Monday, January 15, 2018

Word from Mythology: Chimera

The English word chimera is from the Greek chimaera (khimaira), a fire-breathing mythical beast that had the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a serpent. You can read more about the chimera at Wikipedia.

In English, the word has come to mean something so weird or fantastical that it cannot possibly exist, an illusion.

The image below shows the famous "Chimera of Arezzo," a bronze statue dating to around the year 400 B.C.E.