In Greek mythology, a monster, a devil of mother earth Gaia, born of the god Tartarus (there is another version of the myth, according to which Typhon appeared from the earth in the place where the goddess Hera struck with her fist, who decided to take revenge on Zeus - he himself gave birth to Athena - also independently produce offspring). Apollodorus describes Typhon as follows: “He surpassed all the creatures that Gaia gave birth to, in growth and strength. Part of his body up to his thighs was human and its enormous size towered over all the mountains. His head often touched the stars, his hands extended one to sunset, the other to sunrise. They ended with a hundred dragon heads. The part of his body below the thighs consisted of huge writhing snakes, which, billowing up to the very top of the body, emitted a loud whistle. His whole body was covered with feathers, his shaggy hair and beard fluttered widely, his eyes sparkled with fire. A storm of fire burst from his mouth. "

Typhon rushed to Olympus, and the gods fled in fear, but Zeus fought with Typhon and struck him with peruns, and then set in motion the sickle with which he once emasculated Kronos. Then Apollodorus expounds the myth as follows: “... seeing that Typhon was seriously wounded, Zeus entered hand-to-hand combat with him. Typhon enveloped Zeus with the rings of his body and, having pulled out a curved sword from him, cut Zeus's tendons on his arms and legs. Lifting it on his shoulders, he then carried it across the sea ... There he also hid the tendons, wrapping them in the skin of a bear, and set the dragon Dolphin to guard all this ... However, Hermes and Pan stole these tendons and secretly inserted them to Zeus. Having regained his former strength, Zeus suddenly rushed from the sky in a chariot pulled by winged horses, and, throwing peruns, pursued Typhon to a mountain called Nisa. There the Moirs deceived the persecuted Typhon: they convinced him that he would gain strength if he tasted the one-day fruits (R. Graves considers these fruits to be the apples of death - Ed.). And so, pursued further, Typhon ... thundered up the whole mountains. Since Zeus reflected these mountains back with his peruns, Typhon shed a lot of blood near ... the ridge ... When Typhon rushed to flee across the sea, Zeus threw Mount Etna on him, and from it to this day, as they say, because of the Peruns thrown there, tongues break out flame ".

Typhon (Tiphoey, Typhaon), Greek - a giant with a hundred dragon heads and with the voice of a man, a dog and a bull.

Ancient artists depicted Typhon less often than other monsters, while they solved the technical difficulties that arise by reducing the number of heads. On vases and figurines, he sometimes looks completely single-headed, but with wings. Sometimes Typhon is considered a three-headed demon from the pediment of the archaic temple of Athena on the Acropolis (c. 570 BC). The terracotta "Typhon of Capua" also dates back to about the same time. "Typhon's Tomb" in Etruscan Tarquinia (c. 80 BC) got its name from the image of Typhon on the frescoes of the tomb.

In the illustration: "Typhon and Zeus", painting of an amphora, 550 BC

The name Typhon means, in fact, "whirlwind", "tornado". From the English form of this Greek word comes the word "typhoon", which has taken root in many languages ​​(actually, complete nonsense performed by a Czech journalist: in fact, "typhoon" comes from the Chinese "typhoon" - "strong wind").

On the screen: Typhon with "security" in the computer game Titan Quest.

Typhon and Echidna are ancient Greek mythological entities. According to legend, they are relatives and gave birth to other terrible mythical entities.

In the article:

Typhon in mythology

Children of Echidna and Typhon

Brother and sister left behind offspring, and these creatures are frequent heroes of ancient Greek myths, monsters terrifying ordinary people. The lion's share was killed by the offspring of Zeus.

Orff

A huge monstrous dog with two heads. And the father of the Sphinx and the Nemean lion (or brother, according to the second version), is described in the myth of the tenth feat of Hercules. The owner of the dog is the giant Geryon.

At the disposal of Geryon was a herd of magical red bulls, and they were guarded by a two-headed dog. Hercules stole the animals and beat them to death with a club.

Cerberus

The three-headed dog, or Kerber, which spews poison from its mouth, is also familiar to many. It was believed that the monster guards the entrance to the kingdom of the dead - Hades. The task of the monster is not to let the dead into the world of the living. According to descriptions in myths, in addition to three heads, the dog has a snake's tail and snake heads located on its back. But there are other descriptions as well.

One has 50 or 100 heads, in others he is depicted with the body of a man, huge hands and a large dog's head. In one hand she squeezes a bull's head, she destroys with her breath, and in the other - a goat's head, killing with a glance.

Cerberus is a powerful monster born of Typhon and the Echidna. However, he fell at the hands of Hercules. The hero managed to defeat him with the help of Athena and Hermes.

Lernaean hydra

A monster similar to a huge snake with a poisonous breath lived in underground waters. Described in different ways, like a snake with seven, nine, five, ten or a hundred heads.

It was believed that if you cut off her head, then three will grow. One of the hydra's heads is immortal. The myth says that the monster breathes fire like a real dragon.

Raised by the Hero, she mercilessly killed people and devoured them. But this monster was also killed by Hercules. He chopped off Hydra's immortal head.

Nemean lion

There are various myths about the Nemean lion. Some indicate that he is the son of Echidna, Orpah, and was fed by Selena. According to another source, a huge lion fell from the moon.

Leo has two features: gigantic size and dense skin. It is impossible to defeat the lion - the weapon could not cut the skin.

The beast lived near the city of Nimea and destroyed the surroundings. This continued until the Mycenaean king Eurystheus ordered Hercules to get rid of the beast. It was impossible to kill the monster with a weapon, so the strongest of people strangled him.

Chimera

A monster with a lion's head and neck, a goat's body, and a snake's tail is a frightening Chimera. In the descriptions it has three heads, one of a goat, the second of a lion, and the third of a snake.

There is an assumption that the creature breathed fire. Killed by the handsome Bellerophon, the son of Glaucus. The youth struck him with an arrow from a bow.

Sphinx

Zoomorphic mythical creature - sphinx- existed in ancient Greece and Egypt. Today there is a debate about who gave birth to the monster. According to one version, the parents are Typhon and Echidna, according to the other, Orff and Chimera.

The creature has a human head and chest, legs and body of a lion, eagle's wings, and an oxtail. In Greek myths, this creature is female, has the wings of a griffin. The monster committed suicide when Oedipus solved his riddles.

Efon

According to myths, this is an eagle who was ordered to devour the liver of Prometheus.

In others, it is the personification of hunger. Was destroyed by Demeter by settling in

Typhon (Titon)- in ancient Greek mythology mighty giant born of Gaia and Tartarus. Is the personification of fire, sunlight and destructive forces. The name Typhon is usually reproduced from the verb “ smoke". But according to another version of the myth, his name is translated as "noon"(world day), as well as “ Beginning of the End(world) of the day". According to legend, Hera gave Typhon to be raised Python who guarded the ancient sanctuary of the gods in Delphi, later killed by Apollo. Typhon is considered father mythical monsters Horta, Kerbera, dragon, Sphinx and Chimera, which also threatened the existence of the entire human race. In Egypt, Typhon was identified with Set and the god of cruel winds Sirocco... As a consequence, it is believed that from the English version of the name Typhon, the word "typhoon" was formed.

Homer's Iliad mentions the struggle of Typhon with Zeus and the stay of Typhon under Mount Arima in Asia Minor. Typhon was depicted in the form of a man, and below the belt, in the form of wriggling , intertwined rings of snakes.

Battle of Zeus with Typhon

Above the waist, he had a human torso, feathery... He was always portrayed bearded and hairy because he was hairy star symbol» (comets)... His eyes cast an all-consuming fire. Typhon surpassed all in height and strength, and had on the back of his head one hundred dragon heads... Typhon was higher than all the mountains, his head touched the stars, and when he stretched out his arms, he touched the east with one hand and the west with the other. This is how giant comets were depicted in ancient mythology, when they appeared, occupying the entire earthly firmament.

His voice is the voice of the gods, a terrible roar that echoes terribly in the mountains. Typhon was so powerful that became the ruler over gods and mortals, and all the gods in fear fled from him... Legend says that while running through Egypt, the gods took the form of animals so that Typhon would not notice them. Apollo became a kite, Hermes became an ibis, Ares became a fish, Dionysus became a goat, Hephaestus became a bull. ... And only Zeus did not run away from him and dared to fight him.

From the confrontation between Zeus and Typhon, the earth shook to its very foundations, land, sea and sky caught fire, and even the inhabitants of the underground kingdom of the dead trembled. In the end, a terrible lightning strike stopped the rampage of Typhon, and Typhon was thrown by Zeus into Tartarus, but for a long time a furious flame was beating from the crevices of the mountain. Etna. This is what an ancient Greek legend says.

But Typhon also has a number of geographical interpretations. The habitat of Tifo-na considered Aeolian islands and island of sicily, and Mount Kasiy in Syria. In another geographical interpretation, Typhon was the leader of the giants. in Phrygia... Typhon struck by lightning formed the bed of the Orontes River... According to another myth, Typhon was a son or husband. Eos, and the father of Memnon and Phaethon. All this enables us to rationally understand the myth. Indeed, in this case, myths and legends give us the geographical reference points of the areas most affected by space explosions.

Typhon- this is the most terrible comet in the solar system. Later, among the Greek tribes, it became known as Phaeton, and the Sumerians and Babylonians called her Nemesis... In ancient Egypt it was called a comet. Hyksos(lit. "king-shepherd"), in the Bible she is called Apollyon(lit. "g-beater"). But even in the modern scientific world, scientists and authors never thought to connect these concepts together, and still mislead readers, imposing on them the opinion that these are different cosmic bodies.

Typhon. Medieval engraving

And that's why, so as not to be misled their readers, I first introduced a single term for this comet - "comet - retribution." And about the rest, less well-known national names, I will talk in the course of the story, as applied to each case, calling more and more names of this comet, the most terrible for human civilizations. After all, global cosmic cataclysms, the cause of which was the "retaliation comet", more than once put humanity on the brink of complete destruction, as a result of which the biblical story begins with Adam and Eve.

According to legend, during Noah's flood Typhon, crossing the Aegean Sea, scattered the Cycladic arch-pelagus, whose islands were previously compact.

Typhon's fiery breath reached Fera Island (aka Santorini) and destroyed the western part of the island , and the rest, most of the island of Fera, literally burned down... As a result, the island took the form half a month. And to this day, the crescent moon is the symbol of the day "Pesach" (the symbol of the day of the cosmic disaster), but other than that, crescent also has an astral interpretation, which I will describe in the appropriate place. The giant shafts of water raised by Typhon reached the island of Crete and destroyed the richest kingdom of Minos. Zeus single-handedly tried to resist Typhon, and their terrible battle moved from Greece to Syria, where, when Typhon fell furrowed the whole earth with his giant torso... According to legend, later, these giant ditches were filled with water and became rivers. And for the umpteenth time (see in art. Olyan-taitambo, Tunguska catastrophe, etc.), I am forced to talk about "dry rivers" and giant "dry furrows" that remain at the site of cosmic catastrophes, as a trace of the impact of a powerful ballistic wave from the falling celestial body. Legend says that Zeus pushed Typhon north and threw to the Ionian Sea, near the Italian coast ...

And later, when telling about the events of the Cretan catastrophe that occurred in the middle of the second millennium BC, I will tell in detail about the numerous cosmic manifestations of this terrible cosmic catastrophe, the most significant geographical locations of which have recorded for us numerous myths and legends. We will continue the mythological review of information related to the "retaliation comet" with a story about Phaeton, because the ancient Greek legend about Phaeton most fully tells about the events of Noah's flood, the cause of which was the "retribution comet".

Typhon

Typhon- a powerful monster spawned by Gaia; the personification of the fiery forces of the earth and its vapors, with their destructive actions.

According to one version of the myth, Typhon was born by Gaia and Tartarus, according to another, he was born by the goddess Hera, hitting the ground with her hand. She did this in revenge on Zeus, who himself gave birth to Athena. Typhon was raised by Python - a huge serpent, born of the goddess of the earth Gaia. Typhon is represented in legends as a creature with a hundred dragon heads, a human-like body, covered with plumage, instead of legs, the monster had snake rings. Some sources report that Typhon's heads are similar to human heads, but he can reproduce the cries of animals.

The Iliad mentions the struggle of Typhon with Zeus and his stay in the subterranean depths, in the land of the Arim or under Mount Arima (in Asia Minor); later, when the Greeks became aware of the volcanic properties of the Kuma coast in Italy, the Aeolian Islands and Sicily, the monstrous giant Typhon was transferred to these areas.

Typhon and the Echidna gave birth to many terrible creatures: the Chimera, the Lernean hydra, the dogs of Orff and Cerberus. This creature, born of chaos, carried a tremendous destructive force. From his name came the word "typhoon." Typhon, crossing the Aegean Sea, scattered the islands of the Cyclades, previously located closely. The fiery breath of the monster reached the island of Fer and destroyed its entire western half, and turned the rest into a scorched desert. The island has since taken on the shape of a crescent moon. Giant waves raised by Typhon rolled to the island of Crete and destroyed the kingdom of Minos.

The Olympian gods, frightened by the monster, fled from their abode. Zeus alone, the bravest of the young gods, decided to fight Typhon. The fight lasted a long time, in the heat of the battle the opponents were transferred from Greece to Syria. Here Typhon plowed the ground with his gigantic body, later these traces of the battle were filled with water and became rivers. Zeus pushed Typhon north and threw him into the Ionian Sea, near the Italic coast. The Thunderer incinerated the monster with lightning and threw it into Tartarus.

According to another legend, Typhon first defeated Zeus. He entangled the god with his legs like serpentine rings, cut and stretched all the tendons. Then Typhon threw Zeus into the Korikian cave in Cilicia and put the dragon Dolphin to guard him. Zeus was imprisoned until Hermes and Aegipanus stole the sinews of God from Typhon and returned them to the Thunderer. Then the enraged god again attacked the monster, and the battle continued.

Zeus was helped by the moira, advising Typhon to eat the fruits of the poisonous ephemeral in order to increase his strength. Following this advice, Typhon completely lost his strength, and Zeus filled the monster with a huge block. At this place, Mount Etna was formed. Legends say that sometimes Typhon, remembering his defeat, spews smoke and flames from the mouth of the volcano. Later Typhon was identified with the Egyptian Set, the god of Cirocco, death, devastation, solar and lunar eclipses and other misfortunes.