Greek mythology is filled with magical creatures that augmented their reputation in several legends either by their wickedness,
deformed appearance, or specific abilities. There are so many that some are overshadowed and forgotten. That's our topic for today.
Philosophical, obscure, and dangerous creatures
but all very interesting. The seven creatures that almost nobody knows in Greek mythology.
Amphisbaena, the two ways serpent. Amphisbaena is a two-headed snake, one at the end of each body.
It's a poisonous creature, extremely fierce, with scales, dragon wings, chicken feet, and eyes that can see in absolute darkness.
Like Pegasus and Chrysaor, she was born in the shed blood of Medusa's head after being defeated by Perseus.
While the hero flew over the desert of Libya, a drop of blood from
Medusa's head fell. When it touched the sand, Amphisbaena was formed.
She hid in the desert and was only discovered many years later by Cato's army, who found her feeding off of the war corpses.
Empusa, the evil spectrum.
According to legend, Empusa is one of the most malignant spectra that follow Hecate, goddess of witchcraft and black magic.
Some versions claim that she left Pandora's box all along with other evils.
Usually people cannot see her, except the dogs,
which is the reason why people say that Empusa is approaching when dogs bark continuously at nothing.
When she is spotted, they described her as a malignant woman with fire-like hair and donkey feet,
yet very sensual. She tends to attract men with her beauty to feed off of their energy until there is nothing left.
Lamia, the terror of children.
Lamia was a beautiful queen of Libya, the daughter of Poseidon and one of the many lovers of Zeus, with whom she had several sons.
According to Greek mythology,
after becoming aware of her husband's affair,
Hera kills innocent children and turns her into a horrible monster with a demonic face and a serpent body.
Still unsatisfied, Hera also curses her with a punishment. She can never sleep.
Also according to legend, Lamia began to loathe all mothers. Therefore, whenever she could, she devoured innocent children.
Telchines, wizards of the ocean.
The Telchines were sons of the primordial gods Pontus and Thalassa, true creators of the ocean and marine life.
These creatures have a dog-shaped head, black bodies, fins, and sharp claws.
They were four, depicted as fantastic monsters immune to magic. Some authors attribute to them the creation of Kronos' scythe and
Poseidon's trident. Others prefer to say that the weapon of the god of the seas was created by the cyclopses.
They were profound connoisseurs of black magic, and because of that Zeus, feeling threatened, imprisoned them forever in Tartarus.
Lycaon, the werewolf ancestor.
Lycaon was a king of Arcadia, deeply adored by his people, a religious fanatic who only thought in worshipping the gods.
But such fanaticism turned him into a very cruel man
incapable of thinking about anything else besides sacrificing innocent people and offering them to divine entities.
This caused him to lose his popularity.
Any foreigner who reach Arcadia was sacrificed and offered to the gods. This was against the law of hospitality
imposed by Zeus.
Lycaon was warned,
but his fanaticism was so immense that he did not stop. Therefore, Zeus turned him into a wolf,
forcing him to forever leave the lands of Arcadia. From that moment onwards, according to the Greeks, the ever-so-popular
legend of the werewolf was born.
Laelaps and Teumessian.
Teumessian was a sacred fox who Dionysius sent to the city of Thebes to punish that region for terrible crimes.
Several armies joined forces to capture the animal,
but he was magical. He had the ability to never be captured, and with this he terrorized the city for a long time.
Laelaps, in turn, was Zeus's dog, an offering from Europa. He had the ability to never lose a hunt.
After becoming aware of Laelaps' existence,
Creon, king of Thebes, ordered one of his subjects to meet Zeus and ask the help of his dog to capture the fox.
This extreme paradox, the fox that can never be caught against a dog that can never lose a hunt, ended up bewildering Zeus.
The lack of logic was such that the supreme god cannot allow it on Earth,
so both were eternalized in heaven as the constellations of Canis Major and Canis Minor.
