History Main / ClassicalChimera

The Chimera (also spelled Chimaera, from the greek Chímaira "she-goat") is a legendary beast from Myth/ClassicalMythology, said to be [[MotherOfAThousandYoung one of the many offspring of Echidna]] and Typhon, alongside Cerberus and the Hydra. First referenced by Creator/{{Homer}} in ''Literature/TheIliad'', and later killed by the Greek hero Bellerophon, it is most well known for being a three-way mixture of a [[KingOfBeasts lion]], a [[GruesomeGoat goat]], and a [[SnakesAreSinister snake]]. Due to its mixed animal nature, the term chimera has since often been used as a way to classify a fictional creature with traits of various different animals. And, in modern biology, it is also used to describe an organism with different DNA in different parts of its body (among humans this includes recipients of organ transplants, as well as those who absorbed an underdeveloped twin in the womb).

** Dracimeras, described in ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' #170, are [[HybridMonster hybridsof chimeras and evil dragons]], resembling regular chimeras with a maned dragon head up front, a horned lizard head instead of the goat, and an additional dragon head instead of its tail. All heads have access to the creature's BreathWeapon, which each head can use twice a day.

The most common depiction of a chimera is that of a beast with a lion's head and body (despite being female, it is commonly shown with a male's mane), a venomous snake instead of a tail and a [[BreathWeapon fire breathing]] goat's head protruding from its back. While the design is altered a bit on occasion (the traits are switched around; or the creature sometimes features new appendages such as, most commonly, a goat's hindquarters, a pair of wings, a snake head, a fourth dragon's head, a regular dragon's tail, etc.), it is still mainly composed of a lion, goat, and snake. Another common depiction is a one-headed variant depicted with a lion's head, a goat's body and a snake's tail.

* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaLegacyOfDarkness'': During the battle with Ortega, he turns himself into a chimera, shown as a large winged beast, with a fire breathing lion's head, a poison-spitting snake's head and a bird' head [[MakeMeWannaShout which has a sonic attack.]]
* ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans2010'': The video game features the Chimera as one of the bosses. This one is more closer to the original myth than the Film/WrathOfTheTitans incarnation, with a large goat head on its back, though with wings and the ability to summon lightning.

The Chimera (also spelled Chimaera, from the greek Chímaira "she-goat") is a legendary beast from Myth/ClassicalMythology, said to be [[MotherOfAThousandYoung one of the many offspring of Echidna]] and Typhon, alongside Cerberus and the Hydra. First referenced by Creator/{{Homer}} in ''Literature/TheIliad'', and later killed by the Greek hero Bellerophon, it is most well known for being a three-way mixture of a [[KingOfBeasts lion]], a [[GruesomeGoat goat]], and a [[SnakesAreSinister snake]]. Due to its mixed animal nature, the term chimera has since often been used as a way to classify a fictional creature with traits of various different animals. And, in modern biology, it is also used to describe [[LegoGenetics a single organism that is a fusion of at least two different species]], such as the Geep -- a fusion between a sheep and a goat.

* Japan has the ''kotuboki'', a chimerical creature composed of recognisable parts of ''every'' totem animal in the Eastern Zodiac. This yokai combines the head of a rat, the ears of a rabbit, the horns of an ox, the comb of a rooster, the beard of a goat, the neck of a dragon, the mane of a horse, the shoulders of a tiger, the arms of a monkey, the back of a boar, the hind legs of a dog, and the tail of a snake.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonUranium'': Chimical and Chimaconda are bright red lion-like animals with purple wings and snakes for tails. Chimaconda also has horns.

* ''Long Ago and Far Away:''[[note]] A PBS series often cut apart and spliced together under different names with the Creator/JamesEarlJones framing device removed [[/note]] Has an episode that revolves around Pegasus and features the Chimera. The monster has the head and body of a lion with a snake head for a tail and a goat head springing up from it's shoulders, much like classic artwork. It is massive though, big enough to use mountains to lean against while sleeping. A change from the original myth is that the Chimera is so destructive to Lycia that Athena decides to intervene and inspires Bellerophon directly to slay it and sends Pegasus to help. The hero finds the monster sleeping, and rains down arrows on, killing the lion head by shooting it in its eyes. He then kills the other two heads by throwing the lead spear into the goat's mouth.

* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'' features a large number of chimeras, both in the sense of merely using it to refer to any creature that mixes together other creatures and/or has multiple heads (most notably the Chimeratech line) and in the sense of the classical lion/goat/snake monster (including Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast, Scrap Chimera, Frightfur Chimera, Wattchimera, and DZW - Chimera Clad).

* ''Film/WrathOfTheTitans'': The Chimera appears as the first monster Perseus faces in the movie. This time around it's given a much more hellish design, with a giant lion body, huge bat wings, and a tail that's ended with a serpent's head. Although one of the heads does bare a horn, it does not resemble a goat, nor does the other one resemble a lion's. Its fire breath has also been changed so that both heads have to work in tandem in order for it to work - one head spits out a flammable liquid-substance, while the other one lights it. Perseus is able to kill it by tricking it to burn itself.

* The "Gatto" enemies from ''VideoGame/{{Slashout}}'' are chimaera with feline features, wings, and a clubbed tail they'll use to smash you up. One upgraded Gatto KingMook serves as a Gatekeeper fought before the actual boss.

* ''VideoGame/{{Sylphia}}'' has a western chimaera as a boss in the church stage, where it lose heads upon taking damage - first the goat's, and the snake, and you finally kill it by destroying the lion's head.

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': Chimeras are rare creatures that have appeared on multiple planes, but the majority are from the Myth/ClassicalMythology-based plane of Theros. They're generally agreed to be the result of the magical fusion of multiple disparate creatures, either as the product of mages maddened by the god Keranos or the byproduct of a bygone city whose natives used magic carelessly. They're physically extremely variable, although almost all are winged, but the classical lion-goat-and-snake form is represented in [[https://scryfall.com/card/ths/44/coastline-chimera Coastline Chimera]] and, with some additions, in [[https://scryfall.com/card/thb/10/daybreak-chimera Daybreak Chimera]] (with an eagle head, and horns on the lion) and [[https://scryfall.com/card/thb/297/treeshaker-chimera Treeshaker Chimera]] (with a wolf head).

The Chimera (also spelled Chimaera, from the greek Chímaira "she-goat") is a legendary beast from Myth/ClassicalMythology, said to be [[MotherOfAThousandYoung one of the many offspring of Echidna]] and Typhon, alongside Cerberus and the Hydra. First referenced by Creator/{{Homer}} in ''Literature/TheIliad'', and later killed by the Greek hero Bellerophon, it is most well known for being a three-way mixture of a lion, a goat, and a snake. Due to its mixed animal nature, the term chimera has since often been used as a way to classify a fictional creature with traits of various different animals. And, in modern biology, it is also used to describe [[LegoGenetics a single organism that is a fusion of at least two different species]], such as the Geep -- a fusion between a sheep and a goat.

* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'':
** The Bandai card of the Chimera depicts it as a lion with a dragons' wings and tail.
** By fusing Berphomet and Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast is summoned. It is depicted as a two-headed lion, with the horns of a goat, the wings of a bird, and a snake for a tail.
** While based on an Alchemical Chimera, the Scarp monster, Scrap Chimera bears a striking resemblance to the Greek monster, with the head of a lion, the body of a pegasus, and a snake-headed tail.
** Chimaera, the Master of Beasts looks nearly identical to the Flying Mythical Beast version, though with different coloring and horns. It can only be summoned by sacrificing 3 beast-type monsters.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'': Chimeras have a winged leonine body, with four heads arranged in a circle at the front of the body (lion, eagle, lizard, and goat) and a cobra forming the tail. They use a mix of physical attacks, attack magic, [[StatusEffects status magic]], and the [[MakingASplash Aqua Breath]] enemy skill.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'': The Chimera appears multiple times as a boss or regular enemy. It has the body of a goat, a snake-headed tail, and the heads of a lion, an eagle, and a goat, with the eagle's front-quarters. Each of the variants has a [[BreathWeapon fire breath attack]], venomous fangs, and various spells including [[StatusEffects Bind]] and [[PlayingWithFire Eruption]].
* ''VideoGame/GrimmsNotes'': The Chimeras are the [[EliteMook Elite Mooks]] featured in Snow Ashes' Story Zone. They are large beasts with three heads belonging to a red deer, a blue wolf, and a yellow tiger.

* Subverted with ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII's'' Chimeras, which are flying, two-headed dragons that spit lightning or corrosive bile and are used as flying artillery by the Night Elves. As a result, [[CallAPegasusAHippogriff they're more akin]] to [[OurWyvernsAreDifferent Wyverns]].

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'': Chimeras have a winged leonine body, with four heads arranged in a circle at the front of the body (lion, eagle, lizard, and goat) and a cobra forming the tail. They use a mix of physical attacks, attack magic, [[StandardStatusEffects status magic]], and the [[MakingASplash Aqua Breath]] enemy skill.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'': The Chimera appears multiple times as a boss or regular enemy. It has the body of a goat, a snake-headed tail, and the heads of a lion, an eagle, and a goat, with the eagle's front-quarters. Each of the variants has a [[BreathWeapon fire breath attack]], venomous fangs, and various spells including [[StandardStatusEffects Bind]] and [[PlayingWithFire Eruption]].