Mystical Creatures Challenge - X

Mystical Creatures Challenge
August 1, 2023 - January 31, 2024


 
TASKS
Level Phoenix 5-10
Level Mermaid 11-19
Level Unicorn 20 or more
Each task can be done as often as needed.

33/20
 
TASKS
 
1. Unicorn
In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years or so been depicted as a white horse-like or goat-like animal with a long straight horn with spiraling grooves, cloven hooves, and sometimes a goat's beard. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was commonly described as an extremely wild woodland creature, a symbol of purity and grace, which could be captured only by a virgin. In encyclopedias, its horn was described as having the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness.
πŸ¦„ Read a book with a character who is pure and has grace or 
read a book with a character who is a virgin or 
with a character who is recovering from an illness.
 
2. Centaur
A centaur is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. Centaurs are thought of in many Greek myths as being as wild as untamed horses.
🐎 Read a book set in Greece or 
read a book with a horse on the cover (Show cover) or 
read a book where the author's initials can be found in CENTAUR.
Night of Lyons - Chasity Bowlin et al. (Dragonblade Pub - Aug 2023) - The Lady and the Lyon's Scandal by Ruth A. Casie - Sept 2
 
3. Dragon
A dragon is a large magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, and capable of breathing fire. Dragons in eastern cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence.
πŸ‰Read a book with a fire or flames on the cover (Show cover), or 
read a book with a character who is intelligent or 
read a book about the Middle Ages.
The Warrior's Reluctant Wife - Lissa Morgan (HH #1747 - Sept 2023) - Aug 23
 
*4. Pegasus
Pegasus is a winged divine stallion, usually depicted as pure white in color, in Greek mythology. Greco-Roman poets wrote about his ascent to heaven after his birth and his obeisance to Zeus, king of the gods, who instructed him to bring lightning and thunder from Olympus. Bellerophon was allowed to ride Pegasus but later fell from Pegasus's back while trying to reach Mount Olympus. Both Pegasus and Bellerophon were said to have died at the hands of Zeus for trying to reach Olympus. Pegasus was eventually brought to Olympus by Zeus. There, he was stabled next to Zeus' thunderbolts. One of his duties included carrying Zeus' thunderbolts. He was eventually turned into a constellation.
Read a book about Greek Mythology or 
read a book where the word thunder is in the text (Give a partial sentence and page/loc #) or 
The Yard Rose - Carolyn Brown (Montlake - July 2013) (pg 80 - Lots of lightning and deafening thunder) - Aug 4
read a book where the author's initials can be found in PEGASUS.
Her Younger Man - Shannon Stacey (HSE #2999 - Aug 2023) - Aug 1
 
*5 Phoenix
The phoenix is an immortal bird associated with Greek mythology that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by rising from the ashes of its predecessor. Some legends say it dies in a show of flames and combustion, others that it simply dies and decomposes before being born again. The origin of the phoenix has been attributed to Ancient Egypt by Herodotus and later 19th-century scholars, but other scholars think the Egyptian texts may have been influenced by classical folklore.
♨️Read a book set in Egypt or 
tagged Folklore or 
read a book published in the late 19th century. (1880-1900)
 
6. Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man. He dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze-like construction designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus, on the command of King Minos of Crete. The Minotaur was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.
πŸ‚ Read a book where the location of the book starts with either a M, D or I, or 
read a book with a maze in it or 
with a head on the cover (Show cover)
Murder at Sunset Rock - Debra Webb (HI #2158 - Aug 2023) - Aug 1
 
*7. Mermaid
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids are sometimes associated with perilous events such as floods, storms, shipwrecks, and drownings. In other folk traditions they can be benevolent or beneficent, bestowing boons or falling in love with humans.
🧜 Read a book with a fish on the cover (Show cover) or 
with a natural disaster in the book (Ex flood, hurricane) or 
read a book where two characters fall in love.
The Evidence Next Door - Julie Miller (HI #2154 - July 2023) - Aug 8
 
*8. Chimera
The Chimera means 'she-goat', according to Greek mythology, she was a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature, composed of different animal parts from Lycia, Asia Minor. It is usually depicted as a lion, with the head of a goat protruding from its back, and a tail that might end with a snake's head. It was an offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of monsters like Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra.
🦁 Read a book with either a goat, lion or snake on the cover (Show cover) or 
a book set in Asia.
A Daddy for Her Twins - Scarlet Wilson (HMED #1339 - Sept 2023) (Singapore) - Aug 24 
 
*9. Fairy
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures. It is a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural, or preternatural. The label of fairy has been applied only to specific magical creatures with human appearance, magical powers, and a penchant for trickery while other times it has been used to describe any magical creature, such as goblins and gnomes.
🧚‍♀️Read a book with a character who has multiple names (Your interpretation), or 
read a book with a fairy as a character.
 
10. Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and sometimes an eagle's talons as its front feet. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts, and the eagle the king of the birds, by the Middle Ages, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. Since classical antiquity, griffins were known for guarding treasures and priceless possessions
πŸ¦… Read a book where a treasure is part of the storyline (Your interpretation), or 
read a book with a King in it or 
read a book with a bird on the cover (Show cover).
A Wasp in the Woods - Geri Krotow (Tule Pub - Sept 2023) - Aug 31
 
11. Banshee
A banshee is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name is connected to the mythologically important tumuli or "mounds" that dot the Irish countryside, which are known as sΓ­de in Old Irish. Sometimes she has long streaming hair and wears a grey cloak over a green dress, and her eyes are red from continual weeping.
😒Read a book with a red or green cover (Show cover) or 
a book set in Ireland or 
a book that makes you cry.
Vengeful Vows - Yvonne Lindsay (HD #2658 - Apr 2019) - Sept 8
 
12. Cyclops
In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguished. In Hesiod's Theogony, the Cyclopes are the three brothers Brontes, Steropes, and Arges, who made for Zeus his weapon the thunderbolt. In Homer's Odyssey, they are an uncivilized group of shepherds, the brethren of Polyphemus encountered by Odysseus. Cyclopes were also famous as the builders of the Cyclopean walls of Mycenae and Tiryns.
πŸ‘️ Read A book where a character has a brother or 
a character who is a builder.
Riding Shotgun - Barb Han (HI #2139 - May 2023) - Dec 27
 
*13. Hydra
In Greek legend, the offspring of Typhon and Echidna a gigantic water-snake-like monster with nine heads (the number varies), one of which was immortal. The monster’s haunt was the marshes of Lerna, near Árgos, from which he periodically emerged to harry the people and livestock of Lerna. Anyone who attempted to behead the Hydra found that as soon as one head was cut off, two more heads would emerge from the fresh wound. The destruction of the Lernean Hydra became one of the 12 Labours of Heracles.
🐍 Read a book where a character has a wound or 
is ninth in a series.
 
*14. Kraken
The kraken is a legendary sea monster of enormous size said to appear off the coasts of Norway. Kraken, the subject of sailors' superstitions and mythos, was first described in the modern era in a travelogue by Francesco Negri in 1700. However, the first description of the creature is usually credited to the Norwegian bishop Pontoppidan who described the kraken as an octopus of tremendous size, and wrote that it had a reputation for pulling down ships.
πŸ™ Read a book set in Norway or 
with the number 1, 7, or 0 in the page count or 
with a ship on the cover. (Show cover).
The Final Countdown - Martin Caidin (Bantam - Jan 1980) - Aug 4
 
15. Harpy
Harpies were generally depicted as birds with the heads of maidens, faces pale with hunger and long claws on their hands. Roman and Byzantine writers detailed their ugliness. Pottery art depicting the harpies featured beautiful women with wings. Ovid described them as human-vultures.
πŸ‘© Read a book with a woman on the cover (Show cover) or 
a book about art or 
has the word claw in the text (Give a partial sentence and page/loc #)
Love's Secret Ingredient - Michele Dunaway (HSE #2985 - June 2023) (whipping out those claws - pg 51) - Aug 13

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