Well, I don't want to default on a yeti, so I was thinking of something more along the lines of FF6's Whelk. That'd be copying off the shell too much though, since we already have an ancient nautilus that once occupied the Rainbow Shell. I thus am thinking of a sort of ravenous, almost wolf-like, almost bi-pedal creature that isn't covered in hair, and is muscular with a blue body. He isn't modern in his fighting style however, defaulting on his ancient standing; his use of magic against the party will be a wakeup call to the player. He'll have high HP and take a while to erode away.
Chronopolis will reveal that mythology placed him as a sort of mountain guardian, but not "good" in any way. He was thought to dwell in darkness and in deep chasms in the mountains, only emerging to viciously eat and howl in the north wind.
How's that?
Well, if that is the case, then I would think that the Fenris Wolf does not work all that well: the Wolf has hair, and is not blue, and neither is he of caves: he is enchanined upon in island in Asgard. That said, I think Norse is the only myths with something like this.
Personally, I think that sounds more akin to a troll, so perhaps Geriodurr the Troll King? He lives in caves.
Actually, Loki might even be better. He is enchanied at a cave at the end of the world, with the venom of a snake perpetually dripping on him, in punishment for his slaying of Baldur the Beautiful. The groaning of the earth is his pained cry. Moreover, I've seen several depections of him with a blue body. And yet again, if you wish him more beastlike... Loki is a shapeshifter. He bore Sleipnir in the shape of a mare, was captured by a troll when he flew about as a hawk, and took many other forms, even flies. And the Fenris Wolf is his son. Moreover, Loki is a very ancient god, of giant-kin, and of about the same age as Odin himself (who held him to be a blood-brother, before his treacherous turn.) Thus, for connections, I would council Loki, if anything.
However, on hearing that description, there does not appear to be anything that is close enough in myth. Anything such as Fenris or Loki are just faint connections and, in my opinion, not near enough to warrant using the name. It would be odd to anyone that actually knew the things. I'd council then making up a good name, and giving it a meaning in context of some greater Zeal history or language, connecting it to other meanings, and giving it mythical identification. The standards of good fantasy writing, basically.
I'm toying with the idea of a real, Chrono mythology, with some made up names and some historical/real myth names. To have structure, we'd need to dictate figures that need to be in the mythos. Firstly, these groups would get their own sets:
Iokans (perhaps fire, earth)
Larubans (sky oriented, due to possible Zeal ancestorship)
Now THIS sort of thing is nearest to me - it fires my heart even to hear it mentioned. Varied myths and legends, the feigning of such things for imagined people, and the devising of histories... they're the things my hand is good at, at least when my mind is thinking in such ways (of late I've been out of those moods due to school-work, and exhaustion is never good for the old imagination.)
If you need any help writing this sort of thing, and penning things down in a more legendary style, I might be able to aid you. At the moment I've lost my creative edge, and so quite to my dismay I cannot bring forth that certain legendary style I love, but with rest and time I think it will return.
Lavos and the approaching Ice Age would alter the mythologies. The Iokans, in Crimson Echoes, head underground, while the Larubans manage to subsist on a warm plot of land, under which the Flame is buried leagues down in a cavern (which will be discovered in 3000000 b.C.). The party must visit the Larubans in a sidequest.
Remember that mythology, technically speaking, tells of the relation betwixt the divinities and nature, thus tales such as the Enuma Elish, Genesis, Theogony, and those sorts of things. Many of the other tales are more legendary in nature.
The Iokans would societally become the Earthbound, while the Larubans would become Zealians. The Flame would radically alter mythology, somewhat, but it'd be more in a force rather than the flame itself, as the Flame is supposed to be Zeal's ultimate secret (deals with CE plot too). So, three more groups:
Pre-Flight/Sun Stone Civilization
Earthbound
Zealians
PF/SSC are shown in Crimson Echoes in the five ruins of 11998 B.C. After Zeal falls, we have a new race of people, the combined Earthbound/Zeal survivors. These eventually scatter once the land warms, and form basic tribes. These tribes will be represented:
Guardia
Dorino
Choras
Porre
The others die out, so they may be of little regard. Guardia, Dorino, and Choras need to share a common root in a holy mother of some kind, shown in Manoria Cathedral. I say this because Dorino is also known as San Dorino, making it seem like a very holy city (it has a nun), and Choras is a strong ally of Guardia (based on the theory that the Northern Ruins was a seat of government at one time). Additionally, Choras after 600 A.D. has the legends of Cyrus and Glenn (said by many in Chrono Trigger, and considered the nation's guardians). Lastly, Guardia would also have some concept of the Frozen Flame, since they'll beat everyone else with it and unite the other tribes. Porre can expand on the Antaeus motif.
~
Keep in mind that these will pop in dialogue, but the lengthy explanations will be kept in the Chrono Compendium in Chronopolis. The objective here is to make something relatively simple and fitting to each era and civilization.
As I said, if you need help, I may be able to aid you, if I'm feeling up to it. If nothing else, I could - I think, at least - make it sound stylistically so. I've come to find that myth and legend has nothing to do with using the old pronouns thee and thou and all that sort of thing - which seems most people do - but is more apparent in a very formal style and syntax. It's fine line difficult to describe which, as I've said, I'm unable to accomplish at the moment, but will probably return to me in a few weeks time. I've done it before, after all, and I wager - though it's only a guess - that I've done more of this sort of thing than most here, and have written in legendary style even regarding Zeal - it's my most dear style, after all. For those that know a little of my writing (are there any?) you might know that I have quite the serious streak in it, and falter in doing anything comedic. That may lead to melancholy story-telling, but is also good for the mode of myth and legend.
As an example, these are the things I had written regarding the legendary founding of Zeal:
http://www.geocities.com/twilight_of_fate/ZealHistory.htmAnd of the children of Zeal:
http://www.geocities.com/twilight_of_fate/ZealDescendants.htmAs far as experience writing mythically/legendarially goes, I also wrote a short Norse myth, and am keeping alive a certain legendary style in my later writing that I am now working on, completing it with a full history, feigned and legendary.
So, like I said, if you have any questions about writing myths and legends, I'll help if I can. It'll be dependant on time constraints, and what mood I'm in - I'm quite the uncertain writer, after all, and sometimes I just lost my style for a while, especially when I'm tired. If figure you'll still wish to write these things yourself, but I might be able to give suggestions, if you happen to need them.
