Chimeric creatures in Greek mythology and reflections in science

Abstract

“The Chimaera” in Homer's Iliad, “was of divine stock, not of men, in the forepart a lion, in the hinder a serpent, and in the midst a goat, … Bellerophon slew her, trusting in the signs of the gods.” In Hesiod's Theogony it is emphasized that “Chimaera … had three heads, one of a grim-eyed lion, another of a goat, and another of a snake…”. In addition to this interspecies animal chimera, human/animal chimeras are referred to in Greek mythology, preeminent among them the Centaurs and the Minotaur. The Centaurs, as horse/men, first appear in Geometric and early Archaic art, but in the literature not until early in the fifth century B.C. The bullheaded-man Minotaur, who is not certainly attested in the literary evidence until circa 500 B.C., first appears in art about 650 B.C. Attempts, in the fourth century B.C. and thereafter, to rationalize their mythical appearance were in vain; their chimeric nature retained its fascinating and archetypal form over the centuries. Early in the 1980s, experimental sheep/goat chimeras were produced removing the reproductive barrier between these two animal species. Late in the 1990s, legal, poli- tical, ethical, and moral fights loomed over a patent bid on human/animal chimeras. Chimeric technology is recently developed; however, the concept of chimerism has existed in literary and artistic form in ancient mythology. This is yet another example where art and literature precede scientific research and development. © 2001 Wiley-Liss. Inc.