San Antonio College Library

All known folklores brim with visions of looming and ferocious monsters, often in the role of adversaries to great heroes. But while heroes have been closely studied by mythologists, monsters have been neglected, even though they are equally important as pan-human symbols and reveal similar insights into ways the mind works. In this book, the author explores what human traits monsters represent and why they are so ubiquitous in people's imaginations...

"This book is the first to investigate representations of human animals in early Greek art (ca. 750-450 B.C.). The Centaur's Smile discusses the oriental antecedents of these fantastic creatures, examining the influence of Egyptian and Near Eastern models on the formation of Greek monsters in the Geometric and Archaic periods. Fully illustrated essays explore the nature and origin of horse men (centaurs and satyrs) and the broader range of Greek composite...