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Dave's Mythical Creatures and Places |
Chimera
| Description | Monster
with three heads- a goat, a lion, and a dragon (or serpent) for a tail.
The Chimera supposedly breathed fire. In Greek
mythology, it was a female monster killed by Bellerophon (with the help of
Pegasus.)
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| Symbolizes | Yanar
mountain in Lycia (now Turkey) supposedly used to vent flammable gas from
a crevice; in addition, lions lived at the top of the mountain, goats were
pastured on the middle, and there were snakes at the bottom.
The symbol of Bellerophon and the Chimera represents the triumph of good over evil, and may have provided the foundation for the popular medieval story of St. George slaying the dragon. "Chimera" is still used as a general term for a monster made up of combined animals. In genetics, it is a term used when different tissues are grafted together. In ichthyology, "Chimaerids" are ghost sharks and elephant fish.
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| Additional Information | King
Iobates of Lycia had been looking for someone to slay the Chimera, when
Bellerephon arrived in the kingdom. He brought letters from Proetus
recommending him as a hero, but also secretly requesting that he be put to
death. Iobates sent Bellerophon to slay the Chimera, which he did,
with the help of Pegasus. Bellerophon and
Pegasus had many other adventures, until Jupiter sent a gadfly to sting
Pegasus, which threw Bellerophon, causing him to become blind and
lame, and eventually die.
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