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Mermaids
The mermaid has the body of a beautiful woman and the tail of a fish; she is usually depicted holding a mirror and a comb. The mermaid represents a divinity of the waters and was said to appear mainly in the sea but also in inland waters. One was reputed to be captured in Holland in 1404, taken to Haarlem, taught to spin and converted to the Catholic faith. There were also mermen; both they and mermaids were seen off coasts.
Tritons appear in the form of half-men, haff-fish as escorts of Neptune and Galatea. The merman also resembles the Babylonian Ea-Oannes the man-fish or goat-fish.
Ovid quotes the legend that mermaids rose from the burning galleys of the Trojans, the timbers turning to the flesh and blood of the 'green daughters of the sea'.
The Melusine of fairy tale has two tails and occurs in German heraldry. The Japanese mermaid Ningyo is a fish with a human head. In Polynesian myth Vatea, Creator God, was haff-human, half-porpoise.

Mind Flayers
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Breeds Examples: Illithid, Skeksis.

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Naga
In Hindu mythology the Nagas are depicted as human-headed snakes, as monsters, or more usually as snakes, particularly the cobra. They have semi-divine power and occur frequently in Indian art, depicting cosmic power and the Shakti. They sprung from Kadru, wife of Kasyapa, to people in the underworld or underwaters where they reign in splendor from fabulous palaces. Nagas also dwell under Mount Meru, the World Centre. Their palaces are bejeweled and full of flowers; they dance and sing; some of the female nagas marry mortals. Like Dragons they can control the rain-clouds. They are at enmity with the Garuda Bird. Sometimes nagas are depicted as many-headed; Sesha, King of the Nagas and having one thousand heads, is dressed in purple. The naga is the serpent on which Vishnu slept at the creation of the world and which will destroy the world by fire at the end of the cycle. The two intertwined nagas of Vishnu represent the already-f d waters, the life-force of the waters. Nagas are guardians of treasures, both material and those of esoteric knowledge.
See also Serpent.

Naiads
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The Naiads were nymphs of bodies of fresh water and were one of the three main classes of water nymphs - the others being the Nereids (nymphs of the Mediterranean Sea) and the Oceanids (nymphs of the oceans). The Naiads presided over rivers, streams, brooks, springs, fountains, lakes, ponds, wells, and marshes. They were divided into various subclasses: Crinaeae (fountains), Pegaeae (springs), Eleionomae (marshes), Potameides (rivers), and Limnades or Limnatides (lakes). Roman sources even assigned custody of the rivers of Hades to Naiads classified as Nymphae Infernae Paludis or the Avernales.
The Naiad was intimately connected to her body of water and her very existence seems to have depended on it. If a stream dried up, its Naiad expired. The waters over which Naiads presided were thought to be endowed with inspirational, medicinal, or prophetic powers. Thus the Naiads were frequently worshipped by the ancient Greeks in association with divinities of fertility and growth.
The genealogy of the Naiads varies according to geographic region and literary source. Naiads were either daughters of Zeus, daughters of various river gods, or simply part of the vast family of the Titan Oceanus. Like all the nymphs, the Naiads were in many ways female sex symbols of the ancient world and played the part of both the seduced and the seducer. Zeus in particular seems to have enjoyed the favors of countless Naiads and the other gods do not seem to have lagged far behind. The Naiads fell in love with and actively pursued mortals as well. Classical literature abounds with the stories of their love affairs with gods and men and with the tales of their resulting children.
Stories of the Naiads could take the form of cautionary tales with unhappy endings. The Naiad, Nomia, fell in love with a handsome shepherd named Daphnis and could not do enough for him. He repaid her love with unfaithfulness and she repaid his inconstancy by blinding him. The Naiads of a spring in Bithynia took a liking to Hylas (companion of Heracles) and lured him into their waters. The cautionary element is uncertain here. The fate of Hylas could have been either an abrupt death by drowning or everlasting sexual bliss.
Other stories of the Naiads were explanations of the origins of immortals and mortals. The sun god Helios mated with the Naiad Aegle (renowned as the most beautiful of the Naiads) to produce the Charites. Melite, a Naiad of the Aegaeus River in Corcyra, had a liaison with Heracles and became the mother of Hyllus. Naiads were the lovers of Endymion, Erichthonius, Magnes, Lelex, Oebalus, Otrynteus, Icarius, and Thyestes and were therefore co-founders of important families.
Greek towns and cities were called after the names of Naiads. Lilaea, in Phocis, was named for Lilaea, the Naiad of the Cephissus River.
There is a reference in Homer's Odyssey to a cave, rather than a body of water, that is sacred to the Naiads. It might be assumed, therefore, that this cave in Ithaca may have contained a spring or have been the source of a stream or brook.

Napaeae
In Greek myth, the nymphs of (mountain) valleys.

Narwhal
The sea-unicorn; its tusk was said to project from its forehead. The narwhal tusk was frequently accepted as the 'Alicorn' and used for making drinking vessels.
See also Unicorn.

Nependis
An heraldic beast, half-ape, half-swine, suggesting the qualities of both.

Nereids
The Nereids are the fifty daughters of Nereus and Doris who dwell in the Mediterranean Sea. These beautiful women were always friendly and helpful towards sailors fighting perilous storms. They are believed to be able to prophesize. They belong to the retinue of Poseidon.
In ancient art, particularly on black-figured Greek vases the Nereids were portrayed fully clothed, such as on a Corinthian vase (6th century BC) where they stand around Achilles' deathbed, dressed in mourning-garbs. In later art they were portrayed naked or partially naked, riding on dolphins, seahorses, and other marine creatures.

Newt or Efeta
A harmful creature, to be regarded with aversion. Ceres transformed a youth who mocked her into a newt.

Nidhogg
In Scandinavian myth the Nidhogg, the Dread Biter, lives at the root of the Yggdrasil, the Cosmic Tree, and gnaws at the roots, symbolizing malefic power.

Nightingale
In the Greek myth of Tereus, Philomela and Procene, Philomela was turned into a nightingale and Procne into a Swallow.

Nixes
In Norse folklore, they are water spirits who try to lure people into the water. The males can assume many different shapes, including that of a human, fish, and snake. The females are beautiful women with the tail of a fish. When they are in human forms they can be recognized by the wet hem of their clothes. The Nixes are considered as malignant in some quarters, but as harmless and friendly in others.

Nymphs
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In Greek mythology, nymphs are spirits of nature. They are minor female deities and the protectors of springs, mountains, and rivers. Nymphs are represented as young, pretty girls. Each subtype presides over a certain aspect of nature. Depending of their habitat, there are: Dryads (forests), Naiads (springs and rivers), Nereid (the Mediterranean), Oceanids (the sea) and Oreads (mountains), Limoniads (meadows), Limniads (lakes, marshes and swamps) and Napaea (valleys). They were worshipped in a nymphaeum, a monumental fountain which was raised in the vicinity of a well. The male counterpart of a nymph is the satyr.

Breeds Examples: Crystaline, Nixie, Wood.

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Oceanids
Oceanids, from Greek mythology, were the nymphs of the great ocean, the daughters of Oceanus and Tethys. There were well over 4,000 of these oceanids. They were sometimes shy, but at other times they were passionate lovers. Most of the time nymphs were kind to mortals, but they sometimes punished people who mistreated them. In the forest, nymphs were represented with fauns and satyrs. You could sometimes find oceanids playing around the keels of ships. Nymphs lived for a long time, but they were usually not considered immortal.

Orcs
A sea-monster fabled by Ariosto, Drayton, and Sylvester to devour men and women. According to Pliny, it was a huge creature 'armed with teeth'.

Oreads
The Greek nymphs of mountains and grottoes (from the Greek oros "mountain"). They belong to the retinue of Aphrodite.

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Panther
The panther was said to be a friend to au animals except the dragon, but there was a well-established belief that it killed its prey with its sweet breath. This is quoted by Aristotle, Pliny and Aefian, and used by them as a symbol of treachery; but the Pbysiologus says that after feeding it sleeps for three days then gives a roar and emits a sweet perfume which attracts other animals, who then follow it about - 'so is the Lord God and so the hope of salvation which he gives - that is a noble fragrance'. While its sweet breath attracts most animals it is offensive to the dragon, who flees from it. 'In like manner did Our Lord Jesus Christ draw all nations through his sweet savour,' and 'Christ like the panther, makes that old serpent the devil flee.' The panther is often depicted as routing the Dragon, with numerous beasts following it and divided into two groups: the Jews and the Gentiles. The skin of the panther is beautiful and of many colors like Joseph's coat. Late Bestiaries derive the word 'panther' from 'pan' - all, implying that Christ came to save the whole world. Later in Christianity the panther became associated with evil. There was an ancient tradition that the real father of Christ was a Roman Centurion named 'Panthera'.
The Underground Panther lived in the evil underworld of the Algonquins and Ojibwas of the Amerindians, but it was sacred to the South-eastern Cherokee tribe; the panther or Cougar and the Owl having the special power of being able to see in the dark. In Polynesia there is a sacred panther which has flames emerging from its head, back and legs.
The heraldic panther often has the tail of the lion, forelegs and talons of an eagle and horns on its head, with flames issuing from its mouth, but later the flames are depicted as coming from every opening on its head, denoting savagery, fury and remorselessness. It is always borne guardant.

Para
A cat-spirit which steals milk, cream, butter and honey from its owner. It appears in Sweden as the Bidra and in Finland as the cream-cat, Smierragatta.

Pard
According to the Bestiaries this is 'a parti-coloured species, very swift and strongly inclined to bloodshed.' See also Leopard

Pegasus
The Greek winged Horse born from the blood of Medusa's head when Poseidon mixed this blood with sea-sand. Athena taught Bellerophon how to tame the steed; he then mounted it and overcame the Chimera. In trying to reach Olympus, however, Bellerophon offended Zeus, who sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus and make him throw his rider. Pegasus was later transformed into a constellation.

Phoenix
The earliest reference to the phoenix is by Hesiod in the 8th century BC. Ovid, Pliny and Tacitus all write about it, but Aristotle does not mention it. Herodotus and Pliny call it 'The Arabian Bird', but in the classics it appears to be of Egyptian origin. In one legend the bird flew to Heliopolis and was immolated on the altar fire; in another it builds a nest of spices which is ignited by the sun, the bird fanning the flames with its wings. In either case it is a fabulous bird which dies by self-immolation. It remains dead for three days - symbolizing the dark of the moon - then rises again from its own ashes. The symbolism is ambivalent, lunar in its associations with the moon but also solar, being a fire-bird. The bird is the epitome of gentleness as it kills nothing, feeding only on dew and crushing nothing it touches. It is of great size and there is only one in existence. There are varying accounts as to its age, some say it lives 1000 years, Pliny says it lives 660 years, Herodotus 340, Seneca 500 and Albertus 350. Ovid says that its tears are of incense and its blood of balsam. The Talmud version is that after 1000 years it shrivels to the size of an egg and then emerges again.
In Egyptian tradition the phoenix is equated with the Bennu, the Sun Bird, emblem of the Sun God, Ra and symbol of resurrection and immortality as associated with both Ra and Osiris.
The phoenix is of outstanding importance in Chinese myth and symbolism. It is one of the Four Spiritually Endowed or Sacred Creatures. Like the dragon and the Ky-fin it is a fabulous creation and shares with them the quality of combining the yin-yang powers. It is the Feng-huang, the feng being yang and solar, the fire-bird, the buang as the yin and lunar. With the Dragon as the Emperor the phoenix represents the Empress and in this context becomes yin and represents beauty, delicacy and peace. It is also a bridal symbol of 'inseparable fellowship' for the couple personally but also for the yin-yang balance and harmony in the universe. Again, like the dragon and Ky-fin, it is a composite creature composed of different elements and symbolizing the entire cosmos, having the head of the solar cock, the back of the swallow as the lunar crescent, its wings as the wind, its tail representing trees and flowers and its feet the earth. It has the five colors of the five virtues. An ancient manual of rites said: 'Its color delights the eye, its comb expresses righteousness, its tongue utters sincerity, its voice chants melody.

Pixies
In folklore, pixies (or piskies) are little people who believed to live on the downs and moors of Cornwall, England. According to one myth, pixies were originally Druids who resisted Christianity, and the more they resisted the smaller they grew. Yet another myth tells of a race of people who were not good enough for heaven, nor bad enough for hell and were doomed to wander the earth forever.
They love to steal horses and ponies and make nocturnal rides on their backs over the heaths and moors, while entangling the manes of the animals. Even inside houses people are not safe to their tricks, such as throwing small objects at the inhabitants. Although pixies like to play, they are hard workers as well. They work on the fields the entire night for some bread and cheese.

Usually no larger than a human hand, a pixie is human-like with red hair and green eyes. They have upturned noses and malicious smiles. They usually wear tight fitting green clothes. Pixies have the ability to change their size at will. They are tricksters who like to lead humans astray. However, they can be foiled if a man wears his coat inside out. Their origin is not known, but it has been said that the pixies were the first to welcome the færies when they arrived in England. Then, fearing that they would be taken over, the pixies waged war on the færies. Farmers embrace the presence of pixies and do certain things to please them, and therefore keep them on the farm. At night, farmers will leave a bucket of water out so mother pixies can wash their babies, they'll leave milk out for them to drink and they'll sweep the hearth so that the pixies have a clean place to dance. Pixies are usually found in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall.

Puck
Pucks are pixie-like creatures that reside in the southern counties of England. Pucks, unlike pixies are on good terms with færies. Having no interest in domesticated animals, pucks are beneficial to all plants and wild animals. Miscehevious like many spirits, pucks like to play harmless tricks on humans. There tricks can, however, become quite severe in revenge of a maiden who has been scorned by her lover. They enjoy dancing to the sounds of a flute. They were sometimes called by Shakespeare and others of that time, Robbin-Good-Fellowes. In that time they were in the form of satyrs. Puck however from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream, was not a puck, but rather, a hobgoblin.

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Redcap
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A malevolent goblin, redcaps are easily distinguishable for their namesake red hat and fiery red eyes. Their caps are red because they dip them in the blood of their human victims. Redcaps wears iron boots, but are swift on their feet. They reside in castles and watchtowers along the English-Scottish border, however, they move their residence often to avoid detection. Redcaps have sharp eagle's talons with which they kill humans. Short and stock, redcaps have long white beards and look like old men. Like any goblin, all that is needed to repel them is the use of holy words.

Rinjin
A Japanese Dragon-king living in a palace under the sea.

River spirits, wood and mountain nymphs
Rarefied, often invisible, beings who can take on any form; they are powerful in the magic arts. Neither good nor ill-natured as such, they avoid all trouble by simply withdrawing. But if they are pushed too far, disasters can occur. They can shed tears in a dismal fashion or laugh lugubriously; often they spy with one eye from behind a tree.

Robin
Early mythology connected the robin with fire, a Promethean legend. It brought fire from the underworld and this associated it with death, so it is unlucky for it to enter a house; otherwise it can be a lucky bird. It is also a weather prophet.
In Christian tradition the robin got its red breast trying to take the nails out of the cross at the crucifixion. Another myth said it scorched its breast taking drops of water to souls in hell; it was thus a symbol of piety and also represents trust and confidence.
Soaked toast was offered to robins at Christmas wassailing ceremonies, There was a saying: 'The Robin and the Wren are Gold's cock and hen.'
In Scandinavia the robin is a form of the storm-cloud bird and sacred to Thor, the Fire and Thunder God.
The Amerindian Tlingit tribe have Robin as a culture-hero. Raven created Robin to give pleasure to the people with his song.

Roc or Rukh
A mythological bird of Arabia, the Roc was so huge it blotted out the sun and fed its young on elephants. It has the same characteristics as the Persian Simurgh and the Indian Garuda. It is a storm bird - the wind is the rush of its wings and lightning is its flight. According to tradition it never lands on earth except on Mount Qaf, the axis mundi. Its huge, luminous egg is the sun. It is the Rook in the game of chess.

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