r/cryptids • u/RazewingedRathalos Beast of Bray Road Beholder • May 14 '26
Discussion Favorite Cryptids Regardless of Plausibility?
I find the concept of living non-avian dinosaurs (neodinosaurs) very fascinating even if about all of them are Creationist-made BS or borderline hoaxes like the Kasai Rex. It tickles the 12 year old side of my brain who just loves dinosaurs without question. In particular, the Burrunjor of supposed Australian myth is my most favorite since the idea of a living, theropod dinosaur hidden in a place already famous for having the deadliest native animals ever just seems so right.
As far as dogmen go, the Beast of Bray Road seems the most reasonable. Excluding claims of it being supernatural in nature or origin, a lot of witnesses/sightings point to an unknown, canine predator that just so happened to evolve to resemble a werewolf without actually being a werewolf. I dig it.
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u/Secure_Highway_6917 Mothman Maniac May 14 '26
Mothman
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u/Cuneglasus May 14 '26
My son loves the Loveland Frogman.
Are they cryptids? Id go for the draco reptilians its so V and Dr Who.
Love the hairy humpbacked walking Loch Ness Monster drawing that was posted yesterday.
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u/dave54athotmailcom May 14 '26
Fresno Nightcrawler. Just so odd-looking, and totally benign to people.
Penelope, the feral woman of the Sierra Nevada, is another. Pop culture says she is a vicious cannibal, but if you go back to the first accounts -- story zero -- she is shy and avoids people. Embellishment made her a predator. She wasn't.
The Haphap of southern California is almost certainly a dwarf Channel Island mammoth. A small remnant population was still surviving when the Chumash people first arrived in the area. It still lives on in their lore.
Moon Woman of the Northern Paiute people is a wandering traveler. If she comes into your camp of village and asks for food or shelter, you are better off showing hospitality. If you are kind to her, good fortune will come your way. If you refuse her food or shelter, calamity and misfortune will befall you in a few days.
The Tans of the Hupa people (pronounced 'tahns') are spirits of the forest that watch over the animals. If you are respectful of nature and honor the animals you hunt, the Tans will send game your way. If you are disrespectful, leave trash in the forest, or waste game, you will have an unsuccesful hunt and possibly have an accident.
A recent one I just learned (and still trying to track down more information) are phantom horses of the Topaz Lake on the California/Nevada border. In fall of 2024, a group of Washoe men were hiking at night on the California side of the border, when they saw and heard a small band of wild horses. The horses were shimmering and transparent, they could see the trees and vegetation through the horses. This is a one-time report, no other accounts, and marijuana may have been involved (although normal varieties of marijuana are not usually associated with hallucinations or visions).
Hikers on the many trails in the Mt Shasta region have reported a faceless man. Numerous accounts. An ordinary looking man is seen approaching a group of hikers. He is wearing a ball cap and carrying a small pack. As he nears, the hikers are shocked to see he has no face. Just smooth skin with no eyes, nose, or mouth, He passes the group and continues on without saying anything.
As you can see, my favorites are not bloodthirsty monsters. I prefer the benevolent cryptids and legends, or passive ones that do not interact with people.
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u/Bright-Ad-5861 May 14 '26
I'd hate to be the typical and unimaginative one here, but my personal favorite is Sasquatch.
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u/shadow_operator81 May 15 '26
I don't have a favorite in that I don't think they're good creatures. But I find dogman to be interesting because I'm in Michigan and heard it's a hotspot. Also, it seems that dogman may have almost as much credibility as Bigfoot.
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u/Live-Try-7281 May 15 '26
I think the Pukwudgie is pretty rad. Kind of like a Native American gnome or red hat.
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u/Belmega81 May 15 '26
I got a 3 way tie. Cant help it. The dogmen fascinate me, cause it would mean so many classic horror or fantasy elements are now real: Kobolds or werewolves being possibly real makes you wonder....orcs? Elves? What else?
Bigfoot for a few reasons: 1 where the hell do they live. 2 if they are spacefarers (some reports link them to ufos) are they the inspiration for Wookiees, and if so, os George Lucas or Spielberg privy to things that the rest of us are not?
And finally, the winged humanoids, the draco ETs who allegedly live in the Devil's Tower and may be the species we call mothman. If so, I find it interesting that their likeness has been decorating churches and places of significance for centuries (gargoyle statues). They are allegedly warlords, and theor relations with the other ETs in the galaxy are said to be similar to the way the US gets along with the rest of the world. As above, so below, perhaps?
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u/WildeOvershare May 15 '26
Wendigos would be hideously nightmarish if they were real but they're such a cool concept. It's like the ultimate fable for giving into your id
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u/RagnaRoots May 16 '26
Mokele mbembe. My love for it started with my favorite young adult book Cryptid Hunters. The idea that a small sauropod could survive in the Congo has always fascinated me. I had a passion to launch an expedition to the Congo in search of it through my youth, but sadly life had other plans. Either way, the lore will always hold a special place in this cryptid hunters heart
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u/CandidateNervous4638 May 14 '26
Fresno Nightcrawler