In Greek mythology, the creature known as the chimera is a fire-breathing female monster that attacked Lycia and Caria. It was later killed by Bellerophon. Some western scholars of Chinese art, starting with Victor Segalen, use the word "chimera" generically to refer to winged leonine or mixed species quadrupeds, such as Bixie, Tianlu, Ky Lan and even Qilin.
The most common description of the chimera comes from Homer's Illiad, in which the creature is said to have the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and tail of a snake. Despite being classified as a female, the lion's head has a mane which is typical of male lions.
The Chimera's origins are highly disputed and its genealogy has never been formally agreed upon. According to Hesiod, the Chimera's mother was a certain ambiguous "she", which may refer to Echidna, in which case the father would presumably be Typhon, though possibly the Hydra or even Ceto was meant instead.
Other accounts say that Chimera was the child of Typhoeus and Echidna and sibling of Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra. There are several different genealogies—in one version, it mated with its brother, Orthrus, and mothered the Sphinx and the Nemean Lion.
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