bordering on the real and magical realms, the unicorn is such a breathtaking creature that she commands respect. But her relationship with humans very often proves to be detrimental to her fantastic realm.

The unicorn is kept alive in art. Many of the mythical being's fans create pictures to demonstrate her imaginative beauty, and we see examples of the graceful creature in movies and as book covers.

Stories with Unicorns:
"The Unicorn Song" by Shel Silverstein
"The Unicorn" By Nancy Hathaway

Pegasus

Pegasus is a horse of another color. The mythical winged creature is known to many kids today as the steed that carried Hercules through the movie. But in fact, Pegasus was the pet of Bellerophon. Greek Mythology says that Bellerophon tamed the horse with a golden bridle until one way when Zeus made the creature into a constellation.

Stories with Pegasus:
Greek Mythology
Disney's "Hercules" and "Fantasia" films
"Pegasus the Flying Horse" by Jane Yolen

Mermaid

As the focus of story and legends from all over the world, the mermaid has captivated the world for centuries in Literature and Art. The half-female, half-fish being is another beautiful creation of a fantasy world, but don't be lured too near her beauty. She is blamed for many mysteriously disappearring sailors.

Resources:

"The Little Mermaid"

Stories with Mermaids:
"The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen
"Peter Pan" by J.M. Barrie
"The Sea King's Daughter" A Russian Legend

Troll

Trolls have crept through centuries of stories and legends, generally acting as aggressors or grumpy guardians. They keep our favorite characters from crossing bridges and argue amongst themselves about who is going to eat their captives. These creatures of Scandinavian folklore are sometimes stooped and nasty creatures, as in the film "Willow" or "Three Billy Goat's Gruff". But they can also be giants with great strength and hoardes of treasure taken from captives, as in "The Hobbit".

Resources:
Gareth Long's Encyclopedia of Monsters: Troll
Three Billy Goat's Gruff: Readers Theatre Script

Stories with Trolls:
"Three Billy Goat's Gruff"
"The Hobbit"

Fairies

Admired for their miniature beauty and awesome agility of flight, fairies flit through ancient and modern works of fantasy. The tiny beings are similar to humans but are extremely small, and are said to have magical powers. From "Tinkerbell" to Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, these wonderful wisps have been seen granting wishes all over the world.

Resources:

Fairy Tale: A True Story
"The Blue Fairy Book"
"The Nutcracker"

Stories with Fairies:

"Peter Pan" by J.M. Barrie
"The Nutcracker Suite"
"Cinderella"

More Magical Creatures

Elf - a small, often mischievous, imaginary creature
Dwarf - a person, animal, or plant whose size is very much smaller than normal
Gnome - a dwarflike creature who lives underground and guards treasure or precious metals
Goblin - an ugly, grotesque creature said to be mischeivous and often maliciously evil
Gollum - a dark creature who lives on a lake deep in a cave. From "The Hobbit"
Hobbit - a small human-like creature who lives in Middle Earth, loves peace and quiet, and has fur on the tops of his feet. From "The Hobbit"
Giant - an enormous legendary manlike being of extraordinary strength
Ghost - the spirit of a dead person believed to appear to or haunt living persons
Beast - an animal, especially a 4-footed animal
Owls - a nocturnal bird of prey having a large head with a short, hooked beak
Gryphon - a fabulous beast with a lion's body and an eagle's head and wings
Centaur - a creature of Greek mythology that has a man's head arms and trunk, and a horse's legs and body
Werewolf - a person thought capable of taking on the form of a wolf
Shapechanger - a creature that is able to take on nearly any other form
Spirit - a ghost or spectre
Elemental - a being created from fire, wind, earth, or water. This being is usually controlled by anoher force.
Phoenix - a bird of legend said to consume itself of fire after centuries and rise renewed from its ashes