Dark Angel

Lamia

Lamia (; Greek: Λάμια), in ancient Greek mythology, was a woman who became a child-eating monster after her children were destroyed by Hera, who learned of her husband Zeus's trysts with her. Hera also afflicted Lamia with sleeplessness so she would anguish constantly, but Zeus gave her the ability to remove her own eyes. "Lamia" was also used as a bogey word to frighten and discipline children. In later traditions and storytelling, the lamiai became a type of phantom, synonymous with the empusai which seduced youths to satisfy their sexual appetite and fed on their flesh afterward. A fabulous biography of Apollonius of Tyana defeating a Lamia seductress has inspired the poem Lamia by Keats. The lamia has been ascribed serpent-like qualities, which some comme… more »