Also called Mother of Monsters.
Their story
Echidna was half a lovely nymph with glancing eyes and half a huge speckled snake, living in a cave beneath the earth, never ageing. With Typhon she bore Orthus, Cerberus, the Hydra and, in some readings, the Chimera; the Sphinx and Nemean lion are also named among her kin. Herodotus tells a Scythian tale in which Heracles met a snake-woman who bore him the ancestors of the Scythians.
Best times to give to them
- None traditional
- When reading or retelling the myth
What they like being given
- None are traditional; she was feared, not honoured
- A candle lit while reading or retelling the story
How to honour them
- Reflect on how Greek myth gave monsters a family: dangers rarely arrive alone.
- Notice where fear breeds more fear, and tackle the source.
How they can help you
- Understanding the monster families of myth
- Seeing how dangers are connected
Symbols
- serpent body
- cave
Sources
- Hesiod, Theogony 295-332
- Herodotus, Histories 4.8-10
- Apollodorus, Library 2.1.2