Sea-Monsters in Greek Mythology

SOME FOLKS SAY that we know very little about what lies within the depths of the ocean, and that our oceans remain one of the great frontiers for exploration. Mariners have told tales of many fantastic creatures from the deep. The giant squid, for instance, has only been scientifically documented within the 21st century. Who knows what else may yet lurk beneath the waves?

In the Ancient Greek tales, there were various references to sea monsters which appear to resemble dragons.
To modern star-gazers, King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia may be best known as two of the constellations in the northern sky. In Greek mythology, the pair ruled over Ethiopia. Queen Cassiopeia bragged on herself about her beauty, until she ultimately brought the wrath of the gods onto her lands and her people. This vengeance came in the form of a dreadful sea-monster, named Cetus, who devoured both humans and animals. To placate the gods and the sea-monster, King Cepheus chained his daughter Andromeda to a rock on the shore as a sacrifice.

It was at this propitious moment that our hero, Perseus, entered the story.

Perseus was on his way home from an encounter with the Gorgon, Medussa. Freeing Andromeda and vanquishing the monster, Perseus claimed the maiden for his wife. Andromeda, however, was promised to another. Of course, that turns into a messy fight later on, but that is another story.

Hercules also battled with a sea-monster. In this story, Hercules (like Perseus) was on his way home from a previous adventure, an expedition against the Amazon warriors. Similarly, he found a princess chained to a rock as an appeasement to the sea-monster. This damsel in distress was Princess Hesione, daughter of King Laomedon of Troy. Hercules bargained with King Laomedon that he would rescue the princess and slay the dreaded beast in exchange for some wonderful horses that had been given to the King by Zeus. The King agreed and Hercules engaged the sea-monster in horrible combat. The beast swallowed Hercules but, in proper heroic form, Hercules continued slashing at the beast from the inside until he emerged victorious from the belly of the monster.

With the crisis past, however, King Laomedon reneged on his bargain and refused to give Hercules his prize. This act was not only without honor, but clearly showed a serious lack of any understanding of the consequences of double-crossing a hero. Hercules returned with an army and sacked the city of Troy, killing King Laomedon. Rather than keep the princess for himself, Hercules gave Princess Hesione as a prize to his friend Prince Telamon, who may have been among the war party.

If you think you may have heard some of these themes before, consider this interesting connection: The sea-monster that Perseus confronted was named "Cetus," or sometimes "ketos" (which means "huge fish") and is very closely related to the term used in the Hebrew texts of the Biblical story of Jonah.

Visit the Folklore Store for more mythical creatures!