The Beginner's Basic Bestiary

The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary Vampire

Djinn Lamp

Rebecca Chester

Inari Sushi

The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary

By Rebecca Chester

First edition for the United States, its territories and dependencies, and Canada published 2015 by Graphically-Frozen Press, Inc. Conceived and created by Rebecca Chester 2 Pheasant Run Scarsdale NY 10583 You are free to share, copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format. Adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the material. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms. You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.

You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.

Designer: Rebecca Chester Š 2015 by Rebecca Chester Š Graphically-Frozen Press ic

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Contents Introduction....................................................................... 5 Werewolves....................................................................... 7 Vampires........................................................................... 9 Mermaids........................................................................ 11 Fairies.............................................................................. 13 Dragons........................................................................... 15 Angels............................................................................. 17 Kitsune............................................................................ 19 Djinn............................................................................... 21 Golum............................................................................. 23 Witches............................................................................ 25 Banshees......................................................................... 27 Valkyries......................................................................... 29 Phoenix........................................................................... 31 Acknowledgments........................................................... 33

Introduction

Introduction This is the most basic Bestiary. If you’ve picked up this book, you probably know what a Bestiary is. If you don’t, a Bestiary is basically an encyclopedia for Supernatural and Mythical beings. In this particular Bestiary, we will be discussing mostly basic and well known beings.

Beings like Vampires and Werewolves and Mermaids, along with some lesser known beings like Golum and Kitsune and Djinn.

This book will cover basic information such as appearance, abilities, and even some weaknesses the beings may have. From Werewolves to Mermaids to Kitsune, this Bestiary will become the best basic encyclopedia for all your Mythological and Supernatural needs, whether it be hunting, learning about, or even learning which creature you are.

*NOTE: The author is not responsible for any injury, maiming or death that may occur with hunting, summoning or trapping a being from this book*

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Werewolves

Werewolves turn into a Human-form, bloodthirsty monster with increased strength and agility, along with canine like teeth and claws, rather than a full wolf itself. After the person has turned, once they turn back they do not remember any of the events which took place in their Werewolf form. There is no cure for someone who has become a Werewolf.

The Werewolf is a creature that dates back to before even the Ancient Greeks. It was the Greeks who first came up with the term lukanthropia, or in more modern terms, lycanthropy, which literally means “wolf-man.”

A Werewolf can shift at will and seek out his or her victim by either day or night. Anyone could be a Werewolf; by that, it means that one could be bitten by a Werewolf or born one.

There are whole families of Werewolves, called “a Pack,” which includes the Alpha, or the Leader; the Luna, or the Pack Mother/

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary the Alpha’s Mate; the Betas, who are not nearly as strong as Alpha or Luna; and sometimes even an Omega, who is the weakest of the Pack. The Pack Luna is not always another Werewolf. The Luna may be a Human or any other Supernatural being, including Dhamphir besides a Vampire.

Werewolves are at their strongest during the full moon. A Werewolf’s blood lust is at it’s peak during the full moon, and only their anchor could bring a Werewolf back to control during a full moon. An anchor is the person, memory, or feeling that is strong enough to bring the Werewolf back to control. Usually, the Werewolf’s anchor is their mate, who may be another Werewolf.

Weaknesses of the Werewolf include silver, either a bullet or knife of silver can kill/injure a Werewolf; Wolfs bane, an herb that weakens the Werewolf’s strength; or other stronger Werewolves. A Werewolf can also become weak when separated from their mate for a very long period of time.

When he/she shifts, the Werewolf’s body and mind becomes more beastly and lupine. During the shift, the whole body changes it’s appearance. The body grows fur, particularly the face; the eyes change color, usually a red or gold color; the face/ nose becomes more wolf-like; the teeth turn to fangs and the nails turn to claws; and the ears turn to points and the back distorts to a hunch.

Only a true Werewolf can possibly change fully into a giant wolf, however it is an extremely rare ability and very few Werewolves have been able to shift back to their human form with no issues. Werewolves also have a faster healing process and generally have a significantly higher body temperature than humans.

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Vampires

Vampires are creatures that were once Human, but have ingested Vampire blood and have sucked the blood for another being. Vampires are not repelled garlic. Most Vampires sleep during the day, and have a near insatiable blood lust. They look Human until they come to feed, when a set of fangs descend from their gums.

When a Vampire is killed, their body turns to ash and if anyone they bit has not ingested any blood, they will return to being Human. A Vampire can be killed by fire, decapitation, a wooden stake through the heart, or direct sunlight. Vampires may walk outside on a cloudy day or hidden by a covering, and the sunlight will not kill them. Holy water can severely injure a Vampire. Holy water may kill a Vampire if the Vampire ingests enough of it.

Certain myths about Vampires have been proven to be false.

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary The myth that Vampires can shape-shift or fly are completely false. A Vampire can in fact cross running water, in contradiction to the old myth. Vampires also do not need to sleep in a bed of their native soil in order to survive. It has recently been proven that Vampires do in fact have reflections, however faint a reflection it is, and can be seen in photographs and videos.

Vampires do not actually need to breathe, however most will fake breathing in order to fool their victims. Some Vampires may have psychic or other special abilities, besides the supernatural strength, sight, smell and hearing.

A Vampire can not enter a person’s home without being invited in. Once invited inside, the Vampire may enter whenever they wish to afterwards. However, an invitation for the Vampire can be revoked by a person living in the home or a family member.

Vampires can in fact enter a church, however consecrated earth can cause a Vampire pain and the cross can burn them.

While being a near perfect predator, Vampires do in fact have Human emotions and still “possess a soul.” A Vampire may feel guilt, hatred, anger, sadness, love and happiness after their turning. However, the Vampire can seemingly turn off their humanity and emotions. The Vampire is also forever frozen at the age they were turned, and will never physically grow any older.

Female Vampires, once turned, can never have any children, other than those she has turned and consider “her children.”

Male Vampires can in fact have children with Human or other Supernatural women. A child resulting from a Human-Vampire union is called a Dhampir, and they are mostly Human. A Dhampir may possess near supernatural strength, hearing, smell, and sight, as well as possess a faster healing process.

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Mermaids

A Mermaid is a legendary aquatic creature with the upper body of a female Human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the myths of many cultures around the world, including the Near East, Europe, Africa and Asia. The first true appearance of Mermaids appeared in Ancient Assyria, in which the goddess Atargatis transformed herself into a Mermaid out of shame for accidentally killing her Human lover.

A Mermaid is different from a Siren. While Mermaids are known for their beautiful singing voices, their voices can not actually hypnotize anyone and put them under a spell. The correct term for a Male Mermaid would be a Merman, while both can be called a Mer-person.

A Mer-person can shift his or her tail into Human legs when they want to, and vice versa, so they have the ability to walk on land as well as swim in the sea. When a Mer-person turns 21, the

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary aging process for them slows a bit, which extends their lifetime.

Like Werewolves and Vampires, Mer-people also have mates.

Certain Mermaids may possess certain special abilities, based on their familial lines. Only Mermaids may possess these abilities, however the true reason is unknown. What is known however is that those Mermaids that possess those abilities are from Royal lineage or they are descendants of Poseidon himself.

All Mer-people possess the ability to breathe underwater, however, they do not possess gills. Mer-people also possess seemingly supernatural vision and hearing, as well as supernatural strength. Mer-people are also able to heal faster than Humans, and generally have a lower average body temperature than Humans. However, Mer-people can be killed just as easily as a Human can be.

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Fairies

A Fairy, also known as Fae, is a type of mythical being or legendary creature in European folklore, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.

Much of the lore about Fairies revolves around protection from their malice. In modern society, they are often depicted as young, sometimes winged, Humans of small stature. Originally, Fairies were known quite differently. Fairies are actually quite tall, radiant, angelic beings, with wings they could hide from sight.

Fairies are beings who are very in touch with nature and all animals. They tend to live in more remote areas, that are farther away from heavily busy cities. While normally quite peaceful, if nature or a Fairy herself is being threatened, the Fairy will lash out at the aggressor.

A Fairy has control over all nature, and their powers start

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary to appear when they turn 13. The types of powers a Fairy has depends on what type of Fairy they are. There are 4 types of Fairies, based on the 4 different seasons. Just like Humans, Fairies have special abilities and talents that only they possess. For example, one Fairy may be better at helping plants grow while another Fairy may be better at helping heal a sick animal.

Fairies also have very unique wings. The size, shape, and color of a Fairy’s wings depend on many factors. Factors include the type of Fairy they are, their familial lineage, their abilities and talents, and their personality.

Fairies are able to find their true mate based off of their aura, also known as the color of their soul. Fairies tend to only mate with Humans, however there have been cases recorded when a Fairy has mated with another Supernatural being.

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Dragons

A Dragon is a legendary being, typically portrayed with serpentine or reptilian traits, that features in the myths of cultures around the world. There are two distinct cultural traditions of Dragons: a European dragon, derived from European lore and related to Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies, and an Asian Dragon. The English word Dragon derives from Greek Drákōn, or “Dragon, serpent of huge size, water-snake.”

Dragons are traditionally strongly associated with Kings and Emperors, and ultimately power and majesty, especially in Eastern cultures. Dragons are powerful enough to shift between their Human-form and their Dragon-form whenever they wish to.

Dragons come in both Male and Female. However, it is the Female Dragons that are the stronger and more powerful beings in the social hierarchy. While the Females are stronger and more powerful, Male Dragons are bigger and tend to breathe bigger

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary flames than the Female Dragons.

However, not all Dragons can breathe fire. There are some Dragons that possess special magic. These Dragons are usually the result of a Dragon-Fairy union, and can shift between Dragon, Fairy or Human-form. The child’s Fairy wings tend to be a very dark color, and appear to resemble a Dragonfly’s wings instead of Butterfly or Moth wings. However, these unions are extremely rare, and the last known Dragon-Fairy hybrid was reported in the 1700s.

A Dragon’s average body temperature runs very high, and their skin almost burns to the touch. A Dragon can be killed, but it must be with a near burning hot silver sword or knife. A Dragon’s lifespan can be that of hundreds of years, and they can sacrifice some of their life-force to save their Human mate from death.

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Angels

Angels live in a very hierarchical community, and are known collectively as the Host of Heaven. Much of Angelic hierarchy appears to operate like a military organization, broken down into smaller units and factions called garrisons. All Angels can communicate with one another via an Enochian language, which is taught to an Angel beginning at 7 years old.

An Angel’s angelic power exists in the form of grace. An Angel’s grace can be removed, but removal of an Angel’s grace is very painful, and is usually a way one can kill an Angel.

An Angel is able to hear other Angels speaking without them being physically present. This can be referred to “Angel Radio,” and it appears to be a common method of relaying information between Angels. This might be referred to as a telepathic link.

Angels also have the ability to read minds.

Some Angelic powers are innate, and some can be curtailed

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary or enhanced by the hierarchy of the Host of Heaven. Angels are extremely powerful beings with a wide range of abilities. The abilities vary with the class of the Angel. For example, higher ranking Angels have all the abilities of a normal Angel, but they are enhanced, and they seem to have abilities that average Angels do not possess.

Some of the abilities are superhuman strength, telekinesis, teleportation/flying, invisibility, healing, telepathy, and memory manipulation.

Angels tend to only mate with other Angels. However, a child that results from an Angel-Human union is known as a Nephilim. A Nephilim has superhuman strength, flying abilities, and can heal people, but no other abilities other than those.

Angels can be killed with a sword known as an Angel Sword or Angel Blade, however it is unknown where one can find them.

Angels have a slightly longer lifespan than Humans, but can die before they reach old age.

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Kitsune

Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. According to the Yōkai folklore, all foxes have the ability to shape shift into women.

Some folktales speak of Kitsune employing this ability to trick others, as foxes in folklore often do, while other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives.

Kitsune have become closely associated with Inari, a Shinto Kami or Spirit, and serve as its messengers. This role has only reinforced the fox’s Supernatural significance. The more tails a Kitsune has, the older, wiser, and more powerful it is. Because of their potential power and influence, some people make offerings to them as to a deity. Traditionally, Kitsune have a certain “weakness” for inari sushi A Kitsune may have up to nine tails, thus making it a Kyūbi

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary no Kitsune. This means that the Kitsune is very powerful and wise.

While the Kitsune may appear to be regular Human beings to the naked eye, a Supernatural being or a digital photograph will be able to see the tails and ears of the Kitsune. However, only young Kitsune haven’t learned how to control and hide their tails and ears from other Supernatural beings.

There are 13 different types of Kitsune that exist. The Kitsune are an aspect of the elements, meaning that they have ties to their abilities from each of these. The elements are broken down into 13 categories and the Kitsune are divided into each type: Kaze (Wind), Chikyu (Earth), Kasai (Fire), Kawa (River), Tengoku (Heaven), Sanda (Thunder), Yama (Mountain), Kukan (Void), Seishin (Spirit), Jikan (Time), Mori (Forest), Umi (Ocean), and Ongaku (Music). Each Kitsune has its own strength and weaknesses, based on the element it is assigned to.

The element reflects where the Kitsune’s power originates, what affinities it has in the elements. For example, a Fire Kitsune (Zenko Kasai) would be unaffected by fire, could easily feed from the element of fire to strengthen itself, and would use fox fire with ease. However, a Water Kitsune (Zenko Umi) would not use fire too well, but would be a natural healer, and would thrive near or in water.

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Djinn

Djinn are supernatural creatures in Islamic mythology as well as pre-Islamic Arabian mythology. Djinn can be good, evil, or neutrally benevolent and hence have free will. Djinn is a noun of the collective number in Persian literally meaning “hidden from sight”, and it derives from the Arabic root junn) meaning “to hide” or “be hidden.”

The social organization of the Djinn community resembles that of Humans. The Djinn have Kings, courts of law, weddings, and mourning rituals. When a Djinn reaches the age of 18, they partake in a sacred ritual, where the Djinn will receive a particular set of tattoos on their body. The tattoos can be hidden from sight using the Djinn’s magical abilities, and are supposed to be representations of the most important traits and abilities of the specific Djinn.

Djinn are best classified as Genies and are able to read a per-

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary son’s mind to learn their deepest desires. However, the Djinn do not truly grant wishes like the Genies of lore. While the Djinn do enough magical ability and strength to grant wishes, they will not typically do it, unless the Djinn truly feels the need to.

When a Djinn access their powers, either their eyes and hands glow blue, or their tattoos move and extend down their arms.

However, after using a lot of their magic, a Djinn can become extremely weakened, and will need time to regain their energy.

A Djinn is also weak to anything silver, so you will never see a Djinn anywhere near anything pure silver.

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Golem

In Jewish folklore, a Golem, ‫םלוג‬, is an animated anthropomorphic being, magically created entirely from inanimate matter. The oldest stories of Golems date to early Judaism. Traditionally, the Golem has been a protector for the Jewish people for years, especially in times of war or genocide.

All Golems are created from mud, by those close to divinity, such as a Rabbi; but no anthropogenic Golem is fully Human.

Early on, the main disability of the Golem was its inability to speak. It was said that the Golem could make himself invisible and summon spirits from the dead. Golem are another type of Supernatural being who only has one gender, which is male.

Modern Golem are usually made when a family has a new baby. This way, in case anything should happen to either the baby or the family, the child will have a constant companion and protector.

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary When the child or family feels extremely threatened, the Golem can be activated either by the Rabbi or even by the blood of one of the family members/the one who is supposed to be protected. The Golem will then do whatever it takes to protect it’s charge(s), and will continue to do so until it is ordered to stop or is destroyed.

Fire can’t usually destroy a Golem, since most Golem are made of clay and fired in a kiln. If the Golem is not made of clay, it is made of cloth or wood, then it can be destroyed by fire while it is deactivated. One can destroy a Golem by having a Rabbi write “he is dead” on the Golem’s forehead.

A Golem can sometimes get out of control. However, even if a Golem goes on a destructive rampage, it will never harm any child it comes across. The Golem is not truly able to perceive what ethnicity or gender the child is.

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Witches

A Witch, also known as a Sorcerer or Warlock (a male Witch), is a person, whether male or female, who has the power to effect change by magical means, aka “witchcraft.” Traditionally, Witches are people who exist in cultures around the world, and may take the role of a healer or wise person in a community.

Witch society tends to be set up in communities/families, also known as a Coven. There are two types of Witches in the world. The first type, and most common are the “naturals,” or those born with natural ability for magic. The second type, and the most rare are “students” who are trained and mentored by the Head of the Coven’s approved Witches. However, it appears some Witches are shown to be self-taught, no mentors, just a book of spells.

The Covens and the Witch community are now greatly weakened, after any years of attacks and Witch hunts coupled with an

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary organized effort by Witch Hunters to plunder them or their spell books and records, which they hid in a serious of spell-guarded bunkers around the world.

Witches can be extremely long lived and very powerful. Some Witches have a companion known as a Familiar who can appear in either animal or Human form. A Familiar is a companion of a Witch. Its appearance varies between an animal they shape-shift into and being Human. Both the Familiar and the Witch share a special bond. The Familiar is the one who chooses its Master and once they have chosen, they cannot leave. Although Familiars can voice their opinions and feelings towards their Master’s actions, they cannot disobey a direct order from them.

A Witch’s powers could be used for either good or harm. The modern use of the term and its associations are rooted in the pogroms of the Middle Ages, against people, particularly women, who practiced any form of belief or healing that could be deemed anti-Christian.

While a Witch may be killed like a human, a Witch does heal faster than a human does, and does not typically get sick.

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Banshees

The Banshee is a female spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the underworld.

In legend, a Banshee wails nearby when someone is about to die. There are Irish families who are believed to have Banshees attached to them, and whose cries herald the death of a member of that family. Most, though not all, surnames associated with Banshees have the indicating their name is native to Ireland, not descended from invaders. Accounts of Banshees go back as far as 1380s. In more recent versions, the Banshee might appear before the death and warn the family by wailing.

She does not cause deaths, she mourns for the dead (or, eerily, the soon-to-be-dead). known for their beautiful singing voices, their voices can not actually hypnotize anyone and put them under a spell.

The Banshee of legend is actually a disembodied soul, either

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary of someone who in life was strongly attached to the family or who hated all its members. So, if she loves those whom she call, the wail is a soft, tender, soothing chant, intended to either give notice of death’s proximity or reassure the one destined to die, or to comfort the survivors. But if instead the Banshee during her life was a enemy of the family, the wail is more like the scream of a fiendish ghost, a demonic howling of delight over the coming fatal agony of one of her foes.

While Banshees are only women, a male can carry on the trait, and his daughter may in turn become a Banshee. A son or brother of Banshee may not technically be a Banshee, he may be able to sense a person’s death by feeling somewhat sick if the person was close to them.

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Valkyries

In Norse mythology, a Valkyrie (from Old Norse Valkyrja “chooser of the slain”) is one of a host of female figures who choose those who may die in battle and those who may live. Selecting among half of those who die in battle, the Valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. There, the deceased warriors become einherjar (Old Norse “single (or once) fighters”). When the einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the Valkyries bear them mead. Valkyries also appear as lovers of heroes and other mortals, where they are sometimes described as the daughters of royalty, sometimes accompanied by ravens, and sometimes connected to swans or horses.

However, Valkyries are also very formidable warriors. The Amazons of ancient myths were actually younger Valkyries, preparing for their future battles against them and their families.

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary Valkyries age like normal Human beings until they reach the age of 25. From there until they die, Valkyries will age at a third of the rate of aging for a Human.

Valkyries are gifted with extremely fast healing factor, extraordinary natural hunting and fighting senses, Supernatural strength, and are typically very intelligent women. A Valkyrie can die from either old age or a wound if it is severe enough.

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Phoenix

In Greek mythology, a Phoenix or Phenix (Greek: φοῖνιξ phoinix) is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn.

Associated with the sun, a Phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. The Phoenix was subsequently adopted as a symbol in Early Christianity. While the Phoenix typically dies in a show of flames and combustion, in most versions of the legend, there are less popular versions of the myth in which the mythical bird dies and simply decomposes before being born again. According to some legends, the Phoenix could live over 1400 years before rebirth. Although the Phoenix was generally believed to be colorful and vibrant, there is no clear consensus about its coloration.

However, a true Phoenix has the appearance of a Human being. Like the Kitsune, a Phoenix is a being who can control their outwards appearance, to hide their plumes and wings. However,

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The Beginner’s Basic Bestiary most Phoenix have the appearance of golden blonde to fiery red hair, typically with golden eyes.

A Phoenix will typically live in warmer climates, and their body temperature is much above an average human being’s body temperature. Since the Phoenix is reborn from fire and ashes, a Phoenix will never be able to die in a fire, no matter how hot the fire’s temperature is. A Phoenix will reach the age of maturity at age 20, and will age slower from that point forward. A Phoenix has the ability to prolong their chosen mate’s life to be as long as their own.

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Acknowledgments

To my parents, who have put up with my strange love of everything Supernatural and Mythological for my whole life.

And to my friends who have only encouraged & nurtured that love by watching and marathoning Teen Wolf & Supernatural & all other movies/shows with me. I love each and every one of you weirdos!

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What is a “Bestiary?� A Bestiary is a medieval allegorical work on the appearance and habits of Mythological, Supernatural or Imaginary beings.

The first modern Bestiaries came into being during the Middle Ages, but since then, they have grown to encompass all kinds of mythological beings.

From Werewolves to Mermaids to Kitsune, this Bestiary will become the best basic encyclopedia for all your Mythological and Supernatural needs, whether it be hunting, learning about, or even learning which creature you are. *NOTE: The author is not responsible for any injury, maiming or death that may occur with hunting, summoning or trapping a being from this book*

About the Author: Rebecca Chester is from Scarsdale, NY & she is currently a Graphic Design student at Fairleigh Dickinson University in her Junior year. She has always found Mythology & anything Supernatural interesting, so creating this book was only a super natural thing to do. ic

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