Mysterious creatures of the night – the stuff of nightmares! This list takes a look at ten monsters from history, myth and folklore that ought to scare the pants off us. I have tried to restrict the list to creatures that have not been presented on Listverse before, to keep things interesting. Be sure to tell us your own favorite (or rather, despised) monsters in the comments. 10 Cockatrice [img=http://listverse.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/screen-shot-2011-07-21-at-1-32-53-pm.jpg] The Cockatrice can cause death with a single glance. Reports indicate that anything catching sight of the lethal bird’s eyes is turned instantly to stone. Just as deadly is their poisonous saliva, which can fell even an elephant. Also known as a Basilisk, a Cockatrice has the head and feet of a cockerel and the tail of a serpent. The Cockatrice is believed to be the product of a seven-year-old cockerel’s egg, laid during a full moon, and then hatched for nine years by a serpent or toad. There are a few ways to protect oneself from a Cockatrice. One is to carry something reflective – like a mirror – and turn the creature’s gaze back on it. Another is to keep either a weasel or a cockerel nearby. The weasel is said to be the mortal enemy of the Cockatrice, While the crowing of the cockerel is even more effective as it causes the Cockatrice to have fatal fits and ultimately thrash itself to death. 9 Manticore [img=http://listverse.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/manticore_1000.jpg] The manticore is a legendary creature similar to the Egyptian sphinx. It has the body of a red lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth (like a shark), and a trumpet-like voice. Other aspects of the creature vary from story to story. It may be horned, winged or both. The tail is that of either a dragon or a scorpion, and it may shoot poisonous spines to either paralyze or kill its victims. It devours its prey whole. It leaves no clothes, bones or possessions of the prey behind. The creature’s feet may be those of a dragon, but are most often described as the paws of a lion. Its size ranges from the size of a lion to the size of a horse. It is also mistaken as a bearded man when seen from a distance – a deception which makes it easy to fall victim to the creature. 8 Kelpie [img=http://listverse.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/screen-shot-2011-07-21-at-1-18-26-pm.jpg] The kelpie is a supernatural water horse from Celtic folklore, that is believed to haunt the rivers and lochs of Scotland and Ireland. The horse’s appearance is strong, powerful and breathtaking. Its hide was supposed to be black (though in some stories it was white), and it will appear to be a lost pony, but can be identified by its constantly dripping mane. Its skin is like that of a seal, smooth, but is as cold as death when touched. Water horses are known to transform into beautiful women to lure men into their traps. The water horse is a common form of the kelpie, said to lure humans, especially children, into the water to drown and eat them. It performs this act by encouraging children to ride on its back. Once its victims fall into its trap, the kelpie’s skin becomes adhesive and it bears them into the river, dragging them to the bottom of the water and devouring them—except the heart or liver. 7 Soucouyant [img=http://listverse.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/soucouyant.jpg] Not only is the soucouyant scary – it is probably the most bizarre entry here. The soucouyant in Dominica, Trinidadian and Guadeloupean folklore, is a kind of vampire. The Soucouyant lives by day as an old woman at the end of the village. By night, however, she strips off her wrinkled skin, puts it in a mortar, and flies in the shape of a fireball through the darkness, looking for a victim. Still in the shape of a fireball, the soucouyant enters the home of her victim through the keyhole, or any crack or crevice. Soucouyants suck the blood of people from their arms, legs and other soft parts, while they sleep. If the soucouyant draws out too much blood from her victim, it is believed that the victim will die and become a soucouyant herself, or else perish entirely, leaving her killer to assume her skin. The soucouyant practices witchcraft, voodoo and black magic. Soucouyants trade the blood of their victims for evil powers with Bazil, the demon who resides in the silk cotton tree. 6 Umibōzu [img=http://listverse.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/kuwana_-_the_sailor_tokuso_and_the_sea_monster.jpg] Umibōzu is a spirit in Japanese folklore. The Umibōzu is said to live in the ocean and capsize the ship of anyone who dares speak to it. This spirit’s name, which combines the character for “sea” with the character of “Buddhist monk,” is possibly related to the fact that the Umibōzu is said to have a large, round head, resembling the shaven heads of Buddhist monks. Alternatively, they are enormous Yōkai (spectres) that appear to shipwreck victims and fishermen. They are believed to be drowned priests, exhibit the shaven head and typically appears to be praying. It is usually reported as having a grey, cloud-like torso and serpentine limbs. As you can see from the image above, this is not a creature you want to bump into in the middle of the night.