Chimera

Introduction

In Greek mythology, the creature known as the chimera is a fire-breathing female monster that attacked Lycia and Caria. It was later killed by Bellerophon. Some western scholars of Chinese art, starting with Victor Segalen, use the word “chimera” generically to refer to winged leonine or mixed species quadrupeds, such as Bixie, Tianlu, Ky Lan and even Qilin.

Physical Traits

The most common description of the chimera comes from Homer’s Illiad, in which the creature is said to have the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and tail of a snake. Despite being classified as a female, the lion’s head has a mane which is typical of male lions.

Family

The Chimera’s origins are highly disputed and its genealogy has never been formally agreed upon. According to Hesiod, the Chimera’s mother was a certain ambiguous “she”, which may refer to Echidna, in which case the father would presumably be Typhon, though possibly the Hydra or even Ceto was meant instead.

Other accounts say that Chimera was the child of Typhoeus and Echidna and sibling of Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra. There are several different genealogies—in one version, it mated with its brother, Orthrus, and mothered the Sphinx and the Nemean Lion.

Powers and Abilities

It is believed that the Chimera can breath fire and was said to be incredibly powerful as it had abilities of all three creatures rolled into one.

Modern Day Influence

The concept of the chimera is commonly associated with ancient art, and it is also used in pop culture. In terms of pop culture, it refers to any creation that is a hybrid or a single entity composed of two or more distinct entities. It is often used in television shows and role-playing games, usually as an obstacle for players to overcome.

The concept of the chimera is that it represents the most dangerous creature that humans can imagine. Its role is to challenge heroes to use their bravery and strength in order to win.

The concept of the chimera has been used in various pop culture mediums, such as video games and role-playing games as the Dungeons and Dragons series, as well as the popular video-game series Final Fantasy. In some of the most popular science fiction films, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, and The X-Files, the creature has been used to describe the creations of genetically engineered hybrids.