The Chimaera — Fire-Breathing Hybrid

I. What Was the Chimaera?

The Chimaera was one of the most fearsome hybrid monsters of Greek mythology — a fire-breathing creature with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and a tail that ended in a living serpent's head. Some ancient sources gave it three heads: the lion in front, the goat in the middle of its back, and the serpent at the rear. It ravaged the kingdom of Lycia in Asia Minor, destroying livestock, burning crops, and killing anyone who dared approach.

Like many of the greatest monsters, the Chimaera was a child of Typhon and Echidna, making it sibling to the Hydra, Cerberus, the Nemean Lion, and the Sphinx. Its fire breath made it virtually unapproachable on the ground — no warrior could get close enough to strike before being consumed by flames.

II. Bellerophon and Pegasus

The hero Bellerophon was tasked with slaying the Chimaera by King Iobates of Lycia, who expected the quest to be fatal. But Bellerophon had an advantage no other hero possessed: the winged horse Pegasus, which he had tamed with a golden bridle given to him by Athena in a dream. From the air, mounted on Pegasus, Bellerophon could attack the Chimaera without being reached by its flames.

According to the most common version, Bellerophon fitted a block of lead to the tip of his spear and thrust it into the Chimaera's mouth. The monster's own fire breath melted the lead, which poured down its throat and destroyed its internal organs. The word "chimera" has since entered the English language to mean any fantastical, impossible combination — and in genetics, a "chimera" refers to an organism containing cells from two different individuals.