In the last Podcastle contest, I graced every group with an entry from a medieval bestiary. I happen to love bestiaries, both for their fantastic / mythological creatures, and for the misconceptions about real creatures (remember the
barnacle goose?) And I really enjoyed throwing the spotlight on some more obscure monsters (*cough*
bonnacon*cough*). The downside of using the classic bestiaries is that they were very European centric. Sure, some of their entries draw from middle eastern or north African legends, but at Podcastle, we like to celebrate stories and mythologies from all over the world.
So this time, that's just what I'm going to do. Feature monsters and fantastic beasts from all around the world. I'll even tell you where to find them. And expect some obscure critters alongside the legends you may have heard of. I would be quite surprised if anyone with familiar with the critters in all 22 entries of my Global Bestiary.
But since the monks of medieval Europe knew nothing about the monsters that kept the Aztecs or the people of Japan awake at night... I'll be doing a little bit more creative writing myself. I'll be drawing from my own obscure knowledge of legends and folklore, as well as internet research. Apologies in advance if I misrepresent your favorite fantastic beast. Especially if it's from your cultural background. I'm just a kitty trying to do his best.
