Ways to use this list
- Myths topic at school: spin a creature, find the country its story comes from on a world map, and retell the legend in three sentences.
- Drawing challenge: spin two creatures and draw a mix of them, such as a griffin with a kelpie's seaweed mane, then give your new beast a name.
- Tabletop games: spin to decide what the travellers meet at the river crossing, then read up on that creature's legend to decide how it behaves.
- Bedtime stories: a child spins the creature, then you make up a gentle tale in which it needs help instead of causing trouble.
Press Spin the wheel, tap the game or press the Space bar. Change the list in the box as you
like: add your own, delete what doesn't suit you, or write *2 after an entry to give it double the
chance. The game buttons switch the same list to a duck race, hat, claw machine and more.
The full list (52 entries)
- Dragon – giant winged reptile from legends worldwide
- Griffin – lion with the head and wings of an eagle
- Phoenix – firebird reborn from its own ashes (Greek legend)
- Unicorn – horse with a single horn (European legend)
- Pegasus – winged horse (Greek myth)
- Mermaid – half human, half fish, from sea legends worldwide
- Centaur – half human, half horse (Greek myth)
- Minotaur – bull-headed man of the Cretan labyrinth (Greek myth)
- Hydra – many-headed water serpent (Greek myth)
- Sphinx – lion with a human head (Egyptian and Greek)
- Chimera – lion, goat and serpent in one (Greek myth)
- Harpy – bird-woman of the storm winds (Greek myth)
- Cyclops – one-eyed giant (Greek myth)
- Kraken – giant sea monster (Norse legend)
- Troll – hulking creature of hills and bridges (Scandinavian folklore)
- Selkie – seal that sheds its skin to walk on land (Scottish and Irish)
- Kelpie – shape-shifting water horse (Scottish)
- Leprechaun – shoemaker fairy with a pot of gold (Irish)
- Pixie – small, mischievous sprite (Cornwall and Devon)
- Brownie – helpful little house spirit (Scottish)
- Will-o'-the-wisp – ghostly light over marshes (European folklore)
- Basilisk – serpent king with a deadly stare (European legend)
- Wyvern – two-legged dragon (European heraldry)
- Hippogriff – half horse, half eagle (Italian poetry)
- Roc – bird big enough to carry an elephant (Arabian tales)
- Simurgh – wise, enormous bird (Persian)
- Manticore – lion with a human face and a scorpion's tail (Persian)
- Kitsune – fox spirit that grows extra tails with age (Japanese)
- Kappa – water imp that loves cucumbers (Japanese)
- Tengu – bird-like mountain spirit (Japanese)
- Baku – creature that eats bad dreams (Japanese, from Chinese legend)
- Qilin – gentle hooved creature that brings good fortune (Chinese)
- Nian – beast scared off by firecrackers and the colour red (Chinese New Year)
- Firebird – glowing bird of fairy tales (Slavic)
- Rusalka – water spirit of lakes and rivers (Slavic)
- Domovoi – house spirit who guards the home (Slavic)
- Leshy – shape-shifting guardian of the forest (Slavic)
- Bunyip – creature of swamps and waterholes (Aboriginal Australian)
- Yeti – snow ape of the Himalayas
- Sasquatch – huge, hairy forest giant (North American)
- Jackalope – rabbit with antelope horns (American folk humour)
- Tikbalang – horse-headed forest trickster (Philippine)
- Dryad – tree spirit (Greek myth)
- Faun – goat-legged woodland spirit (Roman myth)
- Sea serpent – giant snake of the deep (sailors' tales)
- Gnome – small earth spirit (European folklore)
- Fairy – small magical being (European folklore)
- Ogre – big, hungry giant (European fairy tales)
- Salamander – spirit that lives in fire (old European lore)
- Cockatrice – rooster-headed serpent (European legend)
- Impundulu – lightning bird (Southern African)
- Grootslang – giant serpent of a deep cave (South African)
Questions people ask
Which mythical creatures come from Greek myths?
Pegasus, the centaur, the Minotaur, the hydra, the chimera, the harpies and the cyclopes all come from ancient Greek stories. Press Greek myths to spin only those.
Can I see pictures of the creatures?
Put an emoji in front of a name, like 🐉 Dragon or 🦄 Unicorn, and it shows on the wheel. You can also add your own drawings in 🖼️ Photos to see them on the slices and the winner card.
Were any mythical creatures based on real animals?
Some may have been. In medieval Europe, narwhal tusks were sold as unicorn horns, and some historians think griffin legends grew from dinosaur fossils seen by ancient travellers in Central Asia.
How is this different from the monster generator?
This page sticks to creatures from real myths and folk tales. For original monsters to battle or befriend in a game, spin the monster generator.