List of hybrid creatures in folklore
Below is a list of mythological hybrids that have been sorted into different categories.
Partly human
Upper part human
- Centauroid
- Anggitay - A strictly-female creature that is half-human and half-horse, sometimes portrayed with a horn.
- Centaur - A half-human, half-horse creature.
- Onocentaur - A half-human, half-donkey creature.
- Bird
- Bird goddess
- Harpy - A half-bird, half-woman creature of Greek mythology, portrayed sometimes as a woman with bird legs.
- Lilitu
- Siren - A woman with bird legs sometimes with wings found in later Greek mythology.
- Kinnara - Half-human, half-bird in later Indian mythology.
- Fish
- Cecaelia - Creatures that have human upper halves (usually women's) and octopus lower halves.
- Dagon - A half-man, half-fish deity.
- Ichthyocentaurs - Creatures that have the torsos of men, the front legs of a horse, and the tails of a fish.
- Mermaid/Merman - A race of half-human, half-fish creatures.
- Triton - A Greek God who is the same as Merman.
- Jengu
- Matsya - An avatar of Lord Vishnu that is half-man half-fish.
- Sirena - A mermaid from Philippine folklore.
- Siyokoy - Mermen with scaled but humanoid bodies from Philippine folklore. It is the male counterpart of the Sirena.
- Other
- Ipotane - A human with the hindquarters of a horse.
- Scorpion Man - Half-man half-scorpion.
Human-headed
- Alkonost - A creature from Russian folklore with the body of a bird and the head of a woman, said to make beautiful sounds that make anyone who hears them forget all that they know and not want anything more ever again. Counterpart of the Sirin, which it lives with in the underworld.
- Atargatis – Human face, fish body.
- Bai Ze - The descriptions vary for this beast.
- Buraq - A creature from Persian iconography that has the head of a man and the body of a winged horse.
- Gamayun - A creature portrayed with the body of a large bird and a woman's head from Russian mythology.
- Hatuibwari - Human head, serpent body, bat wings.
- Harpy - A half-bird, half-woman creature of Greek mythology, portrayed often as a woman with a body of a bird and the head of a human.
- Manticore – Human face, lion body, scorpion tail, occasional dragon wings.
- Penghou - A creature with the face of a man and the body of a dog.
- Siren - A creature of Greek mythology with a bird body and a human's head.
- Sirin - Half-bird, half-human creature with the head and chest of a woman from Russian folklore. It's bird half is generally that of an owl's body.
- Sphinx – Human head, lion body, occasional bird wings.
- Shedu - A deity that is often depicted with a bull or lion's body, an eagle's wings, and a human's head.
- Zhuyin - It has the face of a man and the body of a snake.
Human with animal head
- Abraxas - A god-like Gnostic creature with many different types of portrayals, many of which as different types of hybrids.
- Anubis - The jackal-headed Egyptian God.
- Bastet - The cat-headed Egyptian Goddess.
- Chi You, Minotaur and Ox-Head - Each of them has the head of a bull.
- Cynocephaly - A dog-headed creature.
- Daksha - His head was replaced by a goat's after a beheading.
- Ganesha - An elephant-headed deity.
- Hanuman - A humanoid monkey deity.
- Heqet - The frog-headed Egyptian God.
- Karasu-tengu - A crow-type Tengu.
- Karura - A divine creature of Japanese Hindu-Buddhist mythology with the head of a bird and the torso of a human.
- Khepri - The dungbeetle-headed Egyptian God.
- Khnum - The ram-headed Egyptian God.
- Kuk - Kuk's male form has a frog head while his female form has a snake head.
- Maahes, Narasimha and Sekhmet - Each of them has the head of a lion.
- Meretseger - The cobra-headed Egyptian Goddess.
- Hayagriva, Kinnara, Horse-Face and Tikbalang - Each of them has the head of a horse.
- Ra, Horus and Monthu - Each of these Egyptian Gods has the head of a falcon.
- Seker - The hawk-headed Egyptian Goddess.
- Set - The sha-headed Egyptian God.
- Sobek - The crocodile-headed Egyptian God.
- Thoth - The ibis-headed Egyptian God.
- Taweret - The hippopotamus-headed Egyptian Goddess.
- Varaha - A boar-headed avatar.
Human with some animal parts
- Winged
- Angel - Common iconography depicting a human with bird wings.
- Devil - A creature with bat wings.
- Drakaina - A female species from Greek mythology that is draconian in nature, primarily depicted as a woman with dragon features.
- Fairy - A humanoid with insect-like wings.
- Mothman - A humanoid moth.
- Seraph - An elite angel that is described with multiple wings.
- Valkyrie - A creature of Norse mythology that led those that died in battle to Valhalla.
- Winged Genie - A genie with bird wings.
- Horned
Part animal, part human
- Avatea - A god that has the right half a man and the left half a fish.
- Bat - An Egyptian Goddess with the horns and ears of a cow.
- Encantado - A creature that is generally portrayed as a dolphin capable of turning into a man.
- Garuda - A creature that has the head and wings of an eagle, and body of a man.
- Nandi - Some Puranas describe Nandi or Nandikeshvara as bull-faced, with a human body that resembles that of Shiva in proportion and aspect.
- Werecat - A creature that is part cat, part man.
- Werewolf - A creature that becomes a wolf during the nights of full moons, but is human otherwise.
Non-human
Quadrupeds with the Wings of a Bird
- Pegasus – A horse with the wings of a bird.
- Peryton – A deer with the wings of a bird.
- Winged lion - A lion with the wings of a bird.
Two kinds of animal parts
- Allocamelus – A Heraldic creature that has the head of a donkey and the body of a camel.
- Basilisk and Cockatrice – Both of them are depicted of being a mix between a chicken and a reptile.
- Catoblepas - A creature with the head of a wild boar and the body of a bison.
- Cerberus - A Greek mythology dog that guarded the gates of the underworld, almost always portrayed with three heads and having a mane made of serpents, as well as the tail of one.
- Criosphinx - A Sphinx that has the head of a ram.
- Gajasimha – A creature that has the head of an elephant and the body of a lion.
- Griffin – A creature that has the head front legs, and wings of an eagle and the hindquarters of a lion.
- Hieracosphinx - A type of Sphinx that had a falcon head.
- Hippalectryon – The front half is that of a horse and the rear half has a rooster's wings, tail, and legs.
- Hippocampus – A Greek mythological creature that is half-horse half-fish.
- Hippogriff – A creature that is a cross between a Griffin and a horse.
- Merlion - A creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish.
- Ophiotaurus – A creature that is half-bull half-serpent.
- Sea-lion - A creature that is half-lion half-fish.
- Skvader – A Swedish creature that has the forequarters and hind-legs of a hare and the back, wings and tail of a female wood grouse.
- Wyvern – A creature from European mythology with a dragon's head and a reptile's body.
Three kinds of animal parts
- Ammit – An Egyptian creature that has the head of a crocodile, the front legs of a lion, and the back legs and hindquarters of a hippopotamus.
- Chimera – A Greek mythology creature that has the head and front legs of a lion, the head and back legs of a goat, and a snake-headed tail.
- Jackalope – A jackrabbit with the antlers of a deer and sometimes the tail and/or legs of a pheasant.
- Simurgh - A Griffin-like exclusively-female creature of Persian mythology with the head of a dog and the claws of a lion (although sometimes with a human face).
Four kinds of animal parts
- Baku – A Japanese creature that has an elephant's trunk, the eyes of a rhinoceros, the tail of an ox, and the paws of a tiger.
- Enfield - A Heraldic creature with the head of a fox, the forelegs of an eagle, the body of a lion, and the tail of a wolf.
- Monocerus - Medieval bestiaries describe this creature as having the head of a stag, the body of a horse, the feet of an elephant, and the tail of a boar.
- Nue - A Japanese creatures with a monkey head, a tanuki body, a tiger legs and a snake-headed tail.
- Questing Beast – A creature that has the head and tail of a serpent, the body of a leopard, the haunches of a lion, ans the feet of a deer.
- Tarasque - A French dragon with the head of a lion, the body of an ox, the shell of a turtle, six short legs similar to a bear's legs, and a scorpion sting-tipped tail.
- Wolpertinger – A creature that has the head of a rabbit, the body of a squirrel, the antlers of a deer, and the wings and legs of a pheasant.
- Yali – A Hindu creature that has head of a lion, the tusks of an elephant, the body of a cat, and the tail of a serpent.
- Ypotryll – A Heraldic creature with the tusked head of a boar, the humped body of a camel, the legs and hooves of an ox or goat, and the tail of a snake.
Five kinds of animal parts
- Fenghuang – A Chinese creature that has the head of a golden pheasant, the body of a mandarin duck, the tail of a peacock, the legs of a crane, the mouth of a parrot, and the wings of a swallow.
- Qilin – A Chinese creature with the head of a dragon, the antlers of a deer, the scales of a fish, the hooves of an ox, and the tail of a lion. The Japanese version is depicted as a deer-shaped dragon with the tail of an ox.