Lamia
creatureLamia was a beautiful queen of Libya whom Zeus loved; when Hera killed her children in jealousy, Lamia was driven mad and became a child-snatching monster.
The Myth
Lamia was once a beautiful queen who bore Zeus several children. Hera, consumed with jealousy, murdered the children. The grief drove Lamia insane, and she began snatching and devouring other women's children. Zeus, pitying her, gave her the ability to remove her own eyes so she could rest from her anguish. When her eyes were removed, she was harmless; when she replaced them, the madness and hunger returned. Greek mothers used Lamia as a bogeyman to frighten children into obedience. Over time, "lamia" became a generic term for a class of female monsters who seduced young men and fed on children.
Parents
Belus (or Poseidon)
Children
By Zeus — all slain by Hera
Symbols
Fun Fact
Keats wrote a famous poem "Lamia" (1820) about a serpent-woman who assumes human form to seduce a young philosopher — drawing directly from the Greek myth.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth: