Chimaera lion, goat and serpent

[Ivan Seeking]

Some interesting reading...

The Chimaera - or Chimera - was said to be made out of three different creatures: lion, goat and serpent. A savage beast, sprouting fire from its mouth, it devastated the land until it was killed by the hero Bellerophon who flew over it riding his winged horse Pegasus. Although simple in its basic lines, this story is among the most ancient ones of Occidental mythology and it hides some deep and still not completely known meaning. This site is an attempt to collect data and material about the Chimaera seen in its various aspects: myth, legend, art expression, and as a probe of the human mind. [continued]

http://www.unifi.it/unifi/surfchem/solid/bardi/chimera/

 

[Serene_Chaos]

HIPPOGRIFF, n. An animal (now extinct) which was half horse and half griffin. The griffin was itself a compound creature, half lion and half eagle. The hippogriff was actually, therefore, a one-quarter eagle, which is two dollars and fifty cents in gold. The study of zoology is full of surprises.

http://www.thedevilsdictionary.com/"

 

[jim mcnamara]

In Biology, chimera means that one organism has tissues with different DNA.

Human chimeras do exist and pose lots of problems for forensic DNA analysis and blood typing, etc.

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=8905

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Does anyone know why this thread has so many hits?

...seemed to deserve a bump given the view rate.

 

[Mattara]

In popular movies like Mission Impossible II (staring Tom Cruise) Chimera was the name of a deadly virus that killed the victim if the antidote wasn't administrated within a certain time period. This is perhaps not relevant to the discussion but it is rather fascinating how Hollywood tries to use science for personal gain.