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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