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The origin is pretty simple to explain. They come from our imaginations for the most part. The other fantasy creatures most likely became a figment of folklore when a person had seen a strange animal, which they didn't recognise. Of course, people could also misinterpret what they saw.

Before explanations are offered, I will make it clear that I believe there is the possibility some animals firmly entrenched in folklore could exist. But I do not refer to the famous dragons, elves, orcs, minotaurs, unicorns, and manticores. Instead, I refer to animals such as Big Foot. I class it as a fantasy creature. I would never say it exists with certainty, however. There is no proof to say either way and a vast majority of the sightings are likely hoaxes, if not all of them.

Creatures born from our imagination:

Most creatures were most likely created in our minds with one purpose, to scare people or to entertain youngsters. The possibility is also there that encounters with these imaginary creatures were fabricated to give credence and renown to an ancient warrior's claims of being a hero or to make the locals and foreigners recognise them, along with etching their name firmly in the annals of history so they were not forgotten.

We can see references to famous heroes battling the gods and mythical creatures throughout the history of Greek and Nordic mythology as well as the literature about their cultures, religion and history.

At the end of the day, people in the old days could have indeed been more susceptible in believing tales that we view as outrageous. We definitely know many people were burned alive because they were thought to be witches. Religion was a really heavy influence on culture back then.

Misinterpreted sightings:

This is a common occurrence, especially amongst the most famous myths today. In the old days, people most likely saw a lot of different creatures, which they couldn't explain. Perhaps they also thought they'd seen something else than what they actually had.

For example, if someone in medieval times saw a rare species of lizard, one that was large, they'd perhaps think they'd seen a dragon or some other kind of mythological lizard when they hadn't.

We see what we want to believe or our mind plays tricks on us:

It is funny how we often perceive things we don't understand. Often, because people don't understand something, they will point fingers and say, I saw that creature or if something unexplainable in the night goes bump, they will say it was a ghost.

Following on from this, if people see something that bares a resemblance to the Loch Ness monster for instance, they will believe they saw the creature if they want it to be true and be adamant about it. They would likely be hard to sway on the matter even if good evidence that they didn't see what they thought they had was provided.

If someone believes in ghosts, then they will naturally be more inclined to believe that any weird noises they hear in the night especially are due to supernatural reasons.

Evidence for why they are imaginary or why tales are fabricated:

If some of the creatures had really existed, then why have no fossils been found?

The answer is obvious. There are no fossils to be found proving old tales to be true.

After-all, fossils of dinosaurs are still being found today and they would pre-date any of the mythological creatures we have grown up with by far.

Learn more about this author, Dan Cartwright.
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