Indrik

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In Russian folklore, the Indrik-Beast (Russian: Индрик-зверь, transliteration:Indrik zvier) is a miraculous beast, the king of all animals. He lives on a mountain known as "The Saint Mountain" where no other foot may tread. When he stirs, the Earth trembles.

[edit] Etymology

"Indrik" is thought by some historians to be a distorted version of the word "unicorn"; others trace its origin to the Aryan era, and the Hindu god Indra.

[edit] Description

The Indrik is described as a gigantic bull with a head of a horse, and an enormous horn in their snout.

[edit] Possible Mismatches

The Indrik, like the unicorn, could be a bad identification of a rhinoceros, but it can also be a bad identification of a fossil of an Indricotherium, the biggest land mammal ever to live. Another example of a bad identification of a fossil is the Griffin, that is "a mixture of a lion and an eagle, with head and wings of the bird, but body, claws and tail of a lion". It could be a bad identification of a Protoceratops skeleton, which had long tails, small bodies, and a comparatively enormous beaked head.