Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids
Kahn Hall
March 3 through August 12, 2012
Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids traces the natural and cultural roots of some of the world's most enduring mythological creatures from Asia, Europe, the Americas and beyond. This amazing exhibition includes eye-popping models, paintings, and textiles, along with other cultural objects from around the world that bring to light surprising similarities and differences in the ways people everywhere have been inspired by nature to envision and depict these strange and wonderful creatures.
For many centuries, humans around the world have brought mythic creatures to life in stories, music, and works of art. Today these creatures, which were sometimes inspired by fossils or living animals, continue to delight us. The exhibition reveals the relationship between nature and legend throughout history.
What you'll see at Mythic Creatures
Mythic Creatures features preserved specimens as well as fossils of prehistoric animals to investigate how they could have, through misidentification, speculation, fear, or imagination, inspired the development of some legendary creatures. For example, visitors will discover how narwhal tusks from the North Sea, introduced to continental Europe by Scandinavian traders, lent credence to the centuries-old belief in the unicorn, and how dinosaur fossils uncovered by Scythian nomads may have been mistaken for the remains of living, breathing griffins. Persistent tales of undersea monsters may simply be sightings of real creatures such as the oarfish and giant squid, which are just as wondrous as any imaginary denizens of the deep.
Finally, what is the meaning of mythic creatures today? From cultural tradition to personal totem, these creatures still have meaning and influence in our modern day lives.
Click the image for the Mythic Creatures app for your iPhone or Droid!
Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (www.amnh.org), in collaboration with The Field Museum, Chicago; Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau-Ottawa; Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney; and Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta.
Signature Sponsor
Supporting Sponsor
John P. Murphy Foundation
Sponsors
Leonard Krieger Fund of The Cleveland Foundation
Promotional Sponsors
