Drakaina (mythology) (2024)

In Greek mythology, a drakaina (Template:Lang-el) is a female dragon, sometimes with human-like features. Examples included Campe, Ceto, Delphyne, Echidna, Scylla, Lamia (or Sybaris), Poine, and Python (when represented as female).

Python, slain by Apollo, and the earliest representations of Delphyne are shown as simply gigantic serpents, similar to other Greek dragons. However, although the word "drakaina" is literally the feminine form of drakon (Ancient Greek for dragon or serpent), most drakainas had some features of a human woman. Lamia, Campe, Echidna, and many representations of Ceto, Scylla and Delphyne had the head and torso of a woman.

The drakaina was a monster generally slain only by gods or demigods. Zeus slew Delphyne and Campe, Apollo slew Python, and Argus Panoptes slew Echidna.

Ceto and Echidna were both the mothers of a huge brood of monsters, including other dragon-like creatures. Ceto, according to Hesiod, gave birth to Echidna, as well as Scylla and Ladon, the dragon of the Hesperides. Also according to Hesiod, Echidna gave birth to the Chimera, Cerberus, Orthrus, Nemean lion, Sphinx and the Hydra. (Other ancient authors, such as Hyginus, attribute even more monsters as children of Echidna, such as the Caucasian eagle, Crommyonian sow, Colchian dragon and Scylla and Charybdis.)

External links[]

Drakaina (mythology) (2024)

FAQs

What is a Drakaina? ›

In Greek mythology, a drakaina (Ancient Greek: δράκαινα, Latinized dracaena) is a female serpent or dragon, sometimes with humanlike features.

What is a drakon in Greek mythology? ›

The word dragon derives from the Greek δράκων (drakōn) and its Latin cognate draco. Ancient Greeks applied the term to large, constricting snakes. The Greek drakōn was far more associated with poisonous spit or breath than the modern Western dragon, though fiery breath is still attested in a few myths.

Who is the female goddess of dragons? ›

According to sages of the 14th century DR, Tiamat was actually a goddess. She came into existence alongside the rest of the draconic pantheon when the first dragons were born.

Who are the Scythians in Greek mythology? ›

Scythia is the abode of one of the WINDS, the North Wind Boreas 1. The inhabitants of this region called themselves Skoloti, but the Greeks called them Scythians. There were three main clans among the Scythians, deriving from the three sons of their ancestor Targitaus (see below).

What is a female dragon called? ›

Drakaina: The She-Dragon | The Dragon in the West: From Ancient Myth to Modern Legend | Oxford Academic.

What is the origin of the word Drakaina? ›

Dracaena (romanized form of the Greek δράκαινα - drakaina, "female dragon") can mean: Drakaina (mythology), a Greek mythological entity. Dracaena (plant), a genus of plants.

Who is the most evil creature in Greek mythology? ›

Typhon. The “Father of all Monsters”. Typhon was the last child of Gaia, fathered by Tartarus, and is considered the most powerful and deadliest of all creatures in Greek mythology.

Who is the god of stupidity in Greek mythology? ›

In Greek mythology, Koalemos (Ancient Greek: Κοάλεμος) was the god of stupidity, mentioned once by Aristophanes, and being found also in Parallel Lives by Plutarch. Coalemus is the Latin spelling of the name. Sometimes it is referred to as a dæmon, more of a spirit and minor deity.

Who is the venomous dragon in mythology? ›

Hoyau or hoyau kamui (var, oyau kamui), in Ainu mythology, is a type of malodorous and venomous dragon or dragon god, believed to thrive in summer or near fire, but lose strength in the cold, whose trait earns it the alternative name of sak-somo-ayep ("that which must not be mentioned in the summer").

Who is the queen of all dragons? ›

Vhagar, [c] called the Queen of All Dragons, is the dragon who was ridden by Visenya Targaryen during Aegon's Conquest. Although during this time she was the smallest of the trio that included Balerion and Meraxes, Vhagar was still large enough to swallow a horse whole, and her flames could melt armor.

What is a male dragon called? ›

Drakes were the males, but they were usually just "him" or "he".

What is half woman half dragon mythology? ›

Drakaina – A female species from Greek mythology that is draconic in nature, primarily depicted as a woman with dragon features.

Who wiped out the Scythians? ›

While their kingdom was wiped out by the Mongol invasion in 1239 AD, they remained in the region into the present day, in the form of the modern Ossetian people. Today the Scythians are a faded memory, a footnote in the history books of Greece, Iran, India, and China.

What race were the Scythians? ›

Scythian, member of a nomadic people, originally of Iranian stock, known from as early as the 9th century bce who migrated westward from Central Asia to southern Russia and Ukraine in the 8th and 7th centuries bce. The Scythians founded a rich, powerful empire centred on what is now Crimea.

Who is Scythian in the Bible? ›

Easton's Bible Dictionary - Scythian

The Scythians consisted of "all the pastoral tribes who dwelt to the north of the Black Sea and the Caspian, and were scattered far away toward the east. Of this vast country but little was anciently known.

What does it mean to be called a dragon lady? ›

A domineering or belligerent woman, as in They called her the neighborhood dragon lady—she was always yelling at the children . This slangy term was originally the name of a villainous Asian woman in Milton Caniff's popular cartoon strip Terry and the Pirates (1934–1973), which ran in many newspapers.

What is a Ichneumon mythology? ›

In medieval literature, the ichneumon or echinemon was the enemy of the dragon. When it sees a dragon, the ichneumon covers itself with mud, and closing its nostrils with its tail, attacks and kills the dragon.

What is a human half dragon called? ›

Dracotaur – Half-man, half-dragon. It debuted in Dungeons & Dragons. It also has a counterpart in the form of the Dragonspawn from the Warcraft franchise. Dragoon from the Monster Rancher franchise also fits this description due to it being a fusion of a Dragon and a Centaur. Drider – Half-Drow half-spider.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Edmund Hettinger DC

Last Updated:

Views: 5741

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (58 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Edmund Hettinger DC

Birthday: 1994-08-17

Address: 2033 Gerhold Pine, Port Jocelyn, VA 12101-5654

Phone: +8524399971620

Job: Central Manufacturing Supervisor

Hobby: Jogging, Metalworking, Tai chi, Shopping, Puzzles, Rock climbing, Crocheting

Introduction: My name is Edmund Hettinger DC, I am a adventurous, colorful, gifted, determined, precious, open, colorful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.