Around the world, folklore, myths, and legends tell of fantastical creatures. These mythical creatures have inspired artists, writers, and storytellers for thousands of years. This digital library has collected a variety of manuscripts, paintings, sculptures, videos, and other items depicting mythical creatures from across the globe. These items also represent a wide span of time periods, from the time of Homer to the present day.

This digital library serves as a repository of artistic and educational resources concerning mythical creatures. Materials are drawn from sources such as Europeana, Project Gutenberg, and The British Library-Digital Collections. Materials are also drawn from modern interpretations of myths shared on platforms such as YouTube.

The items in this library are organized by the type of creature depicted as well as by region.

The title of this website, "Bestiarum Vocabulum" is a latin phrase translating roughly to "the naming (or designation) of animals." This was another term used for a bestiary, texts which often included descriptions and artistic depictions of mythical creatures. You can learn more about medieval bestiaries here.