Eason provides an extensive overview of the mythology, legends, and folklore surrounding fabulous and strange fantasy creatures from diffferent lands and ages, from Chinese dragons and the Native North American thunderbird to the demon hounds of Celtic and Norse legend. She describes how in various ages and cultures people have identified with the idealized qualities of wise creatures as a source of power and better understanding of their own personalities and used the behavior of birds and other sacred creatures to gain oracular information in Ancient Egypt and the Classical and Celtic worlds.

This book offers both traditional and little known folklore and legend about familiar real life creatures such as the horse, the cat, and the raven and delves into the weird and wonderful world of saints who claimed to change into deer and modern cryptozoological monsters such as Bigfoot, Mothman, and lake and sea monsters, as well as the rationale behind animal or headed deities of the Aztecs, Egyptians, and Celts in whose name people went to war.