Monsters in Greek mythology were usually part animal and part human, but often were a collection of animal graftings. Actually they were not a horror monsters, but they were seen as unpleasant creatures sent by gods in order to obstruct the hero’s purpose. In fact they usually took part of a story only to be destroyed by  heroes. We can say that they were used to build  the figure of the hero on. There are several common denominators among the mythological monsters. In fact each monster was created thanks to combine different parts of the body of various type of animals. However the most common one was the snake. Each time the snake was seen as a physical influence, it shot terrible fears through the hearts of those who were trying to destroy the monster. In fact throughout the centuries, the snake usually symbolized something evil and monstrous as it represented the devil in Greek mythology as well in Christianity. Another animal that was represented as a monster was the lion as it was seen as a beast that loved killing people or other animals. For this reason the pagans and uncivilized people had fear of it. However the biggest question is , why animal and not some sort of  magical person who can use spells in order to destroy the heroes? This is because ancient people used to be afraid of something that was tangible to them as the combination made them uncivilized. This is because the behavior of a common person could be changeable as well as the one of animals, so their combination made a monster that could be able to do everything, so unpredictable. 

Cerberus:
was a huge and powerful  dog with three heads. He was owned by Hades , god of the dead, as guard of the entrance to the underworld. In his final labor, Hercules  went to the underworld and kidnapped Cerberus.

Cyclopes:
 gigantic and with a single eye in the middle of its forehead. The brutal Polyphemus, a Cyclops and a son of  Poseidon, lived on an island, where he was blinded by  Odysseus.

Gorgons
were  ugly monsters who lived at the edge of the world. Their hair was made of serpents, and  the one who look from a Gorgon's eyes would turn a man to stone. Perseus killed the Gorgon Medusa by beheading her while looking only at her reflection.

 

Hydra
was a massive serpent with nine heads. Every time one head was injured, another two grew in its place. Hercules killed it.

Minotaur
 was a man-eating monster with the head of a bull. King Minos kept it hidden in a maze in Knossos, where he used it to frighten his enemies. Theseus killed the Minotaur.

Scylla and Charybdis
The powerful monsters Scylla and Charybdis lived together in a sea cave. Scylla had many fierce dog heads and ate sailors alive; Charybdis created whirlpools by sucking in and spitting out seawater. Both Jason and Odysseus safely traveled by these monsters.

were giant, winged creatures with the heads of women. They lived on rocks on the sea, where their beautiful singing lured sailors to shipwreck. Odysseus filled his sailors' ears with wax so that they might sail safely past the Sirens.

Consider violent, these beings are half man and half horse, they used to live in mountains and forests, their food was raw flesh and their behavior was bestial.

Harpies were birds with the heads of women, they were originally sent by Jove to torment a blinded soothsayer, Phineas.

Somewhat vampirical, this was a female who was thought to steal children and drink their blood.

This monster was said to have the face of a woman, the chest,feet and tail of a lion and wings of a bird. This monster was sento to Thebes by Hera to punish the city for the crime of Laius, who had been guilty of loving Pelops’ son. 

Some of the most famous English monsters are:

·      Witches

·      The Black Shuck

·      Frankenstein

·      Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

·      Dracula

One of the most terrifying British legends about witches tells the story of ‘Black Annis’. She is imagined to be a blue-faced crone, immensely strong and with sharp tearing teeth. She lived in the countryside of Leicestershire, in a cave in the Dane Hills, with an oak tree at its entrance. She is particularly known because the legend told that she ate young children, whom she has earlier flayed alive. 

 

There are legends of the Black Shuck roaming the Anglian countryside since before the Vikings. 

One of the most notable reports of Black Shuck is of his appearance of the churches of Bungay and Blunt Bar in Suffolk. On the 4th August 1577, Black Shuck is said to have burst through Bungay’s church doors, to run up the nave and to past the large congregation killing a man and a boy causing the church tower to collapse through the roof. Escaping, apparently, the dog has left scorch marks on the door which can be seen at the church to this day.