On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears

Real or imagined, literal or metaphorical, monsters have exerted a dread fascination on the human mind for many centuries. Using philosophical treatises, theological tracts, newspapers, films, and novels, author Stephen T. Asma unpacks traditional monster stories for the clues they offer about the inner logic of our fears and fascinations throughout the ages.

Take a Closer Look at the Mythical Creatures from On Monsters
Click on image to enlarge

The manticore monster was thought to favor human flesh.
Descriptions of the beast appear in the natural history texts of Ctesias, Aristotle, and Pliny.
Pencil drawing by Stephen T. Asma 2008, based on a sketch from Edward Topsell s seventeenth-century bestiary.

The Golem is a bumbling monster of Jewish folklore. The clay creature was animated by Rabbi Judah Loew to protect the Jewish ghetto but could not be controlled and wreaked havoc in Prague.
Pen and ink drawing by
Stephen T. Asma 2008.

The Cyclops legend was fueled by ancient Greek misinterpretations of mastodon skulls found in Mediterranean caves.
Pencil drawing and collage by
Stephen T. Asma.

Symbolic of God s power, the biblical Behemoth appears in the Book of Psalms and Job.
Pencil drawing by Stephen T. Asma 2008.