12 Underused Creatures and Animals in Fantasy

Photo by Антон Воробьев on Unsplash


Look look! Another series! It'll probably be pretty short since I can only think of fantasy, sci-fi, and realistic fiction to involve in a series about underused creatures, but if you have another genre I could do, please comment and tell me because I would LOVE to expand this series!

It is one of my favorite things in the world to think outside the box and do things that other people haven't done yet. And using creatures that no one else has used yet has been a big deal for me ever since I started writing. Heck, people didn't use the internet a ton just yet, so I would go fishing through the dictionary and encyclopedia to find a creature no one had used yet so I could use it. Or other times I would just make up something weird and give it a name. 

Here's a list of the fantasy creatures/animals you've probably heard of, written about, and/or read about.

• Elves (one of the most common tropes, but how I love them)
• Fairies (whether it's the tiny sparkly kind or the tall, dark and scary kind)
• Horses (so many horses)
• Pegasi (as in more than one pegasus)
• Birds of prey (falcons, eagles, hawks)
• Goblins (wow, I'm using a lot of parentheses)
• Dwarves
• Trolls
• Centaurs
• Unicorns
• Fawns and/or Satyrs. There are a couple of subtle differences, but people use the names interchangeably for some reason, unwashed heathens that they are.

Elves, dwarves, and fairies are the ones that are over-used the most. And with enough originality, they can still be great. BUT! Just be aware that they seem to be the starter pack of fantasy creatures, possibly with a couple others from the above list thrown in. Basically, I think everyone just looked at Tolkien, thought, Wow, now that guy knows how it's done, and then did what he did. Not that I would ever dream of doing such a thing myself. *cough cough* guilty *cough cough*

There's a reason people use that specific set of creatures so much, and it's pretty simple: They're freakin' awesome!!! I'm not saying you shouldn't use them. But you could consider using some of the ones I'm about to talk about, because they are also cool and they want a little recognition if you would be so kind, sir.

In future you could consider using:

• Spirits!!! Tree spirits, water spirits, and air spirits. Their official names are Dryads, Nyads, and... uh, Sylphs. Why they don't have a matching set of names is beyond me.
• Tammer. I've also seen it called a skyvader. In essence, it is winged bun-bun rabbit. So cute!!!! 

It can also just be called a winged rabbit, but that's boring.

• Banshees. You've probably heard of them, but do you know all the details? They're women from Irish folklore who supposedly scream at you when you're about to die. But the detail that interests me is the long white hair that is always in snarls because of the wind, and they are eternally combing it.
• Cats. Not mythological, but definitely underused. There are all kinds of luck surrounding cats, plus they're basically indestructible. Create a cat sidekick and I will love you forever.
• Kobolds. Mythology can't seem to 100% agree about them. In some stories they're freaky goblinish creatures that cause all kinds of trouble and harm. But in other legends they help with mundane household chores unless neglected or agitated. I think scary sounds much better, don't you?
• Fair Folk. They're like fairies, but not quite. If you've read any poems about fairies from a long time ago, you'll learn that they're really a mixture of a lot of things: brownies, hobgoblins, fairies, and and all their friends and relatives. They go around in crowds after sundown, and if you don't give them what they demand, they'll put a terrible spell on your household. Check out the fairytale The Goodwife's Midnight Labors.
• Nixies. Think scary mermaids with green skin and seaweed hair. They're sometimes also depicted as water horses, or even hansome men playing the violin, but I like the mermaid version better. In some cases they try to drown you or take over your life on land, but others aren't as nasty.
• Perytons!!! I love these things! Picture a stag with wings. Cool factor at 100. Some of them even come in different colors.
• Griffins. You've probably heard of them, but ever notice how little they're used? Please, take my cute little half-eagle, half-lion babies and give them lives of their own. They deserve it!
• Phoenix. I assume the plural is phoenixes, but I didn't want to write it wrong. This is one of my brother's favorites. Everyone knows what they are (birds what light on fire), but nobody really uses them. (Confession: Even I don't know how I would use them, but they're awesome.)
• Kitsune. If you know fox maidens, it's a twist on that. Some of them can shapeshift into girls (like, uh, fox maidens), some of them have magic powers, but the legends say that the more tails a kitsune has, the longer it's lived and the more powerful it is.
• And last but not least, humanoid animals. Just look these up on Pinterest and let your imagination go free. Humanoid cats, humanoid birds, humanoid wolves... and the list goes on. Super neat.

In all seriousness though, just Pinterest search for 'fantasy hybrids' and you will get all kinds of cool stuff. Seriously have you seen the jaguar that is also a peacock???? Aaaaaaaa! I love.

More from the Underused Series:
Underused Concepts in SciFi
Underused Historical Settings in Fiction

What is your favorite lesser-used creature in books? What's your favorite classic fantasy creature? Let me know in the comments!

Sorry, I know I said this week's post was going to be about something else, but I got excited about this one, so I moved it up. I apologize. My post about writing realistic farm life is coming next week, though! (just in case you were super excited about it, which I doubt, said Eeeyore) Anyway, take a look at my writing Twitter and Instagram accounts in the meantime for writing memes!!!! I'll see you next week!!!