While Middle Eastern mythology opens the doors to a dazzling past with its thousands of years of history, it is also home to magical beings that roam the world. Some of the famous creatures mentioned in legends are also part of the mythology of many different cultures, albeit under different names.
According to an ancient Middle Eastern legend, giant horned rabbits jumped to earth balanced on the tail of a huge fish. A huge snake lay at the end of the world, patiently waiting for the apocalypse to come so that it could swallow the whole world when that day came.
The most powerful creatures in legends were sometimes inspired by history and sometimes by imagination. Human beings, who are intertwined with nature, have also welcomed fantastic creatures into their stories. As a result, thousands of legends and the creatures that are the subject of them have emerged, similar and dissimilar at the same time. Although the mythology of the creatures in the legends of many nations is a mystery, they appear with different names and similar characteristics.
Here are 7 Legendary Creatures to Remember When You Think of Middle Eastern Mythology
Falak
The figure of the snake has been depicted in many stories throughout history, from legends to sacred books. Just as it appears in the Bible as the animal that tempted Adam and Eve.
Falak is the name of the snake figure in Middle Eastern mythology. A serpent in the depths of hell, waiting to devour heaven, earth and even hell. It is believed that this creature, created at the beginning of time, will appear at the end of the world and swallow sinners. In fact, Falak is much bigger and more terrifying than the Basilisk, the subject of medieval European legends, which also appears in Harry Potter.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, the same creature is called Apep. Apep tries to kill Ra, the Sun God, but fails. He stays underground and causes earthquakes.
In Norse mythology, a creature with similar characteristics is Jormungand, the child of Loki. Like Ouroboros, who swallowed his own tail, this creature envelops the planet with his scaly body, holding his own tail in his mouth. Like Falak, Jormungand is famous for waiting for the apocalypse called Ragnarök.
Bahamut
According to Middle Eastern mythology, a bull stands on a gigantic fish, which in turn holds an angel carrying the earth, six hells and seven heavens. At the bottom of this state of balance is Falak. The name of that fish is Bahamut / Balhut. Different sources say that Bahamut’s head resembles that of an elephant or a hippopotamus; others say that it is a winged sea serpent.
According to the Persian scholar Zakariyyā ibn Muhammad al-Qazwīnī, the answer to the question “What is Bahamut?” is that an angel stands like a pillar under the fish and holds everything above it.
Sources suggest that Bahamut may also have been derived from the combination of the sea creatures Behemeoth and Livyatan mentioned in Christian and Jewish sacred texts.
In addition, Jorge Luis Borges, in his Book of Imaginary Beings, talks about Bahamut being so enormous that people cannot bear to see it.
Rukh
The figure of the great bird is a common creature in myths. In Middle Eastern mythology, we encounter Rukh (Roc) in the form of a gigantic bird of prey. Marco Polo describes this bird as being big enough to carry an elephant in its claws and says that it lives in Madagascar.
Ibn Battuta, another traveler who claimed to have seen this bird, described it as a “flying mountain” above the Chinese seas, usually white in color and with very wide wings.
This bird is also the subject of many stories in the Thousand and One Nights. Even the legendary sailor Sinbad encountered this bird many times.
This gigantic bird is known by different names or with several different characteristics in the legends of different nations. Simurg, Phoenix, Phoenix, Phoenix, Phoenix, Hüma and Tuğrul are some of these names. It is one of the most popular examples of mythological animals in legends.
Dandan
Dandan, a huge sea monster, is one of the creatures from the Thousand and One Nights and is considered to be a different version of Bahamut. This fish is so big that it can swallow a whole ship in one bite.
And the oil from Dandan’s lungs is considered miraculous. If one covers their body with it, they can breathe under the sea.
Shadhavar
Shadhavar, also known as Sadhuzag or Aras, is very famous in Iranian folk tales. This gazelle-like creature has a single horn with 42 holes (72 according to some legends). This horn produces a mesmerizing sound similar to a flute. It causes everyone who hears it to stop and listen for a while. On the other hand, if the wind is blowing in the opposite direction, the melody turns into a different buzzing sound, which makes those who hear it feel sad.
Werehyena
Werehyena is a shape-shifting hyena. Like vampires, this nocturnal creature likes to bite the necks of living creatures and drink their blood. Described in ancient Greek, Arab and Persian stories, this beast kills its prey by drinking their blood.
Famous in African folklore, the Werehyana, in human form, prefer human jobs such as blacksmithing, woodcutting and healing. With their eyes, Werehyana can hypnotize their victims into a trance-like state.
Al Mi’raj
Al Mi’raj (al-Mi’rac) is a huge yellow rabbit with spiral horns. According to some stories, it lives on Dragon Island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
According to legend, the Macedonian king Alexander the Great defeated wild island dragons by feeding them bulls stuffed with poison. The islanders then presented him with this rabbit as a reward.
