With Halloween fast approaching, what better time is there to delve into the history of mythical creatures and beasts? According to Google Trends, in the past week searches for ‘what are the top 10 mythical creatures’ have increased by a huge 2,400%.
Interested in finding out which mythical creatures are the most popular online, money.co.uk scoured Reddit, TikTok, Instagram and Google to find out which creatures generate the most buzz.
The results are as follows…
|
|
Mythical creature |
Most popular on… |
Total popularity score (/100) |
|
#1 |
Dragon |
|
92 |
|
#2 |
Zombie |
TikTok |
91 |
|
#3 |
Unicorn |
|
90 |
|
#4 |
Vampire |
TikTok |
83 |
|
#5 |
Elf |
|
81 |
|
#6 |
Mermaid |
TikTok & Instagram |
78 |
|
#7 |
Fairy |
|
76 |
|
#8 |
Goblin |
|
68 |
|
#9 |
Medusa |
|
63 |
|
#10 |
Kraken |
|
51 |
Money.co.uk can reveal that the most popular mythical creature online is a dragon, finishing with a score of 92/100. Dragons can be found in mythology and folklore all over the world from the Greeks and Romans, Homer’s Iliad, through to modern day depictions in games and films.
Ranking second are zombies with a popularity score of 91/100. Tales of the reanimated dead can be traced back thousands of years, featuring in religious texts, magic and voodoo. Zombies are now a huge pop-culture phenomenon, and it was found that they are most popular on TikTok.
Not surprisingly, unicorns rank as the third most popular with a popularity total of 90/100. Unicorns have been around in Asian culture longest, featuring in Mesopotamian artwork and ancient Indian and Chinese mythology. Unicorns proved to be most popular on Instagram.
Fourth is the Halloween classic – a vampire. Vampires scored 83/100, and were most popular on TikTok. In fifth place are elves, scoring 81/100 probably in part due to their prominence in modern culture such as the Lord of the Rings franchise and popular role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons.
Salman Haqqi, personal finance expert at money.co.uk, commented on the findings:
“Owning a mythical pet is a dream of many children, and even some adults – although we’d likely all steer clear of zombies and vampires in favour of dragons and unicorns. If you want the next best thing and are after a rare or exotic pet, here are some top tips to take into consideration before buying a new pet:
1. Do your research
Before you go out and purchase the pet of your dreams, make sure you’ve thoroughly researched the legality and care requirements, as well as the time and money that goes into owning an exotic pet.
2. Look into insurance
You may need to purchase specialist insurance for your exotic pet, and you will need to find out which local veterinary clinics will be able to cater for your pet and their needs. If your pet is particularly costly to buy or they need specialist care, your insurance premiums are likely to go up.
3. Pet-proof your home
Although dogs, cats and other common pets can cause damage to your home and its contents, exotic pets with large claws or sharp teeth could cause more damage than you’d think. Remember, it’s your responsibility to keep your possessions safe, not your pet’s.”