Peryton
The peryton has the body of a stag and wings of a great bird, but casts the shadow of a human until it kills one. It lures travelers with uncanny silhouettes, a puzzle of identity and predation.
Story beats
- 1) A peryton’s shadow appears human, convincing travelers they have company.
- 2) The winged stag swoops to gore or trample, seeking to make its shadow match its form.
- 3) After killing, its shadow becomes deer-like; some say only then can it die.
- 4) Sailors report perytons attacking ships, drawn to crowds of silhouettes on decks.
Context & symbolism
A later invention in bestiary tradition, the peryton plays with projection versus reality—danger disguised as familiar shadow. It critiques assumptions from surface signs, warning against misplaced trust.
Irrational rules (kill to fix its shadow) make it a great mythic puzzle beast for storytellers and game masters.
Motifs
- Human shadow from nonhuman form
- Winged stag body
- Shadow shifts after a kill
- Ambush from the air
Use it in play
- Chase a human shadow across a ridge only to be ambushed by a peryton.
- Break the shadow-curse without letting it kill—solve an identity riddle instead.
- Shipboard fight as perytons dive for clustered silhouettes.
- Harvest peryton feathers that reveal true forms, but only if the beast dies unfulfilled.