Mythological Hybrids.

Hybrids are part of our history. All over the world, are stories told about mythological creatures, such as the centaurs, or mermaids. These myths are deemed untrue and described as 'fairytales', but others believe they are not. Many conspiracy theories remain about mermaids, with millions of pounds spent on scientists trying to discover their truthfulness. Before I looked at human hybrids in film, I wanted to look at hybrids in myths, as I believe that is what many stories for films have been inspired by.

'Almost all creatures were born from the experiences of our ancestors, our many-times great-grandmothers and grandfathers. As you read about the creatures that delighted and frightened the people of the past, you come to understand more about the human family of which you are part of. In addition, most mythical creatures reflect the world view of a particular country or culture.' (Rosen, 2009).

Some creatures such as dragons, and winged serpents are rife throughout many traditional stories from many cultures, from Egypt to Medieval European. Creatures such as mermaids were more dedicated to certain seas of the world, from Japan to the British Isles, scaring the seamen that travelled hundreds of miles to bring home goods from other countries. There has never been much proof of any of these creatures, which their descriptions are told through word of mouth. Many early traveller's descriptions resemble animals that they had never seen before, such as the Romans describing a creature with a camel-like shape, elevated neck and backwards horns, which the likelihood is that this creature was in fact a giraffe. Folktales of sirens and sea monsters were told to scare people, but also to raise the reputation of the story-tellers. Many, many people believed that what they had saw where monsters, when many times, it was a misjudgement.

'Many creatures are drawn from the world's folktales, legends and myths. In many cases, these traditional stories rose from attempts by early peoples to understand and explain the natural and spiritual world. Generally, the narratives existed as part of a culture's storytelling tradition before they were written down.' (Rosen, 2009). 

These creatures were not only included in folklore, but appear in many religions. Greek Gods are essentially human hybrids, such as Anubis, the god of death, appearing with the head of a jackal. Or there is the story of Medusa, a serpent-haired woman who turned anyone who stared into her eyes, into stone. She was killed by Perseus, who, as a gift, gave Athena the head to place on her shield to fight her enemies. In Egyptian mythology, Heket, is a frog-human hybrid, and the goddess of fertility. It is most likely that the frog was a good choice of animal for a goddess of fertility, as frogs lay hundreds of eggs in the rainy season, when the Nile becomes flooded.

'In Ancient Greece and Rome, the boundaries between the spiritual and material worlds were less defined than they are today. The Gods were like Humans, both were like animals and plants, and combinations and transformations between categories were considered common place.' 

(Rosen, 2009).

In Europe, the Heraldry supported the idea of these creatures. The coats of arms made societies believe in their rulers, as they knew of the creatures they used. 

Heraldic Animals and their Meanings - Extract from the Mythical Creatures Bible.
Rosen, B. (2009) The mythical creatures bible: The definitive guide to legendary beings. United States: Sterling Publishing.

Examples of Hybrids in Mythology

Arachne -

Arachne is a half-spider, half-female hybrid. In Greek mythology, she was a weaver, who boasted of how talented she was, therefore being challenged to a contest by Athena, The Goddess of Wisdom and Crafts. She loses, and for her insolence is turned into a half-spider hybrid by Athena.

Arachne.

Centaur -

A Centaur is a mythological creature, combined of the top half of a human, and bottom half of a horse. They are often seen as warriors, and appear often through history, even to this day, featuring in 'Harry Potter, And the Philosopher's Stone'. The Centaur's are thought to have derived from a community of non-horse riders, seeing nomads riding horses. 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. 

Centaur

Mermaid/Mermen/Sirens -

In Greek Mythology, Sirens were beautiful women that had fish tails, that lured ships to the rocks with their singing, in order for a shipwreck. Odysseus, a Greek King, knew of the sirens, and ordered men to bound him to the mast of a ship, block their hearing using beeswax, and sail towards the sirens. The sirens sung to Odysseus, and he ordered the men to release him so that he could go towards them. The men refused, and once sailed past, came over the urge to go near them, and was released by the crew.

The Fisherman and The Siren -Frederic Leighton - circa. 1856-1858

A Mermaid - John William Waterhouse - 1990.

Minotaur -

A minotaur was a hybrid monster in Greek Mythology, with the body of a man and the head of a bull. He lived in the labyrinth, a maze-like construction, and under the order of Aegues, seven men and maidens were to enter the maze as a sacrifice. As the third sacrifice entered the maze, Theseus approached in order to become a volunteer. He was to let his father, King Aegues, know if he was alive by putting up a white flag, or getting the crew to put up a black flag if he were dead. He entered the maze, where he met Adriadne, Minos' daughter, who fell in love with Theseus, who gave a ball of thread allowing him to retrace his steps if he happened to get lost. She guided him towards the Minotaur, where he found the other sacrifices and saved them by putting a sword through the Minotaur. He didn't put up the white flag, leading his father to believe he was dead, who then committed suicide off the top of his castle, securing the throne for Theseus. 

Theseus and The Minotaur - 'Aka-Maelstrom DeviantArt'

Rosen, B. (2009) The mythical creatures bible: The definitive guide to legendary beings. United States: Sterling Publishing.

Cartwright, M. (2012) Centaur. Available at: http://www.ancient.eu/centaur/ (Accessed: 10 November 2015).

Theseus and the Minotaur (no date) Available at: http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/textonly563-theseus-and-the-minotaur.html (Accessed: 10 November 2015).

Austern, L. P. (2005) Music of the sirens. Edited by L.P. Austern and Inna Naroditskaya. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.