Greek Monsters

1. Greek Monsters By Owen Molind

2. Polyphemus • He was a shepherd and was a son of Poseidon. • He is famous for imprisoning Odysseus and his men in his cave home. Odysseus gave him some brandy and when he was drunk and fell asleep they stabbed Polyphemus in the eye with a large spear blinding him and escaping.

3. Cerberus • Three headed dog with serpent or spiked tail. • Used by Hades to guard the entrance to the Underworld. • One of Hercules’ twelve labors was to kidnap this beast. • Offspring of Typhon and Echidna.

4. Medusa • Was once a beautiful, but offended Athena who changed her hair in to snakes and made her face so ugly that one look at her and you would turn to stone. • Was one or the three gorgons • When she was with child Hero Perseus killed her and he gave her head to Athena. Chrysaor and Pegasus. • Her had still had its petrifying power even after she died.

5. Hydra • It was a massive water serpent with nine heads. • Each time one head was cut off two more grew back. • Offspring of Typhon and Echidna. • One of the labors of Hercules was to kill it. He did it by cutting off its heads and then burning the neck.

6. Minotaur • A man-eating monster that was half man and half bull. • It was kept hidden in the labyrinth built by Daedulus by King Minos of Crete. • Hero Theseus killed it

7. Hecatoncheires • They had one hundred hands and some stories say they had fifty heads but others say they had one head and that one head showed only fifty emotions. • They were brothers to the Cyclopes and Titans and were offspring of Uranus and Gaia. • They were imprisoned by Cronus with the Cyclops but when Zeus came to power he released them. • They helped defeat Cronus.

8. Chimera • Monster with the head of a lion, body of a goat, and a serpent for a tail. • Bellerophon killed it. • Offspring of Typhon and Echidna.

9. Sirens • Monsters with the heads of women and the bodies of birds • They would lure sailors with their sweet singing and when the sailors got close they would attack them and eat them. • Odysseus and his men went by this island. He put wax in his men’s ears but not in his own. He asked his men to tie him to the mast so he could listen to the Sirens song and so being the only person to do that and live.

10. Geryon • Monster with three heads in some legends and three bodies and one head in others. • One of Hercules twelve tasks was to capture the oxen of this monster. He was able to kill Geryon and his two headed dog Orthros brother of Cerberus and bring back the cattle of Geryon.

11. Harpies • Monsters with the head of women and the bodies of birds. • They caught mortals and brought them to the Underworld. • It is said that they leave a disgusting smell when they leave somewhere.

12. Sphinx • Monster with the body of a lion, the wings of a bird, and the head of a woman. • It sat at the entrance of Thebes and asked a riddle to all who wanted to pass through the town. • Whoever solved the riddle could pass but those who didn’t were killed. • The riddle was what has four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, and three feet at night. The answer is a man. Oedipus was the only one to solve the riddle.

13. Calydonian Boar • Very large boar with tusks the size of an elephant’s and bristles as sharp as steel. • It was sent by Artemis when the town of Calydonia forget to sacrifice an offering to her. • It was killed by Atalanta and Meleager.