Delphyne

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Description

A serpent from the folklore of Greece. In Greek mythology, Delphyne (Greek: Δελφύνη) is the name given, by some accounts, to the monstrous…

The Legend

In Greek mythology, Delphine (Δελφύνη) is the name of the monstrous serpent killed by Apollo at Delphi. In stories from the Hellenistic period and later, the monster of Delphi slain by Apollo is generally known as the male serpent Python, but in the earliest known account of this story, Homer's Hymn to Apollo, the god killed a nameless female serpent (drakaina), which later came to be called Delphine. According to the Suda, Delphi was named after Delphine. Homer's hymn describes this serpent as 'a swollen, gigantic female dragon, a fierce monster that causes great harm to humans and their slender-legged sheep on the earth,' and states that 'those who encounter that dragon will be swept away on the day of their fate.' Additionally, the hymn mentions that Delphine was the nurse of the serpent monster Typhon, who eventually fights Zeus for dominion over the universe. Apollo encountered this female serpent while constructing his oracle temple at Delphi and shot her dead with his bow.

This article is based on the Wikipedia article "Delphyne" (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikipedia