Now, the young hero summoned Pegasus to his aid, and the two of them launched an aerial attack on the Chimera. Pegasus, the mighty winged horse, was BellerophonвЂ™s half-brother, and the two of them had spent many happy days together in their childhood. He challenged Bellerophon to kill the Chimera, fully expecting that the Chimera would kill Bellerophon instead.Д«ut Iobates didnвЂ™t know that Bellerophon has a secret ally.

Instead, he sent him to his father-in-law, King Iobates, who devised a clever way to get rid of the young offender. King Proteus was outraged, but knowing that immortal blood ran in BellerophonвЂ™s veins, he was afraid to punish the boy. She begged him to become her lover, and when he refused, she accused him of raping her. Unfortunately, ProteusвЂ™s wife also saw potential in Bellerophon. Proteus saw huge potential in the boy, and he decided to pardon his crime. When he was young, he committed a crime and was sent to King Proteus to be punished. Battle with BellerophonДЇor years, the Chimera roamed the Lynean countryside unchallenged, since вЂњnot even a quantity of men could subdue it with ease, let alone one.вЂќ But her legend didnвЂ™t take the hero Bellerophon into account.Д«ellerophon was a son of Poseidon and a beautiful mortal woman. Together, Typhon and Echidna spawned many of the most dangerous beasts in Greece, including the Lynean Hydra, the Sphinx, the Nemean Lion, Cerberus, and, of course, the Chimera. For a mate, he took the next most monstrous creature in Greece, a half-woman, half-serpent named Echidna. Typhon, the father, was an ancient and monstrous giant who was believed to be the most dangerous creature in all of Greece. The Chimera was one of the offspring of a legendary pairing: Typhon and Echidna. She often appeared before natural disasters, mostly volcanic eruptions. The Chimera was also seen as an omen, of sorts. The fire spewed out from the goatвЂ™s head and devastated any challengers who approached the beast. But this monsterвЂ™s most unusual and deadly weapon, by far, was her ability to breathe fire. The Chimera was reputed to be вЂњnear invincible,вЂќ for she had the strength of a lion, the cunning of a goat, and the venom of a snake. She ransacked many villages, mostly killing cattle but sometimes destroying houses and slaughtering innocent people as well. She had a terrible temper and no civilized instincts. Like most chimeric creatures in Greek mythology, the Chimera was a nasty piece of work. Finally, the monsterвЂ™s lion tail morphs into a snake, with a venomous serpentine head replacing the lionвЂ™s natural puff of fur. The goatвЂ™s head appears to be male, since it has horns and a beard.

The creature also has a goatвЂ™s head, rising from between its shoulder blades. Exaggerated ears and breasts show that the creature is female, even though it does have a short, ragged mane.Д«ut of course, thereвЂ™s more to the Chimera than its lion features. It has a lionвЂ™s body, complete from head to tail. The Chimera may be ancient GreeceвЂ™s most bizarre creature-so bizarre that its name is now used to describe any creature with an unusual combination of animal traits.ДЄt its most basic level, the Chimera is a female lion.

Chimera greek mythology