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Table of Contents
Monsters in mythologies are often depicted as hideous, fearsome, and ugly beings that harm mortals. But not all hideous and ugly beings are enemies of the ancient mortals. Some of them even live with the Greek Gods.
See the fact file below for more information on the Greek Creatures and Monsters or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Greek Creatures and Monsters worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
Greek Mythology
- Greek mythology is a collection of myths riddled with stories of how the world originated, what the gods do, and how they live, of the great heroes and stories of mythical creatures and monsters that lived in ancient Greece.
- These stories have inspired many books, movies, and TV series and have tickled the imagination of people, young and old.
- Although most of these books and movies focus on either the gods or heroes of ancient Greece, Greek mythology tells quite a lot about monsters and creatures too.
The Born Monsters
- Typhon, also known as Typhoeus, is the son of Gaia and Tartarus. He had a hundred snake heads that breathed fire, and instead of limbs, he had snake-coils. He was a monstrous size and was known as the deadliest monster.
- Echidna, who lived in a cave in Arima with Typhon, was the child of deities of the sea Phorcys and Ceto. Her lower body was that of a serpent while she had the upper half of a beautiful nymph. She was known for her desire for human flesh.
- Echidna and Typhon are the parents of some of the most legendary creatures and monsters in Greek mythology.
- Heracles, more popularly known as Hercules, encountered a whole bunch of Echidna and Typhon’s offspring and killed most of them.
- Some of their children and descendants are listed below.
- The Caucasian Eagle, or Aethon, is a giant eagle who ate Prometheus’ liver as a punishment for the latter giving the Flames of Olympus to the humans.
- Cerberus is a three-headed dog. It guards the entrance to Hades’ palace in the Underworld.
- Chimera has a body of a lion, a goat’s head, and a tail with the head of a snake. It is a big fire-breathing creature.
- The Colchian Dragon who guards the Golden Fleece is also their offspring. This dragon doesn’t sleep.
- Ladon lives in the Garden of the Hesperides to guard the golden apples. It was a serpentine dragon.
- Lernaean Hydra is a water monster that looks like a serpent with traits of a reptile. It is famous for growing two more heads when one of its head is cut off.
- The Nemean Lion is an enormous lion that has impenetrable skin. It became the constellation Leo.
- Orthus is a hound with two heads, and he lived with giants.
- The Sphinx slays anybody that passes by Mount Phicium and can not answer her riddles correctly. She is half-human and half-lion with eagle wings and a serpent’s tail.
- Not all monsters were born from Typhon and Echidna. Others were sons and daughters of Titans and other deities.
The Turned-into-Monsters
- Some of the most famous monsters were only transformed into monsters as punishment from the gods and goddesses.
- In one of the many versions of Greek myths, Medusa was a mortal gorgon that became a priestess in one of Athena’s temples. She was said to be very pretty and had beautiful hair. Poseidon was captivated by her beauty and raped her inside Athena’s temple. Medusa was then punished by Athena who turned her hair into snakes. Athena also gave her a gaze that turns anybody that looks into her eyes into stone.
- The Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull creature, was the child of King Minos and Pasiphae. Poseidon was angered when Minos did not sacrifice a bull for him. Poseidon made Pasiphae fall in love with the bull as a punishment, and thus the Minotaur was born.
- Another transformed monster is Scylla. She was a beautiful nymph who was loved by Glaukos, a sea-god, who asked the sorceress Circe to cast a love spell on Scylla. Circe became jealous for she loved Glaukos, and cursed Scylla instead, transforming her into a monster who caused death to many seafarers.
- Scylla, as described in Homer’s Odyssey, is a creature with six long necks with grisly heads that have triple rows of sharp teeth. She has twelve dangling feet and her voice is like that of a yelping dog.
The Friendly Monsters
- Though scary-looking, some of the monsters that lurked in ancient Greece were good and would live alongside the Olympians.
- The Hecatoncheires and the first generation Cyclops, born to the Protegenois Ouranos and Gaia, worked and fought for the Olympians.
- The Cyclops were giants that had one eye on their forehead. They are the craftsmen of the gods.
- The Hundred-handers or the Hecatoncheires, were even bigger than the Cyclops, and they fought during the Titan War aiding in the victory of the gods against the titans. There are only three of them, namely: Cottus, Briareus and Gyges.
The Creatures
- Not all half-man, half-animal hybrid creatures in Greek mythology are scary-looking, bad-doers, and labelled as monsters. Some live with mortals and heroes, and some even have relationships with mortals and deities.
- The Pegasus is one of the most popular mythical creatures in Greek mythology. It is described as a pure white horse with wings. He is the son of Poseidon and Medusa and was born from her blood when the hero Perseus cut her head off.
- Centaurs, or Kentauroi, have the upper torso of a man and the lower half of a horse. They lived in the forests and mountains of Thessaly and are said to live in tribes. They hunt wild animals using rocks and tree branches.
- Satyrs, also known as silenos, are male nature spirits that have a tail and ears that looks like that of a horse. Horse-like legs are also depicted in early artistic representations of these creatures, but since the Renaissance, they are often presented with horns and legs of goats.
- Satyrs are known to love dancing, music, wine and women and are companions of Dionysus.
- A nymph is a supernatural creature that is usually associated with the seas, air, water, woods, or particular landforms or locations. Nymphs live for many years.There are different groups of nymphs, but the most common ones are the Naiads (streams and river nymphs), the Nereids (nymphs of the calm seas), the Meliae (ash tree nymphs), and the Oreads(mountain nymphs).
- There are numerous mythical creatures and monsters in Greek mythology and in other mythologies from different countries.
Greek Creatures and Monsters Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Greek Creatures and Monsters across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Greek Creatures and Monsters worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the monsters in mythologies which are often depicted as hideous, fearsome, and ugly beings that harm mortals. But not all hideous and ugly beings are enemies of the ancient mortals. Some of them even live with the Greek Gods.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Greek Creatures and Monsters Facts
- Named by Greeks
- Monster in the Country
- Tree of Monsters
- Colossal Children
- Peculiar Friends
- Heroes Hunt
- Movie’s Version
- Snakes on my Head
- The Monster I like
- Monster Creation
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Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.