Monsters of Greek Mythology, Volume One Read online

  Monsters of Greek Mythology

  Volume 1

  Bernard Evslin

  Contents

  AMYCUS

  CHAPTER I

  The Feud

  CHAPTER II

  The Crater

  CHAPTER III

  Owl and Seal

  CHAPTER IV

  The Crystal Smithy

  CHAPTER V

  A Monster Is Born

  CHAPTER VI

  Wingless Dragons

  CHAPTER VII

  The Spartan Twins

  CHAPTER VIII

  Jason, the Healer

  CHAPTER IX

  The Assassin

  CHAPTER X

  The Scorching

  CHAPTER XI

  Hero Meets Monster

  ANTEUS

  CHAPTER I

  Cannibal Stew

  CHAPTER II

  Sport for the Gods

  CHAPTER III

  Gaia’s Spell

  CHAPTER IV

  Bowman, Banger, Butcher

  CHAPTER V

  Hera’s Grudge

  CHAPTER VI

  Landfall in Libya

  CHAPTER VII

  Gobi

  CHAPTER VIII

  Mordo and Kell

  CHAPTER IX

  A Gift of Fire

  CHAPTER X

  Hero Meets Monster

  THE CALYDONIAN BOAR

  CHAPTER I

  Birth of the Boar

  CHAPTER II

  Give Her to the Mountain

  CHAPTER III

  The Wild Child

  CHAPTER IV

  Gain, Loss, and Revenge

  CHAPTER V

  The Fatal Crones

  CHAPTER VI

  A Prince, a Hag, and Two Evil Uncles

  CHAPTER VII

  The Simba Hound

  CHAPTER VIII

  A Death and a Promise

  CHAPTER IX

  The Bear’s Sister

  CHAPTER X

  Two Jealousies

  CHAPTER XI

  The Monster

  CERBERUS

  CHAPTER I

  The Serpent-Woman’s Pup

  CHAPTER II

  Hades’ Visit

  CHAPTER III

  The Shark Hunter

  CHAPTER IV

  The Fisherman’s Daughter

  CHAPTER V

  Glaucus

  CHAPTER VI

  Wild Boars

  CHAPTER VII

  Hecate’s Idea

  CHAPTER VIII

  Decoy and Death

  CHAPTER IX

  The Body on the Rocks

  CHAPTER X

  Conference in Hell

  CHAPTER XI

  Hera and the Harpy

  CHAPTER XII

  Zeus Complains

  CHAPTER XIII

  Revolt of the Dead

  CHAPTER XIV

  Blood on the Meadow

  CHAPTER XV

  The Gates of Hell

  CHAPTER XVI

  The Three-Headed Sentinel

  THE CHIMAERA

  CHAPTER I

  Monster and Monarch

  CHAPTER II

  The Smallest Archer

  CHAPTER III

  The Horse-Breaker

  CHAPTER IV

  The Warning

  CHAPTER V

  The Tormented Land

  CHAPTER VI

  The Blind Seer

  CHAPTER VII

  The Mad King

  CHAPTER VIII

  A Gathering Doom

  CHAPTER IX

  Hooves of Death

  CHAPTER X

  Anteia

  CHAPTER XI

  The Hunt Begins

  CHAPTER XII

  Dangerous Passage

  CHAPTER XIII

  The Ghost Returns

  CHAPTER XIV

  The Winged Horse

  CHAPTER XV

  The Chimaera

  THE CYCLOPES

  CHAPTER I

  The Maiming

  CHAPTER II

  The Sickle

  CHAPTER III

  The Betrayals

  CHAPTER IV

  The Cannibal God

  CHAPTER V

  Zeus

  CHAPTER VI

  Underground

  CHAPTER VII

  Family Reunion

  CHAPTER VIII

  The Magic Weapons

  CHAPTER IX

  Before the Battle

  CHAPTER X

  Different Fires

  CHAPTER XI

  To Death and Back

  CHAPTER XII

  Ulysses and the Cyclops

  THE DRAGON OF BOEOTIA

  CHAPTER I

  The Curse

  CHAPTER II

  The High Council

  CHAPTER III

  The Abduction of Europa

  CHAPTER IV

  The Lizard’s Ambition

  CHAPTER V

  The Titan

  CHAPTER VI

  On the Peak

  CHAPTER VII

  The Spider

  CHAPTER VIII

  The Three Fates

  CHAPTER IX

  The Smith God

  CHAPTER X

  A New Dragon

  CHAPTER XI

  Journey to Boeotia

  CHAPTER XII

  Fighting the Dragon

  CHAPTER XIII

  The Buried Teeth

  THE FURIES

  CHAPTER I

  Trouble in Heaven

  CHAPTER II

  The Furies

  CHAPTER III

  The Angry Titan

  CHAPTER IV

  The Stolen Sun

  CHAPTER V

  The High Council

  CHAPTER VII

  Dione

  CHAPTER VIII

  Sorcery Lessons

  CHAPTER IX

  Salmoneus

  CHAPTER X

  Jealousy

  CHAPTER VI

  Judgment Day

  CHAPTER XI

  Athena

  CHAPTER XII

  Final Enchantments

  GERYON

  CHAPTER I

  The Three Fates

  CHAPTER II

  Bats on the River Bank

  CHAPTER III

  The Suitors

  CHAPTER IV

  The War God

  CHAPTER V

  Queen of the Pygmies

  CHAPTER VI

  A Vengeful Goddess

  CHAPTER VII

  Abduction

  CHAPTER VIII

  The First Massacre

  CHAPTER IX

  The River’s Ally

  CHAPTER X

  Send a Storm!

  CHAPTER XI

  The Trial of Hercules

  CHAPTER XII

  Clam and Gull

  CHAPTER XIII

  Hero Meets Monster

  HECATE

  CHAPTER I

  Death’s Domain

  CHAPTER II

  The Poet

  CHAPTER III

  The Cannibal Gods

  CHAPTER IV

  His Song Is a Mischief

  CHAPTER V

  The Hag Hovers

  CHAPTER VI

  Eurydice

  CHAPTER VII

  The Healer

  CHAPTER VIII

  The Strangler

  CHAPTER IX

  The Singing Head

  CHAPTER X

  The Rebel Shade

  CHAPTER XI

  The Descent

  CHAPTER XII

  A Hellish Baffle

 
About the Author

  AMYCUS

  This tale of the brass-headed giant

  is dedicated to my son TOM,

  whose head is of purest gold

  Characters

  Monsters

  Amycus

  (AHM ih kuhs)

  Giant brass-headed maniac

  The Cyclopes

  (SY klahps) sing.

  (SY kloh peez) plur.

  Huge one-eyed smiths, powerful servants of the gods

  Brontes

  (BRAHN teez)

  Amycus’s father, the cleverest of the Cyclopes

  Ludo

  (LOO doh)

  Another Cyclops

  Wingless Dragons

  Giant flame-spitting lizards

  Gods

  Zeus

  (ZOOS)

  King of the Gods

  Athena

  (uh THEE nuh)

  Goddess of Wisdom

  Poseidon

  (poh SY duhn)

  God of the Sea

  Hades

  (HAY deez)

  Ruler of the Dead

  Hermes

  (HUR meez)

  The messenger god

  Mortals

  Castor

  (KASS tuhr)

  Prince of Sparta, a champion wrestler

  Pollux

  (POL uhks)

  Castor’s twin brother, a master boxer

  Jason

  (JAY suhn)

  Exiled young king of Iolcus

  Peleus

  (PEE lee uhs)

  Wicked usurper of Jason’s throne

  Deucalion

  (doo KAY lee on)

  A worthy man, survivor of the Great Flood

  Pyrrha

  (PIHR ah)

  Deucalion’s wife

  Girl on Bebrycos

  Animals

  Owl

  Athena’s spying bird

  Swordfish

  Agent of the owl

  White goat, blue fox

  black bear, brown bear

  Others

  Proteus

  (PRO tee uhs)

  Poseidon’s aide, a minor sea deity who changes shape at will

  Liana

  (LEE ah nuh)

  Amycus’s mother, Brontus’ wife, a sea nymph

  Contents

  CHAPTER I

  The Feud

  CHAPTER II

  The Crater

  CHAPTER III

  Owl and Seal

  CHAPTER IV

  The Crystal Smithy

  CHAPTER V

  A Monster Is Born

  CHAPTER VI

  Wingless Dragons

  CHAPTER VII

  The Spartan Twins

  CHAPTER VIII

  Jason, the Healer

  CHAPTER IX

  The Assassin

  CHAPTER X

  The Scorching

  CHAPTER XI

  Hero Meets Monster

  1

  The Feud

  The brass-headed monster, Amycus, who enslaved so many women and battered so many men to death, was born out of a quarrel between Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, and Poseidon, God of the Sea.

  They both wielded tremendous power. Poseidon means “earth shaker,” and he deserved the name; his wrath was catastrophe. And the tall, free-striding Athena who bore spear and shield and whose gray eyes could freeze the marrow of any human and many Olympians was the most feared of all the goddesses.

  Their feud had simmered for centuries. It began when Athena, trying to read the future, guessed that a certain small fishing village would grow into a great and brilliant city whose name would be as a song amid the horrid shrieks of history. And she decided that this village of high destiny must call itself after her so that the sound of her name would fall sweetly upon the ear after the other gods were forgotten.

  But Poseidon believed that he alone ruled the destinies of all who dwelt along his shores and drew their bounty from his seas. All coastal cities were his, all fishing villages. When pleased, he would send rich harvests of fish; when angered he would crush ships like walnuts, or send storms that swept all who displeased him into the sea. When he discovered that Athena was paying unusual attention to one fishing village he became very angry.

  Green robed, green bearded, he loomed over the little huts like a tidal wave about to break. The people gaped in horror. His voice, pounding like the surf, forced them to their knees. He demanded that the village be given his name. Otherwise, he declared, he would starve them by withdrawing fish from their waters, send storms to wreck their ships, sea serpents to devour whoever jumped overboard, and pirates to slaughter anyone left on shore.

  Before he departed, the terrified villagers vowed to do whatever he asked.

  The clouds split. An arch of sunlight bridged sky and earth, and something strode down the span of light: a maiden goddess, bearing spear and shield. She towered above the village, but her voice was a mighty music and uttered no threats.

  “Villagers,” she said. “This is the first day of your glorious destiny. I am Athena, daughter of Zeus. I come to offer you my favor forever and to honor you with the gift of my name. Under my blessing shall this cluster of huts grow into a marble city, famed for wit, wisdom, and skill in warfare—which of course brings wealth. So arise, lucky ones, get up off your knees. Stand proud. Under my protection shall you survive and prosper despite all the threats of blowhard Poseidon.”

  Hearing the musical voice utter these words, gazing upon the stern, radiant goddess, the villagers felt their spirits soar, and decided to ignore the threats of Poseidon.

  “Yes!” they cried. “All honor, Great Goddess, all worship! We shall call our village by your name.”

  And from that time on, both gods sought to fulfill threat and promise. Poseidon never stopped tormenting the Athenians, and Athena sought always to protect them. And the feud between powerful niece and stormy uncle grew more and more vicious, and was to entangle many lives, to cause a horde of deaths, and to spawn a multitude of monsters—the worst of whom, perhaps, was the Horrible Head, also known as Amycus.

  2

  The Crater

  Now, everything about Poseidon irritated Athena, but she was particularly annoyed by his arrogance. All the gods had tremendous opinions of themselves. They all strode proudly and seemed to glow with a sense of being exactly who they were and no one else. But to the eye of his brooding niece, Poseidon seemed to swagger more and be puffed up with the idea of his own importance more than any other god. Worst of all though, Athena thought bitterly, her obnoxious uncle had cause to exult.

  For of all the prayers that thronged the air and mounted to heaven, the most frequent and most passionate were those addressed to Poseidon. There was good reason for this. Those who worshiped the Olympians were largely seagoing people—sailors, fisherfolk, pirates. Before every voyage they visited Poseidon’s driftwood altars and sacrificed to him, and prayed for fair weather and following winds and safe landfalls. And when, very frequently, the god turned contrary and sent storms and killer tides and savage sea raiders, then, instead of losing faith, the voyagers were terrified into deeper belief, and their prayers grew more fervent than ever.

  Athena, studying this, felt her hatred growing so fast she thought she must burst. But she was intelligent enough to learn from what displeased her, and she told herself that the way to injure Poseidon was to make his worshipers lose faith in his powers. And the way to do this was to intensify the peril, to plant special monstrous dangers upon the sea—creatures and events that would destroy ships and crews, and finally teach humankind that the richest sacrifices and most heartfelt prayers to the sea god would not keep them from harm.

  This would not be an easy process, she knew; it would take a long time and much skillful plotting … flotillas of ships sent to the bottom and hordes of sailors to be drowned, or to meet even worse death. With so much to do then, she set to work immediately.

  Athena was known as the wise one no
t only because she reasoned brilliantly and inspired men like Daedalus to invent the wheel and the plow and the rudder, but because she seemed to know everything about everyone. Indeed, she went to a great deal of trouble to gather this information, training her pet owl to spy upon all the gods and certain humans.

  The owl with its silent, gliding wings, its night-piercing eyes, and ears that could pick up the fall of a distant leaf, was perfectly framed for spying—particularly at night, when most secret things are done. And by day a flock of crows, instructed by the owl herself, flew here and there, spying, prying, noticing, and reporting back to the owl, who sifted the information and brought the interesting bits back to Athena. For among its many tricks the clever bird could also speak Greek.

  Upon a certain day the owl flew up to Olympus, found Athena, perched on her shoulder and spoke into her ear.

  “Oh Goddess, a crow has flown all the way from Sicily to tell me that Mount Aetna is erupting.”

  “Nonsense,” said Athena. “It’s forbidden to erupt. Zeus himself quenched the fires of that raging mountain, hollowed it out and presented it to his son, Hephaestus, to use as a smithy. Therein labor the Cyclopes who forge thunderbolts for Zeus, and weapons and armor and ornaments for the rest of us.”

  “Nevertheless,” said the owl, “the mountain is belching red smoke, and trembling so hard that huge boulders are rolling down its flanks toward the villages below. And all who dwell there are fleeing that part of Sicily.”