.:Monsters of Mythology:.

The name Echidna comes from the word ekhis, meaning "she viper". She is half snake.

            Echidna is also known as "Mother of All Monsters" because she created every major monster in greek mythology with her mate, Typhon, a 100-headed monster also with the bodies of 100 snakes instead of legs.

            Echidna's top half is a nymph and her bottom half is a snake, although many artists have also rendered her with wings, four legs, etc. She has also been drawn with two snake tails instead of one.

            When Echidna, Typhon, and all of their children attacked Olympus (the mountain where the gods live), Zues beat them and imprisoned Typhon underneath Mt. Etna. But Zues let Echidna and her children live, so as to challenge heroes with the task of defeating them.

            It is clear that Echidna was born in a secluded cave, but no one is really sure how. Mythology suggests that she was the daughter of Tartarus (a man in greek mythology) and Gaia (the goddess that personifies the Earth), but Hesiod, a very famous poet, claims that she was the daughter of Ceto (a terryfying and grotesque sea monster) and Phorcys (a god of the sea).