10 mystical monsters

From ancient times to now, people have always had love and passion to discover stories about the characters of half-beasts in ancient Greek mythology.

1. Sagittarius

Sagittarius is a famous creature in Greek mythology, the upper half is the lower half of the horse. An interesting theory about the origin of Sagittarius is that they were created when people of Minoan culture, who were not familiar with horses, first met the tribes of horse riders and were impressed with their power. Minoan people then created horse stories.

No matter where the origins of Sagittarius come from, their legend exists even in the ancient Roman empire. There has been a lot of scientific research debating whether this magical creature really exists or not. However Sagittarius still appears quite popular in stories, even appearing in Harry Potter books and movies.

2. Echidna

Echidna in Greek mythology has a half-woman form, half a snake. This creature is known as the wife of the most feared Greek monster Typhon. Along with Typhon, Echidna's female snake gives birth to many mythical monsters such as Chimera, Cerberus, Sphi.

3. Harpy

In the stories of ancient Greeks and Romans, Harpy was a bird with a woman's head. She is the daughter of Thaumas and Electra Sea Gods - Princess of Argos. In legend, Harpy is considered to be the source of destructive winds.

4. The Gorgon family

The Gorgon family has 3 snake-headed sisters, Stheno, Euryale and Medusa. Legend has it that anyone who looked into Gorgon's eyes was petrified. Similar characters appeared in the first centuries of Greek tales, in which Gorgon-like creatures also had scales and claws but no solid hair.

5. Mandrake

This is a rare case of a legend that is not about a creature but a tree. Mandrake is found in the Mediterranean region. They have the same root system as human faces. Legend has it that when the tree was dug up, its screams could kill anyone who heard it. Harry Potter fans will surely remember the arrival of Mandrake.

6. Mermaid

The first story about this creature comes from ancient Assyria when the goddess Atargatis transformed herself into a mermaid for accidentally killing her lover. The mermaid takes the form of a woman's upper body and a fish's lower body. Since then, the mermaid has appeared in stories for all ages, and the mermaid's existence is not only in legend.

Christopher Columbus insisted he saw the mermaids in his journey to explore his new world. The mermaids became a popular character when Walt Disney studios produced the 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, based on the fairy tale of Hans Christian Anderson's mermaid in 1837.

7. Minotaur

Minotaur is a half-human, half-human monster. Legend has it that the Minotaur is the son of Pasiphae (King Minos's wife) and Cretan Bull bull. The most famous story has the appearance of the Minotaur in Greek mythology about the heroic journey Theseus seeks to rescue Ariadne from the underground maze. It is believed that the famous fairy tale Beast and the Beast character (Beauty and the Beast) is based on the Minotaur image.

8. Satyr

Another famous character in Greek myths is Satyr, also known as Goat because the upper body bears the body of a man, the lower part carries the morphology of goats. However, Satyr is not like other mythical creatures because this creature is very gentle and always brings joy.

9. Siren

In the ancient Greek story, Siren - the fairy with a mysterious voice - is a creature with a woman's head and upper body and a bird's tail and tail.

Siren is a creature that endangers sailors, using them to draw them to their island. When Odysseus returns from Troy in Homer The Odyssey's famous epic, he must tie himself to the ship's mast to avoid being trapped by Siren.

Legend exists for a long time. Centuries later, Roman historian Pliny the Elder provides evidence that Siren is more fictional, imaginary creatures than realistic creatures.

10. Sphinx

The sphinx is a creature depicted with a synthetic form: a human head, a lion's body, an eagle-like wing and a snake's tail. The Sphinx is quite popular in ancient Egyptian culture and to this day, we still see the Sphinx statues at Giza. In ancient Greek legend there was also the appearance of Sphinx. They often ask questions that challenge people, anyone who can't answer will be swallowed up. In Greek stories, the Sphinx has the head of a woman still in the Egyptian story, the Sphinx is a man.