(χίμαιρα; chímaira). C., ‘goat’, is the Lycian monster, ‘lion in front, snake behind, and she-goat in the middle’ (Hom. Il. 6,181 = Lucr. 5,905), slain by Bellerophon. It is the child of Typhon by Echidna, mother of the Sphinx (Phix: Hes. Theog. 319-326); a different tradition says it was reared by the Lycian Amisodarus (Hom. Il. 16,328). A firm component of the myth, since Homer, is that it breathes fire: according to Ov. Met. 9,647 and Apollod. 2,31 from the eponymous goat's head (otherwise see [1]) so often port…
Chimaera(190 words)
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Graf, Fritz (Columbus, OH), “Chimaera”, in: Brill’s New Pauly, Antiquity volumes edited by: Hubert Cancik and , Helmuth Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes edited by: Manfred Landfester, English Edition by: Francis G. Gentry. Consulted online on 02 March 2021 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e232590>
First published online: 2006
First print edition: 9789004122598, 20110510
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