Greek Mythological Monsters BY sbsp825 Imagine a superhero, such as Spiderman.
Everyday, Spiderman has a different foe he fghts against. In Greek mythology, this process works the same way. The gods and goddesses of Greek mythology had many foes, usually being monsters. The monsters in Greek mythology were known to destroy people, damage different cities, or cause all kinds of havoc. The Gorgons, Lamia, and Hydra, are few of many monsters that were menaces to society.
The Gorgons were possibly the most well-known of the Greek monsters. OriginallyStheno, Euryale, and Medusa, the daughters of ancient sea god, Phorcys, and Ceto, were known as the most beautiful of the Olympian gods. When Zeus took control of Mount Olympus, he stripped them of their powers. Athena (Zeus' daughter), the goddess of wisdom, took Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa as her attendants and priestesses. Under her law, the sisters pledged to remain virgins to honor her. Poseidon, the sea-god, Just like many other suitors, found the beauty of all three sisters mesmerizing.
According to the Roman poet, Ovid, "Medusa was violated inAthena's shrine by the Lord of the Sea, Poseidon, Zeus' daughter turned away and covered, with her shield, her virgin's eyes. " After Poseidon seduced Medusa, he went on to seduce Stheno and Euryale also. As a result, Athena showed no mercy and cursed the sisters by stripping them of their renowned beauty and transformed them into repulsive monsters. The sisters became fearsome winged creatures with hair made of snakes and a face so hideous that it turned anyone who looked upon it to stone. The Gorgons had black tongues too big for their mouths, wild boar teeth, razen claws, and wings and hair of serpents.Ashamed of their grotesque appearance, the Gorgons fled to live on the Isle of the Dead, which lies across the River Styx, at the edge of the Underworld.
Later, Perseus (son of Zeus and Danae) was given the task to cut off the head of Medusa, the only mortal Gorgon, to save his mother. Perseus succeeded in his task, and although Stheno and Euryale tried to catch him, he escaped. Following the death of Medusa, word about the remaining Gorgons was scarce. A few generations later, Hercules completely destroyed the Gorgons during his tenth labor. Lamia was a beautiful nymph who Zeus came to love.Zeus (the god of thunder and lighting), is known as the Casanova of Greek gods.
In every one of his affairs, his wife and sister, Hera, punished his mistresses to include Lamia. Zeus often visited Lamia and seduced her. Everytime Lamia gave birth toa child, and Hera, in a Jealous rage, forced Lamia to eat her own children. Hera cursed Lamia with the inability to close her eyes and sleep, but Zeus granted Lamia the power to remove her eyes at will. As a result, Lamia became insane and developed a taste for children.
Lamia envied other mothers with their children, so she would go out, take babies, and devour them.Lamia gradually transformed into a monster that closely possessed the upper torso of a beautiful woman and the lower half of a serpent. Lamia was also known to entice men in order to suck their blood. Poet, John Keats gives his vermillion-spotted, golden, green, and blue; striped like a zebra, freckled like a pard, eyed like a peacock, and all crimson barr'd; And full of silver moons, that as she breathed, dissolVd, or brighter shone, or interwreathed their lustres with the loomier tapestries-so rainbow-sided, touch'd with miseries, she seem'd, at once, some penanced lady elf, some demon's mistress, or the demon's self.Upon her crest she wore a wannish fire sprinkled with stars, like Ariadne's tiar: her head was serpent, but ah, bitter sweet! She had a woman's mouth with all its pearls complete: And for her eyes: what could such eyes do there but weep, and weep, that they were born so fair? Lamia, today, is known as the originator of vampires. Hydra, a water serpent, was born to the most fearful monsters in all of Greek mythology, Typhon and Echidna.
Mythology tells the story of a terrible battle between Typhon and the gods.Typhon picked up Mount Aetna to throw at the gods, but Zeus struck down the mountain which fell on top of Typhon trapping him underneath for all of eternity. Echidna fled in hope to protect her children. Zeus decided to let her children live as a challenge for future heroes.
Echidna then became regarded as the mother of all the major Greek mythological monsters. Hydra was a deadly creature which had the body of a serpent and nine heads, one of which was immortal. Even Hydra's breath was venomous and could kill any mortal within a few feet.Hydra lived in the swamp area known as Lake Lerna where she terrorized the people in Lerna, Argolis and ate their sheep and cattle. Hercules, the famous Greek hero and the son of Zeus, defeated Hydra as one of his twelve labors. During the epic fight with Hydra, every time Hercules cut off one head two grew back in its place.
Working together with Iolaus, his nephew, Hercules cut Offa head while Iolaus burned the ends to keep the heads from growing back. All but one head, which was immortal, was torched. Instead of battling this head, Hercules buried the head deep underground and put ocks on top to keep the head from emerging.This ended the life of Hydra.
In conclusion, the Gorgons, Lamia, and Hydra, caused much chaos in Greek mythology. The Greek myths always dealt with human situations. Early myth tellers used human challenges, such as fghting monsters, to see how man reacted to problems of living. This explains why Zeus spared Echidna and her children (early generation of Greek monsters).
Without monsters in Greek mythology to cause destruction, heroes would not have a purpose in the myths. The Greek monsters complete all myths and keep the stories entertaining while explaining and teaching.
