Imp

Today I will tell you about a creature, that is less dangerous than most of the other creatures we present you, but it makes up for that by its sheer annoyingness. I am talking about the Imp.

If you ever come across one of these creatures, you will most certainly recognize it. Imps are small, bony, unattractive creatures, whose faces are like layers of thin stone, constantly forming a smirk or a grimace. In comparison to their head, their ears and horns are weirdly out of proportion and on their back they have leathery wings. Their skincolour can be anything, from purple to brown, red and gray, everything is possible. Another characteristic of Imps is that they always walk or fly with a hunch. Some of them are also rather close to monkeys or cats appearancewise, having their noses elongated into snouts, or preferring to walk on all fours. In rare cases, Imps can be bound to objects, only materializing while outside of this object, and losing their physical form should they go back in.

What makes Imps so incredibly annoying is that they are talented pranksters. Luring someone into a forest or switching out newborns is very easy for them. However, their pranks are usually just done out of impulse, they don't make any bigger plans or schemes by themselves. If they seem to have one however, it is likely because someone is commanding them. There are even some stories of imps with magical powers, such as shapeshifting and pyromancy, but in all of these stories, it is admitted that their magical powers are far below those of any other truly magical being.

Another purpose that Imps can fulfill is being the familiar of witches or warlocks. Due to their abilities they are very befitting for the role of spies and informants. Some of the objectbound Imps also grant wishes, like genies. A well known case of this is described in Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Bottle Imp'. In this story, the imp grants the owner their every wish, but their soul would go to the devil if they didn't manage to sell the bottle to another human before their death.

So what do you think? Could the Imp have its roots in greek mythology?