Ophiotaurus
A bull-snake hybrid whose innards could overthrow the gods.
The Ophiotaurus (Ancient Greek: Ὀφιόταυρος) is a hybrid creature from Greek mythology, part bull and part snake. Its only known appearance in an ancient work is in Ovid's poem Fasti, where it is described as a 'marvelous monster' born of Mother Earth. The creature is notable for being the subject of a prophecy that whoever burned its innards would defeat the gods, making it a key element in the Titanomachy.
- Name
- Ophiotaurus
- Etymology
- From Ancient Greek ὄφις (óphis, 'snake') and ταῦρος (taûros, 'bull')
- Appearance
- Front half of a bull, back half of a serpent
- First attested work
- Fasti by Ovid
- Prophecy
- Whoever burns its innards will defeat the gods
- Slain by
- Briareus of the Hecatoncheires
- Foiled by
- Birds sent by Zeus
Lore & Background
In Greek mythology, the Ophiotaurus was a creature with the front half of a bull and the back half of a serpent. Its only known appearance in an ancient work is in Ovid's Fasti, where it is listed among the monstra that threaten both men and gods. Ovid contrasts it with the immania monstra, the terrifying monsters. The poem recounts a prophecy that whoever burned the Ophiotaurus's innards would defeat the eternal gods. Briareus, one of the hundred-handed Hecatoncheires, killed the Ophiotaurus with an adamantine axe and was about to burn its innards, but Zeus ordered birds to snatch them away; a kite carried them off and was placed among the stars as a reward. This story is part of the larger Titanomachy, the conflict between the gods and the Titans.
Reader's Guide
The Ophiotaurus holds significance primarily through its role in the Titanomachy, as described in Ovid's Fasti. English professor John E. Curran Jr. notes that the creature is one of the more overt examples in classical literature of a text challenging the invulnerability of the gods and presenting them as fearful. Classics professor Peter Kelly suggests that the Ophiotaurus represents Ovid's interpretation of the ideas of Empedocles, who posited that most primordial creatures were hybrids; in this sense, the Ophiotaurus returns scientific and philosophical thinking to the realm of myth. Kelly also compares the Ophiotaurus to the river god Achelous, who can transform into a snake and a bull, but not both at once. The only other known depiction of the Ophiotaurus is a mosaic excavated in York. In modern popular culture, the creature appears in Rick Riordan's novel The Titan's Curse, the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode 'Frenemies', the Krapopolis episode 'Ice Week', and the Beware of Chicken series, while a 'Bolt of Ophiotaurus' is referenced in the Dungeon Crawler Carl book series.
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