Monsters In Greek Culture

Many monsters were apparent in Greek culture; including the lamia, a child-devouring, demonic woman. Lamia, daughter of Poseidon, god of the sea, was once the queen of Libya. Zeus fell in love with Lamia and the two bore many children. Green with envy, Hera stole and viciously murdered Lamia’s children in revenge; subsequently, Lamia gouged her own eyes out in anguish of her lost children. Zeus then transmogrified her into a half-human, half-serpent monster, the Lamia, and gave her permission to hunt and eat the children of other women to avenge her own. The lamia is known to be the original vampire in Greek mythology; for when she killed the victimized children, she would drain them of their blood by sucking it out of their young bodies.
The pukwudgie, meaning “person of the wilderness,” is a contradicting half-troll, half-human that is believed to be an essence of the forest and is associated with flowers regarding their fragrant aroma. This three foot tall, human-like creature, with smooth grey skin that glows in the dark, was once a friend to humans, until sadistically disrespected. When angered, the pukwudgie will bombard their deadly, poisoned arrows at their infuriating foes, lure the antagonists to their death, or summon fire at will. A pukwudgie’s clothing is created from nature and acts as camouflage during their daily mischiefs. Every culture has its own set of monsters. This is because the monstrosities are used as lessons to teach children, as well as adults, how to behave and to mature. Without these creatures there would be no fear as to what would happen if one were to behave as a malicious, foolish, and carefree individual. There would be no order in society; no judgment between right and wrong. Monsters are a vital piece to the understanding of moral