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In mythology and folklore, a mythological creature usually has a fantastic appearance and supernatural powers. [1] X Research source Many times these creatures serve a symbolic function. Examples of well-known mythological creatures include mermaids, trolls, fairies, dragons, unicorns, and centaurs. [2] X Research source These types of creatures are an important part of culture, appearing in oral stories, books, movies, and video games. It can be fun and interesting to create your own mythological beast.
Steps
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Give your creature a purpose. Thinking about the purpose of your mythological creature can help you to shape the development and look of your beast. This is especially important if you are creating a creature as a part of a game.
- Will your creature be a background part of a fantastical environment you want to create, a mount for a hero figure, or a fighter? Many mythological creatures have specific vocations or relationships to other creatures in a universe.
- Decide if you want your creature to be a companion to a creature that already exists.
- Discover the role you want your new creature to play in your mythology.
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Consider the personality traits of your creature. In addition to specific purposes, many mythological creatures also share certain moral and personality traits within their species. Think about what you want your creature to be like.
- Do you want your creature to be good or bad? Do you want it to be a singular, solitary beast, or do you want to create a legion of these creatures? For example, in Lord of the Rings , orcs were created as a dark, twisted mockery of elves and used in Sauron’s army. [3] X Research source
- What will the intelligence level of your creature be? Do you want it to be a trickster or strong but simplistic? Do you want it to be always good or self-serving?
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Assign your creature specific abilities. Based on the role you want your mythological creature to play in your fantasy universe, you need to give them attributes that will help them in that role. It can help to write down a list of attributes, and then narrow down that list to those essential for your creature. Some possible supernatural abilities include:
- Shape-shifting: the ability to change appearance at will
- Superb strength: a supernatural level of brute strength
- Flight: the ability to fly
- Underwater breathing: the ability to swim and breathe underwater
- Healing: the ability to heal wounds or sickness
- Foreshadowing: the ability to foresee or predict future events
- Climbing: the ability to scale walls or climb other tall structures without equipment
- Immortal: able to live forever
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Name your creature by using ancient words. To bring your creature into existence, you need to give it a name. Your name can be just a word that you like, or it can have a connection with your creature’s abilities or physical attributes.
- Consider using Latin or Greek in your name. Many fantastic creatures in mythology have Latin or Greek-based names. Using ancient language is a way to name your creature based on attributes without the name sounding silly.
- For example, in Latin, the word “inpennatus” means feathered. So, if your creature can fly, you might name it Inpennatus, or a variation of the word, like Pennatus.
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Create your own unique name for your creature. If you don’t want to name your creature using Latin or Greek word roots, you can make up an entirely new word to use as a name.
- One way to create a unique name for your creature is to make an anagram of one of its attributes. [4] X Research source This simply means rearranging the letters of the word. For example, if your creature is a fighter, you might rearrange the letters in the word “fighter,” and call your creature a Rheftig.
- If you find it difficult to come up with names of your own, try an online name generator. These can help you find unique mythological names quickly. [5] X Research source
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Think about the scale of your mythological creature. The size of your creature is a large part of its overall look. Whether your creature is large or small will be largely based on how you want others to perceive the creature. It can also correlate to the attributes you chose for your creature. For example:
- If you envision your creature to be a trickster or as being very sneaky, you might want to make it smaller in stature, like a leprechaun or an elf.
- If your creature has an attribute like supernatural strength, you may want it to be large in size to show off this attribute.
- Give your creature a surprising attribute. For example, a small creature with super strength could be surprising and advantageous.
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Consider texture and animal-like attributes. Many mythological creatures take on aspects of multiple normal animals, and thus become a more formidable composite creature. For example, the majestic hippogriff has the front half of a gryphon and the back half of a horse. [6] X Research source Centaurs have the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse. [7] X Research source
- Think about the traits of your creature. If your creature is strong and a fighter, consider giving it a physical trait from a strong creature like an eagle, snake, or alligator.
- If your mythological creature has wings, decide what sort of wings you want them to be. Do you want feathered wings, bat-like wings, wings with scales, or insect wings?
- Do you want your creature to have scales, smooth skin, fur, or feathers on its body?
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Decide on a color for your mythological creature. Once you have determined the body type of your creature, you want to assign it a coloring. This might be a singular color or multiple colors. This coloring might be glossy or matte.
- Take the function of your creature into account. For example, if you want your creature to be camouflaged in its environment, you may want to give it a neutral color.
- A vibrant coloring, on the other hand, can show off its attributes and make your creature stand out.
- For example, the phoenix, also known as the firebird, has a bright orange and red coloring, which matches its name and abilities. [8] X Research source
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Create accessories for you mythological creature. As well as creating the look for your mythological creature, you can also add on to their overall abilities and look with accessories like clothing and weapons.
- Consider armor. Will your creature’s armor be purely natural, like scales, or do you also want to create something for you creature to wear?
- If you do want to accessorize your creature, think about what material and color you want these accessories to be.
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Sketch your creature. This will help you to see your finished creature as you envisioned it. You can draw with a pencil on paper or sketch your creature digitally. Take your time when you sketch your creature. Sketch it from multiple different angles to show off its various physical traits. [9] X Research source
- Be sure to label the creature with its name.
- If you can't draw, ask someone to draw it for you. Alternatively, find similar pictures online and trace over them.
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Add color to your sketch. Color will bring life to your mythological creature. You can use it to add detail to your drawing. With color, you’ll be able to see your full vision for your creature drawn out on paper.
- Use markers, crayons, or colored pencils for simple, mess-free color.
- If you want to create a more complex type of artwork, try using paints. Oil, acrylic, and watercolor will all work for your project.
- Alternatively, scan your image into the computer and paint it digitally using an image editing program, such as Photoshop.
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Write about your mythological creature. Storytelling is an essential part of mythology and bringing your creation to life in your mythological world. Start by simply writing down all of your creature’s abilities.
- Give your creature an origin story, or even multiple alternate origin stories. This is simply an account of where the creature originated. [10] X Research source
- For example, by one account in Greek mythology, centaurs came into being when Ixion fell in love with the wife of Zeus, Hera. Ixion arranged to meet with Hera, but Zeus found out and formed a cloud into the shape of Hera. When Ixion embraced the cloud form, centaurs were made from the union. [11] X Research source
- In addition to origin stories, you can also create stories of the journeys your creature has gone on, and/or the battles it has fought.
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Weave your mythological creature into a larger narrative. You’ll have to decide whether you want to add your mythological creature to the lore of a world that already exists in a book, movie, or game, or create your own world.
- Write about how your creature relates to others in the world you choose. Does it have specific allies or enemies?
- Think about communication. What type of language does your creature have? What is its personality temperament?
- You can write stories, lists, or create graphic style artwork to weave your creature into a larger mythology.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat if you can't draw? I'm so bad at drawing.Community AnswerYou don't have to draw to be able to create an exciting creature. You can explore options for drawing your creature digitally, or simply write down your creature's appearance in great detail. Words can create a picture, too.
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QuestionIs it best if I mix two animals together like hippogriffs are half horse and half eagle?or should I just add a feature to an animal like a unicorn is a horse with a horn? Or should i do something else?Mia KelchnerCommunity AnswerYou can do both. You can have as many creatures as you want. One could be a normal animal with a different feature, and the other can be a hybrid. You can do both or whichever one feels better to you.
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QuestionIs Elagosacokk a good mythical creature name? It’s a part elephant, part cat, part goat, part snake, and part peacock. It lives in the mountains.Mia KelchnerCommunity AnswerThat is a great name! You have a very vivid imagination. The creature sounds very interesting, too. You should go for it!
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Tips
- Use online resources, like mythological creature archives, to see if your creature already exists.Thanks
- Just take a quote/saying/idiom and see the literal part of it. It can be used as one of your creature's traits.Thanks
- When sketching, a good physical attribute can be walking a fine line between creepy and normal. No one likes a completely unremarkable creature, but scary and startling isn't always the way to go.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- Look at real-life animals for inspiration. This can be really helpful if you're stuck with your design! Reference a few pictures, or even combine a few together. This can help you learn the anatomy--just be sure the body structure is believable. For example, think about what physical traits the creature may need to survive.
- If you have a hard time coming up with ideas, get inspiration from movies, books, or images you find online. For example, The Croods can give inspiration for a wild, exotic, and jungle-like vibe. Be inspired, but try not to plagiarize someone else's creation!
- Think of a backstory for your creature. Does it have allies or enemies? This can help make their image more concrete in your imagination!
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Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Pen
- Colored pencils, any type of crayons, or markers
References
- ↑ http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Mythical_creature
- ↑ http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/List+of+Mythical+Creatures
- ↑ https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Orcs
- ↑ https://wordsmith.org/anagram/def.html
- ↑ https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/monster_list.html
- ↑ http://mythicalrealm.com/creatures/hippogriff.html
- ↑ https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Centaur/centaur.html
- ↑ https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Centaur/centaur.html
- ↑ https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/09/50-clever-tutorials-and-techniques-on-traditional-drawing/
About This Article
Article Summary
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Mythological creatures are fantastical and often have supernatural powers like Medusa or fire-breathing dragons. To create your own, try mixing parts of different animals. For example, a centaur is half horse and half man. Think about the size of your creature. Many monsters in myths are huge, but it depends on what you want. You can also give your creature special abilities like flying, being able to change shape, or having supernatural strength. Consider what purpose your creature serves, like guarding a special treasure or being the companion to a great hero. If you’re stuck for a name, look up Greek and Latin words that represent your creature’s abilities for inspiration. For more tips, including how to draw a sketch of your mythological creature, read on!
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