A Map Of Mythical Creatures And Where To Find Them

Have you always dreamed of seeing a yeti? Maybe you’d love to have a beer with ol’ Bigfoot? Or sight a Sasquatch? Have a natter with Nessie?

If mythical beasts from folklore are totally your thing, why not ditch that planned all-inclusive holiday to Greece and head off to a fantastic creature-spotting adventure instead?

We’ve sourced five of the best mythical creatures and assembled a handy guide to these wonderful beasts. With our monster map, you’ll finally know where they live, what they do, and where they are from.

The Kelpie

Go to: Rural Scotland

This mythical creature is one of the most well-known in Scottish folklore. The first recorded usage of ‘kelpie’ goes back to 1759. Thought to haunt the waterways of Scotland, the kelpie is a shape-shifter that usually appears as a horse.

Nearly all rivers, streams and lochs in Scotland have some kind of kelpie story behind them. It’s thought that the kelpies’ ability to shape-shift (they can also appear as beautiful young women, children, and other forms) comes from its bridle.

So, if you’re strong enough to get hold of it, you could well find yourself in the rare position of having the upper hand over one of the most monstrous creatures from all folklore.

Black Shuck

Go to: Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, UK

Black Shuck was the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles, but the black spectral dog which hides in bushes goes further back than that. It terrorized parts of East Anglia in the 16th century as it stalked coastlines, graveyards, hidey-holes, and hedgerows.

Despite looking like it could cause serious harm, Black Shuck was not necessarily a violent creature. Rather, it was a harbinger, usually of bad luck.

The Loch Ness Monster

Go to: Loch Ness, Inverness, Scotland

Nessie is perhaps the most infamous of all mythical creatures, so it should be right at the top of your must-see list. Travel firm Expedia, who have put together a fantastic online map showing you places around the world where mythical creatures are said to live, explains that early sightings of the Loch Ness Monster compared the aquatic creature to a dragon.

The Nessie phenomenon started back in 1933 when the local paper Inverness Courier reported a sighting of the beast. The rest is history as Nessie cemented itself as a sensation. Expedia’s resource recommends going on a cruise to the ruins of Urquhart Castle, with live sonar on board, to maximize your chances of finding the creature.

Yacumama

Go to: Manaus, Brazil

The Yacumama is a giant anaconda-like snake that has been frightening Brazilians for many years. This immensely strong serpent, capable of sucking up everything around it, has the power to cause mudslides and general chaos.

The mythical creature resource shows that explorers were reporting seeing the snake as far back as 1906. A report from Percy H. Fawcett reads: “We stepped ashore and approached the reptile with caution. It was out of action, but shivers ran up and down the body like puffs of wind on a mountain tarn. As far as it was possible to measure, a length of 45 feet lay out of the water, and 17 feet in it, making a total length of 62 feet.”

Bigfoot

Go to: The forests of North America

Another big beast of popular folklore, Bigfoot, or Sasquatch as it’s also known, is thought to stand at least 9 feet tall and with dark fur and skin. The gorilla-like creature is thought to be a vegetarian, so it’s unlikely he’d see you as his dinner.

Where to start with a colossus like Bigfoot?

He’s practically the king of all the mythological beasts out there. The Bigfoot legend relates back to stories of ‘wild men’ that were prevalent in indigenous communities of the Pacific Northwest. The number of apparent sightings and close encounters concerning Sasquatch are legion, but he’s never been proven to exist. Most think Bigfoot is a hoax, albeit an elaborately crafted one.

So, if you’re planning an intrepid holiday to catch sight of your favorite mythical beast, we hope this monster map comes in handy. If you need to make a quick getaway, it’s great if you can take a car with you.