Who Is Echidna (Ekhidna)?
Half-nymph, half-serpent mother of monsters
Echidna is a monster in Greek mythology and the mother of many monsters. Her upper half is a nymph (a female spirit) with glancing eyes and fair cheeks, and her lower half is a huge, speckled serpent. She is immortal and ageless.
The Theogony is most naturally read as saying that Ceto gave birth to her, but readings of her parentage differ. She lives in a cave in Arima, deep within the earth, and eats raw flesh. She mated with the dreadful, lawless Typhaon and bore Orthrus, the dog that guarded the cattle of Geryon; Cerberus, the hound of the underworld; and the Hydra of Lerna. Some readings make the Chimera her child as well.
Her name comes from the Greek word for "viper." The echidna, the Australian spiny anteater, is also said to be named after this monster.
