Here you’ll find 26 Mythological creatures that start with W, organized from “Wagyl” to “Wyvern”. These entries include spirits, hybrids, monsters, and legendary animals from global folklore. They serve researchers, writers, teachers, game designers, and curious readers.
Mythological creatures that start with W are non-human beings from folklore, including monsters, spirits, and legendary animals. For example, the Welsh wyvern appears widely in medieval heraldry and modern fantasy.
Below you’ll find the table with origin, description, and famous stories.
Origin: Shows the culture or region the creature comes from, helping you understand cultural context and compare related traditions.
Description: Offers a concise 20–40 word summary of appearance, powers, and typical behavior, so you can assess usefulness quickly.
Famous stories: Names one or two notable myths, sagas, or literary works where the creature appears, guiding you to primary examples.
Mythological creatures that start with W
| Name | Origin | Type | Famous stories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warg | Norse, Germanic | Mythic wolf/monster | Poetic Edda; Norse sagas |
| Wendigo | Algonquian (North America) | Malevolent spirit/undead | Algonquian oral tales; “Wendigo Psychosis” reports |
| Wyvern | Medieval Europe | Dragon (two-legged) | Medieval bestiaries; heraldry and romances |
| Wyrm | Germanic, Old English | Serpent/dragon | Beowulf (dragon motifs); Germanic legends |
| Will-o’-the-wisp | European folklores | Atmospheric spirit/ghost-light | British and Irish folktales; Poe and Romantic literature |
| Wanyūdō | Japanese (yōkai) | Demonic wheel spirit | Japanese folklore; classical yōkai tales |
| Wulver | Shetland (Scotland) | Humanoid wolf being | Shetland folktales |
| Wampus cat | Cherokee/Appalachian | Cat-like cryptid/monster | Appalachian folktales; Cherokee legend variants |
| Wolpertinger | Bavarian (Germany) | Hybrid cryptid | Bavarian tall tales and tavern lore |
| Witte Wieven | Dutch (Low Countries) | Ancestral spirits/fairy women | Dutch folktales and medieval sources |
| Wight | Old English, Norse | Undead/ghostly being | Beowulf; Norse sagas; folk belief |
| Werewolf | European global folklore | Shapeshifter (human-wolf) | Numerous folktales; “Bisclavret”; medieval trials |
| Werebear | Norse, Eurasian | Shapeshifter (human-bear) | Norse sagas; Eurasian shamanic tales |
| Werehyena | African and Near Eastern | Shapeshifter (human-hyena) | East African and Sahelian folktales; Arabic lore |
| Werecat | Global (Americas, Africa) | Shapeshifter (human-big cat) | Mesoamerican, African, and Latin American tales |
| Water horse | Celtic, Scottish, Irish | Water spirit/horse (amphibious) | Kelpie and Celtic water-horse tales |
| White Lady | Global (Europe, Americas) | Female ghost/phantom | Numerous “white lady” legends globally |
| White Stag | Celtic, European | Legendary stag/omen | Arthurian tales; Celtic hunt myths |
| Woodwose | Medieval Europe | Wild man/forest humanoid | Medieval bestiaries; English folklore |
| Wagyl | Noongar (Australia) | Serpent/creator-being | Noongar Dreaming stories |
| Waq‑waq | Medieval Islamic lore | Legendary island/monstrous trees | Arabian travel tales; medieval chronicles |
| Washer at the Ford | Celtic, Scottish | Death-omen spirit (washer) | Scottish bean nighe tales; Irish washerwoman lore |
| Wurdulac | Slavic (Russian) | Vampiric revenant | Pushkin and Slavic folklore variants |
| Wangliang | Chinese | Evil spirit/demon | Chinese classic tales; Han dynasty texts |
| Waldgeist | Germanic folk belief | Forest spirit/woodland genius loci | German folktales and regional legends |
| Whowie | Australian Aboriginal (Murray River) | Gigantic reptilian monster | Murray River Dreaming tales |
Descriptions
Warg
Large, intelligent wolf or wolf-like monster in Norse myth, often allied with giants and Odin’s enemies; symbolizes chaos and doom, hunting gods and men in legendary battles.
Wendigo
Cannibalistic, winter spirit of insatiable hunger in Algonquian lore; associated with starvation, greed, and possession, sometimes described as gaunt humanoid or monstrous deer-like figure.
Wyvern
A two-legged, winged dragon with a barbed tail in European heraldry and tales; smaller than dragon, often symbolizes pestilence, war, or guardianship in medieval imagination.
Wyrm
Old Germanic word for a great serpent or dragon; depicted as earthbound or wingless dragons, often hoarding treasure and bringing destruction when angered.
Will-o’-the-wisp
Phantom lights that lead travelers astray over bogs and marshes; explained as spirits, fae tricks, or swamp gases in various regional folk traditions.
Wanyūdō
A flaming, wheeled carriage bearing a tormented head; wanyūdō is said to roll through streets at night, a feared yōkai that devours or curses onlookers.
Wulver
A kindly, solitary, wolf‑headed humanoid who fishes and helps humans; unlike werewolves, the wulver is a stable folkloric figure rather than cursed human transformation.
Wampus cat
A mysterious, fearsome feline of Appalachian lore—sometimes supernatural, sometimes cryptid—blamed for livestock killings; descriptions vary from demon cat to mountain spirit.
Wolpertinger
Whimsical Bavarian creature composed of various animal parts—wings, antlers, fangs—said to inhabit Alpine forests; largely a humorous folkloric taxidermy tradition.
Witte Wieven
Wise women or misty female spirits who haunt hills and marshes; helpers or tricksters of farmers, associated with healing, burial mounds, and foggy moors.
Wight
Old term for a spirit, undead, or supernatural being; in folklore wights are often barrow guardians or restless dead haunting burial mounds and wild places.
Werewolf
Humans who transform into wolves (voluntarily or by curse), appearing across Eurasian folklore with themes of control, punishment, and boundary between human and animal.
Werebear
Bear-human shapeshifters and cultic figures in Norse and Siberian lore; sometimes heroic berserkers or cursed humans who wear bear pelts and take bear form.
Werehyena
Shapeshifting folk beliefs about humans turning into hyenas for sorcery or survival; often linked with witchcraft, night prowling, and predation on livestock.
Werecat
General term for humans who become large cats—jaguars, pumas, or panthers—in regional myths; associated with power, sorcery, and elite warriors or shamans.
Water horse
Generic English term for aquatic equine spirits like kelpies; seductive, dangerous horses that lure riders into lakes and sea, appearing across Celtic traditions.
White Lady
A widespread ghost motif: a spectral, pale woman linked to tragedy, betrayal, or lost love; appears at roadsides, castles, and bridges in many cultures.
White Stag
Rare, luminous stag that acts as omen or quest object in Celtic and Arthurian legend; often symbolizes otherworldly pursuit, transformation, or initiation.
Woodwose
Also “wodewose,” the woodwose is a hairy wild man of forests—part human, part beast—symbolizing nature’s untamed side in medieval art and tales.
Wagyl
A sacred rainbow-serpent creator of rivers, waterways, and landscapes in Noongar tradition; protects water sources and features prominently in origin stories.
Waq‑waq
A legendary island of Arabic medieval geography, said to bear strange trees or creatures—often depicted as exotic and monstrous in travel literature.
Washer at the Ford
A prophetic washerwoman who launders the bloodstained garments of those about to die; a terrifying, liminal spirit associated with streams and fate.
Wurdulac
A Slavic vampire variant that preys on family and townsfolk; older English translations used “wurdulac,” describing bloodthirsty revenants and household terror.
Wangliang
A class of malevolent spirits or goblin-like demons in Chinese tradition, blamed for nocturnal dangers and mischief in classical literature.
Waldgeist
A German “forest spirit” or guardian of woods, sometimes benign, sometimes capricious; associated with trees, hunting, and local forest customs.
Whowie
A monstrous, fearsome reptilian creature from Aboriginal Australian myth, said to burrow in sandbanks and terrorize communities along riverlands.