Mythical Creatures

Mythology is one of my favorite hobbies. I have always been fascinated by these old stories of the adventures of brave heroes and the struggles between fantastic kingdoms. Basically, I love any story that involves heroes overcoming adversity or even struggling futilely against incomparable odds. My favorite part of mythology, however, has always been mythical creatures.

I really like the mythical sea creatures that are usually connected with the beginning or the end of the world. I still remember the first time I read Norse mythology. There were many mythical creatures in it, but my very favorite one was the Midgard Serpent. It was a huge serpent which was supposed to be large enough to surround the whole world. Supposedly, at the end of the world it will have an epic fight with Thor where they destroy each other. Picturing such a vast and tremendous serpent lurking at the bottom of the sea sort of gives me chills.

I have been collecting mythical creature figurines since I was very little. I used to have quite a few hallmark pewter figurines in my room. I had a lot of dragons, sorcerers, and knights. My favorite mythical creatures, however, were the ones drawn in the old fairy tale books. They would usually be done in pen and ink or even in wood cut. The drawings were only in black and white, but the level of detail put many modern illustrations to shame.

Nowadays, I actually draw my own mythical creatures. It is amazing how much of a market there is for fantasy art. People are still looking to buy new pictures of creatures that have been the stuff of myth and legend for thousands of years. Drawing basilisks, sea serpents, and manticores is an excellent way for an artist with a fairly baroque imagination to make money. I like to do illustrations for the covers of fantasy novels best of all. I'm usually given free reign to interpret the story how I want to, which makes it a lot more fun. I don't need very specific instructions to get going. I would much rather have some leeway to go with my own imagination.

I thought about getting into puppetry recently. A lot of the most popular puppets are actually fashioned off of mythical creatures such as dragons and phoenixes. Even when you aren't making a mythical creature, you are able to interpret a real animal in a creative way. No one checks puppets for verisimilitude. The point is to make an impression.

Summary

Mythical creatures are a beloved part of many people's childhood memories. Many kids dream of seeing a unicorn or catching a fairy in the backyard after dark. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it is not there! Collectors enjoy mythical creatures and other types of fantasy art as it helps them connect back to their childhood and remember when magic was real.

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