Typhon facts for kids
Typhon (Greek Τυφῶν), also called Typhoeus, Typhaon, and Typhos, was the last son of Gaia (Mother Earth) in Greek mythology. He tried to destroy Zeus after Zeus had put the powerful Titans in prison. Zeus won the battle and sent Typhon to be trapped under Mount Etna. Typhon was the father of famous monsters like the Nemean lion, Cerberus (the three-headed dog), and the Gorgons (like Medusa). He was married to Echidna, who was half-woman and half-snake. During Typhon's attack, most Greek gods (except Hermes and Zeus) ran away to Egypt. To hide from Typhon, many gods in Egypt changed themselves into animals.
Contents
Mythology
What Typhon Looked Like
Typhon was a giant monster, so tall that his head could touch the stars! His upper body looked like a man, but his legs were made of many snake coils. These snake legs would hiss and strike as he moved. His main head had 100 snakeheads on it, and each one could make different animal sounds. His eyes glowed red and scared everyone who saw them. He had a fierce mouth that could breathe fire. His body was covered with hundreds of wings, and his hands were also made of 100 snake coils, just like his legs.
Typhon's Battle with Zeus
Typhon challenged Zeus because he wanted to rule the whole universe. The oldest stories about Typhon, including a short mention in Homer's Iliad, talk about Zeus defeating him. Hesiod's Theogony gives the first full story of their huge battle. Hesiod wrote that if Zeus hadn't acted fast, Typhon would have become king of everyone, both gods and humans.
In the Theogony, Zeus and Typhon fought in a massive, world-shaking battle: The earth, the sky, the sea, and even the underworld shook terribly. Mount Olympus, where the gods lived, trembled under Zeus's feet. The sea became hot from the thunder, lightning, and the monster's fire. Everything boiled and raged. Even Hades, who ruled the dead, and the Titans in Tartarus trembled because of the loud noise and scary fight.
Zeus easily defeated Typhon with his powerful thunderbolt. Typhon was thrown down to earth in a fiery crash: Zeus used his great strength and his weapons: thunder, lightning, and a bright, burning bolt. He jumped from Olympus and struck Typhon, burning all of the monster's amazing heads. After Zeus won and hit him many times, Typhon fell down, badly hurt. The huge earth groaned from his fall. Fire shot out from the mountain's rough valleys where he landed. A large part of the earth was burned by the terrible heat and melted, just like metal melts when it's heated by people.
After being defeated, Typhon was thrown into Tartarus by an angry Zeus. Most stories say that the defeated Typhon was buried under Mount Etna in Sicily. Other stories say he was under the volcanic island of Ischia, near Naples. People believed that Typhon was the reason for volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
Typhon and the Giants
Typhon looked very similar to an older group of monsters, the Giants, who were also children of Gaia. Like Typhon, the Giants also challenged Zeus to take control of the universe. In later stories, the Giants were also shown with snake-like legs. They also ended up buried under volcanoes.
Even though Typhon and the Giants were separate in early stories, later writers often thought of Typhon as one of the Giants. For example, the Roman writer Hyginus (who lived from 64 BC to 17 AD) included Typhon in his list of Giants. The Roman poet Horace (65 – 8 BC) mentioned Typhon fighting alongside other Giants like Mimas, Porphyrion, and Enceladus during the Gigantomachy (the battle of the Giants). Other ancient writers, like Marcus Manilius and Nonnus, also believed Typhon was one of the Giants.
Images for kids
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Zeus fighting Typhon on ancient Greek pottery
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4 canopic jars with heads of Horus' sons
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Depiction by Wenceslas Hollar
See also
In Spanish: Tifón (mitología) para niños
