Lamia:
What is a Lamia?, how was she created?, why Lilith is seen as a Lamia?
Lamia was a very beautiful Queen from Libya (Ancient Greek Mythology), her beauty conquered to Zeus, from that romance or relationship, she gave birth to Zeus’ children, when Hera -who was Zeus’ wife- discovered that relationship and what it had resulted, Hera lost her mind and because of jealousy and anger,she kidnapped Lamia’s children and killed them (including Zeus’ children), but her revenge was not complete and the legend says that Hera transformed Lamia into a monster that hunts/kills and devours children.
There are many versions of Lamia’s fate,perhaps the most spread is that Hera just kidnapped the children, this made Lamia to lose her mind from grief,sadness and despair, unable to control herself, she devoured her own children and also turn into a monstrosity which steals and eats other people’s children, another version is the one written by the poet Horace: in which has been said that Hera forced Lamia to devour her own children.
The myth also says that Lamia was cursed with the inability of closing her eyes, that way she would always be obsessed with the images of her own dead children but Zeus,perhaps in a gesture of mercy or kindness and for appeasing Lamia’s grief, allowing her to rest since she could not close her eyes,Zeus gave her the ability of removing her eyes and other stories say that this came with the ‘gift’ of prophecy.
The mythology depicts (the) Lamia, as a legendary Demon/Demoness, it is said that she has human legs and a snakeskin around her waist, there is also a small snake on her right forearm, other legends describe her with a serpent’s tail below the waist. Part of her myth has described her monstrosity not only blaming Hera’s wrath (which relates both with the Gorgon myth or Medusa),also it is said that due to her pain, madness or grief for her dead children she became that monster.
Other folkloric legends or stories about Lamia or Lamiae (plural) portray her/them as a succubi and vampires that seduced young men for later drinking their blood.
At this last fact and related with other religions and stories, Lamia has been related or seen as Lilith, whose legend includes being a Goddess,a succubi, a vampire and drinking the blood of young men,besides devouring/killing children and being associated to snakes.
Lamiae were used as a fairy-tale figure by mothers who wanted their sons to have good behaviour, threatening and warning them about the Lamia’s visit, this especially throughout Europe, but also similar legends were spread around the world, in other cultures, for example in Mexico, there is a ghost or Banshee who killed her children and appears at night trying to find them, though, perhaps the most powerful is her similarity with Lilith and her myth.
The Lamiae have been an inspiration for many authors and artists who have representated her as a very beautiful creature, always with some kind of snakeskin around her body, a succubus or a sorceress, her beauty luring men and making them surrender to their desires, once they are seduced by the Lamia, she drinks their blood.
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