8. a long-lived bird that is cyclically
regenerated or reborn. Associated
with the sun, a phoenix obtains
new life by arising from the
ashes of its predecessor.
PHOENIX OR PHENIX
11. In Greek mythology, the satyrs are deities of the woods and
mountains. They are half human and half beast; they usually
have a goat's tail, flanks and hooves. While the upper part of
the body is that of a human, they also have the horns of a
goat. They are the companions of Dionysus, the god of wine,
and they spent their time drinking, dancing, and chasing
nymphs. The Italian version of the satyr is the faun, while the
Slavic version is the Ljeschi.
SATYR
14. The sea nymph was depicted in ancient art as
beautiful young maidens, sometimes running
with small dolphins or fish in their hands, or
else riding on the back of
dolphins, hippokampoi (fish-tailed horses)
and other sea creatures.
NYMPH
19. Cyclope or Cyclops
A tribe of one-
eyed
cannibalistic
giants who
shepherded
flocks of sheep
on the island of
Sicily.
20. LADON
• Ladon was the
serpent-like dragon
that twined and
twisted around the
tree in the Garden
of the Hesperides
and guarded the
golden apples. He
was overcome by
Heracles.
21. LERNAEAN HYDRA
• An ancient serpent-like
water monster with
reptilian traits. It
possessed many heads –
the poets mention more
heads than the vase-
painters could paint – and
for each head cut off it
grew two more 'Cut off one
head, Two more shall take
its place'. It had poisonous
breath and blood so
virulent that even its tracks
were deadly.
22. Ismenian Dragon
• A gigantic serpent which guarded the
sacred spring of Ismenos near
Thebes. When the hero Kadmos
(Cadmus) came to fetch water for the
founding of the city of Thebes, he
slew the deadly serpent with a cast of
a stone. The goddess Athena
afterwards instructed him to sow the
dragon's teeth in the earth, producing
a crop of fully-grown, armed warriors,
called Spartoi, five of whom became
the ancestral lords of Thebes. Ares,
the father of the dragon, later
avenged its death when he
transformed Kadmos and his wife into
serpents.
23. Colchian Dragon
• An ever-wakeful, giant serpent which
guarded the golden fleece in the sacred
grove of Ares at Kolkhis. 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. In one version of
the story, preserved only in vase painting,
Jason was first devoured and disgorged by
the dragon. The teeth of the dragon were
harvested by King Aeetes for their magical
property. One of the labors he assigned,
Jason, was the sowing of these teeth in a
field using a plough drawn by fire-
breathing bulls. When they were planted, a
tribe of warlike men (Spartoi) sprang fully
grown from the earth. The teeth of the
closely related IsmenianDrakon of Thebes,
sown by Kadmos, produced a similar crop
of men.
24. Leon
• One of the
Thracian
Gigantes who
made war on the
gods. He was
slain by
Heracles who
stripped him of
his leonine skin.
25. Orion
• A gigantic hunter
with the ability to
walk on water. He
was slain by Gaea
or Artemis for
some offence and
placed amongst
the stars as a
constellation.
26. Python
• The earth-dragon of Delphi,
always represented in Greek
sculpture and vase-paintings
as a serpent. He presided at
the Delphic oracle, which
existed in the cult center for
his mother, Gaia, "Earth,"
Pytho being the place name
that was substituted for the
earlier Krisa. Hellenes
considered the site to be the
center of the earth,
represented by a stone, the
omphalos or navel, which
Python guarded.
