Like Melusine, they would be a beautiful women from the waist up, but instead of having legs and feet their bottom half would be a fishes tail. Mermaids вЂ“ another type of half-human/half-monster were mermaids. See also: When a Knight meets a Dragon Maiden: Human Identity and the Monstrous Animal Other

The most famous story about her was written byВ Jean dвЂ™Arras in the late-14th century, where this half-woman/half-serpent gets a husband, at least until he sees her on a Saturday! Melusine вЂ“ before becoming the logo for Starbucks, Melusine was an interesting medieval character. The place where he fell, taking its name from the giantвЂ™s fall, is called Lam GoГ«magot, that is, GoГ«magotвЂ™s Leap, to this day. At which Corineus, highly enraged, roused up his whole strength, and snatching him upon his shoulders, ran with him, as fast as the weight would allow him, to the next shore, and there getting upon the top of a high rock, hurled down the savage monster into the sea where falling on the sides of craggy rocks, he was torn to pieces, and coloured the waves with his blood. The description by the ancient writer Pliny the Elder, that вЂњthey are in the habit of lying on their backs, during the time of the extreme heat, and protect themselves from the sun by the shade of their feet,вЂќ doesnвЂ™t seem to have changed much during the Middle Ages, and they are often depicted with their one foot up.ДЄt the beginning of the encounter, Corineus and the giant, standing, front to front, held each other strongly in their arms, and panted aloud for breath, but GoГ«magot presently grasping Corineus with all his might, broke three of his ribs, two on his right side and one on his left. Skiapodes вЂ“ these people were known for having one leg with a very large foot. And to give faith to this assertion, the Lombards spread their tents wide and kindle a great many fires in their camp.вЂќ The enemy, frightened by this threat, decided not to leave the Lombards alone. They spread the rumor among the enemy that these men wage war obstinately, drink human blood and quaff their own gore if they cannot reach the foe. The Lombards made a plan where вЂњthey pretend that they have in their camps Cynocephali, that is, men with dogsвЂ™ heads. In his work The History of the Lombards Paul the Deacon tells of an early story where the Lombards were facing a more powerful enemy. And there are in another place folk with flat faces, without noses or eyes but they have two small holes instead of eyes, and a flat lipless mouth.вЂќД¬ynocephali вЂ“ the dogheaded peoples were another favourite of medieval writers. In yet another part there are headless men whose eyes and mouths are on their backs. He writes: вЂњIn another part, there are ugly folk without heads, who have eyes in each shoulder their mouths are round, like a horseshoe, in the middle of their chest. Mandeville has them inhabiting part of fifty-four large islands in south Asia, somewhere around the Andaman Islands. One popular example of this kind of beast was the manticore, which was usually described as having the head of man, the body lion, and the tail of a scorpion.Д«lemmyae вЂ“ one of the common monstrous peoples found in medieval manuscripts were the Blemmyae, who had no head, but would have their face on their torso.В Some writers mention these people as living somewhere in Africa, beyond Ethiopia. Manticores вЂ“ a favourite type of monster for ancient and medieval writers were those that were hybrids of various animals and even men: to have to head of one creature, the body of another and perhaps the feet or arms of a third. See also: The use of unicorn horn in medicine The unicorn is too strong to be caught by hunters, except by a trick: if a virgin girl is placed in front of a unicorn and she bares her breast to it, all of its fierceness will cease and it will lay its head on her bosom, and thus quieted is easily caught.вЂќ It fights with elephants and kills them by wounding them in the belly. The seventh-century writer Isidore of Seville, explains вЂњThis is a four-footed beast that has a single horn on its forehead it is very strong and pierces anything it attacks. During the Middle Ages these beasts gained a larger mythical background. Unicorns вЂ“ Ancient Greek writers were the first to describe a unicorn вЂ“ a beast with a long horn вЂ“ and placed them in India (it is thought that they may have based on the rhinoceros). See also: What did Dragons look like for the Vikings?

Top 10 d&d monsters