Echidna
creatureEchidna was half woman, half serpent — called the Mother of All Monsters for bearing the most fearsome creatures of Greek mythology.
The Myth
Beautiful above the waist and serpentine below, Echidna dwelt in a cave beneath the earth, emerging only to hunt. With Typhon, she bore a monstrous brood: the Hydra, the Chimera, Cerberus, the Nemean Lion, the Sphinx, Ladon, the Colchian Dragon, and others. Hesiod calls her "impossible to fight and immortal." Some traditions say she was slain by Argus Panoptes while she slept; others that she remains undying in her cavern. Her name means "viper," and she represents the generative, terrifying power of the earth.
Parents
Phorcys and Ceto (or Tartarus and Gaia)
Children
Hydra, Chimera, Cerberus, Sphinx, Nemean Lion, Ladon
Symbols
Fun Fact
Australia's echidna (spiny anteater) takes its name from this monster — early naturalists saw its spiny body as serpent-like.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth: