The Lamia
The Lamiæ are mythological monsters
of Africa, with the face and breast of a woman, the
rest of the body like that of a serpent; they allured
strangers, that they might devour them; and though not
endowed with the faculty of speech, their hissings were
pleasing. Some believed them to be evil spirits, who, in
the form of beautiful women, enticed young children,
and devoured them; according to some, the fable of
the Lamiæ is derived from the amours of Jupiter
with a beautiful woman, Lamia, whom Juno rendered
deformed, and whose children she destroyed; Lamia
became insane, and so desperate, that she ate up all the
children which came in her way.
Topsell, before entering upon the natural history of
the Lamia, as an animal, tells the following story of it
as a mythological being:—“It is reported of
Menippus
the Lycian, that he fell in love with a strange woman,
who at that time seemed both beautifull, tender, and rich,
but, in truth, there was no such thing, and all was but
a fantastical ostentation; she was said to insinuate her
selfe, into his familiaritie after this manner: as he went
upon a day alone from
Corinth to
Senchræa, hee met with
a certaine phantasme, or spectre like a beautifull woman,
who tooke him by the hand, and told him she was a
Phœnician woman, and of long time had loved him
dearely, having sought many occasions to manifest the
same, but could never finde opportunitie untill that day,
wherefore she entreated him to take knowledge of her
house, which was in the Suburbes of
Corinth, therewithall
pointing unto it with her finger, and so desired
his presence. The young man seeing himselfe thus
wooed by a beautiful woman, was easily overcome
by her allurements, and did oftimes frequent her
company.
“There was a certaine wise man, and a Philosopher,
which espied the same, and spake unto
Menippus in this
manner, ‘O formose, et a formorsis, expetitie mulieribus,
ophin thalpies, cai se ophis,’ that is to say, ‘O fair
Menippus, beloved of beautiful women, art thou a serpent,
and dost nourish a serpent?’ by which words he gave
him his first admonition, or incling of a mischiefe; but
not prevayling,
Menippus proposed to marry with this
spectre, her house to the outward shew, being richly
furnished with all manner of houshold goods; then said
the wise man againe unto
Menippus, ‘This gold, silver,
and ornaments of house, are like to
Tantalus Apples,
who are said by
Homer to make a faire shew, but to
containe in them no substance at all; even so, whatsoever
you conceave of this riches, there is no matter or
substance in the things which you see, for they are
onely inchaunted images, and shadowes, which that you
may beleeve, this your neate bride is one of the
Empusæ,
called
Lamia, or
Mormolicæ, wonderfull desirous of commerce
with men, and loving their flesh above measure;
but those whom they doe entice, afterwards they devoure
without love or pittie, feeding upon their flesh.’ At
which words the wise man caused the gold and silver
plate, and household stuffe, cookes, and servants to
vanish all away. Then did the spectre like unto one
that wept, entreate the wise man that he would not
torment her, nor yet cause her to confesse what manner
of person she was; but he on the other side being
inexorable, compelled her to declare the whole truth,
which was, that she was a Phairy, and that she purposed
to use the companie of
Menippus, and feede him
fat with all manner of pleasures, to the extent that,
afterward, she might eate up and devour his body, for
all their kinde love was only to feed upon beautiful
yong men....
“To leave therefore these fables, and come to the
true description of the
Lamia, we have in hand. In the
foure and thirty chapter of Esay, we do find this called
a beast
Lilith in the Hæbrew, and translated by the
auncients
Lamia, which is threatened to possesse
Babell.
Likewise in the fourth chapter of the Lamentations,
where it is said in our English translation, that the
Dragons lay forth their brests, in Hæbrew they are
called
Ehannum, which, by the confession of the best
interpreters, cannot signifie Dragons, but rather Sea
calves, being a generall word for strange wilde beasts.
How be it the matter being wel examined, it shall
appeare that it must needes be this Lamia, because of
her great breastes, which are not competible either to
the Dragon, or Sea calves; so then, we wil take it for
graunted, by the testimony of holy Scripture, that there
is such a beast as this
Cristostinius.
Dion also writeth
that there are such beasts in some parts of
Libia, having
a Woman’s face, and very beautifull, also very large
and comely shapes on their breasts, such as cannot be
counterfeited by the art of any painter, having a very
excellent colour in their fore parts, without wings, and
no other voice but hissing like Dragons: they are the
swiftest of foote of all earthly beasts, so as none can
escape them by running, for, by their celerity, they compasse
their prey of beastes, and by their fraud they overthrow
men. For when they see a man, they lay open
their breastes, and by the beauty thereof, entice them to
come neare to conference, and so, having them within
their compasse, they devoure and kill them.
“Unto the same things subscribe
Cælius and
Giraldus,
adding also, that there is a certaine crooked place in
Libia neare the Sea-shore, full of sand like to a sandy
Sea, and all the neighbor places thereunto are deserts.
If it fortune at any time, that through shipwrack, men
come there on shore, these beasts watch uppon them,
devouring them all, which either endevour to travell on
the land, or else to returne backe againe to Sea, adding
also, that when they see a man they stand stone still,
and stir not til he come unto them, looking down upon
their breasts or to the ground, whereupon some have
thought, that seeing them, at their first sight have such
a desire to come neare them, that they are drawne into
their compasse, by a certaine naturall magicall witchcraft....
The hinderparts of the beast are like unto a Goate,
his fore legs like a Beares, his upper parts to a woman,
the body scaled all over like a Dragon, as some have
affirmed by the observation of their bodies, when
Probus,
the Emperor, brought them forth unto publike spectacle;
also it is reported of them, that they devoure their own
young ones, and therefore they derive their name
Lamia,
of
Lamiando; and thus much for this beast.”
Compiled From Sources In The Public Domain.
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It
is not wealth one asks for, but just enough to preserve one’s dignity,
to work unhampered, to be generous, frank and independent. W.
Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) Of Human Bondage, 1915
