Get Monster Journal Entry #7 - the Manticore Today!
Illustrated by Joao Gabriel.
Hey guys!
I am happy to bring you Entry #7 of the Monster Hunter Journal -- the Manticore!
I was introduced to the Manticore through Dungeons & Dragons, so I imagine many of you will be similarly surprised to learn that the fearsome hybrid monster hailed from ancient Persian mythology. The creature was famed for having the body of a lion, a human-like face and a venomous tail capable of firing sharp spines like arrows. It was described as an apex predator that consumed its prey entirely, leaving no bones behind.
Its name may stem from the Old Persian phrase martya-khvara, meaning "man-eater", and the legend entered Western tradition through Greek historians, who had learned of the creature(s) while serving at the Persian court. Its description often included blood-red fur, the body of a large lion, a human-line face and triple row of shark-like teeth. Its long tail was tipped with a stinger or venemous quills, which could immobilize their prey. It was also rumored that the only animal immune to its venom was the elephant.
Many scholars believed the manticore a myth and heavily-exaggerated account of someone's encounter with a real man-eating animal, such as a Bengal tiger. Over the centuries, European medieval bestiaries kept the legend alive, often embellishing the creature by giving it bat or dragon wings, which accounts for the many different representations one can find.
“It utters a noise resembling the united sound of a pipe and a trumpet… and devours men.”
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