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Tea ch ers’ Ba ckground Information each chers’
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Mythological 1 Beasts r o e t s Bo r e p o k Su Cerberus
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he name of Cerberus is derived from “ker berethrou”meaning demon of the pit. He is the offspring of two horrific parents: Echidne and Typhon. Echidne was one of the Phorcids, the children of the sea. Her sisters included Medusa and the Gorgons, the Graeae, and the Hesperides. Echidne was half beautiful woman, and half speckled serpent. Her diet consisted of human flesh, which she ate raw.
Typhon was born from Mother Earth, as her revenge for the destruction of the giants. He was the largest monster ever born; his arms reached one hundred leagues, his head touched the stars, and his wings blocked out the light of the sun. From his thighs downwards, Typhon was a mass of coiled serpents, and his hands were replaced by countless serpents’ heads. He grappled with, and overcame, Zeus, but Hermes and Pan rescued him. Zeus subsequently trapped Typhon under Mount Aetna.
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The Sphinx
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Cerberus was the guard dog of Tartarus, the underworld. He patrolled the bank of the river Styx, to prevent souls who did not have the fee for Charon’s ferry from sneaking in. Cerberus had three heads, all maned with serpents, and his tail was a barbed snake. His brothers and sisters included the Hydra, the Chimaera, and Orthrus – the two-headed hound of Geryon. Cerberus was removed from Tartarus by Heracles, in the last of his twelve labours. The spittle of Cerberus, which dripped from his mouth when Heracles succeeded in dragging him out of the underworld, gave birth to the poisonous plant wolfsbane, which flourishes on bare rock.
he sphinx originated in Ancient Egypt. Its body usually took the form of a lion, while the head of the sphinx was that of the current pharaoh. Sphinxes were built to protect Egyptian sanctuaries and tombs. The most famous existing Sphinx image lies near the pyramid of Khafre, at Giza, though it is believed that many large-scale sphinxes existed in ancient times. It’s an impressive example of Egyptian masonry, despite the fact that its nose is missing. The nose is believed to have been shot off by soldiers who used it for target practise.
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The sphinx also appeared in other ancient cultures. In Greece, the sphinx was known to be the female offspring of Orthrus and Echidne (or Typhon and Echidne). In addition to a lion’s body, the Greek sphinx had an eagle’s wings and the tail of a serpent. She had settled next to Thebes, and was killing all travellers who could not guess the answer to her riddle. Oedipus solved the puzzle, and in humiliation the Sphinx leapt off a mountain and killed herself. Oedipus was proclaimed a hero, and made King of Thebes, where he fulfilled his cursed destiny by marrying his mother. (For notes on the BUNYIP see Page 24.) 20