Brian

= GREEK MYTHOLOGY: ZEUS AND CHIMAERA =

Chimaera and Zeus were some famous myths in Greek mythology. In this essay, you will know about Zeus, the god of all gods and Chimaera, the feared beast that was known all over Greece for its evil desire to kill mankind. What do you get when you combine a lion, a goat and a snake  altogether?  Chimaera! Chimaera (or Chimera) is from Lycia, also known as modern day Turkey. It was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. Chimaera was swift-footed and strong since it was part lion, goat and snake. Chimaeras’ snake tail was venomous and the heads breathed fire. When the people were dead and burnt, Chimaera would eat the remains of them. It had 3 heads and each head acted independently, so the heads would sometimes attack each other. However, most of the time they all had one desire: to kill people and each head would work by itself to kill its victim. Typhon and Echidna also had other offspring, so Chimaera has a few siblings, such as the Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra. Chimera was a female so it gave birth to around three children, like the Great Sphinx. Because of its horrible personality, it was thought to represent danger and power of storm clouds. It was thought to be invincible, until King Iobates ordered a man named Bellerophon to try to kill it. With the help of the great Pegasus, they killed the Chimaera. There were many theories of how Bellerophon killed Chimaera, but one of the most common one is that Chimaera was killed by the poison lead in Bellerophon’s spear. Chimaera, the feared beast, was finally killed. Bellerophon became a great hero and the lives of people everywhere were no longer in danger.  Zeus, the god of sky and thunder, is one of the most well-known gods in Greece. For one thing, he was the ruler of all gods as well as Mount Olympus and the Olympians. His most famous symbol was the thunderbolt, but also eagle, oak tree and the royal scepter. He became the undisputed master of the universe. His Roman name was Jupiter, since it was the biggest planet; they thought Zeus as the big ruler. However, his history was also really interesting. He was the son of Cronus and Rhea. He was the smallest of his 4 siblings, including Hades, Hera, Hestia and Demeter. His father, Cronus was evil. He swallowed Hades, Hera, Hestia and Demeter. Rhea found out and when Cronus was going to swallow Zeus, Rhea put a rock in a blanket to fool Cronus. Then Zeus was brought to the centaurs (half man and half horse) to be raised. When Zeus finally found out about Cronus’s evil doings, he made Cronus throw up all this siblings. Thus, Zeus became a great hero. Later, Zeus abducted Hera, his sister, and to hide her shame, she married Zeus. They had many children, probably around 110! Some of their famous children were Hercules, Athena, Apollo and Artemis. Although he was married to Hera, he fell on love with other women as well, making Hera angry. He was fair, though. Zeus punishes people who anger him and reward people who assist him. That is why Zeus became a heroic god and known all over the world. Zeus will never been forgotten and never  will be because he is a great hero known everywhere.  Now you know about two characters in Greek Mythology: Chimaera and Zeus. About how Zeus was a hero and what kind of things Chimaera did that were evil. Chimaera and Zeus were both interesting in Greek myths and now you know all about them!   = By:Brian = = =