Greek legendary creatures

A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle.

A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version of the myth, the centaurs were named after Centaurus, and, through his brother Lapithes, were kin to the legendary tribe of the Lapiths.

thumb|right|Heracles, wearing his characteristic lion-skin, club in right hand, leash in left, presenting a three-headed Cerberus, snakes coiling from his snouts, necks and front paws, to a frightened [[Eurystheus hiding in a giant pot. Caeretan hydria (c. 530 BC) from Caere (Louvre E701)]]

The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (; Classical Latin: gryps or grypus; Late and Medieval Latin: gryphes, grypho etc.; Old French: griffon) is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion, and the head and wings of an eagle with its talons on the front legs.

In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or silenos ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. Early artistic representations sometimes include horse-like legs, but, by the sixth century BC, they were more often represented with human legs. Comically hideous, they have mane-like hair, bestial faces, and snub noses and they always are shown naked. Satyrs were characterized by their ribaldry and were known as lovers of wine, music, dancing, and women. They were companions of th

creatures half bird and half woman who lured sailors by the sweetness of her song

In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk ( or ) is a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king, who causes death to those who look into its eyes. According to the Naturalis Historia of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk of Cyrene is a small snake, "being not more than twelve inches in length", that is so venomous, it leaves a wide trail of deadly venom in its path, and its gaze is likewise lethal.

Greek god, messenger of the sea

thumb|The Hundred-Hander Briareus used as an allegory of the multiple threat of labour unrest to capital in a political cartoon, 1890.

thumb|The Kiss of the Enchantress (Isobel Lilian Gloag, ), inspired by Keats's "Lamia", depicts Lamia as half-serpent, half-woman

demonic birds of Greek mythology, killed by Heracles

thumb|right|Maenad carrying a thyrsus and a leopard with a snake rolled up over her head. Tondo of an ancient Greek Attic white-ground kylix 490–480 BC from [[Vulci. Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich, Germany.]] thumb|upright=1.0|Dancing Maenad. Roman copy of Greek original attributed to Kallimachos –400 BC at the Metropolitan Museum of Art In Greek mythology, maenads (; ) were the female followers of Dionysus and the most significant members of his retinue, the thiasus. Their name, which comes from (, "to rave, to be mad; to rage, to be angry"), literally translates as 'raving ones'. Maena

animal from Greek mythology

mythical creature

In Greek mythology, Campe, Kampe, or Kampê (; ) was a female monster. She was the guard, in Tartarus, of the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires, whom Uranus had imprisoned there. When it was prophesied to Zeus that he would be victorious in the Titanomachy—the great war against the Titans—with the help of Campe's prisoners, he killed Campe, freeing the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires, who then helped Zeus defeat Cronus.

thumb|320px|The fourth panel of the so-called “Odyssey Landscapes” wall painting from the Vatican Museums in Rome, 60–40 BC. In Greek mythology, the Laestrygonians or Laestrygones () were a tribe of man-eating giants. They were said to have sprung from Laestrygon, son of Poseidon.

mythological creature

mythical animal

thumb|Goddess Hel (being)|Hel and the hellhound [[Garmr by Johannes Gehrts, 1889]] A hellhound is a mythological hound that embodies a guardian or a servant of hell, the devil, or the underworld. Hellhounds occur in mythologies around the world, with the best-known examples being Cerberus from Greek mythology, Garmr from Norse mythology, the black dogs of English folklore, and the fairy hounds of Celtic mythology. Physical characteristics vary, but they are commonly black, anomalously overgrown, supernaturally strong, and often have red eyes or are accompanied by flames. The behaviors of a He

mythical pig

one of the Sirens in Greek mythology

The kallikantzaros () is a malevolent creature in modern Greek folklore.

thumb|Heracles and the Cercopes (Metope in [[Paestum)]] In Greek mythology, the Cercopes (, plural of Κέρκωψ, from κέρκος (n.) kerkos "tail") were mischievous forest creatures who lived in Thermopylae or on Euboea but roamed the world and might turn up anywhere mischief was afoot. They were two brothers, but their names are given variously:

Mormo (, Mormō) was a female spirit in Greek folklore, whose name was invoked by mothers and nurses to frighten children to keep them from misbehaving.

mythological humanoids with a single, large foot on a central leg

In Greek mythology, Podarge () is a harpy, a personification of a swift wind and mate of Zephyrus, the West Wind. She is the mother of Balius and Xanthus — two divine horses renowned for their swiftness and who were gifted to Achilles, running as fast as the wind. In the Iliad, she is described by Homer as having taken horse form, and 'grazing in a meadow by the stream of Ocean'.

ill-omened bird of antiquity

A vrykolakas (, pronounced ), is a harmful undead creature in Greek folklore. Similar terms such as vourkolakas (βουρκόλακας), vourvoulakas (βουρβούλακας), vorvolakas (βορβόλακας), vourvolakas (βουρβόλακας), vourdoulakas (βουρδούλακας) were also used for the creature.

thumb|upright=1.2|Icthyocentaur with trident. [[Hotel Sacher, Vienna.]] thumb|upright=1.2|Four-legged ichthyocentaur. Fountain of the Centaurs, Missouri State Capitol.

mythological symbol

Ocypete (Ancient Greek: Ὠκυπέτη means 'swift wing') was one of the three Harpies in Greek mythology. She was also known as Ocypode (Ὠκυπόδη means "swift foot") or Ocythoe (Ὠκυθόη means "swift runner"). The Harpies were the daughters of the sea god Thaumas and the Oceanid Electra. Her harpy-sisters were Aello (Podarge) and Celaeno, whereas other mentioned siblings were Iris, and possibly Arke and Hydaspes. In other accounts, Harpies were called the progeny of Typhoeus, father of these monsters, or of Pontus (Sea) and Gaea (Earth) or of Poseidon, god of the sea.

In Greek mythology, Thelxinoë (; ) was a name attributed to the following four characters:

thumb|An Aspidochelone from a French manuscript, c. 1270. J. Paul Getty Museum According to the tradition of the Physiologus and medieval bestiaries, the aspidochelone is a fabled sea creature, variously described as a large whale or vast sea turtle, and a giant sea monster with huge spines on the ridge of its back. No matter what form it is, it is always described as being so huge that it is often mistaken for a rocky island covered with sand dunes and vegetation. The name aspidochelone appears to be a compound word combining Greek aspis (which means either "asp" or "shield"), and chelone, t

thumb|Onocentaur, Manuel Philes, De animalium proprietate The onocentaur (, from ) is a legendary creature from Ancient folklore and Medieval bestiaries.

thumb|Ophiotaurus Mosaic, Yorkshire Museum, York (Eboracum)In Greek mythology, the Ophiotaurus () was a creature that was part bull and part snake. Its only known appearance in an ancient work was in Ovid's Fasti. In this poem, it was the subject of a prophecy which warned that whoever burned its innards would defeat the gods. Briareus of the Hecatoncheires attempted to burn the Ophiotaurus' innards, but was foiled by birds sent by Zeus. This story was part of the larger Titanomachy that set the gods against the Titans. Various interpretations of the creature have been presented by scholars of

The hieracosphinx () is a mythical beast found in Egyptian sculpture and European heraldry. The god Haroeris ("Horus the Elder") was usually depicted as one. The name Hieracosphinx comes from the Greek , itself from (hierax "hawk") + ("sphinx").

thumb|Bonnacon in the Rochester Bestiary The bonnacon (also called bonasus or bonacho) () is a legendary creature described as a bull with inward-curving horns and a horse-like mane. Medieval bestiaries usually depict its fur as reddish-brown or black. Because its horns were useless for self-defense, the bonnacon was said to expel large amounts of caustic feces from its anus at its pursuers, burning them and thereby ensuring its escape.

legendary aquatic creature

A hippalectryon, or hippalektryon (), is a type of fantastic hybrid creature of Ancient Greek folklore; half-horse (front) and half-rooster (hind), including the tail, wings and hind legs. Its colour varies between yellow and reddish. No myths related to it are currently known.

fictional horse with a horn and wings

thumb|Crocotta, as illustrated in a medieval bestiary

Gello (), in Greek mythology, is a female demon or revenant who threatens the reproductive cycle by causing infertility, miscarriage, and infant mortality. By the Byzantine era, the () were considered a class of beings. Women believed to be under demonic possession by gelloudes might stand trial or be subjected to exorcism.

In Greek mythology, the Taraxippos (; plural: taraxippoi, "horse disturber", latinized as Taraxippus; Latin equorum conturbator) was a presence, variously identified as a ghost or dangerous site, blamed for frightening horses at hippodromes throughout Greece. Some taraxippoi were associated with the Greek hero cults or with Poseidon in his aspect as a god of horses () who brought about the death of Hippolytus. Pausanias, the ancient source offering the greatest number of explanations, regards it as an epithet rather than a single entity.

horse-like creature with wings

300px|right The jaculus (or iaculus, pl. jaculi, meaning "thrown" in Latin) is a small mythical serpent or dragon. It can be shown with wings and sometimes has front legs. It is also sometimes known as the javelin snake.

in literature and poetry, spirit or ghost of a dead person

mythical monster in a cave near Delphi

Alphito () is a supernatural being first recorded in the Moralia of Plutarch, where "apotropaic nursery tales" about her are told by nursemaids to frighten little children into behaving. Her name is related to alphita, "white flour" (compare Latin albus), and alphitomanteia, a form of divination (-manteia) from flour or barley meal. She was presumably old, with white hair the color of flour.

mythical creature

thumb|300px|The Macedonians attacked by the dent-tyrant or Odontotyrrannus.

group of animals in Greek mythology

Ceuthonymus or Keuthonymos (Ancient Greek: Κευθώνυμος) is a spirit in Greek mythology who is the father of Menoites (or Menoetes, Menoetius). Ceuthonymus is a mysterious daimon or spirit of the underworld, who lives in the realm of Hades.