Chimera (mythology)
According to Greek mythology, the Chimera, Chimaera, or Chimæra (/kaɪˈmɪərə, kɪ-/ ky-MEER-ə, kih-; Ancient Greek: Xίμαιρα, romanized: Chímaira, lit. 'she-goat') was a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature from Lycia, Asia Minor, composed of different animal parts. It is usually depicted as a lion, with the head of a goat protruding from its back, occasionally depicted with dragon's wings, and a tail that might end with a snake's head. It was an offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of monsters like Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra.
| Chimera | |
|---|---|
The Chimera on a red-figure Apulian plate, c. 350–340 BC (Musée du Louvre) | |
| Abode | Lycia |
| Personal information | |
| Parents | Typhon and Echidna |
| Siblings | Lernaean Hydra, Orthrus, Cerberus |
| Consort | Orthrus |
| Offspring | Nemean Lion, Sphinx |
The term "chimera" has come to describe any mythical or fictional creature with parts taken from various animals, to describe anything composed of disparate parts or perceived as wildly imaginative, implausible, or dazzling. In other words a chimera can be a hybrid creature.