Manticore

Also known as Mantichora, Martikhora, Mantiserra, Memecoleous, Mancomorion, Manticory.

• #2170
•  Multiple Cultures (culture)
•  Forest Dweller (attribute)
•  Deadly (behaviour)

Most commonly known as Manticore, this beast comes from the forests of India. It has the body of a lion, the face of a man with three rows of teeth and a notorious scorpion tail. Its tail is lined with poisonous stings that it throws at its victims immediately. It shoots by facing away from its enemy and flicking its tail backwards. The stings are one meter in length and are poisonous to all except the elephant. It creates newborn Manticores from the ground producing them quickly. Hunters kill the young of the Manticore before they grow their poisonous tail and crush its tails with a stone to prevent that from happening. The Manticore makes a sound like a trumpet and is vermilion red in colour.

The Manticore was detailed by Pliny the Elder from ancient Greece in his book Historia Naturalis (77 AD) which derived from a description from King Artaxerxes Mnemon (404 – 359 BC). The Manticore also featured in medieval bestiaries and art. It has the Biblical connection as being the representative creature for the prophet Jeremiah. In Churches it is seen as a scaled covered woman. Later in Spanish folklore, the Manticore developed into a child-stealing Werewolf.

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