The legendary heroes of our mythic past are only as great and memorable as the monsters they confronted and vanquished. This, the latest encyclopaedic work by mythologist Theresa Bane contains more than twenty-two hundred entries of animal companions, creatures, and monsters which have fought by man's side, consumed his crops, and ravished the countryside.
"Here there be dragons"--this notation was often made on ancient maps to indicate the edges of the known world and what lay beyond. Heroes who ventured there were only as great as the beasts they encountered. This encyclopedia contains more than 2,200 monsters of myth and folklore, who both made life difficult for humans and fought by their side. Entries describe the appearance, behavior, and cultural origin of mythic creatures well-known and obscure, collected from traditions around the world.
