Unmasking mythical monsters

How our ancestors’ knowledge and wild imagination created the unusual out of the unknown

How It Works digs up the truth behind the origins of unicorns, centaurs, dragons and more

Storytelling is an intrinsic part of human nature. Since we first began to communicate, it’s been a way to share our experiences and knowledge with others, but also to frighten, intrigue and entertain. As cultures collided, sharing stories became a way to get to know one another and the legends of the land from which people came. As these stories spread, they changed and grew, often becoming stranger than fiction as they were passed on. To those hearing these tall tales for the first time, however, they might have been taken as fact.

Commonplace in the chronicles of every culture are monstrous beasts and curious creatures. Greek poets wrote of minotaurs in mazes and sirens who serenaded sailors to their deaths. Vikings told tales of trolls and elves as they drank their mead. This is not far removed from the modern day, where these myths and monsters have become entwined with popular culture. Films have vampires waging war against werewolves, while fantasy books feature dwarves and dragon queens. However, there’s one major difference: we know that these are purely fantasy, mere fables and fairy tales retold across centuries.

But before modern scientific understanding, some of these creatures seemed very real to those hearing stories about them. To the people of the past, these monsters were more than just legends. They could also be a way to imagine the story of something that couldn’t be explained at the time, such as gigantic bones or people disappearing without a trace. When unmasking the mythical monsters of the past, some of them have rather ordinary origins.