Transcript Monsters of Mythology

Monsters of Mythology
Monsters, in the language of mythology, were beings of unnatural
proportions or parts, usually regarded with terror, as possessing
immense strength and ferocity, which they employed for the injury
and annoyance of men.
The Basilisk
The golden basilisk poisoned everything by his mere look. The evil-eye
basilisk terrorized and killed every creature by his third eye on the top
of a golden head.. The sanguineness basilisk sting made the flesh fall
off the bones of his victim .
The Centaur
Centaurs were said to be the offspring of Ixion, son of Ares, and a cloud.
These creatures had the head, arms, and chest of a man and the lower
half of a horse. In later myths and stories, they sometimes had horns,
wings, or both.
In Greek mythology, these
man-horse beasts lived in
Thessaly, fed on meat and were
given to riotous revelries.
They came to symbolize the
dark, unruly forces of nature.
They were usually depicted as
drunken followers of Dionysus,
except for Cheiron, who was
the tutor to several heroes.
Cerberus
Cerberus is the three headed dog which guards the entrance to the
underworld, or Hades. His role was to prevent the living from
entering the land of the dead. In most depictions of Cerberus, the
dog is portrayed as a fierce individual who was so savage that even
the Gods were afraid of him.
Charybdis
Charybdis , in Greek mythology, was a
female monster. Because she stole
Hercules' cattle, Zeus hurled her into the
sea. There she lay under rocks across
from Scylla and sucked in and spewed out
huge amounts of water, creating a
whirlpool.
Cyclops
The Cyclops were minor power gods of the second generation and
children of Uranus and Gaea, according to Hesiod, or Greek god Poseidon
and the sea nymph Thoosa, according to Greek author Homer.
The Cyclops were huge monsters with frightening features and liked to
eat human beings. They led a debauched life and their works were
always full of force, violence and intrigues.
Graeae
The three daughters of Phorcus and Ceta, sisters of the Gorgons and
other monsters. They were believed to be the personifications of the
white foam on the sea. Born as old women, during their existence they
kept growing older. They only had one eye and one tooth that they
shared between them.
Gryphon
The gryphon is a mythical quadruped with the foreparts of an eagle and
the rear, tail and hindquarters of a lion. Its eagle-like head had pointed,
upstanding ears like those of a mule. Feathers grew upon its head, neck
and chest and the rest of the griffin’s body was covered in leonine fur,
subtly colored in shades of tawny brown.
Some descriptions indicate that the wings of griffins were white and their
necks were variegated in color with blue feathers. The griffin claws were
especially valuable as they were reputed to change color in the presence
of poison, which is why they made useful drinking vessels. At times, it is
portrayed with a long snake-like tail. In some traditions, only the female
has wings. Its nests are made of gold and its eggs resemble agates
Harpy
In earlier versions of Greek myth, Harpies were described as beautiful,
winged maidens. Later they became winged monsters with the face of an
ugly old woman and equipped with crooked, sharp talons. They were
represented carrying off persons to the underworld and inflicting
punishment or tormenting them. Those persons were never seen again.
Hydra
A huge serpent with nine heads (although in some accounts she may
have six, seven, eight or fifty heads). It lived at Lerna, in a pool formed by
the Amymone spring. It is sometimes said that the hydra had the body of
a dog. The Hydra was the daughter of Echidna and Typhon and the halfsister of the Nemean Lion.
Manticore
The manticore is a composite beast, with a blood-colored lion's body, the
face of a man with blue eyes, and a tail resembling the sting of a
scorpion. It can leap great distances and is very active. It eats human
flesh. Its voice is a whistle that sounds like a melody from pipes. Some
say it can shoot spines from its tail.
Mares of Diomedes
The Mares of Diomedes, also called the Mares of Thrace, were four maneating horses inGreek mythology. Magnificent, wild, and uncontrollable,
they belonged to the giant Diomedes (not to be confused with Diomedes,
son of Tydeus), king of Thrace, a son of Ares and Cyrene who lived on the
shores of the Black Sea. Bucephalus, Alexander the Great's horse was said
to be descended from these mares.
Medusa
Medusa was a Gorgon, one of three sisters and daughters of ancient, pretitan gods, Phorcys and Ceto. The gorgon Medusa, unlike her sisters, was
a mortal, but her sisters Sthenno and Euryale were immortal. Born
beautiful, Medusa was seduced by Poseidon, disguised as a horse, in one
of Athena's temples. Athena became incensed and turned Medusa into a
fearsome winged creature
Originally, Medusa was depicted as a horse with wings, then a woman
with equine hindquarters and wings on her hair. At a later date, portraits
of her reveals that her teeth were transformed into the tusks of a wild
boar, her black tongue protruded and became too large for her mouth,
her hands became brazen claws and her wings were changed into
serpents. All three were so hideous (not to be approached and not to be
described according to Hesiod) that the mere shock of seeing them
would turn anyone to stone.
Minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur is a monstrous double, sometimes
with the head of a bull and the body of a man or, conversely, with the
body of a bull and the head of a man. This creature was born of
Pasiphae, Minos' wife, the king of Crete and a white bull sent by
Poseidon who was angry with Minos. Minos was so disgusted and
embarrassed by his wife and the Minotaur that he ordered Daedalus to
hide them. Daedalus built a maze called the Labyrinth where they were
to live and never escape.
Sphinx
The sphinx was a female monster with the body of a lion, the breast and
head of a woman, eagle's wings and, according to some, a serpentheaded tail. She was sent by the gods to plague the town of Thebes as
punishment for some ancient crime. There she preyed on the youths of
the land, devouring all those who failed to solve her riddle.
Kreon, the then regent of Thebes, offered the kingship to any man who
could destroy her. Oedipus accepted the challenge, and when he solved
the Sphinx's riddle, she cast herself off a mountainside in despair and in
accordance with an oracle declaring the terms of her demise.
Stymphalian Birds
Flying creatures with lethal, metallic feathers who infested the Stymphalian
marsh in Arcadia. When Heracles had to confront these man-eaters as one of
his Labors, he was aided by Athena. The goddess gave him a pair of castanets.
With these noisemakers, he caused the birds to take wing. Then he brought
them down by the dozens with arrows from his bow.
The Kraken
Probably no legendary creature was as horrifying as the Kraken, a giant
sea monster. According to stories this huge, many armed, creature
looked like an island when motionless and could reach as high as the top
of a sailing ship's main mast with its arms deployed. When the Kraken
attacked a ship, it wrapped its arms around the hull and capsize it. The
crew would drown or be eaten by the monster
Satyrs
The Satyrs were creatures who looked like men, but had the hooves and
feet as well as the tails of goats. They could be best described as goatmen. Their preferred pastimes were to chase after the wood nymphs and
to play nasty tricks on men.
One of the most famous Satyrs was Pan, a
son of Hermes by Penelope (possibly the
daughter of Dryops) or of Zeus and Hybris.
Also called Hylaeos, or forest god, Pan was
represented as a bearded man with a large
hooked nose, and with the ear, horns and
legs of a goat. His body was covered with
hair and he held a seven reed shepherd's
pipe. His name is the basis for the word
"panic".
He was the god of green fields and the
guardian of the shepherds associated with
the worship of Dionysus, and as a mountain
deity with that of Cybele. He is at home in
any wild place, but his favorite is Arcady,
where he was born. He is always in pursuit
of one of the nymphs, but always rejected
because he is ugly. He was fond of sportive
dances, singing with woodland nymphs and
playing on pipes, the sprinx or Pan pipes,
invented by him according to this story.
Satyrs are always represented at Dionysus’
banquets, the god of wine and ecstasy.
Chimera
From the Greek meaning "she-goat" the Chimera is a fire-breathing
creature that has the body of a goat, the head of a lion and the tail of a
serpent. Some sources have represented the Chimera with three heads
(the lion's head as the main, then the goat's head sprouted from its back,
and the serpent's or Dragon’s head on its tail), but the popular myth tells
of the single, fire-vomiting head. The very unlikely aspect of the chimera
has gradually turned its name into a synonym of a vain dream.
Typhon was the largest and most
grotesque of all creatures that
have ever lived. He was so tall that
he towered over the highest
mountains, and his head often
brushed the stars. He was of
human form down to his thighs,
but he had huge snake coils
instead of legs. When the coils
were drawn out, they reached all
the way to his head and let out a
loud hissing. A hundred dragons’
heads sprung from his shoulders
and his body was covered with
feathers. His body was winged:
scruffy hair streamed on the wind
from his head and cheeks; and fire
flashed from his eyes.
He made sounds of a bull, lion, and
dog, and has even been said to
have made hissing sounds like a
snake.
Typhon