And the Serpent (or Dragon)? Also unpredictable. Mysterious, Stealthy, Sleek. Here again – I’ve got no qualms about these symbolic traits. The serpent is closely connected with mother Earth. Consider…she spends her whole life slithering her belly upon the body of the Earth. That makes her uber-sensitive to the Earth’s movement and mood.
Now…having said all that…there’s something curious about a creature who has all these diverse parts smooshed together.
According to The Penguin’s Dictionary of Symbols, the shadowy, dour qualities of these three creatures put together in one “monster” (their word, not mine), is symbolic of animalistic behavior that is untamed and writhing just under the surface of every human. I understand this…we all have a tendency for behaving badly, but I’m not sure the Chimera should be the scape-goat for all potentially wicked behavior.
Rather, I like to look at the diversity of these animals in relation to the symbolic meaning of Chimera. Each have their merit. Each creature is part of Mother Nature. Wild, yes. Unpredictable, sure. But still beautiful and valuable to the perfect harmony of Nature.
