Are you one of those people who loves Greek mythology legends? We bring you some creatures known for their strange characteristics. The creatures of Greek mythology have been the subject of popular culture for thousands of years.
These mythical monsters are some of the strangest and most terrifying creations in history, from glorified animals to humanoid mythical creatures. Are you ready to take a look at these 23 most legendary creatures from Greek mythology?
23 Creatures from Greek Mythology
There are different mythical creatures that are mentioned in the myths of ancient Greece. Each one has its own purpose within these Greek myths and stories. They are presented with their supernatural attributes, abilities, and powers. Mostly, these mythical creatures are interrelated with the gods and were often sent by the gods to perform various and specific tasks, such as protecting someone or something, or perhaps the opposite, to terrify.
1. Python
Usually depicted as a snake, Python presided over the Oracle of Delphi. Unfortunately, the Olympian god Apollo ended up killing him in revenge and taking the Oracle for himself.
2. Orthrus
Orthrus was a two-headed dog charged with guarding a huge herd of red cattle. He was killed by Heracles, who took all the cattle as proof of his victory. Some accounts also claim that Orthrus was the father of several other monsters, including the Sphinx and the Chimera.
3. Scylla
Scylla was a monster that lived on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite her counterpart Charybdis. The two sides of the strait were within arrow range of each other, so close that sailors trying to avoid Charybdis passed too close to Scylla with disastrous results.
4. Typhon
Considered the personification of volcanic forces, Typhon was also considered the most deadly monster in Greek mythology. His upper half was human and supposedly reached as high as the stars, and his hands reached east and west. Instead of a human head, a hundred dragon heads sprouted from his neck and shoulders.
5. Ophiotaurus
Ophiotaurus was a creature part bull and part snake. It was said that its entrails gave the power to defeat the gods to whoever burned them. Because of this, a supporter of the Titans killed the beast, but Zeus sent an eagle to retrieve the entrails before they were sacrificed, and Olympus was ruined.
6. Lamia
It was said that Lamia was a beautiful queen of Libya who became a child-eating demon. In the myth, she is a lover of the god Zeus, which causes Zeus’ jealous wife, Hera, to kill all of Lamia’s children (except for Scylla, who is in turn cursed) and transform her into a monster that hunts and devours the children of others.
7. The Graeae
The Greas were three sisters who shared one eye and one tooth between them. Not surprisingly, they were not known for their beauty. To make matters worse, their charming names were Deino (death), Enyo (horror), and Pemphredo (alarm).
8 Echidna
Half woman, half snake, Echidna was known as the “Mother of All Monsters,” as many of the monsters in Greek mythology were considered her offspring. She is also known for her romantic relationship with Typhon. It is said that she could produce a poison that would cause madness.
9. Nemean Lion
The Nemean lion was a vicious monster from Greek mythology that lived in Nemea. It was eventually killed by Heracles. It could not be killed with mortal weapons because its golden skin was impervious to attack, so Heracles ended up strangling it with his bare hands. The only way Heracles was able to skin the beast was by using its own claws.
10. Sphinx
With the legs of a lion, the wings of a large bird, and the head of a woman, the Greek version of this creature called the Sphinx is considered treacherous and ruthless. Those who could not answer its riddle suffered a typical fate in such mythological stories, as they were killed and devoured by this voracious monster.
11. Erinyes
Literally translated from Greek as “avengers,” the Erinyes were known as the female deities of vengeance. They were known for punishing anyone who had made a false oath, committed an act of evil, or spoken against one of the gods.
12. Charybdis
Daughter of Poseidon and Gaia, Charybdis was a huge bladders of a creature, whose face was all mouth and whose arms and legs were fins. She swallowed large amounts of water three times a day before belching it back out, creating huge whirlpools capable of sinking large ships. She is often depicted on the opposite side of the narrow channel from Scylla.
13. Harpies
The Harpies were creatures with the body of a bird and the face of a woman. They stole food from their victims and carried wrongdoers to the Erinyes. Their name literally means “she who snatches.” Zeus often used them as a means of punishment or torture.
14. Satyr
Satyrs are often depicted with goat-like features, such as hindquarters and horns. They are often shown playing the flute, holding wine cups, and serving the god Dionysus. They personify the essence of living a carefree life while making music and drinking to their heart’s content.
15. Sirens
In Greek mythology, sirens (Greek singular: Σειρήν Seirēn; Greek plural: Σειρῆνες Seirēnes) were dangerous creatures who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices, causing them to crash on the rocky coast of their island.
Roman poets placed them on small islands called Sirenum scopuli. In some later rationalized traditions, the literal geography of the “flowery” island of Anthemoessa, or Anthemusa, is fixed: sometimes at Cape Pelorum and sometimes at the islands known as Sirenuse, near Paestum, or at Capreae. All these places were surrounded by cliffs and rocks.
16. Griffin
Greek mythology included stories of gods, warriors, and mythical creatures. The tales guided and inspired the Greek people, and the figures took on symbolic meaning through the media and over time. But the myths about griffins were brought to Greece by merchants returning from the Silk Road in Asia.
Griffins were creatures depicted with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion. They were often shown with wings, but not always, and had pointed ears and front claws. They were believed to be greedy creatures that hoarded and guarded gold like dragons. By combining the eagle and the lion, the two animals that the ancient Greeks saw as the kings of their realms, the griffin took on the power and majesty of its halves.
17. Chimera
The Chimera was a monstrous female creature from Lycia in Asia Minor that breathed fire and was composed of the parts of three animals: a lion, a snake, and a goat. The term chimera has come to describe any mythical or fictional animal with parts taken from various animals, or to describe concepts perceived as wildly imaginative or implausible.
18. Cyclops
Cyclops, a member of a primordial race of giants, each with a single eye in the middle of their forehead, these creatures were said to be quite anarchic and fearless of the gods, but were the workers of Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and fire.
19. Hydra
The Hydra was an ancient serpent-like water beast with reptilian features that possessed many heads, and for every head cut off, two more grew back. It also had poisonous breath and blood so toxic that even its footprints were deadly.
20. Gorgons
Perhaps the most popular Gorgon in Greek mythology is Medusa, the only mortal among three sisters who had snakes for hair and whose gaze turned anyone who looked at her to stone. She was beheaded by Perseus, who was armed with a mirror and a scythe.
21. Minotaur
The Minotaur was a mythical humanoid creature with the head of a bull on a man’s body. He lived in the center of the Cretan labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus. The bull-man was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus.
22. Centaur
The centaur was a mythical creature with humanoid characteristics, possessing a head, arms, and torso like a human, and legs like a horse. Perhaps one of the most popular centaurs in Greek mythology is Chiron. While most centaurs are depicted as rowdy followers of Dionysus, Chiron was known for his wisdom and for teaching Greek heroes such as Heracles and Achilles.
23. Pegasus
Pegasus is one of the best-known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion, usually depicted as pure white. He is the offspring of Poseidon and Medusa, and legend has it that every time his hoof struck the ground, a fountain of water sprang forth.
