Gods and Monsters
Gods and monsters are essential companions- and, as the story of Echidna in the introduction shows, they are often even related.
From the earliest times, it has been difficult to distinguish between gods and monsters: both are supernatural, existing beyond the realms of day-to-day experience, and both demand and inspire fear.
This book explores monsters through the ages and throughout the world. Christopher Dell investigates what the existence of monsters even if only in our heads says about humankind, and explores such questions as how monsters have survived the millennia; why they are universal; and, why we find the same one-eyed giants in Japan and in ancient Greece, or the same dragons in Europe and China.
Includes
• Gods and Monsters Monstrous Gods, Titans, Aztec Terrors
• Devils and Demons Satan and Demonic Hierarchies, Infernal Creatures
• Magical Monsters Alchemical Creatures, Golems, Unicorns
• Dragons and Flying Monsters Lindwurms, Rocs
• Water Monsters Sea Monsters, Leviathan, Kelpies, Sirens, Mermaids
• Transformations and Hybrids Werewolves, The Minotaur, Shape-Shifters
• Ghosts and Ghouls The Undead, Evil Spirits, Dreams and Nightmares
• Monsters of Folklore Giant Wolves, Krampus, Night Demons
• How to Fight Monsters Heroes, The Sphinx, Saints and Monsters
• Off the Edge of the Map 'Natural' Histories, Monstrous Peoples
" Echidna conceived and brought forth fierce offspring: first she gave birth to Orthus, the hound of Geryones, and then...a monster called cerberus who eats raw flesh, the hound of Hades, fifty-headed, relentless and strong. And she gave birth to a third, the evil- minded Hydra of Lerna....she was the mother of Chimaera, who breathed raging fire, a creature fearful, great, swift-footed and strong, who had three heads, one of a grim-eyed lion; in her hindpart, a dragon; and in her middle, a goat......"
When Monsters are described in words, it is their apperance that matters most- the number of heads or eyes, the spikiness of the tail, the sharpness of the fangs. As this book shows, artists have always loved depicting monsters. Indeed, the earliest cave art includes animal- human hybrids that must have had a considerable impact on those who first saw them: could they really exist out there, beyond the cave?
Monsters are creatures that go against the laws of nature.They have many sources: mythology, religious, texts, and traditions, folklore, and even literature. They tend to combine human and animal parts, although many griffins and dragons, for example- are composites of different animals, and the human aspect is frequently reduced to the possession of a scheming mind. Others, such as werewolves , constantly switch between forms. The human bearing of these creatures deliberately raises disturbing questions. are they thinking? Can they talk? What else might they be capable of?
In ancient Eqypt and Mesopotamia, monsters were a fact of life, and we can assume that the people of those times believed implicity in their physical reality. The three great monotheistic religions, Judiasm, Christianity and Islam, were more reluctant to discuss monsters. The old testament generally excludes the type of supernatural beings included here ( although it does mention the giant land and sea monsters Behemoth and Leviathan). In the New testament, the revelation of St Johns contains the famous description of the seven- headed beast, but christianity's monsters most often appear in later stories- st george jousting with the dragon, for example, or the ferocious tarasque tamed by St Martha.
An interesting chapter the book, which became relevant to my project. I didn't set out to find this book, but during my research exploration in the libary, the book came to my attention, and I was drawn to all the fascinating myths and legends of cultures. These simply illustrations in this book demonstrate the human hybrids, which is something I can consider to my project.
Monsters
A Bestiary of The Bizarre