Nagas

In Hindu myth, nagas are a primeval race of divine serpent-people 
that play an important part in religion. They are half human and 
half snake, and are still worshipped as the bringers of fertility, 
especially in southern India. Nagas are believed to live in palaces 
(Patala) in the underground city Bhogavati. They are considered the 
protectors of springs, wells and rivers. They bring rain, and thus 
fertility, but are also thought to bring disasters such as floods 
and drought. Their ruler is Sesha. Some of the nagas are: Ananta 
(symbol of eternity), Vasuki, Manasa (fertility goddess and 
protector against snake-bites), and Mucilinda. 
In the myths of Malay mariners, nagas are a many-headed dragons 
of enormous size. 

On Java and Thailand, a naga is a mythical serpent or dragon, a 
serpent-god, a ruler of the netherworld who possesses immense 
wealth. In Java it is also called Sesa. In Thailand, a naga is 
often sculpted in temples as a dragon with five heads. It is the 
symbol of Narayana. 

Gremlins

Little, mischievous spirits of tools and machinery. They are 
responsible for the little mishaps when working with tools, such 
as the sudden diversion of a hammer towards your thumb when you 
are driving a nail. They blunt sharp objects such as saws and 
chisels, misplace tools, etc. 
Each household has its hereditary gremlin which entered the house 
as an occupant of a household appliance. This gremlin is 
responsible for letting the air out of your tires when you are 
late for work, holds down the lever of pop-up toasters so that 
the toast burns in stead of ejecting, alters the hot and cold 
mixture when you are taking a shower, and many other little 
torments. 

Originally they were friendly towards mankind, and helped them 
with many inventions. But when those engineers and mechanics 
claimed all the credit of these inventions for themselves, this 
insult soured the gremlin attitude towards mankind. 
Giants

The giants in mythology are primordial creatures of enormous 
size, the personifications of the forces of nature. They 
usually are the enemies of humans and often battle the gods 
(such as the Greek Titans, the Irish Fomorians and the Norse 
giants of Jotunheim). 
Giants frequently play a significant part in the Creation Myths. 
They existed long before the gods and humans came. With the 
appearance of gods there followed a struggle between the two, 
in which the giants got the worst of it. When a giant was slain 
by a mighty god, the god would create heaven and earth from the 
giants body. Even in the bible there are references to giants. 
In Genesis it is said that "in those days there were giants in the 
earth" and of course there is the story of David and Goliath, 
although the latter can hardly be considered a giant, being 
only 3 meters (9,8 ft), when compared to the giants in mythology 
and folklore. 

There are many fairy tales in which giants appear. Those giants 
are usually very stupid, greedy and fond of human flesh. Often 
a resourceful young man (named Jack) is able to kill or defeat 
the giant (Jack and the Bean Stalk, Jack the Giant Killer). 
However, not all the giants are evil; in some tales they are 
kind beings, who befriend little children. 
Dwarf

In myths and folklore, dwarfs are small humanoids, about half 
the size of a man, who live in caves or in holes under the ground 
(and sometimes in hollow trees). They can be hostile towards to 
man, but can also perform small labors for them. 
In fairy tales (such as 'Snowhite and the Seven Dwarfs') they are 
usually portrayed as short, stocky creatures with long beards. They 
can be found working in mines, delving minerals and metals. Dwarves 
are exceptionally skilful with their hands and make the most 
beautiful (and often magical) objects, which surpasses man-made 
objects by far. 

In Norse mythology, the two famous dwarfs Brok and Sindri made 
many magical objects for the gods, amongst which Thor's hammer 
Mjollnir and Odin's magical ring Draupnir. 
Gnomes

A race of small, misshapen, dwarf-like creatures that dwell 
in the earth. The name 'gnome' was given to them by the 
medieval scholar Paracelcus, in an attempt to describe the 
most important of the earth spirits. Gnomes live under the 
earth, where they guard treasures. According to Paracelcus, 
they move as easily through the earth as humans walk upon 
the ground. They cannot stand the light of the sun, for 
even one ray would turn them to stone. Some sources 
claim they spend the hours during daylight as a toad. 
They are in some way related to goblins and dwarfs. 
Elf

In mainly Teutonic and Norse folklore, the elves were 
originally the spirits of the dead who brought 
fertility. Later they became supernatural beings, 
shaped as humans, who are either very beautiful (elves 
of light) or extremely ugly (dark / black elves). They 
were worshipped in trees, mountains and waterfalls. The 
Danish elves are beautiful creatures, but they have 
hollow backs. The Celtic elves are the size of humans. 
The belief in elves, or supernatural and invisible 
beings, is almost universal. Apparently, there has 
been no primitive tribe or race that has not believed at 
one time or another that the world was inhabited by invisible 
beings. Especially on the British Isles the belief was very 
profound. In stories from the 8th and 9th century there are 
many references to elves, or fairies as they are called 
there. The king of the elves, Oberon, and his wife Titania 
appear in some very important works of medieval literature, 
such as Huon de Bordeaux and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's 
Dream. 
Trolls

In Scandinavian myth, trolls are ugly, malicious creatures and 
the enemies of mankind. They are much bigger and stronger than 
humans, and leave their caves only after dark to hunt. If they 
are exposed to sunlight they will instantly turn to stone. 
Trolls are very fond of human flesh. In later myths they are 
roughly the size of humans or elves, and thought to be the owners 
of buried treasures. They are sometimes, although very rarely, 
portrayed as friendly, less ugly creatures. 
Fairies

The original fairies, or faeries, bestowed gifts upon newborn 
children, such as beauty, wealth and kindness. In the 
subsequent centuries they continued this original function, 
but expanded their activities into other types of meddling in 
human affairs. 
Fairies can only be seen clearly by animals and seldom by humans, 
although if one is fortunate enough, one might catch a fleeting 
glimpse. There are a few exceptions however. The first is when 
fairies use their power (known as 'glamour') to enable a human 
to see them. Also, during a full moon on Midsummer Eve a mortal 
witness fairy dances or celebrations. And finally, by looking 
through a self-bored stone (a stone in which a hole has been 
made by tumbling in the waters of a brook; not found on a beach) 
one can see fairies distinctly. 

The rulers of the race of fairies are Queen Titania and her 
consort Prince Oberon, their court being in the vicinity of 
Stratford-on-Avon. Other synonyms and euphemisms for fairies 
are: the Little People, the Green Men, the Good Folk and the 
Lordly Ones. 
Scorpion Men

In Babylonian mythology scorpion men were the children of Tiamat, 
the dragon mother of the universe. They were giants whose heads 
touched the sky. They possessed the head, arms, and torso of a 
man; but below the waist they had the tails of scorpions. Deadly 
warriors, they could fight either with their scorpion tails or 
their bows and arrows which never missed their targets. They were 
the sacred guardians of the sun god Shamash. In the morning they 
opened the gates of the Mountain of the East and Shamash ascended 
into the sky. At night they shut the gates of the Mountain of the 
West as Shamash descended into the underworld. Gilgamesh, the great 
Babylonian hero, was aided by a scorpion man in his quest for 
immortality.
Nymphs

In Greek mythology, nymphs are spirits of nature. They are minor 
female deities and the protectors of springs, mountains, and 
rivers. Nymphs are represented as young, pretty girls. Each 
subtype presides over a certain aspect of nature. Depending of 
their habitat, there are: Dryads (forests), Naiads (springs and 
rivers), Nereid (the Mediterranean), Oceanids (the sea) and Oreads 
(mountains), Limoniads (meadows), Limniads (lakes, marshes and 
swamps) and Napaea (valleys). They were worshipped in a nymphaeum, 
a monumental fountain which was raised in the vicinity of a well. 
The male counterpart of a nymph is the satyr.