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Creatures of the Land features beings that walk the Earth. Many of these creatures appear to have body parts from ordinary animals combined in unusual ways. Other creatures look like familiar animals but have extraordinary and magical powers.
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 Protoceratops skeleton
More than two thousand years ago, hardy Scythian gold miners sought their fortunes in the vast Gobi Desert of central Asia. Relying on travelers' tales, Greek authors reported that in the scorching heat of the Gobi, the miners battled not only the blazing sun, but also the mighty griffin: a fierce half-eagle, half-lion hybrid that guarded fantastic treasures of gold. Certain areas in the Gobi are littered with dinosaur bones, including those of the four-legged, beaked Protoceratops. Ancient gold miners working in the desert may have seen these fossils—and perhaps based their descriptions of griffins on them: Protoceratops skeletons feature: a beak, just like a griffin; four legs, just like a griffin; the thin, bony frill of Protoceratops fossils often breaks off, leaving behind small stumps which may have been interpreted as griffin ears; the elongated shoulder blades may explain why griffins are said to have wings.
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 Unicorns
While many mythic creatures are man-eating monsters or evil spirits, others, like unicorns, are powerful and peaceful. Both the pearly white unicorn of European lore and the benevolent Asian unicorn avoid contact with humans, preferring to remain unseen. Many stories of unicorns refer to the magical properties of their horns, a claim first made nearly 2,000 years ago. Those lucky enough to possess a horn might take advantage of its wide range of healing properties, especially detecting and neutralizing poisons.
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St. George and the Dragon
This European sculpture shows a dragon being crushed by Saint George, who wears the cross of a Christian Crusader. According to one account, their battle took place in Libya, North Africa, where the dragon was terrorizing a city with its venomous breath. Only Saint George, a Christian soldier, was brave enough to face this frightening creature. He subdued it by cutting the sign of the cross in its scales. Images of the dragon slayer Saint George are popular in many countries in the Christian world, from England to Ethiopia.
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