#7 - Cocakatrice

The next creature in the series comes from the middle ages. The cockatrice first appears around the 12th century. Early accounts describe the creature as a winged dragon or serpent with the head and legs of a rooster. The beast was said to be created when a rooster egg was hatched by a toad or a snake. This mixture of male egg and reptile care imbued the cockatrice with a glare that could turn living creatures to stone and venomous breath. The only creatures known to be able to kill a cockatrice were weasels, who were somehow immune to the creature's death stare. Other means of dispatching a cockatrice were to force it to listen to a rooster crowing or to make it look into a mirror.
The cockatrice legend is fairly limited in distribution. By the Enlightenment, the legend seems to have all but died out. Interestingly, the legend partially lives on in the form of the basilisk. In many early texts - and even the King James Bible - cockatrice, basilisk, and viper were used interchangeably. It's not clear how a dragon-rooster hybrid and a viper were the same, but the term cockatrice seems to have been used for any dangerous slithery creature.

This is actually a basilisk.

The cockatrice left a limited legacy culturally. A handful of nobles used the creature in their heraldry, but it is relatively rare compared to other mythical beasts. Some of the only modern uses of the cockatrice are in Dungeons and Dragons and Magic the Gathering. The related basilisk has done slightly better, popping up in Harry Potter and other fantasy novels, but sill has a limited impact. Ultimately, the concept of a toad caring for a rooster egg was probably just too out there post-enlightenment to carry on and, without the strong historical basis of other legends, the beast was left at the wayside.

Next week: One eye, all the better to see you with.

#6 - Tyrannosaurus Rex

Stepping out of the legendary realm and into pre-history, the next monster on our list is the infamous T. Rex, probably one of the most famous of all the dinosaurs. One of the largest land carnivores known to exist during the late Cretaceous period, T. Rex specimens have been measured to 42 ft long and 13 feet tall. While this is short of the MIMP description of an animal that eats suburbs for desert, there is no denying that T. Rex was a large beast. There is ongoing debate, however, as to how ferocious the 'king of the dinosaurs' actually was. Because of the immense size of the fossilized remains and large serrated dentition found early on in the history of paleontology, it was assumed that Rex was a ferocious hunter. Recently, however, studies have suggested that the animal's gait and stature (especially in the small forearms) suggest a scavenger that would use it's bulk to scare off competitors. Originally described as its own species in 1905, Rex has undergone significant changes in the past 100 years. Early size estimates have been slashed, early models of locomotion and posture have been changed, and models of behavior and social structure have been altered. One thing that has not changed, however, is the public's fascination with this dino.


Probably one of the only animals popularly known by it's scientific rather than common name, Rex is one of the most instantly recognizable dinosaurs in history. The first film appearance of T. Rex was in King Kong. Claymation appearances continued throughout the sci-fi genre and the T. Rex became fodder for any movie that needed a good monster. In 1993, Jurrasic Park rehabilitated the dinosaur's image with a more serious approach to dinosaur effects. Since then, T. Rex appearances have been more on the serious side, with a boom in documentaries on prehistoric life and a number of dinosaur themed animated movies focused on children. This dominance in popular culture has lead many to credit the T. Rex for their interest in paleontology as children and into adulthood.

Next week: another hybrid beast with strong roots in medieval lore.

#5 - Griffin

Continuing the tradition of mythical beasts, our next monster, the Griffin, comes from antiquity. The first mention of this eagle headed lion hybrid dates to at least 1500 BC on a fresco in Knossos and the creature has been with us ever since (an extensive collection of Griffin imagery from different eras is available here). Properly described, the Griffin has the head, wings, and talons of an eagle and the large ears and rear of a lion. In some instances, the Griffin is said to also have a snake as a tail or to be as large as eight lions. It is unclear where the Griffin concept comes from, but some theories include large terrestrial birds such as ostriches or the misidentification of fossils.

In any event, the myth has been greatly expanded from a simple eagle-lion (and sometimes snake) hybrid. From the beginning of the myth, Griffins have been described as obsessed with gold and treasure, often depicted as protecting wealth. From the 9th century on, a focus shifted from appearance to describing mating habits. It was decided that Griffin's were monogamous and if one partner died before the other they would not seek a new mate. In the 12th century, the egg laying habits of the Griffin were debated, with some claiming that Griffins just had large eggs and others claiming that they hatched from chunks of agate. To add more hybridization, if a griffin mated with a horse, the result was a hippogriff. All in all, the interest in Griffin mating habits probably reflects the growing agrarian nature of society and the growing importance of husbandry.
By the 12th century, the Griffin was strongly entrenched in society. The myth was becoming more standardized, people were buying goblets made of 'Griffin' eggs (ostrich eggs) and 'Griffin' talons (antelope or sheep horns). The most enduring representation of the Griffin, however, is in heraldry. Because of the traditional association of the Griffin with nobility and wealth, it was a common charge in medieval heraldry. It was so popular, in fact, that different versions were created to keep up with demand. Removing the wings, the Griffin became an Alce. Replace the talons with lion legs and you have an Opinicus. The extensive use of Griffins in heraldry continues to today and is likely the strongest legacy of the beast, appearing on tchotchkes at any Renaissance fair or Irish festival.


In popular culture, the Griffin is all over the place but is very strongly represented in the Harry Potter series. Not only is Harry's house (Gryffindor) named after the beast, but the horse-griffin hybrid discussed above also makes an appearance. Many schools and institutions have a Griffin either in their logo or as a mascot (William and Mary or Reed College). The Griffin is also well represented in all types of fantasy writing and games. Despite it's ancient origins, most representations are associated with medieval Britain.

Next week: strap into the time machine for a truly ancient beast.

#4 - Behemoth

Returning to Biblical monsters, the fourth entry in the MIMP series was the Behemoth. Originating in the Book of Job (the only mention of the beast in the Bible as a whole) alongside the aquatic monster Leviathan, the Behemoth was a gigantic beast that could not be tamed or harmed by man but could be controlled only by God. Ultimately, the message was less to watch out for giant beasts and more to show the unfailing nature of God's power. It seems that there has long been an argument about what the Behemoth actually was. Early bibles used Behemoth and elephant interchangeably, or stated that the Behemoth represented pagan gods that God had triumphed over. More recent arguments, however, are more interesting.

One argument is that the Behemoth was a wild bull native to the region, but creationists argue that the creature mentioned is actually a dinosaur. The argument claims that the phrase "he moveth his tail like a cedar" refers to the size of the tail and that the only animal with a tail that large is a brontosaurus and, therefore, Job lived at the same time as the brontosaurus. While this is an interesting argument, there is a significant issue. In the original text, what has most often been translated as 'tail' could also be translated as 'penis' and 'moveth' could also be translated as 'grows'. Not only would this make more sense with the rest of the phrase about stones, but it would also make it difficult to find any animal, current or past, who measures up. Additionally, Jewish mythology implies that these two beasts were one of a kind, that Behemoth was a proper name rather than the name of a type of animal. Regardless of the inspiration for the Behemoth, the phrase stuck and now any large animal or object may be referred to a behemoth.

Behemoth makes few appearances in culture, mostly in literature and a sole black metal band from Poland. One interesting note is that, along with his wildly popular 'Leviathan,' Hobbes also released a treatise titled Behemoth discussing Parliament.

Next week: a hybrid beast with a heart of gold.