What are cool mythological or cryptozoologival creatures that you think would

[AdrenalineShots]

... make a strong visual impact on a cover? Am planning on doing a monstrous cover and would appreciate any input on what you guys think would look appealing / awesome. Any suggestions welcomed, might be your favourite kind of monster, might be one that you just think is visually interesting. I'd rather try some things (pun intended) that aren't depicted as often.

Cheers

Danny

[KoreanTacos]

Idk I've always been intrigued with anubis/Seth designs.

[AdrenalineShots]

Ah me too!! That's a really great suggestion, thank you!

[Mr_B]

Please allow me to plug a mythological creature from Slavic mythology that is utterly terrifying:

They are called "Todorci", a name which comes from Todor's Saturday, a day that comes once a year when winter draws to an end when they can be heard galloping in the distance. Why don't I just let an excerpt from their Wikipedia article sum them up:

"They appear to grow out of the backs of their horses, wearing capes that trail behind them as they roam through the night, and no one has ever seen their faces. They are malevolent demons and are among the cruelest and most powerful mythological creatures of the Balkans. As they traverse roads and pass through villages, their hooves trample and kill anything that crosses their path."

I always thought they were amazing because they take the "half-human, half-horse" idea into pure nightmare territory.

[AdrenalineShots]

That thing looks awesome. And terrifying! I recall that there's a British monster that is just the two back ends of a horse (!).

[Mr_B]

That sounds hilarious. I can picture a guy going out of the village pub hammered, passing by a horse pen and his brain just taking it from there.

It could be called Assa, because it's an ass on both ends.

(I'll stop now.)

[alexandraperchanidou]

How about a chimaera? Or a Medusa? Both are of the Greek legend and they are scary.
Or the Oni from Japanese mythology?
Hindu mythology also has its share of mythological monsters though I can't recall their names.
But the Slavic interception of the centaur is creepy. With no disrespect to the story but I prefer the Greek kind

[AdrenalineShots]

Haha yeah "Beware of my terrifying Assa!"

[Mr_B]

But the Slavic interception of the centaur is creepy. With no disrespect to the story but I prefer the Greek kind

No disrespect taken. And, frankly, Todorci are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to horrifying Slavic mythological entities. There be nightmare fuel for days in there.

Speaking of Hinduism, I just have to share one of my favourite creatures from their mythology:

Now, I realize that I'm cheating a bit, since what you see above is technically a god. That's Narasimha, the fourth avatar of Vishnu. But hear me out, because he is all kinds of awesome.

Vishnu is a god who appeared in various parts of human history in different forms that offered assistance and often flat-out saved the world from being ruled by demons. These different forms are called avatars, and this is where the modern use of that term comes from. Now, let us go back in time to a period when the world was ruled with an iron fist by a powerful demon. The demon's son was a devout follower of Vishnu, and this caused much anger and frustration for his father. The demon went on to torture his son, determined to steer him away from worshipping the god, but he refused to yield and held on to his belief. One day, his father reached a boiling point and slammed his fist against a pillar, mockingly asking why Vishnu doesn't emerge from it right now if he is all-powerful. The pillar immediately split in half, revealing Vishnu in the form of the ferocious lionman Narasimha, who devoured the demon and put an end to his rule.

I just love that story to bits.

[AdrenalineShots]

Ah yes an Oni might be a good call. I'd forgotten about the centaurs in Fantasia haha I love the transition from a Night on Bald Mountsin to the morning. It was pretty beautiful stuff.

[Amberday]

a manticore would be pretty badass

(not my art)

[AdrenalineShots]

Mountain! I hate predictive text!!

[AdrenalineShots]

Vishnu sounds like a mythological Mr. T!! Bad ass indeed: "My wings are fast, fool!!"

[Rhombik]

What about the selkie? It takes the form of a seal most of the time but comes ashore and strips off it's seal skin to become a human every once in a while.

[Mr_B]

You don't know the half of it. There was also the time when he carried the whole Earth to safety... in his tusks.

[KennDemon]

Dullahan! I love dullahans, they are fascinating, both visually and their lore.

Banshees are cool too.

Since you're talking about a cover, I would advise against something like a medusa. Snakes are a very common fear, and there would be no way for someone with that fear to avoid stumbling across your cover while searching. A snake in a monstrous image could have some seriously bad effect on people. I guess the same would go for giant spiders too.

[joe_galindez]

But the Slavic interception of the centaur is creepy. With no disrespect to the story but I prefer the Greek kind

. . . how does she wipe?