by Imonikhe Ahimie

Created on: June 14, 2010   Last Updated: June 16, 2010

Greek mythology is replete with monstrous creatures that played very important roles in the affairs of the gods and of men. Right from the very beginning of creation, we start to encounter monstrous figures. Once order had emerged from Chaos, two being, Uranus, the Sky, and Gaea, the Earth, emerged and between them gave birth to eighteen children. Twelve of these, the Titans, were extremely good looking, but the other six, the three Uramids and the three Cyclopes were, put simply, monstrous. So monstrous, in fact, that their father Uranus locked them up far below the earth in Tartarus, the ancient Greek underworld, for he could not bear to look upon their monstrous visages.

Except for a very short period of freedom, just after their siblings, the Titans, took over power from their father, Uranus, these unfortunates remained in captivity until Zeus and his Olympians had in turn overthrown the Titans. The Titans could no more bear the sight of their siblings than their father could. Further, they were really apprehensive of their great strength. It was the Cyclopes who presented Zeus his quintessential weapon, the thunderbolt, in return for their freedom and they continued to manufacture these terrible weapons for Zeus until they were destroyed by Phoebus Apollo, Zeus’ son, on account of the fact that Zeus had killed his own son, Asclepius, with a thunderbolt. The Uramids also played a major role in the defeat of the Titans, for, with their hundred arms, they pelted Mt. Othrys, the base of the Titans with so many rocks that the beleaguered Titans were obliged to surrender.

Another monstrous brood that we come across in Greek mythology were the three Furies, Alecto, Tisiphone and Megaira, who were conceived when some of the blood from Uranus' severed genitals, held high in triumph by his son Coronus, dripped unto Gaea, fertilized her, and resulted in the birth of the Furies, crowned with writhing snakes for their hair and eyes that perpetually wept blood; and, fittingly, the avengers of patricide and matricide.

Round about this time, Gaea also gave birth to the three Giants whom she incited to war against Zeus and his Olympians in an effort to secure freedom for the Titans, who having been defeated by Zeus and his followers had been sentenced to various punishments. The war was long and tough, but finally the Olympians had the upper hand, and each of the Giants was buried beneath a mountain, and anytime they struggle in their effort to escape, the surrounding

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