Skip to content
chimera

File:Chimera_Apulia_Louvre_K362.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ182790· pop 72· linked from 1,117 articles

Also known as chimæra, chimaera

mythical or fictional animal with parts taken from various animals

AI overview

A chimera is a creature from mythology or fiction that combines body parts from different animals into a single being. It matters as a concept because it appears across many cultures' stories and has influenced how people imagine and create fantastical creatures in art, literature, and popular culture.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

~16 min read

Encyclopedic overview

According to Greek mythology, the Chimera, Chimaera, Chimæra, or Khimaira (/kaɪˈmɪərə, kɪ-, -mɛər-/ ky-MEER-ə, kih-, -⁠MAIR-; Ancient Greek: Χίμαιρα, romanized: Chímaira, lit. 'she-goat') was a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature from Lycia, Asia Minor, composed of different animal parts. Typically, it is depicted as a lion with a goat's head protruding from its back and a tail ending with a snake's head. Some representations also include dragon's wings. It was an offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of monsters like Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra.

The term "chimera" has come to describe any mythical or fictional creature with parts taken from various animals.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “chimera” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (10)