The Greeks were endlessly fond of fabricating hybrids. They represented the uncivilized forces in nature that opposed mankind. Griffins had a lion's body attached to the head, wings, and claws of an eagle harpies had female torsos melded with vulture parts satyrs were often the companions of dionysos.
The Greeks were endlessly fond of fabricating hybrids. They represented the uncivilized forces in nature that opposed mankind. Griffins had a lion's body attached to the head, wings, and claws of an eagle harpies had female torsos melded with vulture parts satyrs were often the companions of dionysos.
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The Greeks were endlessly fond of fabricating hybrids. They represented the uncivilized forces in nature that opposed mankind. Griffins had a lion's body attached to the head, wings, and claws of an eagle harpies had female torsos melded with vulture parts satyrs were often the companions of dionysos.
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
A hybrid is a composite of or two or more species of
animal and/or human. Strange as they may appear, the Greeks were endlessly fond of fabricating these creatures - one will recognize hybrids in the earliest myths and legends, not to mention inhabiting numerous works of art. For the Greeks especially, these beings of the imagination must have had great significance, in that they represented the uncivilized forces in nature that opposed mankind.
centaur | in Greek mythology and art, the centaur has
the torso of a human combined with the body of a horse
cockatrice | this creature was also known as a basilisk
("king of serpents"), and its very glance could kill; the cockatrice was composed of a dragon's tail and assorted poultry parts
giants (gigantes) | these fierce and frightening beings
were the offspring of Gaia (the Earth)
griffin | according to myth, the griffin was a creature
with a lion's body attached to the head, wings, and claws of an eagle
harpy | harpies had female torsos melded with vulture
parts; the name harpy is derived from the Greek word that means "snatcher"
satyr (faun) | satyrs were often the companions of
Dionysos, and these creatures were depicted in myth and art with the legs of goats and bestial natures
sirens | women with bird-like bodies; sirens were
legendary for luring sailors by singing their enchanted songs
Related Information - Mythical Monsters
Greek Monsters
Argus | a creature with many eyes; Argus played a
prominent role in one of the myths of the goddess Hera
Cerberus | Cerberus was the guardian of the
Underworld; in myth, he was portrayed as a dog with three heads Charybdis | in Greek mythology, Charybdis was a deadly whirlpool personified as a female monster
Chimera | with a body that was one third lion, one third she-goat, and one third serpent, this creature was definitely one frightening beast
Cyclops | giant with a single eye in its forehead; the
plural form of this word is Cyclopes
Echidna | this monster was half beautiful woman and
half deadly serpent; she was the mother of many mythical monsters
Geryon | the monster known as Geryon had three
heads and three bodies; he was defeated by the hero Herakles
Gorgons | this trio of terrifying females consists of the
sisters Euryale, Medusa, and Stheno
Graiae | these "old women" were the sisters of the
Gorgons
Hydra | the Hydra had a water-serpent body topped by
numerous heads
Ladon | dragon who guarded the area where the apples
of the Hesperides were hidden
Lamia | she was a frightening bogey-woman in Greek
mythology
More Monsters (Medusa - Typhon)
Greek Monsters
Medusa | one of the Gorgons; Medusa is traditionally
depicted as a dangerous snake haired woman
Minotaur | a deadly denizen of the labyrinth; the
Minotaur was a man with the head of a bull
Pegasus | Pegasus was an immortal winged horse who
played an exciting role in Greek myth
Phoenix | the story of the death and rebirth of the
mythical creature known as the Phoenix has intrigued audiences for centuries Python | an enormous serpent; she was killed by the god Apollo
Scylla | malevolent monster with six heads and twelve
feet; in myth, she is often paired with the creature Charybdis
Sphinx | in Greek mythology, the Sphinx is a female
monster with the head of a woman and the body of a lion
Typhon | this creature with one hundred heads was the