Page 1 of Wishing Upon a Monster (Monster Brides Romance #40)
Bjarndyrakóngur– The King of Bears. Hailing from Iceland, the Bjarndyrakóngur is the king of polar bears in Iceland.
Supposedly born of a male walrus shifter and a female polar bear shifter, he has red cheeks and a single horn, much like a unicorn’s, in the middle of his head.
It is said that the Bjarndyrakóngur is wise and fair, working well with humans and supernaturals alike.
Boo Hag– a cryptid of Gullah Geechee myth.
Boo Hags are always female, with silver hair and metallic colored eyes.
Their skin is naturally red with patterns that have been mistaken for musculature, causing many unmagical beings who see them to think they have no skin.
Boo Hags must drink lifeforce in order to survive, and they often partner with other beings who are strong enough to supply it.
Boojum– a cryptid who originally lived in the Appalachian Mountains.
Said to be half man and half beast. They are often mistaken for Bigfoot, who are genetically cousins to their species, with one major difference.
Boojums have long, lion-like tails, though their coloring tends to lean more towards gray.
Known to be crotchety, they are still willing to help travelers lost along the trails find their way back to civilization.
.. as long as you don’t shoot their tails off.
Br?ndmand– well man; from Danish folklore.
Called scare-creatures, br?ndmands are horror cryptids who live in wells.
They appear as dark, slenderman-type beings.
There is not much information still surviving today about well men, other than that they have ‘ink black skin and red eyes,’ and they are often blamed for poisoning freshwater sources.
Some stories say they are minor gods of wishing and, as such, can grant wishes, while others depict them as creatures who snatch beings who get too close to their wells and use their souls to plague the living.
Cuélebre– large, winged, serpent-like dragons that are believed to live in caves in northern Spain. These dragons can be found guarding treasure and are typically private, solitary creatures.
Cymbee– a snake-like person often described as having scales and webbed hands and feet.
They are said to be cousins of Lamia. Known to have originated in Africa and to have survived the Middle Passage by having boarded boats in secret.
Once in North America, they settled in the low country in freshwater.
They are fierce protectors of their domain.
It is believed that if you respect the Cymbee, they will bless you.
Dona de fuera, or ladies from the outside– the fae of Italy. They are often depicted as having the feet of cats or horses. They appeared as ethereal beauties, both male and female, and they would lure men and women with sweet blood onto goats, then fly off with them to their revels.
Goblin– a small, dirty, humanoid with lots of wrinkles and sharp teeth. They will eat anything and love to fight.
Haint– a southern term meaning spirit. Some haints are bad and some are good.
In our world, haint is a blanket term for a supernatural being that isn’t a fluffy-angel-baby-of-goodness-and-light-type creature.
Some beings can’t be identified, but we know they are supernatural, and therefore we refer to them as haints.
Kelpie– a mythical spirit usually appearing in the form of a horse.
Kelpies lure people to the water by enticing them to ride on their backs.
Once mounted, the human becomes stuck, and the kelpie takes them underwater, drowning them in the depths.
This allows them to tenderize and then consume the flesh of their victims.
Magic User– a magical human with the ability to use Mind, Body, or Soul magic. These humans believe themselves to be superior to humans without magic.
Medusa– a race of women descended from the Gorgon sisters of legend.
Medusas are fierce protectors who typically use their strength, speed, and stony stare to protect females they perceive to be a part of their clan.
They do have snakes in place of hair, like in the legends, and those snakes grow in a variety of patterns depending on where the Medusa hails from originally.
Red caps– small mushroom-shaped creatures with chubby arms and legs. The mushroom head opens up between the cap and the lamellae, revealing sharp teeth. All red caps are poisonous and deliver their venom via their fangs.
Pettenedda– an Italian water spirit that dwells in wells. Much like a Br?ndmand, they are blamed for luring people to the well and snatching them as well. However, Pettenedda are described as looking like elderly women and are not shadow creatures.
Shifters– humans who can transform (shift) into animals. These animals can be from mythology or from current species. It is said that shifters are another type of Magic User, but the Magic User community, by and large, denies the connection.
Talentless– a human born to a Magic User pair who had no magic at all.
Tailypo– a small monster known for being vicious and feral.
They can talk, much like a parrot, and are known to take down creatures up to three times their size.
Usually found in the Appalachian Mountains, they resemble a cat and dog hybrid with a long lemur-like tail, sans stripes, that they use to navigate the trees they live in.
Tariaksuq– an Alaskan cryptid associated with shadows and invisibility.
If you were to have one walk into your field of vision, you would only be able to see the shadow that they cast. They live as humans do and can only be seen on our plane of existence if they are killed.
Once deceased, their half-humanoid, half-caribou bodies are revealed.
Will-o'-wisp– beings that can float and glow an eerie, compelling light. Not quite a ghost but definitely a haint, will-o'-wisps have been known to lure people to their doom in dangerous situations or alternatively to their salvation.