In Babylonian mythology Irkalla is ruled by the goddess Ereshkigal and her consort Nergal or Ninazu. Ghosts spent some time travelling to the netherworld, often having to overcome obstacles along the way. The Anunnaki, the court of the netherworld, welcomed each ghost and received their offerings. The court explained the rules and assigned the ghost his fate or place. Another court was presided over by the sun god Shamash, who visited the netherworlds on his daily round, Shamash might punish ghosts who harassed the living, and might award a share of funerary offerings to forgotten ghosts.

In ancient Mesopotamia, the living and the dead were closely connected. It was believed that mortality was one of the defining characteristics of humans. Anyone who died young had been cursed by the gods. Those who were healthy were watched over by beneficial spirits, and when that protection faded, so did life.

The truth is there is much to this world that remains unseen by mortal men and woman; yet, that does not make it any less real. There are a few people, like myself, that can perceive the unseen and others that get glimpses.

There are so many myths, tales, legends and sighting’s of this fearsome apparition that it is hard to know where to begin. Black Shuck is said to be one of the oldest phantoms of Great Britain, with the name deriving from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘scucca’, meaning demon or devil. Other historians say that the hound has its origins in Norse mythology, based on Odin and Thor’s huge dog of war 'Shukir’.

In Austro-Bavarian Alpine folklore, Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure who, during the Christmas season, punishes children who have misbehaved, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards the well-behaved with gifts. Regions in Austria feature similar figures and, more widely, Krampus is one of a number of Companions of Saint Nicholas in regions of Europe. The origin of the figure is unclear; some folklorists and anthropologists have postulated a pre-Christian origin for the figure 

In traditional parades and in such events as the Krampuslauf (English: Krampus run), young men dressed as Krampus participate; such events occur annually in most Alpine towns. Krampus is featured on holiday greeting cards called Krampuskarten.

The history of the Krampus figure has been theorized as stretching back to Pre-Christian Alpine traditions. In a brief article discussing the figure, published in 1958, Maurice Bruce wrote:

There seems to be little doubt as to his true identity for, in no other form is the full regalia of the Horned God of the Witches so well preserved. The birch—apart from its phallic significance—may have a connection with the initiation rites of certain witch-covens; rites which entailed binding and scourging as a form of mock-death. The chains could have been introduced in a Christian attempt to 'bind the Devil' but again they could be a remnant of pagan initiation rites.

Discussing his observations while in Irdning, a small town in Styria in 1975, anthropologist John J. Honigmann wrote that:

The Saint Nicholas festival we are describing incorporates cultural elements widely distributed in Europe, in some cases going back to pre-Christian times. Nicholas himself became popular in Germany around the eleventh century. The feast dedicated to this patron of children is only one winter occasion in which children are the objects of special attention, others being Martinmas, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, and New Year's Day. Masked devils acting boisterously and making nuisances of themselves are known in Germany since at least the sixteenth century while animal masked devils combining dreadful-comic (schauriglustig) antics appeared in Medieval church plays. 

A large literature, much of it by European folklorists, bears on these subjects. ... Austrians in the community we studied are quite aware of "heathen" elements being blended with Christian elements in the Saint Nicholas customs and in other traditional winter ceremonies. They believe Krampus derives from a pagan supernatural who was assimilated to the Christian devil.

The Krampus figures persisted, and by the 17th century Krampus had been incorporated into Christian winter celebrations by pairing Krampus with St Nicholas.

Countries of the former Habsburg Empire have largely borrowed the tradition of Krampus accompanying St Nicholas on 5 December from Austria.

In the aftermath of the 1934 Austrian Civil War, the Krampus tradition was prohibited by the Dollfuss regime under the Fatherland's Front (Vaterländische Front) and the Christian Social Party. In the 1950s, the government distributed pamphlets titled "Krampus Is an Evil Man"Towards the end of the century, a popular resurgence of Krampus celebrations occurred and continues today. The Krampus tradition is being revived in Bavaria as well, along with a local artistic tradition of hand-carved wooden masks There has been public debate in Austria in modern times about whether Krampus is appropriate for children

Although Krampus appears in many variations, most share some common physical characteristics. He is hairy, usually brown or black, and has the cloven hooves and horns of a goat. His long, pointed tongue lolls out.

Krampus carries chains, thought to symbolize the binding of the Devil by the Christian Church. He thrashes the chains for dramatic effect. The chains are sometimes accompanied with bells of various sizes.Of more pagan origins are the ruten, bundles of birch branches that Krampus carries and occasionally swats children with. The ruten have significance in pre-Christian pagan initiation rites.The birch branches are replaced with a whip in some representations. Sometimes Krampus appears with a sack or a basket strapped to his back; this is to cart off evil children for drowning, eating, or transport to Hell. Some of the older versions make mention of naughty children being put in the bag and being taken. This part of the legend refers to the times that the Moors raided the European coasts, and as far as Iceland, to abduct the local people into slavery. This quality can be found in other Companions of Saint Nicholas such as Zwarte Piet

The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated in parts of Europe on 6 December. On the preceding evening of December 5, Krampus Night or Krampusnacht, the wicked hairy devil appears on the streets. Sometimes accompanying St Nicholas and sometimes on his own, Krampus visits homes and businesses. The Saint usually appears in the Eastern Rite vestments of a bishop, and he carries a golden ceremonial staff. Unlike North American versions of Santa Claus, in these celebrations Saint Nicholas concerns himself only with the good children, while Krampus is responsible for the bad. Nicholas dispenses gifts, while Krampus supplies coal and the rutenbundles.

Krampuslauf

A Krampuslauf is a run of celebrants dressed as the wicked beast, often fueled by alcohol. It is customary to offer a Krampus schnapps, a strong distilled fruit brandy.These runs may include perchten, similarly wild pagan spirits of Germanic folklore and sometimes female in representation, although the perchten are properly associated with the period between winter solstice and 6 January.

Europeans have been exchanging greeting cards featuring Krampus since the 1800s. Sometimes introduced with Gruß vom Krampus(Greetings from the Krampus), the cards usually have humorous rhymes and poems. Krampus is often featured looming menacingly over children. He is also shown as having one human foot and one cloven hoof. In some, Krampus has sexual overtones; he is pictured pursuing buxom women.Over time, the representation of Krampus in the cards has changed; older versions have a more frightening Krampus, while modern versions have a cuter, more Cupid-like creature. Krampus has also adorned postcards and candy containers

In Styria, the Ruten bundles are presented by Krampus to families. The twigs are painted gold and displayed year-round in the house—a reminder to any child who has temporarily forgotten Krampus. In smaller, more isolated villages, the figure has other beastly companions, such as the antlered "wild man" figures, and St Nicholas is nowhere to be seen. These Styrian companions of Krampus are called Schabmänner or Rauhen

A toned-down version of Krampus is part of the popular Christmas markets in Austrian urban centres like Salzburg. In these, more tourist-friendly interpretations, Krampus is more humorous than fearsome.

North American Krampus celebrations, though rare, are a growing phenomenon

Similar figures are recorded in neighboring areas. Klaubauf Austria, while Bartl or Bartel, Niglobartl, and Wubartl are used in the southern part of the country. In most parts of Slovenia, whose culture was greatly affected by Austrian culture, Krampus is called parkeljand is one of the companions of Miklavž, the Slovenian form of St. Nicholas.

In many parts of Croatia, Krampus is described as a devil wearing a cloth sack around his waist and chains around his neck, ankles, and wrists. As a part of a tradition, when a child receives a gift from St. Nicholas he is given a golden branch to represent his good deeds throughout the year; however, if the child has misbehaved, Krampus will take the gifts for himself and leave only a silver branch to represent the child's bad acts

The character of Krampus has been imported and modified for various North American media,including print (i.e. Krampus: The Yule Lord, a 2012 novel by Gerald Brom, television- both live action ("A Krampus Carol", a 2012 episode of The League and animation ("Minstrel Krampus", a 2013 episode of American Dad!, video games (CarnEvil, a 1998 arcade game, and film (Krampus, a 2015 Christmas comedy horror movie from Universal Pictures

Krampus, the "Christmas Devil" of Austrian and Bavarian folklore, has entered the popular culture of North America;Christian Jacobsnotes that "thanks to the Internet and YouTube [Krampus] is now very much on America's Christmas radar

The kallikantzaros (Greek: Καλλικάντζαρος; Bulgarian: караконджул; pl. kallikantzaroi) is a malevolent goblin in Southeastern European and Anatolian folklore. Stories about the kallikantzaros or its equivalents can be found in Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia and Turkey. Kallikantzaroi are believed to dwell underground but come to the surface during the twelve days of Christmas, from 25 December to 6 January (from the winter solstice for a fortnight during which time the sun ceases its seasonal movement) 

"Evil genius of the household"

Among the demons of Greek and Roman mythology, one of the most famous is Alastor, popularly known as the evil genius of the household.

Some mythical creatures have their origin in tradition and tales from the distant past. However, each culture is associated with a multitude of interesting and odd creatures, many of these beings are humanoids. One of these legendary humanoids is the Genderuwo.

The Royal Mail commissioned artist Dave McKean to produce a set of six stamps based on mythical creatures. 

The first stamp depicts a fire breathing dragon. 

The Welsh flag has its own creation story. 

There are no known sightings of 'living' unicorns in the UK or Ireland, though two unicorns feature in the Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland (selected by Robert III as a symbol of strength and purity), and one in the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (representing Scotland, with a lion symbolising England).

The horn of the unicorn, known as an alicorn, was once heavily sought after by the rich and powerful, and unsurprisingly, is much more common than its former owner. The Horn of Windsor was owned by Queen Elizabeth (valued in her life time as being worth £10,000), and was presented to her in 1577 by Martin Frobisher who found it on a dead fish (most likely a narwhal).

The church is also said to hold several alicorns, including one at Chester Cathedral.

Pixies, or Piskies, are almost exclusively found in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset within the UK. Dartmoor is thought to be a particularly popular place, with a sighting in 1897 of a small figure wearing red and blue clothing - he quickly vanished when he realised that he had been spotted.

Like other fairy folk, pixies were mostly benevolent, although their sense of humour and trickery sometimes went beyond what mankind found acceptable. Their acts of kindness were often spoken about, helping tidy homes and in Haytor, tending to a roadside grave.

According to Holinshed's Chronicle, the giant Albion once ruled over Britain, before being defeated by Hercules at Hartland Point, Devon. 

Contrary to its portrayal in recent films, the mermaid is quite a malevolent creature. Several pools and rivers in the UK are said to be home to a mermaid, and children were once warned to stay away from the areas, as the creature would drag them under the water to drown.

Mortal men would often become infatuated once seeing a mermaid, with fatal results. One Lancashire sailor who fell in love with a mermaid died on the day he was due to elope with her. Two brothers in the Shetland Islands tried to swim to the North Pole to win the heart of a mermaid, with obvious results.

One of the more documented merfolk case occurred at Orford, Suffolk. Around AD 1169, a hairy man was caught in the sea and brought to the Castle. He was unable to speak (even when hung upside down and tortured), and ate raw fish. He remained in the castle for six months before escaping back into the sea.

A recent fairy sighting occurred in 1979 at Wollaton Park, Nottingham. A group of school children encountered up to sixty gnomes who drove around them in small silent cars.