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Typhon (Ancient Greek: Τυφῶν), also known as Typhoeus (Ancient Greek: Τυφωεύς), Typhaon (Ancient Greek: Τυφάων), or Typhos (Ancient Greek: Τυφώς), was the last son of Gaia, and the most deadly monster in Greek mythology. He was forced to fight Zeus at the will of Gaia, because Zeus had imprisoned her children, the Titans.

Appearance

Typhon was described as being so tall his head often touched the stars, and his arms stretched to both east and west. He was said to have over a hundred serpent heads, and his eyes flashed fire. Instead of legs, he had twin serpents that served as legs. With Echidna, he became the father of some of Greek mythology's most famous beasts, such as the Chimera, the Hydra, the Nemean Lion and the Sphinx.

Birth

Typhon was said to be the last son of Gaia, the personification of the Earth. In other tales, Hera demanded Gaia give her a son not weaker than Zeus himself, and so Hera bore Typhon without a father. He was later challenged to battle by Zeus. Zeus became trapped in the writhing serpents that served as Typhon's legs, and Typhon cut out Zeus' sinews, thus immobilizing him. Zeus was taken to a cave where he was given back his sinews by Hermes and Pan. Once Zeus regained his strength, he flew back to Typhon in a charoit drawn by winged horses. The two fought on until Zeus ultimately defeated Typheous by hurling Mount Etna at him. Typhon was, from then on, trapped beneath the mountain. Many of his children were killed by Greek heroes, most of them killed by Herakles.