The Phoenix

The Phoenix is considered a sacred firebird that can be found amongst many mythologies. Depicted in colors of red, gold, yellow, crimson and scarlet. Its life cycle ranges from 500 to 1,000 years. Its source comes from the sun. It is widely known for its ability to die in a fiery blaze and rise from the ashes. The process of its death is that once the bird has reached a certain age, it stops hunting and starts gathering dry twigs and leaves. The manner can be related to the Hindu belief in Sati. Or self-immolation to attain enlightenment. Even though it has many variations relating to Hinduism, Egyptians and Christians also know it. Some relations are to be believed with Christ. It represented the resurrection and life-after-death of Christ. In the Egyptian belief, the city of Heliopolis is to have been dedicated to the Sun God Ra and in turn his servant, the Phoenix. The name Heliopolis has Greek origins meaning; “City Of The Sun”. 

Makati, Ashish. "Phoenix - Mythical Creatures Guide." Mythical Creatures and Beasts - Mythical Creatures Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. <http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Phoenix>.

Stefon , Matt. "phoenix (mythological bird)." Encyclopedia Britannica. Britanica, n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/457189/phoenix>.

The Unicorn

A symbol of grace and purity, the Unicorn is a legendary animal known throughout the world. With a body of a horse and a horn protruding from the center of the forehead. Even though these animals did not exist, their existence came to fruition via word of mouth from travelers all around the world.

The idea of the Unicorn has stemmed from different mammals all around the world. The horn itself has deemed as rare amongst collectors. Especially during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The Narwhale was said to have to closest relation to the Unicorn in terms of its horn. Men and women who were scavengers and could obtain this horn made a living off of them and the customer’s stupidity. Then again, during that period, it was believable. But due to the evolution of science and technology, the existence of the horn and the Unicorn have been proven false. Other animals believed to have a relation to the Unicorn is the Rhinoceros, and the Deer. 

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The Hydra

            The second of twelve labors appointed to Hercules in his quest for writing a wrong. The Lernean Hydra. Making a home for itself in the lake of Lernea and eating livestock that wandered into the swampy area, the Hydra was a forced to be reckoned with.  

            After slaying the Nemean Lion, Hercules ventured to the swamps of Lake Lernea. Even though it posed a problem being a gigantic monster. It also had mystical powers. And Hercules found this out the hard way. The Hydra could not be decapitated and killed. It very breath was toxic gas. For every head that was chopped off, two grew back in its place. With the help of Hercules’s nephew, Iolus, there was a solution. By taking a flaming branch, Iolus cauterized the stump before another head could replicate. Even though Hercules set out to kill the Hydra and completed his task, Eurystheus did not count this task towards Hercules’s labors.

            In correlation with the location. The den where the Hydra lived. Legend has it, that beneath the waters was the entrance to the Underworld and the Hydra was its guard.

S.J., and Raymond V. Schoder. Aerial view of site and bay, from E. Photograph . http://www.perseus.tufts.edu. Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, n.d. Web. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/hydra.html>.

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The Minotaur

An angry, savage freak of nature.  It is a symbol that serves as the beast inside all man. Behind the myth, there is a reality. It deals with human sacrifices, bestiality, and the remains of a actual labyrinth.

The story of the Minotaur could be said to have been the horrifying tale told around the campfire in ancient times.   He is the mutant child of a human female and male bull.  In the kingdom of Crete lived King Minos and Queen Pasiphae. They lived happily at the apex of power. Every year it is customary for the king to sacrifice his prize bull as a offering to Sea God, Poseidon.

However one year, a calf was created that was so beautiful, so perfect, so pure that King Minos did not want sacrifice it to the God.  So instead, he cheated Poseidon, by sacrificing a lesser bull in place of his prized possession. Poseidon angered by this treachery decided to punish the king and teach him a lesson that he would not soon forget. Poseidon casted a spell on Minos’s wife Pasiphae. She was to lust for the bull that Minos loved so much. Long story short, nine months later the Minotaur was delivered unto this earth.  Possessing the body of a supernatural man, the head, legs and tail of a bull. The Minotaur was a stigma on King Minos’s reputation.

Even though he could not kill this beast, because it was his wife’s son, King Minos decided an alternate route to erase the Minotaur from the history books. A labyrinth. To complete this task, Minos called upon Daedalus, Crete’s master architect and engineer. It was so complex that even he barely escaped with his life intact. Due to a conflict between Athens and Crete, Athens sacrificed people to the labyrinth of the Minotaur.

On the third time Crete demanded tribute, Theseus traveled with the others. Theseus had one sole purpose. To destroy the Minotaur and save Athens from this disaster.   The hero’s plan was to take string and let it drop onto the ground so that it would be easier to find the way out or to backtrack. However, with a monster of this caliber, the hunter becomes the hunted. One by one the beast hunts down his prey, leaving the best meal for last. A meal to play with.  Finally Theseus caught up with the Minotaur and slayed the beast.

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Pegasus

Probably one of the most iconic figures in Greek Mythology is Pegasus. The white winged horse. The origins of the great beast was sired by none other than the God Of The Sea; Poseidon. And The Gorgon Medusa. The hero Perseus was chosen to slay the Gorgon. He decapitated the demon. After completing this arduous task, Perseus flew back to Seriphos. On the way, drops of blood fell on the earth. It is said that blood of supernatural beings give birth to other being. Pegasus was one of them. After his creation, Pegasus traveled on many journeys. His final destination was Mount Olympus to serve the god of thunder, Zeus. During his time with Zeus, he carried his lightening bolts around. It was here that Pegasus spent the last of days and as a reward, Zeus transformed Pegasus into a constellation.

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