Hybrid beasts in folklore
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Hybrid beasts are creatures composed of parts from different
In burial sites
Remains similar to those of mythological hybrids have been found in burial sites discovered by archaeologists. Known combinations include
Description
These forms'
Such hybrids can be classified as partly human hybrids (such as
Paleolithic
Partly human hybrids appear in
Ancient Egypt
Examples of humans with animal heads (
Non-human hybrids also appear in ancient Egyptian iconography, as in Ammit (combining the crocodile, lion, and hippopotamus).
Ancient Middle East
Mythological hybrids became very popular in
The Old Babylonian
Harpies were human sized birds with the faces of human women. They were once considered beautiful creatures but over time were then considered to be ugly and hideous. Harpies were used for torture; their most known torture was that of Phineus who was said to have offended the heavens. They would torture their victims by taking food from them and polluting what was left with their feces. They would leave just enough for their victims to stay alive.
Mediterranean
In
The motif of the winged man appears in the Assyrian
.The motif of otherwise human figures sporting
Hinduism
The most prominent hybrid in Hindu iconography is elephant-headed Ganesha, god of wisdom, knowledge and new beginnings.
Both Nāga and Garuda are non-hybrid mythical animals (snake and bird, respectively) in their early attestations, but become partly human hybrids in later iconography.
The
Known mythological hybrids
See also
- Animal worship
- Bestiary
- Human-animal hybrid
- Hybrid
- Liminal being
- Monster
- Power animal
- Shapeshifting
- Therianthropy
- Theriocephaly
References
- ^ Geggel, Laura (July 21, 2015). "Horse-Cows? Bizarre 'Hybrid' Animals Found in Ancient Burials in England". LiveScience.
- ISBN 978-1-57859-078-0.
- ^ Eliade, Mircea (1965). Rites and Symbols of Initiation: the mysteries of birth and rebirth. Harper & Row.
- ^ a term of Marija Gimbutas', see e.g. The language of the goddess: unearthing the hidden symbols of western civilization San Francisco: Harper & Row; London: Thames and Hudson (1989).
- ISSN 1055-7660.
- ISBN 978-0-292-70794-8.
- ISBN 978-90-72371-52-2.
Sources
- Frey-Anthes H. (2007). "Mischwesen". Wissenschaftliche Bibellexikon (WiBiLex) (in German). Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. Retrieved 2015-12-28.
- Evslin, Bernard. "Monsters of Greek Mythology Volume One ." 2014. Hornung E. Komposite Gottheiten in der ägyptischen Ikonographie // Uehlinger C. (Hg.), Images as media. Sources for the cultural history of the Near East and the eastern Mediterranean (1st millennium BCE) (OBO 175), Freiburg (Schweiz) / Göttingen, 1–20. 2000. (in German)
- Evslin, Bernard. "Monsters of Greek Mythology Volume One ." 2014.Nash H. Judgment of the humanness/animality of mythological hybrid (part-human, part-animal) figures // The Journal of Social Psychology. 1974. Т. 92. №. 1. pp. 91–102.
- Lawrence, Elizabeth. "The Centaur: Its History and Meaning in Human Culture." 27 Apr. 1994, ProQuest 195357938
- Murgatroyd, Paul. "5. Other Winged Monsters ." Mythical Monsters in Classical Literature, Bloomsbury, pp. 10–69.
- Nash H. Human/Animal Body Imagery: Judgment of Mythological Hybrid (Part-Human, Part-Animal) Figures // The Journal of General Psychology. 1980. Т. 103. №. 1. pp. 49–108.
- Nash H. How Preschool Children View Mythological Hybrid Figures: A Study of Human/animal Body Imagery. ISBN 9780819123244
- Nash H., Pieszko H. The multidimensional structure of mythological hybrid (part-human, part-animal) figures // The Journal of General Psychology. 1982. Т. 106. №. 1. pp. 35–55.
- Nash H. The Centaur’s Origin: A Psychological Perspective // The Classical World. 1984. pp. 273–291.
- Pires B. ANATOMY AND GRAFTS: From Ancient Myths, to Modern Reality [1][2] / Pires M. A., Casal D., Arrobas da Silva F., Ritto I C., Furtado I A., Pais D., Goyri ONeill J E. / Nova Medical School, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portuguese Anatomical Society, (AAP/SAP), PORTUGAL.
- Posthumus L. Hybrid monsters in the Classical World: the nature and function of hybrid monsters in Greek mythology, literature and art. Stellenbosch: University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
External links
- Religionswissenschaft.uzh.ch., Iconography of Deities and Demons in the Ancient Near East (University of Zurich)