Buzz
As a child, when lightning illuminated the night sky, you might have huddled under your blankets, terrified of the unseen horrors beneath your bed or the skeletal hands reaching from the closet. But perhaps your fears were misplaced, as some of these monsters are downright ridiculous.
10. Ashiarai Yashiki
Imagine this: you’re relaxing with your family in the living room, enjoying a board game or a TV show, when suddenly a massive, filthy foot, as large as a garbage truck, crashes through your roof, destroying your coffee table. Its owner then demands you clean it. Welcome to the world of Ashiarai Yashiki. If you calmly agree to wash the enormous (and hairy) foot, the creature will disappear. However, if you’re too stunned or refuse, it will wreak havoc in your home until you comply.
9. The Hidebehind
The hidebehind remains invisible by concealing itself behind objects. If you sense its presence and attempt to spot it by turning around, it swiftly ducks behind a tree, forcing you into an uninvited game of hide-and-seek you never signed up for.
Fortunately, as per the tales of lumberjacks who dreaded it, the hidebehind has one weakness: alcohol. Indeed, some lumberjacks claimed that staying sober was risky—particularly while on the job.
8. The Clurichaun
The clurichaun, a relative of the leprechaun, is a perpetually intoxicated little creature known for picking fights and taking wild rides on sheep or dogs. Often seen as the darker counterpart to the leprechaun, akin to Warwick Davies in Leprechaun, they bring misfortune and feast on fairies. Like leprechauns, they possess a pot of gold, but theirs is tainted with a curse.
Moreover, would you truly desire gold reeking of alcohol, sheep, and regret?
7. The Sihuanaba
The sihuanaba of Central America appears as a stunning naked woman viewed from behind. Men who spot her become entranced, chasing her through forests and off cliff edges. However, the sihuanaba is searching for her male counterpart, not a human. When she realizes her pursuer is human, she turns around to reveal a horse’s head, often causing the man to die of terror because holy crap, it’s a horse.
6. Shirime
Shirime is a Japanese supernatural being with a smooth, blank face. What makes him both terrifying and amusing is his habit of stopping strangers on the road with harmless questions, only to suddenly bend over and reveal a massive blinking eyeball in place of his butt. His name literally translates to “butt-eye.”
Fortunately, Shirime doesn’t use his abilities for serious harm. Much like Slimer from Ghostbusters, he’s satisfied with simply frightening passersby.
5. Trauco
The Trauco is a sinister, footless dwarf residing in Chilean forests, wielding a stone axe. Yes, this creature lacks feet entirely. Yet, his charm is undeniable, as he exudes an inexplicable allure. Despite being a weapon-carrying, footless dwarf, he’s said to enchant women and is blamed for all unexplained pregnancies in the region.
When not seducing women, he hammers his stone axe into trees, showcasing his dominance and vigor.
4. Tofu Kozu
We’re doing our best to stay serious while writing this, but it’s a challenge. Alright, here it is: Tofu Kuzo is an enormous baby wearing a large bamboo hat and holding a block of tofu elegantly adorned with a Japanese maple leaf. The tofu he carries is cursed, causing a deadly stomach fungus and excruciating death. Not that anyone would likely accept tofu from a giant baby in a bamboo hat on a dark, deserted road at night, but that’s the legend.
3. The Leshy
The leshy is a blue, shapeshifting entity from Slavic folklore, serving as the guardian of the forest. It can transform into almost any form, but in human guise, it’s identifiable by its habit of wearing its left shoe on its right foot, appearing rather foolish.
The leshy occasionally kills humans by tickling them to death. It doesn’t mean to cause harm, but sometimes it gets too carried away, resulting in the human’s demise.
2. Saci
Saci is a mischievous forest trickster from Brazilian folklore. He’s depicted as a one-legged boy wearing a red cap, darting through the woods with a pipe, creating chaos. Legend says his red hat can grant wishes. However, those who’ve captured him and taken the hat claim it reeks so badly that the stench can never be removed.
Saci is a mix of Heath Ledger’s Joker, Popeye, and Chris Rock, known for committing petty crimes like spoiling milk and stopping popcorn from popping.
1. The Encantado
An encantado is a Brazilian demon hailing from an aquatic realm. A hybrid of human, dolphin, and wolf, it’s essentially a “were-dolphin.” In human form, it appears as a handsome bald man wearing a hat to conceal his blowhole. As a dolphin, it transforms into a bizarre fish with hands.
Encantados venture onto land at night, dressed in pristine white suits. They cast spells to induce illness and enchant young women, who must be restrained to stop them from drowning as they attempt to follow their aquatic lovers back to the river. Essentially, this creature is the Ryan Gosling of bald, blowhole-bearing fish monsters.
