The Brilliant Conversationalist and Story Teller Reaper
I don't know if he (or maybe she?) qualifies as a creature, so my entry may be disqualified, but that's okay. My favorite mythological being is the Grim Reaper (Let's call him G.R for short). Frankly, G.R gets a bad rap. I think the heavy metal album covers, black light posters, and tattoos featuring G.R don't represent him fairly. I believe the misrepresentation comes from the unsupported supposition that G.R has some part in the person's demise. This isn't the case. G.R is an escort for the dead, nothing more, nothing less. Think of him as a UPS delivery guy who has very exclusive delivery destinations and doesn't have to wear those stupid brown shorts.
Many images of G.R portray him as one who relishes death. I kind of doubt he does because unlike a Door Dash driver, he doesn't get tips and has ZERO time off. There's no extra incentive involved and G.R won't be able to rest until the last soul on Earth is reaped. I think G.R does the job to the best of his ability without expectation. There are no judgements, no bonuses, or quotas. G.R comes for all with the same dedication to his task. He doesn't care if you're young, old, rich, poor, Christian, Atheist, or anything else. I would argue that G.R is probably the most unprejudiced entity in the universe. I take comfort in the fact that even the likes of Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos have the same end as everyone else. Just like the poorest of the poor, the hearts of these rich motherfuckers will stop, their brains will shut down, and their bowels and bladder will evacuate themselves. So, rich or poor, we all meet our ends in our own shit and piss. I'm guessing this probably makes the lack of a nose a blessing for the Grim Reaper.
As the reaper of souls, I'm sure G.R gets a lot of heat when his job involves children. Nothing is really mentioned in folklore, but I can see how maybe an ancestor of the departed is assigned to go with G.R to reap and then deliver the tiny soul. I can also see how honorably fallen soldiers may receive an honor guard escort to provide companionship as G.R takes them to where good soldiers go when their fighting is done.
One thing that isn't talked a lot about in G.R's folklore is how he interacts with the soul he is reaping. Has anyone ever considered how many stories G.R can tell? He has escorted all of humanity to the Great Beyond. I'm sure he got tired of the likes of Columbus, Andrew Jackson, Hitler, and Mussolini sniveling like the impotent cowards they were as they grew closer to their unseasonably hot destination. I bet he sang an acapella version of, "Another One Bites the Dust" with Freddie Mercury. He probably traded jokes with George Carlin, Sam Kinison, and Bob Hope. I bet he, Bon Scott, John Bonham, Janice Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Malcom Young, Mama Cass, Randy Rhodes, and Lemmy stopped for a beer on the way to rock and roll heaven. G.R probably discussed literature with Shakespeare, Twain, and Steinbeck. Instead of the Grim Reaper, I bet it's more accurate to call him the, Brilliant Conversationalist and Story Teller Reaper. I'd be grim too if everyone thought I was evil when I'm just doing my job. I bet he could keep me on the edge of my seat for hours just describing the cluster fuck that was the bubonic plague and how the only time he was ever tempted to do violence is when Native Americans, Jews, and other peoples were killed by the millions during our all too frequent dark periods of genocide. G.R may deliver without judgement, but that doesn't mean he doesn't recognize the stupidity of blind hate, arrogance, ignorance, and greed when he sees it.
Unless you're Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, death is inevitable. No one escapes it. Frankly, living forever would be boring anyway if you think about it. Humanity is supposed to have a fairly short shelf-life. It makes us appreciate the wonders of the universe and our small place in it. If he's out there, I am glad the Grim Reaper is on the job.