Hey everyone, welcome to Mythology Explained. In today’s video we’re going to take a
look at Echidna, the queen of monsters, at Echidna’s mother, Ceto, who you could reasonably
call the grandmother of monsters, and at the many other monsters who were their progeny.
Their children include: Ladon, the dragon who guards the golden apples of the Hesperides,
the Graeae, who were the trio of women who share a single eye between them, the snake-haired
gorgons, the Hydra of Lerna, Orthos, who was triple-bodied Geryon’s two-headed dog, Cerberus,
the Hound of Hades, the Chimera, the Nemean Lion, the Sphinx, Scylla, the cave dwelling
monster who preyed on Odysseus’ men, and the Caucasian Eagle, who feasted each day
on Prometheus’ ever-regenerating liver. In short, this video is going to cover the
majority of the most famous monsters in Greek mythology.
To start us off, here’s a passage from Hesiod’s Theogony that describes Echidna:
“the wondrous Echidna stern of heart, who is half a nymph with fair cheeks and curling
lashes, and half a monstrous serpent, terrible and huge, glinting and ravening, down in the
hidden depths of the...earth. There she has her cave...far away from immortal gods and
mortal men”
By the Greek poet Hesiod’s account, Echidna was a cave dwelling monster. Her upper body
was that of a lovely maiden, and her lower body was serpent-like. Her parentage is ambiguous
as many accounts feature different pairings. One has her as the daughter of the sea god
Phorcys and his sister Ceto; another has her as the spawn of Tartarus and Gaia; and yet
another has Chrysaor sire her by Callirrhoe. Chryasor was the offspring of Poseidon and
Medusa, and supposedly he sprung forth from the stump of Medusa’s neck after Perseus
decapitated her. Pegasus, the winged horse, was said to have sprung from the stump of
Medusa’s neck in the same fashion. Callirrhoe was one of the Oceanids, a group of 3,000
water nymphs who were the children of the Titan Oceanus. Personally, I’m partial to
the Phorcys-Ceto pairing because it’s the one espoused by Hesiod, making it the oldest
recorded version.
Before we continue to explore the rest of Echidna’s story, we’re going to take a
look at Ceto, Echidna’s mother, and at Ceto’s many children.
If Echidna can be called the ‘queen of monsters, then Ceto should be called the grandmother
of monsters. The myriad of dangers of the ocean were under her purview, as were the
monsters who lurked in the depths, such as sharks and whales. Pontus, a primordial deity
and the personification of the sea, was Ceto’s father. He was one of three primordial deities
produced independently by Gaia, the other two being Ourea, the personification of mountains,
and Uranus, the personification of the sky. Gaia was Ceto’s mother, meaning Gaia procreated
with her own son, something far from anomalous in Greek mythology. Another example that quickly
comes to mind was Gaia procreating with Uranus, their coupling producing the first generation
of titans.
The reason it would be fair to dub Ceto with the moniker “grandmother of monsters”
is because, like her daughter Echidna, so many of Greek mythology's best known monsters
are spawned from her. Ceto’s consort was Phorcys, also a sea-god and her own brother.
Here’s a passage from Hesiod’s Theogony that gives an overview of her monstrous brood:
“To Phorcys Ceto bore old women fair of cheeks, white haired from birth: the immortal
gods and men who walk on earth call them the old women, fair-robed Pemphredo and saffron-robed
Enyo[, and Deino]. And she bore the Gorgons, who live beyond famed Oceanus at the world’s
edge hard by night, where the clear-voiced Hesperides are: Sthenno, Euryale, and Medusa
who suffered a grim fate….The youngest that Ceto bore in shared intimacy with Phorcys
was the fearful serpent that guards the golden apples in a hidden region of the dark earth,
at its vasty limits. That is the descendance of Ceto and Phorcys”
The old women this passage refers to are the three Graeaae, who were old from the moment
they were born into this world. The three of them shared but a single tooth and a single
eye; the latter they passed between them, allowing sight to be granted to but one of
them at a time. They are perhaps best known for the role that they play in Perseus’
myth, which has Perseus steal their eye from them so as to extort them for information,
forcing them to divulge Medusa’s whereabouts.
The three Gorgons also numbered among Ceto’s brood. The mythographer Apollodorous described
them as having nests of writhing snakes for hair, baleful boar’s tusks that jut from
their mouths, golden wings, and slashing hands wrought of bronze. Like their sisters the
Graeae, the Gorgons, particularly Medusa, were also perhaps best known for the part
they played in Perseus’ myth. Of the trio, Medusa was the only sister who was mortal,
meaning she was the only one who could be killed, which was why Perseus’ quest had
him go after and kill her. Medusa’s calling cards were the victims petrified into statues.
Having a gaze that could turn people to stone was either exclusively possessed by Medusa
or was a power shared by all three gorgon sisters, depending on the version.
The youngest of Ceto’s children was the dragon Landon. He was said to have 100 heads
and to never sleep, making him both powerful and vigilant, a potent combination and the
reason he became the guardian of the Hesperides’ golden apples. Incidentally, the Hesperides,
who were the nymphs entrusted with care for the sacred, golden-apple-bearing tree, were
also the daughters of Ceto, at least they were in one version.
With that covered, we can get back to covering Echidna, who, as was said, was also Ceto’s
daughter.
Echidna’s claim to fame - perhaps claim to infamy would be more accurate - was the
many monstrous children begot by her, as well as the mate who sired most of them: Typhon,
Echidna’s consort, was the most powerful foe Zeus and the Olympians had to contend
with. His strength was unmatched, and had it not been for Zeus’ lightning bolts, the
cosmos would have existed under the reign of a much more barbarous master. The tangle
of 100 serpents extended from each of his shoulders as his arms; great wings opened
up behind him; giant vipers, where legs should have been, supported his body; the cacophonous,
deafening sound of every bestial animal sound thundered from him; his eyes burned with fire;
and he was so enormous that he dwarfed the mountains, and his behemoth stature even brushed
the stars. Typhon challenged Zeus, and after a cataclysmic battle between them, Typhon
was defeated, either cast down into Tartarus or buried beneath Mt. Etna.
Here’s yet another passage from Hediod’s theogony, this one describing the many monstrous
offspring that came from the union between Echidna and Typhon:
First she gave birth to Orthos, a dog for Geryon.... Secondly she bore an impossible
creature, unspeakable, the ravening Cerberus, Hades’ dog with a voice of bronze, fifty-headed,
shy of no one, and powerful. Thirdly she gave birth to the baleful Hydra of Lerna…[S]he
bore Chimaera, who breathed invincible fire, a terrible great creature, swift-footed and
strong….[It] had three heads: one of a fierce lion, one of a she-goat, and one of a powerful
serpent….But she, surrendering to Orthos, bore the baneful Sphinx, death to the people
of Cadmus, and the Nemean Lion”
According to Hesiod, Echidna bore four children that were sired by Typhon: Orthos, Cerberus,
The Lernean Hydra, and the Chimera. We’re going to take a look at each of these four
monsters first.
Orthos was a large two-headed dog. Geryon was the dog's master. He was a triple-bodied
giant. Hercules’ 10th labor was to travel to an island in the far West and appropriate
Geryon’s herd of cattle by whatever means necessary. Upon landing, Hercules was attacked
by Orthos. The beast was quickly dispatched, being killed by only a single blow from Hercules’
club.
Cerberus, another monstrous dog, was the guardian of the underworld. Known as the Hound of Hades,
Cerberus prevented the living from entering Hades' realm and, simultaneously, blocked
any dead who sought to leave. Depictions of him ranged from having three heads to 100
heads. Apollodorous described Cerberus as having a dragon’s tails and snakes growing
from its back. Hercules’ 12th and final labor was to subdue Cerberus without weapons
and to then carry the beast back to the land of the living.
The Lernean Hydra, so named for it dwelt in the marshes of Lerna, was a giant serpent
with a multitude of heads - usually nine, but other accounts have that number at 50
or even 100. Each time a head was severed, two would grow back; Its venom was incredibly
lethal; and the center head was immortal, meaning it was unkillable. This monster was
the object of Hercules’ second labor. The hero managed to defeat the Hydra by cauterizing
the stumps after the heads were decapitated. The central head, unlike the others, didn’t
perish once severed, for it was immortal. The best Hercules could manage for this final
head was to bury it under a large rock.
The Chimera was a monstrous fire-breathing amalgamation of many animals. She was large,
swift, and strong. The front head was that of a lion; the middle head was that of a goat;
and the rear head was that of a serpent. The hero Bellerophon was tasked with killing this
monster. Bellerophon faught from a distance, firing arrows instead of getting in close
for a melee. He launched a rain of arrows while flying through the air, astride the
winged horse Pegasus, whom Bellerophon had earlier tamed with the help of the gods.
Two more children were born from Echidna when she mated with Orthos, her own son. Let’s
take a look at both of these monsters.
The Sphinx entered Greek mythology by way of Egypt and the near East. It was a hybrid
monster, described as a winged lion with a human head. Per Hesiod’s account, there
was but one Sphinx; however, other accounts have them as more numerous than that, being
more akin to some mythical species that inhabited the earth. The sphinx, as conceptualized as
the singular entity described by Hesiod, was sent by Hera to plague the city of Thebes.
It tormented people by asking them a riddle, which was far from innocuous, as failure to
answer correctly brought death. The situation became so dire that the city’s regent offered
his sister, Jocasta, to anyone who could correctly answer the Sphinx’ riddle and thereby deliver
the city from ruin. Oedipus rose to the occasion. The riddle the Sphinx posed was this: what
creature walks on four feet in the morning, two at noon, and three in the evening. Oedipus
answered that it was man, who crawled in infancy, walked upright as adults, and then relied
on a walking stick in old age. Many things came of this: the bewildered sphinx took its
own life by leaping off a cliff; Oedipus became king of Thebes; and Oedipus bedded and married
Jocasta, who, as it would turn out, was Oedipus’ own mother.
The Nemean Lion was much greater in size than a normal lion, and its pelt was impenetrable,
making it impervious to any weapon that could be wielded against it. No sword could cut
it, no arrow could pierce it, and no spear could impale it. Killing this beast was thought
to be impossible, which is why Hercules was tasked with killing it. Eurystheus, Hercules’
cousin and the one who concocted Hercules’ labors, was fearful of Hercules supplanting
him. He thought that sending the Hero against such a formidable foe would be a death sentence,
eliminating a potential rival for his throne. Such was Hercules’ strength that he found
success in his endeavor to slay the Nemean Lion. Where weapons failed, he used his incredible
strength, throttling the lion and then strangling it to death.
In addition to the six monsters already discussed as being born from Echidna, both Scylla and
the Causasian Eagle that devoured Prometheus’ liver each day were said to be her children,
both sired by Typhon, though these two were not mentioned in Hesiod’s account. Apollodorus,
who wrote the Bibliotheca, wrote that the Caucasian eagle was the progeny of Typhon
and Echidna. Hyginus, a Latin author and the superintendent of the Palatine Library, wrote
that Scylla was the daughter of Typhon and Echidna.
The Caucasian Eagle was set upon Prometheus to punish the titan for being the champion
of mankind. Many a time Prometheus risked life and limb in brazen defiance of Zeus,
tempting Zeus’ wrath on numerous occasions. When deciding which animal parts would be
sacrificed to the gods, Prometheus tricked Zeus into choosing the less-desirable pile,
leaving the meat and the fat for humanity. Later, Prometheus stole fire back from the
gods, once again bestowing humanity with light and warmth. There were other antics and audacious
acts, too, to be sure. All of Zeus’ patience and reserve were eventually spent after a
series of insubordinate offences perpetrated by Prometheus. The king of the gods had Prometheus
chained to a rock, and he contrived for a great eagle to swoop down on Prometheus each
day to devour the titans liver. Prometheus’ liver would grow back after each attack, and
so he was condemned to never-ending torture, day after day, making this punishment truly
diabolical.
There are many versions of Scylla’s myth, and accordingly, her parentage is varied.
The earliest mention of her is in the Odyssey, in which she features as one of the many obstacles
Odysseus must overcome over the course of his years-long journey home following the
Trojan War. In the Odyssey, Scylla was described as a hideous conglomerate of monstrous body
parts, having 12 feet, six necks, and a terrible maw with several rows of sharp teeth. She
resided in a cave embedded in a sea-side cliff, and she was notorious for reaching out from
her lair to grab and gorge herself on any wayward sailors unlucky enough to have to
pass by. Scylla’s lair was located on one side of a narrow straight. The monster Charybdis
resided on the other side of the straight. It was said that the vortex created by Charybdis
sucking down water was so powerful that not even Poseidon could rescue ships caught in
it. Needing to pass through a straight with a monster on either side put Odysseus in quite
the quandary. He eventually chose to sail down the side that would take him past Scylla’s
lair. His rationale was that losing some of his men to Scylla was a better option than
having his ship consumed by a vortex and, thus, losing all of his men. This myth was
the origin for the expression, between a rock and a hard place. The Roman poet Ovid gave
the most complete account of Scylla’s myth. By his account, she was a sea nymph who rejected
the advances of many who wanted to bed her. One of these would-be suitors took her rejection
particularly badly. He turned to the sorceress Circe and asked of her two things: to remedy
his lovesickness and to concoct a way for him to get revenge. He was given a potion
and instructed to pour it into Scylla’s favorite bathing pool. This he did, and the
next time Scylla took a bath she was transformed into a monster.
There were multiple versions that described what happened to Echidna following her tenure
as the prolific brood-mother that produced a great many of the monsters in Greek mythology.
Hesiod described her as an “immortal nymph...ageless for all time”. Because his version of her
was immortal, he likely envisioned her living the rest of her infinite days in the gloom
of her cavernous abode, an uneventful end supported by another of Hesiod’s passages:
“down below in a hollow cliff, far away from immortal gods and mortal men, where the
gods allotted her a home to dwell.” Apollodorus' own version was quite different. Argus was
a giant with many eyes, the number ranging from four to 1,000, depending on the telling.
He came upon Echidna, who was subsisting by snatching passing travelers from the dark
of her cave, waited for sleep to take her, and then killed her. Argus, in turn, was later
killed by Hermes, who slayed the giant to free Io, whom Zeus had fallen in love with
and then subsequently transmogrified into a cow to hide her from Hera; but this is a
story for another time.
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