Greek Mythology: Beasts

Myths of the DayII

MEDUSA

Medusa

» Famously known as the woman with snakes for hair

» She was originally a beautiful, golden-haired maiden.

» Medusa was a priestess of Athena, and dedicated to a celibate life

» Poseidon desired her, and there are two stories…

» 1. After being rejected, raped her in the Temple of Athena

» 2. She fell in love with him

» Either way, Athena was horrified, and decided to punish Medusa harshly

Her Offense

She was cursed…

» Each wavy golden lock turned into a venomous snake

» Her gentle, love-inspiring eyes now became blood-shot, furious orbs

» Her milk-white skin turned a loathsome greenish tinge

Her End…

» Repulsed with herself, she left her home, never to return

» In her despair she fled to Africa, which is why some native cultures there worship snakes

» A hero named Perseus eventually beheads her

The Minotaur

It begins with Minos…

» In Crete there were three princes, struggling to ascend to the throne.

» Minos prayed to Poseidon to send him a snow-white bull, as a sign of approval of the gods for his reign

A gift from the gods

» He promised to sacrifice the bull, as a sign he was a servant to the gods.

» A beautiful white bull rose from the sea, but when Minos saw it, he wanted to keep it for himself.

Poseidon’s Revenge

» He assumed Poseidon would not mind, so he kept it.

» Poseidon did mind. He got his revenge by causing Minos’ wife to fall in love with the white bull.

Freaky Deaky Offspring

» She tricked the bull into making love to her using an invention from Deadalus, an inventor. Their child was a monster called a Minotaur.

» The creature had the head and tail of a bull, but the body of a man.

The Labyrinth

» The monster caused so much destruction on Crete that Deadalus was called again.

» The architect built a huge, intricate labyrinth, and the Minotaur was locked inside.

The End

» Every year for nine years, seven youths and maidens came as tribute from Athens.

» Eventually, he was beaten to death by Greek hero Theseus.

The Sirens

Sirens

» Half-woman, half-bird-like creatures

» Sang such sweet songs that listeners forgot everything and died of hunger

» They use their voices to lure ships to the shallows, where they crash

» Song of the Sirens is irresistible to men

Pegasus

Pegasus

» Winged horse» The result of the mating

of Medusa and Poseidon» It was born from Medusa

when her head was cut off by Perseus.

» He was tamed by Bellerophon, for awhile. He ended up on Mt. Olympus, carrying Zeus’ lightning bolts

Cerberus

Cerberus

» Three-headed dog with a dragon tail

» Guards the entrance to the Underworld, allowing the dead to enter but never leave

» Once he got away, and Hercules had to fetch him

Cyclops

Cyclops

» Gigantic one-eyed monsters

» Generally thought of as the Sons of Uranus and Gaea

» Led a lawless life, with no social manners or fear of the gods

» Worked for Hephaestus

Centaur

Centaur

» Half-man, half-horse» Most are wild and savage,

known for lustfulness and drunkenness

» The most famous is Chiron, who was wise and known for his goodness

» Chiron trained Achilles

Charybdis

» Daughter of Poseidon and Gaia

» She flooded land to enlarge her father’s kingdom. Zeus was angry, and turned her into a monster

» She is a giant whirlpool, who swallows huge amounts of water three times a day, and then belches it back out

Scylla

» Formerly a beautiful maiden» Glacus was deeply in love

with Scylla. He went to the witch Circe and asked for a potion that would warm her heart.

» Circe fell in love with him instead, but he still only wanted Scylla. Circe was jealous, so she turned Scylla into a monster

» She has 6 arms, 6 heads with 4 eyes each, the lower part of her body is siz hideous dogs with a mouth containing rows of teeth

» Hidden in a cave in a cliff