Monsters
and Heroes Notes
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Qualities of a
Mythological Hero:
Mythological or legendary figure of divine decent gifted with great
strength or ability
Illustrious warrior OR one who shows
great courage
Man admired for achievements and
noble qualities
~
Examples of
Mythological Heroes:
HERCULES He had to
complete twelve labors as punishment for killing his wife and children
JASON He
searched for and found the Golden Fleece
PERSEUS He
killed Medusa by cutting off her head by using a reflection in a shield
THESEUS He
killed the Minotaur and escaped from its labyrinth by using string
ACHILLES He was a
hot-tempered Greek warrior, with one vulnerable spot on his heel
ULYSSES He was
a crafty Greek hero who devised the plan of the Trojan Horse
BELLEROPHON He killed the
Chimaera while riding Pegasus
AENEAS He
was a Trojan warrior who brought his family to
people
ADD:
OEDIPUS – he solved the riddle of the Sphinx
~
Qualities of
Mythological Monsters:
Animal or plant of abnormal form or structure OR
animal of strange or terrifying shape or unusually large
Strays
from normal or acceptable behavior
Threatening
force
Person
of unnatural or extreme ugliness, deformity, wickedness, or cruelty
~
Examples of
Mythological Monsters:
Argus – giant with eyes all over his body; killed
by Mercury; Juno put his eyes on peacock feathers
Centaur – half man, half horse; Chiron was a famous
centaur teacher of heroes
Cerberus – three-headed dog who guarded the entrance
to the Underworld; one of Hercules’ labors involved capturing him
Charybdis – originally a woman who robbed travelers,
she was transformed into a dangerous whirlpool on one side of the Straits
of
Chimaera – part goat, part lion, part dragon or
serpent that vomited fire continually; destroyed by Bellerophon
Dragon of the Hesperides – called Ladon, it guarded the golden
apples; Hercules was able to steal the golden apples from it
Geryon – three-headed or three-bodied monster with
a herd of cattle; Hercules had to steal his cattle
Orthus – Geryon’s two-headed dog
Gorgons – three sisters with serpents for hair who
turned people to stone when they looked at the monsters; two were immortal
and one was mortal
Medusa – a once beautiful girl who was turned into
a gorgon for upsetting Minerva in her temple; Perseus destroyed her – from
her blood came Pegasus and Minerva put her head on a shield
called the aegis
Harpies – three winged monsters with faces of
women, bodies of vultures, and feet and fingers with claws; their name means
“snatchers” and they defiled their victim’s food
Hydra – nine-headed snake of
and he
buried its immortal head
Minotaur – half man, half bull that lived in a
labyrinth and ate 14 Athenian youth yearly; Theseus killed it
Pegasus – winged horse produced from Medusa’s
blood; caught and tamed by Minerva
Polyphemus – one-eyed giant (Cyclops) son of
home from
Scylla – originally a beautiful maiden whom the
witch Circe transformed into a monster from the waist down covered with barking
dogs’ heads;
she lived on a cliff opposite Charybdis at the Straits of Messina, picking
sailors off ships and eating them
Sirens – they had heads and bodies of women with
bodies of birds and enchanted voices that lured sailors to destruction on
rocks;
Ulysses heard them while tied to his ship’s mast while his crew had wax closing
their ears
Sphinx – lion’s body, wings, and head and body of
a woman who ate passersby if they could not solve her riddle; Oedipus
solved the riddle and the Sphinx killed herself
Talus – giant bronze monster created by Vulcan
who burned to death trespassers on the
in his
ankle which caused his ichor to spill out and killed him
Triton – half man, half fish son of
Typhon – monster with one hundred heads, strong
arms, hands, and feet, and from his shoulders grew serpents and dragons;
sparks flew from its heads; it was defeated by Jupiter and
put under Mount Etna on