In the Goetia, Shax is a marquis of Hell who commands 30 legions of demons on evil horses. He can be summoned by a sorcerer to rob a person of anything - from money to horses to their own sight and hearing. Shax is also skilled at lying, and can see through other people's lies.
Louis Le Breton
In Welsh myths, Merlin buried a great treasure in a golden cauldron inside the Welsh hill Dinas Emrys - where King Vortigern once tried to sacrifice him to build a tower. Only Merlin's heir (who must have blond hair) will be able to find the hidden cavern and claim the treasure.
In Welsh mythology, the magical white pig Henwen gave birth to a kitten who grew to gigantic size and cruelty. The Cat of Palug slaughtered 180 warriors on the Isle of Anglesey before it was slain by King Arthur's brother Kay (or by Arthur himself in later versions). Peter Diamond
"How many miles to Babylon?
Three score miles and ten.
Can I get there by candlelight?
Yes, and back again ....
If your heels are nimble and your toes are light,
You can get there by candlelight."
- English nursery rhyme Lee Avison
In Welsh folklore, Bedwyr (Bedivere) is one of King Arthur's two best friends, and one of his best warriors (despite being one-handed). Bedwyr lost his hand battling Gwrgi Rough-Grey, a dog-headed man (strangely reminiscent of how the Norse god Tyr lost his hand). Margaret Jones
Sulis (a goddess of healing and cursing) is one of the few Celtic deities mentioned in surviving British folklore. When Bladud (Britain's mythical wizard-king) discovered a group of hot springs with healing powers, he built the city of Bath over them, along with a temple to Sulis.
Beorn (the ursine shapeshifter of "The Hobbit") is an enigma. Even Gandalf is unsure about whether Beorn is a man who learned to become a bear or a bear who learned to become a man. In a letter, J. R. R. Tolkien called Beorn a magician, though his other magic is unclear. Brothers Hildebrandt
Though werewolves are usually ravening monsters in European fairy tales, werebears are often more sympathetic. They are frequently people cursed with bear form who wander the wilderness sad and alone until someone breaks the curse, and returns them their humanity. Anton Lomaev
In medieval bestiaries, the lion is one of the few animals that hunt unicorns; the two animals hate each other. This is frequently thought of as a solar-lunar battle, as lions are often linked to the sun in iconography while unicorns are often linked to the moon. Charles Vess
Though many people claim that King Arthur sleeps in Avalon, others theorize that Arthur and his warriors sleep in a cavern deep underground, or that Arthur's ghost leads the Wild Hunt across the sky, or that he has been reincarnated as a raven watching Britain.
In Roman mythology, the god of sleep is Somnus, son of Nox (Night) and brother of Mors (Death). According to Ovid, Somnus has a thousand sons (the "Somnia"), including Morpheus (who appears in dreams as various humans), Phobetor (various beasts), and Phantasos (various inanimate objects). Jean-Bernard Restout
"The lunatic, the lover, and the poet
Are of imagination all compact.
One sees more devils than vast Hell can hold:
That is the madman."
- William Shakespeare, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Act 5, Scene 1)
CAMILLA: You, sir, should unmask.
STRANGER: Indeed?
CASSILDA: Indeed, it's time. We have all laid aside disguise but you.
STRANGER: I wear no mask.
CAMILLA (terrified, aside to Cassilda): No mask? No mask!
- Robert W. Chambers, "The King in Yellow" Vicente Valentine
"Lie close," Laura said,
Pricking up her golden head:
"We must not look at goblin men.
We must not buy their fruits.
Who knows upon what soil they fed
Their hungry, thirsty roots?"
- Christina Rossetti, "Goblin Market" Dante Gabriel Rossetti
In Robert W. Chambers' horror stories, "The King In Yellow" is a play that drives insane anyone who reads it or watches it performed:
"Songs that the Hyades shall sing,
Where flap the tatters of the King,
Must die unheard in
Dim Carcosa."
- "The King in Yellow" (Act 1, Scene 2)
According to the Goetia, Stolas is a great prince of Hell, commander of 26 demonic legions. He can appear as an owl, raven, or man. Stolas teaches mortals astronomy, and is knowledgeable of the various virtues of precious stones, as well as those of herbs and other plants. Louis Le Breton
"As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods.
They kill us for their sport."
- William Shakespeare, "King Lear" (Act 4, Scene 1)
Captain Hook "had been at a famous public school. Its traditions still clung to him.... Above all, he retained the passion for good form. Good form! However much he may have degenerated, he still knew that this is all that really matters."
- J. M. Barrie, "Peter Pan" Trina Schart Hyman
In Welsh legends, Peredur (Percival) is the most Christian of King Arthur's knights. He once battled a man in rusty armour who rode a bony horse and came from under a stone slab. It's implied that this stone slab is some ancient tomb, making this man some kind of pagan undead.
"I was conscious of a heady recklessness, a current of disordered sensual images running like a millrace in my fancy... an unknown but not an innocent freedom of the soul. I knew myself, at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked.... The thought, in that moment, braced and delighted me like wine."
- Robert Louis Stevenson, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
