greg becker

http://www.illustrationweb.com/illustrators/home_large.asp?command=gallery&gallery_id=9&artist_id=14

maria livings

i actually am very fond of her work
http://www.illustrationweb.com/illustrators/home_large.asp?command=gallery&gallery_id=2&artist_id=3393

At Roll

http://www.illustrationweb.com/illustrators/home_large.asp?command=gallery&gallery_id=2&artist_id=3345

nice designs

The little friends of printmaking

http://www.thelittlefriendsofprintmaking.com/

Deanna Halsall

http://www.ycnonline.com/portfolios/view/26/deanna-halsall

Anna Garforth

http://www.ycnonline.com/portfolios/view/106/anna-garforth

Aspidochelone

Aspidochelone - According to the tradition of the Physiologus and medieval bestiaries, the aspidochelone is a fabled sea creature, variously described as a large whale or sea turtle, that is as large as an island. The name aspidochelone appears to be a compound word combining Greek aspis (which means either "asp" or "shield"), and chelone, the turtle. It rises to the surface from the depths of the sea, and entices unwitting sailors to make landfall on its huge shell. In Old English literature, in the poem The Whale, the creature appears under the name Fastitocalon, apparently a variant of aspidochelone. In the moralistic allegory of the Physiologus and bestiary tradition, the aspidochelone represents Satan, who deceives those whom he seeks to devour.

One version of the Latin text of the Physiologus reads:

"There is a monster in the sea which in Greek is called aspidochelone, in Latin "asp-turtle"; it is a great whale, that has what appear to be beaches on its hide, like those from the sea-shore. This creature raises its back above the waves of the sea, so that sailors believe that it is just an island, so that when they see it, it appears to them to be a sandy beach such as is common along the sea-shore. Believing it to be an island, they beach their ship alongside it, and disembarking, they plant stakes and tie up the ships. Then, in order to cook a meal after this work, they make fires on the sand as if on land. But when the monster feels the heat of these fires, it immediately submerges into the water, and pulls the ship into the depths of the sea.
Such is the fate of all who pay no heed to the Devil and his wiles, and place their hopes in him: tied to him by their works, they are submerged into the burning fire of Gehenna: for such is his guile.


http://stagevu.com/video/jywbqaldnfwz
40 minutes in

Hippopodes

HIPPOPODES
THE HIPPOPODES were a tribe of horse-footed men who lived in the mythical islands of the far north.
Pliny the Elder, Natural History 4. 94 (trans.

Rackham) (Roman encyclopedia C1st A.D.) :
"Crossing the Ripaean Mountains [probably the Carpathians of central Europe] must coast to the left along the shore of the
northern ocean until we reach Gadis. In this direction a number of islands are reported to exist [perhaps in the Baltic Sea] . . . [and] the Hippopodes on which people are born with horses’ feet, which gives them their Greek name."






This scene probably represents the witches of some barbarous nation, as introduced upon the stage. There was a tribe of Scythians named Hippopodes, to which we may conjecture these personages belong.

One holds a small mummy in her hand, which might seem to have a reference to the Egyptian colony of Colchos ; but Colchos was a part of Sarmatia, which might easily in a vague account be confounded with Scythia by Dionysius Periegetes. The borders are from the house of the Dioscuri.

hippogriff

Hippogrif

The Hippogrif is legendary animal that is half Griffin and half horse. The forequarters and head is that of the griffin that would be the father's half and hindquarters would be of its mother a filly. The Hippogrif is a ferocious creature. The Hippogrif is often found in ancient Greek paintings but it was more largely seen in medieval times.

Peryton

Peryton

The Peryton lived in Atlantis, it is a large flying creature with the antlered head and legs of a dear with the wings and body of bird. The Peryton casts a shadow of a man until it kills one. When an earthquake destroyed Atlantis the Peryton took to the air and were seen flying above the Pillars of Hercules.

Sphinx

A winged creature with a lion's body and a human head, usually a female head. They can be very dangerous and will sometimes kill those who cannot answer their riddles.
he word sphinx comes from the Greek Σφίγξ, apparently from the verb σφίγγω (sphíngō), meaning "to strangle" This name may be derived from the fact that the hunters for a pride of lions are the lionesses, and kill their prey by strangulation, biting the throat of prey and holding them down until they die. The word sphincter derives from the same root. However, the historian Susan Wise Bauer suggests that the word "sphinx" was instead actually a Greek corruption of the Egyptian name "shesepankh," which meant "living image," and referred rather to the statue of the sphinx, which was carved out of "living rock" (rock that was present at the construction site, not harvested and brought from another location), than to the beast itself

Roc

A huge bird, with a wingspan of 30 paces that is capable of carrying off an elephant It is so large that drinking cups can be made of its nails.
Allegedly the Kubla Khan sent men to inquire about the Roc, and they returned with a "feather" of the Roc that was 90 spans long (about 67 feet.) It may have been a palm frond.

Griffin

There are a couple descriptions for Griffins: one is that it is part bird and part lion. Sometimes it is specified as part lion, part eagle. Occasionally, it is represented as a lion's body with an eagles head (without wings.) Griffins are frequently large, capable of carrying a man and horse, or an elephant, in its talons. The term Griffin is also used to describe a large bird.
The long nails on a griffin's feet are as big as oxen horns, and can be used as cups. The ribs can be used to make a bow. A male griffin that mates with a female horse produces a Hippogryph. According to Olaus Magnus, they live in the "Northern Mountains." According to Marco Polo, they are from Madagascar. Can be hostile to horses.

Phoenix

The size of an eagle, with gold plumage around the neck, a purple body, and an azure tail. The throat has a crest, and the head has a tuft of feathers.
The main feature of the phoenix is that it is reborn through fire: when it gets old it will make a nest (sometimes of myrrh) and set it on fire. The phoenix will be consumed in the flames, but will be reborn out of the ashes. There is only one Phoenix at a time; it lives for many years (accounts vary from 500, 540, 1000 or 1460 years.) No person has ever seen this bird eat. This legend was very common among the Egyptians, the Greek, oriental cultures, and during medieval times.
Might represent the sun, which dies every night and is reborn the next morning. Among classical writers, it may represent those existing in paradise, enjoying eternal youth. Among Christians, it can represent rebirth after death.

Pegasus

There are several versions of the birth of the winged stallion and his brother Chrysaor in the far distant place at the edge of Earth, Hesiod's "springs of Oceanus, which encircles the inhabited earth, where Perseus found Medusa:

One is that they sprang from the blood issuing from Medusa's neck as Perseus was beheading her,^[6] similar to the manner in which Athena was born from the head of Zeus. In another version, when Perseus beheaded Medusa, they were born of the Earth, fed by the Gorgon's blood. A variation of this story holds that they were formed from the mingling of Medusa's blood and sea foam, implying that Poseidon had involvement in their making. The last version bears resemblance to the birth of Aphrodite.

Pegasus was not immortal. Because of his faithful service, Zeus honored him with a constellation. On the last day of his life, Zeus transformed Pegasus into a constellation.

hippocampus

The hippocamp or hippocampus, often called a sea-horse in English, is a mythological creature shared by Phoenician and Greek mythology, though the name by which it is recognised is purely Greek; it became part of Etruscan mythology. It has typically been depicted as a horse in its forepart with a coiling, scaly, fishlike hindquarter.

Kelpie

The kelpie is a supernatural water horse from Celtic folklore that is believed to haunt the rivers and lochs of Scotland and Ireland.

Its hide was supposed to be black (though in some stories it was white), and will appear to be a lost pony, but can be identified by its constantly dripping mane. Its skin is like that of a seal, smooth, but is as cold as death when touched. The horse's appearance is strong, powerful, and breathtaking. Water horses are also known to transform into handsome men in order to lure women into their traps. It is understood that the nostril of the horse is what creates the illusion of grandeur. The water horse also creates illusions to keep itself hidden, keeping only its eye above water to scout the surface, much like the illusion of a fish's pupil. It is wise to keep away from them. If a human climbs on the back of a water horse, the horse will often dive into the water and drown its rider. If a human gains control over the horse it can be put to work in fields. Water Horses have the strength of ten land horses and do not like to be enslaved and will try every trick to escape. The water horse then courts its master for several years before it consumes only the left leg and right hand pinky finger of the victim.The water horse is also a common form of the kelpie, said to lure mortals, especially children, into the water to drown and eat them. It performs this act by encouraging children to ride on its back. Once its victims fall into its trap, the kelpie's skin becomes adhesive and it bears them into the river, dragging them to the bottom of the water and devouring them - except the heart or liver.

Tikbalang

Tikbalang (also written as Tigbalang, Tigbalan, or Tikbalan) is a creature of Philippine folklore said to lurk in the mountains and forests of the Philippines. It is generally described as a tall, bony humanoid creature with disproportionately long limbs, to the point that its knees reach above its head when it squats down.^[1] It has the head and feet of an animal, most commonly a horse. It is sometimes believed to be a transformation of an aborted fetus which has been sent to earth from limbo.