Hybrids in Mythology

Hybrids, in the mythical realm, are creatures that combine the features and body parts of more than one real species. There are also part human combinations such as the very popular centaurs and mermaids.

Alkonost - which is a bird with the head of a beautiful women

Alkonost's are notorious for their hideously beautiful voices. They torment the damned with haunting terrible songs so they never get any peace

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Bilibin_Alkonost.JPG

Adlet - Human and Dog Cross

These mythical beasts are the monstrous offspring of an Inuit woman and a large ferocious red dog. A litter of ten bloodthirsty, fur-covered and dog-like children were created from this very unnatural union. Fully covered in fiery red fur, these beasts had some lupine features such as a long snout, pointed ears, long tails and piercing yellow eyes.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2XyL_UJgpY4/TYm0FoHOgBI/AAAAAAAAArc/ybbqFSAvE20/s1600/adlet.jpg

Centaur - Human horse hybrids, top half human with a body of a horse

Centaurs were said to be the offspring of Ixion, son of Ares and a cloud. They were either depicted as wise, strong and admired or wild, destructive and untamable, depending on which half ruled. These mythical hybrids could be wise, peaceful and strong figures in total control of their ability to be agile and powerful swift archers.

http://www.greekmythology.com/images/mythology/centaur_108.jpg

Echidna - Upper half a Beautiful women and lower half is a serpent

Echidna was an extremely beautiful woman from the waist up but her bottom half consisted of the large creepy coils of a snake. She would entice men with her tantalizing attractiveness, all the while concealing her lower half so she could lure them into the darkness to kill and devour them.

http://usercontent1.hubimg.com/9769654_f260.jpg

Goat Man - Half Goat and Half Man

Goatman is said to have been a brilliant scientist that was transformed into a hideous beast when one of his experiments went horribly wrong. This resulted in him being cursed with an abnormal, twisted body that was littered with goat-like features.

http://www.emuseumstore.com/assets/images/t1929-pan-playing-the-lute.jpg

Khnum - Strong human male with the head of a Ram

Khnum was one of the most ancient gods of Egypt, whose worship is thought to have been popular as early as the Predynastic Period. Khnum, also spelled Khnemu, ancient Egyptian god of fertility, associated with water and with procreation. 

He was represented as a ram with horizontal twisting horns or as a man with a ram’s head. Khnum was believed to have created humankind from clay like a potter; this scene, with him using a potter’s wheel, was depicted in later times. 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Khnum.svg/2000px-Khnum.svg.png

Resources Used:

• http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/khnum.html
• http://www.mythical-creatures-and-beasts.com/hybrids.html
• http://www.britannica.com/topic/Khnum