Mythological Creatures
A many-eyed monster who was sent by Hera to watch Io after Zeus,to conceal his relations with her,had changed her into a heifer.Zeus had Hermes kill Argus,and Hera then turned him into a peacock.Argus is also known for killing Echidna.
Centaurs have the upper part of a human being and the lower part of a horse.They were born of Ixion,king of Lapithae,and a cloud.They were lustful,bibulous,and aggressive.The Centaurs were eventually driven out by the Lapithae.
The three-headed dog that gaurded the entrance to Hades.Its parents are Typhon and Echidna.Cerberus has a serpent's tail and a mane of serpents.The Greeks buried a corpse with a cake of honey wherewith the spirit could mollify Cerberus hence "A sop to Cerberus".
Charon was the old,bad-tempered ferryman who ferried the spirits of the dead across the river Styx and into the underworld.There was a small charge for the service and the Greeks used to put a coin in the mouth of the dead to pay Charon his fare.If the dead didn't have a coin to pay,they were doomed to wander the shore for 100 years.
A fire-breathing monster whose body consisted of a lion in front,a goat in the middle,and a serpent behind.It's parents are Echidna and Typhon.It was killed by Bellerophon.
A monster and a proloific breeder of monsters.Hhalf-woman,half-serpent,her parents are Chrysaor and Callirrhoe.By Typhon she bore the Chimera,Cerberus,and the Hydra.She bore Geryon's hound,the two-headed dog Orthros,and by Orthros she bore the Sphinx and the Nemean Lion.An end was put to this foul fecundity by Argus,who killed her while she slept.
Three winged creatures,daughters of Thaumas and Electra,and sisters of Iris.They were represented as birds with women's faces.They snatched food away from their victims,ate some,and befouled the rest.
The horse upon which Neptune is frequently depicted as riding.It has the forelegs of a horse,but its posterior end is that of a fish or dragon.
Sileni are old Satyrs.They are fat and too lazy to walk.They ride about on asses,but they often fall off,since they are fond of drinking wine.
Half-woman,half-bird,they lived on an island near Scylla and Charybdis and by their melodious song lured men to their deaths.The Sirens names are Parthenope,Leucosia,and Ligeia.The Sirens were doomed to die when mortals could listen to them and yet resist them,and after two defeats,by Jason and Odysses,they leaped into the sea and were changed into rocks.
Typhon is a son of Tartarus and Gaea.He is the father of Chimera,Cerberus and Hydra.Typhon is a huge monster with wings on his shoulders and two serpents for legs.He fought with Zeus and was defeated by him.Zeus buried him under Mt. Aetna.Whenever he struggles to free himself the volcano erupts.
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