“…they writhed, gasping as Scylla swung them up her cliff and there at her cavern’s mouth she bolted them down raw—screaming out, flinging their arms toward me, lost in that mortal struggle.” -Homer, The OdysseyLater in the story, Odysseus is stranded on a raft and must navigate the strait for a second time. This time he attempts to sail past the side where the Charybdis is waiting. His raft is sucked into the massive whirlpool, but Odysseus himself manages to stay afloat by holding on to a fig tree whose branches are dangling from shore. Odysseus eventually recovers his raft and sails away quickly.

Cerberus is a popular creature in ancient mythology. Hades’ loyal guard dog, Cerberus was a massive hound with three heads that guarded the entrance to the underworld. It was said that the beast only had an appetite for living flesh and so would only allow the deceased spirits to pass, while consuming any living mortal who was foolish enough to come near him. It is said that the three heads were meant to symbolize the past, present and future. In other versions of the myth the three heads represent youth, adult hood, and old age.

While Cerberus was a notable creature of mythology, he is probably best remembered as the twelfth and final labor that Heracles most perform. Heracles must enter the underworld, wrestle the beast using no weapons, and then bring Cerberus to the surface world, alive, to present to the Mycenaean king Eurystheus, the man who had originally ordered Heracles to perform these tasks as recompense for his past sins.

Heracles manages to tackle the beast; then using his great strength, throws the animal over his shoulder and drags him to the mortal world. It was said that upon seeing Cerberus, Eurystheus was so terrified that he hid in a large vase and begged Heracles to return the hell hound back to Hades.

A grotesque abomination that possessed the body of a man and the head of a bull, the Minotaur is best remembered for his affinity for devouring flesh and his cryptic home, deep within the confines of the twisted labyrinth. The labyrinth was an impossible maze constructed by the inventor Daedalus. It was said to have been located under the palace of Knossos, the home of King Minos of Crete.

The story goes that King Minos, the ruler of Crete, lost his son Androgeus, when the boy was murdered in Athens. Accounts vary, but one version tells that the prince was murdered because the Athenians were jealous of his many victories at the recent Panathenaic Games in Athens. King Minos would subsequently wage war on the Athenians, eventually finding victory. As penance for the murder of Androgeus, every year the Athenians were forced to send seven young men and seven maidens to the island of Crete, where they would be released into the labyrinth and systematically hunted and devoured by the Minotaur.

It is at this time that Theseus, the hero of Athens, volunteers to be sent to Crete as a sacrifice to the monster. Upon arriving Theseus is aided by  Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos. Before the Athenians can be trapped within the labyrinth, Ariadne releases Theseus from his holding cell and brings him to the entrance of the great maze. Theseus navigates the labyrinth and discovers the Minotaur sleeping in the center of the vast dungeon.

Using the element of surprise, Theseus attacks the Minotaur and dispenses the monster with ease. The hero and the other Athenians, along with princess Ariadne, escape Minos’ palace and make a hasty retreat to Athens under the cover of night.

A monstrous creature with the ability to turn to stone any person who gazed upon her face, Medusa remains a popular monster of ancient mythology. Interpretations of Medusa differ. Some accounts describe how Medusa was born to the archaic marine deity, Ceto. In this version of the tale, Medusa is born with a hideous face and a serpents tail where her legs should be. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Medusa was told to have once been a beautiful maiden who was transformed into a hideous monster after being raped in the temple of Athena by the sea god Poseidon. The one aspect of Medusa that remains consistent through various legends his her hair, which was said to have been composed of writhing, venomous snakes.

Medusa is confronted by the hero Perseus, who was bade by his stepfather to retrieve the head of the monster. Using a mirrored shield that was given to him by Athena, Perseus viewed Medusa’s reflection so as not to look directly at the monster. Perseus slays Medusa and chops off her head. From the neck of the dying Gorgon, sprang the winged horse Pegasus. Perseus would use the head of Medusa as a weapon against enemies; until he eventually presented it to Athena who attached it to the front of her shield.

When making this list, I gave serious thought to who would occupy the seat as the most terrifying monster of Greek mythology. I asked several colleagues and took several polls. However, when we take time to truly consider all the legendary beast, there can be only one clear winner.

Typhon was known as the “Father of All Monsters.” He was birthed from Gaia (the earth) and Tartarus (the depths of hell). He was said to have been the most ferocious creature ever to roam the earth. Typhon was massive. It was said that when he stood upright, his head brushed against the stars. The lower half of his body consisted of two coiled viper tails that constantly were hissing. Instead of fingers, several dragon heads erupted from his hands. He was said to have wings that, when spread, could blot out the sun. Fire flashed from his eyes, striking fear into the heart of any living creature, even the might Olympians.

Typhon is described in Hesiod’s The Theogony…

Typhon was so mighty, that the only conceivable opponent to defy him was Zeus himself. While the other Olympians ran in fear, Zeus stood firm against the monstrous being. A great battle ensued that caused countless earthquakes and tsunamis. The war between Typhon and Zeus was so mighty that it threatened to break the planet in two.

Eventually Zeus would triumph over Typhon. By casting one hundred well aimed thunderbolts to the head of the monster, Typhon was cast down into the pits of Tartarus where he was sealed away for all time. However, the rage of this monster could not be contained. While he was trapped beneath the earth, he occasionally would experience fits of anger . His furry would manifest in the form of volcanic eruptions, and in this way Typhon continues to terrorize humanity from his earthly prison.