Echidna
A Serpent-Nymph Mother Of Monsters
A Half-Woman and Half-Snake Monster
In Greek mythology, we find a description of a creature named Echidna, who was half snake and half female figure
According to the Greek philosopher Hesiod, Echidna's mother was the sea goddess Ceto, making Echidna's likely father the sea god Phorcys
Echidna was believed to have lived inside a huge cave, was Typhon's (a monstrous serpentine giant) mate, and is said to be the mother of many legendary creatures
Echidna's face was quite seductive and half of its body is that of a fearsome snake. Actually, she was half a nymph whose beauty was almost impossible to resist
According to Hesiod, Echidna was immortal, taking her victims to pits deep inside the earth, suggesting that she was a carnivorous and cannibalistic creature
She could never die and was ageless or never appeared to grow old. She used her poison on enemies or prey, for which no one had any cure
Echidna's offspring were quite ferocious, the first Orthrus, a two-headed dog. The second was Cerberus, a multiheaded dog, and third was Hydra, a many-headed serpent
For Hesiod the Echidna was immortal, but according to Apollodorus, the Echidna seduced people who passed through her territory, causing them to kill
But one day while she was sleeping, Argus killed her, who is said to be the hundred-eyed giant