10 Mythical Creatures That Actually Existed

The Myth: Sailors brought back tales of so-called "wild men" of Asia and Africa, which gave rise to the tale of the Blemmyae. These people were described as "headless men" in Herodotus' The Histories. They were said to be covered with hair, and they didn't have heads, which left their facial features on their chest.

Europeans were fascinated by what they heard, and the legend grew for centuries. The Blemmyae were written about by Pliny the Elder, Sir Walter Raleigh, and there was even mention of them in Shakespeare's Othello.

The Reality: There are two possible sources for the Blemmyae with the first, and most likely being farfetched descriptions of gorillas. These days, gorillas are found in zoos all over the world, but they weren't described in scientific journals until the mid-1800s. Poorly told tales of enlarged primates may have planted the seed that grew into the myth of the Blemmyae.

Another possible source may have been African tribesmen, who would lower their heads as they walked. This could give the appearance of people without heads and facial features on their chests. It's possible the myth arose from descriptions of both the tribesmen and gorillas, only they morphed into a single mythological beast over time.