Gryphon!

Hey, so this creature fucking KICKS ASS. Look at this glorious fellow!


Gryphons, man. Or Griffins. Badass mythical creatures, oh my god. Look at this majestic monster! Such a cool combination of influences on this thing.... as in, he's a monster, but fighting for the "good guys". That's brilliant.

When I made my last post, I immediately decided these guys were not only one of the greatest examples of something that just oozes Majesty, but they more than qualified as a creature worthy of its own post.

I salute you, almighty winged overlords!

Merpeople

Who came up with these guys? What a great concept. So is "Atlantis" - although I'm not sure the two are directly related.

Anyways, similarly to Sirens (who are cool as balls as well), Mermaids occasionally sing to people/gods, "enchant" them, distract them from their work and cause them to walk off the deck or run their ships aground. Other stories depict Mermen squeezing the life out of drowning humans while attempting to rescue them. They are also said to summon wild storms, and take humans down to their underwater kingdoms.

Also, Triton (Son of Poseidon) was a cool Merman... he used a Conch Shell - in his duties as "The Trumpeter of the Sea" (pow!).

King Minos

In ancient Greek mythology, King Minos was a ruler of Crete, and also a demigod, the son of Zeus and Europa. After his death, Minos was said to become the Judge of the dead in Hades -- he would decide which of the circles of Hell all sinners would be cast into.

Minos is also one of the bosses in the new game, "Dante's Inferno", which brings me to the real point of this post -- Minos gives one of the most purely badass quotes from any boss in game history:

"Who comes into my House of Pain...?"