Greek Monsters
R. Efpatridis – ENG 1DP
Myths with monsters evolved for a number of
reasons. To explain unusual natural
phenomena, often the occurrence would take
the form of a monster. For example,
whirlpools or tidal waves were the cause of
many sailors’ deaths and were given the
names of monsters. To account for the
sunken ships and numerous deaths, monsters
were created as the best explanation for the
events. It was believed these monsters were eager to consume victim after
victim. Monsters also add excitement or adventure to hero tales because the
monsters were extraordinary.
Monsters could also explain how wicked people might be punished by the gods.
Men and kings could be changed into beasts or maidens into hideous creatures
when they offended the gods. Monsters also symbolized the darkness and
evilness of the underworld as reflected in the Cerberus who guarded the gates of
Tartarus.
Monsters were not always made from the imagination. People with deformities,
children born with diseases and other real occurrences led to stories being
spread and exaggerated tales. Thus, monsters could be real animals or real people with various
deformities, they could be personifications of society’s fears of the sea or of the forest or of anything
unknown, or they could be simple natural occurrences which the people of the day could not explain.
1. In ancient times, what natural occurrences might be explained by monsters?
2. What monsters might be created to personify the fears of people?
Minotaur Sphinx Chimaera Harpies Scylla Hydra Charybdis
Ceberus Cyclopes Hecatonchires Centaurs Sileni Satyrs Sirens
Argus Furies Graiae Women Gorgons Centimanus Clashing Rocks
Monsters and Labyrinths
A labyrinth is a building with many intricate passageways, a number of which have been
described in ancient writing. The most famous is the one at Knossos, Crete, which supposedly
housed the Minotaur. Archaeologists have discovered a palace, full of twisting corridors and
hidden rooms, with symbols of the double axe and pictures of bulls, which played a significant
role in Cretan ritual, on the walls. Therefore, it may be possible that the labyrinth thought to
be mythical was based on fact.
Just as Theseus engaged in battle with the ferocious Minotaur, so, too, modern individuals
have their own beasts to fight and conquer. Each person today faces his or her own labyrinth
and the beasts of ancient myths are personifications of an individual’s or society’s fears. The Minotaur, shaped like a man
but also a beast could represent the bestial side of humanity. Today’s society is a dog eat dog world with selfishness and
cruelty running rampant that perhaps cannot be escaped.
A Twentieth-Century Labyrinth
Choose four or five monsters to inhabit your labyrinth. Sketch the creatures in various spaces. Then explain on a
separate sheet of paper, in a short paragraph for each monster, what fear or problem that creature personifies and how
you must face and overcome this fear.