Mythological Monsters Quiz
This many-headed water serpent was pretty hard to kill--cut off one head, two more appear.
- Hercules managed to slay the Hydra as his second labor.
This monster is why peacocks' tails have eyes.
- After Hermes killed the hundred-eyed Argus, Hera took the eyes and put them in a peacock's tail.
This fire-breathing mishmash of a monster was a lion with a goat's head in the middle of its back and a dragon's head for a tail.
- The Chimera was slain by Bellerophon with the help of Pegasus.
The granddaddy (well, daddy) of monsters, he sired Cerberus, Hydra, Chimera, and Sphinx among others.
- Typhon, the son of Gaea, was so bad Zeus himself set Typhon on fire and buried him under Mt. Etna.
The original hound from hell, this pooch had three heads, a tail and mane of snakes, and guarded the entrance to Hades.
- Hercules captured Cerberus as the last of his twelve labors.
Talk about ugly. Just looking at this snake-haired monster would turn you to stone.
- Medusa offended Athena, resulting in a bad hair life. Perseus killed Medusa by using his shield as a mirror.
In Egypt, this beast had the body of a lion and the head of a man; in Greece, it had the breasts and head of a woman and wings.
- The Grecian sphinx also had wings and asked Oedipus a riddle.
They're giants with only one eye. Odysseus and his men were imprisoned by one.
- According to Homer, Polyphemus ate a few of Odysseus' men before they blinded him and escaped. Hesiod portrays the Cyclopes as being foul-tempered but not quite as nasty.
If looks could kill: this tiny king of serpents' single glance would knock you dead—if his bad breath or trail of deadly venom didn't get you first.
- Many centuries of story telling caused the Basilisk to grow from a small snake to a mightier reptile. Harry Potter met a huge basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets.
This half-man, half-bull beast was kept in a labyrinth on Crete.
- King Minos of Crete demanded seven youths and seven maidens a year for the Minotaur. Theseus finally killed the monster.
