The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1884-07-15
Mythical Beasts.

The old authors, poets and ors
even the divine bard Shakspere, peoN
the earth, sea and air with all sor,M
monsters and bugaboos. There NJ
then many worlds for science 70
quer, and when the Marco Polos d
tain Magelans and Lord MonbotI
and people who had been in far q
tries tor to see, came back with van
incredibly fierce and ferocious mons,
why, the stay-at-homes had noths,
do but believe. There are no ~
AbySsini for ingenious Dr. Johns
to improvise happy valleys out Of
to people with Ra>selaseS and other
py mortals. India and the Peru
explored, the Amazon is no loni
mystery. we know where the Nile
and nearly AL the earth has Weld n
its mysteries to man. excepting
course, Slmmes' Hole and the imy
tratle North Pole. The ignoran
our ear writers upon subjects OF
ural history seems AT this day aston
ing; vet cannot fail to be amusing.
sea especially was peoplcd with nd
monsters. Tnerc was the krs ID
whom Pontoppedcn, in his Natural q
tory of Norway, describes at length |
was not serpent, in fact had not l
elongated body, but was round, like l
island. The Norwegian fishermen n
frequently seen it, and many were |!
tales they told of its presence in wMI
seas. They knew of lis presence by u
Shadowing of the water from one bud
drcd fathoms to twenty. His back wl
a mile and Il half long and his arms
bio AS the masts OF ships.
The dragon was another mon Ster I'M
otr forefathers placed implicit faith
the existence of Some early poet I'd
this description of him:
''IIc is black as any coal.
Rugged a. rough tOHi:
MS "StE Sar. Is great T. any Sommcse Sumr.
He runcth swift as any destrcse.
/ Paws h" hath hS IA lion:
| All that he tGtlchctn ne SlaVrth dead dow.
Great wings he hath to flight:
There is no man that bear him might"
SIR BcNis OF Hampton, ST. Michael, |
George. and other knights and said
all killed dragons. In the age of Qued
Elizabeth the monster was fifty fed
long from shoulder to tail, with glitter
ing scales bright rs silver. but ,oughe
than brass. except just under the wing
where, according to Picrcys Reliques
st. George sent his good sword ArcaIon
clear up to the hilt. Livy speaks OF one
that stopped the progress of the whole
Roman army: and Deodorus tells Of
one captured in Africa that was slxi!
feet long.
The hydra was another terrible ser.
pcnt that Hercules killed, which hsi
seven, nine, or fifty heads, according VI
the pleasure of the poet and when OIL
was cut OIL another sproutcd. like III
star-iiSh's legs, though Iludibras III
putc, this point
This truth is maintained by philosopAsi
still,
That the hair grows again, but the head new
WILL
The hydra is supposed to have been
brother OF the chimera.
There are two animals mentioned Il
Shakespeare. The first is often rpNf
scnted in hcraldic designs. 1t is q q
ing serpent, the forepart rs drag
with wings, and the latter part s
snake, but differing from the dragG y
only having two legs. The cocks-s
or baSlilsk, was port OF missing III
between birds and reptiles. The Seai!
claimed that he came from an egg q
by a cock after he was seven Years n
Plinv describes it under the name
basilisk, and claims that its very odG
death to man and animals. SerpI
fly from it, and the mortal WHOM
looked upon died.
First came the great roc, whom
reads of in the adventures of "Siut
the Sailor" Marco Polo heard OF u
in Madagascar, and declares that i" I"
like the eagle, measuring sixteen p'FI
from wing To wing. But the PerIA
authorities give the widest aa59aN
They represent him as carrying 50 er.
phant in his beak, and one in eseh o
his claws. The Christian Fathers
lieved in the existence of the phGlA
typical OF the resurrection, and
Roman Senator Nautilus told the
mans he had lived five hundred
nine years. and built a nest of clA
mon and incense, and then died.
of its bones came worm which ii
formed funeral rites for its parent
placing the nest on an altar OF the
of the sun in Egypt. il
There are hosts of other mythical l
mails, the centaurS, grilins, ss
harpics. cerberus and unicorn, 10
nothing of were-woves and the I'll
monsters that Aldrorandus describe &
Cincinnati En9uirer. Z