Chimera (mythology)

The Chimera (Greek Χίμαιρα, Chimaira, " The Goat ") is a hybrid creature of Greek mythology. On this basis, the term chimera was later extended to all hybrids.

Myth

The Chimaera was a daughter of Echidna and Typhon monster, her siblings were the Hydra, Kerberos, the Sphinx and Orthos. She lived in the village of Chimaira in Lycia, where they threatened humans and animals.

Homer describes in the Iliad as a fire hybrid creature with three heads: of a lion, in the neck of a goat, and tail as it has the head of a snake or a dragon. King Iobates gave Bellerophon, grandson of Sisyphus, the order to kill the Chimera. To this end, Poseidon him put his hand a hybrid creatures, the winged horse Pegasus, available: Off the air he could see the chimera with the help of a lead lump succumbed to the tip of his spear.

King Iobates wore on Bellerophon supposedly more deadly missions, which Bellerophon, however, all mastered, whereupon King Iobates gave him his daughter in marriage and half his kingdom zusprach.

Relation to reality

In Chimaira occurred since at least 2500 years as a rare natural phenomenon burning gas flames from the stony ground.