Chise Hatori, a young girl who has faced ridicule from her peers and abandonment by her family due to her unusual abilities, clings to one last thread of hope for a place to call home by selling herself in a mysterious auction. Having been sold for five million pounds to a tall masked gentleman, she finds herself magically transported to a picturesque cottage in rural England. Learning that she’s a prized being called a “Sleigh Beggy,” her buyer, the magus Elias Ainsworth, also intends for her to be his apprentice and bride. With a new perspective on a world full of fae and monsters, Chise is finally able to embrace her magical side and learn to connect with others.
As Chise studies as Elias’s mage apprentice, she’s introduced to a whole new magical world hidden in plain (Sleigh Beggy) sight. With a backdrop of magical fantasy creatures roaming about a cozy, rural setting full of verdant potion ingredients, The Ancient Magus’ Bride is a series that would do incredibly well to compile all of the magical flora and fauna into a bestiary and herbarium! From banshees to barghests, dragons to cotton flies, selkies to salamanders, there are so many fascinating fantastical creatures!
6) Heralds of Yule
The Heralds of Yule are a male-female pair of partially winged creatures who wear symbols of the Winter Solstice and appear to announce the approaching winter tidings of Yule. They seem to be fairly friendly and chatty, if a bit mischievous. With each possessing a single wing, they’re reminiscent of the Jian, a mythical bird of Chinese origin that possesses only a single eye and wing and must rely on its partner for them to fly.
5) Ariel
Very similar to what one would think of as a stereotypical fairy, these tiny, winged, humanoid creatures also include features like feathers, bird-like feet, and antennae. With mischievous demeanors, the Ariel are a race of faerie that govern the winds. A few of them immediately became attracted to Chise as a Sleigh Beggy when she arrived, even trying to lure her to the Faerie Kingdom. Jade Ariel is a particularly notable Ariel who takes a liking to Chise and recurs throughout the series.
4) Dragons
Big, winged lizards that breathe fire — alongside fantasy creatures like unicorns and fairies, dragons are some of the most recognizable in the series. With most dragons in this universe dwindling in number, plenty found sanctuary living in Iceland, protected by Lindel. The Ancient Magus’ Bride turns the diversity and lore up a notch by including several types of dragons: the Uil, a light blue slender dragon with winged arms; the Beanna, a bipedal dragon with bird feet, two horns, and feathers around its neck yet lacks wings; the Gaoth Arach, a stone-like dragon with a single horn and can fly despite its bulky build.
3) Sídhe
As a type of vampire fae, the Leánnan Sídhe consume human blood in exchange for granting their target certain talents. With pointy ears, the ability to fly, and often scantily clad, they seem to be a primarily female fae race. While most Leannán Sídhe regard the relationships they have with their targets to be emotionless and purely symbiotic, Chise comes across one in particular she names Redcurrant, who had fallen in love with Joel, a human man.
2) Black Grim
Once living dogs, when they die, they retain their canine appearance but with black fur. Some are considered to be Church Grims who are said to have once served the Goddess of Death. Upon becoming fae, gaining abilities like traveling via shadow, breathing fire, and shapeshifting, such hounds seem to take on the role of protecting the dead and their resting places. Ruth is one such Black Grim who became Chise’s familiar.
1) Cotton Fly
Cotton Flies, aka Woolly Bugs, are a type of adorable flying fae with both sheep and bug-like features like 6 legs, ram horn-like antennae, wool, and 6 insect wings. They often appear throughout the series both as a major plot point in Episode 13 “East, West, Home’s Best” when Chise assists in shearing the creatures and mistakes a similar-looking Snow Fly for one, or recurring sporadically when adding to the fantastical setting.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
What’s your favorite fantastical creature in The Ancient Magus’ Bride? Let us know in the comments!
