Mythical Creatures (Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena)

Legends and myths are full of impossible creatures and strange beasts, from the half-human, half-lion sphinx of ancient Egypt to fire-breathing dragons to mermaids in the oceans. Although stories of these creatures date back to the earliest history of humanity, they are no less fascinating or popular today as a steady stream of books, games, movies, television shows, and other media revisit their stories and reinterpret the myths. But what lies behind these myths and legends? Did these bizarre animals once exist in ancient times, inspiring the accounts and stories that have kept them alive? Or do these creatures large and small reflect the characteristics of the cultures in which they were created? ""Mythical Creatures"" describes many of the famous beasts of fable and legend and looks at their possible origins while recounting the tales that have kept them famous for millennia. Chapters of this title include: Mixed-Up Monsters; Heroic Horses - Pegasus to Unicorns; Fabled Flyers; Flying Flame Shooters - Dragons of the World; Denizens of the Deep; and, Creatures to Look Up To - Giants.

Author and artist Linda Godfrey is a former teacher and newspaper reporter who became a leading authority on modern-day unknown canines or werewolves after breaking the story The Beast of Bray Road in 1992. Besides a book by that title, she has also written Hunting the American Werewolf (basis of the History Channel show MonsterQuest's first episode), three books in the Chelsea House Mysteries, Legends and Unexplained series (Werewolves, Lake and Sea Monsters, and Mythical Creatures), Weird Michigan, Strange Wisconsin, The Poison Widow, Haunted Wisconsin: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena in the Badger State, and (co-authored) Weird Wisconsin and Strange Wisconsin. She has appeared on many national TV and radio shows, such as Travel Channel, Inside Edition, the New In Search Of, America's Scariest Places, National and Wisconsin Public Radio, Coast to Coast AM, and more. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their monstrous dog, Grendel.

She maintains web sites at www.beastofbrayro