The chimera in ancient mythology
The Chimera (/kɪˈmɪərə/ or /kaɪˈmɪərə/), also Chimaera (Chimæra) (Ancient Greek: Χίμαιρα, Chímaira means 'she-goat'), according to Greek mythology, was a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature, composed of different animal parts from Lycia, Asia Minor. It is usually depicted as a lion, with the head of a goat protruding from its back, and a tail that might end with a snake's head. It was an offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of such monsters as Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra.
The term "chimera" has come to describe any mythical or fictional creature with parts taken from various animals, to describe anything composed of very disparate parts, or perceived as wildly imaginative, implausible, or dazzling.
-Quoted from wikipeadia-
You can find some of the first artistic renderings of the chimera on ancient Greek pottery paintings. It is common to see the image of a chimera engaged in battle with a man riding a winged horse; a reference to the battle between the Greek hero Bellerophon (aided by Pegasus) and the Chimera.
The story states that after terrorizing the land, the Chimera was ordered to be killed. With the help of Pegasus, Bellerophon attacked the Chimera from the air to avoid being scorched by her fire or bitten by her heads. Bellerophon was said to have shot the Chimera with an arrow from his bow and killed her
