There are a lot of beings that are talked about in books, myths, and shown on movies and TV that aren’t human, but are like humans. Of course, all of these different beings have names and today I am going to present the English words/names for these creatures that are ‘not quite human.’

Creatures that are not quite human:

centaur – A centaur is a mythical creature that has the head, torso, and arms of a human, but the body and legs of a horse. These beings are often written about in Greek mythology.

Cyclops – A Cyclops is also a creature form Greek and Roman mythology. This is a large human-like being, a giant, but with only one eye. The Cyclopes’ one eye is located in the middle of its forehead.

elf/elves – An elf (plural = elves) is a little being or creature that is smaller than most humans. They are believed to have magical skills and the ability to either help or hurt humans depending on the situation. Elves are often depicted as having pointed ears and sometimes are not short or small, such as in the Lord of the Rings movies.

demon – A demon is generally an evil being that is associated with many mythologies, folklore and religions.  They don’t have one particular shape or look, but instead can take many different forms.

fairy – A fairy is generally understood to be a very small magical creature, usually with wings, and often female. They are generally thought of as nice, good, and to be helpful to people.

giant – A giant is an imaginary or mythical being of superhuman size, or very, very large. Giants are talked about as being both good and bad in different stories and cultures, but they are always BIG.

genie – Genies are spirits from Arabian folklore. They are usually described as being trapped within a bottle or oil lamp, and once released they are able give three wishes to the person who releases them, by rubbing on the lamp.

mermaid – A mermaid is a sea creature that is half-human half-fish. The upper part of a mermaid is that of a female human and the lower part is that of a fish. Mermen are also spoken about in some stories and myths, and they are half-man half-fish.

nymph – A nymph is a female creature from Greek and Latin mythology that is usually associated with a particular place on earth (like a mountain or a stream). Nymphs are often thought to be mischievous and troublesome, but not usually mean or bad.

robot and droid – A robot is a mechanical unit that is guided by a computer program. Robots can take many shapes, but some are made to look like humans. A droid (a word that is short for android) is a type of robot that has artificial intelligence. They are often used in environments and tasks that are too dangerous for humans.

troll – A troll is an often thought of as ugly and short, and is believed to live in rocks, mountains or caves. In most tales they are rarely helpful to human beings.

vampire – Vampires are mythical beings that look like humans, but are not. Instead they live by feeding on humans, particularly by drinking their blood. Often vampires are described as having very white skin and two long fangs for teeth. They are thought to sleep during the day and come out at night.

zombie – The idea of zombies originate from the African and Caribbean religions. They are believed to be dead bodies or corpses (corpse = dead body) that have been brought back to life.  They are usually pictured as ugly and decomposing.

Are there any other creatures or beings that you can think of that are not quite human? Add to this list by posting a comment below.