Dragons and She-Dragons

The dragons of Greek mythology were serpentine monsters. They include the serpent-like Dracones, the marine-dwelling Cetea and the she-monster Dracaenae.

DRACONES
Dracones were giant serpents, sometimes possessing multiple heads or deadly venom.

Typhoeus

Typhoeus, was a fire breathing dragon with a hundred heads that never rest. It was an abomination birthed by Gaea and Tartarus as a last ditch effort to keep the Olympians from defeating the Titans. It came close to succeeding, setting most of the gods to flight and capturing Zeus. Hermes was able to free Zeus. Zeus was then able to dispatch Typhoeus with his lighting bolts. Typhoeus is buried under Mount Etna in Sicily.

LADON

was a Drakon which guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides and tormented the Titan Atlas as he held the heavens on his shoulders. The creature was slain by Herakles when the hero was sent to recover the golden apples, and placed amongst the stars as the Constellation Draco. There he is entwined around the northern pole. The offspring of Phorkys and Keto.

The Hydra

was a many-headed monster slain by Heracles. It was related to the Chimaera and Cerberus. As one of his Labors, Heracles sought the Hydra's lair in the swamps of Lerna and forced it out into the open with flaming arrows. Wading bravely into the fray, he began to hack at the monster with his sword. But every time he cut off one head, two grew in its place. Eventually, Heracles called on his charioteer to bring a torch to cauterize the Hydra's severed neck each time a head was lopped. This prevented new heads from sprouting. And when the final head was chopped off and buried beneath a rock, the monster died.

The Kraken

Is a legendary sea Dragon of giant proportions said to have dwelt off the coasts of Norway and Iceland before becoming a pet of the Gods. The Gods can summon the Kraken and release it from its underwater prison, normally to teach humans a lesson by destroying their sea ports and ships. The monsterous offspring of Typhoeus and Skylla.

Python

a dragon which guarded the oracle of Delphi; it was slain by Apollo

The Ismenian Dragon

a dragon which guarded the sacred spring of Ares near Thebes; it was slain by Cadmus.

Cychreides

a dragon which terrorised Salamis before being slain by Cychreus.

The Colchian Dragon

an unsleeping dragon which guarded the Golden Fleece. This immense serpent, a child of Typhon and Echidna, guarded the Golden Fleece at Colchis. It was said to never sleep, rest, or lower its vigilance. According to Ovid's Metamorphoses, the monster had a crest and three tongues. When Jason went to retrieve the Fleece, the witch Medea put the dragon to sleep with her magic and drugs,[4] or perhaps Orpheus lulled it to sleep with his lyre. Afterwards, Medea herself had dragons pull her chariot.

CETEA

Cetea were sea monsters. They were usually featured in myths of a hero rescuing a sacrificial princess. The two most famous Cetea are below.

Ethiopian Cetus

a sea monster sent by Poseidon to ravage Ethiopia; slain by Perseus.

Trojan Cetus

a sea monster which plagued Troy before being slain by Heracles

THE DRACAENA or "She-Dragon"

was a creature is often described as having the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower body of a Serpent, dragon or sea monster.

Echidna

Known as the "The Mother of Monsters", consisting of half nymph, half speckled snake. It lived in a cave coming out to snatch up and eat those passing. The critter was ageless but, not immortal. It was killed by Argus Panoptes while sleeping. It mated frequently with Typhoeus producing a variety of offspring. The offspring of Phorkys and Keto.

Skylla (or Scylla)

was a monstrous sea goddess she-dragon, who haunted the rocks of certain narrow strait opposite the whirlpool daemon Kharybdis. Ships who sailed too close to her rocks would lose six men to her ravenous, darting heads. The offspring of Phorkys and Keto.

Mormo

A she-dragon who bit bad children, said to have been a companion of the goddess Hecate. The name was also used to signify a female vampire-like creature in stories told to Greek children by their nurses to keep them from misbehaving.

Empusa

is a demigoddess she-dragon of Greek mythology. In later incarnations she appeared as a species of monsters commanded by Hecate (known in English as an empuse). She is often associated or grouped with the demigoddesses Lamia and Mormo

Lamia

was a beautiful queen of Libya who became a child-eating she-dragon. Aristophanes claimed her name derived from the Greek word for gullet, referring to her habit of devouring children. She has a serpent's tail below the waist and her jaws can extend like a snakes which allows her to eat babies and small children whole.

KampĂȘ

a monstrous she-dragon which guarded the prison-gates of Tartarus. She had the body of a beautiful giant woman with the tail of a Scorpion.

Delphyne

a she-dragon which guarded the oracle of Delphi.

Sybaris

a she-dragon who terrorised a mountain near Delphi; slain by the hero Eurybarus.

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