【明報專訊】In ancient folklore and legends, people believed in gods and goddesses as well as creatures rumoured to exist.

◆Scotland - The Loch Ness Monster (尼斯湖水怪)

Scotland is famous for its scenic lakes and the legendary Loch Ness Monster, whom the locals called by the name of "Nessie". While some believe Nessie really dwells in Loch Ness, others suggest that the sightings are actually optical illusions caused by heavy fogs. One of the most iconic Loch Ness monster photos was later proved to be a fake.

◆Denmark- the little mermaid (美人魚)

You must be familiar with the romantic fairy tale of a half-human half-fish girl, The Little Mermaid by Hans Andersen (安徒生), a Danish writer. A sculpture has been erected in Copenhagen since 1913 to commemorate the writer and is now a major tourist attraction.

◆Egypt - The Sphinx (獅身人面像)

A sphinx has the body of a lion and the head of a human and is found next to the pyramids, tombs of ancient pharaohs (法老). It is believed that ancient pharaohs built statues of sphinx to guard their pyramids. Intruders and tomb raiders who could not answer the sphinx's riddle would be killed.

■Glossary

folklore (n) 民間傳說

scenic (adj) 風景優美的

commemorate (v) 紀念

intruder (n) 入侵者

[Smarties' Power English 第242期]