Welcome to The Bestiary. Here we have a light-hearted and hopefully entertaining exploration of some of the very colourful characters of Greek mythology.
Greek mythology is story upon story upon story. Who dares say “This is the true account, all others are false!” The myths don’t work like that. The myths are mythical, they have truth, mystery and fantasy in equal measure: the three shall never be resolved – and that is how it should be.
This site is merely a taster, ένα μεζέ. Some of the material is sourced from greekmyths-greekmythology.com, an excellent, entertaining, authoritative and comprehensive site on Greek mythology.
I will introduce the site by introducing my favourite couple – Typhon and Echidna. I’m not pretending that they are nice – they are not. In a peculiar way I rather fancy Echidna, but I think sex is out of the question. From the waist up, she is gorgeous, but from the waist down, it’s all snake…
Typhon and Echidna
Typhon and Echidna, known as the “Father and Mother of All Monsters” in Greek mythology, were a terrifying, titanic couple who challenged Zeus for cosmic supremacy. Typhon was a giant, fire-eyed storm monster, while Echidna was a half-woman, half-serpent creature. They sired famous monsters like Cerberus and the Hydra.
Typhon (Typhoeus): The youngest son of Gaia and Tartarus, described as a monstrous storm-giant so large his head brushed the stars. He was sometimes depicted with hundreds of snake heads.
Echidna: Described as a monstrous nymph with the upper body of a beautiful woman but the lower body of a great serpent, she lived in a cave and devoured travelers.
The Power Couple: Typhon and Echidna combined their terrifying forms to threaten the Olympian gods. Following their defeat by Zeus, Typhon was imprisoned under Mount Etna.
Monstrous Offspring: They are credited with spawning a brood of monsters that plagued Greek heroes, including:
- Cerberus: The multi-headed dog guarding the Underworld.
- The Lernaean Hydra: The many-headed serpent killed by Heracles.
- The Chimera: The fire-breathing beast (part lion, goat, and snake).
- Orthrus: The two-headed dog who guarded the Cattle of Geryon.
- Ladon: The dragon guarding the golden apples in the Garden of the Hesperides.
- The Sphinx: The monster that challenged Oedipus.