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Typhon and Echidna - Myths Reimagined

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A new addition to my Greek Myths Reimagined (www.deviantart.com/khialat/gal…), this time adapting the notorious Father and Mother of Monsters from Greek mythology:

Along with the Titans, Gaia, the Primordial Mother Earth, also gave birth to many other giants and creatures, among which were the massive reptilian Drakainas. Kampe, who made her home in Tartarus, is one of these beings, along with Delphyne, Sybaris, Echidna and Typhon. With a massive body, a mass of serpentine limbs, fiery breath and enough strength to lift a whole mountain, Typhon is fearsome and powerful enough to inspire fear in even the gods themselves. However, his more peaceful mate, Echidna, managed to dissuade him from getting into fights with them for a good while, convincing him to instead stay with her in their lair and help raise the diverse beasts and creatures they produced together.

Their progeny included several dragons (such as Python and Ladon), two multi-headed dogs (Cerberus and Orthrus), the Chimera, the Nemean Lion, the Lernaean Hydra, the Cretan Bull, Phaia the Crommyonian Sow (the mother of the giant boars of Calydon and Mount Erymanthus), Phix the Theban Sphinx, Gryphon the Caucasian Eagle, the Harpies (Celaeno, Ocypete and Podarge) and the twin monsters Cacus and Caca. These creatures soon grew restless and began leaving the lair one by one to make their own mark on the world, often coming into conflict with human heroes or being obtained by the gods for certain tasks. The dragon Python noticed Hera's jealousy over Zeus' affair with Leto, the goddess of motherhood, which led to the birth of Artemis and Apollo. Recklessly, Python attempted to gain Hera's favour by attacking Leto, only for Apollo to rush to his mother's rescue and kill the dragon with his arrows.

Learning of his son's death at a god's hands, Typhon went into a terrible rage and, deaf to Echidna's pleas, rampaged straight towards Olympus itself. Most of the gods fled to hide in Egypt disguised as animals, but Athena persuaded Zeus to reassert his worthiness to rule by facing the monster alone, armed with his thunderbolts and the great sickle once wielded by Kronos. However, Typhon proved to be the toughest opponent Zeus had ever faced, and managed to snatch the sickle and use it to cut out the god's sinews. Zeus was then imprisoned in a cave guarded by another Drakaina, Delphyne, until Hermes rescued him and restored his sinews. Zeus then tried a different strategy, persuading the Fates to trick Typhon into eating ephemeral fruits before facing him again. Drunken and disorientated, Typhon's attacks were now clumsy and more easy for Zeus to avoid and counter. Finally, when the monster lifted Mount Etna over his head to throw at the god, Zeus cleverly struck him with lightning so that he instead dropped it on himself. Ever since, Typhon has caused volcanic eruptions from the mountain in his attempts to break free.

The Stoneseeker organization, who seek to obtain the Kronos Stone and reinstate the Titans as the rulers of Greece, know that Typhon would make a powerful ally to their cause. They capture the hero Stentor, famous for his loud voice, in order to use him to more easily communicate with such a huge creature. Then the mysterious sorceress Siope regularly transports Stentor and the orator Phaethon into Typhon's prison, where Stentor is forced to bellow out Phaethon's dictations to the Drakaina. They incite his rage further by telling him of how yet more of his children have been slain, mostly by children of the gods such as Hercules, and promise that once they get the Stone, they will use it to free him and enable him to again seek revenge on Olympus.

The small images are of Apollo killing Python and Typhon raging under Mount Edna. Up next, the heroine Atalanta!
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