Typhon, << TY fon, >> in Greek mythology, was the largest of a group of early gods called the Titans. The Titans were the children of Gaea, the ancient Greek goddess of Earth, and Uranus, the god of the sky. Typhon is described in several ways that vary from legend to legend. From the waist up, Typhon had the body of a man with enormous wings. Below his waist were hundreds of coiled serpents. Typhon had 100 serpent heads and fire flashed from each of his 200 eyes. He was the father of the monsters Cerberus and Chimera.
The Titans were defeated in battle by the another group of gods known as the Olympians, led by Zeus. Gaea urged Typhon to avenge her children. He obeyed and hurled mountains at the Olympian gods, who fled in terror. Only Zeus, god of lightning, stood his ground. The terrible clash that followed caused earthquakes and floods and killed almost all living things on Earth. Zeus ended the battle by dropping a huge mountain onto Typhon. According to tradition, Typhon still hisses and writhes underneath Mount Etna in Italy. His struggling causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to this day.
Typhon is one of many serpentlike monsters found in myths around the world. The creatures are often associated with earthquakes, strong winds, and raging waters. In many myths, the creatures are destroyed by a great god wielding a thunderbolt. Gods similar to Typhon include Vritra in Hinduism, Tiamat << TEE ah maht >> from Babylonian mythology, and Jormungandr << YOUR muhn gun dar >> , also called the Midgard Serpent, in Norse mythology. The Bible describes Leviathan, a giant sea serpent destroyed by God. Scholars believe that many of these creatures descend from a common myth.
