Magical Beasts and How to Assemble Them Quiz

Answer: chimera

The chimera is a basic creation, so much so that 'chimera' can be used to refer to anything with grossly disparate parts. The original Greek conjuration of a chimera was nothing fancy, merely a goat's head combined with a lion that had a snake for a tail. Oh, and it breathes fire. Though the goat's head sprang from the middle of the original chimera, modern conjurations of this monster prefer bringing both main heads to its front.

They're not always picky about what types of heads they use either!

Answer: manticore

The manticore is a semi-cannibal: despite having a human face, it quite enjoys eating people. The word 'manticore' itself actually means man-eater. Instead of having multiple heads, this Persian terror kills with its bestial endowments: the body of a lion, tail and sting of a scorpion, and three rows of teeth. A conjurer can make it more fearsome by tossing wings, horns, and even poisonous projectile spikes into the assembly. Manticores tend to devour animals whole, leaving nothing left over, so make sure the thing is well-fed.

(And for those of you wondering where we got the person's face for this creature... don't think too much about it.)

Answer: tarasque

Wait, was that right? We've managed to attach a lion's head, turtle shell, scorpion tail, and six bear legs to an ox's body, and come up with something reptilian enough to be considered a dragon. This French beast is more odd than it is harmful or dangerous, though that's not an invitation to provoke the thing.

Modern sorcerers tend to modify this conjuration to make the tarasque ravenous and destructive, so keep your distance just in case.

Answer: questing beast

What is a hart anyway? Oh ok, so we'll add the feet of an adult male red deer to a specially prepared leopard/lion body. We'll need a snake, which will provide the main (and only) head, and that pretty much does it. The Questing Beast is supposed to yelp, and snakes can't, but the Britons aren't very clear on how it got its voice; perhaps any old voice box will do. We won't keep the around for long.

The beast itself is not necessarily evil, but it tends to carry very bad connotations with it.

Answer: sphinx

A sphinx is a strong and generally reasonable creature. A basic sphinx is created by attaching the head of a man, ram, or falcon to the body of a lion. Be warned: using the head of a woman normally results in a very evil creature! (And don't forget her wings and serpent-head tail.) Regardless of variety, sphinxes tend to make good guards. Be sure to keep your wits and riddle-solving abilities on hand, especially if you're attempting to make the evil version.

Answer: simurgh

Most magical beasts get any old wings, but the simurgh is picky and requires a peacock. Attach a dog's head to the front (or a human face if you have a spare) and lion's claws to the feet and you've got the gist of it. Full-grown simurghs are bigger than elephants, but we will stick to making small ones to begin with. Since the simurgh tends to be a benevolent bringer of purity and fertility, having one around may prove handy.

They could use a few in the Middle East, where they originated.

Answer: New Jersey

The Jersey Devil is the youngest of our motley menagerie, and the first one that supposedly started out as a human child. To make one ourselves, we'll start with a goat's head, bat wings, and a kangaroo-shaped body. Making it devilish requires the usual: horns, cloven hooves, a forked tail, and glowing red eyes.

This devil isn't very picky, and most of the parts don't particularly have to come from specific animals. Just make sure the thing can scream. It doesn't do much other than that.

Answer: baku

Don't be fooled by the tapir talk: the baku is an Eastern animal, created out of eastern animals. After procuring a four-legged body, combine it with the trunk of an elephant, eyes of a rhinoceros, claws of a tiger, and tail of an ox. Horns are optional (aren't they always?), and you may wish to use the entire elephant's head instead of merely the trunk. You'll want to add a little magic to the mix, so that the baku can perform its signature act: eating dreams.

A baku is often conjured with the intent of it eating away bad dreams, though an unruly one will eat good dreams too. Watch out for those ones.

Answer: qilin

If you enjoy whimsical creations, the qilin (or kirin, if you prefer) is sure to strike your fancy! The Chinese have conjured these benevolent creatures for millennia. They originally started as basic fusions: a dragon's head on a scaled, ox-like body. Eventually, deer antlers and a lion's tail were added to the mix. Qilins are easy to keep: they do not eat meat or harm living beings.

They tread so lightly that they can walk over water. Qilins carry wholly positive connotations, and some people compare them to unicorns.

Answer: ichthyocentaur

It seems we can always add more
To any conjuration's core!

A centaur is a simple melding of man and horse, first created in the Mediterranean region unknown thousands of years ago. A more skilled conjurer can streamline a centaur by giving it a fish's tail, lobster-claw horns, and the ability to breathe water. But don't forget, it will need an aquatic environment to to live in. For all its oddness, an ichthyocentaur is normally a benign creature, posing a threat mainly to spelling bee contestants.