Chimera (mythology)
In classic Greek mythology, the Chimera is depicted as a fearsome, fire-breathing creature composed of parts from three different animals: a lion's head with a thick mane, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail. Sometimes illustrated with a second fire-breathing head resembling a goat, this monstrous being is believed to have originated from the union of Typhon, a storm giant, and Echidna, a half-woman, half-dragon figure known for spawning various other legendary beasts. The Chimera terrorized the region around Lycia, attacking farms and consuming livestock and people, until the hero Bellerophon, aided by the winged horse Pegasus, was sent to confront it. Bellerophon ultimately defeated the beast using a clever strategy involving a lead weapon that blocked the Chimera's throat, leading to its fiery demise.
The myth of the Chimera has transcended its ancient roots to inspire various forms of modern speculative fiction, including video games, comics, and films. Additionally, the term "chimera" has been adopted in contemporary genetics and psychology, reflecting the phenomenon of chimerism, where an individual may possess cells from multiple organisms. This mythical creature serves as a metaphor for unattainable dreams or delusions, highlighting the potential emotional turmoil that can arise from such illusions. The enduring legacy of the Chimera illustrates its cultural significance and versatility, resonating across both artistic and scientific fields.
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Chimera (mythology)
In classic Greek mythology, the Chimera was a monstrous fire-breathing creature made up of parts of three different animals. Tradition held that the three-headed creature had the head and rich, thick mane of a male lion, the middle section of a farm goat (the name comes from the Greek for "she-goat"), and the head and thick, coiling tail of a serpent. From the middle, the creature also sprouted a fire-breathing goat’s head. Some renderings portrayed the Chimera with leathery wings.
The dramatic death of the Chimera, recounted by the epic poet Homer and later by Hesiod, marks one of the most famous scenes in Greek mythology; indeed, the terrifying creature had become such an element of the Greek culture the idea of the Chimera survived, stories passed from generation to generation of the existence of creatures made up of elements of multiple animals haunting the countryside. The Chimera remains a staple character type in video games, anime, graphic novels, and science-fiction stories and films. In addition, the essence of the Chimera myth has found expression in two unlikely fields: genetics and psychology.
Background
According to Hesiod, the Chimera was the offspring of Typhon, the menacing storm giant responsible for massive tempests that destroyed entire armadas, and Echidna, a cave-dwelling half woman, half dragon responsible for generating a variety of illnesses as well as the process of corruption and decay. Typhon was cursed by Zeus for challenging his supremacy, and his mating with Echidna produced only monsters who each became a curse on humanity. In addition to the Chimera, the two produced Cerebus, the three-headed hound who guarded the passage into Hades; Hydra, a giant water snake whose nine heads could regenerate; and Orthus, a two-headed dog with a serpent’s tail. She produced the Sphinx, the half lion, half human who cursed Thebes, and the Nemeian Lion, which was killed by the Greek hero Heracles.
The Chimera is known largely for the story of its dramatic death, first recounted in book 6 of Homer’s Iliad. The Chimera had long terrorized the countryside around the town of Lycia in Anatolia (present-day southwestern Turkey). Unprovoked, the fire-breathing creature raided farms, consumed animals as well as people, and laid waste to farmhouses. The countryside was strewn with heaps of burned rubble and charred bodies. The king, Iobates, realized the enormity of the threat but had no strategy for destroying the creature. None of his soldiers were willing to challenge the creature. Then, unexpectedly, a visitor to court arrived from Greece—the young, courageous Prince Bellerophon came bearing a letter of introduction from Iobates’s son-in-law.
However, the letter also told the king that Bellerophon had made inappropriate advances toward his daughter (who secretly harbored desires for the handsome prince and had tried to seduce him). The king was asked to arrange the death of Bellerophon. But the king feared repercussions from the gods should he kill Bellerophon. Uncertain how to proceed, the king opted to send Bellerophon to slay the Chimera, which he believed was a suicide mission. However, Bellerophon enjoyed the favor of the gods, most particularly Athena, the goddess of courage and wisdom, who sent him a gift of Pegasus, the magnificent winged horse, according to the poet Pindar. Astride Pegasus, Bellerophon sought and killed the Chimera. Later accounts tell how he cleverly attached a lump of lead to his lance and plunged it into the mouth of the monster’s middle head. The intense heat from her fiery breath melted the lead and, in turn, blocked the monster’s throat. The fire, having nowhere to go, quickly incinerated the entire insides of the Chimera.
Impact
It is no surprise that the Chimera, like so many other fantastic creatures from the myths and legends of antiquity, has become a template for ferocious monsters in speculative fiction and onscreen. Indeed, the figure of a menacing fire-breathing hybrid creature, often winged, has become a familiar figure in heroic adventure narratives, classic science-fiction television series, Japanese anime features, role-playing board games, comic books, and video games. The concept of creating an original creature from parts of other creatures is the heart of the Chimera figure. In fact, Disney Studio animators working on the storyboards for their hugely successful 1991 animated feature Beauty and the Beast drew their inspiration from the Chimera model, creating the Beast out of elements of the buffalo, the gorilla, the lion, the bear, the boar, and the wolf.
Apart from its influence in pop culture, however, the Chimera concept has lent itself to two critical areas not associated with mythic figures or heroic adventure: genetics and psychology. After the advent of DNA testing, researchers discovered that animals, including humans, can have the DNA of multiple organisms in the same body; that is, a single human can have another person’s DNA in some cells and his or her own in others. The phenomenon, known as "chimerism," has long been recognized in the case of fraternal twins. Similarly, blood transfusions, transplants, fetal development, and possibly even breastfeeding or sexual intercourse may permanently implant a small amount of one person’s cells into another’s organs or bloodstream, a situation termed "microchimerism." Researchers are just beginning to explore the frequency of chimerism and microchimerism, their potential effects on health, disease, and behavior, and the consequences for medicine, law, and psychology. The ethics of creating chimeras, including nonhuman-human, has also arisen around organ transplantation and genetic engineering research.
More commonly, the figure of the Chimera appears in pop psychology. Given the fantastic nature of the creature and the reality that no such creatures actually exists save in the imagination, the term "chimera" has been used to describe any delusional dream or wish that, given a person’s reality, is simply impossible to attain. These illusions sustain unrealistic hopes and can cause significant emotional turmoil at the point in which that person comes at last to understand the illusionary nature of the dream. The concept, therefore, brings together two elements of the mythic creature: that it is not real and that it can, nevertheless, be quite dangerous.
Bibliography
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