Echidna (mythology)

Echidna. Sculpture by Pirro Ligorio 1555, Parco dei Mostri (Monster Park), Lazio, Italy[1]

In Greek mythology, Echidna (/ɪˈkɪdnə/; ‹See Tfd›Greek: Ἔχιδνα, translit. Ékhidna, lit. "she-viper", pronounced [ékʰidna])[2] was a monster, half-woman and half-snake, who lived alone in a cave. She was the mate of the fearsome monster Typhon and was the mother of many of the most famous monsters of Greek myth.[3]

  1. ^ Ogden 2013b, p. 13.
  2. ^ Variant of ἔχις, 'viper' from Proto-Indo-European *h₁égʰi- (see Beekes, R. S. P. (2009). Etymological Dictionary of Greek. Brill. p. 489.).
  3. ^ Ogden 2013a, p. 81.