Mythological rodents

1st sign of Chinese zodiac

thumb|upright=1.25|Illustration from an 1878 German edition of the Batrachomyomachia.

thumb|right|A 17th century Icelandic manuscript depicting Ratatoskr. Although unexplained in the manuscript and not otherwise attested, in this image Ratatoskr bears a horn or tusk. In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr (Old Norse, generally considered to mean "drill-tooth" or "bore-tooth") is a squirrel who runs up and down the world tree Yggdrasil to carry messages between the eagles perched atop it and the dragon Níðhöggr who dwells beneath one of the three roots of the tree. Ratatoskr is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda,

The Afanc (, sometimes also called Addanc, ) is a lake monster from Welsh mythology. Its exact description varies, being described as resembling a crocodile, beaver or dwarf-like creature, or a platypus and is sometimes said to be a demon. The lake in which it dwells is also uncertain and it is variously said to live in Llyn Llion, Llyn Barfog, near Brynberian Bridge or in Llyn yr Afanc, a lake near Betws-y-coed that was named after the creature.

thumb|upright=0.8|"Tesso" (鉄鼠) from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by [[Toriyama Sekien. The text on the top left reads, "it is the place known to the world where Raigō's spirit turned into a rat" (頼豪の灵（霊）鼠と化(かす)と世尓(に)志(し)る所也)]] thumb|upright=0.8|"Mii-dera Raigō Ajari Akunen Nezumi to Henzuru Zu" from the Shinkei Sanjūrokkai Sen by [[Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. It faithfully depicts the writings in the Genpei Jōsuiki.。]] thumb|upright=1.25|"Raigō Ajari Kaisoden" (頼豪阿闍梨恠鼠伝) by Takizawa Bakin and illustrated by [[Katsushika Hokusai. The big rat that appears in front of Nekoma Michizane is written in the text to

thumb|right|160px|Fire rat depicted in Japanese woodblock print. The huoshu or huo shu (), meaning fire rat or fire mouse, is a fantastical beast in Chinese tradition.