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Manticore
ManticoreThe manticore (also known as martichora) was a mythical animal with a human head and face, a lion's body, and a scorpion's tail. According to legend, this fast, powerful, and fierce beast attacked and devoured people. First described by the Greek physician Ctesias in the late 400s or early 300s b.c., the manticore was said to have originated in India. It was mostly red, had pale blue or gray eyes, and had three rows of sharp teeth stretching from ear to ear. The manticore's voice sounded like a combination of a trumpet and a reed pipe. Its tail was equipped with stinging quills that the creature could shoot like arrows. medieval relating to the Middle Ages in Europe, a period from about a.d. 500 to 1500 heraldry practice of tracing family history and determining family emblems In medieval Christianity, the manticore was a symbol of the devil. It appeared in a number of bestiaries, books containing pictures or descriptions of mythical beasts. The manticore was also featured in medieval heraldry on items such as coats of arms, banners, and family trees. See also Animals in Mythology; Monsters. |
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"Manticore." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Manticore." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900309.html "Manticore." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900309.html |
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manticore
manticore a mythical beast typically depicted as having the body of a lion (occasionally a tiger), the face of a man, porcupine's quills, and the sting of a scorpion. Recorded from late Middle English, the name comes via Old French and Latin from Greek mantikhōras, corrupt reading in Aristotle for martikhoras, from an Old Persian word meaning ‘maneater’.
In heraldry, the manticore is represented as a monster with the body of a beast of prey, the head of a man, sometimes with spiral or curved horns, and sometimes with the feet of a dragon. |
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Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "manticore." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "manticore." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-manticore.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "manticore." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-manticore.html |
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manticore
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Cite this article
"manticore." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "manticore." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-manticore.html "manticore." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-manticore.html |
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