The Chimera, from Homer's epic Greek poem, the Iliad, is described as a monstrous female fire-breathing creature with the head of a lion, body of a goat and tail of a serpent. It possessed the power of the three creatures it was created from. In the poem, the monster was slain by the hero Bellerophon.
According to Homer, in "The Iliad," the Chimera was said to be the offspring of the monster Typhon and Echidna, a half-woman, half-snake creature. The Chimera lived in Lycia, in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) where it terrorized the locals and ravaged the land. Eventually, King Iobates sent Belleraphone to slay the Chimera, though the king believed the task was impossible. With the help of his winged horse, Pegasus, Belleraphon was able to defeat the monster by attacking it from above, avoiding its deadly breath.
In ancient times, the Chimera symbolized the chaos of nature and the fear of the unkown. With its blend of fantastical beauty and horror, it has come to mean an illusion or fabrication of the mind and represent something that is hoped for but is illusory and impossible to achieve. The term 'chimera' also means any hybrid creature that is composed from implausible parts to create an unrealistic and mythical monster.
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