A host of legendary creatures, animals, and mythic humanoids occur in ancient Greek mythology. Anything related to mythology is mythological. A mythological creature (also mythical or fictional entity) is a type of fictional entity, typically a hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), but may be featured in historical accounts before modernity. Something mythological can also be described as mythic, mythical, or mythologic.
Dragons
The dragons of Greek mythology were serpentine monsters. They include the serpent-like Drakons, the marine-dwelling Cetea, and the she-monster Dracaenae. Homer describes the dragons with wings and legs.
- The Colchian Dragon, an unsleeping dragon that guarded the Golden Fleece.
- Cychreides, a dragon that terrorized Salamis before being slain, tamed, or driven out by Cychreus.
- Delphyne, female dragon.
- Demeter's dragons, a pair of winged dragons that drew Demeter's chariot and, after having been given as a gift, that of Triptolemus.
- Giantomachian dragon, a dragon that was thrown at Athena during the Giant war. She threw it into the sky where it became the constellation Draco.
- The Ismenian Dragon, a dragon which guarded the sacred spring of Ares near Thebes; it was slain by Cadmus.
- Ladon, a serpent-like dragon that guarded the golden apples of the immortality of the Hesperides.
- Lernaean Hydra, also known as King Hydra, is a many-headed, serpent-like creature that guarded an Underworld entrance beneath Lake Lerna. It was destroyed by Heracles, in his second Labour. Son of Typhon and Echidna.
- Maeonian Drakon, a dragon that lived in the kingdom of Lydia and was killed by Damasen.
- Medea's dragons, a pair of flying dragons that pulled Medea's chariot. Born from the blood of the Titans.
- Nemean dragon, a dragon that guarded Zeus' sacred grove in Nemea.
- Ophiogenean dragon, a dragon that guarded Artemis' sacred grove in Mysia.
- Pitanian dragon, a dragon in Pitane, Aeolis, that was turned to stone by the gods.
- Pyrausta, a four-legged insect with filmy wings and a dragon's head.
- Python, a dragon that guarded the oracle of Delphi; it was slain by Apollo.
- Rhodian dragons, serpents that inhabited the island of Rhodes; they were killed by Phorbus.
- Thespian dragon, a dragon that terrorized the city of Thespiae in Boeotia.
- Trojan dragons, a pair of dragons or giant serpents from Tenedos sent by various gods to kill Laocoön and his sons in order to stop him from telling his people that the Wooden Horse was a trap.
Drakons
Drakons ("δράκους" in Greek, "dracones" in Latin) were giant serpents, sometimes possessing multiple heads or able to breathe fire (or even both), but most just spit deadly poison. They are usually depicted without wings.
- The Ethiopian Dragon was a breed of giant serpent native to the lands of Ethiopia. They killed elephants and rivaled the longest-lived animals. They are mentioned in the work of Aelian, On The Characteristics Of Animals (Greek: Περί ζώων ιδιότητος)[11]
- The Indian Dragon was a breed of the giant serpent which could fight and strangle the elephants of India.[12][13]
- The Laconian Drakon was one of the most fearsome of all the drakons.
Cetea
Cetea were sea monsters. They were usually featured in myths of a hero rescuing a sacrificial princess.
- The Ethiopian Cetus was a sea monster sent by Poseidon to ravage Ethiopia and devour Andromeda. It was slain by Perseus.
- The Trojan Cetus was a sea monster that plagued Troy before being slain by Heracles.
- Cetea at Taprobana were sea monsters at Taprobana (modern Sri Lanka).[14][15]
Dracaenae
The Dracaenae were monsters that had the upper body of a beautiful woman and the lower body of any sort of dragon. Echidna, the mother of monsters, and Ceto, the mother of sea monsters, are two famous dracaenae. Some Dracaenae were even known to have had in place two legs, and one (or two) serpent tails.
- Ceto (or Keto), a marine goddess who was the mother of all sea monsters as well as Echidna and other dragons and monsters.
- Echidna, wife of Typhon and mother of monsters.
- Kampê, a dracaena that was charged by Cronus with the job of guarding the gates of Tartarus; she was slain by Zeus when he rescued the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires from their prison.
- Poena, a dracaena sent by Apolo to ravage the kingdom of Argos as punishment for the death of his infant son Linos; killed by Coraebus.
- Scylla, a dracaena that was the lover of Poseidon, transformed by Circe into a multi-headed monster that fed on sailors on vessels passing between her and Charybdis.
- Scythian Dracaena, the Dracaena queen of Scythia; she stole Geryon's cattle that Heracles was herding through the region and agreed to return them on condition he mate with her.
- Sybaris, a dracaena that lived on a mountain near Delphi, eating shepherds and passing travelers; she was pushed off the cliff by Eurybarus.
Automatons
Automatons, or Colossi, were men/women, animals and monsters crafted out of metal and made animate in order to perform various tasks. They were created by the divine smith, Hephaestus. The Athenian inventor Daedalus also manufactured automatons.
- The Hippoi Kabeirikoi, four bronze horse-shaped automatons crafted by Hephaestus to draw the chariot of the Cabeiri.
- The Keledones, singing maidens sculpted out of gold by Hephaestus.
- The Khalkotauroi also known as the Colchis Bulls, fire-breathing bulls created by Hephaestus as a gift for Aeëtes.
- The Kourai Khryseai, golden maidens sculpted by Hephaestus to attend him in his household.
- Talos, a giant man made out of bronze to protect Europa.
Deified human beings
In addition to the famous deities, the ancient Greeks also worshiped a number of deified human beings. For example, Alabandus at Alabanda, Tenes at Tenedos, Leucothea and her son Palaemon were worshiped throughout Greece.[17]