The Chimaera

Encyclopedia Mythica
Chimera
by Micha F. Lindemans
In Greek mythology, the Chimera is a monster, depicted as an animal with the head of a lion, the body of a she-goat, and the tail of a dragon (sometimes it has multiple heads). It is a child of Typhon and Echidna. It terrorized Lycia (in Asia Minor), but was eventually killed by the Corinthian hero Bellerophon.

The Origins of the myth of the Chimera
The Italian Inghirami, writing in 19th century (Monumenti Etruschi, 1824), was one of the first to go beyond the traditional interpretations, developing a complex zodiacal symbology where Bellerophon drives the chariot of the sun and where the Chimaera is identified with the constellation of the lion, something that explains the "flaming breath" as a symbol of summer. Closer to our times, Robert Graves, in his Greek Myths (1955), came to a related astronomical interpretation when he suggested that the three parts of the creature were an allegory of the three seasons of the year, as it was subdivided in extremely ancient times. Graves also suggests that the Chimaera may be a representation of the prehistoric passage from a matriarchal society dominated by the Moon goddess to another one, dominated by sun kings.

The Chimaera has been depicted in numerous myths and legends throughout history beginning with Homer's Iliad and Hesiod's Theogony. Sometimes it's an animal depicted as in the quote above, while other times it's depicted as a beast with three heads: a lions head up front, a snake's head for a tail, and a goats head coming out of the middle of the beast's back. In most tales, the Chimaera breaths fire, and is defeated by a hero that either has wings or rides on Pegasus.

What are everyone's thoughts on the Chimaera? Do you think it is possible that a similar creature once existed? Not necessarily with parts from three animals, but a creature that was disfigured enough to make it seem like it was a mixture of a lion, a snake and a goat? Or do you think that that perhaps the Chimaera was representative of some deeper meaning in the ancient world as has been suggested?

Artists Rendering of a Chimaera

Collection of Texts


[edit on 29-6-2006 by Jenna]

Please review this thread about posting work by others.

[edit on 29-6-2006 by masqua]

Ok, in both quotes it's "chimera". You spell it Chimeara.
Any reason ? Just curious.]

Lex

[edit on 30-6-2006 by Lexion]

There are actually three or four different ways. I'm not sure why I spelled it the way I did... It can be spelled Chimera, Chimaera, Khimera... I think there's another one but I can't remember.

I think the Chimera was a creation of mans imagination and obsession with mythological creatures. Kinda like the Loch Ness monster.....

I think that perhaps something similar existed. I just don't think it was actually made from three different animals. There are many images that the ancients made of either the chimera or of a winged lion. I'm sure imagination played a large part, but it turns up in too many places for it to not have a hint of truth. As for Nessie, I'm sure there is something in that lake I just have no clue what it might be.

Its very possible for such a creature to exist- a freak of nature.
Its DNA is so screwed up that a mutation acures within the womb and a monster is born.

A response to seeing the Sphinx perhaps?
Then again, there could have been an oddball animal that died out in Europe. I mean just look at the platypus as an example of what can exist. An egg laying mammal with a duck bill? I thought it was a made up animal when I was a kid. Of course there are the hoaxers today showing pictures of monkfish laid out on their backs and giving wild tales so who knows for sure. Jackalopes have been prove to exist, just a misunderstanding of a medical condition.

Perhaps, but I think that there were some images of the Chimera before the Sphinx was built. I could be wrong though.

I have this bok on mythical creatures and it says that the Chimeria has the body of a goat the hea of a lion and the tail of a snake. it only has one head and it has wings on it's back.

I must say that your original spelling of Chimaera is an actual creature.
It's a fish.....Chimaeras are cartilaginous fish in the order Chimaeriformes. They are related to the sharks and rays, and are sometimes called ghost sharks.


Yet your spelling is correct either way....
The term chimera (alternatively chimaera) or chimeric is often used metaphorically to describe things that have combined attributes from different sources. In genetics, for example, an organism or tissue created from two or more different genetic sources is called chimeric, as in transplant patients with organs from other donors. Most other usages are related to this metaphor. The word chimera is also generally accepted to mean an unreal ambition, a fanciful scheme, or even a castle in the air. This is in clear contrast with its old meaning of a bogey or an irrational fear.

Depictions of chimeras have been known to have 1-5 heads (including the tail actually being a serpent with a head as the tip), the body of either a goat or lion, and some have wings ("dragon" wings, relating to a pterodactyl's, or bird wings,commonly an eagle's) and others don't.

As for their origin, I believe that their may have been a creature of the like(I doubt it, but their may have been).
The animal(if it did exist) would have been a VERY mutated thing and I would doubt that if its wings(if it had any) were usable.
As for they occasional fire breathing of one of its heads: That may be contributed to the part were a dragon head is present.

Jackalopes have been proven to exist???

Explain this please.

I find it interesting that there are many cultures that have hodgepodge creatures in their myths and legends. But I don't think these creatures were real.

I always had a feeling that alot of Ancient sighting's of strange stories of monster's and beast's were there own Imagination. I mean imagine it, your in your little hut there's no electricty so its dark as ever, theres god damn bugs crawling all over you and animals outside are makin noises cuz they wanna eat face.

Your imagination would bounf to play on you. But as for the chimara, maybe there was some kind of strange gentic mutation or something? Who knows?

Hmm this is off topic but there is a very rare medical condition called I belive chimera 's diease.Its where you have 2 sets of dna in your body.I guess the egg starts off as twins then something happens and it becomes a single embryo with 2 sets of dna.

So I guess as a previous poster said it could be a animal whos dna got screwed up and as time went by the ledgend grew.

Goodness, I saw a show on this a while back.
Yes, a pair of fraternail twins fuse, and become on person, one body, one mind, they don't even know they were supposed to be a twin.
There was a show, it was called I am My Own Twin, on one of the discovery shows.
What was found were two women, whose DNA said they were not the mother's of their own children.
The one woman needed a kidney, I believe, and her sons all tried to see if they were compatable, and they weren't, but her brothers children were, or something like that.
The facinating one was where a young mother applied for welfare, and DNA testing had to be odne on the father, and the DNA tests said she was not the mother
And we all know that DNA doesn't lie, right?
Well she was on the verge of not only losing her children, but going to jail for welfare fraud, however she was expecting another child, and with a court witness there, minutes after the child was born, a DNA sample was taken, and it too showed, that the child she had just given birth to was not her child.
The cheek cells were her cells, but her ovaries must have been her absorbed twin... Though I think absorbed connotate the wrong thing..
Perhaps assimilated twin?? I think that sounds a little better.
What was scarey about that, is that it is then possible for a rapist to escape justice, because he is chimeric.. Or a murderer even.
Many chimerics though, have patch work skin, of varing shades. I wonder though, why not patchwork hair, if skin is possible..
I suppose hair oculd be patched as well, but I don't recall it mentioned on the show.
I tried doing a search for more info, but it isn't coming up with anything useful.. Oh well.

ALSO, was it the 60's/70s that there was a big mercury scare that mercury could dna DNA in utero, and cause a monster to be born?
I recall a B horror movie that was based on that idea.. there was some monster in the woods surrounding a gold mine, as I remember, (but after at least 25 years, the details are very scetchy).
The Mina was one or near a reservation.. I don't remember if the monster was supposed to have been a Native child, or the mutated cub of a bear.
Anyway.. I have rambled enough.