Top 10 Most Terrifying Greek Monsters (Ranked)

In the Greek mythology there are numerous stories about gods, heroes and definitely lots of scary monsters. These monstrous primordial beings were paralyzed with fear and presented mortals with nearly impossible challenges even for the strongest of heroes.

10. Minotaur: A horrible half-man, half-bull creature lurked deep in the labyrinth of King Minos. This lion-headed being was fed with Athenian teenagers' offerings. It took the skillful tactic of Theseus to get in and defeat the beast.

9. Empusa: The shape-shifting demoness Empusa was exactly what travelers were afraid of and what mortals were easy prey to. In order to trap victims, she assumed various forms deceiving the innocent. Whether she took the form of a foul creature or tempted with a kiss of death, her thirst for blood was insatiable.

8. Colchian Dragon: Keeping the precious Golden Fleece, this colossal serpent turned out to be a deadly challenge to the fearless hero Jason and his fellow travelers. He tussled with the colossal creature, with neither courage nor quick-thinking enough to overcome it.

7. Lamia: Formerly a beautiful queen, after her transformation into a malevolent monster of sorrow, Lamia was obsessed with her grief and vexation. She feasted on the meat of the children, and became the terror for mothers whose had been turned to evil, haunting the nightmares of parents and children alike.

6. Sphinx: Standing on her rocky seat, the Sphinx tossed her riddles to those who dared to pass, cruelly killing those who were not able to answer. The sphinx is depicted with the body of a lion and the head of a beautiful woman. She used to guard the entrance to Thebes but was defeated by the clever Oedipus.

5. Polyphemus: The Cyclops Polyphemus who had one eye and strength that is not comparable with any normal man, had problems with Odysseus and his men up to the moment when the deceptive Odysseus devised an ingenious plan to escape. A stake of fire in hands fueled by rage and pent-up anger in the dark, the monster of the uncharted world was seen at its best.

4. Harpies: Whole gods’ avengers with wings, the Harpies stoop down on victims filching them from those who act against the gods with prompt and unforgiving shove. They were probably deities who had the habit of flying with dark shouts and swift feet, who were the divine messengers condemning mortals, terrified into having nightmares.

3. Sirens: Casting spells, sirens sang ear-catching songs, bringing seafarers under the guise of their voices, sending them to the hazardous cliffs. Sorcery alone that Odysseus employed-he ordered his men to stop their ears with wax and me tied him to the mast, helped the crew pass the ship through these treacherous waters unharmed.

2. Chimera: It was an awful fusion. The Chimera looked like a lion in a body. With a goat head protruding from its back, it had a pig-tailed serpent. The townsfolk's views make it more than evident that the dragon was the embodiment of the forest's chaos and the fear of wilderness because it breathed fire and wreaked havoc everywhere it went.

1. Hydra: A multiple headed serpent which had the ability to regenerate itself after being cut into pieces and it became difficult for the excellent Hercules to overcome it. The more you cut and the more heads that fell down, instead of being dead, would generate two new ones, that would double the battle zone and perhaps the needed tactics. Many languages and toxins became its real tools of slaughter accompanying it on the battle field.

Either in the forest maze hideaway or on an alien-island shore, the giants play the biggest character and prototypical fear of mythic heroes. Their vividness is always a part of you. Because you see, in the end, beneath the deeps of the dark waters, something always watches over each brave and curious one.