Supernatural Creature: 35 Creepy Options For Your Books

Posted on Apr 3, 2023

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Is there anything better than a creepy book with a scary supernatural creature?

If you are just beginning to write your book, you might be stuck on which supernatural creature you want to include. Or maybe you are not aware of how many there are out there.

In this article, we will be going over a wide variety of supernatural creatures, covering some basics about each one, and taking a look at some books with famous supernatural creatures in them.

What Is A Supernatural Creature?

You have probably seen supernatural creatures in horror movies and books through the years.

Generally, supernatural creatures are ones that we do not have proof of (even though some might disagree!) or are outside the normal of our understanding of animals out in the world.

What makes them so interesting to include in books is that we do not understand them or how they work.

Whereas if you come across a cat in the street, while it might be angry, you generally know what to expect in your interaction with it.

List of Supernatural Creatures

Let’s now dive into what some supernatural creatures out there and what you need to know about each of them if you want to include them in your book.

#1 – Basilisk

Most people might know what a basilisk is from the Harry Potter books, but essentially, it is a giant snake that causes people to die when you look into its eyes.

#2 – Vampires

With the existence of books like Twilight, most of us know what vampires are. Vampires sustain themselves by drinking blood and can often blend in as humans.

#3- Centaur

A centaur is a half-man half-horse combination and comes from Greek mythology. They have been depicted as both heroes and villains in various stories.

#4 – Phoenix

The phoenix is the famous bird that births itself from its own ashes. It represents rebirth, starting over, and immortality.

#5 – Cerberus

As the watchdog of the underworld, cerberus is the monstrous dog of the underworld with three heads. They prevent the dead from leaving and is sometimes called the hound of Hades.

#6 – Hydra

If you have ever heard the quote about cutting off the head and two more grow in its place, this comes from Hydra, the many-headed serpent that resides in the ocean.

#7 – Banshee

Coming from Irish folklore, the banshee is a female spirit who heralds the death of a family member by screaming or wailing. Banshees were often associated with being predictors of death, as well, and being able to sense when death was around the corner.

#8 – Griffin

The griffin is a half-eagle, half-lion that comes from a wide variety of mythologies and cultures. It is often thought of as a powerful and majestic creature. Often you will see them in stories guarding precious resources.

#9 – Mermaids

Thanks to The Little Mermaid most of us know what a mermaid is, but it is a creature that extends across the world. Sometimes they are associated with things like shipwrecks and drownings, so they are not always a wonderful, happy creature like we imagine.

#10 – Jackalope

The Jackalope comes from North American folklore and it is a small jackrabbit but with antelope horns. It is such a common creature that in Wyoming there have been various bills to make it the state mythological creature.

#11 – Demon

A demon is a being that is associated with hell. It is an evil spirit, or the devil, and is almost always associated with being malevolent.

#12 – Jersey Devil

No, this is not about the cast members of the Jersey Shore, instead, this is a creature from South Jersey that looks like a flying goat with wings and hooves.

#13 – Echidna

While there is a real adorable animal called the echidna that is a tiny little anteater, the echidna we are talking about comes from Greek mythology, as so many of the others do.

It is a half-woman half-snake beast that dwells in caves.

#14 – Goblins

Coming from English, Irish, and Scottish folklore, goblins are little grotesque creatures. In some myths, they can shapeshift and hae other types of magical abilities.

#15 – Behemoth

Coming from the Old Testament, the behemoth is a giant monster that was a chaos-monster. Imagine the biggest hippopotamus you have ever seen and triple it, and then throw in some extra horns, and that is what you end up with.

#16 – Loch Ness Monster

Coming from Scottish folklore, the loch ness monster is a giant creature that swims in the depths of the Scottish Highlands. It looks like a giant swimming dinosaur that can be friend or foe, depending on your story.

#17 – Unicorn

Unicorns are popular in cultures across the world, but if you do not know, they are giant horses with a horn that sometimes can or cannot fly. In some stories they can heal people as well.

#18 – Bigfoot

If you have ever spent time near big mountains, you have most likely come across the myth of the bigfoot. Also referred to as a sasquatch, it is a strong creature that is a cross between a man and an ape.

#19 – Mothman

Coming from West Virginia folklore, the mothman is a human-looking creature that has glowing red eyes and long wings that let it travel at night.

#20 – Dragon

Dragons are large serpent-like reptilian creatures that can range anywhere in size from a few feet tall to hundreds of feet tall. Some breathe fire and some can swim, as well.

#21 – Sphinxes

The sphinxes come from Persian, Greek and Egyptian mythology. It is a woman but with the frame of a lion and the wings of a bird. It is not too far off in looks from the griffin, but the sphinx has people answer riddles. Anyone who cannot answer the riddle will be eaten.

#22 – Cyclops

A cyclops is a one-eyed creature and comes from the story of Odysseus, where it ate two of his men and then took a nap. Needless to say, it is not the friendliest creature.

#23 – Gorgon (including Medusa)

A gorgon is from ancient Greek mythology that can turn people into stone with just a look. The most famous one we all know of is Medusa, the woman who had snakes in place of hair on her head.

#24 – Minotaur

The minotaur is a creature that is half-man and half-bull, so as you can imagine it is incredibly strong.

#25 – Aliens

Aliens in a story have taken many forms, from their various looks to their various sizes and purposes. Anything outside of our solar system has a certain mystery around it.

#26 – Chimera

A chimera is a fire-breathing female beast that looks like a cross between a lion, a goat, and a dragon.

#27 – Oni

Coming from Japanese folklore, the oni is a blend of a yökai, demon, orc, ogre, and troll. They are creatures known for their murderous and cannibalistic ways.

#28 – Zombies

Zombies symbolize the undead, and it does not come from a particular part of the world, but they are often portrayed as single-minded, strong creates that were once humans.

#29 – Witches

While many people throughout time have thought there were real witches, and killed people for it, witches when it comes to myth represent forest-dwelling women who practice witchcraft and cast spells on people they dislike.

#30 – Fairies

In mythology, fairies have either been small little creatures that fly around or full-sized women. They often have magical powers and use them at will.

#31 – Wizards

Wizards are similar to other supernatural creatures from this list in relation to having magic at their fingertips to use. They often live alone, usually in some castle high on a mountain.

#32 – Ghosts

Ghosts are people who have passed on and left their souls behind. They can be either helpful or benevolent, but they are often spooky.

#33 – Yeti

Sometimes called the abominable snowman, the yeti is said to wander around the himalayan mountain range in Asia. It is also linked to bigfoot and is a huge ape-like creature that walks on its back legs.

#34 – Chupacabra

Known for drinking the blood of livestock, the chupacabra has been said to take many various forms and has been claimed to be anywhere from the size of a small dog to the size of a human.

Some people have said it also looks like a hairless dog, but with red eyes that moves around at night to attack livestock.

#35 – Werewolf

Traditionally, a werewolf if a human that shapeshifts into a wolf when there is a full moon. They come from European folklore and grew at the same rate as the belief in witches.

Books With Supernatural Creatures

If you want a list of some books that contain supernatural creatures, here are a few to check out:

World War Z – featuring zombies
Dracula – featuring vampires
Harry Potter – many of the greek myths are included throughout these books
The Ritual – creatures from Scandinavian mythology
Iliad – where many of these creatures come from

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