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Dragons play a significant role in Greek mythology. [1] Though the Greek drakōn often differs from the modern Western conception of a dragon, it is both the etymological origin of the modern term and the source of many surviving Indo-European myths and legends about dragons.
Jun 17, 2024 · The Chimera is a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature, composed of parts from multiple animals. Typically depicted with the body and head of a lion, a goat’s head protruding from its back, and a serpent or dragon for a tail, the Chimera is a symbol of hybrid terror and chaos.
Jul 29, 2024 · Dragons are mythical creatures that appear in folklore, legends, and mythology across the world. They are often described as large, serpentine creatures with wings, scales, and the ability to breathe fire.
- A Complete List of Dragons from Ancient Greek Mythology
- I. Dracones Mythical
- II. Dracones Legendary
- II. Cetea Mythical
- IV. Cetea Legendary
- V. Chimaera
- VI. Dracaenae
- Evolutions - Chimera to Saint George's Dragon
- A Selection of Quotes from Classical Literature
The four types of dragon-like creatures known to the Greeks were the Dracones, Cetea, Chimaera and Dracaenae. The first of these occur in both myth and legend--"legend" meaning the ancients believed such creatures inhabited the far corners of the earth in historical times.
The first type of Greek dragon was the Dracon whose name was derived from the Greek words "drakein" and "derkomai" meaning "to see clearly" or "gaze sharply." It was essentially just a giant serpent which was sometimes equipped with rows of sharp teeth, deadly poison or multiple heads. In myth the beast usually guarded a sacred spring, grove or gol...
The ancients believed the remote, unexplored corners of the earth were inhabited by Dracones. These legendary creatures were similar to their mythical counterparts. ETHIOPIAN DRACONES(Drakones Aithiopikoi) Giant serpents which inhabited the land of Aethiopia (that is, sub-Saharan Africa). INDIAN DRACONES(Drakones Indikoi) Dragons found in the hills...
The second type of dragon was the Cetus or "Sea-Monster." The creature usually featured in myths of a sacrificial princess rescued by a hero. CETEA(Ketea) Gigantic, serpentine sea-dragons. ETHIOPIAN CETUS(Ketos Aithiopios) A sea-monster sent by Poseidon to ravage the land of the Aethiopians. The king offered ihis daughter Andromeda to it as a sacri...
The ancients imagined that Cetea or sea-monsters populated the distant oceans of the world. "Cetus" was also the Greek word for "whale," which was regarded as a type of sea-monster. INDIAN CETEA(Ketea Indikoi) Fabulous sea-monsters believed to inhabit the Indian Ocean. SCOLOPENDRA(Skolopendra) A gargantuan sea-monster with hair extending from its n...
The third type of dragon was the Chimera, a fire-breathing monster whose form was a hybrid of lion, serpent and goat. Medieval artists used this creature as the template for the Dragon of Saint George. CHIMERA(Khimaira) A three headed monster, with the foreparts of a lion, the hind-parts of a goat and goat's-head rising from its back, and the tail ...
The fourth type of dragon was the Dracaena or "She-Dragon," a creature with the upper body of a beautiful nymph and the body of a dracon or sea-monster in place of legs. Two of these creatures, Echidna and Ceto, spawned most of the dragons of myth. CAMPE(Kampe) A monstrous she-dragon which guarded the prison-gates of Tartarus. She had the body of a...
The Greek Chimaera was a rather un-dragonlike hybrid of lion, goat and serpent. Like later dragons it was described as breathing fire. Medieval artists used the Greco-Roman image of Bellerophon and the Chimaera as the template for representations of Saint George and the Dragon. The dragon of St George, however, was depicted as an entirely reptilian...
The ancient Greek poet Hesiod in his genealogy of the gods describes how the dragons and monsters of myth were spawned by the immortal Dracaenae Ceto and Echidna. Hesiod, Theogony 270-333 (trans. Evelyn-White) : "Ceto bare to Phorcys the fair-cheeked Graeae, sisters grey from their birth: and both deathless gods and men who walk on earth call them ...
Dragons play a significant role in Greek mythology. Though the Greek drakōn often differs from the modern Western conception of a dragon, it is both the etymological origin of the modern term and the source of many surviving Indo-European myths and legends about dragons.
In Greek mythology the Colchian Dragon was a giant, watchful serpent which guarded the golden fleece in the sacred grove of Ares in Colchis. When Jason and the Argonauts came to fetch the fleece, the beast was either slain by the hero or put to sleep by the witch Medea.
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The Greeks separated dragons into three family groups which included the serpent-like Dracones, the marine-dwelling Cetea and the she-monster-like creatures Dracaena. Dracones Colchian Dragon - never-sleeping dragon which guarded the Golden Fleece in Colchis.
