Mythical Creatures [EDITING]

Caucasian Eagle

The Caucasian Eagle is one of the mythical creatures to appear in the legendary tales of Ancient Greece. Gigantic in stature, the Caucasian Eagle is famous for its role in punishing the Titan Prometheus. 

THE CAUCASIAN EAGLE

The eagle was an important symbol within Greek mythology, for it was the sacred creature of Zeus, and the supreme deity of the Greek mythology was known to transform into one, when he abducted Aegina for example, and also to make use of them, with eagles known to carry the god's thunderbolts.

The Caucasian Eagle, though, was not a normal eagle, despite being used by Zeus, and the Caucasian Eagle had a specific name: Aetos Kaukasios. Many ancient sources, including the Theogony (Hesiod), the Bibilotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus), Argonautica (Apollonius Rhodius), and Prometheus Bound (Aeschylus) make reference to the bird.

THE ORIGINS OF THE CAUCASIAN EAGLE

It was normally said that the Caucasian Eagle was one of the monstrous offspring of Typhon and Echidna making the Caucasian Eagle sibling to the likes of the Nemean Lion and Lernaean Hydra. 

Occasionally though, it was said that the Caucasian Eagle was a child of Tartarus and Gaia, making it a sibling to Typhon and Campe.

The Caucasian Eagle though was perhaps not as monstrous as the children born to Typhon and Echidna, and possibly Tartarus and Gaia, and so an alternative theory was put forth that the Caucasian Eagle was not a living beast, but was instead an automaton constructed by the metal-working god Hephaestus. 

The Caucasian Eagle received its name because its range was in the Caucasus Mountains, just as the Nemean Lion was to be found in Nemea, and the Lernaean Hydra in Lerna.

THE PUNISHMENT OF PROMETHEUS

The Caucasian Eagle comes to prominence in Greek mythology because of the role it played in the punishment of Prometheus meted out to the Titan by Zeus.

Prometheus had been the benefactor of man following the Titanomachy, and having created mankind from clay, had imbued it with skills and abilities taken from the Olympian gods, before stealing the secret of fire from the workshop of Hephaestus.

Having then taught mankind how to get the best from the sacrifices made to the gods, the anger of Zeus overflowed, resulting in punishment for the Titan.

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Information from greeklegendsandmyths.com

Image from theoi.com