The Monsters Mother

Somewhere in the world, every eight seconds, a mother is throwing her hands in the air and declaring that her child is a little monster. But for Echidna it was the literal truth.

Echidna was called the mother of all monsters, although her children numbered no more than a dozen or so, and many were exemplary offspring and a pride to any parent. They may still roam the earth in the quiet unseen places, waiting the day when a new Hero will come to challenge them.

There are many arguments about Echidna's exact lineage, but who amongst us can vouch for every union in our own background ? Suffice to say she was the daughter of powerful mythical beings. Sources agree, though, on her appearance...

" half fair-cheeked and bright-eyed nymph and half huge and monstrous snake, a snake that strikes swiftly and feeds on living flesh." (Hesiod, Theogony, 295-303)

As an arresting combination of beautiful woman and deadly serpent, it was to be expected that her children were also unusual. Her first born was Orthus, a hard-working cattle dog on an island beyond the pillars of Hercules. Orthus guarded these unique red cattle for Geryon, the strongest man alive at that time.

Cerberus, her next son and another fearsome dog, guarded the entrance to the Underworld and very sensibly kept the living from entering the world of the dead. This "brazen-voiced hound of Hades" had three heads of wild dogs abd the tail of a serpent.

Another serpent was the nine-headed Hydra, who liked to sun herself on rocks overlooking the sacred wells in the swampy regions of Lerna. She was afflicted with bad breath from sulphurous water -it was said one exhalation could kill a man - and her blood was venomous.

The Chimaera was another marvelous combination, displaying the multi-headed family trait with three of them. Not only did she have the head of a lion, a goat, and a snake, her body was in three distinct parts. The top was leonine, the middle like a goat, and the whole ended in the long lashing tail of a serpent. Breathing fire, the Chimaera terrified all of Lycia, killing cattle and scorching the countryside until slain by the Hero Bellepheron.

Another of Echidna's daughters was the fierce Crommyonian Sow, who played a leading role on the life of the Hero Theseus.

Echidna also produced the Caucasus Eagle (the one that keeps gnawing away at the liver of Prometheus) the Nemean Lion and the riddle-loving Sphinx. Perhaps her favourite child was the shining dragon that guarded the Golden Apples of Hesperos

Echidna may also have borne human children. It has been whispered that the Hero Hercules fell in love with her and engaged in an affair that produced three future kings but it seems doubtful that a mother would stoop to dalliance with the murderer of so many of her children.

Whatever the truth is, it's now lost in time, but Zeus did decree that the children of Echidna would remain on earth for always, to test the mettle of future Heroes. A fitting task for such marvelous monsters and a credit to their long-maligned mother.

Susanna Duffy is a Civil Celebrant and mythologist. She creates ceremonies and Rites of Passage for individual and civic functions using ancient myths in modern settings and produces an ezine of Legends and Lore for the general reader

Pfannestiel Named to Pennsylvania Humanities Council
Gant Daily, PA - 15 hours ago
“I will be a voice for humanities development in Northwest Pennsylvania, assisting historical societies, libraries, and several other agencies. ...

WEB INFORMATION SPECIALIST
Seattle Post Intelligencer - Aug 20, 2008
The Simpson Center for Humanities has an outstanding opportunity for a Web Information Specialist. The Web Information Specialist is responsible for the ...

Library donates best-seller to students in humanities
Sacramento Bee,  USA - Aug 20, 2008
The city library has donated 50 copies of a New York Times best-seller to sophomores in the Humanities and International Studies program at CK McClatchy ...

Humanities scholars Matthew Anderson and Cathrine Frank receive ...
Media Newswire (press release), NY - Aug 19, 2008
In June 2003, Anderson organized a Law & the Humanities conference, on the subject of “Guilt,” at the University of New England. ...

The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com
Remarks by the First Lady at a National Endowment for Humanities ...
MarketWatch - Aug 14, 2008
This city's world-renowned cultural attractions make it the perfect place to talk about the National Endowment for the Humanities' Picturing America ...
Laura Bush visits Algiers school The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com
Laura Bush visits New Orleans high school Daily Comet
First Lady Laura Bush visits New Orleans WWL
The Times-Picayune - NOLA.comall 24 news articles

Library Links: ‘Let’s talk about it’ at McArthur (Aug. 21, 2008)
Courier Connection, ME - 7 hours ago
This fall, in cooperation with the Maine Humanities Council, we’ll be offering a book discussion series that will have an ideal combination of ingredients: ...

NEH Announces Nearly $3M in New York Grants
New York Sun, United States - 23 minutes ago
By Staff Reporter of the Sun | August 22, 2008 The National Endowment for the Humanities Thursday announced $27.6 million in grant awards, including almost ...

Soloist will bring Broadway to library
Sayreville Suburban,  USA - 1 hour ago
The event is offered through the Horizons Speakers Bureau of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the ...

MSU implements recycling program
Minot Daily News, ND - 22 hours ago
Linda Olson, who chairs the humanities department and is principal investigator for the grant proposal, told fellow professors and staff Wednesday that ...

MSU Gears Up for New School Year
KFYR-TV, ND - 23 hours ago
Currently we recycle paper and if we could sort and recycle more of the campus waste that would be a great idea," says Linda Olson, Humanities chairman. ...

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

The Original Nobility: Patricians and Knights