Monsters!

By Z.H.

Monsters in ancient Greek mythology lived to be slayed by gods and heroes, to make them look all the more powerful and glorious, and although they grow weaker by the century the old heroes live on through stories.  From ancient times to now, views about these monsters have greatly changed, but they still are used in art and language.  In ancient Greek times, monsters were used to explain natural phenomenons.  For instance, the Cretan Bull, an enormous fire-breathing bull, was said to live under the island of Crete.  When an earthquake occurred, the Cretan Bull was said to be stomping it’s feet.  After the ancient Greeks were conquered, their monsters lived on in art.  The Romans would carve favorite myths on their walls.  For example, they might have carved the Greek hero Belleraphon killed the Chimera, a fire-breathing beast with a lion’s head, goat’s body, and snake’s tail.  Today monsters live on in our language.  Many phrases use monsters, such as the phrase, “A Scylla and Charybdis situation,” meaning bad things will happen either way.  The Scylla and Charybdis were two monsters in a straight between cliffs; the Scylla was a monster that ate people, while the Charibdis was a whirlpool.  On either side of the straight was a monster, so either way was trouble.  Monsters were very distinct in being evil, and were a very important part in Greek mythology.  They helped make points clear, such as how strong a hero was, or how angry a goddess could get.  Monsters helped shape Greek mythology into what we now know.