Astrologically, Aquarius is the sign of innovations, rebellion, and intellectual distance; symbolized by the Water-Bearer, the sign is actually classified as an “air sign”, a contradiction that perfectly captures its quirky, and weird style.
The starsign is ruled by Uranus, the planet of disruption and sudden insight. Aquarius governs the strange and the uncanny, and they are known for standing apart from the crowd, observing from a distance, and what others may choose to ignore. It is a sign that thrives in liminal spaces, where logic and intuition meet, to blur reality with imagination.
Folklore, across all cultures, is full of unsettling creatures that embody the same uncanny qualities, and below are eight of the creepy mythical beings that feel perfectly attuned to Aquarius season.
The Drekavac

The Drekavac, whose name translates to “the screamer” is a fearsome creature from South Slavic folklore. Known for its piercing, unnatural scream, the Drekavac is said to wander forests, graveyards, and the outskirts of villages at night; its shrieks signalling impending death, misfortune, or illness if its shadow falls upon them.
Legend describes this creature as the restless spirits of sinful men or unbaptized children. Its appearance varies, with some accounts portraying it as a thin, long-limbed humanoid with a large head, while others liken it to a dog or fox-like creature, with powerful hind legs.
The Drekavac is detached from humanity, and embodies the Aquarius season’s eerie themes of isolation, and the thin boundary between worlds.
The Puca

From Irish folklore, the Puca is a shape-shifting spirit known for its unpredictable nature, and unsettling nighttime appearances. The creature is neither entirely malicious nor benevolent, but it thrives on chaos, fear, and confusion.
The Puca is most commonly described as a black horse with glowing eyes, but it can also take the form of goats, dogs, a hare, or distorted human figures. The legends warn that it may lure unsuspecting travelers astray, and offer rides that embody terror through bogs and hillsides.
This creature mirrors the Aquarius season’s energy by embodying unpredictable, and otherworldly chaos.
The Batibat

A vengeful spirit from Philippine folklore, the Batibat inhabits trees and attacks anyone who sleeps beneath it. Its presence is tied to disrespecting nature, or due to having its home disturbed; the creature is said to sit on its victim's chest, and induce terrifying nightmares or sleep paralysis. It can also suffocate its victim if angered.
The Batibat embodies a primal fear rooted in the mind, rather than the physical, and as Aquarius governs the realm of thought, it makes this nightmarish creature an unsettling match for the season.
The Penanggalan

The creature known as the Penanggalan is maybe one of the most disturbing figures from Southeast Asian folklore.
The Penanggalan, by day, appears as an ordinary woman, but at night her head detaches, trailing her organs as she flies through the dead of night, hunting for the blood of the vulnerable, like pregnant women or infants.
The horror of this creature lies not just in her appearance, but in hiding evil behind normalcy, because of this, this creature reflects Aquarius energy by turning the familiar into the uncanny, and exposing uncomfortable truths beneath the surface.
The Ushi-oni

The Ushi-oni is a monstrous man-eating demon from Japanese legends; it has the head of an ox, the body of an arachnid, and it lurks near water, in caves and along coastlines, ambushing travelers who stray too close to its path. The creature will pounce on its victim and eat it alive. Its presence is also said to turn familiar landscapes into places of dread, reminding us humans that danger often hides.
This grotesque hybrid that lurks near water, mirrors the Aquarius season by embodying the eerie pull of what lies beneath the surface, and challenges us to face the hidden forces beyond our ordinary perception.
The Squonk

Despite its somewhat humorous-sounding name, this creature is anything but funny; derived from American folklore, it is described as “a pitiful creature” with ill-fitting skin that is covered with warts. It is so ashamed of its appearance, it constantly weeps, and if it is cornered, it will dissolve into tears. Although not an unsettling creature due to violence, sadness, and deeply alien nature, it embodies emotional turmoil.
Aquarius is often associated with emotional distance, and the Squonk embodies this eerie loneliness that can come from existing outside the norm.
The Knocker

The Knockers are small, elusive gnome-like beings that dwell deep underground, and are found in the mining folklore of Wales, Cornwall, and Devon within the UK. From accounts of sightings, the Knockers are often described as wearing mining clothes, and are around 2 feet tall with long arms and wrinkled skin.
They were often blamed for hiding miners' tools or extinguishing lights; however, they get their name from how they would warn of potential danger through knocking sounds, which could signal danger of collapses or to guide the miners to ore.
The Aquarius sign is known for its ability to sense shifts before others do, tuning into patterns and hidden signals, much like the Knockers and their ghostly tapping in the dark.
The Pugot

Known as the “bogeyman of disease”, the Pugot is a terrifying ape-like creature from Philippine folklore, and is associated with sickness and the plague. The creature's presence is enough to bring illness and decay to its surroundings; its appearance is usually described as a gigantic, black, headless being, but it can also assume the shapes of hogs, dogs, or even humans.
The Pugot embodies detachment from normal order. Its headlessness and grotesque form disrupt natural expectations, which echoes the Aquarian trait of challenging the norm.
Aquarius governs the unknown, and the uncomfortable truths lurking just beyond our awareness. It is a sign that asks us to observe and question, even at the cost of comfort.
The creatures associated with this season are not driven by just hunger or rage, they disturb because they exist outside human understanding. As winter lingers and the world waits for renewal, Aquarius season begins in the strange spaces where logic can falter, and imagination takes over.
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