Different monsters in cultures eerily similar

This really makes me wonder what things we say are "myth" really are based on real events and real monsters. Everything has its inspiration right?

I think there might have been more contake across eurasia at a earlier time than we what to believe.

Myths and legends passed on from "first man" even before history as we know, or there's something to the idea of a shared consciousness that can span spacetime ideals similar to the idea of the Akasha(ic). Too bad both are beyond present means and/or interest.

I think there might have been more contake across eurasia at a earlier time than we what to believe. Seconded, to an extent. We know for example that many classic fairy tales originate in China. As the article notes, most of those "European" monsters listed in fact come from classical period travelers tales supposedly placing them in Africa. Who knows where they were transmitted from in the first place and how. Ghoul for another example comes from to us from Arabic folklore.

If independent batches of humans had originated in different areas, I'd be more surprised. But, we all came from a common stock in Africa, so it's possible we started with a single source, and different cultures took it in different directions with similar results. If you start with a creature that looks like a person with no neck, is it really a stretch for two distinct cultures to warp it into a creature with no head either? (That was just an example.) Besides, I saw only a few similarities talked about. A headless person, something that eats unconventionally, and a large eared creature. Com... [More]

All it takes is a single traveler to tell a story

How many monster types can one culture dream up that would differ from another culture, regardless of continent?

Dinosaur fossils are dragons, krakens are giant squids.

I realize this thread is recently resurrected, but both the article and the posts thus far missed something very, very important: The Silk Road

These things looked pretty good, and some that I can learn, and I hope to learn more on it!