Frederick Edward Hulme - Myth-land

THE nucleus of the following pages was originally written in the form of two short papers to be read at the meetings of a Public School Natural History Society. Since then, finding materials rapidly growing on our hands, we have been gradually amplifying our notes on the subject until they have grown to the present dimensions; for, to quote the quaint words of Thomas Fuller, when there is no recreation or business for thee abroad, thou mayst then have a company of honest old fellows in leathern jackets in thy study, which may find thee excellent divertisement at home. Our researches in pursuit of the marvellous, through the works of divers and sundry old writers, have been so far entertaining and interesting to us that we would fain hope that they may not be altogether received without favour by others.

Our subject naturally divides itself into two very obvious sectionsthe one dealing with wholly untrue and impossible creatures of the fancy, the other with the strange beliefs and fancies that have clustered round the real creatures we see around us. It will readily be discovered that we have confined ourselves in the present volume almost entirely to the first of these sections. Should our present labours prove acceptable they may readily be followed by a companion volume, at least as entertaining, dealing with the second section of our subject.

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MYTH-LAND.

IntroductionA Description of 300 AnimalsUnicornThe Bible UnicornThe Heraldic UnicornThe Horn as a Poison TestThe Unicorn of Medival LegendWolf Causing DumbnessThe Rompo or Man-eaterThe ManticoraThe LamiaStag AntipathiesDragonsDragon-slayingLegends of the SaintsThe Legenda AureaSt. GeorgeMedival RecipesThe Historia Monstrorum of AldrovandusThe Dragon in HeraldryThe Dragon of WantleyDragons TeethThe DragonnadesThe Dragons of ShakespeareGuardians of TreasureThe Feud between the Dragon and the ElephantThe Bestiare Divin of GuillaumeThe CockatriceThe BasiliskThe PhnixIts Literary Existence from Herodotus to ShakespeareThe Dun-Cow of WarwickSir Guy, and Percies Reliques of Antient PoetryOld Ribs and other Bones in ChurchesThe SalamanderBreydenbachs TravelsThe Bestiary of De ThaunThe YlioThe GriffinThe ArimaspiansBurtons Miracles of Art and NatureThe LomieThe Tartarian Vegetable LambThe Sea-ElephantPegasusThe VampyreThe Chameleon.