Mythosaur/Legends

"Mythosaurs weren't that big, were they?" "Maybe not, but they don't know that, do they?"

- Bardan Jusik and Jarkyc

Mythosaurs were a species of animal native to the Outer Rim world of Mandalore. Enormous in size, the mythosaurs dominated their world until the arrival of the Mandalorian Taung, led by the warrior known as Mandalore the First. In a campaign to conquer the world for their own, Mandalore the First and his crusaders slaughtered the gigantic beasts and drove them to extinction. The skull of the mythosaur became the symbol of the Mand'alor—the traditional ruler of all the Mandalorian clans—the planet Mandalore, and of the Mandalorians themselves for generations after.

Biology and appearance
"Ugly as osik."

- Ordo Skirata, upon viewing a mythosaur skeletal replica

Perhaps the most notable feature of the mythosaur was its sheer size, so enormous that accounts estimated the creatures to be on par with the scale of a small city. Four powerful legs supported what was surely an impressive weight, for a being of similar size to that of a city. Some manner of sexual dimorphism was evident between the skulls of male and female mythosaurs, but in general, the skull of a mythosaur featured large, downturned horns that curved inward toward the creature's jaw, slanted eye sockets, and a mouth that contained a number of long teeth. It is noted that they could be a kind of dragon.

Fall of the mythosaur
The mythosaurs were native to a planet in the Outer Rim uninhabited by any sentient species, and thus their great size afforded them dominion over the other creatures who made the world their home. The mythosaurs roamed the planet's surface unopposed until the day when the Taung arrived on the world around the year 7000 BBY. Arriving from the planet of Roon and led by the warrior known as Mandalore the First, the Taung sought to colonize the mythosaur's world as their own. Mandalore the First led a campaign against the giant mythosaurs, his warriors slaughtering the native beasts until they finally drove the creatures to extinction. The Taung then took on the name "Mandalorians" —or Mando'ade in the Mandalorian language of Mando'a, meaning "Children of Mandalore" —and renamed the conquered world Mandalore in honor of their leader.

Legacy
Though extinct, the mythosaur lived on as a legendary figure in Mandalorian mythology. The skull of the mythosaur became a symbol of Mandalore and its people, none more so than the Mand'alor—the traditional ruler of the Mandalorian clans. Mandalorians referred to the ceremonial crown possessed by the ruling Mand'alor as the kyr'bes, or mythosaur skull. The Mandalorian starship company known as MandalMotors used the skull of the mythosaur as the corporation's logo. It was also not uncommon for the symbol of a mythosaur skull to be used as a sigil decorating Mandalorian armor and equipment, or even as a tattoo. The calcified bones of the mythosaur were used to construct Mythosaur axes, a ceremonial but deadly weapon used by the Mandalorian Crusaders.



In the final weeks of the Galactic Republic and the early days of its replacement, the Galactic Empire, an enterprising Mandalorian sought to attract adventure tourists to Mandalore to raise a profit. To accomplish his goal, he constructed a large replica of a giant mythosaur skeleton—although its accuracy to scale was debated—on the outskirts of Mandalore's capital city, Keldabe. The Mandalorian's theme park never opened, however, though he, his brother Hayar, and friend Jarkyc, were able to sell the defunct tourist site to the Imperial garrison that had come to establish a base on Mandalore. The so-called "City of Bone" remained on Mandalore for nearly twenty years, becoming the headquarters of the Imperial slaver, the Suprema, during the Imperial occupation of Mandalore, before being destroyed by Fenn Shysa's Mandalorian Protectors.

Behind the scenes
Mythosaurs first appeared in Star Wars canon in the Marvel Star Wars comic, Star Wars 69: Death in the City of Bone, and numerous sources have featured the mythosaurs and provided information since. However, mythosaurs have never appeared alive in Star Wars, only as skeletons or symbols, primarily as the sigil of the Mandalorian people.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Old Republic
 * Star Wars: The Old Republic: Rise of the Hutt Cartel
 * Imperial Commando: 501st
 * Star Wars 69: Death in the City of Bone
 * Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines
 * Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice
 * Legacy of the Force: Revelation
 * Legacy of the Force: Revelation