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Tonight's 'Creatures from Mythology' thread is all about the Chimaera! The Chimaera is what we may term a composite creature, combining elements of different animals into a fearsome combination, although the name Chimaera actually means 'She-Goat'. #Chimaera 
The earliest mention of the Chimaera comes from Hesiod (Theogony 319-324): 'who breathes fire not to be resisted,
a dreadful, great thing, swift of foot and powerful. She has three heads. One is that of a fierce lion, another of a goat, and the last of a mighty serpent snake.'
a dreadful, great thing, swift of foot and powerful. She has three heads. One is that of a fierce lion, another of a goat, and the last of a mighty serpent snake.'
Hesiod also tells us that the hero Bellerophon slew the Chimaera, while riding the winged horse Pegasus. This is the most common scene depicted in vase paintings of the Chimaera such as the one below (Athenian black-figure vase, c.550 BC. J. Paul Getty Museum)
