The strange bestiary of the ancient world

A collection of reality-bending animal stories reveals the strong ties that once existed between humans and nature

Sea monsters that gulp down whole whales, talking parrots that play matchmaker to kings and queens, immortal crocodiles that ferry gods and goddesses across earth, sky and water, shape-shifting tigers and tortoises that hold up the earth — the world of myth, fable and folklore is teeming with fantastic beasts and their fabulous deeds.

Mythical beasts and reality-bending animal stories make their way into nearly every collection of ancient tales. There is no end to the possibilities and animal combinations that were explored as storytellers and mythmakers sought to understand other species and their seemingly inexplicable ways.

It was not just the