In Greek mythology, the fire-breathing creature with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail is the Chimera.
The Chimera was a hybrid monster associated with Lycia in Asia Minor. Ancient descriptions vary in the exact arrangement and number of its heads, but the familiar form combines a lion at the front, a goat emerging from the middle or back, and a serpent or dragon forming the rear and tail. Its fire-breathing ability made it especially terrifying.
Homer describes the creature in the Iliad as being of divine stock, with a lion in front, a serpent behind, and a goat in the middle that breathed blazing fire. Hesiod and later mythographers likewise present it as a composite beast. The Greek name is related to “she-goat,” reflecting one part of the creature’s form.
The hero Bellerophon killed the Chimera while riding the winged horse Pegasus. Later versions say he used a lead-tipped spear, allowing the monster’s own flames to melt the metal and block its throat. The word “chimera” now also means an impossible fantasy or, in biology, an organism composed of genetically distinct cells—uses derived from the mythic idea of mixed parts.