Sign-In
Cart
Lamia: Child-Devouring Nightmare
Paperback
Series: From Altar to Archive, Book 5
Comparative ReligionMythology & FolkloreAncient Greece
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: May 13 2025
Pages: 208
Weight: 1.09
Height: 0.44 Width: 8.50 Depth: 11.00
Language: English
LAMIA: Ancient Terror, Enduring Myth
From the shadowy edges of Greek mythology emerges one of antiquity's most haunting figures-Lamia, the child-stealing monster whose tragic transformation from grieving mother to predatory beast has captivated and terrified audiences for millennia.
This comprehensive study traces Lamia's evolution from her earliest appearances in Greek literature through her Roman adaptations, medieval transformations, and her surprising persistence in modern culture. Drawing on archaeological evidence, literary analysis, and comparative mythology, the book reveals how this fearsome figure embodied primal anxieties about child safety that transcend time and culture.
Discover how Lamia's narrative-a beautiful queen whose children are slain by a jealous goddess, transforming her into a serpentine monster who preys on others' offspring-reflects sophisticated psychological insights about maternal grief, social anxieties about female power, and the universal human need to give form to our deepest fears.
The book explores:
- Lamia's origins and development in classical literature
- Her relationship to other female monsters in Greek mythology
- Her transformation through Roman, Byzantine, and medieval traditions
- Her striking revival in Keats's influential poem and subsequent artistic works
- Her parallels in global folklore, from Japanese ubume to Indigenous child-stealers
- Her continuing psychological relevance in understanding how societies process anxieties about child vulnerability
Through feminist, psychological, and anthropological lenses, this study illuminates how Lamia's enduring power stems from her embodiment of universal human concerns-the vulnerability of children, the potential darkness within maternal love, and our desperate need to control the uncontrollable.
A fascinating journey through mythology, psychology, and cultural history, this book reveals why, after thousands of years, Lamia still lurks in the shadows of our collective imagination.
Also from
Hunter, E. L.
Death by Molasses: The Great Boston Flood of 1919 and the Disaster a City Chose to Forget
Hunter, E. L.
Paperback
Forest and Steppe: Climate, Landscape, and the Making of the Early Slavic World
Hunter, E. L.
Paperback
The World That Made the Silk Road: Nomads, Oasis Cities, and the Making of Inner Asia
Hunter, E. L.
Paperback
Early Medieval Wales: From Roman Collapse to English Conquest (410 - 1282 CE)
Hunter, E. L.
Paperback
Holes in the Head: Medicine, Violence, and Survival in Early Medieval Britain and Brittany
Hunter, E. L.
Paperback
Matilda of Flanders: The Wife of William the Conqueror and the Woman Behind the Bayeux Tapestry Myth
Hunter, E. L.
Paperback
Seven Stars in the North: Seers, Sovereignty and the Celestial Bear in Indo-European Myth
Hunter, E. L.
Paperback
Also in
Ancient Greece
The American School of Spies: The Archaeologists Who Fought the Nazis and Saved the Treasures of Ancient Greece
Talty, Stephan
Hardcover
Penelope's Bones: A New History of Homer's World Through the Women Written Out of It
Hauser, Emily
Paperback
Band on the Run: Xenophon and the First Great Mercenary Army's Epic Escape from Persia
O'Connell, Robert L.
Hardcover
Classical Mythology of the Constellations: Timeless Tales of the Starry Night Sky
Giesecke, Annette
Hardcover
Classical Mythology A to Z: An Encyclopedia of Gods & Goddesses, Heroes & Heroines, Nymphs, Spirits, Monsters, and Places
Giesecke, Annette
Hardcover
Tony Stark, Odysseus, and the Myths Behind Marvel: Ancient Heroes in the Modern World
Meineck, Peter
Hardcover
The First Clash: The Miraculous Greek Victory at Marathon and Its Impact on Western Civilization
Lacey, James
Paperback
A Story Waiting to Pierce You: Mongolia, Tibet and the Destiny of the Western World
Kingsley, Peter
Paperback
After Jesus Before Christianity: A Historical Exploration of the First Two Centuries of Jesus Movements
Taussig, Hal
Vearncombe, Erin
Scott, Brandon
Paperback
Alexander at the End of the World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great
Kousser, Rachel
Paperback
A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture
Burstein, Stanley M.
Tolbert Roberts, Jennifer
Pomeroy, Sarah B.
Paperback
Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece
Romm, James
Paperback
Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Unconventional Warfare in the Ancient World
Mayor, Adrienne
Paperback
Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy Was the Offspring of the Egyptian Mystery System
James, George G. M.
Paperback
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: An Extraordinary New Journey Through History's Greatest Treasures
Hughes, Bettany
Paperback
Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece
Romm, James
Hardcover
Encyclopedia of Mythology: A Collection of Greek and Roman Heroes, Gods, and Monsters with Collectible Ephemera - Includes 16 Beautifully Designed Pie
Editors of Chartwell Books
Hardcover
The Histories (Royal Collector's Edition) (Annotated) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)
Herodotus
Hardcover
Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans
Ryan, Garrett
Paperback
Women's Life in Greece and Rome: A Source Book in Translation
Lefkowitz, Mary R.
Fant, Maureen B.
Paperback
The Sacred Band: Three Hundred Theban Lovers and the Last Days of Greek Freedom
Romm, James
Paperback
Ancient Wisdom for Polarized Times: Why Humanity Needs Herodotus, the Man Who Invented History
Anhalt, Emily Katz
Hardcover
By the Spear: Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire
Worthington, Ian
Paperback
Complete Poems of C. P. Cavafy: Including the First English Translation of the Unfinished Poems
Cavafy, C. P.
Paperback
Mythology: Captivating Greek, Egyptian, Norse Celtic and Roman Myths of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters
Clayton, Matt
Hardcover
Selected Discourses - The Wisdom of Epictetus: The Stoic Classic
Epictetus
Butler-Bowdon, Tom
Hardcover
Meet Me in Atlantis: Across Three Continents in Search of the Legendary Sunken City
Adams, Mark
Paperback
Lords of the Sea: The Epic Story of the Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy
Hale, John R.
Paperback
The Shortest History of Greece: The Odyssey of a Nation from Myth to Modernity
Heneage, James
Paperback
Goddess with a Thousand Faces: A One-Of-A-Kind Exploration of Goddesses from Our Ancient Past
Elmer, Jasmine
Paperback
Introducing the Ancient Greeks: From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind
Hall, Edith
Paperback
Greek Mythology: Explore The Timeless Tales Of Ancient Greece, The Myths, History & Legends of The Gods, Goddesses, Titans, Heroes, Monsters & More
Brought Alive, History
Paperback
Alexander at the End of the World: The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great
Kousser, Rachel
Hardcover
The Cave and the Light: Plato Versus Aristotle, and the Struggle for the Soul of Western Civilization
Herman, Arthur
Paperback
The Little Book of Stoicism: An Introduction to the Key Thinkers, Ideas and Virtues You Need to Know
Barrage, Rasha
Paperback
Hermes Runs the Game: Inverted Myth, Sacrifice and Initiation In-Forming the Events of 2020-2024
Crimi, Stephen
Paperback
Primary Sources for Ancient History: Volume I: The Ancient Near East and Greece
Forsythe, Gary
Paperback
A War Like No Other: How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War
Hanson, Victor Davis
Paperback
Streams of Gold, Rivers of Blood: The Rise and Fall of Byzantium, 955 A.D. to the First Crusade
Kaldellis, Anthony
Paperback
The Twelve Caesars (Royal Collector's Edition) (Annotated) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)
Suetonius
Hardcover
Antiquity: From the Birth of Sumerian Civilization to the Fall of the Roman Empire
Cantor, Norman F.
Paperback
Greek Mythology Book for Teens: A Chronicle of Ancient Tales (Skriuwer.com Edition)
Auke de Haan
Paperback
Ghost on the Throne: The Death of Alexander the Great and the Bloody Fight for His Empire
Romm, James
Paperback
The Ancient Art of Thinking for Yourself: The Power of Rhetoric in Polarized Times
Reames, Robin
Hardcover
The War That Killed Achilles: The True Story of Homer's Iliad and the Trojan War
Alexander, Caroline
Paperback
The Founding of Thessaloniki: A Comparison of Literary, Archaeological and Topographical Evidence
Manoledakis, Manolis
Paperback