MPIRI

MPIRI

"With bodies rivaling those of lions in size, and wingspans that exceeded the width of an elephant's ears, only kyame of the most potent quality could have muted the sounds the creatures' approach would otherwise have made. The intruders' nightmare aspect was like that of an unspeakable amalgamation of serpent and bat. Long, coarse black hair covered their wings and bodies, leaving only their hind-limbs bare. The appendages at the end of those muscular limbs bore a repellant resemblance to human hands."

"Long, blunt-ended jaws opened wide to reveal sharp, spiky teeth. The eyes above those fearsome jaws glittered with cold intelligence - and hatred."

Charles R. Saunders, Dossouye II: The Dancers Of Mulukau

OMULUDU

OMULUDU

"The being that now stood before Imaro bore the semblance of an emaciated ape, with sinewy arms and legs that were longer and straighter than those of a gorilla or chimpanzee. Its torso was thin but muscular, like the body of a snake. hair the color of river-mud covered all of the creature's body except its face, which was only vaguely anthropoidal."

"Instead of a nose and a mouth, a hooked beak like that of an eagle jutted form the middle of the creature's face. In place of hands and feet, its limbs ended in curving talons resembling those of a gigantic bird of prey. Unlike those of beast or bird, however, the being's slit-pupilled eyes blazed with malevolent intelligence."

Charles R. Saunders, Amudu's Bargain

CHEMOSIT

CHEMOSIT

"The chemosit is described as part human and part bird. It has one leg and nine buttocks. Its red mouth shines like a lamp at night. Whatever else it may be, the chemosit is unquestionably a new being in distinct visual form."

Charles R. Saunders, Out Of Africa

SICHI

SICHI

"His body was tall and gaunt, but beneath his earth-colored skin swelled ropy thews that bespoke of a strength that was more than human. His hairless skull sloped to a peak, and his ears were pointed like those of a jackal. His jaws protruded in a beast-like muzzle. Within those jaws a carnivore's teeth gleamed as Umanya Kwi smiled."

"'Do your legends not tell you how many of your kind were needed to bring down one of mine? I am a sichi, yes! I am worth ten of you! Pray to your ancestors, ahosi, for your armor will adorn these trees before this night ends!'"

Charles R. Saunders, Dossouye I

INGULUKU

INGULUKU

"If a lion could have been mated with a crocodile, the offspring might have resembled the inguluku. Spiky teeth lined its long jaws. Eyes set in deep sockets glared in a sloping, reptilian skull."

"Legs that were slightly bowed held a sinuously muscular body high from the ground. All four of the inguluku's paws were equipped with hook-like talons. Its body was cat-like, but its tail was a long, tapering cone of sinew, like that of a lizard. Dull, green scales covered the beast's body. Spiky black hair grew in tufts across its head and along its spine."

The fresh wounds seared Imaro like fire, for the inguluku's talons were sharply serrated."

Charles R. Saunders, Imaro IV

ANGLI

ANGLI

"The color of course you know––sky-blue in the main, with here and there blues lighter or darker from slate to peacock blue, from pale blue foam to deep marine. And the great eyes were quite Human-shaped, though the size of foot-lockers. And the tentacles you have met––each had groups of suckers-discs which were apparently quiescent unless the owner wished to cling."

"To put it bluntly, the aliens looked like gigantic cerulean octopuses."

"Their heads were large and bald and shiny above the single eye, and their mantles began where a chin should be, concealing their noses and mouths, or beaks, or whatever. Also to be glimpsed beneath the mantle's rippling edges was a mass of darker blue fur-like organs among which seemed to be some very small, delicate tentacles of unknown use."

"And their basically radial bodies were obviously in transition to a bilaterally symmetrical form––the four 'back' leg-tentacles were much larger and longer, to free the front four. In face if––as happened later––a small one wore a long robe with a good to conceal the shiny bald dome above the eye, it could pass for a large, somewhat top-heavy human form."

James Tiptree Jr., Second Going

PARADISIAN

PARADISIAN
"Gray rotten little things were humping toward them out of the walls, stopping to stare."

"Three of the lumps were humping closer. All dove-gray like himself, but it was hide, not silk, that bloated at elbows and knees. Gray splayed feet, and between them, under bags of belly, the giant genitals of two of them leaving triple furrows in the mud."

"From their blue-black face holes came gentle glubbering sounds."

James Tiptree Jr., The Milk Of Paradise

DRON

DRON

"'Oh, sure. Well. Big white bodies with fur all over. And six legs, they mostly walk on the back four, the top two are like arms. They have like long bodies, long white cats, big; when they rear up to look, they're over our heads. And they have....' Here the voice stammers, as if finding it hard to speak. 'They have like two, uh, private parts. Two sets, I mean. Some of them. And their faces' --the voice runs on, relieved-- 'their faces are fierce. Some teeth!"

James Tiptree Jr., The Only Neat Thing To Do

JOILANI

JOILANI

"Her huge dark-lashed Joilani gaze implored him mutely; in her terror she forgot the warnings, and her small dove-gray face contorted in that rictus of anguish the Terrans called a 'smile'."

"She tore the jelmah off, exposing her wide-hipped, short-legged little gray form, with its double dugs and bulging pouch."

"Her short twin birth channels."

"Amid the boots and the shouting, her wrist glands leaked scarlet Joilani tears as she foresaw the slow and merciless death that would now be hers."

James Tiptree Jr., We Who Stole the Dream

ZIELLO

ZIELLO

"And their body shapes, as far as we could see, are just what we expected--taller and bigger than us, extra pair of uppper arms, one big single eye, and a long heavy pointed tail they brace on. Their skins are covered with very short fur, like that cloth, velvet. Mostly brownish gold."

James Tiptree Jr.,  Collision

KRAKOW MONSTER

KRAKOW MONSTER
"The monster of Krakow, born in 1547, was a terrifying demonic figure in appearance, with webbed claws instead of hands and feet, a forked tail, flaming eyes, a sharp trunk-like nose and lion-like mouth, and animals' heads at its armpits, elbows and knees."
Jennifer Spinks, Monstrous Births

MARGYGR

MARGYGR

"This is the name of a type of mermaid in the traditions and folklore of the people of Greenland. The Margygr is described as hideously ugly with piercing eyes and a flat face."

Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters and Dragons

JERSEY DEVIL

JERSEY DEVIL

References to the 'Jersey Devil' do not appear in newspapers or other printed material until the twentieth century. The first major flap came in 1909. It is from these sightings that the popular image of the creature—batlike wings, horse head, claws, and general air of a dragon—became standardized."

Brian Regal, The Jersey Devil: The Real Story

AHUIZOTL

AHUIZOTL

"This is a cannibal creature from the folklore and legends of Mexico. It is described as looking somewhat like a dog in size and shape but with the paws of a monkey and a human hand at the extremity of its tail. This prehensile tail and hand were the means by which it seized its victims from the water's edge and dragged them down into the murky waters of its abode."

"The eyes, teeth, and nails were the delicacies sought by the Ahuizotl."

Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters and Dragons

RAVENNA

RAVENNA

"It was depicted as having the torso and head of a human with either bat-like or eagle-like wings from the shoulders instead of arms. It had one leg covered in scales, upon which was a third eye and ending in one enormous eagle's talon."

Carol Rose, Giants, Monsters and Dragons

BOSULA

BOSULA

“Mnathl handed him a nicely-roasted bosula rib. He ate it avidly. He had always thought the bosula was the best of the food animals of Fyhon.”

“When the bone was gnawed clean she passed him, in a folded fresh green leaf, a mixed grill consisting of bits of bosula liver, kidney, tripe, salivary glands, and eyes.”

Margaret St. Clair, Garden Of Evil

“His face, which had turned pale at the Cyniscus' take-off two days before, was by now the pale curded green of a piece of bosula cheese, and his eyes were sunk.”

Margaret St. Clair, Idris’ Pig

“McPherson was drinking pomelo juice and eating a bosula tongue sandwich.”

Margaret St. Clair, The Gardner

“If we can get through to Varro with the Hyra we’ve go, the big bosula groups will make us rich.”

Margaret St. Clair, The Vanderlark

DARKSIDE MERCURIAN HEXAPOD

DARKSIDE MERCURIAN HEXAPOD

“How do you locate them?”

“Oh, we’ve got a darkside Mercurian hexapod. He hates hunting them. Sits down and shivers when he finds a colony. That’s how we know where to dig.”

"His purplish fur was fluffed out like chenille."

"Sometimes he got all six legs off the ground at once."

"That was why everyone on the ship, except Toots (the psychology of darkside hexapods had not been much investigated, but it seemed that their mental abilities were parallel to those of dogs only up to a point, after which they went soaring off into some sort of high, supersensory cloudland), loved hunting them."
Margaret St. Clair, The Pillows

MEEM

MEEM

“Jrar had been holding the restaurant’s meet on his knees, stroking its thick blackish fur absently, and Duncan had said something or other about wondering why seems were so universally popular.”

“The meem poked its flat head out. Its dull eyes looked at him.”

“Picket indicated the meet, which, as inert as a feather stole, was lying on the 

edge of the bunk.”

Margaret St. Clair, Meem

MOCKER

MOCKER

“George’s face slipped down toward the fourth button on his coat. It wavered, solidified, flowed back into place, and then slopped down over his lapels once more.”

“‘It was a Mocker, I think,’ He answered.”

“They’re parasitic -ah- entities, that feed on the life force as well as the flesh, of human beings.”

“For some reason, whenever it leaves its host, it takes on his features and body and dresses itself in his clothes.”

Margaret St. Clair, The Stroller

DIGGER

DIGGER
"The clicking taps were getting louder, and an instant later another of O'Hare's inventions was standing before us."

"I saw a beak like a parrot's, Atlantean shoulders, broad, stubby, almost fingerless hands. It was quite short, not more than three feet tall, and it made an impression of enormous strength."

"'What is it?' I asked in a whisper.'
'A Digger,' she answered in a normal voice. 'You don't have to speak softly here, Sam. It's deaf.'"

Margaret St. Clair, The Dancers Of Noyo

IRIMU

IRIMU

"Among all the components of the Naaman army, the irimu were the most menacing in appearance -and fact. They were shape-changers who could alternate between human guise and their true appearance: tawny, powerful creatures with human hands and feet, but the faces, claws and strength of a lion."

Charles R. Saunders, Imaro IV: The Naama War

UNTHLATU

UNTHLATU

"The unthlatu were a race of serpent-men who dwelled in a wasteland south of the Abamba Hightlands."

"But it was the faces of the unthlatu that most unnerved their adversaires. Devoid of hair and veneered with scales, the features of the serpent-men were fully human - save for the vertical, slitted pupils of their eyes an the needle-sharp fangs  that showed when they opened their mouths. Venom dripped form the tips of those fangs...the bite of the unthlatu was as poisonous as that of a cobra."

"Like a tide of scales and steel, the unthlatu attacked. Moving with boneless grace, they plied their weapons with blurring speed."

Charles R. Saunders, Imaro IV: The Naama War

IZINGOGO

IZINGOGO

"Or, worst of all, the izingogo - creatures that go on all fours like baboons, but have human faces! These things did most of the fighting for the Naamans. They tore, and rendered, and killed, and we could do nothing!"

"For the isingogo were, as Majnun had said, human quadrupeds. Their size approximated that of a full-grown man, but the proportions of their limbs were different. Their arms were longer, ending in broad, spatulate hands. Legs bent like those of a hare propelled the creatures in bounds of terrifying speed. Their backs were hunched like bows, and their bodies, lean as a cheetah's, were covered with short, wooly hair."

"But it was the faces of the izingogo that were their most frightening feature. Save for a slight protrusion of the jaw, those visages were fully human. But when they opened their mouths, the izingogos' jaws revealed the teeth of a carnivore. Those teeth, and the strength in their splayed hands, were the only weapons the izingogo needed, other than their numbers."

Charles R. Saunders, Imaro III: The Trail Of Bohu