During its tangled history mythology gave rise to such famous creatures, like Hydra, Hades and his many-headed greyhound, Anansi the spider and many others. But there are many strange animals that we have never heard of. The following are little-known or completely unknown beasts from the legends:
9. Crocotta
classical mythology
In addition, Cyrene was not just a brave girl, but also a beautiful girl. He made no attempt to convince her and forced her to mount his golden chariot to lead her to the city that was baptized in her name. Apollo was so pleased and pleased with this meeting that it allowed her to exaggerate her greatest wish. Kirin, an excellent hunter, did not really have much maternal instinct so he asked that he could live his hunting life in the mountains. Apollo, pleased with the request that allowed him to participate in other adventures, gave her long life dedicated to hunting.
Descriptions of this strange dog-like creature vary, but most sources describe the crocotta or leucrotta as a dog that roams India looking for people to kill and eat. Crocotta is another one of those creatures that either could have been invented by researchers or could have been incorrectly described by ancient zoologists. According to legend, the creature mimics the noises made by humans in order to attract its victims and devour them. If you manage to survive, which is very unlikely, you can rip out his crystal eyes and put them under your tongue. Congratulations, you can now predict the future.
The son born of this love, named Aresto, was entrusted to the nymphs Myrto, daughter of Hermes-Mercury, who made him a big guess. Very young, minute and winged, were the nymphs of the meadows. The dances on the grass and meadows were performed with such grace and ease as to touch the stems, leaves, and corolla without bending them. Butterflies and butterflies were their friends, but being gifted with the power of transformation, they could turn into an honest maiden and wander through the mountains, valleys and forests, in complete solitude.
They were the daughters of the ocean and numbered fifty. Equipped great beauty and special charm, they symbolized "Akk-life", and for this they were extremely generous and altruistic. Among their tasks was to help the sailors, so it was not uncommon to see that they seemed to be beautiful mirages among the waves that slide along the sides of the ships.
8. Yale
classical mythology
Yale, an entertaining creature described in " natural history» Pliny the Elder, also known as the Centicore, is a deer-like creature with amazing super strength. A fearsome weapon in its own right, its horns can turn in any direction to strike at the unsuspecting hunter or foolish myth seeker. Therefore, the next time you and your friends go hunting, be careful, you can run into Yale's sharp horns.
The most beautiful nymph ever seen on the waves of the sea, Anfitrita courted everyone, gods and mortals alike. Her Poseidon, god of the sea, looked at her. Like other rescuers, even the Lord of the seas and oceans, the beautiful nymph, whose name literally means "the third element", mercifully, but firmly, always rejected loving victims. Poseidon, however, was not used to spending and did not win for Anfitrite, in order to avoid his continued attacks, he decided to leave his naval residence and take refuge in the Atlas Mountains.
To convince her, after many failed attempts, she succeeded in Dolphin, who, with eloquence equal to the perseverance of Poseidon, conquered all the resistance of the beautiful nymph. Two rolled up for the wedding and a beautiful nymph went to live in the Golden Palace in the depths of the waters, as the Queen of the Abyss. Anfitrite finally lost his patience. Especially with the beautiful Shilla, on whom riding guarded much more attention than other women.
7. Catoblepas
classical mythology
Cows are not the most vicious animals. Their cute faces and tasty meat are not signs of danger, unless of course you are talking about mad cow disease or their mythical cousin catoblepas. Mythology breeds quite strange creatures, but this creature goes beyond the usual weirdness. Catoblepas was a cow and grazed on the banks of the rivers. Because of the plants he ate, his breath was terribly toxic, and his gaze was killing on the spot. It is believed that the legends about this creature originate from the meetings of ancient people with wildebeest, which is somehow unfair to these antelopes.
Generous with all beings, Eurynon was, in particular, with poor Hephaestus when the little God was thrown from Olympus. The son of Era and an almost unknown father, Hephaestus, who would become one of the strongest, most cruel and quick-tempered Gods of Olympus, was a weak and deformed card at birth. Eurynon took care of the little abandoned one: he raised him, looked after him and brought him up as real mother, and Hephaestus was eternally grateful to her.
beautiful white face, such as pearls, long hair and silvery silvery reflections, hard arms and flowery breasts, however, Eurynon was not like the sisters: she was half woman and half fish, but she was not a Mermaid, a being half woman and half bird.
6. Ao Ao
Mythology Guarani (Guarani) 
You will not find a creature like Ao Ao even in bestiaries or in the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. According to legend, looking like a sheep or a peccary (a kind of pig that lives in the jungle), Ao Ao is a dangerous, fanged monster who will gladly turn you into his dinner. Its name comes from the sound it makes, and to stop this creature you have to run around sacred tree. After you do this, Ao Ao will get confused and stop running after you. When you get rid of Ao Ao, you will have to solve only one question - how to get out of the Paraguayan forest.
She invaded the god of the sea, Poseidon and asked her to marry. Despite her sincere love for the beautiful Tethys, she refused marriage, choosing her sister Anfitrit. The nymph collected the tears that flowed from the eyes of Elio's daughters, and amber was sacred to the Sun. One of the most beautiful Nereids, but absolutely incapable of marriage. For this reason, perhaps, she became the inseparable companion of the other Goddess Diana, in contrast to her loving approach. Once a nymph was bathing in the river Alfeo, who, at the sight of her beauty, blushed with love.
Alleged human manifestations, Alfeo tried to use violence. Aretus, in order to escape from him, called for the help of Diana, who turned her into spring, but Alfeo returned to the river, joined her waters to the springs. The daughter of King Ceophei, Princess Andromeda was so beautiful that her mother, Queen Cassiopeia, blinded by maternal pride, decided to compare her beauty with that of the Nymphed nymphs. "Compared to the beauty of my Andromeda, once ceased, the daughters of the Divine Doris would look like a good day during an eclipse."
5. Indian ants
medieval mythology
Attention: creepy giant insects are waiting for you ahead. Ants are one of nature's greatest builders and workers, but like most insects, they cause dislike in some people. Luckily for these people, ants are usually small in size and quite harmless, unless you're traveling in South America, where fire ants and many other unpleasant creatures are found.
She never talked about it! The god of Dorida, but above all his fifty daughters, felt so offended by being so bold that he devised a really cunning shot to throw off the beautiful Andromeda. They prayed and persuaded Poseidon, king of the sea, to send sea monster to terrorize the realm of Chefeo. The monster has arrived, punctual and fearsome, to devastate islands and shores. To put an end to such evil, the Oracle, after asking, replied that only the sacrifice of the beautiful Andromeda would cancel the wrath of the Nereids.
Despite the fact that it was a great pain, poor Andromeda did not hide her fate. Taken on a rock, he waited for the monster to come out of the sea and make tasty snack. Cheerful, buoyant, cheerful and chatty like the waters in which they lived; Their home was the Enchanted Palace, which stood next to streams, rivers, lakes, springs, and springs. They had the task of making the water transparent, gliding and feeding vegetation, making it green and lush. They were girls of new beauty and happy smiles; they were mortal, but from eternal youth.
Unfortunately, the ancients decided that the deadly fellow ordinary ants were not enough for them and decided to compose a story about giant ants guarding gold. Legends say that somewhere in the vastness of the world, in distant deserts and places where people are very rare, giant ants guard huge heaps of treasures. If you manage to break through the ants, the gold is yours. Naturally, only a few made their way through them. Why? Well… giant ants, after all. Do I need to explain?
They possessed many other virtues, such as being able to take any form they wanted. Their existence was a continuous interplay of games, dances and songs. They appeared and disappeared with the speed of a firefly, between cobblestones, uprisings, waterfalls and streams, in a succession of games of metamorphosis and transformation. Gods, satyrs and hunters were irresistibly drawn to their chants and their new beauty, and the game of transformation often became a means of avoiding them - just the example of Apollo and Daphne.
However, it was not always that the nymphs suffered love attacks, sometimes they just had to set them in motion. He paid her a companion of Ercol on the way of the Argonauts to Colchis. She, one of the rowers, was handsome boy with great charm, and Hercules loved him as a child. While he was in vogue, the boy lost his oar, so he had to go down to find a tree suitable for making another. They landed her, Hercules, and a certain Polyremus. After looking and finding a tree and a matching branch, Hercules immediately set to work to overthrow him as he went to the nearest spring to draw water for himself and his companions.
4. Bird Roc (Roc)
Indian and Persian mythology
Suppose you are in India, and by a lucky chance you meet Indian elephant. After eating peanuts together, you become lifelong friends, and then you look away for a minute, and turning back, you see that the elephant is no more. You look up and see something being carried away by the unfortunate animal. This is how you met the Roc, the giant mythological bird mentioned by the famous explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton. Roc is, of course, very dangerous, and you will be a great addition to her carnivorous dinner for her - maybe you will find yourself in her nest as a side dish for elephant meat with tartar sauce. Or you can run away as soon as you spot her. Probably the last one is better.
There was a pit of Naiads in the water, who had fun for several hours of rest. At the sight of beauty young man they stopped playing. But as soon as the boy hugged his eyebrows to collect water from a silver jug, the nymphs raised their hands and pulled them to the bottom. Polifemo, who was watching the scene a few yards away, screamed, and his cries attracted the attention of Hercules, who he immediately noticed. When, however, the hero reached spring, the water was cheetah and still, and it was not there, since there were no nymphs.
The most famous spring nymph of Roman mythology. Giano's wife, was the mother of Tern, king of Rutuli and opponent of Aeneas. An oracle hung on him, according to which he would have died at the hands of Aeneas, the son of Venus. The nymph resisted all his strength against the fate of his son, but nothing against him. In the end, Aeneas, in turn, became a bitter enemy because he dismissed Lavinia, daughter of Latino, king of Lazio, To the source of the Giuturna, in the Roman Forum, legend tells that the horses of Dioscuri: Castor and Pollus were drowned.
3. Jascontius (Aspidochelone)
Greek mythology
This creature is ripped straight out of a storybook. Suppose you and your friends are at sea and stumble upon an island. This island is not on the map, but you foolishly decide to moor anyway. After a while, the island starts to move. Say hello to the scaly wonder that is Jascontius. This creature is a huge turtle whose back resembles an island. Vegetation grows on the island and over time it even becomes a habitat for wild animals. When the unfortunate sailors light a fire on his back, the Jascontius plunges back under the water, drowning the sailors, and destroying their ship. Not exactly the tropical getaway everyone was hoping for.
They were quirky and still virgins, very young. Their task was to protect nature, to make it pleasant and lush. Another task was to protect the newly blossomed lovers, for whom they were called by boyfriends who were going to bathe in the river waters, calling for fertility after the wedding.
They were also healers, and the waters in which they lived were beneficial and took care of various diseases, including infertility. They were mortal, but lived long and forever young, so their lives were happy, spent between singing, dancing and telling love.
2. Firebird
Russian mythology
We all know about the Phoenix, the legendary bird that rises from the ashes after it burns to the ground, but few have heard of its Russian relative, the firebird. A creature from Russian fairy tales, beautifully glowing in the darkness of the forest, is the subject of a great and almost impossible search for a hero. Sometimes the firebird leads the way, other times it is the subject of a search, and its feathers are considered very valuable prey. It would be nice to start a firebird farm, wouldn't it?
A beautiful river nymph, Daphne was the daughter of Gaia, the Earth Mother, who was also a priestess. Daphne was rather unflappable for marriage, like many nymphs who preferred a carefree life. adolescence. Its great beauty, however, inevitably attracted the attention of many courtiers, as the milk attracts flies. Two in particular: Apollo and a certain leuquippo. Daphne also rejected them, as with everyone else. However, Luquippo managed to stay close by using a genius trick: he disguised himself as a woman and became part of a group of companions, other nymphs, with whom he used to amuse himself on the banks of the rivers.
1 Huginn And Muninn
Scandinavian mythology
The Norse High God Odin (Norse All-Father Odin) is a pretty cool guy - he donates an eye for sacred knowledge, he is the head of the Pantheon and he has two amazing tame birds. Hugin and Munin are the source of Odin's omniscience, Hugin is the embodiment of wisdom, and Munin is memory. They are also two of the most important creatures in Norse mythology. They act as an extension of Odin, and he constantly worries that the day may come when they will not return.
Apollo discovered the deception, and in order to get rid of the rival, he conceived a really special and cruel system: he made the nymphs bathe in the waters of the river, and when the nymphs discovered the variety of what they believed in their companion, they killed and killed them. Apollo, however, with his stratagem could not be rejected by his beautiful next time. To escape, pursued by Apollo, Daphne called for maternal help, and Gea, the mother of the Goddess, turned her into a laurel, the crown of poets and singers.
Here are fairies and fools, nymphs and mermaids, but also wizards and witches, gorgons and moires. It is here that they meet, where there is no trace, no sound, human voice or breath: invisible spaces, hidden and unknown worlds, whose magical flight is open only to fantasy and sleep.
cyclops- V ancient Greek mythology giants with a large, round, fiery eye in the middle of the forehead. The first three Cyclops were born by the goddess Gaia (Earth) from Uranus (Heaven). In ancient times, the Cyclopes were personifications thunderclouds, from which the "eye" of lightning flashes.
Fantasy literature, in fact, has a long, long tradition. It is born from myth, metaphor, magic and surrealism, and the dominant element is wonder, wonder and even fear. The first one induces fear, suffering and anxiety and does this through the choice of environment: cemeteries, underground, medieval castles, crypts that are perceived as real, verifiable, and possible. fantastic European tradition has roots primarily in the Celtic world, but this would not be the case except in the light of classical mythology: fairies and witches, goblins and gnomes, echoes of nymphs and magicians, genes and satyrs, especially Christian church, reduced the size of fairy tales.
Cyclops Polyphemus. Painting by Tischbein, 1802
Hecatoncheires - children of Gaia and Uranus, hundred-armed giants, against whose terrible power nothing can resist. Mythical incarnations of terrible earthquakes and floods. The Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires were so strong that Uranus himself was horrified by their power. He tied them up and threw them deep into the earth, where they went on a rampage, causing volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Earth-Gaia began to inflict terrible suffering on the presence of these giants in her womb, and she persuaded her younger son, titan Krona ("Time"), to take revenge on his father, Uranus, by castrating him. Kron made it with a sickle.
From the drops of blood of Uranus shed during castration, Gaia conceived and gave birth to three Erinnius- goddesses of vengeance with snakes on their heads instead of hair. Erinnia's names are Tisiphone (killing avenger), Alecto (tireless pursuer) and Megara (terrible).
The Goddess of the Night (Nyukta), in anger at the lawlessness committed by Kron, gave birth to terrible, monstrous creatures: Tanata(Death), Eridu(Discord) Apatou(Deception), Ker(goddesses of violent death), Hypnos(Dream), Nemesis(Revenge), Gerasa(Old age), Charon(carrier of the dead to the underworld).
Forky- the evil god of the stormy sea and storms. The children of Phorky in ancient Greek mythology were the monsters gorgons, grays, sirens, Echidna and Skilla.
Keto- the evil goddess of the deep sea, sister and wife of Phorky. Both of them personified the majestic and terrible phenomena of the sea.
Grays- personifications of old age. Three ugly sisters: Deino (trembling), Pemphedo (Anxiety) and Enyo (malice, horror). Gray from birth, they have one eye and one tooth for three. This eye was once stolen from them by the hero Perseus. In exchange for the return of the eye, the Grays had to show Perseus the way to Medusa Gorgon.
Skill(Scylla - "Barking") - scary monster with 12 legs, six necks and six heads, each with three rows of teeth. Scylla emits a continuous shrill bark.
Charybdis- the personification of the all-consuming sea abyss. A terrible whirlpool that absorbs and spews sea moisture three times a day. The ancient Greeks believed that Scylla and Charybdis lived along different parties Strait of Messina (between Italy and Sicily). Odysseus sailed between Scylla and Charybdis during his wanderings
Gorgons- three sisters, three winged snake-haired monsters. Names of the Gorgons: Euryale ("leaping far"), Stheno ("mighty") and Medusa ("sovereign, guardian"). Of the three sisters, only Medusa was mortal, possessing the ability to turn everything to stone with her terrible gaze. She was killed by the hero Perseus. retained his magic power the look of the dead Gorgon Medusa later helped Perseus defeat the sea monster and save the beautiful Andromeda.
Head of Medusa. Painting by Rubens, c. 1617-1618
Pegasus – winged horse, a favorite of music. Conceived by the Gorgon Medusa from the god Poseidon. During the murder of Medusa, Perseus jumped out of her body.
Sirens- in ancient Greek myths, monsters that have a beautiful female head, and the body and legs are birdlike (according to other stories - fish). With the bewitching singing of the sirens, the sailors were lured to their magical island, where they were torn to pieces and devoured. Only the ship Odysseus safely passed by this island. He ordered all his companions to cover their ears with wax so as not to hear the voices of the sirens. He himself enjoyed their singing, tightly tied to the mast.
Odysseus and the Sirens. Painting by J. W. Waterhouse, 1891
Echidna("Viper") - a gigantic half-woman half-snake of a ferocious nature, with a beautiful face and a spotted snake body.
Tavmant- the god of sea miracles, an underwater giant. Harpies were considered his daughters.
Harpies- in ancient Greek mythology - the personification of destructive storms and whirlwinds. Monsters that have the wings and clawed feet of a vulture, but the chest and head are female. They suddenly come and go. Kidnap children and human souls.
Typhon("Smoke, Chad") - a terrible monster born of Gaia-Earth. The personification of gases that burst from the bowels of the earth and cause volcanic eruptions. Typhon entered into a struggle with Zeus for power over the universe and almost won it. In ancient Greek myths, Typhon is a giant who had one hundred hissing dragon heads with black tongues and flaming eyes. Zeus blew off all Typhon's heads with lightning bolts and threw his body into the abyss of Tartarus.
Zeus throws lightning at Typhon
Kerberos(Cerberus) - a terrible three-headed dog, the son of Typhon and Echidna. The guardian of the exit from the underworld of Hades, who does not let anyone out of there. Hercules, during his eleventh feat, took Cerberus out of the bowels of the earth, but then he was returned back
Orff- a monstrous two-headed dog, the son of Typhon and Echidna, the father of the Sphinx and the Nemean lion. Belonged to the giant Gerion and guarded his magical bulls. Killed by Hercules during the abduction of these bulls (tenth feat).
(“The Strangler”) - in ancient Greek mythology (as opposed to Egyptian) - a monstrous maiden with the body of a dog, wings of a bird and a female head. Having settled near the city of Thebes in Boeotia, the Sphinx devoured young men who could not solve her riddle: "who walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening." The riddle was solved by the hero Oedipus, and the Sphinx then threw herself into the abyss.
Sphinx. Detail of a painting by F.C. Fabre. Late XVIII - early XIX centuries
Empusa- in ancient Greek mythology, a night ghost, a woman with donkey legs, who knew how to take on a wide variety of guises (most often cows, beautiful girl or a dog with one leg of copper and the other of dung). She sucked blood from sleeping people, often ate their meat.
Lamia- in ancient Greek myths, the daughter of Poseidon, with whom Zeus entered into a relationship. The wife of Zeus, angry at this, Hera, deprived Lamia of beauty, made her an ugly monster and killed her children. In desperation, Lamia began to take children away from other mothers. She ate these children. She has since regained her beauty only to seduce men and then kill them and drink their blood. Coming into a mad frenzy, Lamia can fall asleep only after she takes out her own eyes and puts them in a bowl. In later fairy tales lamia was a special kind of creature close to medieval vampires.
Nemean lion son of Typhon and Echidna. A lion of enormous size with a skin that no weapon could penetrate. Strangled by Hercules during the first labor.
Hercules kills the Nemean Lion. Copy from the statue of Lysippus
lernaean hydra Daughter of Typhon and Echidna. huge snake with nine heads, in which instead of one cut off, three new ones grew. Killed by Hercules during the second feat: the hero, having cut off the Hydra's head, burned the severed place with a burning brand, which is why new heads stopped growing.
Stymphalian birds - monstrous birds fed by the god Ares with copper beaks, claws and feathers, which they could pour on the ground like arrows. They ate people and crops. Partly exterminated, partly driven off by Hercules during his third labor.
kerinean fallow deer - a deer with golden horns and copper legs, never knowing fatigue. She was sent as a punishment to people by the goddess Artemis to the ancient Greek region of Arcadia, where she rushed through the fields, devastating crops. Caught by Hercules during his fourth labor. Hero whole year pursued the doe at a run and overtook it far to the north, at the source of the Istra (Danube).
Erymanthian boar - a huge boar that lived in Arcadia, on Mount Erimanthe, and terrified the whole district. The fifth feat of Hercules was that he drove this boar into deep snow. When the boar got stuck there, Hercules tied him up and took him to King Eurystheus.
Hercules and the Erymanthian boar. Statue of L. Tuyon, 1904
Photo by Georg Slickers
Horses of Diomedes - the mares of the Thracian king Diomedes ate human flesh and were chained to their stalls with iron chains, for no other fetters could hold them. During his eighth feat, Hercules took possession of these monstrous horses, but they tore apart his companion, Abder.
Geryon- a giant from the island of Erifia, located on the western edge of the earth. It had three bodies, three heads, six arms and six legs. Performing his tenth feat, Hercules reached Erithia on the golden boat of the solar god Helios and entered into battle with Geryon, who threw three spears at him at once. Hercules killed the giant and the two-headed dog Orff, which belonged to him, after which he stole the magic cows of Gerion to Greece.
periphet- in ancient Greek mythology, a lame giant, the son of the god Hephaestus. He lived in the mountains near the cities of Epidaurus and Troesena and killed all passing travelers with an iron club. Killed by the hero Theseus, who since then carried the club of Perithet everywhere with him, like Hercules the skin of the Nemean lion.
Sinid- a ferocious giant robber who killed the people he met, tying them to two bent pines, which he then released. The pines, straightening up, tore the unfortunate. Killed by the hero Theseus.
Skiron- a giant robber who lived on the edge of one of the rocks of the Greek Isthmus Isthm. He forced passers-by to wash their feet. As soon as the traveler bowed to do this, Skiron kicked him off the cliff into the sea. The bodies of the dead were devoured by a gigantic turtle. Skiron was killed by Theseus.
Kerkion- a monstrous giant who challenged Theseus to a wrestling match. Theseus strangled him with his hands in the air, as once Hercules Anthea.
Procrustes(“Extractor”) - (another name is Damast) a fierce villain who laid people who fell into his hands on his bed. If the bed was short, Procrustes chopped off the unfortunate legs, and if it was long, he stretched it to the desired size. Killed by Theseus. Expression " Procrustean bed" has become a household word.
Minotaur- a son born to the wife of the Cretan king Minos, Pasiphae, from an unnatural passion for a bull. The Minotaur was a monster with a human body and a bull's head. Minos kept him in the Labyrinth, which was built by the great master Daedalus in the capital of Crete, Knossos. The Minotaur was a cannibal and fed on criminals sentenced to death, as well as young men and women who were sent to Crete from Athens in the form of tribute. Killed by Theseus: he voluntarily went to Minos among the doomed "tributaries", killed Minos in the Labyrinth, and then safely exited this intricate structure with the help of the Minotaur's sister, Ariadne, in love with him, and her thread.
Theseus kills the Minotaur. Drawing on an ancient Greek vase
Photo by Marie-Lan Nguyen
Lestrigons- in ancient Greek myths, a tribe of cannibal giants that lived on one of the islands, past which Odysseus sailed. The lestrigons strung the captured sailors on stakes, like fish, and carried them away to be eaten, and their ships were smashed, throwing huge stones from the rocks.
Kirka hands Odysseus a bowl of witchcraft. Painting by J. W. Waterhouse
Chimera("Young goat") - in ancient Greek mythology, a monster with the head and neck of a lion, the body of a goat and a snake's tail. Killed by the hero Bellerophon.
Styx(from the common Indo-European root "cold", "horror") - the personification of primitive horror and darkness and the goddess of the river of the same name in underworld Aida. Dwells in the extreme west, in the abode of the night. He lives in a luxurious palace, whose silver columns rest against the sky.
Charon- among the ancient Greeks, the carrier of the souls of the dead across the river Styx. A gloomy old man in rags, with feverishly looking eyes. The name is sometimes translated as "having a sharp look."
Python(from the word "rot") - scary dragon, who owned the Delphic sanctuary in ancient times. Python, like Typhon, was the son of Gaia. Python wrapped around Delphi with seven or nine rings of his long body. The god Apollo entered into a fight with him and killed Python, releasing 100 (according to others ancient Greek myths– 1000) arrows. After that, the Delphic sanctuary became the temple of Apollo. By the name of Python, his soothsayer, Pythia, is named.
Giants- the sons of Gaia-Earth. 150 terrible monsters with dragon tails instead of legs and human bodies. The giants were covered with thick hair and had long beards. Gaia gave birth to them either from drops of blood from the cut off sexual organ of Uranus, or from the seed of Tartarus, or by herself, angry that the Olympian gods cast the titans into Tartarus. Like the titans, the giants entered the battle with the gods: they began to throw rocks and trees at Olympus from the volcanic Phlegraean fields. Thanks to the help of the Cyclopes, Hecatoncheirs and Hercules
