Legends of mythical monsters and strange creatures have fascinated and frightened people for centuries. These stories are woven so deeply into our cultures that sometimes, real-life tragic events get blamed on these legendary beings. For example, the mysterious deaths of nine skiers at Dyatlov Pass were once thought to be the work of Yetis. In another case, two young girls in Wisconsin claimed the fictional Slender Man made them attack their friend.
This list explores more devastating incidents where folklore creatures were pointed to as the culprits, blurring the line between myth and unfortunate reality.
10. Bigfoot Kidnapping
Since the famous Gimlin footage surfaced in 1967, Bigfoot sightings have been common in the U.S., even though experts often dismiss them as hoaxes or misunderstandings. In 1987, a tragic event unfolded. Sixteen-year-old Theresa Ann Bier reportedly went Bigfoot hunting in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains on June 1 with 43-year-old Russell Welch. Welch returned alone.
When Theresa was reported missing, Welch told authorities he last saw her on June 2. He claimed they encountered Bigfoot, and Theresa chased after it, leading to her abduction by the creature. His story changed multiple times, with new details added each time. Police arrested Welch on June 11th but had to release him due to lack of evidence. Searches for Theresa, even with sniffer dogs, only found her purse and some clothing scraps. Her disappearance remains an unsolved mystery, and no one has been prosecuted.
9. Mermaid Drowning
In December 2013, 12-year-old Siyabonga Masango went to play soccer with friends. Later, the boys decided to swim in a tributary of the Sabie River in Mpumalanga, South Africa. A man washing his car nearby saw Siyabonga being pulled into the water and rushed to help, but the boy could not be found. Police divers searched for two weeks, believing he might have drowned after a crocodile attack.
Siyabonga’s family, however, had a different belief. They thought a mermaid had taken their son and that he would eventually be “released” in time for school. The family even performed rituals hoping for his safe return. Sadly, Siyabonga was never found, and what truly happened to him is still unknown.
8. Ghostly Vengeance
In June 2018, tragedy struck a Thai village called Tambon Dong Yai when two men died in their sleep. Worried residents consulted a local medium to understand the mysterious deaths. The medium claimed the ghost of a widow revealed she intended to kill four men in the village. Since two were already dead, two more were supposedly next.
Hearing this, many villagers hung red shirts in front of their homes, a traditional way to ward off spirits. Some even added notes saying there were no men in their house, only pets. Reportedly, no other men died in a similar way after these precautions were taken.
7. Alien Abduction
The disappearance of Amelia Earhart has fueled many conspiracy theories, despite the official U.S. Navy conclusion that she and navigator Fred Noonan likely ran out of fuel and crashed into the Pacific. Theories range from them landing on Nikumaroro and living as castaways, to being captured by the Japanese, or even being eaten by coconut crabs near Howland Island.
One of the stranger theories suggests aliens abducted Earhart on the day she was meant to land on Howland Island. According to this idea, she was sent into a wormhole and left in suspended animation. This out-of-this-world theory even found its way into the popular TV series American Horror Story, where a character claiming to be Amelia Earhart makes contact with aliens.
6. Demonic Murder
Demons and evil forces are common figures in folklore, mythology, religion, and fiction, often linked to tales of possession and exorcism. In modern times, some horrific crimes have been blamed on such entities. In 2016, Aljar Swartz confessed to killing and beheading 15-year-old Lee Adams in Cape Town, South Africa, burying her head in his backyard.
After psychiatrists found him mentally stable, Swartz’s lawyer suddenly claimed his client was demon-possessed. The lawyer requested an exorcism in Swartz’s prison cell, stating Swartz saw a demon as a black lizard that controlled him. The lawyer argued Swartz was merely a “vessel” for the devil and not responsible for the murder. However, the court found that Swartz murdered Lee Adams to sell her head to a sangoma (a traditional healer). He received a 22-year prison sentence.
5. By Order of the Vampire Queen
In 2002, a shocking crime occurred when 22-year-old Allan Menzies murdered his 21-year-old friend, Thomas McKendrick. Menzies then ate part of McKendrick’s head, drank his blood, and buried him. During his trial, Menzies claimed that Akasha, the “Vampire Queen” from the movie The Queen of the Damned, had repeatedly ordered him to kill his friend.
He said he had watched the film over 100 times and that Akasha promised to make him immortal if he committed murders. Menzies stated he decided to kill McKendrick after McKendrick insulted Akasha. He also believed he had become a vampire after the murder. Menzies was sentenced to life in prison in 2003 but was found dead in his cell in 2004, believed to be a suicide.
4. Monster Behind the Mystery
The Kraken, a fearsome beast from Norwegian folklore, is said to be so enormous that sailors often mistook it for an island, only to be dragged to their doom. Esteemed zoologist Carl Von Linné even listed the Kraken as a real creature. Some believe such a monster existed, pointing to Ichthyosaur bones found arranged like an octopus’s leftovers.
This legendary sea monster has also been blamed for the mysterious disappearances of boats and planes in the Bermuda Triangle. Some theorists suggest a super-intelligent Kraken lurks in the Triangle’s depths, preying on ships and aircraft. The Kraken has even been tenuously linked to the Mary Celeste disappearance, though that ship vanished far from the Bermuda Triangle.
3. Quota of Lives
The Higginson Highway in Chatsworth, Durban, South Africa, is known for frequent fatal accidents. Incidents range from rocks thrown at cars from bridges, leading to robberies, to drivers losing control and veering off the road, or tragic head-on collisions. Many of these accidents are attributed to the highway’s resident ghost, known as Highway Sheila.
Local lore suggests that Sheila, a restless spirit, has an annual “quota of lives” to claim. She supposedly achieves this by appearing in the middle of the road, causing drivers to swerve and crash. Recently, a young Metro police officer nearly hit a woman in white standing on the highway late at night, an experience he and his family believe was an encounter with Highway Sheila, from which they felt divinely protected.
2. Wendigo Psychosis
The Wendigo, a creature from Algonquian folklore, is described as a cannibalistic humanoid with antlers that eats human flesh to survive in harsh, cold conditions. Legend says the first Wendigo was a hunter lost in winter who resorted to cannibalism, transforming him into a monster doomed to roam the forest seeking victims.
In the 1800s, a Cree man named Swift Runner, who had become increasingly violent after developing an alcohol addiction and losing his job, led his family into the woods in 1878. He then killed and ate his wife, six children, mother-in-law, and brother. Police found hollowed-out bones and a pot of human fat, leading to Swift Runner’s arrest. He claimed a Wendigo had possessed him, forcing him to commit the massacre. Unconvinced, the authorities found him guilty, and he was executed in December 1879.
1. Lurking Leviathan
Caribbean folklore describes the Lusca as a terrifying sea monster, said to be a 75-foot half-dragon, half-octopus creature inhabiting the waters around Andros Island in the Bahamas. Some tales depict it with a shark’s head and torso and an octopus’s lower body. One theory suggests the Lusca, or “lurking Leviathan,” is the ghost of a drowned woman transformed into a beast. Another claims it’s a mermaid or siren placed by nymphs to lure sailors to their deaths.
The TV show River Monsters dedicated an episode to the Lusca, exploring whether this creature could be responsible for several swimmers vanishing while exploring the blue holes around Andros. Among the missing are Liu Guandong, Wesley Bell, and John William Batchelor, whose boat was found, though he remains missing.
These stories show how easily human imagination can connect unexplained tragedies with the supernatural. Whether these creatures are real or not, the fear and fascination they inspire are undeniable, sometimes leading to chilling explanations for real-world horrors.
What do you think about these cases? Do you believe mythical creatures could be behind some unexplained events? Leave your comment below!
