Greek Mythology

Greek Mythology - tales of Narcissus, tales of Tartarus' terrifying offsprings

Written by GHP on 5:43 AM

Greek Mythology - tales of Narcissus, tales of Tartarus' terrifying offsprings

Narcissism, the term meaning love of one self, came from the Greek mythology story of Narcissus.

Narcissus

Narcissus was loved by the nymph Echo. When Narcissus would not love her in return, Echo died of grief and faded away into the mountains, where all that remained of her was her voice. Narcissus’ beauty inspired beyond the opposite gender; he was loved by both men and women, but he was unmoved by their passion. One day, after hunting for many hours, he stopped by a clear pool to drink and saw himself in the water for the first time. At last he fell in love, but it was with his own reflection. In an attempt to embrace his own image, he threw himself into the water and drowned. His body was transformed into the narcissus flower, whose head always droops downward.

One of the things that made Greek Mythology so appealing is the many monsters that appear in these myths

Monstrous Children of Tartarus

Together with Gaea, the god Tartarus created a family of monsters. However, out of all of Tartarus’ offsprings Typhon, a fire-breathing, hurricane-spawning giant, was the most dangerous. After a prolonged contest, Zeus trapped Typhon under Mount Aetna, where he still breathes fire today. Typhon produced several terrifying children of his own. Among them was the Hydra, who was killed by Heracles, and the Chimaera, who died at the hands of Bellerophon. Hera transformed Tartarus’ daughter, Scylla, into a monster who sat on a rock between Italy and Sicily, wrecking ships and eating sailors.

Other children of Tartarus include:

- Cereberus, the famous 3-headed hound that is pet to Hades

- Orthus, the lesser known hound. 2-headed hound of Geryones

- The Eagle, who is responsible for devouring Prometheus’ liver everyday

Greek Mythology - tales of Narcissus, tales of Tartarus' terrifying offsprings