This list includes 47 Mythical creatures that start with A, from “Aatxe” to “Aziza”. They range from Basque shape-shifters to West African forest spirits and hybrid beasts. Use this list for research, worldbuilding, classroom study, or creative writing projects.
Mythical creatures that start with A are legendary beings whose names begin with the letter A. Many reflect cultural values, like the Basque “Aatxe” who appears as a protective bull spirit.
Below you’ll find the table with Name, Origin, Description, Alternate names, and Famous stories.
Name: The creature’s common name, helping you find and cite it quickly in your research or creative work.
Origin: The culture or region where the creature is attested, so you can place it in proper context.
Description: A brief overview of appearance and key traits, so you understand the creature at a glance.
Alternate names: Variants, spellings, and local names that help you recognize the creature across different sources.
Famous stories: Key myths, legends, or texts featuring the creature, guiding you to notable passages for further reading.
Mythical creatures that start with A
| Name | Alternate names | Origin | Famous stories/sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aatxe | Etsai | Basque mythology | Basque oral traditions |
| Abaasy | Abasi | Yakut mythology | Olonkho epics |
| Abaia | – | Melanesian folklore | Melanesian oral traditions |
| Achlis | – | Roman folklore | Pliny the Elder’s Natural History |
| Adaro | – | Solomon Islands mythology | Solomon Islands oral traditions |
| Adlet | Erqigdlet | Inuit folklore | Inuit oral traditions |
| Adze | – | Ewe folklore (Ghana, Togo) | Ewe oral traditions |
| Agogwe | – | East African folklore | East African oral traditions |
| Ahool | – | Javanese folklore | Javanese oral traditions |
| Ahuizotl | – | Aztec mythology | Florentine Codex |
| Aigamuxa | – | Khoikhoi folklore (Southern Africa) | Khoikhoi oral traditions |
| Aitvaras | Kaukas, Pūķis | Lithuanian folklore | Lithuanian oral traditions |
| Ajatar | Aiatar, Ajattara | Finnish mythology | Kalevala, Finnish oral traditions |
| Akabeko | – | Japanese folklore | Aizu region legends |
| Akhlut | – | Inuit folklore | Inuit oral traditions |
| Akupara | – | Hindu mythology | Puranas |
| Akvan | – | Persian mythology | Shahnameh |
| Al | Alk | Armenian and Persian folklore | Armenian and Persian oral traditions |
| Alicanto | – | Chilean folklore | Atacama Desert legends |
| Alkonost | – | Slavic folklore | Lubochnye Kartinki (Russian prints) |
| Almas | Almasty | Central Asian folklore | Mongolian and Caucasian oral traditions |
| Aloja | Dona d’aigua | Catalan mythology | Catalan oral traditions |
| Alp | – | German folklore | Germanic oral traditions |
| Alphyn | – | European heraldry | Heraldic manuals |
| Alraune | Mandrake | German folklore | Germanic oral traditions |
| Amabie | – | Japanese folklore | Edo period woodblock prints |
| Ammit | Ammut, Ahemait | Egyptian mythology | Book of the Dead |
| Amphisbaena | – | Greek and Roman folklore | Pliny’s Natural History, Lucan’s Pharsalia |
| Anansi | – | Akan folklore (West Africa) | Akan oral traditions |
| Androsphinx | – | Greek and Egyptian mythology | Herodotus’s Histories |
| Anggitay | – | Philippine mythology | Tagalog oral traditions |
| Anhangá | – | Tupi-Guarani folklore (Brazil) | Tupi-Guarani oral traditions |
| Ankou | – | Breton folklore | Breton oral traditions |
| Antaeus | – | Greek mythology | Bibliotheca of Pseudo-Apollodorus |
| Apsara | – | Hindu and Buddhist mythology | Ramayana, Mahabharata |
| Apkallu | – | Mesopotamian mythology | Epic of Gilgamesh, Erra and Ishum |
| Aralez | – | Armenian mythology | Armenian oral traditions |
| Arimaspi | Arimaspian | Greek mythology (via Scythian tales) | Herodotus’s Histories |
| Arkan Sonney | – | Manx folklore | Manx oral traditions |
| Asanbosam | – | Ashanti folklore (Ghana) | Ashanti oral traditions |
| Ashi-magari | – | Japanese folklore | Japanese oral traditions |
| Aspidochelone | – | Medieval European folklore | Physiologus, Medieval bestiaries |
| Asrai | – | English folklore | English oral traditions |
| Aswang | – | Philippine folklore | Philippine oral traditions |
| Automaton | – | Greek mythology | Homer’s Iliad, Argonautica |
| Aziza | – | Dahomey mythology (West Africa) | Fon oral traditions |
| Azhdaha | – | Persian and Turkic mythology | Shahnameh |
Descriptions
Aatxe
A spirit that takes the form of a young red bull, but can also appear as a man. It dwells in caves, emerging at night to punish criminals and wrongdoers.
Abaasy
Iron-toothed, one-eyed, and one-armed monsters who live in the underworld or lurk in the wilderness. They serve the dark lord Arsan-Duolai and bring misfortune to humans.
Abaia
A massive, magical eel dwelling in the freshwater lakes of the Solomon Islands. It is considered the protector of all lake creatures, causing floods and storms if they are harmed.
Achlis
A strange, elk-like creature with a stiff upper lip so large it must graze backward. Its hind legs have no joints, so it leans against trees to sleep.
Adaro
A malevolent sea spirit, often depicted as a merman with a swordfish-like spear on its head. It travels on waterspouts and shoots poison fish at people.
Adlet
A race of creatures with the lower body of a dog and the upper body of a human. They are known for being swift, aggressive, and often in conflict with humans.
Adze
A vampiric being that takes the form of a firefly, but can transform into a human. It bites people in their sleep, drinks their blood, and can possess its victims.
Agogwe
A small, human-like primate, similar to a dwarf or pygmy, covered in reddish-brown hair. This cryptid is said to be a shy, reclusive dweller of the forests of East Africa.
Ahool
A giant, carnivorous bat or flying primate said to live in the rainforests of Java. It is named for its distinctive, long “ahOOOooooool” cry.
Ahuizotl
A monstrous, dog-like water creature with a human hand on the end of its tail. It would snatch people from the water’s edge and mimic a baby’s cry to lure victims.
Aigamuxa
Man-eating monsters that look like humans but have their eyes on the insteps of their feet. To see, they must get on all fours and lift one foot.
Aitvaras
A household spirit, often appearing as a fiery rooster or dragon, that brings stolen goods and wealth to its owner. Its presence is a mixed blessing, often ending in misfortune.
Ajatar
An evil female spirit known as the “Devil of the Woods.” Often appearing as a great serpent or dragon, she spreads disease and pestilence wherever she goes.
Akabeko
A legendary red cow from the Aizu region of Japan. A toy version is a popular folk charm believed to ward off illness, particularly smallpox.
Akhlut
A shapeshifting spirit that appears as a massive wolf on land and an orca in the sea. It is a dangerous and predatory creature, often leaving wolf tracks leading to the ocean.
Akupara
A colossal World Turtle that supports the entire world on its back. It is one of the avatars of the god Vishnu and symbolizes longevity and stability.
Akvan
A powerful and cunning demon (div) that could shapeshift. In one story, he captured the hero Rostam by transforming the ground into stone around him.
Al
A female demon that steals the lungs, liver, and heart of pregnant women and newborns. She is often depicted with fiery eyes, copper claws, and iron teeth.
Alicanto
A mythological bird whose wings shine with a metallic glow at night. It eats gold or silver, and miners who follow it can find rich ore deposits, but risk being led off a cliff.
Alkonost
A divine bird with the head and chest of a beautiful woman. Her voice is so sweet that anyone who hears it forgets everything and follows her until they die of exhaustion.
Almas
A legendary hominid said to inhabit the Caucasus and Pamir Mountains. Often compared to a yeti or bigfoot, it is described as a human-like creature covered in reddish-brown hair.
Aloja
A female water spirit or nymph associated with freshwater sources. Often depicted as beautiful women with ethereal charm, they could be benevolent or dangerous to mortals who disturbed them.
Alp
A malevolent spirit or goblin that causes nightmares by sitting on a sleeper’s chest. It is a type of incubus and is associated with feelings of suffocation during sleep.
Alphyn
A heraldic beast resembling a tiger but with a lion’s body, a dragon-like head, and a knotted tail. Its forelegs are sometimes depicted with eagle’s talons.
Alraune
A plant root, often the mandrake, that resembles a human figure. It was believed to scream when pulled from the ground, killing anyone who heard it.
Amabie
A three-legged, mermaid-like yokai with long hair and a beak-like mouth. It emerges from the sea to prophesy either an abundant harvest or a terrible epidemic.
Ammit
A goddess with the head of a crocodile, body of a lion, and hindquarters of a hippopotamus. She devoured the hearts of souls judged to be unworthy in the afterlife.
Amphisbaena
A mythical serpent with a head at each end of its body. It could move forward or backward with equal ease and was said to have venomous fangs in both mouths.
Anansi
A trickster spirit who often takes the form of a spider. He is a god of stories and wisdom, known for outsmarting powerful opponents through his cunning and wit.
Androsphinx
A type of sphinx with the body of a lion and the head of a human male, often a pharaoh. It represents strength and royal power, famously embodied by the Great Sphinx of Giza.
Anggitay
A creature with the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower body of a horse, similar to a female centaur. It sometimes has a single horn in the middle of its forehead.
Anhangá
A protective spirit of the forest and its animals. It often appears as a white stag with fiery eyes and can be either a benevolent guardian or a vengeful entity against hunters.
Ankou
A personification of Death in Breton, Cornish, and Norman folklore. Depicted as a tall, skeletal figure, he collects the souls of the dead in his cart.
Antaeus
A giant son of Gaia (the Earth) and Poseidon. He was invincible as long as he remained in contact with his mother, the Earth. Heracles defeated him by lifting him into the air.
Apsara
Celestial nymphs of the clouds and water, renowned for their beauty and skill in dancing. They are often the wives of celestial musicians and sometimes sent to tempt mortals.
Apkallu
Seven semi-divine sages who served the god Enki. Often depicted as fish-human hybrids, they were said to have brought civilization, arts, and knowledge to humanity.
Aralez
Winged, dog-like creatures with healing powers. They were said to descend from the sky to lick the wounds of fallen heroes, bringing them back to life.
Arimaspi
A tribe of one-eyed men from Scythia who were in constant battle with griffins for their gold. Their legend highlights the exotic and dangerous nature of the far north.
Arkan Sonney
A “lucky piggy” or fairy pig from the Isle of Man. It is said to bring good fortune to anyone who manages to catch it, though it is incredibly fast and elusive.
Asanbosam
A vampire-like monster that lives in trees and attacks from above. It has iron teeth and hook-shaped feet, which it uses to snatch unsuspecting victims passing below.
Ashi-magari
An invisible yokai that impedes walkers at night by wrapping itself around their legs. It feels like a soft, pliable object, like cotton or a cat’s tail, making it difficult to proceed.
Aspidochelone
A colossal sea monster, usually a turtle or whale, so large that its back is mistaken for an island. It tricks sailors into landing on it before submerging to drown them.
Asrai
A type of aquatic fairy or nymph that is extremely shy and beautiful. They are said to melt into a pool of water or turn to dust if captured or exposed to sunlight.
Aswang
A shapeshifting, evil spirit and one of the most feared creatures in the Philippines. It can appear as a vampire, a ghoul, a witch, or a were-beast, preying on humans at night.
Automaton
Self-operating mechanical creations built by the god Hephaestus. Famous examples include Talos, the bronze giant who guarded Crete, and the golden tripods that served the gods.
Aziza
A race of benevolent, fairy-like spirits who live in the forest. They provide humans with practical and spiritual knowledge, especially regarding the use of fire and agriculture.
Azhdaha
A type of dragon or monstrous serpent, often with multiple heads. In Persian myths, it is a formidable beast that heroes must slay to prove their valor and protect the land.