Isidore wrote that Mount Chimaera was on fire here, had lions and goats there, and was full of snakes over there. The place name is attested by Isidore of Seville and Servius, the commentator on the Aeneid. The vents emit burning methane thought to be of metamorphic origin, which in ancient times sailors could navigate by, and which today the custodian uses to brew tea. Called in Turkish, Yanartaş (flaming rock), it consists of some two dozen vents in the ground, grouped in two patches on the hillside above the Temple of Hephaestus, about 3 km north of Çıralı, near ancient Olympos, in Lycia. Ĭtesias identified the Chimaera with an area of permanent gas vents which can still be found today by hikers on the Lycian Way, in southwest Turkey. One possibility is that the chimera could actually be a representation of the land where the creature was attributed to be living in Lycia, Asia Minor. The combination of attributes often represented something to the people who created such myths. The chimera is only one of several famous mythological hybrids: Pegasus, Medusa, the Minotaur, and the Griffin are all examples of creatures that are composites of real animals. Some say this geothermically active region was the inspiration for the myth. The chimera was said to be incredibly vicious and powerful, especially since as one single creature, it possessed the abilities of three separate animals.įires of Chimera, Çıralı, Turkey. It is also believed to breath fire and be female, despite the mane adorning the lions head. The most common description of the chimera comes from Homer's Illiad, in which the creature is said to have the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and tail of a snake. The word chimera comes from the Greek Χίμαιρα, which translates as "she-goat or monster." Through the Latin Chimaera comes the English version, which has a second definition, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, as being "An unreal creature of the imagination, a mere fancy an un-found conception." Along with these two meanings are a host of variants on the root word: Chimeric is something that is "fanciful or imaginary" Chimerical is something "of the nature of the chimera vainly or fantastically conceived" and Chimerize is the act of indulging "in chimeras, indulge and foster wild and unfounded fancies." The role of such creatures has thus been to challenge the hero to use bravery and strength in order to achieve victory. Thus, the chimera represents the most dangerous beast that the human imagination can conjure, taking those attributes of existing creatures to develop a new creation that is more difficult to overcome. It is often used in television shows and role-playing games, usually as an obstacle for players to overcome. In pop culture, a chimera may refer to any creation that is a hybrid, or a single entity composed of two or more distinct entities. While minor in literature, the chimera was nonetheless exceedingly popular in ancient art, and is featured in many depictions of epic scale.