Lamia is one of the most cruel, bloodthirsty and ferocious creatures of ancient Greek myths. Nowadays, the image of Lamia is actively used in the fantasy world, in computer games and cinema. As a rule, today Lamia is the personification of absolute, unmistakable evil, the main purpose of which is to commit terrible acts for the sake of the process itself, and not for the sake of achieving any result. In the myths of the peoples of Ancient Greece, these creatures have a similar essence, but, at the same time, the reasons why the lamias turned into bloody monsters are explained in detail.
As you know, in ancient Greek mythology, one can often find descriptions of the rather free behavior of the gods in relation to each other, often incompatible with our modern ideas about morality. Apparently, people who lived at the time of the appearance of the first myths had slightly different, different from ours, concepts of the norms of behavior in society, or these norms did not apply to the inhabitants of Olympus. In any case, the adultery of Zeus, the main god of the Greek pantheon, occupies a significant place in stories about the customs of the Greek gods. One of the most deplorable results of Zeus' infidelity to his wife Hera is the birth of lamias.
The name Lamia was borne by the daughter of Poseidon, god of the seas, one of the three supreme deities of the Greek pantheon; The mother of Lamia is considered to be Libya, one of the sea nymphs. Seduced by the beauty of the young goddess, Zeus enters into a relationship with Lamia, while not being too concerned about keeping her a secret. Upon learning of another betrayal of her husband, Hera becomes furious and deprives her rival of her mind, and also turns into a disgusting monster. Seized by madness, Lamia kills her children, born of Zeus, and then hides from the wrath of the gods in distant caves. According to another version, the children are killed by the goddess Hera, and Lamia becomes insane, unable to come to terms with their death. In any case, since then, Lamia turns into a bloody monster, devouring babies and drinking human blood.
In addition, the goddess Hera deprives Lamia of the ability to sleep, so she appears only with the onset of darkness. To forget about sleep, Lamia removes her eyes and stores them in a special bowl. Traditionally, Lamia and her offspring are described as being half human, half serpentine. Up to the waist, lamias are beautiful maidens, while the lower part of the body is shaped like a snake's tail. Due to the forked tongue, lamias do not speak articulate, but they can emit melodious whistles. Currently, the word "lamia" is used not only in relation to the bloody Greek goddess, but also to her offspring, emerging from relationships with young men who manage to seduce Lamia. Like their progenitor, lamias abduct and kill babies and feed on human blood.
There is another legend that probably arose in later times. In it, Lamia is a monster that eats children and lived at the foot of Mount Parnassus. Subsequently, it was destroyed by one of the ancient Greek heroes, and at the place of Lamia's death a source called Sibaris appeared. Unfortunately, a detailed description of the origin and appearance of this monster has not yet been found.
Over time, the image of lamias has been somewhat transformed. In the Middle Ages, lamias began to be perceived as one of the many creatures of Hell, servants of Satan, a cross between vampires and demons. Their addiction to kidnapping children and human blood remains unchanged. According to today's views, lamias live in deep caves, ravines, abandoned wastelands, hunt at night and prefer to attack sleeping people, penetrating their homes. They are able to change their appearance, temporarily turning into beautiful girls, but, as before, they do not speak speech and have a weakness for the blood of young men and boys.