4 minute read
COVER FEATURE: MYTHS & MONSTERS
MYTHS MYTHS
ANANSI
A shape-shifting West African trickster and storyteller
FAMOUS FOR: Anansi is wise, clever and a master of spinning stories.
Sometimes he uses these skills to trick others into doing what he wants, but he also helps people by showing them how to use wisdom and cunning for their own benefit.
Anansi can change his shape and appear in many different forms, including as a man with eight spider’s legs. SIZE: Varies SPEED: 6/10 STRENGTH: 7/10 MAGICAL POWERS: 10/10
AND AND
MONSTERS MONSTERS
THUNDERBIRD
A legendary Native American bird that can make thunder and lightning
FAMOUS FOR: With the ability to create thunder with a beat of its wings and to flash lightning from its beak, a Thunderbird is an awesome sight. Sometimes it fights with the spirits of water or the earth to keep people safe. A Thunderbird can also appear to punish wrongdoers. It is so strong that it once plucked a whale right out of the sea with its talons.
SIZE: 7/10SPEED: 8/10STRENGTH: 10/10 MAGICAL POWERS: 8/10
MONSTERS MONSTERS
GOLEM
A clay figure from Jewish folklore who comes to life
FAMOUS FOR: Golems start out as small statues made from mud or clay but they can be magically brought to life. Living Golems are supernaturally strong and will always obey the commands of the person who created them, doing good or evil deeds depending on their wishes.
SIZE: 7/10SPEED: 4/10STRENGTH: 10/10 MAGICAL POWERS: 6/10 An ancient Egyptian god of the dead
SIZE: 5/10SPEED: 6/10STRENGTH: 7/10 MAGICAL POWERS: 10/10
FAMOUS FOR: One of the most powerful gods of ancient Egypt, Anubis either takes the form of a jackal or of a man with a jackal’s head. He is the Egyptian god of burial and, according to legend, the inventor of embalming, the process by which mummies are made. Anubis also guides souls of the dead to Duat, the ancient Egyptian underworld.
FAMOUS FOR: In Norse mythology, Ymir was the first frost giant from whom all the other giants and gods were descended. He SIZE: 10/10SPEED: 4/10STRENGTH: 9/10 MAGICAL POWERS: 7/10 was created from the drops of water that were made when the first ice met the first fire. He was eventually killed by his grandsons, including the god Odin, who made the earth, trees, sea and sky from Ymir’s body.
MEDUSA
Mythical Greek monster with hair made of snakes
FAMOUS FOR: As well as having writhing snakes for hair, Medusa’s gaze would make anyone who looked at her turn to stone. She was killed by the Greek hero Perseus, who avoided Medusa’s gaze by only looking at her reflection in his bronze shield.
SIZE: 5/10SPEED: 6/10STRENGTH: 8/10 MAGICAL POWERS: 10/10
FAMOUS FOR: According to legend, the evil Orochi demanded the sacrifice of a young woman once a year. However, Orochi was defeated by Susanoo, god of the sea and storms, who cut off all eight of its heads while the dragon was asleep.
MAUI
Polynesian trickster god who carries a giant fishhook
FAMOUS FOR: A cunning demi-god, Maui can change his shape and turn himself into any type of bird. His heroic feats include slowing down the Sun so that the days could last longer and creating the North Island of New Zealand (which is known as ‘The Fish of Maui’) by hauling it up from the bottom of the sea with his giant fishhook.
SIZE: 5/10SPEED: 6/10STRENGTH: 10/10 MAGICAL POWERS: 8/10 SIZE: 10/10SPEED: 6/10STRENGTH: 9/10 MAGICAL POWERS: 7/10
A magnificent Aztec warrior goddess
FAMOUS FOR: A powerful SIZE: 5/10SPEED: 6/10STRENGTH: 7/10 MAGICAL POWERS: 10/10
goddess from ancient Aztec mythology, Itzpapalotl guards over women who are about to give birth. She can appear in many forms, including as a beautiful woman and as a skeleton with giant butterfly’s wings.
CYCLOPS
A one-eyed giant from Greek mythology
FAMOUS FOR: The ancient Greeks believed in monstrous giants called Cyclopes who each had SIZE: 10/10SPEED: 3/10STRENGTH: 9/10 MAGICAL POWERS: 4/10 a single eye in the middle of their head. According to one legend, there were three Cyclopes who made the thunderbolts thrown by Zeus, the king of the gods.
