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I don't think it will be particularly helpful to you, but there is a book of imaginary beings that you might consult - read more here. This book does not offer much details in its entries and list...
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I don't think it will be particularly helpful to you, but there is a book of imaginary beings that you might consult - read more [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Imaginary_Beings). This book does not offer much details in its entries and list relatively low number of creatures - however, there are two characteristics that you might find interesting - it will give a really good overview of creatures that you can find in literature and, also, gives references and entry points that you can follow. NOTE: If you want true originality then recipe is not possible, except very general ones such as: study the cultures (fictional, literally or national) whose legends you do not know.