Many people had to hear about this mythical creature. One name is associated with something unpleasant and even frightening. What tells about such a creature as the Echidna mythology of Greece, and why the monster Echidna is one of the most popular suggestion to find out.
Echidna in Greek mythology
In ancient Greek mythology, the mythical creature Echidna is half-woman-half-woman. She lived underground and was the daughter of Forkia and Keto. However, there is information about the fact that she was the daughter of Styx and Perantha, or the daughter of the Phanet. In addition, she was the sister and wife of Typhon, as well as the mother of the two-headed dog Orff and the three-headed Kerber. Pindar says that Echidna appeared from the womb of her mother. His comparison of the essence is also in Tiberius, who compared it with the malicious Gai Caligula.
What does Echidna look like?
About the appearance of such a creature as echidna mythology says unequivocally. Echidna is half-caste in the form of a woman with a beautiful face. It in itself combined beauty and fierce character. Often, she was called a hundred-headed and was told about how she abducted travelers. Different myths say about how Echidna was killed:
- Hercules;
- Bellerophon;
- Oedipus;
- in a dream strangled Argus.
Echidna and Hercules
Myths say that the Greek echidna from Hercules gave birth to three sons, who were destined to become the ancestors of the Scythian tribes. Scythian is one of such sons, because he managed to fulfill his father's will and pulled his bow and girded his belt. He was destined to become the ruler of the Scythian kingdom. Many myths tell about the fact that the echidna during sleep was killed by the hundred-eyed giant Argos. Ancient Greek legends about Echidna formed the basis of medieval legends about the most monstrous mystical being among all existing.
The Biblical Echidna
Such a concept as the generation of echidna in the Bible can be found no more than four times. Three times mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew and once in the Gospel of Luke. It is known that the first time this phrase is used by John the Baptist in relation to the Pharisees. Some researchers were sure that in the times described by the Gospel under this expression people understood snakes after molting. Most animals do not fold their old skin more than once a year. In some of them, this skin resembles a dead individual.
There is a version about the fact that ancient people assumed that in reality the cub grows inside the mother and eventually it is born. Thus, it can be assumed that the skin left after the moulting process is a dead mother, and the emerging creature after the skin is dropped is its offspring, the baby. It can be assumed that for the ancient man the concept of "the product of Echidna" is nothing more than "suicide."
The myth of Yechida
Echidna in mythology is Titanide, born from the union of two titans. She not only had a beautiful appearance, but was also very wise. Wherever the mythical Echidna did not appear, animals accompanied her everywhere. However, there were those who frankly envied her. Among them - Hera. Once the goddess asked Argus to steal her magical powers, but when he came to Echidna that night, he fell in love with her. He wished his beloved was in heaven among the gods, but there the road opened only in the afternoon. Argus came to Echidna in the morning, but at this time she could not see the brilliance of his eyes because of the sun, and drove away.
Hera began to ask Zeus to drive Echidna out of the living world, because she dared to castigate Argus. As a result, the main god ordered the titan himself to take Echidna to a cave where monsters and dragons lived. When she woke up, she saw that her legs had turned into a snake's tail, and only her face remained, as before beautiful. So one part of it inspired fear, and the other, as before, remained beautiful.