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lamia
lamia a mythical monster supposed to have the body of a woman, and to prey on human beings and suck the blood of children. The word is used in early translations of the Bible for Isaiah 34:15 (where the Authorized Version has ‘screech owl’, with marginal alternative ‘night monster’) and Lamentations 4:3 (where the Authorized Version has ‘sea monsters’ or ‘sea calves’). Lamia comes via Latin from Greek, denoting a carnivorous fish or mythical monster.
In Keats's poem of this name, the serpent Lamia is transformed into a beautiful woman and wins the love of Lycius. At their wedding feast in Corinth her real nature is recognized by the sage Apollonius: he challenges her by her name, and she reverts to her true form, vanishing with a shriek of anguish. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "lamia." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "lamia." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-lamia.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "lamia." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-lamia.html |
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Lamia
LamiaIn ancient Greek folklore, Lamia was a shape-shifting monster that sucked blood and ate flesh, similar to stories of the succubus and vampire. Lamia, the daughter of Belus and Libya, was loved by Zeus and punished by Hera. Because Hera took Lamia's children away, Lamia took her revenge on the children of men and women, since she had no power over gods. Lamia became transformed into a class of demonic being in Greek lore, the lamiai. According to folk beliefs, the lamiai might be in the form of a beautiful woman, a snake with a woman's head, or a monster with deformed lower limbs and the power to take out her eyes. (See also Striges ) Sources:Lawson, John Cuthbert. Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion. 1910. Reprint, New Hyde Park, N.Y.: University Books, 1964. |
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"Lamia." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lamia." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403802698.html "Lamia." Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology. 2001. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403802698.html |
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Lamía
Lamía , city (1991 pop. 44,084), capital of Fthiótis prefecture, E central Greece. It is a transportation hub and an agricultural center. Founded about the 5th cent. BC, it was the chief city of the small region of Malis and developed as an ally of Athens. It gave its name to the Lamian War (323-322 BC), waged by the confederate Greeks against Antipater, the Macedonian general, who took refuge in the city and was besieged there for several months. Antipater conquered (322 BC) the confederates at Crannon, near Larissa. Lamía was known as Zituni from the 10th to the 19th cent. |
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"Lamía." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lamía." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-LamiaGre.html "Lamía." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-LamiaGre.html |
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Lamia
Lamia , in Greek mythology, grief-crazed woman whose name was used to frighten children. Her own children were killed by Hera, who was jealous of Zeus' love for her; thereafter Lamia, out of envy for happy mothers, stole and killed the children of others. In later legend, the name Lamia was also used for a woman who lured a youth to his destruction. |
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Cite this article
"Lamia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Lamia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lamia-myth.html "Lamia." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Lamia-myth.html |
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