Giants, Dragons and Unicorns: The World of Mythic Creatures

A vibrant sculpture of a mermaid gazing into a mirror is set against a backdrop of blue swirls
Created for smaller galleries, captivate your visitors with the world of Giants, Dragons, and Unicorns!

The world is full of stories about brave heroes, magical events, and fantastic beings. Tales of mythic creatures have been with us for thousands of years, sometimes inspired by living animals or even fossils. Together, mythic creatures give shape to humankind’s greatest hopes and fears, and most passionate dreams.

Where do nature and legend meet? Trace the origins and cultural importance of mythical creatures around the world through unique cultural objects, dramatic models, engaging multimedia, and interactive games, and explore their enduring hold on our imaginations.

Exhibition Themes

  • Sea Monsters: Find out how real marine animals were mistaken for sea monsters.
  • Mermaids:  Learn stories of half-fish, half-human sea creatures from around the world.
  • Unicorns, Griffins and Giants: See how discoveries of fossils may have fueled stories of mythical animals.
  • Dragons: Explore different cultural interpretations of dragons from the seventeenth century to the present day.

Highlights 

This 2,000 sq ft traveling exhibition combines unique cultural objects, dramatic models, engaging multimedia, and interactive games to tell the origin stories behind the legends of mythical creatures from around the world.

A model of a kraken's head and two tentacles in front of an illustration of a kraken attacking a ship and beside wall text about the Kraken.
© AMNH
The model of a unicorn standing on a rock in front of a background of illustrated trees and flowers.
© AMNH
A mammoth bone on a round table beside text explaining that ancient Greeks believed mammoth bones were the bones of human-like giants.
© AMNH
The skull of a Sumatran rhinoceros.
© AMNH
An intricately decorated metal candlestick where the body is in the shape of a griffin.
© AMNH
A robe with a Chinese dragon embroidered on the back hangs on a mannequin.
© AMNH

Request More Information

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Browse More

  Dragons, Unicorns, and Mermaids: Mythic Creatures Learn about the natural and cultural origins of some of the world’s most enduring mythological creatures.   Opulent Oceans (2D) This 2D traveling exhibition highlights the integral role scientific illustration has played in undersea discovery.    The Nature of Color Explore the many roles of color in the natural world and across human cultures. 

Giants, Dragons and Unicorns: The World of Mythic Creatures is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org).