Chimera (mythology)
| Chimera | |
|---|---|
| Abode | Lycia |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Typhon and Echidna |
| Siblings | Lernaean Hydra, Orthrus, Cerberus |
| Consort | Orthrus |
| Offspring | Nemean lion, Sphinx |
According to Greek mythology, the Chimera, Chimaera, Chimæra, or Khimaira (/kaɪˈmɪərə, kɪ-, -mɛər-/ ky-MEER-ə, kih-, -MAIR-; Ancient Greek: Χίμαιρα, romanized: Chímaira, lit. 'she-goat') was a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature from Lycia, Asia Minor, composed of different animal parts. Typically, it is depicted as a lion with a goat's head protruding from its back and a tail ending with a snake's head. Some representations also include dragon's wings. It was an offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of monsters like Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra.
The term "chimera" has come to describe any mythical or fictional creature with parts taken from various animals, to describe anything composed of disparate parts or perceived as wildly imaginative, implausible, or dazzling. In other words, a chimera can be any hybrid creature.
In figurative use, derived from the mythological meaning, "chimera" refers to an unrealistic, or unrealisable, wild, foolish or vain dream, notion or objective.