Typhon was the monstrous offspring of Gaia and Tartarus who fought Zeus for control of the cosmos.
In Hesiod’s Theogony, Typhon emerged after Zeus had defeated the Titans, as Gaia produced a final and terrifying challenger. He was portrayed as a gigantic serpentine monster with many heads, often described as fire-breathing and snake-like. His battle with Zeus formed another episode in the Greek succession myth: even after defeating the older Titans, Zeus still had to secure his rule against a force born from the earth and the underworld.
Zeus ultimately defeated Typhon with his thunderbolt. Different authors placed the defeated monster beneath Mount Etna, in Tartarus, or in other volcanic regions, helping explain earthquakes, eruptions, and terrifying natural forces. Apollodorus gives a more elaborate version in which Typhon temporarily overpowers Zeus before Hermes and a companion restore the god’s strength.
Typhon is often confused with Python, the serpent Apollo killed at Delphi, or Echidna, Typhon’s monstrous mate in many traditions. Cerberus is another underworld monster, but he is usually described as a child of Typhon and Echidna rather than as Typhon himself. Ancient sources disagree about Typhon’s parentage, yet Gaia and Tartarus is the classic Hesiodic answer.