Chimera, << ky MIHR uh or kuh MIHR uh, >> was a fire-breathing monster in Greek mythology. The name is also spelled Chimaera. The Chimera was the offspring of the monsters Typhon and Echidna. It had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent.
The Chimera terrorized the kingdom of Lycia. Iobates, the Lycian king, ordered the hero Bellerophon to destroy the monster. Bellerophon tamed the winged horse Pegasus with the help of a golden bridle provided by the goddess Athena. Then Bellerophon flew over the Chimera and killed it with arrows. The words chimera and chimerical are often used to describe anything that is wildly fanciful or absurd.
