A partial list of mythical creatures and what they could symbolize in a story.
- Asian Fox Spirit: Illusions, mystery, trickery, cunning and wisdom. Also associated with femininity, despite their reputation of being males who turn into attractive human females.
- Basilisk and Cockatrice: Two related creatures, often related to a rooster and/or salamander; nobody knows what they look like because anyone who meets their gaze dies instantly. An example of mythical creature which causes Brown Note harm to human beings, which makes it a Brown Note Being.
- Chimera: Part lion, part goat and part snake, fire breathing, sometimes with wings, generally dangerous.
- Dragon:
- Western: Solitary, violent, fire breathing, greedy, dangerous. May eat people or guard hoards of treasure.
- Eastern: Power; strength; nobility; male; likes to play Hide and Seek with tigers; generally benevolent.
- Griffin: Part lion, part eagle; noble, generally. Symbol of kingship/holy power.
- Gorgon: Hideous monsters, causes people to turn to stone (from the Medusa myth). Another example of how mythic creatures can be a Brown Note Being.
- Hellhound: Either a vicious hunter, a vicious guardian or a Portent of Doom.
- Hydra: Many headed creature, where if you cut off one head, two more grow in its place.note
- Mermaid: Half-fish, half-human beings.
- Ouroboros: A serpent eating its own tail: Infinity, alchemy, death and rebirth; lives at the edge of the world or at its base.
- Pegasus (or winged horses in general): Freedom, high ideals, thought. Can be called "horse of the poets" thanks to his connection with Athena and the Muses, so is also linked with imagination, and writers in particular.
- Phoenix: A flaming bird capable of rising again from the ashes: Death and rebirth; fire; eternal life; (Eastern) female.
- Salamander: Amphibians and reptiles with fire powers.
- Sphinx: Cunning, mystery, riddles, desires. Terribly mysterious.
- Unicorn: Purity, rarity, magic, power (which goes against tradition, 'cause in heraldry they are chained down because they're violent MFs). Usually the last of its kind. Often associated with virgins. Famously a heraldic beast of Scotland, and features on the UK Coat of Arms.
