Children of Echidna & Typhon: Cerberus, Lernaean Hydra, Orthrus, Sphinx, Ladon, Chimera, Nemean Lion

Once upon a time of myths and monsters, the earth, Gaia, brought forth new children, after the imprisonment of her very first set of children, and the overthrow of the titans, the old order of gods. Fathered by the gloomy Pit, Tartarus, the most famous of these later children were Typhon and Echidna, both of whom were an epitome of monstrosity. Typhon was undoubtedly the king of all monsters, and Echidna, the queen. So when Typhon wanted a consort, who else was more fitting, if not Echidna, the only other creature in the universe, who looked like him. From the union of these two monsters, a new generation of monsters was born. Horrifying, and vicious, they were gifted with incredible strength, and came in all forms and sizes. 1. Cerberus. Also known as the Hound of Hades, Cerberus was the gigantic three-headed dog, who faithfully guarded the gates of the underworld. Strong, and relentless, these beasts fed on raw flesh, and had a terrifyingly loud voice. As its duty, Cerberus prevented the dead from leaving the realm of Hades, and made sure that no soul who entered, ever returned to the world of the living. Like its master, Hades, Cerberus was strict, and unyielding. Only three heroes in all of Greek myths, managed to outsmart this beast, when they visited the underworld. Herakles achieved it with his strength, Orpheus with his music, and Aeneas with the aid of the Sybil of Cumi, who bribed Cerberus with a honey cake. 2. The Lernian Hydra. The Lernian Hydra, was a hideous water serpent, which had many heads, that grew two more, if one was cut off. This monster resided in the lake of Lerna, in the region of Argolid, which no one dared to venture. It had a poisonous breath, and its blood was so venomous, that the mere scent of this monster, could kill anyone who perceived it. Whatever its blood perished. The Hydra was eventually killed by Herakles, with the help of his nephew, Eolaus. Herakles cut off the monster's heads, while his nephew burnt the stumps, so two more heads would not grow back. 3. Orthrus. Orthrus was the two-headed dog, who lived with Geryon, the three-bodied, three-headed giant. Geryon owned a herd of cattle, in the land of Erethia, where Orthrus helped him keep guard of them. Orthrus and his master, Geryon, were killed by the hero, Herakles, during his twelve labors. 4. The Sphinx. The Sphinx was a winged creature, with the body of a lion, and the head of a woman, that guarded the road to Thebes. It would stop travelers, and ask them a riddle. If the traveler failed her riddle, or refused to answer, the Sphinx killed and ate them. When the ill-fated prince, Oedipus, answered her riddle correctly, the Sphinx, in madness, threw herself off the cliff, to her death. No one had ever solved her riddle, till then. 5. The Laedon. The Laedon was a multi-headed dragon, which guarded the golden apples, in the garden of the Hesperides. Like Orthrus, the Laedon was not as famous as its other siblings. The most known encounter with this monster, was during the twelve labors of Herakles, where Herakles killed it, in order to retrieve the golden apples of the Hesperides. In a different story, the Laedon was never killed, because Herakles never went to the garden. Instead, he tricked the titan, Atlas, into retrieving the apples for him, thereby completing his task. 6. The Chimera. The Chimera was a ferocious monster, that had the heads of both a lion, and a goat, and a serpent, as its tail. This hybrid creature, dwelt in a small part of Lycia, scorching and terrorizing the region, until the fateful day, when it was killed by the hero, Bellerophon. 7. The Nemean Lion. The Nemean lion, was a very large and powerful beast, with an impenetrable skin of gold, and sharp claws that could cut through any armor. This fearsome creature, dwelt in the land of Nemea. Its skin was tougher than the weapons of mortals, and thus, could not be killed by them. The lion was eventually killed by Herakles, during one of his twelve labors. These, are the children of Echidna, and Typhon. It is sometimes said, that the father and mother of monsters, had other children, in addition to the already mentioned ones. Some of them include, the caucasian eagle, that fed every day, on the ever-regenerating liver, of the titan, Prometheus, till it was killed by Herakles, and then the gigantic flesh-eating promionion So, which was killed by the hero, Theseus.