1. Name: _____________________Date: _________Pd:_____
Oni: Japanese
Depictions of oni vary widely but they are usually portrayed as
hideous, gigantic creatures with sharp claws, wild hair, and two long
horns growing from their heads. They are humanoid for the most part,
but occasionally, they are shown with unnatural features such as odd
number of eyes or extra fingers and toes. Their skin may be any
number of colors, but red and blue are particularly common. Their
fierce appearance is only enhanced by the tiger loincloths they tend to
wear and the iron club they favor. There is also a very obvious
similarity here to devils in Judeo-Christian tradition.
Ogre: French
An ogre is a large, mean and hideous humanoid monster. Ogres are often depicted
in fairy tales and folklore as feeding on human beings, and have appeared in many
classic works of literature. Ogres are often portrayed with a large head, abundant
hair and beard, a huge belly, and a strong body.
Vampire: Slavic
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings that are renowned
for subsisting on human blood or life-force, but in some cases
may prey on animals. Although vampires have different
characteristics depending on which lore one reads, in most
cases, they are described as reanimated corpses who feed by
draining and consuming the blood of living beings. The term was
popularized in the early 18th century and arose from the folklore of southeastern
Europe, particularly the Balkans and Greece. Folkloric vampires were depicted as
undead beings who visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the
neighborhoods they inhabited while living. They wore shrouds, did not bear fangs
and were often described as bloated and of ruddy or darkened countenance.
Mummy: Egyptian
A mummy is a corpse whose skin and dried flesh have been
preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals,
extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air. There are popular
tales (largely tall) of curses which are associated with the violation
of the tombs of mummified corpses or of the mummies themselves.
These tales of curses eventually lead to the modern fictional view of
walking mummies.
Werewolf: Germanic
Werewolves are mythological or folkloric people with the ability to
shapeshift into a wolf or wolf like creature, either purposely by magic,
or after being placed under a curse. The medieval chronicler Gervase
of Tilbury associated the transformation with the appearance of the
full moon; however, there is evidence that the association existed
among the Ancient Greeks, appearing in the writings of Petronius.
Some modern speculation has suggested that the belief in werewolves (and
vampires) may stem from real medical cases of people suffering from porphyria.
2. Name: _____________________Date: _________Pd:_____
Goblin: Anglo-Saxon
A goblin is an evil, crabby, or mischievous creature of folklore, often
described as a grotesquely disfigured or gnome-like phantom. Goblins
may range in height from that of a dwarf to that of a human. They are
attributed with various (sometimes conflicting) abilities, temperaments
and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In
some cases, goblins have been classified as a constant annoying little
creature somewhat related to the Celtic brownie.
Ghoul: Middle Eastern
A ghoul is a monster from ancient Arabian folklore that dwells in
the burial grounds and other uninhabited places. In ancient
Arabic folklore, ghouls belonged to a diabolic class of jinn (spirits
– from whence the genie comes) and were said to be the offspring
of Iblis, the Muslim prince of darkness (Satan). They were capable
of constantly changing form, but their presence was always
recognizable by their unalterable sign: ass’s hooves. It would lure
unwary travelers into the desert wastes to slay and devour them.
The creature also preyed on young children, robbed graves and ate the dead. Yum
yum!
Banshee: Celtic
According to legend, a banshee wails around a house if someone in the
house is about to die. When several banshees appeared at once, it
indicated the death of someone great or holy. The tales sometimes
recount that the woman, though called a fairy, was a ghost, often of a
specific murdered woman, or woman who died in childbirth. Banshees
are frequently described as dressed in white or grey, and often having long, fair hair
which they brush with a silver comb. Other stories portray banshees as dressed in
green, red or black with a grey cloak.
Gorgon: Greek
In Greek mythology, the Gorgon was a vicious female monster with
sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes. Gorgons are
sometimes depicted as having wings of gold, brazen claws, and the
tusks of boars. According to the myths, seeing the face of a Gorgon
turned the viewer to stone. Homer speaks of only one Gorgon,
whose head is represented in the Iliad as fixed in the center of the
aegis of Zeus. Hesiod increases the number of Gorgons to three:
Stheno (the mighty), Euryale (the far-springer), and Medusa (the
queen), and makes them the daughters of the sea-god Phorcys and
of Keto. Their home is on the farthest side of the western ocean;
according to later authorities, in Libya. Of the three Gorgons, only Medusa is
mortal.
3. Name: _____________________Date: _________Pd:_____
Zombie: Latin American
A zombie is a reanimated human body devoid of consciousness. In
contemporary versions these are generally undead corpses. Stories of
zombies originated in the Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system of Voodoo.
Other more macabre versions of the zombies have become a staple of
modern horror fiction, where they are brought back from the dead by
supernatural or scientific means, and eat the flesh or brains of the living. They have
very limited intelligence, and may not be under anyone’s direct control.
Directions: On this page, create a classification system which includes all the
monsters on the movie monsters pages that were given to you by the teacher.
Be sure to include at least three levels of classification, and that your system
classifies all of the monsters.
