This list includes 30 Mythical creatures that start with L, from “La Llorona” to “Lyssa”. These entries span ghosts, beasts, spirits, and hybrid beings from global folklore and myth. You can use this list for inspiration, research, worldbuilding, or classroom reference.
Mythical creatures that start with L are legendary beings from cultures worldwide, often embodying moral lessons or natural forces. For example, “La Llorona” is a widespread cautionary tale about a mourning spirit found across Latin America.
Below you’ll find the table with Name, Origin, Description, Famous stories, and Alternate names.
Name: Gives the creature’s common name so you can identify it quickly and match it to other sources or stories.
Origin: Lists the culture or region of origin in a short phrase, helping you place each creature in its mythic context.
Description: Provides a concise 1–2 sentence summary of appearance, abilities, or role so you can use it in writing or study.
Famous stories: Names one to three well-known tales or sources where the creature appears, so you can follow up quickly.
Alternate names: Includes common variants and local names, so you can recognize the creature across traditions and translations.
Mythical creatures that start with L
| Name | Alternate names | Origin (culture/region) | Famous sources or stories |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Llorona | The Weeping Woman | Latin American | Latin American folktales, oral tradition |
| Lamassu | Lamašu, Shedu | Assyrian/Mesopotamian | Neo-Assyrian reliefs, royal inscriptions |
| Lamashtu | Lamashtu | Mesopotamian | Akkadian incantations, medical texts |
| Lamia | Lamiae | Greek | Classical myth, later folklore |
| Leanan Sidhe | Leannán sídhe | Irish | Irish folklore, W.B. Yeats |
| Leprechaun | Luchorpán (early) | Irish | Irish folktales, later ballads |
| Leshy | Lesovik, Leshy | Slavic | Slavic folktales, bylina |
| Lindworm | Lindwyrm, Lindwurm | Germanic/European | Medieval bestiaries, Norse and Germanic folktales |
| Ladon | Dragon of the Hesperides | Greek | Hesiod, Apollodorus, Heracles myths |
| Laestrygonians | Laestrygonian giants | Greek | Homer’s Odyssey |
| Leucrota | Leucrocota | Classical/medieval | Pliny, medieval bestiaries |
| Leviathan | Tannin (Hebrew) | Hebrew/Jewish | Hebrew Bible (Job), Psalms, later lore |
| Lemures | Larvae (related) | Roman | Roman religious texts, Ovid |
| Lilith | Lilit, Lillu | Mesopotamian/Jewish | Mesopotamian texts, Jewish folklore, Alphabet of Ben Sira |
| Lilitu | Lilitu | Sumerian/Akkadian | Sumerian and Akkadian texts, incantations |
| Longma | Dragon-horse, Long-ma | Chinese | Classic of Mountains and Seas, Chinese myth |
| Loch Ness Monster | Nessie | Scottish | Scottish folklore, modern sightings (1933 onward) |
| Loup-garou | Loup-garou, loupgarou | French/Québécois | French folktales, Québécois legends |
| Lycanthrope | Werewolf (general) | Classical/European | Ovid’s myths, medieval folklore |
| Lutin | Lutin | French | French folktales, Norman traditions |
| Lauma | Laumė | Baltic (Latvian, Lithuanian) | Baltic folktales, local legends |
| Libahunt | Estonian werewolf | Estonian | Estonian folktales, oral tradition |
| Lady of the Lake | Nimue, Vivien (variants) | Arthurian/British | Geoffrey of Monmouth, Malory, Arthurian cycles |
| Lady Midday | Południca, Noonwraith | Slavic/Polish | Slavic folktales, Polish tales |
| Lyssa | Lytta | Greek | Aeschylus, Euripides references, Greek myth |
| Lagarfljót Worm | Lagarfljótsormurinn | Icelandic | Icelandic sagas, local folklore |
| Likho | Likho jedino oko | Slavic | Slavic folktales, proverbs |
| Langsuir | Langsuyar | Malay/Indonesian | Malay folklore, regional oral tales |
| Little People | The Little People, fair folk | Global/various (Celtic, indigenous) | Irish fairylore, Native American, global tales |
| Lernaean Hydra | Hydra of Lerna | Greek | Hesiod, Apollodorus, Heracles myths |
Descriptions
La Llorona
A ghostly woman who mourns drowned children, blamed for luring or haunting the living; a widespread warning tale about grief and consequences.
Lamassu
Winged human-headed bull or lion guardian spirit placed at palaces and gateways to protect and intimidate, common in Iron Age Mesopotamia.
Lamashtu
A fearsome Mesopotamian demoness who harms pregnant women and infants, opposed in rituals by the protective demon Pazuzu.
Lamia
Originally a Libyan queen turned child-devouring monster in Greek myth; later medieval and folkloric lamiae became vampiric night-demons.
Leanan Sidhe
A fairy muse who inspires lovers and artists, granting poetic genius at the cost of their lifespan or sanity.
Leprechaun
A solitary, shoemaking fairy who hoards gold and tricks humans; known for granting wishes or leading seekers astray.
Leshy
A forest spirit who guards wildlife and can mislead or mimic travelers; portrayed as shape-shifting and sometimes capricious.
Lindworm
A serpentine or wingless dragon-like creature found in European legend, often slain by heroes in folklore.
Ladon
A serpentine dragon guarding the Hesperides’ golden apples, killed by Heracles in one of his labors.
Laestrygonians
A race of giant, man-eating cannibals encountered by Odysseus, representing savage and hostile peoples in ancient epic.
Leucrota
A legendary hybrid described as a mix of hyena and stag with a deceptively human-like mouth, said to lure and devour prey.
Leviathan
A colossal sea monster symbolizing chaos and God’s power; appears in biblical texts and later Jewish myth as a primeval dragon.
Lemures
Malicious or restless spirits of the dead in Roman religion, propitiated by rituals to avoid hauntings and misfortune.
Lilith
A night-demon figure evolving into Adam’s purported first wife in medieval Jewish lore, associated with infant harm and seduction.
Lilitu
Early Mesopotamian female demons or wind spirits, precursors to later Lilith-type figures in Near Eastern myth.
Longma
A wingless dragon-horse hybrid symbolizing auspicious omens and imperial virtue in Chinese mythology.
Loch Ness Monster
A lake cryptid reputed to inhabit Loch Ness, combining medieval monster lore with 20th-century eyewitness and photographic claims.
Loup-garou
A werewolf-like creature from French-speaking traditions, transforming from human to wolf and linked to curses or sin.
Lycanthrope
A human who transforms into a wolf or wolf-like monster, central to European tales about shape-shifting, curses, and the beast within.
Lutin
A mischievous household or forest spirit in French folklore, ranging from helpful to prankish, often linked to small offerings and household luck.
Lauma
A forest or water spirit akin to a fairy, sometimes benevolent, sometimes dangerous to men, prominent in Baltic pagan folklore.
Libahunt
An Estonian folk term for a werewolf or wolf-possessed person, appearing in tales of curses and transformation.
Lady of the Lake
A mystical water spirit who gives and takes Excalibur and nurtures or enchants Arthurian figures, varying from benevolent to ambiguous.
Lady Midday
A field spirit appearing at midday who causes heatstroke or madness to harvesters, often depicted as a warning against overwork.
Lyssa
Personification of rabies, frenzy, and madness in Greek myth, who drives humans and animals into violent states at the gods’ behest.
Lagarfljót Worm
A gigantic serpent or worm said to inhabit Lagarfljót lake in Iceland, blamed for mysterious sightings and local legends of destruction.
Likho
A one-eyed spirit or personification of bad luck and misfortune in Slavic tradition, often serving as a moral cautionary figure.
Langsuir
A vampiric female spirit born of a mother who died in childbirth, preying upon men and infants in Malay-Indonesian legend.
Little People
A broad term for small supernatural beings—fairies, sprites, or hidden folk—who interact unpredictably with humans across world folklore.
Lernaean Hydra
A multi-headed water serpent slain by Heracles; when one head was cut off, two often grew back, symbolizing a stubborn, multiplying threat.