What makes mythical villains evil

Although they can still be dangerous and mysterious, they also step up as allies. Centaurs, though perhaps the most recognizable, are not the only part-human hybrid creature of ancient Greek origin. Mythical beasts and beings have roots all over the world. Click to learn more about just a few of the many.

These inhabitants of rivers, ponds and swamps can be both dangerous and playful, either attacking unlucky swimmers or challenging them to sumo wrestling matches. Stories of Anansi are believed to have originated in Ghana with the Ashanti tribe, later spreading across west Africa to the Caribbean.

In these folktales, Anansi typically takes the shape of a spider, although in some stories he can also appear as human. This mischievous sprite or fairy is generally depicted as grotesque and short in stature. Stories tell of trows being nocturnal creatures, emerging from their mounds only at night and breaking into homes as the owners sleep. According to German folklore, kobolds are domestic spirits that can assist with household chores but are also mischievous, often hiding things and knocking people over.

In other stories, kobolds are gnomes who live underground in mines and caves. In Greek folklore, mermaids, sometimes called sirens, often lured sailors to their deaths with their mesmerizing melodies. In the west, the word dragon conjures up images of a formidable, winged, fire-breathing reptile — one that a hero typically tries to defeat. In Nordic folklore, this fearsome, giant squid-like sea monster would capsize entire ships by wrapping its powerful tentacles around it.

Known as the king of serpents, the basilisk is said to have the power to kill any living creature with its fatal gaze and wither vegetation using only its breath. In Chinese mythology, the rare appearance of this peaceful, one-horned creature usually coincided with the birth or death of a benevolent or sage ruler. The beast is sometimes called a Chinese unicorn and symbolizes prosperity and good fortune.

Described as a giant horned snake measuring up to feet long, the yacumama can suck up any prey within nearly feet, so best to stay far, far away. When Narcissus sensed that someone was following him, Echo revealed herself and tried to hug him. But he pushed her away. In despair, Echo roamed around the woods for the rest of her life and wilted away until all that remained of her was an echo sound.

Nemesis, the Goddess of retribution and revenge, learned what had happened and decided to punish Narcissus. She led him to a pool where Narcissus saw his own reflection in the water and he fell in love with it.

When he realised he could not have his reflection, he fell into a deep depression and killed himself. There are three versions of the myth. Boasting about her skill, she angered Athena, who appeared and challenged her to a contest. In a different version, at the challenge, Athena wove a scene from the well-known contest between herself and Poseidon over who would become the patron saint of Athens. Perseus survives, comes of age, and sets out to kill the monster Medusa and bring back her head.

As prophesied, he kills his grandfather, though unwittingly, by hitting him with a stray discus. The son of the king of Thebes. Oedipus frees Thebes from the menace of the Sphinx and marries the widowed queen, Jocasta, unaware that she is his mother. Learning the truth later, he faces fate and blinds himself as penance. Read an in-depth analysis of Oedipus. As a result, the horrible Furies plague him until he atones for his crime.

Aphrodite arranges for Paris to marry the beautiful Helen, but Helen is already married. Paris is only a minor figure in the Trojan War battles and is usually portrayed as weak and unheroic.

The most beautiful woman who has ever lived, Helen is promised to Paris after his judgment of Aphrodite. Her kidnapping causes the Trojan War. Helen is peculiarly silent in the Iliad, living with Paris for ten years before returning home with Menelaus, her original husband.

Helen is treated as more of an object than a person. Another son of King Priam, Hector is the bravest and most famous of the Trojan warriors. Unlike his brother Paris, he faces challenges with great strength and courage. His death ends the Iliad. The only great Trojan warrior who survives the war, Aeneas is protected by Aphrodite, his mother.

He flees Troy, carrying his father on his back and leading his child by the hand. His values are more Roman than Greek, as he is first and foremost a warrior. One the great kings who leads the Greeks in the Trojan War and whose story continues in the Oresteia.

The most famous Greek in the Trojan War, whose strength and bravery are unrivaled. Achilles is selfless, courageous, and devoted to the gods—he is the finest Greek warrior. His mother, the sea-nymph Thetis, has made him invulnerable everywhere except his heel, and that is where he is struck and killed. The first and most famously foolish woman of Greek myth. Pandora peeks inside the box, unleashing evil into the world. A son of one of the Muses, Orpheus is the greatest mortal musician who has ever lived.

His most famous exploit is his journey to Hades to retrieve his dead wife, Eurydice. Orpheus also travels on the Argo and protects Jason and the others from the Sirens. He is killed by a pack of roving Maenads, and his head floats to Lesbos, where it becomes a magical icon. A priestess of Apollo and the most famous prophet in all of Greece. She most often appears at the beginning of a story, as a character asks his fate, finds it unpleasant, and then tries to change it—only to become a victim of fate precisely because of his efforts to change it.

The daughter of King Minos of Crete. Ariadne falls in love with the hero Theseus and uses a golden thread to help him defeat the Labyrinth of the dreaded Minotaur. Along with Circe, Medea is one of two famous sorceresses in Greek myth. Medea selflessly helps Jason defeat her own father and obtain the Golden Fleece. After Jason turns on her, she kills his new wife and then her own children. Read an in-depth analysis of Medea. The daughter whom Agamemnon offers at Aulis as the human sacrifice that Artemis demands.

In one version of the myth, Artemis saves Iphigenia and makes her a priestess who conducts human sacrifices. In this version, Iphigenia is rescued by her brother, Orestes. One of the three Gorgons. Medusa is a horrible woman-beast with snakes for hair. Her gaze turns men to stone. She is killed by Perseus. It is killed by Theseus. A beast with the head of a woman and the body of a winged lion. The Sphinx blocks entry to the city of Thebes, refusing to budge until someone answers her riddle and eating anyone who fails.

When Oedipus solves the riddle, the Sphinx promptly kills herself. Fearsome one-eyed giants, of whom Polyphemus is the most famous. Preceding the Olympians, he was a powerful entity that overthrew his father but was imprisoned by his own son, Zeus. For that reason, he started devouring them, one by one, except the youngest. Zeus managed to escape and hide with the help of his mother. When he became strong enough, during Titanomachy, he sliced open the belly of Cronus and released his brothers and sisters.

Defeated, he was expelled to the underworld, Tartara, alongside the rest of the Titans. Yet, he remained the God of Harvest. We still celebrate him every December, unknowingly. In fact, the birth of Jesus Christ was moved closer to the Roman celebration of Saturn Cronus , called Saturnalia, so the transition from paganism to Christianity was smoother! In Astrology, Saturn helps you learn tough lessons. In Norse Mythology , Loki appears as a trickster figure that often has an independent agenda.

Using his cunning, Loki kills Baldr, the son of Odin and brother of Thor. Because of that, he was chained to a stone, resembling the fate of Prometheus.

During Ragnarok, these creatures will attack the Gods, causing their heroic death. Thanatos is the God and personification of Death. A dark figure hated by mortals and Gods alike. While death is inevitable, in Greek mythology, he was outwitted by great heroes and powerful men.

Hercules essentially beat death physically and Sisyphus trapped him so he could gain immortality. One of the most interesting aspects of Thanatos is his family tree. His twin brother is Hypnos Sleep , creating an allegorical connection between the two contexts. Sleep represents a stage of liminality, a sneak-peak if you will, to the other side, while death is the permanent, dreamless sleep.

We now travel across the world, to India and the terrifying demon Kali — not to be confused with the Goddess Kali.