Duphon

Duphon is an obscure figure from fragmentary European folklore, sometimes described as a spectral black stag with fiery eyes that haunts ancient forests. Hunters tell of glimpsing it just beyond the tree line, where it watches in total silence before vanishing, leaving behind scorched earth or withered plants. Some traditions tie Duphon to warnings against overhunting or disturbing sacred groves, painting it as a spirit that safeguards the balance of the wild. Unlike many overtly violent cryptids, Duphon exudes a quiet, eerie power—its mere presence signals that some places are not meant to be trespassed. The creature survives largely through local legends and scattered historical mentions, a spectral protector that stands as a living boundary between human ambition and nature’s inviolate spaces.