Monsters In Greek Mythology

Monsters
Greek mythology is usually not given that much attention by the average person. I personally believe the obtainable information that is offered by Greek mythology is not pursued too often by people in today’s society due to the fact that they do not think there is a point of doing so. I myself was one of these people who had this closed mindset. People do not realize that a relation can be formed with the meaning behind some of these Greek creatures. These Greek creatures are not just a “fairytale.” Throughout school I have heard student say that there is not meaning or point. The real question is what are some of the meanings behind them? One creature I find interesting is the Griffin. The Griffin has the head and wings of an eagle with the body of a lion. It is usually referred to as “Griffin” even though other forms of the name are “Griffon” and “Gryphon.” This creature represents strength and
vigilance that goes along with the symbol of protection. This can relate to today’s society with the traits some have to become heroes in dangerous moments that require them to risk their own lives for someone else ranging from somebody they love to a complete stranger. One multiple-headed creature is Cerberus. Cerberus has the tail of a snake and the mane of a multiple-headed dog. It is the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. This creature is male when the author of encyclopedia entry states “he guarded the entrance of Hades.” I can also tell that he has a protective trait. This can relate to today’s society with the traits a person is required to be able do with the job position of a security guard who guards all the way to nightclubs.
Another smart and intelligent creature of interest is the Hydra. The Hydra has nine long heads and it lived in Lerna, Greece in a marsh. This creature is described to have “fatally poisonous” breath. Also, when one head was severed, two grew back in it’s place. The Hydra has a trait of being able to deal with difficult situations. I know this because the term hydra means “commonly applied to any complex situation or problem that continually poses compounded difficulties.” This can relate to today’s society with its traits of being able to solve complex problems by leaders or managers of jobs.
Another frightening creature is the Typhon.
The Typhon, also referred to as “Typhoeus,” is a “fierce and monstrous son” to Gaea. As for his own offspring, Echidna was his daughter who is a “half woman and half dragon.” He was burned alive after a Greek, Zeus, was overwhelmed with fright of him. Fire was set on him under Mount Aetna. The Typhon can relate to today’s society with the fact that he was “frightful” to people like cops, who tend to scare “trouble-makers.” These “trouble-makers” have been recorded to harm police as revenge just like Zeus did to the Typhon.
One final curious creature I find interest in is the Polyphemus, also known as the Cyclops. This creature is an “enormous giant” with one eye. He has a reputation of pinning Greeks in his cave. After doing so, he then devours the Greeks. One of these Greeks was Odysseus who fought the Cyclops by getting him drunk in order to take advantage of him. The Cyclops was unhappy due to his love with the sea nymph called “Galatea.” This love can relate to today's society with hopeless romantic humans on
Earth, Through all of this information that I have learned, I found is that these traits were not random with the creatures. The traits seem to have symbolic meanings that show through the creature’s responsibilities. Looking from a different point of view, the physical appearance of these creatures may appeal to the younger crowd. As for the older crowd, they have the creature’s traits and personalities to understand. All in all, a variety of information and even entertainment can be offered with Greek mythology, all it takes is effort to obtain the knowledge.
I have realized that once one has been introduced to Greek mythology, it is very difficult to stop the learning process. I believe this due to personal experience. I have also realized that epics are not anywhere close to fairy tales that I assumed Greek mythology was when I began to learn about the subject. I also assumed there was no point to these epics. In order to break that mental barrier of not pursuing the knowledge, one must find an interest in that subject. I definitely did after I arrived in the unit of my English class that required the subject to be learned.